A study of effect of local hypothermia upon the paravertebral muscles which also become sensitized during spinal cord cooling was performed using cats. With a cuff, a cooler, to which was attached tubes connected to a refrigerator, the experimental technique was deviced to cool the paravertebral muscles locally at cervical and lumbar level. Cold, liquid saline at a temperature of 2.8+/-0.6 degrees C was circulated in closed system through the tube into the cuff which was snugly rested on the surface of paravertebral muscles as a heat exchanger. The temperature was measured at intervals of ten minutes with thermocouples before and during cooling for thirty minutes. In the muscle surface underneath the cuff, the mean precooling temperature of 30.1 degrees C in the normal muscle was lowered to 15.4 degrees C at the end of the first 10 minutes of cooling. After this initial rapid drop in temperature, there was a further gradual decrease of temperature to 13.6 degrees C at the end of 20 minutes of cooling. In the muscle 1cm beneath the cuff, the mean precooling temperature of 31.4 degrees C in the normal muscle was lowered to 17.3 degrees C at the end of first 10 minutes of cooling. After this initial rapid drop in temperature, there was a further gradual decrease of temperature to 16.2 degrees C at the end of 20 minutes of cooling. For comparison, the temperature in the clipped muscle and nonclipped muscle were also measured. The temperature in the clipped muscle surface was lower than that of non-clipped. Topical ice application resulted in rapid drop of temperature from 31.2 degrees C to 13.9 degrees C in skin, 32.3 degrees C to 13.1 degrees C in subcutaneous layer and 32.5 degrees C to 13.9 degrees C in muscle, simultaneously. Another aspect of this experiment was an evaluation of the protective effect of local hypothermia with respect to muscle injury associated with clipping, of muscles. The injured(clipped) muscles with or without local hypothermia was biopsied and stained with Hematoxylin Eosin and Hematoxylin Basic Funchsin Picric acid and sectioned specimens were observed under the light microscope. The clipped muscle examined thirty minutes after release of clipping showed 20~30% of red stain in HBFP stain. The normal muscle showed less than 5% of red stain in the field. In intermittent hypothermia, 2 minute cooling group showed 20% of red stain in the field. The clipped muscle with local hypothermia showed less red stain than that of non-hypothermia. The results of this study confirmed the belief that the cold liquid and ice of physiologic saline can be used in clinical neurosurgery for extravascular local cooling of scalp and paravertebral muscles and for irrigating or perfusing operative field.
Animals ; Cats ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Hematoxylin ; Hot Temperature ; Hypothermia ; Ice ; Muscles ; Neurosurgery ; Scalp ; Skin ; Spinal Cord

Nevoid basal cell carcinoma syndrome is inherited as an autcsonal dominant trait with a high degree of penetrane and variable expressivity. The mair features are basal cell carcinoma. jaw cysts, skeletal anornalies, ectopic calcifications and palmoplantar pits. We report varous clinical ma.nifestations in brother and sister, wnich are jaw cyst,, bifid rib, shortened fourth metacarpals, ectopie calcification, palrnoplanar pits and basal cell carcinoma, Microscopically, histologic patterns of basal cell cacinomas are superficial, nodulocystic, keratotic, pigmented, adenoid and follicullar nevoid. Lange numbers of basal cell carcinomas were electrodessicated and curetted under general,nesthesia.
Adenoids ; Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome* ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Humans ; Jaw Cysts ; Metacarpal Bones ; Ribs ; Siblings

PURPOSE: The ability to perform chromosome analysis of cryopreserved cord blood mononuclear cells is important for future retrospective studies. We compared the karyotypes of cryopreserved cells with cells before cryopreservation. METHODS: One cord blood (CB) sample was obtained from normal healthy volunteer. Karyotype analysis was performed before cryopreservation. After mononuclear cell separation with Ficoll-Hypaque, the mononuclear cells were cryopreserved by programmed controlled-rate freezer and then transferred into the liquid nitrogen (-196 degrees C) for 3 days. After rapid thawing, cytogenetic analysis was performed as the same method for each sample by different conditions. The samples were divided by three groups. The first group was no culture before cryopreservation, the second group was 72 hours culture before cryopreservation, but no 24 hours culture after thawing and the third group was 72 hours culture before cryopreservation and 24 hours culture after thawing. RESULTS: The chromosome analysis was successful in the second and third groups of CB sample. CONCLUSION: The successful result from CB samples may suggest the usefulness of long-term cryopreservation for retrospective study in various clinical settings including hematologic malignancies.
Cell Separation ; Cryopreservation ; Cytogenetic Analysis ; Fetal Blood ; Karyotype ; Nitrogen ; Retrospective Studies

