Neomorphogenesis of cartilage using chondrocyte-polymer constructs is a potential source for development of cartilage reconstruction. Current tissue engineering techniques of neocartilage rely on in vivo implantation of polymer-chondrocyte constructs. The purpose of this study was to find a way to bioengineer cartilage in vitro by entrapping chondrocytes in a molded autologous fibrin glue. Chondrocytes isolated from the cartilage of rabbit joints were combined with fibrinogen extracted by a single cryoprecipitation of autologous plasma, and they were then polymerized with thrombin to create a fibrin glue with a final cell density of 2.5x10(6) cells/ml. The collagen for a control study was used as a polymer. The polymer-chondrocyte constructs were cultured for 4 weeks and the fibrin-chondrocyte constructs molded in the shape of a human ear were cultured for 6 weeks in vitro. Morphometric, histochemical, and histomorphometric analysis including glycosaminoglycan quantitation confirmed the following results: 1) Highly-concentrated autologous fibrinogen was easily extracted by a single cryoprecipition of autologous olasma. 2) The fibrin-chondrocyte constructs demonstrated the presence of actively proliferating chondrocytes with the production of cartilaginous matrix(collagen and glycosaminoglycan) at 1 week after culture, as well as gross and histologic evidence similar to those of normal cartilage at 3-4 weeks after culture. 3) The collagen-chondrocyte constructs demonstrated lower degrees of hardness and transparency, as well as a lower density of cells and glycosaminoglycan during the culture period. 4) Neocartilage generated from fibrin-chondrocyte constructs in the shape of a human ear nearly retained their original configuration and size without degeneration for 6 weeks of culture in vitro. This study demonstrated a novel method for bioengineering the molded cartilage in vitro using autologous fibrin glue as a matrix scaffold. The generated cartilage showed gross and histologic evidence similar to those of normal cartilage, retaining the original gross dimension. With further refinement, this may be a new application of tissue engineering for the reconstruction of cartilage.
Bioengineering ; Cartilage* ; Cell Count ; Chondrocytes* ; Collagen ; Ear ; Fibrin Tissue Adhesive* ; Fibrin* ; Fibrinogen ; Fungi ; Hardness ; Humans ; Joints ; Plasma ; Polymers ; Thrombin ; Tissue Engineering*

Retroperitoneal duodenal rupture is rare and is often difficult to diagnose on the plain abdominal x-ray. From a review of the plain abdomen films of 21 cases with retroperitoneal duodenal rupture, confirmed by operation, pneumoretroperitoneum was revealed in 16 cases; Air in the peritoneum was manifested as a bubbly shadow in 12 cases, a renal halo in 9 cases, air shadow along the right psoas margin in 2 cases, air along the diaphragmatic crus in 2 cases and air in the right properitoneal fat in 2 cases, US and CT also revealed air bubbles and fluid collection around the right kidney. We recommend the plain abdomen as a useful diagnostic method for detection of pneumoretroperitoneum.
Abdomen* ; Kidney ; Methods ; Peritoneum ; Retropneumoperitoneum ; Rupture*

The ambulatory electrocardiographic examinations were performed in 31 patients (mean age of 59.4+/-9.3 yrs : male 16 cases, female 15 cases) with ischemic heart disease to evaluate the clinical features of ST segment more than 1 mm persisting for 45 seconds or longer. The incidence of associated disease are angina pectoris 14 cases, acute myocardial infarction 3 cases, old myocardial infarction 7 cases, hypertension 19 cases, diabetes mellitus 5 cases, cerebrovascular disease 4 cases, aortic regurgitation 2 cases, ventricular arrhythmia 1 case and chronic renal faliure 1 case. 93.7% of 252 monitored episodes of transient myocardial ischemia were silent. The incidence and duration of transient myocardial ischemia were 8.1+/-6.7 episodes/day (7.6+/-6.5episodes/day for silent myocardial ischemia, 0.5+/-0.9 episodes/day for silent ischemia, 7.6+/-14.1mins/day for symptomatic ischemia). The heart rate at the onset of ST segment depression is higher in symptomatic episode than silent episode (94.6+/-19.7 vs 82.1+/-17.4/min,. p<0.05). But duration of ST segment depression is longer in silent episode than symptomatic episode(32.4+/-97.7 vs 14.8+/-10.2/min,. p<0.01). Maximal ST segment depression was similar between silent and symptomatic episode (1.61+/-0.65 mm, 1.97+/-0.84 mm, repectively). 55.5% of silent episodes occurred during sleep or resting state and 60% of symptomatic episodes occurred during strenuous effort, exercise or eating (p<0.01). Transient myocardial ischemia developed not more frequently in the morning probably because the 24 hour Holter electrocadiographic examination was performed during hospitalization in the majority of cases.
Angina Pectoris ; Aortic Valve Insufficiency ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Depression ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Eating ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Ischemia ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia*

