Fibronectin(FN) is a physiologic glycoprotein presenton cell surface and in connective tissue, extracellular matrix and plasma. Increased plasma FN levels have been reported in the patients with psoriasis, connective tissue disease, internal malignancy, squamous cell carcinoma and basal cell carcinoma. The author investigated the plasma FN levels in 30 patients (males 13, female 17) with psoriasis and 23 healthy subjects (male 13, female 10) by gelatin sepharose 4B affinity chromatography and Laurells rocket immunoelectrophoresis method. The results were as follows : Plasrna JN levels were 450.4+/-80.3pg/ml in the patients with psoriasis and 334.0-51.3pg/ml in healthy subjects. There was no relationship between age graups and sex. Plasrna FN levels in the patients with psoriasis were higher than those of healthy subjects(p<0.001). There was no relationship between the levels of plasma FN and clinical severity of psoriasis.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Chromatography, Affinity ; Connective Tissue ; Connective Tissue Diseases ; Extracellular Matrix ; Female ; Fibronectins* ; Gelatin ; Glycoproteins ; Humans ; Immunoelectrophoresis ; Plasma* ; Psoriasis* ; Sepharose

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic* ; Thyroid Gland*

A 20-year-old woman presented with 2-year history of low back pain. She is a basketball player. There was neither major traumatic episode nor history of febrile illness, On plain roentgenograms, sclerosis and slightly decreased height of L5 vertebral body was detected while the intervertebral disc spaces were intact. We found that L5 body was destructed by materials showing high signal intensity on T2 weighted images and connecting the two adjacent disc spaces on MRI. The initial diagonsis included bone tumors. Vertebrectomy was done and the intravertebral material was revealed as degenerated nucleus pulposus.
Basketball ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Low Back Pain ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Sclerosis ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Ventilation* ; Welding*

No abstract available.
Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins* ; Prospective Studies*

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

Osteoblastoma is a benign lesion somewhat similar to ostoid osteoma histologically but different from it clinically, roentgenologically and grossly. The autors have experienced a case of benign osteoblastoma of the neural arch of the Iumbar spine, and treated the case by total laminectomy and conflrmed with biopsy.
Biopsy ; Laminectomy ; Osteoblastoma ; Osteoma ; Spine

OBJECTIVE: We analyzed 200 cases of prenatal amniocentesis and compared them with other reported studies. Thus we propose the necessity of metanalysis for prenatal amniocentesis. METHOD: We analyzed 200 cases that have undergone amniocentesis at Masan Samsung hospital from January 1996 to December 1997. The results of our study was compared with other reported studies of amniocentesis by indication and maternal age. The proportion of age-class and indication are compared between previous study subjects and our 200 cases. RESULTS: Triple marker abnormality was the most common indication of amniocentesis(51%) and the most common age distribution was 25-29 years (43.5%). Chromosomal aberration was diagnosed in 20 cases (10%) of which the numerical aberration was 9 cases (4.5%) and the structural aberration was 11 cases (5.5%). 5 cases (2.5%) out of ll cases of the structural aberration were normal variant. There were 7 cases (trisomy 21) of autosomal aberration and 2 cases (Turner syndrome) of sex chromosome aberration. Arnong the structural aberration, there was only one reported case of 46, t(7:10) reciprocal translocation. There were no cases of fetal death except for a little self limited preterm labor. There were no neonatal complications. In the comparison of indication and maternal age with other studies, abnormal triple test was the most common indication of amniocentesis. The number of young pregnant women under 35 years old who underwent genetic amniocentesis was increased year by year. CONCLUSION: Triple maker screening test and genetic amniocentesis become popular method of antenatal diagnosis in Korea. Now, it is the proper time to establish standard indication of prenatal amniocentesis in this country by systemic and objective statistic examination. So we address the need for metanalysis in our country as comparing with other studies.
Adult ; Age Distribution ; Amniocentesis* ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Female ; Fetal Death ; Humans ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Maternal Age ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second* ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Sex Chromosome Aberrations

No abstract available.
Choriocarcinoma* ; Female ; Pregnancy