Dendritic cell (DC)s are protessional antigen presenting cells and they have been used for antitumor immunotherapy or cell vaccines. However therapy using DC is restricted because the number of DC available from tissue is very low. Flt3 ligand (FL) has been known as a hematopoietic growth factor that increases proliferation of hematopoietic stem cells and progenitor cells, and recently it showed inducibility of dendritic cell (DC)s and signiticant antitumor effects in vivo. Thus FL will be frequently used for DC induction and antitumor immunotherapy in future. Here we constructed FL plasmid and studied its in vivo effect. FL plasmids were made by cloning of partial FL cDNA into pcDNA3 plasmid, and gene expression and protein producibility of FL plasmid were confirmed in Renca cells transfected with FL plasmid. Mice were injected with FL plasmid (100ug/mouse) three times and 20 days later mouse spleens were harvested for staining and RT-PCR. There were lots of blastogenic cells in the spleen of mice treated with FL plasmid. FL plasmid also induced DEC205, IL-12 and GM-CSF gene expression in mouse splenocyte. All these data suggest FL plasmid may be used for induction of DC and antitumor therapy as DNA adjuvant.
Mice ; Animals

The primary goal in the treatment of the nail bed avulsion injury is complete regrowing of the nail plate without any deformity. There are many procedures for treatment of the nail bed avulsion injury as a split-thickness skin graft, full-thickness nail bed graft, reverse dermal graft or split-thickness nail bed graft. From February, 1984 to June, 1985 at In-Chon Gill Hospital, 13 cases of nail bed avulsion injury were treated with split-thickness nail bed grafts. The intact residual part of the injured nail bed or the toe nail bed was served as a donor site. The results were as followings; 1. The incidence of nail bed avulsion injury of all hand injuries was 9.7%. 2. The main cause of injury was the industrial accident and more prevalent in the left hand. 3. The good result was obtained in the split-thickness nail bed graft for the nail bed avulsion injury, but in nail root portion, the poor result was noticed. 4. The average time for normal nail appearance is six months.
Accidents, Occupational ; Animals ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Gills ; Hand ; Hand Injuries ; Humans ; Incheon ; Incidence ; Skin ; Tissue Donors ; Toes ; Transplants

Myotonic dystrophy is the most common systemic disease causing myotonia. We report the case of respiratory failure in a patient with myotonic dystrophy after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We carried out neurologic testing, electromyography and DNA testing in this patient and electromyography in the family of the patient. Through electromyography and DNA testing, this patient was diagnosed with myotonic dystrophy type I. Myotonic dystrophy is characterized by gradual decline of muscle tone and myotonia. It is important that this disease be excluded through preoperative history taking, physical examination and family history taking.
Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; DNA ; Electromyography ; Humans ; Muscles ; Myotonia ; Myotonic Dystrophy ; Physical Examination ; Respiratory Insufficiency

BACKGROUND: Induction of anesthesia with propofol commonly associated with reduction in systemic arterial pressure, especially in elderly and high risk patients. This reduction is influenced by the dose and rate of propofol injection. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of different injection rate of propofol on vital signs, dose requirement and induction time during induction period. METHODS: Unpremedicated one hundred and twenty ASA physical status I and II patients aged 20~60 years scheduled for elective surgery were randomly allocated into one of four (150, 300, 600, 1200 ml/hr) groups according to speed of injection of propofol during induction period. Loss of verbal contact was taken as the end-point of induction. Vital signs, SpO2, dose requirement of propofol and induction time were checked. RESULTS: As the injection rate of propofol became slower, there were significant reduction in induction dose and increase in induction time (p<0.05). For example, induction dose and time were 1.82 mg/kg, 223 +/- 58 sec in 150 ml/hr group and 3.14 mg/kg, 50 +/- 11 sec in 1200 ml/hr group, respectively. Also, decrease in systolic and diastolic pressure were less marked at lower injection rates. CONCLUSIONS: Slower injection of propofol produces less vital sign changes and dose requirement for the induction of anesthesia.
Aged ; Anesthesia* ; Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure ; Humans ; Propofol* ; Vital Signs*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

