To investigate the microvascular changes in primary pulmonary hypertension, the lungs of 24 Sprague-Dawley rats were treated by an intraperitoneal injection of 2% monocrotaline(MCT) solution and then examined with scanning electron microscopy(SEM) after microvascular corrosion casting. Histologic examination revealed significant medial thickening in the small to medium-sized pulmonary arteries. Scanning electron microscopic findings of the normal lungs showed two kinds of microvascular structures. One showed a well-fortned three-dimensional basket structure of uniform flat-tubular alveolar capillaries, which were connected to each other in a T or Y shape or at right angles. The other revealed a two-dimensional reticular sheet of round tubular branches mainly in the bronchial artery-supplying regions. The MCT-treated groups(remodelling) showed apparent changes in both kinds of microvasculatures in comparison to the normal group but the more prominent change was found in Lbe bronchial artery microvasculature showing the dense thick encasement around large pulmonary arteries. Alveolar microvasculature of the pulmonary artery revealed individually enlarged angular appearance, with generally deformed alveolar architecture. Quantitatively, the significant enlargement of diameter and intercapillary distance appeared in both microvasculatures of MCT-induced rat lungs, but the density was increased only in the bronchial artery microvasculature. In conclusion, our three-dimensional microvascular study of the MCT-treated rat lungs demonstrates a new morphologic finding of vascular remodeling in primary puhnonary hypertension, which is thought to play an important vascular role in the pathogenesis in addition to interstitial fibrosis.
Rats ; Animals

Beta-2-microglubulin(beta 2m), the invariable light chain of the histocompatibility antigen is present on the surfaces of most human nucleated cells. It has proved to be reduced or disappeared on the cell surfaces of variable skin cancers. Patterns of beta 2m stainability in normal uterus and of the loss in several cervical epithelial lesions were examined by immunohistochemical staining using rat monoclonal and rabbit polyclonal anti-beta 2m, repectively on fresh tissues of 13 cases and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues of 23 cases. To know patterns of loss of beta 2m stainability and measure its extent and degree, only fixed tissues were examined. Fresh uterine tissue showed beta 2m stainability present on the cell membranes of squamous epithelium, endocervical gland, and capillary endothelium. Of these, squamous epithelium of uterine cervix revealed most characteristic lace-like staining along the cell outlines. Paraffin-embedded 23 cases were classified as group I (6 normal conrol and metaplasia), II (5 mild and moderate dysplasia), III (6 severe dysplasia and carcinome in situ), and IV ( 6 microinvasive and invasive squamous cell carcinoma). Group 2-4 showed reduced beta 2m stainability when compared to group 1 that exhibited the similar stainability as fresh normal cervical epithelium. The reduction or less proved to be statistically significant(p-value<0.001) in group 3 and 4 except for group 2. In spite of being invasive cases, a few disclosed beta 2m positive cells mainly in well-differentiated areas. In sum, ABC immunohistochemical staining of beta 2m showed the tendency tend to decrease or disappear in uterine cervical epithelial lesions with premalignant or malignant change and rather to appear in some well-differentiated areas of malignant lesions.
Humans ; Rabbits ; Rats ; Animals

No abstract available.
Aged, 80 and over* ; Humans ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate*

No abstract available.
Keloid* ; Recurrence*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effect of high dose corticosteroid and optic canal decompression on the traumatic optic nerve injury. METHODS: Twenty six patients who were diagnosed to have traumatic optic nerve injury, were divided into two groups in which one group received corticosteroid therapy while the other group underwent optic canal decompression combined with corticosteroid therapy. RESULTS: Visual acuity increased by > OR =3 lines of LogMAR scale in 47% of the corticosteroid group, in 28% of operation and steroid group, and in 42% of overall cases. But the degree of visual acuity improvement had no difference between two groups(p=0.72). As the patients were divided into two groups based on initial visual acuity such as no light perception and light perception or better, the initial visual acuity did not have influence on the final visual outcome in both corticosteroid group and operation and steroid group(p=0.78, p=0.33). CONCLUSIONS: This result suggest that effect of high dose corticosteroid and optic canal decompression on traumatic optic nerve injury is not different.
Decompression* ; Humans ; Optic Nerve Injuries* ; Optic Nerve* ; Visual Acuity

