The rapid progress of molecular genetic methods over the past two decades has necessitated the development of methods to detect and quantify genetic activity within living bodies. Reporter genes provide a rapid and convenient tool to monitor gene expression by yielding a readily measurable phenotype upon expression when introduced into a biological system. Conventional reporter systems, however, are limited in their usefulness for in vivo experiments or human gene therapy because of its invasive nature which requires cell damage before assays can be performed. This offers an unique opportunity for nuclear imaging techniques to develope a novel method for imaging both the location and amount of gene expression noninvasively. Current developments to achieve this goal rely on utilizing either reporter enzymes that accumulate radiolabeled substrates or reporter receptors that bind specific radioligands. This overview includes a brief introduction to the background for such research, a summary of publis hed results, and an outlook for future directions.
Gene Expression* ; Genes, Reporter ; Genetic Therapy ; Humans ; Molecular Biology ; Phenotype

In effort to conduct comparative study on the caregiving environment of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit(NICU) in both U. S and Korea, this study was been conducted first in the U. S. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to identify the physical environment and direct caregiving practices to lowbirth weight infants in NICU in the US. It also aims to examine the NICU outcome status and behavioral reponses of lowbirth weight infants. METHODS: A study design using descriptive and inferential statistics was been conducted through an observational, field method. A sample of 15 preterm infants admitted to NICU were recruited for the study. The subjects were those with birth weight between 1,000 gm to 1,500 gm, born at the gestation period of 27 to 33 weeks, and without any chromosomal or maternal illness. Thirty minutes observation(three times of ten minutes of continuous observation) of the infant's behavior and physiological status, and an four-hour observation of the physical environment and direct care giving procedures were been conducted on the 3rd and 10th day after birth, and on the day of discharge from the NICU or at 34weeks postconception. The data to be collected were in four areas: the demographic characteristics of the infants, the physical environment and care giving procedures, the frequency of the infant's designated behavior and physiological response, and NICU outcome variables. A descriptive analysis and Kruskal-Wallis, Pearson r were been applied according to variable characteristics. RESULTS: 1. Mother's mean age was 29.47. The sample consisted of 6 males and 9 females. Mean gestational ages were 29.17 weeks. Man birth weight was 1236.33g. Mean Apgar scores at one minute were 6.6, and 7.8 at five minutes. 2. The location for the incubator was in the distance from the light, X-ray screens and nursing station, in proximity to side-lamp, telephone and faucet on the third day after birth. The location for the incubator was in the distance from the light and radio on the tenth day and in proximity to nursing station on the day of discharge from the NICU or at 34weeks postconception. 3. Nesting was the most applying aids to the infants. And foot roll, shielding and plastic frame were frequently using by nurse for facilitating well modulated restful posture. 4. There were statistically significant changes in the patterns of physical environment included locating the infant's incubator and bedding, specificaids to self regulation on the 3rd and 10th day after birth, and on the day discharge from the NICU or at 34weeks postconception. 5. Statistically significant changes were not appeared in the patterns of direct caregiving procedure to the infants included stress inducing or reducing manipulations on the 3rd and 10th day after birth, and on the day of discharge form the NICU or at 34weeks postconception. 6. The stress response of the infants in NICU were significantly reduced as the infants grow older. 7. There were not statistically significant correlation between the physical environment. and the stress responses of the infants in NICU. 8. The were statistically significant correlation between the direct caregiving procedure to the infants and the stress response of the infants in NICU in the second and third observation on the day three. 9. Average weight gain per day from birth to discharge was 38.73g, number of days in the hospital was 42.60, number of days before bottle feeding was 3.6. Postconception age starting bottle feeding was 31+5 weeks. Number of days on mechanical ventilator was average 7.64, 11.42 was an average number of days of oxygen need. CONCLUSION: It, thus, appears that to minimize the senso-rymotor stimulation for the low birthweight preterm infant in NICU, manipulation of care giving practices to the babies whatever the stress inducing or reducing procedures, have to be limited in the immediate early stage after birth. And it needed to be reexamine to identify the appropriate and specific physical environment and the patterns of direct caregiving to the low birthweight preterm infant as the infants grow older in NICU.
Birth Weight ; Bottle Feeding ; Female ; Foot ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incubators ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal* ; Korea ; Male ; Nursing Stations ; Oxygen ; Parturition ; Plastics ; Posture ; Pregnancy ; Self-Control ; Telephone ; United States* ; Ventilators, Mechanical ; Weight Gain ; Child Health

