PURPOSE: Sexual differences in the incidence and crystalline composition of urinary stones in humans are well-known, but it is unclear why men have a higher incidence of calcium oxalate stones than women. We investigated the effects of male sex hormones on stone formation using an ethylene glycol (EG) - induced urolithiasis model in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups, each containing 10 rats. One group of rats was left untreated and served as control. The other 3 groups were fed a 1% ethylene glycol (EG) lithogenic diet for 4 weeks. Among these, one group was non-castrated, one group was castrated and one group was non-castrated and given finasteride orally. Serum testosterone, creatinine, electrolytes, 24-hour urine levels of oxalate and citrate, and creatinine clearance were measured. The crystal deposits were examined by light and polarizing microscopes. RESULTS: Testosterone promoted calcium oxalate stone formation in EG - treated rats. Finasteride administration significantly decreased urinary oxalate excretion and calcium oxalate deposition, compared with controls. Urinary citrate was significantly decreased in EG-treated rats, but was not influenced by castration or administration of finasteride. There were no significant differences in serum concentrations of creatinine, sodium, or potassium among the control and experimental groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that testosterone promotes calcium oxalate stone formation, and that dihydrotestosterone may be partially responsible for the exaggerated hyperoxaluria in EG-treated rats. Additionally, male sex hormones have a lesser influence on urinary citrate than oxalate.
Adult ; Animals ; Calcium Oxalate* ; Calcium* ; Castration ; Citric Acid ; Creatinine ; Crystallins ; Diet ; Dihydrotestosterone ; Electrolytes ; Ethylene Glycol ; Female ; Finasteride ; Gonadal Steroid Hormones* ; Humans ; Hyperoxaluria ; Incidence ; Male* ; Nephrolithiasis* ; Potassium ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sodium ; Testosterone ; Urinary Calculi ; Urolithiasis

The authors studied the ultrastructural changes of liver cell mitochondria in autolysis. The male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighting 140~160 gm were sacrificed for extract liver tissue. The slices of the liver tissue were incubated in 37 degrees C aseptic normal saline, and those were examined by following intervals; 10, 20 and 30 minutes and 1, 2, 6, 12 and 24 hours with light and electron microscope. The results obtained by light microscopy were summerized as follow. Several fine intracytoplasmic vacuoles were observed 1 hour after incubation. After 3 hours, focal destruction of cytoplasmic membrane with pyknosis of nuclei were observed. More delicate intracytoplasmic architectural changes could not be detected at light microscopic studies. The cord arrangement and cellular boundaries were relatively well preserved until 24 hours after incubation. Electronmicroscopically, mild intramitochondrial swelling with diminution of intramatrical granules were observed at 20 minutes. These were the earliest findings. Both high amplitude swelling and destruction of mitochondrial membrane were observed concurrently at 1 hour after incubation. The earlier membrane changes were observed at inner membrane with cristae and followed by degeneration of the outer membrane. The intramatrical amorphous dense deposits were observed at 30 minutes when the membranes were not destroyed. These deposits were noted in the other experimental groups which were incubated longer than 30 minutes. More electron dense deposits were observed after 1 hour at that time the membrane changes appeared. Vhe results suggest in this experiment that the earliest autolytic changes of liver cell mitochondria is loss of intramitochondrial granules and the membraneous changes led to the irreversible mitochondiral injury. The appearance of two types of intramitochondrial dense deposits would be an interesting finding needed to require further investigation for the chemical stucture and mechanism of dense deposit formation.
Male ; Humans

No abstract available.
Delusional Parasitosis ; Delusions ; Humans ; Infarction ; Posterior Cerebral Artery

Fibrofolliculoma is a benign follicular neoplasm which usually occurs in multiple and rarely solitarily. We have found only seven cases of previous reports of solitary fibrofolliculomas worldwide and only two in Korean literature. Herein we report on a 40-year-old female patient with a solitary flesh-colored bean sized mass on the scalp which histopathologically proved to be a fibrofolliculoma.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Scalp

BACKGROUND: Stellate ganglion block (SGB) is known to increase blood flow to the innervations area of the stellate ganglion. Near infrared spectroscopy reflects an increased blood volume and allows continuous, non-invasive, and bedside monitoring of regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2). We investigated the influence of SGB on bilateral cerebral oxygenation using a near infrared spectroscopy. METHODS: SGB was performed on 30 patients with 1% lidocaine 10 ml using a paratracheal technique at the C6 level and confirmed by the presence of Horner's syndrome. The blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR) and rSO2 were measured before SGB and 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes after SGB. Tympanic temperature of each ear was measured prior to SGB and 20 minutes after SGB. RESULTS: The increments of the rSO2 on the block side from the baseline were statistically significant at 5, 10, 15 and 20 minutes. The rSO2 on the non-block side compared with the baseline, however, decreased at 15 and 20 minutes. The difference between the block and the non-block sides was significant at 15 and 20 minutes. The BP at 10, 15 and 20 minutes was increased and the HR was increased at 10 and 15 minutes. CONCLUSIONS: We observed an increment of the rSO2 on the block side from the baseline; however, the rSO2 on the non-block side decreased.
Blood Pressure ; Blood Volume ; Ear ; Heart Rate ; Horner Syndrome ; Humans ; Lidocaine ; Oxygen ; Spectrum Analysis ; Stellate Ganglion

