BACKGROUND: It has been known that blood group antibodies are not produced in the neonatal period and that if the antibodies exist, they are probably maternal in origin which had crossed the placenta. There have been several studies conducted abroad on when these antibodies are formed but none has been done in Korea. This study was carried out to determine the ABO blood type and blood group antibodies in children from neonates up to 5 year old. We hoped to determine when and in what pattern blood group antibodies were produced. METHODS: We selected 337 children from neonates up to 5 year old who were admitted to Hanyang university Hospital in Seoul or Kuri from 1994 to 1996. Cell typing was done immediately by the slide method. The anti-A and anti-B used for cell typing were supplied by Immucor (Norcrosis, Ga) . Sera were stored at -70 degrees C until they were tested for ABO blood group antibodies by the standard saline test tube method. When uncertain results were obtained, a drop of the mixture was placed on a slide and observed under a microscope. RESULTS: ABO blood group antibodies were detected in 9 of 50 (18%) infants less than 1 week old and in 10 of 51 (20%) infants between 1 week and 3 months of age. The pattern of ABO blood group antibody production was similar to that of the fetal period up to 3 months after birth, after which antibody production increased rapidly to reach approximately 80% at 6 months of age, There was no difference in ABO antibody production between boys and girls. The antibody formation pattern of group A and group B infants less than 6 months of age showed anti-A to be 35% and anti-B to be 20%. In group O infants of the same age, anti-A was positive In 42% and antral-B In 33%. However, after 6 months of age, there was no difference in antibody production among groups A, B, or O. CONCLUSIONS: Antibodies directed toward ABO antigens were detected in 19 out of 101 (19%) infants less than 3 months old. We therefore believe it is necessary to Perform serologic typing as well as cell typing in these Infants. Furthermore, the emergency transfusion of type A or B blood to a type O infant under the impression that anti-A and anti-B do not exist should be forbidden.
Antibodies* ; Antibody Formation ; Child* ; Child, Preschool ; Emergencies ; Female ; Hope ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Parturition ; Placenta ; Seoul

Ilizarov device is a circular external skeletal fixator with crossed transfixation wires and connecting rods. Its stability depends on the tension in the wire and the spatial orientation of the fixator frame. It provides extreme versatility for correction of three dimensional complex deformities including angulation, rotation, shortening and translation. In an attempt to identify the various factors that contributed to the outcome and the complications of lengthening, we reviewed the first 19 cases of leg lengthening by the Ilizarov technique in 17 patients with leg length inequality or dwarfism. Simultaneous correction of the three dimensional deformities was also aimed at in 13 patients, and osteosynthesis of congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia in 2 patients. Follow-up periods averaged 1.6 years, ranging from 1 year to 2.8 years. The results were summarized as follows : 1. The amount of lengthening averaged 5.2cm, ranging from 2.0cm to 9.8cm. 2. The percentage increase was 27%, ranging from 9% to 58%. 3. The average healing index (month/cm) was 1.3months/cm and it was higher in the groups that had premature consolidation, complete osteotomy, single level corticotomy and neurologic compromise as compared with the groups that had adequate corticotomy, double level corticotomy and no neurologic complication. 4. The desired lengthening was obtained in 14 cases. Simultaneous correction of the deformities and osteosynthesis for nonunion were also achieved satisfactorily during lengthening. 5. There were sixteen cases of problems (84%), which were pin tract inflammation (7 cases), Transient senrory change (3 cases), knee joint flexion contracture (2 cases), nut breakage (2 cases). There were thirteen cases of obstacles (68%), which were equinus deformity(5 cases), premature consolidation (3 cases), pathologic fracture (3 cases), and delayed consolidation (2 cases). There was only one ture complication case. In conclusion, the Ilizarov technique was very effective for leg lengthening in children, particularly when three dimensional deformities were combined with leg length shortening. But a thorough knowledge of the Ilizarov technique and meticulous care during lengthening are mandatory to prevent the pitfalls and complications.
Child ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Contracture ; Dwarfism ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; Humans ; Ilizarov Technique ; Inflammation ; Knee Joint ; Leg Length Inequality ; Leg ; Nuts ; Osteotomy ; Pseudarthrosis ; Tibia

