No abstract available.
Female ; Hydatidiform Mole* ; Pregnancy ; Trophoblasts*

BACKGROUND: A fully automated enzyme-immunoassay (EIA) analyzer, Enzymun System, ES-300 (Boehringer Mannheim, Germany) uses streptavidin technology and performs single test or panels of up to 12 tests per run. We evaluated the results of ES-300 for anti-HCV by comparing the results with microplate-EIA, radioimmunoassay (RIA), and confirmatory test. METHODS: Total 79 sera (51 positive, 24 negative, 4 indeterminate results confirmed by Lucky HCD Confirm) were analysed. ES-300 with Enzymun-Test(R) Anti-HCV (Boehringer Mannheim, Germany) and microplate-EIA (Green Cross Center Innotest HCV 3.0(R)) were used. Fifty one sera were examined additionally by 2nd-generation RIA method, NANBDINE 125C(General Biologicals Corp., R.O.C.). And all results were compared to the results of Lucky HCD Confirm. RESULTS: The overall concordance rate of ES-300 and Innotest(R) was 72/79 (91.1%). The results of Lucky HCD Confirm on seven discrepant samples were five negative and two indeterminate. The results of ES-300 and NANBDINE 125C showed concordance rate of 90.2%. The sensitivity and specificity of ES-300 with regard to Lucky HCD Confirm were 94.5%, and 87.5%, respectively, and that of Innotest(R) were 98.2% and 66.7%, respectively. Clear distinction of positive and negative results by signal/cut off ratio was available in both EIAs. The positive predictive values of ES-300 and Innotest(R) were 94.5%, and 87.1%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: ES-300 showed relatively good results in sensitivity and positive predictive value with regard to confirmatory test. In EIA-positive persons, however, follow-up study would be necessary for reliable evaluation of HCV infection.
Humans ; Radioimmunoassay ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Streptavidin

No abstract available.
Pregnancy Rate* ; Pregnancy*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Rats*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Rats*

Lymphocytic hypophysitis is a rare but important cause of pituitary hypofunction which predominantly affects young women in the peripartum period. It is believed to be an autoimmune disorder with an association with other autoimmune disorders. Clinically, it presents most frequently with symptoms and signs attributable to pituitary hypofunction, headache, visual disturbance and amenorrhea. It is difficult to distinguish lymphocytic hypophysitis from a pituitary adenoma on preoperative imaging. So the diagnosis must be confirmed pathologically. The frozen section must be done for saving the risk of permanent hypopituitarism that would have attended a more radical debulking procedure. If lymphocytic hypophysitis is confirmed by frozen section, extensive surgical debulking may not be necessary. A 31-year-old woman presented during the third trimester of pregnancy in July of 2003 with headache, vomiting and gradually progressive bilateral visual loss. There was a large 8 shaped homogeneous sellar mass on MR images before delivery. The subtotal excision of tumor was done via transsphenoidal surgery three weeks after cesarean delivery. Visual field testing revealed marked resolution of her visual field defects in both eyes. We report a case of lymphocytic hypophysitis occurred in the third trimester of pregnancy with a brief review of literatures.
Adult ; Amenorrhea ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Frozen Sections ; Headache ; Humans ; Hypopituitarism ; Peripartum Period ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third* ; Pregnancy* ; Visual Field Tests ; Visual Fields ; Vomiting

Homogenization technique is employed to investigate the series of stress analyses of mandible for three different types of dental implants. This technique helps to make proper material model of bone and analyze such a non homogeneous structure at the level of individual microstructural unit. The stress analyses with homogenization technique show much higher stress level in the sponge bone, compared to those of conventional FEM. It also manifested that even a minor lateral force results in crucial stresses in the dental implant system and that the macroscale model should take the shape and size after real mandible to produce reasonable solution in the analyses of dental implant systems. The shapes of dental implants simulated in this study are rectangularcross-sectioned type, hemi-sphere rooted type, and wedge type implant. The stress states of mandible with hemisphere rooted type implant and wedge type implant show similar levels, while those with sectioned rectangular implant results in higher stresses. It is suggested that the distance between the implant tip and cortical bone be kept far enough to prevent stress concentrations in the mandible.
Dental Implants ; Mandible ; Porifera

No abstract available.
Lupus Nephritis*

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is generally accepted as the most reliable method of re-establishing knee kinematics so as to prevent various symptoms related to the instability and subsequent injuries to the knee. Double bundle ACL reconstruction has emerged as a potential solution for single bundle reconstruction, as the latter can restore anteroposterior stability, but it had limitations for improving the rotational stability. However, double bundle reconstruction is a more complex surgical procedure and it remain unclear whether double bundle reconstruction has better results than single bundle reconstruction on long term follow-up. Recent studies have demonstrated that a femoral tunnel could be created independently of the tibial tunnel and in a more anatomic position by using the anteromedial portal technique, so that that there is better restoration of the rotational stability as well as anterior stability than that with performing the transtibial technique.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction ; Biomechanics ; Knee

Applicants for care services offered by the National Long-term Care Insurance are required to submit a written docu- ment of assessments performed by a physician.These documents are used as a secondary source to determine the level of long-term care required by the applicant. Though necessary, physicians have not received evaluation or fee-dback regarding this process. We surveyed doctors, members of committees for long-term care level assessment, and long-term care team staff of the national health insurance corporation. What was considered useful information differed among the three groups. Integrating the feedback from these groups, we suggested improvements that could be made to this assessment process.
Insurance ; Insurance, Long-Term Care ; Long-Term Care ; National Health Programs