OBJECTIVES: A different sequence change, in the mitochondrial tRNA gene, has been proposed as a candidate mutation in the sensorineurnal hearing loss. The purpose of current study is to identify the association between the noise-induced sensorineurnal hearing loss and the A to G mutation at nucleotide 3243 of mitochondrial DNA. METHODS: Subjects were established by history and chart review, and audiological and clinical data were obtained. Blood was sampled from 101 controls, 50 noise-induced hearing loss, and 12 sensorineural deafness. The DNA of these individuals was extracted, and mitochondrial genome was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction. Subsequently, the coding sequence of mitochondrial genome was sequenced, and compared to the normal sequence, and all sequence variations were analyzed by restriction endonuclease ApaI. RESULTS: Mitochondrial DNA mutation (3243A->G) was not detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in any patients with noise-induced hearing loss, sensorineural hearing loss, and normal control without hearing loss in Koreans. The DNA sequencing of PCR products did not revealed an A to G substitution at nucleotide 3243 of mitochondrial DNA. CONCLUSIONS: The noise-induced sensorineural hearing loss was not associated with mitochondrial DNA mutation (3243A->G)
Clinical Coding ; Deafness ; DNA ; DNA Restriction Enzymes ; DNA, Mitochondrial* ; Genome, Mitochondrial ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural* ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Transfer ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

No abstract available.
Digoxigenin* ; DNA* ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis*

Halitosis is caused by consumption of certain foods or drinks and production of volatile sulfur compounds (VSCs) by periodontopathogens. VSCs-related halitosis is not easily removed using mechanical or chemical therapies such as dental floss, plaque control and mouth rinse. Lactobacillus are known to be probiotics and stimulate immune systems of human. Furthermore, L. casei ATCC 334 and L. rhamnosus GG have an effect on protection of dental caries in vitro studies. The aim of this study was to investigate effect of Lactobacillus on halitosis by Fusobacterium nucleatum- and Porphyromonas gingivalis- producing VSCs and to analyze inhibitory mechanism. The periodontopathogens were cultivated in the presence or the absence Lactobacillus, and the level of VSCs was measured by gas chromatograph. For analysis of inhibitory mechanisms, the susceptibility assay of the spent culture medium of Lactobacillus against F. nucleatum and P. gingivalis was investigated. Also, the spent culture medium of Lactobacillus and periodontopathogens were mixed, and the emission of VSCs from the spent culture medium was measured by gas chromatograph. L. casei and L. rhamnosus significantly reduced production of VSCs. L. casei and L. rhamnosus exhibited strong antibacterial activity against F. nucleatum and P. gingivalis. The spent culture medium of L. casei inhibited to emit gaseous hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan and dimethyl sulfide from the spent culture medium of periodontopathogens. However, the spent medium of L. rhamnosus repressed only dimethyl sulfide. L. casei ATCC 334 may improve halitosis by growth inhibition of periodontopathogens and reduction of VSCs emission.
Dental Caries ; Dental Devices, Home Care ; Fusobacterium ; Halitosis* ; Humans ; Hydrogen Sulfide ; Immune System ; Lactobacillus ; Lactobacillus casei* ; Mouth ; Porphyromonas ; Probiotics ; Sulfur Compounds

No Abstract Available.
Arthroplasty* ; Knee Joint* ; Knee*

The intraspinal extradural meningeal cyst is a rare cause of compression of spinal cord. The most common clinical presentation is a slowly progressive myelopathy, but our case was presented with polyradiculopathy at admission. The authors believe that our case is particularly attributable to a ball-valve mechanism involving an idiopathic dural rent and a herniated segment of an underlying dorsal rootlet in the operative finding. As in our case, magnetic resonance imaging provides accurate diagnosis to identify an intraspinal extradural meningeal cyst. Closure of dural rent with marsupialization of the meningeal cyst through minimal laminectomy can be successfully managed with favorable clinical outcome as in our case.
Diagnosis ; Laminectomy ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Polyradiculopathy ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Diseases

Cellular schwannoma is a very rare benign tumor involving peripheral nerves, mimicking malignant nerve sheath tumor in histological appearance. It is a clinico-pathological variant of benign schwannoma characterized by a high cellularity, increased mitotic figures and occasional presence of bone destruction. A 6-month-old female patient was admitted with progressive quadriparesis. Magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine showed a well-enhancing extramedullary mass on the C4 to C6 area. Total laminectomy was performed on C4-7, and intradural extramedullary tumor was removed. Histologically, the tumor was composed of proliferated spindle cells. Most of the tumor was composed of Antoni A area with hypercellular spindle cells arranged in fascicular pattern. The tumor cells showed mild atypism with mitotic figure upto 4/10HPF and diffuse, strong S-100 protein immunostaining. The patient was improved postoperatively.
Female ; Humans ; Infant* ; Laminectomy ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neurilemmoma* ; Peripheral Nerves ; Quadriplegia ; S100 Proteins ; Spinal Cord Neoplasms ; Spine*

