Sine the success of human growth hormone (GH) synthesis by DNA recombinant technology, these GH products are widely used in the treatment of children with growth hormone deficiency. Recently, methionyl-GH has been produced in the yeast, Saccaromyces cerevisiae 2150, by the use of a DNA recombinant method in Korea. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy, side effect and immunogenicity of this GH product during therapy of 3year in 22 children with naive GH deficiency. The subjects of this study are aged 4.5~17.9 years, diagnosed by the failure of plasma GH to respond to insulin induced hypoglycemia, arginine and/or clonidine loading and height below -2 standard deviation of mean for their chronological age. Each subjcct received GH 0.45IU/kg/week, intramusculary in 3 devided dose, During treatment, vital signs, height and body weight checked before and every 3 months. Blood count urinalysis, blood chemistry, bone age and measurement of thyroid hormone were performed before, every 3months in year 1, and every 6 months in year 2 and 3. Assay of antibody against GH were performed before, year 1,2 and 3. The height velocity was significantly increased from an average baseline level of 2.9+/-1.1cm/year to 7.9+/-1.9cm/year after the first year, 6.6+/-1.1cm/year during the second year, and 5.9+/-1.2cm/year during the third year of GH treatment. The height standard deviation score for chronological age was decreased from an average baseline of 3.5+/-1.3 to 2.9 1.2 after the first year, 2.7 +/-1.1 during the second year, and 2.5+/-1.2 during the year of GH treatment. The increment in height age was significantly increased from an average baseline of 0.6+/-0.2 year to 1.3+/-0.3 year in year 1, 1.1+/-0.3 year in year 2, and 1.0+/-0.2 year in year 3. The increment in bone age was significantly increased from an average baseline of 0.6+/-0.2 year to 1.2+/-0.2 in year 1, 1.3+/-0.3 year in year , 2, and 1.1+/-0.3 year in year 3. Antibody against hGH was observed in 3 of the 22 patients(13.5%) in year 1 and 1 and in 2 of the 17 patients(17.7%) in year 3. And unwanted side effects were not observed in any of the 22 patients. These results suggest that this yeast derived recombinant methionyl growth hormone appears to be a safe very effective product for treating of children with GH deficiency.
Arginine ; Body Weight ; Chemistry ; Child* ; Clonidine ; DNA ; Growth Hormone* ; Human Growth Hormone ; Humans ; Hypoglycemia ; Insulin ; Korea ; Plasma ; Thyroid Gland ; Urinalysis ; Vital Signs ; Yeasts*

BACKGROUND: House dust mites have been reported to play an aportant role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis(AD). In fact a high positive rate for house dust mites in the skin prick test was observed in patients of AD. However, it is quite difficult to determine the clinical relevance of positive immediate hypersensitivity to mite antigen by clarical history alone because AD patients are nearly always exposed to these antigens in their daily lives. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to elucidate the clinical. singficance of a positive immediate hypersensitivity reaction by observing the proliferative respons of peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC) to mite antigen in the AD. METHODS: The proliferative response of PBMC separated from Dermatopkagoides farinae(Df) positive AD patients to Df antigen was compared with that from Df negative normal controls, Df positive normal controls and Df negative AD patients. RESULTS: PBMC from Df positive AD patients showed signinc not proliferation in response to Df antigen evaluated by comparing stimulation indices(SI) among different experiment groups. CONCLUSION: Significant correlation between responses of PBMC and immediate hypersensitivity of skin to Df antigen in AD was found, and it was suggested the Df may be a real aggravating factor in the Df positiv AD patients. SI may be used as ar objective criteria to select patients for hyposensitization therapy after doing a skin test.
Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Desensitization, Immunologic ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity, Immediate* ; Mites* ; Pyroglyphidae ; Skin Tests ; Skin*