Scrub typhus is a zoonosis transmitted by a chigger of trombiculid mite and manifested with fever, skin rash, myalgia, and hepatitis etc. The renal involvement of the disease is prese-ted with transient microscopic hematuria and/or proteinuria. However acute renal failure or meningoencephalitis is very rare. We report a case of scrub typhus manifested with acute renal failure, meningoencephalitis, and hepatitis. The patient was treated with doxycycline and continuous arteriovenous hemofiltration (CAVH) and recovered successfully.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Doxycycline ; Exanthema ; Fever ; Hematuria ; Hemofiltration ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Meningoencephalitis* ; Myalgia ; Proteinuria ; Scrub Typhus* ; Trombiculidae

For those with allergy, vaccination with a specific allergen has often been used as a major therapeutic measure. However, the universal application of this technique in clinics have been restricted due to its low success rates and the risk of active systemic anaphylactic shock (ASAS). In this regard, we constructed a fusion protein (OVA-DT), ovalbumin (OVA) fused with diphtheria toxin protein (DT), which may exert a specific cytotoxicity to cells bearing OVA-specific IgE. Its therapeutic effect was evaluated in mice (BALB/c) sensitized with OVA (Os-mice). OVA challenges to the OVA-sensitized mice (Os-mice) caused ASAS to death within 30 min, but OVA-DT treatment afforded mice complete protection. When OVA-DT was treated to the Os-mice, none showed the signs of ASAS when re-challenged 48 h after the treatment. OVA-DT itself was not found to be toxic or allergenic in normal mice. The effect of OVA-DT on the biological functions of mast cells was also studied. Binding of OVA-DT to OVA-specific IgE bearing mast cells and the inhibition of histamine release from these cells were observed. In addition, OVA-DT treatment inhibited the proliferation of OVA-specific B cells in mice. In Os-mice treated with OVA-DT, levels of anti-OVA IgG2a in serum and the production of IFN-gamma by splenic lymphocytes were found to increase, but the production of IL-4 by these cells decreased. Re-direction of cytokine profiles from OVA-specific Th2 to OVA-specific Thl is suggested. These results indicate that OVA-DT can protect Os-mice from ASAS due to OVA challenge, because it inactivates OVA-specific IgE-expressing cells, including mast cells and B cells.
Anaphylaxis/prevention | control* ; Animal ; B-Lymphocytes/immunology ; Female ; Histamine Release/drug effects ; IgE/metabolism ; Interferon Type II/biosynthesis ; Interleukin-4/biosynthesis ; Lymphocyte Transformation/drug effects ; Mast Cells/metabolism ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Ovalbumin/immunology* ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins/therapeutic use*

Higenamine was widely used as traditional remedy for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Nitric oxide (NO) may be a critical mediator in this inflammatory disease. Synovial tissue from humans with inflammatory arthritis expresses NOS2 (iNOS) mRNA and protein, and generates NO in vitro. We therefore, investigated the effect of higenamine on the induction of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) promoted by lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Prophylactic application of higenamine selectively prevented LPS-primed initiation of L-arginine-induced relaxation and restored phenylephrine(PE)-induced contraction in rat aorta. LPS-stimulated nitrite production in the incubation medium was reduced by higenamine. Furthermore, RT-PCR and Northern analysis indicated that higenamine reduced iNOS expression primed by LPS in rat aorta. These results suggest that higenamine prevents LPS-promoted induction of NOS in vascular smooth muscle.
Animals ; Aorta* ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Humans ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Rats* ; Relaxation ; RNA, Messenger*

This study was undertaken to develop species-specific forward and universal reverse PCR primers for the detection of Streptococcus sobrinus. These primers target the variable regions of the 16S ribosomal RNA coding gene (rDNA) and their specificity was tested against 10 strains of S. sobrinus strains and 20 different species of oral bacteria using serial dilutions of the purified genomic DNA of S.sobrinus ATCC 33478T . Our data show that species-specific amplicons were obtained from all the S. sobrinus strains tested but not from other species. Both direct and nested PCR could detect as little as 400 pg and 4 fg of genomic DNA from S. sobrinus ATCC 33478T , respectively. This result suggests that these PCR primers are highly specific and sensitive and applicable to the detection of S. sobrinus.
Bacteria ; Clinical Coding ; Collodion ; DNA ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Streptococcus ; Streptococcus sobrinus