No abstract available.
Genetic Therapy*

No abstract available.
Genetic Therapy*

It is important to asess the risk factors of parenting and provide early intervention for promotion of the maternal caretaking ability. The purpose of the study was to identify the maternal burden of caretaking, the supporting and the educational need for the caretaking activities of the mother of infant. Sixty three mothers of infants who visited the wellbaby clinic of S university hospital and one health center during the period of November 1st, to 30th in 1996 comprised the subjects of this study. Data were gathered through the instruments that were developed by researcher. Statistical analysis of this study was used ANOVA and Pearson correlation. The results were as follows : 1) The mean score of the maternal burden of caretaking was 22.06. The maternal burden of caretaking was significantly high in the mothers who had vaginal delivery compare with the mothers who had caeserean section and in the mothers who gave artificial feeding compare with the group of breast or mixed feeding. 2) The mean score of the support need for the caretaking activities was 30.69. The support need for the caretaking activities was significantly high in the mothers who had the second child, compare with the mothers who had first or third child. And the support need for the caretaking activities was significantly high in the mothers who had caretaking help compare with the mothers who had no caretaking help. The specific subjects of 'mother-infant interaction', 'immunization' and 'prevention of accident' on the support need for the caretaking activities were relatively high. 3) The mean score of the educational need of caretaking activities was 29.3. The educational need of caretaking activities was significantly high in the mother who had the second child compare with the mothers who had first or third child. And the educational need of caretaking activities was significantly high in the mothers who had caretaking help compare with the mothers who had no caretaking help. The specific subjects of 'mother-infant interaction', 'emergency care' and 'prevention of accident' on educational need of caretaking were relatively high. 4) The maternal burden of caretaking was not correlated with the support need or the educational need of caretaking activities. But the support need of caretaking activities was significantly correlated with the educational need of caretaking activities. 5) The support and educational need of caretaking activities were significantly high in the mothers who wanted home care for caretaking their infants. Through the study, it was found that there is considerable maternal burden of caretaking as well as the support and educational need on the caretaking activities in the mothers whose child is young. Therefore developing the systematic and effective program is needed to meet the mother's need. The results of this study will be useful resources to develop the program. On the other hand, it can be recommended that home health care will be one of the approach to support the mothers caretaking activities.
Breast ; Child ; Delivery of Health Care ; Early Intervention (Education) ; Education ; Hand ; Home Care Services ; Humans ; Infant ; Mothers* ; Nutritional Support ; Parenting ; Parents ; Risk Factors ; Child Health

The purpose of this study was to identify the re lationship of hopelessness and spiritual-need of cancer patients. Subjects for this study were 272 cancer patients sampled from a madical center in Pusan. The data were collected from Feb. 1 to Mar. 10, 1998 using questionnaire method. Hopelessness measured hopelessness scale was the One(1986) modification of Beck(1974) and spiritual -need measured spiritual-need scale by Kim (1986) according to classification of Fish and Shelly. The questionnaire consisted of question regarding hopelessness scale(20 items 5 point) and spiritual-need scale (30 items 5 point scale). The reliability of this instrument was that the hopelessness scale was Cronbach's alpha=0.89 and the spiritual-need was Cronbach's alpha=0.93. The data were analyzed with the SFSS program using mean, standard deviation, frequency and percentage, t-test, ANOVA, Post hok test and Pearson's Correlation Coefficient. The results of this study were as follow : 1. The mean score of the total hopelessness was 2.79 in 1(lowest) -to-5(highest) scoring system. The analysis of the hopelessness according to general characteristics of the cancer patients showed duration of treatment(F=3.77), cognition prognosis(F=2.92) age(F=2.66), religional effect of life(2.48). 2. The mean score of the total spiritual-need was 3.47 in 1(lowest)-to-5 (highest) scoring system. age(F=5.517), sex(F= .919), religion(F=25.89), religional effect of life(F=18.54), diagnosis(F= 7.67), main care giver(F=4.09), cognition of disease(F=2,92), cognition of prognosis (F=331), inspiring source(F= 12.72), acceptioal attitude of present situation(F= 13.52). according to the categoiised paiL were showed to the need for meaning and purpose(9.40), to the need for love and relatedness(7.08), and to the need for being forgiven(6,93). 3. There was significant correlation between the degree of hopelessness and spiritual-need(gamma=.146, P<0.05).
Busan ; Classification ; Cognition ; Humans ; Love ; Prognosis ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Acquired multiple cavernous hemangiomatosis appear on the skin and internaI organs, including in particular the skeleton, the brain and the liver in childhood or in adult life in the 4th and 5th decades. It is extremely rare for cutaneous hemangiomas associated with internal lesions to arise de novo in adults. The lesions persist indefinitely and symptom-free survival to old age is possible, despite the presence of hemangiomatosis in liver, heart or kidney. A 53 year-old male patient had multiple, non-tender, bluish to violet colored. pea to walnut sized, cutaneous, some pedunculated nodules on the entire body for 8 years. Histopathologically, there were non-capsulated vascuiar tumor consisting of large variable sized blood vessels in the dermis and some organizing thrombi. There was no evidence of malinant change.
Child ; Adult ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; Hemangioma