Ankylosing spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of unknown etiology that affects spine, sacroiliac joint, and the large joints of the extremities, and lead to fibrous or bony ankylosis and deformity. The rigid ankylosed spine of ankylosing spondylitis is prone to fracture by minimal trauma, and the resulting fractures likely to be unstable and damage to spinal cord or cauda equina. The authors report a case of paraplegia in ankylosing spondylitis after open reduction of the femoral trohanteric fracture.
Ankylosis ; Cauda Equina ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Extremities ; Femur ; Joints ; Paraplegia ; Sacroiliac Joint ; Spinal Cord ; Spine ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing

No abstract available.
Diaphragm* ; Stomach Volvulus*

A case-control study was conducted to investigate the association between the risk of cancer and selenium concentration in blood and toenails. Seventy three patients and two hundreds eighty three controls were selected at the Yeungnam University Hospital between May and September in 1991. The selected cases were patients who had been hospitalized for stomach or colon cancer at the Department of General Surgery. The controls were people who visited to check physical examination at the Automated Mediscreening Center. The selenium concentration in whole blood and toenails were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometer equipped with graphite furnace atomizer. The following information was ascertained for all cancer patients and controls: sex, age, body mass index, blood pressure, total serum cholesterol, and history of smoking and drinking. The mean selenium concentration in blood and toenail for all cancer patients were 143.6±10.8 µg/l and 1.04±0.62 µg/g and for the controls. 167.0±14.5 µg/l and 1.15±0.55 µg/g, respectively. The difference in blood and toenail selenium concentrations of the two cancer sites was not statistically significant. Metastasis did not influence the concentration of selenium in blood and toenails. In the multiple logistic regression analysis, the blood selenium concentration (aOR: 0.888, 95% CI: 0.860-0.918), age, BMI and total serum cholesterol were significant variables for risk of cancer, but the selenium concentration in toenail was not shown to be a significant variable in this regression analysis. The coefficient for blood selenium concentration adjusted for age, sex, diastolic blood pressure, total serum cholesterol, body mass index and smoking was -0.1184 (p<0.01). These findings suggest that low selenium concentration is associated with gastrointestinal cancers. Further epidemiologic studies including important variables such as other antioxidant micronutrients will be necessary.
Absorption ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Case-Control Studies ; Cholesterol ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Drinking ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms ; Graphite ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Micronutrients ; Nails* ; Nebulizers and Vaporizers ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Physical Examination ; Selenium* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stomach

Purpose: The mechanisms of Wnt/β-catenin pathway signaling and abnormal expression of tumor suppressor genes is not well known in gastric cancer (GC). Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) has recently been identified as a possible link therein. In this study, we investigated the role of lung cancer associated transcript 1 (LUCAT1) in GC. Materials and Methods: The expression of LUCAT1 in GC cell lines and 100 tissue samples was examined by qRT-PCR. Two different siRNAs were used for knockdown of LUCAT1 expression. Cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. To analyze metastasis, scratch wound-healing assay, a Matrigel invasion assay, and colony formation assay were performed. Apoptosis was analyzed by PI/Annexin-V staining. To check the methylation status in tumor suppressor genes, methylation-specific PCR was carried out.Western blot was performed to detect epithelial-mesenchymal transition and apoptosis markers upon silencing of LUCAT1 (siLUCAT1). Results: LUCAT1 expression in GC cell lines and tissues was significantly elevated, compared to that in normal gastric cells and adjacent non-tumor tissues (p<0.001). Two different siRNAs for LUCAT1 reduced cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, compared to siCT (p<0.05), and these reductions were restored by pcDNA-LUCAT1 (p<0.05). siLUCAT1 elicited upregulation of the expression of CXXC4 and SFRP2. The expression of H3K27me3 was reduced by siLUCAT1, and this reduction was correlated with methylation of CXXC4 and SFRP2. Inhibition of LUCAT1 up-regulated EZH2 expression and resulted in demethylation of CXXC4 and SFRP2 through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Conclusion We concluded that LUCAT1 induces methylation ofCXXC4 and SFRP2, thereby regulating Wnt/β-catenin signaling in GC.