Apocrine adenocarcinoma is rarely reported in the world and only 4 cases are reported in Korean literature. We encountered a case of apocrine adenocarcinoma associated with basal cell carcinoma in a 76-year-old female. Excisional biopsy showed well demarcated basophilic cell mass in the upper dermis and glandular structure in the lower dermis. Basophilic cell mass consisted with basaloid cells and had peripheral palisading arrangement. Glandular structures characterized by cells with abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm showed decapitation secretion. The cells showed nuclear atypicality, plemorphism and prominent nucleoli. The cytoplasm contained PAS-positive, diastase-resistant granules and stains for lysozyme and GCDFP-15(Gross Cystic Disease Fluid Protein-15) were positive.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Aged ; Basophils ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Coloring Agents ; Cytoplasm ; Decapitation ; Dermis ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Humans ; Muramidase

Langerhans cell histiocytosis is a proliferative disease in which Langerhans cells accumulate in various body sites and cause damage to the affected organs. We report a 7-month-old infant who had only cutaneous lesions and healed spontaneously without treatment. There were rice grain to corn sized erythematous papules and crusted lesions in the chest, abdomen, and back for 2 months. The histologic finding of the lesion showed that the dyscohesive infiltrate, predominantly of histiocytes, were present and extravasated erythrocytes and eosinophils were also found in edematous papillary dermis. Careful examination showed histiocytes with coffee bean or kidney-shaped nucleus which was positive for S-100 protein. The infant had no systemic involvement, and healed spontaneously after 1 month without relapse.
Abdomen ; Edible Grain ; Coffee ; Dermis ; Eosinophils ; Erythrocytes ; Histiocytes ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell* ; Humans ; Infant ; Langerhans Cells ; Recurrence ; S100 Proteins ; Thorax ; Zea mays

To evaluate in vitro anti-HIV efficacies of nucleoside derivatives, MT-4 cell line was infected with HIV-1 and HIV-2 respectively and treated with various compounds and the formerly approved drugs such as AZT, d4T, ddC and ddI. CPE method was used to evaluate their antiviral activity Most dideoxynucleosides, AZT, d4T, ddC and ddI, showed anti-HIV activities against both viruses but no other compounds including anti-herpesvirus drugs did any. Further experiments were carried out to study their inhibitory mechanism of viral adsorption. The results showed no inhibition of syncytium formation due to an interaction between the gp120 expressed in HIV-infected cell surface and CD4 receptor on the uninfected cell surface in the presence of AZT. AZT showed no activity up to 100 microgram/ml. Inhibition of reverse transcriptase (RT) in the presence of AZT-triphosphate was tested by using RT expressed in E. coli and purified and its IC50 was 4.5 nM.
Adsorption ; Cell Line ; Dideoxynucleosides ; Giant Cells ; HIV-1 ; HIV-2 ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; RNA-Directed DNA Polymerase ; Stavudine

Lead is a major environmental and occupational neurotoxicant. It has been shown that long-term exposure to a low level of lead impairs the development of brain. For example, it was reported that lead exposure during the childhood causes a learning difficulty and a memory deficit of children. Neurotoxic agents including the lead are believed to cause neuronal death in developing brain by two mechanisms: apoptosis and necrosis. However, the exact mechanism of neuronal death caused by lead exposure is still not known explicitly. In this study, we conducted a study to clarify a mechanism of hippocampal neuronal cell death caused by lead acetate. Hippocampal neurons were cultured for 14-16 days and treated with lead acetate of 1. 10, 100 1 microM concentrations for 12 hours. With the MTT(methyl tetrazolium test) kit, the viability of neuronal cells was measured. Next, in order to examine apoptosis caused by lead acetate, TUNEL (TdT-mediated d-UTP Nick End Labelling) assay was performed. It has been shown that lead acetate reduced the viability of neuronal cells in a dose dependent manner, especially at the concentration of 100 ~M lead acetate. TUNEL immunostain showed brownish signals in the nucleus of apoptotic cells. The proportions of apoptotic cells in the lead?acetate treated group were more higher than those in the controls and increased as lead acetate concentration increased. From above results, it may be concluded that lead in the hippocampal neuronal cells reduced cell viability and one of mechanisms in neuronal cell death by lead appears to be apoptosis.
Apoptosis* ; Brain ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Child ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Learning ; Memory Disorders ; Necrosis ; Neurons*