Syphilitic aneurysm is a rare type aneurysm followed by syphilitic aortitis. Authors present a case ofsyphilitic aneurysm of the ascending aorta and describe radiological findings on chest roentgenogram, aortogramand computed tomogram.
Aneurysm ; Aorta ; Syphilis, Cardiovascular ; Thorax

The size of spinal canal is valuable ot detect the body encroachment of spinal canal and expansion due totumors by computed tomography. This study was desinged for taking accurate measurement of the normal thoracicspinal canal in korean adults. The anteroposterior diameter, interpediculate distance and cross-sectional area ofthoracic spinal canal were measured in 80 normal adults. The results were as follows. 1. In A-P diameter, middleparts of the canal were smaller values than those of upper and lower parts from T1 to T6, and upper parts of thecanal were larger than those of middle and lower parts from T7 to T10. 2. In interpediculate distance, middleparts of the canal revealed larger value than those of upper parts. 3. All measurements of male were larger thanthose of female at all levels of the spinal canals and 65 measurement(93%) were statistically significant.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Spinal Canal

The antinuclear antbody (ANA) test have been used to screen the patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other autoimmune diseases. We had retrospectively reviewed the 263 records of pediatric patients with doing ANA tests who admitted at Department of Pediatrics, Kyung Hee University Hospital, from January 1988 to May 1993. The following results were obtained. 1) The positive rate of ANA test in patients with connective tissue diseases is 16 out of 40(40%).In patients with SLE, the positive rate of ANA test is 9 out of 11 (82%). 2) The positive predictivity for SLE is 9 out 36 (25%). 3) The positive predictivity for connective tissue disease and possible immune disease is 28 out of 36 (78%). 4) The false positive rate is 8 0ut of 36 (22%), Thus, the pediatric patients with positive ANA test should be applicable for diagnosis with prudence. 5) The positive anti-dsDNA in patients with the positive ANA is shown in 4 cases and these patients are all SLE. In conclusion, the patients who had repeated positive ANA should be tested Anti-dsDNA antibody, and further clinical and diagnostic evaluation of other ANA associated diseases.
Autoimmune Diseases ; Connective Tissue Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Immune System Diseases ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Pediatrics ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Herpesvirus 3, Human* ; Korea*

As one of many cell-many cell-based cartilage repairing methods, transplantation of chondrocyte-embedded-collagen gels in cartilage defect was performed for more satisfactory regeneration of cartilage. The authors performed this study to investigate whether the TGF-beta1 treatment of chondrocytes can do some additional synergistic effect on the transplantation of chondrocyte-embedded-collagen gels for crtilage repair. Chondrocytes were isolated from the articular cartilage of newborn Sprague-Dawley rats. Chondrocytes cultured for 10 days in monolayer were embedded in the 0.45% type I collagen gel. Full-thickness cartilage defect was made in the patellar groove of adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Chondrocytes culdefect was made in the patellar groove of adult Sprague-Dawley rats. The cartilage defects were treated with the following methods in a total of 200 animals, which were assigned to 5 different groups of 40 rats. In the control group, the deffect was left without any treatment, in group I, the defect was filled with collagen gel only, in group II, with collagen gel coontaining 10 ng/ml concentration of TGF-beta1, in group III, with collagen gel containing chondrocytes, and in group IV, with collagen gel containing chondrocytes and TGF-beta1. At 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 weeks after the operation, eight rats of each group were sacrificed, and their distal femurs were harvested for the histologic and biomechanical tests. The section s were stained with hematoxilin and eosin. Alcian-blue, and Safranin-O. Regenerated cartilage was analyzed by the semiquantitative histological grading system. Point indentation test was performed as a biomechanical evaluation, and the stiffness was calculated. The results of the histological grading system revealed that the scores gradually increased with time in all groups, and the scores of group III and IV were higher than those of control, group I and II. The biomechanical study showed that the stiffness gradually increased to reach a plateau level in each group. In control, group I and II, the stiffness increased up to the eighth week and remained around the increased level at the twelfth week, and did not show any statistically significant difference between the groups. In group III and IV, the stiffness was higher than in control group, and increased markedly at the fourth week and the increased level was maintained onwards. The results of this study showed that the transplantation of chondrocyte-embedded-collagen gels enhanced the healing process, and the treatment of TGF-beta1 demonstrated at least partially significant improvement.
Adult ; Animals ; Cartilage ; Cartilage, Articular* ; Chondrocytes ; Collagen ; Collagen Type I ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Femur ; Gels ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Regeneration ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1

