No abstract available.

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: In response to numerous pathologic stimuli, the myocardium undergoes a hypertrophic response characterized by increased myocardial cell size and activation of fetal cardiac genes. Recently, the calcineurin inhibitor, cyclosporine has been reported to prevent the development of cardiac hypertrophy, however, others reported data which are disagreed to the cyclosporine effect on the prevention of cardiac hypertrophy. METHOD: To clarify whether the calcineurin signaling pathway is a critical for overloaded hypertrophy in vivo and to characterize the cyclosporine effect on the develpment of cardiac hypertrophy, I examined the effects of cyclosporine on the left ventricular overload in the experimental model of clipping of abdominal aorta between the diaphragm and renal artery for three weeks in rats. RESULTS: Left ventricular mass was larger in the group of clipping of abdominal aorta than in the group of cyclosporine injection after clipping of abdominal aorta, however, which had larger ventricular mass rather than control group. It means that cyclosporine suppress hypertrophic growth. Both treated and untreated animals showed increased nuclear polymorphism and euchromatin pattern, and also, ultrastructurally, showed degenerative changes in the cardiac myocytes such as swelling of subsarcolemmal cytoplasm with indistinct sarcoplasmic reticulum and "T" tubules, loosening of myofibril bundles with decreased electron density, and electron dense mitochondria with decreased number. Characteristically, the group of cyclosporine injection after clipping of abdominal aorta showed polymorphic electron dense unswollen giant mitochondria which was not characteristic in other groups. alpha-MyHC mRNA including non-spliced mRNA of the group of abdominal aortic clipping was downregulated in the both groups of clipping of abdominal aorta. beta-MyHC mRNA was upregulated in the group of clipping of abdominal aorta and downregulated in the group of cyclosporine injection after clipping of abdominal aorta. From the above results, initial response to overload is a degenerative changes of cardiac myocytes and cyclosporine may suppress hypertrophic response and the fetal gene reactivation such as beta-MyHC mRNA in this experiment.
Animals ; Aorta, Abdominal ; Calcineurin ; Cardiomegaly ; Cell Size ; Cyclosporine* ; Cytoplasm ; Diaphragm ; Euchromatin ; Heart Ventricles* ; Hypertrophy ; Mitochondria ; Models, Theoretical ; Myocardium* ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; Myofibrils ; Myosin Heavy Chains* ; Myosins* ; Rats* ; Renal Artery ; RNA, Messenger ; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum

No abstract available.
Cholangitis* ; Pancreatitis*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Twins* ; Umbilical Cord*

PURPOSE: We have evaluated the outcome of the operative treatment of Achilles tendon rupture and analyzed the prognostic factors related to the results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Subjective assessment of symptoms, range of ankle motion and isokinetic ankle strength was performed on 50 patients during a 1-year follow up. We used a clinical scoring system reported by Leppilahti et al to evaluate the results. RESULTS: The overall results were excellent in 18 (36%), and good in 16 (32%), fair in 10 (20%), and poor in 6 (12%) cases. Lower activity level (P<0.001), presence of systemic disease (P<0.001), later return to physical exercise (P=0.044), and previous Achilles tendon symptoms (P=0.015) were associated with unsatisfactory strength results. An older age (P<0.001) and later return to strenuous activities (P=0.005) were associated with unsuccessful overall results. CONCLUSIONS: We think that a clinical scoring system, including subjective and objective assessment, is good protocol to find the prognostic factors related to the results after the operative treatment of Achilles tendon rupture. The patient group with poor prognostic factors present a challenge for rehabilitation.
Achilles Tendon* ; Ankle ; Exercise ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Rehabilitation ; Rupture*

No abstract available.

Terrys nail(TN) might be causally associated with cirrhosis or other disorders, but his criteria have been proved to be inadequate reflection of systcmic disorders. Modified criteria of Holzberg and Walker were introduced in TN examination in 1984. Using these criteria, fingernails were studied in 444 medical inpatients with chronic systemic diseases at Taegu Catholic Hospital from March 1991 to March 1992. There were 136(30.6%) patients with TN and 308(69.4%) patients without TN, respectively. Ninety-three patients with TN showed a signifiart association with cirrosis(49/86, 57%, p<0.01 by the x-test), congestive heart failure 18/35, 515, p<0.05), and diabetes mellitus(25/51, 49%, p<0.05), and otherwise not;ignificantly associated with chronic renal failure(19%), and cancer(18%). Male and female patients with TN were affected about equally. Age distribution in The patients with TN showed 35(25.8%) the age group from twenty to fortynine and 101(74.2%) in the age group from fifty and above with a mean age of 57.3+14.0, whereas the patients without TN had 178(57.8%), and 130(42.2%), with 47.4+16.9, respectively. The greater part was distributed in the older group(p<0.001 by student t-test), suggestive of an increased risk in older group. The average number of nails affected per patient was tending to be higher in frequency close to the thumb, with an equal frequency in six. Thirty-nine patients(28.7%) had all nails affected. The distal band with was 0.5 to 3.0mm averaging 1.0+0.5mm with no difference, in sex. The distal band was pink in 43(31.6%) of the 136 patients with TN, brown in 62(45.6%) and intermediate in color in 13(22,8%). The results of routine laboratory test such as hemogram, eiythrocyte sedimenation rate, liver enzyme, triglyceride, protein, albumin, blood urea nitrogen and creatinine were statistically insignificant between the patients with and without TN.
Age Distribution ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Chronic Disease* ; Creatinine ; Daegu ; Female ; Fibrosis ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Inpatients* ; Liver ; Male ; Nails ; Thumb ; Triglycerides

No abstract available.
Free Tissue Flaps* ; Upper Extremity*

We studied 600 normal lower extremities of Korean students of elementary school in order to establish normal values for the rotational profile and to define any differences between ethnic groups. Rotational profile examined at this study included medial and lateral rotation of the hip and thighfoot angle. The mean value of medial rotation of the hip was 48 degrees with a range of 35 to 64 degrees in male subjects, and 50 degrees with a range of 35 to 60 degrees in female subjects. The mean value of lateral rotation of the hip was 57 degrees with a range of 43 to 75 degrees, and 53 degrees with a range of 40 to 72 degrees in female subjects. Unlike medial rotation, lateral rotation of the hip was greater in male than in female subjects by a mean difference of 4 degrees(T-test, p<0.05). The mean value of thigh-foot angle was 10 degrees with a range of -2 to 23 degrees in male subjects, and 12 degrees with a range of 0 to 21 degrees in female subjects. The total range of hip rotation was slightly greater in Korean than in Caucasians or in Chinese, but, to conclude this, more large study by the same methods will be needed in other areas of Korea.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Ethnic Groups ; Female ; Hip ; Humans ; Korea ; Lower Extremity* ; Male ; Reference Values