Although papillary carcinoma of the thyroid generally follows an indolent course characterized by slow growth and the absence of distant metastases, several available reports suggest that metastasis to bone and/or lung parenchyma may occur infrequently. But pleural metastases are known to be very rare, so there have been only two case reports about the pleural metastases of papillary thyroid carcinoma in the literatures. Even the case of occult papillary thyroid carcinoma presenting as a metastatic pleural effusion has been never been reported. Recently we experienced a case with the chief complaint of dyspnea due to massive pleural effusion, the cytologic examination of which revealed the papillary carcinoma with psamomma bodies. The examination of the thyroid revealed no definite primary tumor. The total thyroidectomy was done with the plan of post-operative radioactive iodine treatment and the pathologic result confirmed the occult papillary microcarcinoma as expected. With the present case report, the extension of the clinical spectrum of metastatic papillary carcinoma of the thyroid is expected.
Carcinoma, Papillary ; Dyspnea ; Iodine ; Lung ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pleural Effusion* ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Thyroidectomy

The Kniest syndrome is characterized by disproportionate dwarfism and Kyphoscoliosis which may be associated with flat facies with prominent eyes, cleft palate, hearing loss, myopia and limited joint motion. The skeletal abnormalities are recognizable at birth with shortening and deformity of the extremities and stiff joints. Marked lumbar lordosis and kyphoscoliosis develop in childhood, resulting in disproportionate shortening of the trunk. We experienced a case of kniest syndrome, confirmed by clinical features, radiological features, and histological examination of cartilage. A brief review of the related literature is presented.
Animals ; Cartilage ; Cleft Palate ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Dwarfism ; Extremities ; Facies ; Hearing Loss ; Joints ; Lordosis ; Myopia ; Parturition

The ultimate goal of periodontal therapy is to promote the regeneration of lost periodontal tissue, there have been many attempts to develop a method to achieve this goal, but none of them was completely successful. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of Bio-Oss(R) on alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) activity in human fetal osteoblasts (hFOB1). The results of this study were as follows, in ALP Activity, 100 microgram/ml Bio-Oss(R) treated group showed significantly increased value than negative control group, but positive group(10(-7) M dexamethasone treated group) showed the highest ALP activity at 3 day. In mineralization assay, numerous mineralized nodules were identified as darkly stained spots in 100 microgram/ml Bio-Oss(R) treated group than two control groups, whereas a small number of mineralized nodules were showed in the positive control. ALP may relate to the initial phase of bone nodule formation. On the basis of these results, this study showed Bio-Oss(R) is capable of accelerating new bone formation through hFOB1 differentiation in vitro.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Calcification, Physiologic* ; Dexamethasone ; Humans* ; Osteoblasts* ; Osteogenesis ; Regeneration

OBJECTIVE: It has been suggested that the occurrence of persistent pain signal during the early postnatal period may alter an individual's response to pain later in life. The aim of this study is to assess whether neonatal nerve injury resulted in long-lasting consequences on nociceptive system in the rat. METHODS: We examined whether neuropathic pain behaviors and the changes of spinal neuropeptides (SP, CGRP, VIP and VIP) induced by peripheral nerve injury within 1 day after birth (Neonate group) were different from those at 8 weeks after birth (Mature group). RESULTS: The Neonate group showed more robust and long-lasting pain behaviors than the Mature group. Immunohistochemical findings demonstrated that spinal SP- & CGRP-immunoreactivities(ir) of the ipsilateral to the contralateral side increased in the Neonate group, whereas those decreased in the Mature group. In addition, increase in spinal VIP- & NPY-ir of the ipsilateral to the contralateral side was more robust in the Mature group than in the Neonate group. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that peripheral nerve injury in the early postnatal period may result in long-lasting and potentially detrimental alterations in nociceptive pathways.
Animals ; Humans ; Hyperalgesia ; Infant, Newborn ; Neuralgia* ; Neuropeptides* ; Parturition ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries* ; Peripheral Nerves* ; Rats*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Needles* ; Peritonsillar Abscess*