We have investigated the neural cell damage and the change in the expression of NOS in the rat hippocampus, one of the brain structures most vulnerable to seizures. Rats were injected with kainic acid (KA) and sacrificed 6 h, 1 d, 3 d and 6 d after KA administration. The neural cell damage and the expression pattern of NOS was studied using silver impregnation, NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d) histochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analysis. Silver impregnation revealed that kainic acid caused pyramical cell damage which was most severe in the CA1/CA2 subfield and hilus and to a lesser degree in the CA3 region. The optical densities of NADPH-d-positive neurons in the CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG) regions of the hippocampus were shown to have increased in samples obtained 1 d and 3 d after injection of KA. The number of NADPH-d-positive neurons in the CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus was shown to have decreased in samples obtained 3 d and 6 d after injection of KA. However, the number of NADPH-d-positive neurons in the DG region did not change significantly. The increase in the levels of nNOS, iNOS and eNOS mRNA reached maximal values in samples obtained 1 d after KA treatment. Our findings indicate that the KA-induced seizures induce neural cell damage, increase NOS activity and upregulate the expression of NOS mRNA, which suggests the possibility of a functional role of NOS in bringing about changes in the cells in the hippocampus following seizures.
Animals ; Brain ; Dentate Gyrus ; Hippocampus* ; Kainic Acid ; Neurons ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I ; Nitric Oxide Synthase* ; Nitric Oxide* ; Rats* ; RNA, Messenger ; Seizures* ; Silver

Current anatomy education in Korea has been dependent upon foreign textbooks and atlas. Various models and medical devices from overseas were imported and commonly used in Korea, Now, we need to provide our own literatures and graphic data based on Korean population for student education. It is necessary to design, produce and supply medical education, operative tools and treatment supportive devices customized to Korean human body and constitution. Accordingly, this is the time to assemble and deliver medical data to Korean population. In this study, we primarily focused on building musculoskeletal system of Korea population and set our goal as utilizing its graphic data for medical education in Korea. It is first study preparing theoretical foundations of Korean skeletal graphic system based on Korean body shape by comparison with other ethnic groups and foreign graphical models. Simultaneously, we conducted practical construction of the skeletal atlas by employing Korean standard measures. Parameters from the measurement for various types of bones were calculated, and the results were compared with data from foreign atlas and pictures. Individual drawings of bones from skull, upper extremity was made by using parameters we calculated, thus the atlas of Korean skeleton was constructed from artistic anatomical point of view. As a result, there were significant differences between Korean skeletons and the medical drawings from the oversea edition. Because many foreign drawings used data from Caucasians only and there were numerous exaggerated and false dimensions without actual measurement. In conclusion, the result of the study is expected to provide fundamental data for building anatomical atlas about Korean human body structure.
Constitution and Bylaws ; Education ; Education, Medical ; Ethnic Groups ; Foundations ; Human Body ; Humans ; Korea ; Musculoskeletal System ; Skeleton* ; Skull ; Upper Extremity*

A 39 year old man suffering from pheochromocytoma and coronay artery obstruction diseases was scheduled for coronary artery bypass graft surgery before an adrenalectomy. General anesthesia was induced with fentanyl and midazolam and maintained with intermittent administration of fentanyl and low concentraion of isoflurane. At 5 minutes after commencement of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), the mean arterial pressure suddenly elevated to 150 mmHg. Sodium nitroprusside and labetalol were administered rapidly, however, mean arterial pressure could not be lowered below 100 mmHg. After release of aortic cross clamp, the electrocardiography showed tachycardia (150 beats/min) with wide QRS and systolic arterial pressure elevated to 180 mmHg. Antiarrhythmic drugs, inotropic and antiischemic drugs were administered. Thereafter tachycardia was disappeared and systolic arterial pressure was lowered below 150 mmHg. We observed the paroxysmal hypertension and tachycardia during CPB that is considered to be attributed to the presence of pheochromocytoma. Therefore we suggest that continuous thoracic epidural anesthesia and pulsatile perfusion during CPB could be helpful in a patient with pheochromocytoma undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting.
Adrenalectomy ; Adult ; Anesthesia, Epidural ; Anesthesia, General ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; Arterial Pressure ; Arteries ; Cardiopulmonary Bypass* ; Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Electrocardiography ; Fentanyl ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Isoflurane ; Labetalol ; Midazolam ; Nitroprusside ; Pheochromocytoma* ; Pulsatile Flow ; Tachycardia ; Transplants