Congenial mitral stenosis may be defined as a develpment abnormality of the mitral valve leaflets,commissures, interchordal spaces, papillary muscle,s annulus or immediate supravalvular area producing obstructionto left ventricular filling. Authors had experience of nine cases of congenital mitral stenosis confirmed by twodimenstional echocardiography, angiocardiography and surgery in recent 5 years since 1979, and analyzed them withemphasis on the angiographic findings. The results are as follows; 1. Among 9 cases, 6 patients were male and 3 were female. Age distribution was from 4 months to 11 years. 2. The types of congenital mitral stenosis were 1typical congenital mitral stenosis, 5 cases of parachute mitral valve and 3 cases of supramitral ring. 3. Angiographically typical congenital mitral stenosis showed narrowing of mitral valvular opening, parachute mitralvalve displayed single large papillary muscle with narrowed valvular opening and supramitral ring disclosedsemilunar shaped filling defect between left atrium and ventricle. 4. Associated cardiac and extracardiacanomalies of congenital mitral stenosis, as frequency wise, were ventricular septal defect, patent ductusarteriosus, coarctation of aorta, supra and subvalvular aortic stenosis, mitral regurgitation and double outletright ventricle. 5. Cardiac angiography is essential to diagnose congenital mitral stenosis, but the need of two dimensional echocardiography cannot be ignored.
Age Distribution ; Angiocardiography ; Angiography ; Aortic Coarctation ; Aortic Stenosis, Subvalvular ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Heart Atria ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Humans ; Male ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Mitral Valve Stenosis ; Papillary Muscles

To pursue a desirable format for the pathological diagnosis of liver cirrhosis, the authors attempted to classify 369 biopsy-proven cirrhosis on the basis of etiology and made effort to find out the morphological characteristics of each category. About 735 of total cases were HBsAg seropositive postnecrotic cirrhosis. Alcholic cirrhosis ws the second most frequent type, although accounted only 6.8%. In about 15%, the etiology was not known. Excluding the congenital biliary atresia, chronic biliary obstruction appeared to be a rare cause of cirrhosis among these biopsied cases. Of the HBsAg positive postnecrotic cirrhosis, the eAg seropositive cases tended to be micronodular and to show a higher necroinflammatory activity, in contrast to eAg seronegative cases and those complicated by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), suggesting that the loss of eAg is followed by a decrease of the destructive activity, active regeneration of hepatocytes and finally the development of HCC. alcoholic cirrhosis was micronodular in 64% and revealed histologic evidences of alcoholic liver disease in most cases. The results indicate that etiological diagnosis can be made in most cases of cirrhosis by the morphological characteristics and the precise clinical informations, including those on the NANB virus and the inborn error of metabolism, and that the pathological diagnosis should be more comprehensive, implicating the etiology, the nodular size and the necroinflammatory activity.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular

No abstract available.
Pica*