The authors studied the formation of giant mitochondria in liver cell. The Sprague Dawley rats were sacrificed following intervals; 5, 10, 20, 30, and 60 minutes after intraperitoneal injection of hydrazine in the amount of 200 microliter/kg. And the extracted liver tissues were examined with light and electron microscopes. The results obtained were summarized as follow; Light microscopically, there is little difference between control and experimental groups. Electron microscopically, elongated, bizzare shaped mitochondria are appears 5 minutes after hydrazine injection. Those show attenuated portion, Y, U, or C shaped feature suggesting fusion or budding mitochondria. The number of giant mitochondria is decreased after 10 minutes group and rarely present in 60 minutes group. The results suggest in this experiment that the formation of giant mitochondria is kind of reversible change and it is different from the mitochondrial swelling of cellular injury. Intermitochondrial fusion and mitochondrial budding may be related with the formation of giant mitochondria.
Rats ; Animals

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the role of CT and MR imagings in the diagnosis aortic dissection and differentiation between the true and false lumen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied forty patients with aortic dissection(AD) diagnosed imagings or surgery. Of the forty patients, 19 were examined with only CT, 14 with CT and MR, and 7 with MI~: Our points of view were(1) the classification of AD according to configuration of intimal flap by cross-sectional imaging, (2) differentiation between the true and false lumens, (3) the course of the false lumen, and (4)! detectability of the origin of major branch vessels of the abdominal aorta. RESULTS: The classification by corss-sectional imaging were crescentic(65%), circumferential(15%), flat(12%), and irregular(8%) type, in which false negative diagnosis was made in 1 case of crescentic and circumferential type, respectively. In 2 case of flat type and 1 case of irregular type, the differentiation between the true and false lumen was impossible with CT. The course of the false lumen in descending thoracic aorta revealed countrclock wise rotation(66%), clockwise rotation(5%) or fixed(29%) apperance. MR imaging was superior to CT in the detection of the origin of major branch vessels of the abdominal aorta. The determination of the origin of major branches of abdominal aorta arising from the true and false lumen were impossible in 2 cases in which only CT was done. CONCLUSION: Diagnosis of crescentic and circumferential types of AD with narrow and thrombosed false lumen was problematic in both CT and MR with no difference of diagnostic accuracy between the two modalities. The differentiation between the true and false lumen was difficult in flat and irregular types with only CT. Therefore, when surgical treatment is considered as in type B aortic dissection, MR imaging is recommended in order to determine the origin of major branch vessels.
Aorta, Abdominal ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Classification ; Diagnosis* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Blepharoptosis* ; Orbit*

BACKGROUND: Vitiligo is an acquired disorder with destruction of melanocytes and is clinically characterized by depigmented patches of skin. The pathogenesis of vitiligo is still unclear, but melanocyte self destruction, neurohumoral factors, autoimmunity and inherent cellular defects have all been proposed as possible etiological factors. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to find out the differences in expression of HLA antigens among subtypes of vitiligo according to classification, onset and family history and then to disclose the pathogenesis of vitiligo in view of genetic and autoimmunological aspects. METHODS: We investigated HLA-A, B, C, DR in subgroups of 87 vitiligo patients according to type, onset, and family history. Results : 1. There were no HLA antigens with significantly increased frequency in vitiligo patients compared to the control group. 2. There was a significant increase in frequency of HLA-DRl2 in patients of non-segmental vitiligo with a family history ; an increase in frequency of HLA Cw2 in patients without a family history ; and a significant increase in frequency of HLA-DRl2 in all patients of non-segmental vitiligo compared to the control group.(p(c)<0.05). 3. The frequency of HLA-B63 was significantly increased in all patients of segmental vitiligo compared to the control group(p(c)<0.05), but there were no HLA antigens with significantly increased frequency in patients of subgroups of segmental vitiligo divided by the presence or absence of a family history of vitiligo. 4. The frequency of HLA-B54 was significantly increased in all vitiligo patients with a family history(p(c)0.05) but there were no HLA antigens with significantly increased frequency in all vitiligo patients without a family history. 5. There were no HLA antigens with significantly increased frequency in vitiligo patients subgrouped by age of onset (less or over 16 years) of disease. Conclusion : From the above results, we can assume that non-segmental vitiligo may have autoimmune mechanisms in the pathogenesis, as there was a significant increase in HLA-DRl2 in patients with non-segmental vitiligo.
Age of Onset ; Autoimmunity ; Classification ; HLA Antigens* ; HLA-A Antigens ; Humans ; Melanocytes ; Skin ; Vitiligo*

CT has an important role in the evaluation of gastric adenocarcinoma. It clearly demonstrates the primary tumor itself and reveals the spread of cancer to adjacent or distant structures. It is therefore useful in the staging of gastric carcinoma, and has proved valuable in the differential diagnosis of this and other gastrictumors. Recent advances in technology such as spiral CT with water ingestion, improve the value of CT. This report describes the characteristic findings of gastric adenocarcinomas by spiral CT, and elucidates its role in the staging of gastric carcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Eating ; Tomography, Spiral Computed* ; Water