Mannitol is an osmotic diuretic agent useful in a variety of clinical conditions. This study is based on acid-base and electrolyte changes seen after the intravenous infusion of hypertonic mannitol for the prevention of cerebral edema. The study subjects were divided into 3 groups: for group A, an amount of 300-900 mL 15% mannitol was intravenously infused over the period of 60 to 90 minutes; for group B, 1,200-2,600 mL over 12 to 24 hours; and for group C, 3,200-4,900 mL over more than 24 hours. In group A, blood pH is increased from 7.43+/-0.07 to 7.46+/-0.04, and plasma HCO3- from 25.3+/-2.1 to 28.9+/-2.9 mEq/L, but plasma K+ is decreased from 4.3+/-0.6 to 3.7+/-0.8 mEq/L. In group B, blood pH is increased from 7.42+/-0.02 to 7.47+/-0.06, and plasma HCO3- from 25.2+/-1.8 to 29.1+/-2.9 mEq/L, but plasma K+ is decreased from 4.2+/-0.3 to 3.8+/-0.5 mEq/L. In group C, blood pH is increased from 7.41+/-0.01 to 7.52+/-0.04, and plasma HCO3- from 24.9+/-1.2 to 27.7+/-2.5 mEq/L, but plasma K+ is decreased from 4.2+/-0.1 to 3.9+/-0.2 mEq/L. These results showed that intravenous infusion of mannitol could induce metabolic alkalosis and hypokalemia, regardless of its dose. The mannitol induced metabolic alkalosis may be due to increased renal HCO3- production.
Alkalosis* ; Brain Edema ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Hypokalemia ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Mannitol ; Plasma

No abstract available.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents/*adverse effects ; Anticonvulsants/therapeutic use ; Cephalosporins/*adverse effects ; Consciousness Disorders/diagnosis/drug therapy/*etiology ; Diabetic Nephropathies/complications/*therapy ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Humans ; Pneumonia, Bacterial/complications/*drug therapy ; *Renal Dialysis ; Status Epilepticus/diagnosis/drug therapy/*etiology ; Treatment Outcome ; Uremia/therapy

No abstract available.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study to examine if the levels of anxiety(emotional, cognitive, and behavioral measures) during performance are influenced by interaction of both achievement related self discrepancy(=psychological vulnerability variable) and evaluative threat stress(=stressor) based on vulnerabilitystress model in order to identify the mechanism of development of performance anxiety and furthermore to suggest psychological intervention strategies to reduce and prevent it effectively. METHOD: High and low self discrepancy subjects consisted of students from the upper(n=40) and lower 15%(n=40) on achievement related self discrepancy scale, respectively. They were randomly assigned to either evaluative threat condition or neutral condition, and then all subjects took intellective task(verbal reasoning test and digit symbol test). RESULTS: The results were as follows; 1) High self discrepancy subjects under evaluative threat reported significantly higher level of state anxiety during performance than low self discrepancy subjects under any condition and also experienced higher degreee of state anxiety with marginal significance than high self discrepancy subjects under neutral condition, whereas there were no significant effects on the anxiety level of group variable under neutral condition or of stress variable in low self discrepancy subjects. 2) High self discrepancy subjects reported more cognitive interference during performance than low self discrepancy subjects regardless of the level of stress. 3) High self discrepancy subjects performed marginally significantly more poorly in digit symbol test than low self discrepancy subjects regardless of the level of stress, whereas there were no significant effects on verbal reasoning test. CONCLUSION: The hypothesis that performance anxiety could be affected by achievement related self discrepancy and stress, and specially by interaction between self discrepancy and stress was relatively strongly supported by the results on emotional measure of performance anxiety. In addition, this hypothesis received partial support by the results on cognitive and behavioral measures. We might conclude that it is important to consider achievement-related self discrepancy and evaluative threat stress together to understand the mechanism of development of performance anxiety and to reduce or prevent this anxiety effectively.
Anxiety ; Humans ; Performance Anxiety*

No abstract available.
Aged ; Colitis, Ischemic/complications/*diagnosis/therapy ; Cystitis/*diagnosis/etiology ; Dehydration/etiology ; Diarrhea/etiology ; Female ; Fluid Therapy ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis/*diagnosis/etiology ; Oliguria/etiology ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Radiation Injuries/*diagnosis/etiology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.
Electrocardiography* ; Hyperkalemia*

PURPOSE: We intended to observe cell death and apoptotic changes in neurons in organotypic hippocampal slice cultures following oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), using propidium iodide (PI) uptake, Fluoro-Jade (FJ) staining, TUNEL staining and immunofluorescent staining for caspase-3. METHODS: The hippocampus of 7-day-old rats was cut into 350 micrometer slices. The slices were cultured for 10 d (date in vitro, DIV 10) and and exposed to OGD for 60 min at DIV 10. They were then incubated for reperfusion under normoxic conditions for an additional 48 h. Fluorescence of PI uptake was observed at predetermined intervals, and the cell death percentage was recorded. At 24 h following OGD, the slices were Cryo-cut into 15 micrometer thicknesses, and Fluoro-Jade staining, TUNEL staining, and immunofluorescence staining for caspase-3 were performed. RESULTS: 1) PI uptake was restricted to the pyramidal cell layer and DG in the slices after OGD. The fluorescent intensities of PI increased from 6 to 48 h during the reperfusion stage. The cell death percentage significantly increased time-dependently in CA1 and DG following OGD (P< 0.05). 2) At 24 h after OGD, many FJ positive cells were detected in CA1 and DG. Some neurons had distinct nuclei and processes while others had fragmented nuclei and disrupted processes in CA1. TUNEL and immunofluorescent staining for caspase-3 showed increased expression of TUNEL labeling and caspase-3 in CA1 and DG at 24 h after OGD. CONCLUSION: The numerous dead cells in the slice cultures after OGD tended to display apoptotic changes mediated by the activation of caspase-3.
Animals ; Anoxia ; Apoptosis ; Brain ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Death ; Fluoresceins ; Fluorescence ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Hippocampus ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Ischemia ; Neurons ; Propidium ; Pyramidal Cells ; Rats ; Reperfusion