Dermal wound healing is a complex process that involved inflammation leading to re-epithelialization, granulation tissue, and tissue remodeling. Previous studies from our laboratory have shown that polysaccharides isolated from fungus, Phellinus gilvus (PG) have various anti-inflammatory activities. In present study, we have assessed the effect of polysaccharides from PG on the dermal wound healing of polysaccharides from PG in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat model. Six of 6-mm circular wounds were created with biopsy punch on the 4th day after induction of diabetes. After 24 hours, each test substance was applied to the wound twice a day for next 5 days. Circular wounds treated with PG showed significantly reduced wound contraction and complete reepithelialization, as compared to wounds of non-treated (p < 0.05). These results show that polysaccharides isolated from PG enhanced wound repair in diabetic impaired healing, and could be developed as a wound healing agent in such clinical settings.
Administration, Cutaneous ; Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/pharmacology ; Basidiomycota/*metabolism ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/*pathology ; Histocytochemistry ; Male ; Polysaccharides/isolation&purification/*pharmacology ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin/*injuries ; Streptozocin ; Wound Healing/*drug effects ; Wounds, Penetrating/*drug therapy

No abstract available.
Arthroplasty* ; Knee*

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES: Subacute combined degeneration (SCD) is a disease of spinal cord involving the posterior and lateral column due to vitamin B12 deficiency. The clinical and electrophysiologic findings of SCD are various. METHODS: From 1989 to 1996, 7 patients were diagnosed with SCD in our hospitals. The diagnosis was made by the neurologic and laboratory findings and electrophysiolgic studies such as nerve conduction studies(NCS) and evoked potential(EP). RESULT: Four patients received gastrectomy. Two had chronic atrophic, gastritis; one of them was assumed to have food-cobalamin malabsorrtion. The remaining one was a heavy drinker. The mean duration of neurologic symptoms was 35.7 months. The most common initial complaint was paresthesia (in 4) and impairment of cutaneous sensation was the most common neurologic sign At the time of diagnosis, 5 patients had myelopathy with was supported by EP in 3(60%). There were abnormal NCS findings in 5 f 6 patients with peripheral neuropathy. In one patient, there was no symptom and sign compatible with myelopathy but median nerve SEP showed bilateral central conduction delay. No one had visual symptoms but prolongation of P 100 was detected in 2 patients. Sural nerve biopsy was done in 2 case, which revealed chronic nonspecific neuropatby in one and chronic axonopathy in the other. Megaloblastic anemia was found in 4 cases and improved by cobalamin therapy in all the parents, in which the follow up hematologic data were available. There as a tendency that nonanemic patients had more severe neurologic symptoms than anemic ones. We could not find any relationship between the duration and severity of neurologic menifestations was best in the patients with the shortest duration of neurologic manifestations and hematologic feature festations. CONCLUSIONS: The authors suggest that early detection and treatment is very important for the improvement of symptoms in SCD.
Anemia, Megaloblastic ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrectomy ; Gastritis ; Humans ; Median Nerve ; Neural Conduction ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Parents ; Paresthesia ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Sensation ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Subacute Combined Degeneration* ; Sural Nerve ; Vitamin B 12 ; Vitamin B 12 Deficiency

In the article, Methods of Hematoxylin and Erosin Image Information Acquisition and Optimization in Confocal Microscopy, there was a typographical error in the title.

No abstract available.
Adhesives* ; Dental Pulp Cavity* ; Dentin* ; Gutta-Percha*

Turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV) is a spherical plant virus that has a single 6.3 kb positive strand RNA as a genome. Previously, we have made the recombinant TYMV construct containing a 0.7 kb eGFP gene or a 1.8 kb GUS gene. The genomic RNAs from these constructs were efficiently encapsidated. To examine in more detail whether size constraint exists for replication and packaging of TYMV, we have inserted into the TY-GUS an extra sequence derived from either eGFP or GUS. We also made a recombinant containing RNA1 sequence of Flock house virus. These TYMV recombinants were introduced into Nicotiana benthamiana leaves by agroinfiltration. Northern blot analysis of the viral RNAs in the agroinfiltrated leaves showed that the genomic RNA band from the recombinant TYMV became weaker as longer sequence was inserted. The result also showed that the efficiency of genomic RNA encapsidation decreased sharply when an extra sequence of 2.2 kb or more was inserted. In contrast, the recombinant subgenomic RNA containing an extra sequence of up to 3.2 kb was efficiently encapsidated. Overall, these results show that size constraint exists for replication and encapsidation of TYMV RNA.
Blotting, Northern ; Genome ; Genome Size* ; Plant Viruses ; Product Packaging* ; RNA ; RNA, Viral ; Tobacco ; Tymovirus*

The purpose of this study was to compare the cytotoxicity by MTT test and genotoxicity by Ames test of new calcium phosphate-based root canal sealers (CAPSEAL I, CAPSEAL II) with commercially available resin-based sealers (AH 26, AH Plus), zinc oxide eugenol-based sealers (Tubliseal EWT, Pulp Canal Sealer EWT), calcium hydroxide-based sealer (Sealapex), and tricalcium phosphate based sealers (Sankin Apatite Root Canal Sealer I, II, III). According to this study, the results were as follows: 1. The extracts of freshly mixed group showed higher toxicity than those of 24 h set group in MTT assay (p < 0.001). 2. CAPSEAL I and CAPSEAL II were less cytotoxic than AH 26, AH Plus, Tubliseal EWT, Pulp Canal Sealer EWT, Sealapex and SARCS II in freshly mixed group (p < 0.01). 3. AH 26 in freshly mixed group showed mutagenicity to TA98 and TA100 with and without S9 mix and AH Plus extracts also were mutagenic to TA100 with and without S9 mix. 4. Tubliseal EWT, Pulp Canal Sealer EWT and Sealapex in freshly mixed group were mutagenic to TA100 with S9 mix. 5. Among those of 24 h set groups, the extracts of SARCS II were mutagenic to TA98 with and without S9 mix and AH 26 showed mutagenic effects to TA98 with S9 mix. 6. No mutagenic effect of CAPSEAL I and CAPSEAL II was detected. 7. There is no statistically significant difference between CAPSEAL I and CAPSEAL II at MTT assay and Ames test in both freshly mixed group and 24 h set group.
Calcium* ; Dental Pulp Cavity* ; Zinc Oxide

Myasthenia gravis is a rare disease entity in Korea, and its occurrence with a thymoma is even rarer. Myasthenia gravis has offered many difficult problems for the anesthesiologist because it affects respiratory muscles frequently and perioperative management of these patients is difficult. The authors aensthetized a patient with myasthenia gravis and thymoma. We report this experience with a brief literature review.
Humans ; Korea ; Myasthenia Gravis* ; Rare Diseases ; Respiratory Muscles ; Thymoma*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory* ; Pregnancy*

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to determine the levels of psychosocial distress among clerical public officers to reveal the various related factors. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaires was administered between Dec. 5th, 2005 and Jan. 31st, 2006, to 1,005 individuals in the service of general administration located in Daejeon City. The survey items included the subjects'socio-demographic and job-related characteristics, health-related behavior, degree of job demand, job autonomy, social support in work, type A behavior pattern, locus of control, sense of self-esteem, and psychosocial distress. RESULTS: The results showed that 24.8% of subjects were categorized as high risk stress, 64.9% as latent stress, and 10.3% as normal. The level of psychosocial distress was influenced by various sociodemographic characteristics, such as personality traits (type A behavior pattern, locus of control, selfesteem) and whether performing health-related behavior or not, as well as according to job-related characteristics such as rank in work, job career, job specifications, job demand, job autonomy, social support in work. CONCLUSIONS: The effective strategy for stress reduction among governmental employees requires additional programs focusing on innovated job specifications and managed personality traits.
Internal-External Control ; Psychology ; Questionnaires