Cyclosporine(CsA) has been known to cause an endothelial dysfunction following its use as an immunosuppressive agent. On the other hand, the vascular endothelium has been recognized as an endocrine organ in its own right, i.e., it releases vasoactive factors such as nitric oxide(NO) and hyperpolarizing factor(EDHF). NO is synthesized by at least three isoforms of NO synthases(NOS), among which ecNOS is constitutively expressed in the endothelium. The principle of EDHF has not been determined. The present study was aimed at further investigating the mechanisms underlying the CsA-induced vasculopathy. Rats were treated with CsA (25mg/kg/day, subcutaneous) for one week and their thoracic aortae were isolated. Their changes of iso-metric tension in responses to acetylcholine, diazoxide, and high concentrations of calcium were recorded. The expression of ecNOS mRNA and protein was determined by reverse transcription-polymerase reaction and Western blot analysis, respectively. The acetylcholine-induced relaxation of the aortic rings was significantly diminished follawing the CsA-treatment, which was prevented by L-arginine supplemented along with the CsA-treatment. The relaxation of the thoracic aorta in response to either diazoxide or high concentrations of extracellular calcium was not affected by CsA-treatrnent. The vascular tissue contents of NO metabolites were significantly decreased following the CsA-treatment, which was also prevented by L-arginine-supple-mentation. Neither ecNOS mRNA nor protein expression was significantly altered following the CsA-treatment. It is suggested that CsA induces an endothelial dysfunction, which cannot be attributed to an altered role of EDHF, but to an impairment in L-arginine/NO pathway at the steps beyond NOS protein expression.
Acetylcholine ; Animals ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Arginine ; Blotting, Western ; Calcium ; Diazoxide ; Endothelium ; Endothelium, Vascular ; Hand ; Protein Isoforms ; Rats* ; Relaxation ; RNA, Messenger

Diagnostic Errors ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Leiomyoma ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography ; Uterine Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; surgery ; Uterus ; blood supply ; diagnostic imaging ; Venous Thrombosis ; diagnosis ; surgery

The gene encoding the 66 kilodalton (kDa) protein of Borrelia hermsii HS1 was cloned and sequenced. Chromosomal DNA was prepared from purified B. hermsii and used in construction of genomic library. The library was screened for positive clones by 314 bp DIG-labeled probe synthesized on the basis of the part of the sequence of B. hermsii. Positive clone was subcloned into p2ErO vector and was designated as pBH11. pBH11 were subcloned into pBluscript vector and were designated as pBH11-1 (500 bp), pBH11-2 (800 bp), pBH11-3 (600 bp) and pBH11-4 (800 bp). The plasmids were sequenced and determined the nucleotide sequence of p66. The open reading frame of the p66 consisted of 1803 base pairs coding for 600 amino acid protein. The basic information on the p66 gene of B. hermsii HS1 obtained from this study will be useful for further analysis and experiment of pathogenesis of the borrelia.
Base Pairing ; Base Sequence ; Borrelia* ; Clinical Coding ; Clone Cells* ; Cloning, Organism* ; DNA ; Genomic Library ; Open Reading Frames ; Plasmids

No abstract available.

A 29-year-old woman presented with secondary amenorrhea, primary infertility, and virilization, which had developed over the past 2 years was suspected to have a virilizing tumor at her left ovary. Her serum testosterone level was markedly elevated (380 ng/dL). Left salpingooophorectomy was performed, and histopathological examination revealed a thecoma of the left ovary. The postoperative serum testosterone level returned to 65 ng/dL. The patient did not have regression of virilism soon. However, the patient had a normal menstruation 29 days after surgery and gave birth to a baby 13 months after surgery.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Menstruation ; Ovarian Neoplasms/blood/*complications/*surgery ; Ovariectomy ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Testosterone/blood ; Thecoma/blood/*complications/*surgery ; Virilism/blood/*etiology/surgery

BACKGROUND: Rifampicin (RFP) is one of the principal first-line drugs used in combination chemotherapies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and its use has greatly shortened the duration of chemotherapy for the successful treatment of drug-susceptible tuberculosis. Compensatory mutations have been identified in rpoC that restore the fitness of RFP-resistant M. tuberculosis strains with mutations in rpoB. To investigate rpoC mutation patterns, we analyzed 93 clinical M. tuberculosis isolates from patients in South Korea. METHODS: Drug-resistant mycobacterial isolates were cultured to determine their susceptibility to anti-tubercular agents. Mutations in rpoC were identified by sequencing and compared with the relevant wild-type DNA sequence. RESULTS: In total, 93 M. tuberculosis clinical isolates were successfully cultured and tested for drug susceptibilities. They included 75 drug-resistant tuberculosis species, of which 66 were RFP-resistant strains. rpoC mutations were found in 24 of the 66 RFP-resistant isolates (36.4%). Fifteen different types of mutations, including single mutations (22/24, 91.7%) and multiple mutations (2/24, 8.3%), were identified, and 12 of these mutations are reported for the first time in this study. The most frequent mutation involved a substitution at codon 452 (nt 1356) resulting in amino acid change F452L. CONCLUSION: Fifteen different types of mutations were identified and were predominantly single-nucleotide substitutions (91.7%). Mutations were found only in dual isoniazid- and RFP-resistant isolates of M. tuberculosis. No mutations were identified in any of the drug-susceptible strains.
Base Sequence ; Codon ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; Drug Therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Rifampin ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant

No abstract available.
Salmonella*

Placenta increta is a life threatening complication of pregnancy, causing severe post-curettage bleeding. It is usually presented in the postpartum period with hemorrhage during difficult placental removal. It is especially rare in the 1st and 2nd trimesters, which is not easy to find and diagnose. We have confirmed a case of placenta increta after emergency hysterectomy due to severe vaginal bleeding following the dilatation and curettage during the 1st trimester of her pregnancy. So we report it with a brief case history and review of the concerned literatures.
Dilatation and Curettage ; Emergencies ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Placenta Accreta* ; Placenta* ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, First* ; Uterine Hemorrhage

No abstract available.
Humans* ; Hybridomas*

This paper proposes a system for nursing diagnosis and intervention management that is using nursing outcome indicators to guide the nursing intervention. In Korea, it has been studied on computerization of nursing process, but most of the studies are on the management of nursing records and not on the databases of nursing intervention. So far, the actual nursing processes have been performed by individual nurses' judgement without any supporting programs. Therefore, we provide the system with standardized database for nursing diagnosis and interventions so that nurses can make more accurate diagnoses and perform more adequate interventions. For that purpose, we have developed an algorithm that links nursing outcome indicators to nursing diagnoses and interventions. As a result, we expect the system can be used in many hospitals efficiently in the future after pilot operations.
Diagnosis ; Korea ; Nursing Diagnosis* ; Nursing Process ; Nursing Records ; Nursing*