OBJECTIVES: Alcoholism is known to be a heritable disease. It has been hypothesized that dopamineergic systems play an important heritable role in human behavor related to alcohol dependence, such as alcohol seeking. Therefore, genes involved in this pathway, including dopamine transporter(DAT1) which is responsible for taking released dopamine back up into presynaptic terminals and terminating dopaminergic activity, are potential candidate that may affect susceptibility to alcoholism. Analysis of a 40-base pair(bp)repeat(VNTR)in the 3'untranslated region of the DAT1 gene revealed variable number of the repeat ranging from 3 to 11 copies. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the association between alcoholism and VNTR polymorphism of DAT1. METHODS: Genomic DNA analysis with polymerase chain reaction(PCR)was used to identify the presence of a VNTR polymorphism. It was carried out within a group of 94 alcoholic patients and 113 normal controls. RESULTS: 1)There were no significant differences in allelic or genotype frequencies between the group of alcoholic patients and controls. 2)There were no significant differences in the first drinking age, onset age and latency of alcoholism according to DAT1 genotypes. 3)There was a significant difference in allelic frequencies between alcoholics with family history and those without family history. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that VNTR polymorphism of DAT1 is unlikely to be a factor in the genetic etiology of alcoholism, but might be related to familial transmission of alcoholism.
Age of Onset ; Alcoholics ; Alcoholism* ; DNA ; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins* ; Dopamine* ; Drinking ; Genotype ; Humans ; Presynaptic Terminals

ERCP was performed in 34 cases of obstructive janndice at Busan National University Hospital between June 1981 and October 1982, and those findings were compared with the final surgical operative diagnoses. The results were as follows: 1) The ratio of male to female was about l. 6: 1 and most of them were in the 5th decade to 7th decade, 2) Upper abdominal pain and tenderness were the cardinal symptom and sign, 3) Successful ERCP was obtained in 32 cases among the total of 34 cases(94.1%)Selective success rates by indications were 77.8%(21/27) in suspected biliary lesions and 85.7%(6/7) in suspected panceatic lesions. 4) ERCP diagnoses were biliary stone(11 cases), eholangiocarcinoma(6 cases), pancreatic head ca. (4 cases), Ampulla of Vater ca. (2 cases), normal cholangiogram(2 cases), and normal parcreatogram(2 cases). 5) Eighteen cases out of 24 surgical operative cases were diagnosed by ERCP alone, The diagnostic rates of ERCP by surgical operation in obstructive jaundce was 75%. Complications of ERCP were not clinically significant. It suggests that ERCP is a very useful diagnostic method in the differential diagnosis of obstructive jaundice.
Abdominal Pain ; Ampulla of Vater ; Busan ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Head ; Humans ; Jaundice, Obstructive* ; Male

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate 1) sleep changes after antidepressant(dothiepin) treatment, and 2) sleep variables which seem to be associated with clinical response in the depressed patients. METHODS: The subjects consisted of 16 patients who fullfilled the criteria for major depression by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual,(4th edition). Their sleep was recorded using polysomnography at the baseline and after one week and three weeks of dothiepin treatment. All subjects were further interviewed using Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) to rate the severity of their depression. High response to the drug was defined as a reduction of more than 50% of the HRSD score. Result : The results were as follows : 1) Depressed patients after dothiepin treatment showed more total sleep time(p=0.019), shorter sleep latency(p=0.05), less awake time(p=0.033), more sleep efficiency(p=0.018), more stage 2 sleep(p=0.002), less REM time(p=0.000), and longer REM sleep latency(p=0.004) than before treatment. 2) There were no differences in sleep variables between those who received 1 week and 3 weeks of dothiepin treatment except of th shortening of sleep latency after 3 weeks(p<0.05). 3) Depressive symptom scores on HRSD were reduced after 1 week and 3 weeks of dothiepin treatment as compared with the baseline. 4) High responers showed a tendency of increased wake time(p=0.054), while their stage 4 sleep decreased after 1 week of dothiepin treatment as compared with the low responders(p=0.0136). Conclusions : These results suggest that sleep of the depressed patients after dothiepin treatment tends to be nomalized and sleep chages seem to appear early in the treatment phase. In addition, clinical response might be associated with greater wake time at the baseline and lesser atage 4 sleep 1 week of dothiepin treatment.
Depression ; Dothiepin ; Humans ; Polysomnography ; Sleep, REM