Bone marrow contains mesenchymal stem cells capable of differentiating into osteoblastic lineage. To test the ability of purified bone marrow mesenchymal cell loaded onto xenograft with type I collagen gel to heal bone defect, mesenchymal stem cells were isolated from bone marrow of Lewis rat, and culture-expanded. Northern blot hybridization revealed that osteocalcin and osteopontin mRNA expression persisted for 8 weeks of in-vitro culture. When the bone marrow mesenchymal cells became 80-90% confluent in 2-3 weeks, they were loaded onto chips of xenograft (Lubboc(R) with type I collagen gel. The cell-gel-xenograft composite was transplanted subcutaneously into the dorsum of nude mice. It was also transplanted into tibial diaphyseal defect made in syngeneic Lewis rats, and compared with the control group where only the xenograft was planted. There was no ectopic bone formation at the dorsum of nude mice around the transplanted cell-gel-xenograft complex. In the long bone defect model, the cell-gel-xenograft group induced fibrosis around it and the bone healing was inferior to the control group. Type I collagen gel is not a suitable carrier of bone marrow mesenchymal cells to heal the long bone defect.
Animals ; Blotting, Northern ; Bone Marrow* ; Collagen Type I* ; Fibrosis ; Heterografts ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Osteoblasts ; Osteocalcin ; Osteogenesis ; Osteopontin ; Plants ; Rats ; RNA, Messenger

The purpose of this study was to investigate kinetics of the osteblast cell lineage in the periosteum and endosteum according to different distraction rates in callotasis of rats' Tibiae. 120 rats underwent osteotomy at the proximal metaphysio-diaphyseal junction of the left tibia for callotasis. Lengthening was started with varying distraction rates of 0.25 mm (group I), 0.5 mm (group II), 0.75 mm (group III), 1.0 mm (group IV) until 3.5 mm length gain was achieved. The animals that had osteotomy alone without lengthening served as a control(group V). Immunohistochemical staining of proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA), osteocalcin and transglutaminase C(TGase C) were done on the four animals on each group sacrified at post-distraction 1, 3, 5, 7, 14, 28 days in order to observe the temporal changes among the experimental and control groups. At each examination, radiographic and histological studies were also done in order to correlate the immunohistochemical findings. The results obtained are summarized as follow; 1. The staining rate of PCNA was highest at the early distraction(day 1) phase and subsequently decreased in all groups. The staining rate of the cells in the periosteum was significantly higher than that of the cells in the endosteum (p < 0.01). 2. The expression rates of osteocalcin in the periosteum of all groups were significantly higer than those in the endosteum (p < 0.01). 3. The expression rates of TGase C in the periosteum of all groups were significantly higer than those in the endosteum (p < 0.05). 4. Radiological and histological studies revealed that successful regenerate bone healing was achieved in groups, I, II and III but not complete in group IV. In conclusion, immunohistochemical study on callotasis of rats' tibiae revealed that the osteoblast cell lineage in the periosteum is more activated than that in the endosteum for proliferation and differentiation by distraction, suggesting that the periosteum plays a more important role in neo-osteo-genesis in the distraction gap. Daily distraction rate range of 0.25 mm to 0.75 mm in two increments is the appropriate for successful distraction osteogenisis of rat's tibia, but the rate of 0.25 mm a day is significantly better than that of 0.75 mm upon immunohistochemical observation.
Animals ; Cell Lineage ; Kinetics ; Osteoblasts ; Osteocalcin ; Osteogenesis, Distraction ; Osteotomy ; Periosteum ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; Rats ; Tibia

We expressed anti-HBsAg human antibody fragment (B7 Fd) using pRSET-A vector and BL21(DE3)pLysS strain of E. coli. B7 Fd is composed only of variable domain (VH) and CH1 constant domain of IgG heavy chain molecule. This Fd molecule was solubilized using guanidine salt and then expressed in the form of inclusion body and successfully refolded into functional antibody molecule by rapid dilution in refolding buffer. B7 Fd reacted with d epitope of hepatitis B virus surface antigen (HBsAg). Its affinity was determined by competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (competition ELISA). The K value of B7 Fd was 3.3 * 10.
Antigens, Surface ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Guanidine ; Hepatitis B virus ; Humans* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Inclusion Bodies