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous messenger that plays a role in neurotransmission, long term potentiation, depression and cerebral blood flow. Increases in intracellular calcium levels activate the enzyme NOS, and the NO released then diffuse to adjacent cells and activate guanylate cyclase. NO mediates the increase in cerebral blood flow during seizure activity. Therefore, the present study was aimed to investigate the change of NOS and calcium binding proteins in the rat cerebral cortex following seizure. Rats were injected with kainate (KA) and killed at 6 hours, 1, 3, 5 and 10 days after seizure. Expressional change of nNOS, calbindin D28k and parvalbumin was assessed by histochemistry, immunohistochemistry and microdensitometry in the rat brain. The intensity of the NADPH -d staining in rat cortical neurons showed a marked susceptibility to KA administration. At 6 hours and 3 days after seizure, the optical density of the NADPH -d staining was increased relative to the signal in saline treated control rats. At 5 and 10 days after seizure, the optical density of NADPH -d staining was not significantly different in most cortical regions compared to controls. In the hippocampus, the optical density of NADPH -d staining was highest at 5 days after seizure. The optical densities of calbindin D28k and parvalbumin positive neurons were various in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus and caudatoputamen during postseizure period. These results indicate that the calcium binding proteins investigated here are not essential for determining the activation of nNOS/NADPH -d positive neurons in the cerebral cortex and striatum.
Animals ; Brain* ; Calbindin 1 ; Calbindins ; Calcium* ; Calcium-Binding Proteins ; Carrier Proteins* ; Cerebral Cortex ; Depression ; Guanylate Cyclase ; Hippocampus ; Immunohistochemistry ; Kainic Acid ; Long-Term Potentiation ; NADP* ; Neurons* ; Nitric Oxide ; Rats* ; Seizures* ; Synaptic Transmission

PURPOSE: To differentiate tuberculous enteritis and Crohn's disease with barium study using Bayes theory. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study group consisted of 34 patients with tuberculous enteritis (age range 16-86 years, mean age 43.3 years, M:F=19:15) and 36 patients with Crohn's disease (age range 19-78 years, mean age 35.2 years, M:F=18:18). These diagnoses were confirmed by therapeutic tests (tuberculous enteritis: 15, Crohn's disease:16) or histopathological examinations (tuberculous enteritis: 19, Crohn's disease: 20) conducted from January 1993 to May 2003. Three radiologists (two abdominal specialists and one trainee) analyzed each radiological finding of tuberculous enteritis and Crohn's disease by means of a barium enema and/or small bowel series. We used Fisher's exact test to verify the statistical significance of each radiological finding and p-values less than 0.05 were considered to be significant. We calculated the likelihood ratio (LR) of tuberculous enteritis versus Crohn's disease for each finding by employing Bayes theory. RESULTS: The radiological findings associated with a high likelihood ratio for tuberculous enteritis were the involvement of the cecum (LR=2.65) and ascending colon (LR=1.99), rigid narrowing (LR=1.94), shortening of the bowel (LR=1.99), haustral loss (LR=1.97) and sacculation (LR=3.88). The radiological findings associated with a high LR for Crohn's disease (low LR for tuberculous enteritis) were age between 20 and 29 years (LR=0.53), the involvement of the jejunum (LR=0.12), terminal ileum (LR=0.19), sigmoid colon (LR=0.30) or rectum (LR=0.17), and the presence of skip lesions (LR=0.19) or strictures (LR=0.21). With these LRs, the probability of the subject having tuberculous enteritis versus Crohn's disease could be calculated using Bayes theory. CONCLUSION: The analysis of a barium study using Bayes theory could provide an objective, easy and fast method of differentiating tuberculous enteritis and Crohn's disease.
Barium* ; Bays* ; Cecum ; Colon, Ascending ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Crohn Disease* ; Diagnosis ; Enema ; Enteritis* ; Humans ; Ileum ; Intestine, Small ; Jejunum ; Rectum ; Specialization ; Tuberculosis, Gastrointestinal

Nitric oxide is synthesized by cells containing the nitric oxide synthase (NOS), and NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-d) is a selective histochemical marker for the NOS in the brain. The influence of feeding rats only half the amount of their normal daily intake of a purified diet on NOS was measured in the cerebral cortex by immunohistochemistry and NADPH-d histochemistry. iNOS was not detected in the cerebral cortex of control group. iNOS-positive neurons were induced in the cerebral cortex at 1 week after food restriction and found in specific cortical areas, such as primary motor cortex, secondary motor cortex, primary somatosensory cortex, secondary somatosensory cortex, parietal association cortex, auditory cortex, visual cortex, temporal association cortex and retrosplenial cortex. At 2 weeks after food restriction, iNOS-positive neurons were not found in all cortical areas. At 4 weeks after food restriction, iNOS-positive neurons were found in ectorhinal cortex and perirhinal cortex. In samples obtained 3 days after food restriction, the staining intensity of NADPH-d-positive neurons was decreased in most cortrical regions compared to the control group. At 1 week after food restriction, the staining intensity of NADPH-d was significantly increased in isocortical regions compared to the control group. At 9 weeks after food restriction, the staining intensity of NADPH-d was significantly decreased in all cortical regions. NO, a free radical synthesized in the brain by NOS, is a messenger molecule that mediates vascular dilatation and neural transmission. Therefore, neurons showing induced iNOS-positivity and upregulated NADPH-d-positive neurons may affect the neuronal activity in the cerebral cortex after food restriction.
Animals ; Auditory Cortex ; Brain ; Cerebral Cortex* ; Diet ; Dilatation ; Immunohistochemistry ; Motor Cortex ; Neurons* ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Nitric Oxide* ; Rabeprazole ; Rats* ; Somatosensory Cortex ; Synaptic Transmission ; Visual Cortex