OBJECTIVE: Human embryonic stem (ES) cells have a great potential in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. The human ES cells could be differentiated into specific cell types by treatments of growth factors and alterations of gene expressions. However, the efficacy of guided differentiation and isolation of specific cells are still low. In this study, we characterized isolated cells from differentiated human ES cells by magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) system using specific antibodies to cell surface markers. METHODS: The undifferentiated hES cells (Miz-hESC4) were sub-cultured by mechanical isolation of colonies and embryoid bodies were spontaneously differentiated with DMEM containing 10% FBS for 2 weeks. The differentiated cells were isolated to positive and negative cells with MACS system using CD34, human epithelial antigen (HEA) and human fibroblast (HFB) antibodies, respectively. Observation of morphological changes and analysis of marker genes expression were performed during further culture of MACS isolated cells for 4 weeks. RESULTS: Morphology of the CD34 positive cells was firstly round, and then it was changed to small polygonal shape after further culture. The HEA positive cells showed large polygonal, and the HFB positive spindle shape. In RT-PCR analysis of marker genes, the CD34 and HFB positive cells expressed endodermal and mesodermal genes, and HEA positive cells expressed ectodermal genes such as NESTIN and NF68KD. The marker genes expression pattern of CD34 positive cells changed during the extension of culture time. CONCLUSION: Our results showed the possibility of successful isolation of specific cells by MACS system from undirected differentiated human ES cells. Thus, MACS system and marker antibodies for specific cell types might be useful for guided differentiation and isolation of specific cells from human ES cells.
Antibodies ; Ectoderm ; Embryoid Bodies ; Endoderm ; Fibroblasts ; Gene Expression ; Humans* ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Mesoderm ; Nestin ; Regenerative Medicine ; Tissue Engineering

To investigate the process of angiogenesis in the cardiac tissue of neonatal rats, the levels of von Willebrand factor (vWf) produced by endothelial cells were observed. At days 1 to 7 after birth, whole heart obtained from neonatal rats was frozen sectioned, stained with anti-vWf and biotinylated rabbit anti-goat IgG antibodies, followed by immunohistochemical examinations. The results were as follows: 1. At day 1 after birth, extracellular matrix of endocardium and epicardium was stained with anti-vWf at the intermediate level, but that of myocardium was at the low level. 2. At day 2 after birth, a few blood islands were detected. At day 4 after birth, blood island was formed in most parts of heart and extracellular matrix was stained with ant-vWf at the intermediate level. 3. At day 7 after birth, a few blood vessels were formed, and endothelial cells and extracellular matrix was stained with ant-vWf at the intermediate level. These results suggest that mesenchymal cells were differentiated to blood islands and myocardiac cells, which are responsible for the distribution of vWf in extracellular matirx and for angiogenesis.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Blood Vessels ; Endocardium ; Endothelial Cells ; Extracellular Matrix ; Heart* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Islands ; Myocardium ; Parturition ; Pericardium ; Rats* ; von Willebrand Factor*

No abstract available.
Electroconvulsive Therapy* ; Prolactin*

Carcinoid tumors arise from enterochromaffin cells that are located predominatly in the gastrointestinal mucosa. The vast majority of rectal carcinoid tumors are benign and can be safely treated by local excision. Lesions larger than 2 cm and invading the museular wall of the rectum should be considered malignancy and treated by more radical surgery such as abominoperined resection. We report 6 cases of rectal carcinoid tumor, three cases of them were less than 1 cm in size without metastasis. Two of these, small carcinoid tumor were treated with endoacopic polypectomy and one was treated with segmental resection. The others were 2.0 cm or larger in size with regional or liver mestasis. They were treated with segmental resection or electrical fugalization for tumor and transcatheter arterial embilization for liver metastasis or none.
Carcinoid Tumor* ; Enterochromaffin Cells ; Liver ; Mucous Membrane ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Rectum

Pheniramine maleate(avil(R)) is a H1-antagonist that is derived from alkylamine. Skin reactions with parenteral administration of avil(R) are uncommon. A 29-year-old woman visited our department with a 3-year history of relapsing generalized multiple pruritic evanescent erythematous wheals after antihistamine and steroid injection. Intradermal skin test with Avil(R) was positive. We treated with 5 mg of mequitazine administration three times a day for 2 years.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Pheniramine* ; Skin ; Skin Tests ; Urticaria*