No abstract available.
Dialysis* ; Peritonitis* ; Salmonella*

No abstract available.
Dialysis* ; Peritonitis* ; Salmonella*

Hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is a circadian pacemaker which controls diurnal behavioral and hormonal rhythms in mammals. The SCN receives environmental light signals through the retinohypothalamic tract, and glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the retinohypothalamic tract. In the present study, we investigated the developmental expression of the mRNAs for N-methyl-D-aspartate type glutamate receptor (NR)1, NR2A, NR2B and NR2C subunits in the rat SCN using in situ hybridization with specific riboprobes. At postnatal day 2 (P2), P8, Pl5 and P45, the high level of NRI transcripts was observed in both ventrolateral and dorsomedial subdivisions of the SCN, and the distinct expression of NR2C mRNA was principally found in the dorsomedial SCN. The weak NR2B mRNA expression was clearly found in both subdivisions of the SCN at P2 and P8, whereas specific NR2B hybridization signals were not found at Pl5 and P45. There was no specific hybridization signal of NR2A in the SCN throughout the postnatal life. These findings implicate that NR may play an important role in the neonatal SCN. In addition, this study suggests that NR1, NR2B and NR2C might be the major NR subunits in the developing SCN, whereas NRI and NR2C could be the subunit components of NR in the adult SCN.
Adult ; Animals ; Glutamic Acid ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; Mammals ; N-Methylaspartate* ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Rats* ; Receptors, Glutamate ; RNA, Messenger* ; Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

No abstract available.
Blood Donors* ; Humans ; Phenotype*

No abstract available.
Addison Disease*

The incidence of heterotopic gastric mucosa located in the submucosa in resected stomach specimens has been reported to be 3.0 to 20.1%. Heterotopic gastric mucosa is thought to be a benign disease, which rarely becomes malignant. Heterotopic gastric mucosa exists in the gastric submucosa, and gastric cancer rarely occurs in heterotopic gastric mucosa. Since tumors are located in the normal submucosa, they appear as submucosal tumors during endoscopy, and are diagnosed through endoscopic biopsies with some difficulty. For such reasons, heterotopic gastric mucosa is mistaken as gastric submucosal tumor. Recently, two cases of early gastric cancer arising from heterotopic gastric mucosa in the gastric submucosa were treated. Both cases were diagnosed as submucosal tumors based on upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound, and computed tomography findings, and in both cases, laparoscopic wedge resections were performed, the surgical findings of which also suggested submucosal tumors. However, pathologic assessment of the surgical specimens led to the diagnosis of well-differentiated intramucosal adenocarcinoma arising from heterotopic gastric mucosa in the gastric submucosa.
Adenocarcinoma ; Biopsy ; Endoscopy ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Gastric Mucosa ; Incidence ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Lifestyle is an important risk factor for many diseases. We need to educate medical students for advocating health promoting behaviors to their patients. Teaching knowledge, however, was not enough for medical students to change their health-related lifestyle. In this study, we investigated health promoting behaviors of medical students, and the improvement of their health behaviors after competitive lifestyle modification program. METHODS: All sophomores of medical college in Seoul National University were included in this study. We performed lifestyle modification program consisting of lecture, group competition, and feedback. We focused on reforming health behaviors like smoking, drinking, exercise, stress management and eating habits. And we also checked common symptoms of functional diseases, medication frequency for relieving these symptoms and general life satisfaction. RESULTS: After 2 months of lifestyle modification program, the obese (P = 0.0455) and the average value of BMI (P < 0.001) were decreased and two of smokers quitted smoking. Numbers of medical students with health related habits such as regular exerciser (P = 0.027), frequent user of symptom-relief medication (P < 0.001), breakfast skipper (P = 0.005) were signifi cantly changed in positive way, and the average value of general life satisfaction score (P = 0.003) was improved. CONCLUSION: Lifestyle modification program improved medical students' health habits and enhanced general life satisfaction.
Breakfast ; Drinking ; Eating ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Life Style ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Students, Medical

