Backgroand: In our previous study, it was demonstrated that estradiol-dependent prostaglandin synthesis may be mediated by cAMP elevation during the process of iplantation in rats. The present study was undertaken to investigate if estradio1, a hydrophobic molecule could interact with uterine plasma membrane, thereby influencing adenylate cyclase and cAMP. Methods: The specific binding of [3H]estradiol to plasma membrane prepared from rat uterus has been identified and characterized. Results: The association of [3H]estradiol to plasma membrane preparations reached equilibrium at 24 hrs. [3H]estradiol binding was directly proportional to the concentration of plasma membrane preparations and its binding was temperature-sensitive. This binding was saturable, reversible and binding site was one type with high affinity(Kd=0.16+0.03 nM) and high binding capacity(Bmax= 2.03 + 0.38pmol/mg protein). The dissociation constant was estimated as 1.6*10(-10)M. In a competition assay, binding was specific for estrogenic compounds. When 100% specific binding was detennined in the presence of 3*10(-6) M diethylstilbestrol, 17B-estradiol and tamoxifen displaced specific binding by 115% and 23%, respectively. Neither progesterone nor cortisol at 500-fold excess displaced the specific binding. Conclusion: These data suggest the presence of specific binding sites on the plasma membrane for estradiol in the rat uterus.
Adenylyl Cyclases ; Animals ; Binding Sites ; Cell Membrane ; Diethylstilbestrol ; Estradiol ; Estrogens ; Hydrocortisone ; Membranes ; Progesterone ; Rats ; Signal Transduction ; Tamoxifen ; Uterus

PURPOSE: The purpose of this retrospective study was to identify factors predictive of survival in rectal cancer patients who received surgery with curative intent after preoperative chemoradiotherapy (CRT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between July 1996 and June 2010, 104 patients underwent surgery for rectal cancer after preoperative CRT. The median dose of radiotherapy was 50.4 Gy (range, 43.2 to 54.4 Gy) for 6 weeks. Chemotherapy was a bolus injection of 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin for the first and last week of radiotherapy (n=84, 77.1%) or capecitabine administered daily during radiotherapy (n=17, 16.3%). Low anterior resection (n=86, 82.7%) or abdominoperineal resection (n=18, 17.3%) was performed at a median 47 days from the end of radiotherapy, and four cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy was administered. The serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) level was checked at initial diagnosis and just before surgery. RESULTS: After a median follow-up of 48 months (range, 9 to 174 months), 5-year disease free survival (DFS) was 74.5% and 5-year overall survival (OS) was 86.4%. Down staging of T diagnoses occurred in 32 patients (30.8%) and of N diagnoses in 40 patients (38.5%). The CEA change from initial diagnosis to pre-surgery (high-high vs. high-normal vs. normal-normal) was a statistically significant prognostic factor for DFS (p=0.012), OS (p=0.002), and distant metastasis free survival (p=0.018) in a multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Patients who achieve normal CEA level by the time of surgery have a more favorable outcome than those who retain a high CEA level after preoperative CRT. The normalization of CEA levels can provide important information about the prognosis in rectal cancer treatment.
Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Deoxycytidine ; Disease-Free Survival ; Fluorouracil ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Leucovorin ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies ; Capecitabine

Succinylcholine(SCC) is well known to elevate the serum potassium level and to threaten life in some cases. In order to minimize the elevation of serum potassium following SCC, several attempts have been made such as SCC tamming and pretreatment with pancuronium or lidocaine or diazepam. Our study was undertaken to evaluate the change of serum potassium following induction in 60 patients divided into 7 different groups; group l. SCC 1mg/kg; group ll. SCC 2 mg/kg, grouplll, SCC 1mg/kg after SCC 10mg; group IV, SCC 1mg/kg after pancuronium 0.015mg/kg, group V. Pnacuronium 0.1mg/kg; group VI, SCC 1mg/kg after Lidocaine 1mg/kg; grou VII, SCC 1mg/kg after Diazepam 0.2mg/kg. The results were as follows: 1) Serum potassium were increased 0.14mEq/L in group l and 0.17 mEq/L in group ll. 2) Serum potassium were decreased in group lll, VI and VII than their control values but they were not statistically significant. 3) The decrease in serum potassium was most significant in group IV and V.
Calcium ; Diazepam ; Humans ; Lidocaine ; Pancuronium ; Potassium ; Succinylcholine

