No abstract available.
Epilepsy* ; Genetics*

The cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) inhibitor p27Kip1 gene is a powerful molecular determinant of cell cycle progression. Loss of expression of p27Kip1 has recently been shown to be predictive of disease progression in several human malignancies. The prognostic value and expression of p27Kip1 have been incompletely studied in bladder cancer. In this study, we investigated the relationship between p27Kip1 protein expression and clinicopathologic parameters in 50 cases of carcinoma of the urinary bladder by conducting immunohistochemical analysis and DNA flow-cytometry. Malignant bladder tissue demonstrated a heterogeneous pattern of p27Kip1 immunoreactivity. In addition, there was progressive loss of expression with increasing tumor grade. The expression of p27Kip1 protein was unrelated to stage, DNA ploidy and S phase fraction (SPF). SPF was unrelated with tumor grade and DNA ploidy. The results indicate that p27Kip1 is frequently expressed in well differentiated transitional cell carcinomas of the urinary bladder but less often expressed in muscle-invasive transitional cell carcinomas. The expression of p27Kip1 and its prevalence in low-grade tumors may reflect growth regulatory influences and potential inhibiting action in tumor progression and novel predictive markers of the biological potential of bladder tumors.
Carcinoma, Transitional Cell ; Cell Cycle ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27* ; Disease Progression ; DNA ; Humans ; Phosphotransferases ; Ploidies ; Prevalence ; S Phase ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms ; Urinary Bladder*

Angiogenesis is an early event in tumorigenesis and facilitates tumor progression and metastasis. This study was performed to evaluate the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), phospholipase C-gamma1 (PLC-gamma1) and Ki-67, and to assess the relationship between them in cervical squamous cell neoplasia. The materials were fifty cervical squamous cell lesions, consisted of thirty HSIL (6 moderate dysplasia, 11 severe dysplasia, 13 carcinoma in situ), and twenty invasive squamous cell carcinoma (ISCC) cases. Immunohistochemical stain for VEGF, PLC-gamma1 and Ki-67 were done. Expression rate of VEGF was significantly higher in ISCC than in HSIL (p=0.012). PLC-gamma1 expression was significantly higher in ISCC than in HSIL (p=0.004). Ki-67 labelling index was significantly higher in ISCC than in HSIL (p=0.001) and higher in VEGF-positive tumors than in VEGF-negative tumors (p=0.018), but there were no significant differences between PLC-gamma1 expression and Ki-67 labelling index (p>0.05), and between PLC-gamma1 and VEGF (p>0.05). This study suggests that PLC-gamma1 and VEGF may play an important role in tumor cell proliferation and invasion, and these may be a useful marker to predict the possibility of invasion in cervical cancer.
Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cell Proliferation ; Cervix Uteri* ; Female ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Phospholipases* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

BACKGROUNDS: Antiphospholipid antibodies which are frquently found in systemic lupus erythematosus and primary antiphospholipid syndrome are associated with recurrent abortions and thromboembolism. In this study the authors investigated whether antiphospholipid antibodies are found in Graves disease, a representative organ-specific autoimmune disease and what is the clinical implication of the antiphospholipid antibodies if they appear in Graves disease. METHODS: Anticardiolipin antibody and lupus anticoagulant activity were measured in 57 untreated hyperthyroid Graves patients. 42 euthyroid patients with thyroid nodules served as controls. RESULTS: Eight of the 57 patients with Graves disease had anticardiolipin antibody which was significantly more frequent than in control group. Six of the eight patients who had anticardiolipin antibody had IgM type antibody and two had IgG type antibody. All their antibody activity declined with several months of antithyroid drug therapy and finally disappeared when the patients became euthyroid. Presence of anticardiolipin antibody had no relationship with clinical events such as spontaneous abrtion and thromboembolism. CONCLUSION: Anticardiolipin antibody is frequently found in patients with Graves disease. They seem to appear as an epiphenomenon of autoimmunity and they seem not to have any clinical implications.
Abortion, Habitual ; Antibodies, Anticardiolipin* ; Antibodies, Antiphospholipid ; Antiphospholipid Syndrome ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Autoimmunity ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Graves Disease* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Lupus Coagulation Inhibitor ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Pregnancy ; Thromboembolism ; Thyroid Nodule

Continued improvements in treatments of the thoracolumber spine have occured in the last several years. The operative treatment of choice currently is short segment fusion(instrumentation one level above to one level below the injury). The development of pedicle screw systems has brought short segment fusion into clinical reality from the posterior approach. We analysed the clinical results of 20 patients with unstable fracture and fracture-dislocation of thoracolumbar spine who were treated with the posterior transpedicular screw system. The mean fol- low-up was 18 month. Ll was the most common injury level and the bursting fracture was the most common fracure type by Denis classification. The mean preoperative sagital index was 21.5。 and improved 8.1。 postoperatively. The mean preoperative anterior and posterior height of the vertebral height were 56.9% and 88.8% and improved postoperatively 94.7 and 88.8 respectively. The mean preoperative neural canal impingement in neural defici: patient was 47.2% and was improved 30.65% postoperatively. The mean prooperative ASIA motor was 34.1 and improved 41.7 postoperatively. There was no metal failure. These data suggested that the posterior transpedicular screw fixation, transpedicle bone graft, decompression and posterolateral bone graft was able to porvide sufficient stability and to achieve the neurologic improvement.
Asia ; Classification ; Decompression ; Humans ; Neural Tube ; Pedicle Screws ; Spine ; Transplants