Lichen planus is a chronic papulosquamous disease chracterized by various clinical manifestations of the skin and mucous membrane. Although its etiology is not fully understood, lichen planus has been associated with viral infection, autoimmune disease, psychologic factors, and medications. Both antigen-specific and non-specific mechanisms may be involved in the pathogenesis of lichen planus. The former includes antigen presentation by basal keratinocytes and antigen-specific keratinocyte killing by CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, the latter includes mast cell degranulation and matrix metalloproteinase activation. A large variety of topical and systemic therapies are available for the treatment of lichen planus. Also, topical pimecrolimus (Elidel(R) 0.1% cream) may be used because of its inhibitory effect on activated T cells and mast cell degranulation. Recently, it has been shown to be effective in the treatment of oral and genital lichen planus. But, its effect in cutaneous lichen planus has not been reported to date. We report on the successful use of topical pimecrolimus in the management of a generalized lichen planus patient.
Antigen Presentation ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Homicide ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; Lichen Planus* ; Lichens* ; Mast Cells ; Mucous Membrane ; Skin ; T-Lymphocytes

Pigmented neurofibroma is a rare cutaneous tumor accounting for less than 1% of all neurofibroma. It is characterized histologically by the coexistence of scattered melanin-laden cells and benign spindle cells with neural differentiation. The origin of these tumors are unknown, and they show a storifom pattern. In our case, the patient had giant cafe au lait patches on the left trunk which had been present since birth, freckles on both axilla, and two dark-red colored plaques which had appeared 2 years ago. Histologic examination revealed pigmented neurofibromas showing the melanin-laden, pigmented cells within the upper dermis and plexiform neurofibromas in the subcutaneous tissue. We describe a case of pigmented neurofbroma in a 13-year-old male patient.
Adolescent ; Axilla ; Dermis ; Humans ; Male ; Melanosis ; Neurofibroma* ; Neurofibroma, Plexiform ; Parturition ; Subcutaneous Tissue

PURPOSE: Variable changes occur in the progression from normal gastric epithelium to cancer, including many tumor, tumor suppressor and DNA repair genes, as well as growth factor and its receptors. The mutation and protein expression of the p53 gene may be useful prognostic factors, but their significance is still uncertain. METHODS: Specimens from 296 gastric cancer patients, treated by a curative gastrectomy, between March 1999 and April 2001, at Kyungpook National University Hospital, were used. The p53 gene mutation was assessed using a polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) analysis, and the overexpression of tumor p53 protein using immunohistochemistry. The correlation between the results and clinicopathological parameters were then analyzed. RESULTS: The mutation and protein overexpression of the p53 gene were shown in 61 (20.6%) and 124 (41.9%) tumors, respectively. Of the 61 cases with a p53 mutation, 43 (70.5%) showed overexpression of the p53 protein, and of the 235 without mutation of the p53 gene, 81 (34.5%) had no overexpression of the p53 protein, and also showed statistical significance (P< 0.001). The mutation and protein overexpression of the p53 gene showed no significant differences according to age, gender, stage, location and gross type, but of the 138 intestinal and 128 of the diffuse types, 33 (23.9%) and 18 (14.1%) cases, respectively, showed p53 mutation (P=0.027); whereas, of the 150 well differentiated and 142 poorly differentiated tumors, 75 (50%) and 18 (33.8%), respectively, showed overexpression of the p53 protein. Also, of the 138 intestinal and 128 diffuse types, 71 (51.4%) and 43 (33.6%) showed overexpression of the p53 protein. There were no significant differences in the 5 year survival according to the mutation and protein overexpression of the p53 gene. CONCLUSION: The mutation and protein overexpression of the p53 gene, as assessed by PCR-SSCP and immunohistochemistry, respectively, showed a statistically significant correlation, but had little value as prognostic factors following a curative gastrectomy.
DNA Repair ; Epithelium ; Gastrectomy ; Genes, p53 ; Genes, vif ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Stomach Neoplasms*