Familial benign chronic pemphigua is a rare disease characterized by a localized recurrent eruption of grouped vesicles and exudative lesions involving the neck, groin, axillae and intertriginous areas. There are no systemic manifestations but chronicity and pruritic lesions creates a significant social and psychological handicap to those afflicted. We presented a case of familial benign chronic pemphigus in a 39 years old man He has had recurrent vesicles, fissures and crust formation in inguinal area for 10 years. Light microscopic findings showed suprabasal vesiculation with acantholysis and villi formation. And electron-microscopic findings showed as follows: Bizzare microvilli changes with widened intercellular spaces, followed by loss of desmosome and complete acantholysis. Tonofilament-desmosome complex is disrupted. Many of acantholytic cells are associated with abnormal keratinization which is repreaented by perinuclear thickened bundles of tonofilament arranged in whorls or lumps. Authors diagnosed with clinical symptoms, light and electron-microscopic findings as Hailey-Hailey disease. The lesions were improved by systemic antibiotics and steroid with cold soaking.
Acantholysis ; Adult ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Axilla ; Desmosomes ; Extracellular Space ; Groin ; Humans ; Intermediate Filaments ; Microvilli ; Neck ; Pemphigus, Benign Familial* ; Rare Diseases

BACKGROUND: It is important to avoid the direct contact with water of detergents as possible for the treatment and prevention of hand eczema. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the protective effect of skin protector, Marly skin on housewifes eczema, METHODS: The patients with hand eczema apply skin protector, Maly skin, four times a day on their both hands. They are evaluated with the scores of subjective symptor is(itch, dryness, smarting) and objective signs(erythema, scaling, fissures), and skin replica which are taken from the specified site are analysed by using an image analyser and, scanning electron micrascipe. RESULTS: 4 weeks after application of skin protector, there are statstically significant decrease of total clinical symptom scores. Scanning electron microscopic findings of the skin replicas show marked changes between the beginning and the end of the study. On quantive image analysis of the skin replicas, the length of fissure is a little decreased and the depth of rrows is slightly increased than before application of skin protector, but these are not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Skin protector, Marly skin, has a protective effect on the development of hand eczema.
Detergents ; Eczema* ; Hand ; Humans ; Mali ; Skin

Graves disease occur in association with myasthenia gravis is rare. We report a case of Graves disease and myasthenia gravis treated by bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy and total thymectomy simultaneously. A 37 year old woman was admitted with anterior neck mass and ptosis. Various examinations were compatible with combined Graves disease and myasthenia gravis. The bilateral subtotal thyroidectomy and total thymectomy were done simultaneously. The pathologic diagnosis was Graves disease and thymic hyperplasia. The patients postoperative course was uneventful. The thyroid function of patient became euthyroid and the clinical symptoms related with myastenia gravis resolved during follow up period.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Graves Disease* ; Humans ; Myasthenia Gravis* ; Neck ; Thymectomy* ; Thymus Hyperplasia ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroidectomy*