The recurrence of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis(FSGS) after renal transplantation has a potentially deteriorating course toward the loss of graft function. To identify risk factors for recurrence and efficacy of plasmapheresis, we evaluated outcome of 20 renal allografts in 18 patients with FSGS who underwent transplantation from March 1992 to September 1999. Recurrence was observed in seven of 18(39%) patients. Patients who had rapid progression to end stage renal disease, young age at the time of onset of the disease and the presence of mesangial proliferation tended to more frequent recurrence, albeit statistically not significant. Five patients underwent plasmapheresis. Proteinuria decreased from 5.3+/-2.1g to 0.8+/-0.7g immediately after completion of plasmapheresis. Four patients with an improvement in proteinuria had stable renal function at last follow-up. One patient who had chronic rejection lost graft function at 22 months after renal transplantation. In one in whom plasmapheresis was initiated immediately without allograft biopsy had long-lasting complete remission. Two patients who not receive plasmaApheresis, lost their graft funtion at 21 and 97 months after renal transplantation. We concluded that plasmapheresis in likely to be effective in the therapy of recurrent FSGS if the diagnosis is made promptly following the appearance of proteinuria, there is no significant hyalinosis on preplasmapheresis biopy and plasmapheresis is initiated immediately.
Allografts ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental* ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Plasmapheresis* ; Proteinuria ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Transplants

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to develop a practical method for determining accurate marker positions for prostate cancer radiotherapy using CT images and kV x-ray images obtained from the use of the on-board imager (OBI). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three gold seed markers were implanted into the reference position inside a prostate gland by a urologist. Multiple digital image processing techniques were used to determine seed marker position and the center-of-mass (COM) technique was employed to determine a representative reference seed marker position. A setup discrepancy can be estimated by comparing a computed COMOBI with the reference COMCT. A proposed algorithm was applied to a seed phantom and to four prostate cancer patients with seed implants treated in our clinic. RESULTS: In the phantom study, the calculated COMCT and COMOBI agreed with COMactual within a millimeter. The algorithm also could localize each seed marker correctly and calculated COMCT and COMOBI for all CT and kV x-ray image sets, respectively. Discrepancies of setup errors between 2D-2D matching results using the OBI application and results using the proposed algorithm were less than one millimeter for each axis. The setup error of each patient was in the range of 0.1+/-2.7~1.8+/-6.6 mm in the AP direction, 0.8+/-1.6~2.0+/-2.7 mm in the SI direction and -0.9+/-1.5~2.8+/-3.0 mm in the lateral direction, even though the setup error was quite patient dependent. CONCLUSION: As it took less than 10 seconds to evaluate a setup discrepancy, it can be helpful to reduce the setup correction time while minimizing subjective factors that may be user dependent. However, the on-line correction process should be integrated into the treatment machine control system for a more reliable procedure.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Humans ; Prostate ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Radiotherapy

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the potential of the in vitro osteogenesis of microtopographically modified surfaces, RBM (resorbable blasting media) surfaces, which generate hydroxyapatite grit-blasting. METHODS: RBM surfaces were modified hydroxyapatite grit-blasting to produce microtopographically modified surfaces and the surface morphology, roughness or elements were examined. To investigate the potential of the in vitro osteogenesis, the osteoblastic cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation were examined using the human osteoblast-like cell line, MG-63 cells. Osteoblastic cell proliferation was examined as a function of time. In addition, osteoblastic cell differentiation was verified using four different methods of an ALP activity assay, a mineralization assay using alizarin red-s staining, and gene expression of osteoblastic differentiation marker using RT-PCR or ELISA. RESULTS: Osteoblastic cell adhesion, proliferation and ALP activity was elevated on the RBM surfaces compared to the machined group. The cells exhibited a high level of gene expression of the osteoblastic differentiation makers (osteonectin, type I collagen, Runx-2, osterix). imilar data was represented in the ELISA produced similar results in that the RBM surface increased the level of osteocalcin, osteopontin, TGF-beta1 and PGE2 secretion, which was known to stimulate the osteogenesis. Moreover, alizarin red-s staining revealed significantly more mineralized nodules on the RBM surfaces than the machined discs. CONCLUSION: RBM surfaces modified with hydroxyapatite grit-blasting stimulate the in vitro osteogenesis of MG-63 cells and may accelerate bone formation and increase bone-implant contact.
Anthraquinones ; Cell Adhesion ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Line ; Cell Proliferation ; Collagen Type I ; Dinoprostone ; Durapatite ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Osseointegration ; Osteoblasts ; Osteocalcin ; Osteogenesis ; Osteopontin ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1