The level of copayment increased in order to stabilize the financial condition of the health insurance on 1986. An important question regarding the policy was whether the increase in the level of copayments reduced the utilization of medical services in the poor selectively. In spite of the importance of the research question, no study has been reported. This study was designed to find out changes in nuniU rs of physician visits, to explain charac teristics influencing the difference of utilization before and after the program. Finally the interaction effect between the program and the level of income was examined for the abover question. A total of 10,421 persons from eight institutions was selected as the study sample. Research findings are as follows. 1. The number of physician visits decreased by ten percent as a result of increasing the level of copayment. 2. The decrease was remarkable in some groups such as children, rural area and large family. 3. The most important factor which explained the difference was the number of physician visits before the introduction of the new program.. The more numbers of physian visits during the last year were, the more numbers of physian visits decreased after the program. 4. The interaction term between the program and the level of income was statistically significant in the multiple regression model which explained physician visits and its coefficient was negative. It means that an increase in copayment did not reduced the number of physician visits in the poor, selectively. 5. It can be concluded that imposing adequate copayment reduces the use of medical services as well as medical costs without serious damage in access especially for the poor pule.
Child ; Humans ; Insurance, Health

The carcinoma of uterine cervix is the most common malignant neoplasm in Korean women. Nearly all invasive cervical carcinomas are preceded by a intraepithelial stage. The cervical intraepithelial lesion(CIN) is subdivided into I, II, and III, depending on the severity of the changes. To evaluate the histologic characteristics of the CIN, we studied the CIN III by mapping of the uterine cervix. The results were as follows. 1. The CIN III without I or II was 54.8%(17/31 cases). 2. The multifocal CIN III was 12.9%(4/31 cases). 3. The horizontal growth of CIN III was 38.7%(12/31 cases). These results indicate that the CIN III is unifocal and CIN III without I or II is more common.
Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia* ; Cervix Uteri* ; Female ; Humans

This study was conducted in order to find out the attitude of housewives toward the home attendants system, the type of institute managing home attendants, the education for home attendants, the basic requisites for home attendants, and home nursing education, and identify the factors influencing on the housewives's attitude. The data were collected through questionnaires obtained from 401 housewives from March 1 to March 31, 1988. The results summarized were as follows; 1) 90.2 percent of total housewives favored the home attendants system, and housewives who had have their family member with health problem especially showed favorable response. 2) The favored types of institution managing home attendants appeared to be private social work agency(33.0%), half-private and half-public agency(32.2%), government agency(19.9%) and profit agency(2.2%). In particular, housewives who had experienced nursing favored half-private and half-public agency(37.6%). 3) As the basic requisites for home attendants, housewives wanted service attitude(37.2%), nursing education(34.4%) and nursing experience(28.4%). But, housewives with nursing experience favored nursing education rather than service attitude. 4) 91.1% of total housewives favored the home nursing education. In particular, housewives of high education level and nursing experience showed more favorable response to the home nursing education.
Education* ; Education, Nursing ; Home Nursing* ; Humans ; Nursing ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Social Work

Since cortison was administered to various clinical conditions, a large number of reports reviewed the influence of its application on the repair process of connective tissue. The effect of cortisone was described as consisting of delayed formation of fibroblast, rnucopolysac-charide and collagen, depressed activity of vitamin D in the human body, disturbed calciurn metabolism and consequently the delayed healing of the fracture. And it was therefore decided to investigate the effect of cortisone on fracture healing process. Twenty male rabbits weighing between 1500 and 2000 gms were used for this experiment. Their ribs were fratured and they were divided in 4 groups as follows: 1st group: control group 2nd group: vitamin. C 15mg/Kg. daily I. M. 3rd group: cortione acetate 20mg/Kg. daily I. M. 4th group: cortisone acetate 20mg/Kg. with vitamin. C 15mg/Kg. daily I, M. Gross and histological changes of healing process of ribs were observed, and results confirmed the delaying effect of cortisone administration in the fracture healing, on the contrary, the vitamin. C administration seemed to accelerate.
Ascorbic Acid ; Collagen ; Connective Tissue ; Cortisone ; Fibroblasts ; Fracture Healing ; Human Body ; Humans ; Male ; Metabolism ; Rabbits ; Ribs ; Vitamin D ; Vitamins

No abstract available.
Thyroid Dysgenesis*