No abstract available.
Estrogens* ; Humans* ; Pituitary Neoplasms* ; Receptors, Estrogen*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the basal serum luteinizing hormone (LH) levels in the presence of normal serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) are useful as a prognostic indicator of ovarian response to controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). METHODS: From January 1997 to January 1999, 91 infertile women with tubal factor who had undergone in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) were enrolled in the present study. COH was performed using long protocol of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonist. All patients included in this study had blood samples drawn on cycle day 2 or 3 prior to COH for measurement of basal FSH and LH. Women who had other infertility factors or high basal FSH levels (> or = 8.5 mIU/ml) were excluded from this study. The results of COH and IVF-ET were compared between two groups according to the level of basal LH (low LH group [< 3mIU/ml] vs. control group [> or = 3mIU/ml]). RESULTS: Patient's characteristics were comparable in both groups except basal LH level. The number of ampules and duration of exogenous gonadotropins required were significantly higher in the low LH group than those in the control group (p<0.001; p<0.005, respectively). The number of follicles > or = 14mm diameter on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injection was significantly less in the low LH group than that in the control group (p<0.001). The serum estradiol level on the day of hCG injection was also significantly lower in the low LH group, with 1115.5 +/- 380.9 pg/ml compared with 1340.6 +/- 403.0 pg/ml in the control group (p<0.005). There were significantly lower numbers in oocytes retrieved, oocytes fertilized and embryos frozen in the low LH group than those in the control group (< 0.001; < 0.001; <0.005, respectively). However, there was no difference in the fertilization rate between the two groups. The clinical pregnancy rate per cycle seemed to be lower in the low LH group, but the difference did not achieve significance (26.2% vs 39.7%). There were no differences in the miscarriage rate and multiple pregnancy rate between the two groups. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates that the low basal LH levels ( < 3 mIU/ml) could be predictive of low ovarian response to COH and poor IVF results.
Abortion, Spontaneous ; Chorionic Gonadotropin ; Embryo Transfer ; Embryonic Structures ; Estradiol ; Female ; Fertilization ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; Gonadotropins ; Humans ; Infertility ; Lutein* ; Luteinizing Hormone* ; Oocytes ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Pregnancy, Multiple

Coagulants have been used for a long time to promote the hemostasis during operation. We have carried out the study to see the effect of the thromboplastin preparation. Thrombokinase, on the coagulation mechanism, thrombin time, partial thromboplastin time, Ca++, and operation time and amount of bleeding in the twenty patients undergoing laminectomy or femur fracture operation. The patients were divided into two groups, in the control group(n=10), disllied water 20ml, and in the Thrombokinase group(n=10), 20ml of Thrombokinase(4 amles) was administered intravenously during 5 minutes. The results were as follows: 1) Prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time were significantly prolonged in the control group compared to the Thrombokinase group(p<0.05). 2) In the Thrombokinase group, the duration of operation was shorter and the amount of blood loss was less than in the control group, but there was no significant statistical difference(p>0.05).3) There was no change in either blood pressure or pulse rate and also no side reaction during or after the Thromobkinase injection.
Blood Coagulation* ; Blood Pressure ; Coagulants ; Factor Xa* ; Femur ; Heart Rate ; Hemorrhage ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Laminectomy ; Partial Thromboplastin Time ; Prothrombin Time ; Thrombin Time ; Thromboplastin* ; Water

We herein report a case of mastocytosis with unusual cutaneous manifestations resembling pseudoxanthoma elasticum or xanthoma which were exaggerated on the intertriginous areas including axillae, groin and neck in a 39-year-old woman. It was characterized by multiple yellowish papules and plaques with a cobblestone appearance. In addition, there were diffuse red-dish macules and papules of varying sizes mainly on the trunk and extremities. Histopathologic findings showed a very dense infiltrate of large numbers of round to oval cells in the upper and mid dermis. These cells revealed metachromasia on the toluidine blue stain. She also had hepatosplenomegaly and some evidence of bone marrow involvement. There was significant improvement in,the skin lesions with psoralen plus ultraviolet A(PUVA) therapy and potent topical corticosteroid.
Adult ; Axilla ; Bone Marrow ; Dermis ; Extremities ; Female ; Ficusin ; Groin ; Humans ; Mastocytosis ; Neck ; Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum ; PUVA Therapy* ; Skin ; Tolonium Chloride ; Xanthomatosis