No abstract available.
Diphyllobothrium*

PURPOSE: To identify novel proteins which bind to myocilin, using a yeast two-hybrid screening system. METHODS: A bait plasmid of myocilin was constructed, and then transformed into yeast AH109. The transformed yeast cells were mated with yeast Y187 containing human skeletal muscle cDNA library plasmids in 2 X YPD medium. Mated diploid yeasts were plated on synthetic dropout medium (SD/-Trp-Leu-His and SD/-Trp-Leu-His-Ade). The positive clones grown on the selective medium were amplified, sequenced, and analyzed using the database of GenBank. The expression of selected genes in trabecular meshwork (TM) cells was detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS: The expression of bait protein in yeast was confirmed by Western blot analysis. Extensive screening of a cDNA library led to the selection of twenty-four positive clones which represent eight genes, including six of cytoskeleton associated proteins such as alpha-actin, myosin regulatory light chain 2A, dynactin, syntrophin alpha1, microtubule associated protein 1B, and myosin binding protein C. CONCLUSIONS: Myocilin may interact with cytoskeleton associated proteins in TM cells. Further studies on their interactions will provide functional clues of myocilin.
Actins ; Blotting, Western ; Carrier Proteins ; Clone Cells ; Cytoskeleton ; Databases, Nucleic Acid ; Diploidy ; Gene Library ; Humans ; Mass Screening* ; Microtubules ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Myosin Light Chains ; Myosins ; Patient Dropouts ; Plasmids ; Trabecular Meshwork ; Yeasts

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation is the commonest arrhythmia seen in clinical practice. However, there have been no epidemiologic data on its prevalence in general population of Korea. We performed this study to investigate the prevalence of atrial fibrillation in Korea. METHODS: From March 1, 1999 to July 31, 2000, Kangwon Branch, Korea Association of Health (KAH) parformed electrocardiograms to investigate the health status in the general public in Kangwon Province. We analyzed these data by of chi square(2) test. RESULTS: A total of 45,133 persons participated in the health screening performed by KAH. The number of persons above 40 years old were 13,768, with men and women 6,367 (46.2%) and 7,401 (53.8%)respectively. Prevalence among those above 40 years old was 0.72% and the prevalence among men, 0.96% (61 persons) was significantly higher than that of women, 0.51% (38 persons)(p<0.01). In the group above 60 years old with the prevalence of 1.24%, a similar phenomenon was observed with 1.57% (40 persons) in men and 0.97% (29 persons) in women (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Prevalence of atrial fibrillation became higher as age increased, specifically in persons older than 40 years.
Adult ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atrial Fibrillation* ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Gangwon-do* ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence*

Up-to-date imaging modalities such as three-dimensional dynamic contrast-enhanced CT (3D CT) and MRI may contribute to detection of hypervascular nodules in the liver. Nevertheless, distinguishing a malignancy such as hepatocellular carcinoma from benign hypervascular hyperplastic nodules (HHN) based on the radiological findings is sometimes difficult. Multiple incidental liver masses were detected via abdominal ultrasonography (US) in a 65-year-old male patient. He had no history of alcohol intake and no remarkable past medical history or relevant family history, and his physical examination results and laboratory findings were normal. 3D CT and MRI showed numerous enhanced nodules with hypervascularity during the arterial phase. After US guided liver biopsy, the pathological diagnosis was HHN. To date, several cases of HHN have been reported in patients with chronic alcoholic liver disease or cirrhosis. Herein, we report on a case of HHN in a patient with no history of alcoholic liver disease or cirrhosis.
Abdomen/diagnostic imaging ; Aged ; Alcoholism/pathology ; Chronic Disease ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Focal Nodular Hyperplasia/*diagnosis ; Humans ; Imaging, Three-Dimensional ; Liver/diagnostic imaging/*pathology ; Liver Diseases/pathology ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The potential role of the cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 polymorphism has been reported in relation to the risk of gastrointestinal tract malignancies. Therefore, we investigated whether COX-2 polymorphisms are associated with the risk of gastric cancer (GC) in Korea, one of the areas with a high prevalence of this condition. METHODS: We evaluated the genotypic frequencies of COX-2-765 and -1195 in 100 peptic ulcer patients, 100 GC patients, and 100 healthy controls. The polymorphisms of the COX-2-765 and -1195 genes were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphisms. RESULTS: The frequencies of the COX-2-1195 GG, GA, and AA genotype were 20%, 60%, and 20% in intestinal-type GC and 8%, 48%, and 44% in diffuse-type GC, respectively (p=0.021). There were no significant differences in the frequency of COX-2-765 genotypes between intestinal-type GC and diffuse-type GC (p=0.603). Age- and sex-adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that the COX-2-1195 AA genotype was the independent risk factor of diffuse-type GC compared with the COX-2-1195 GG genotype (p=0.041; odds ratio, 6.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.077 to 35.870). CONCLUSIONS: The COX-2-1195 AA genotype may render subjects more susceptible to diffuse-type GC.
Gastrointestinal Tract ; Genotype ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Odds Ratio ; Peptic Ulcer ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases ; Risk Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms

OBJECTIVES: Peptic ulcer is the major condition that affect numerous individuals every year. In 1983, Warren and Marshall presented the evidence that H. pylori was associated with gastritis and peptic ulcer. Thereafter, K. pylori infection is thought to be a important factor in the pathogenesis of gastric and duodenal ulcer. In western studies, about 58% to 100% of patients with peptic ulcer disease were infected with H. pylori. But in Korea, there is no study about the prevalence of H. pylori infection in peptic ulcer disease despite of its high prevalence and importance. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of H. pylori infection in case of gastric and duodenal ulcer disease in Korea. METHODS: We surveyed the prevalence of H. pylori infection of 1031 patients, who were diagnosed as gastric or duodenal ulcer by gastrofiberoscopy. H. pylori infection was evaluated with Rapid Urease Test(CLO test) and/or histology by Wright-Giemsa staining. RESULTS: 1) Peptic ulcer was more frequently developed in males than females, as the frequency of peptic ulcer was 77% in males, and 23% in females. But in view of the prevalence of H. pylori infection, there was no significant difference between males and females, 73% in males and 71% in females. 2) Gastric ulcer was most common in sixth decade(29.8%), but the prevalence of H. pylori infection was peak in fourth(76%), and fifth decade (73%). 3) Duodenal ulcer was most common in fourth decade(26.3%), but the prevalence of H. pylori infection was peak in teenagers(93%) and third decade(87%). 4) The patients who had both gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer concurrently were most common in sixth decade(27.9%), but the prevalence of H, pylori infection was peak in third decade(100%). CONCLUSION: We concluded that the majority of peptic ulcer patients in Korea had H. pylori infection. Particularly, young aged patients had higher H. pylori infection rate than old aged.
Duodenal Ulcer* ; Female ; Gastritis ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Peptic Ulcer ; Prevalence* ; Prospective Studies* ; Stomach Ulcer* ; Urease

BACKGROUND: Long-term survival after surgical correction of mitral regurgitation is associated with preservation of left ventricular systolic function after operation. And mitral valve repair has been suggested to provide a better postoperative left ventricular systolic function. Accordingly, we intended to compare the operative results of mitral valve repair with those of mitral valve replacement and search for preoperative predictors of postoperative left ventricular systolic function. METHOD: The clinical features, echocardiographic measurements, and cardiac catheterization results of 75 patients operated between January 1984 and December 1994 for acquired pure mitral regurgitation were analyzed. RESULTS: Of the 75 patients, 39 patients had mitral valve repair, and 36 patients had mitral valve replacement. When the outcomes of mitral valve repair and mitral valve replacement were compared, left ventricular ejection fraction decreased significantly after surgery inboth groups but postoperative left ventricular ejection fraction was greater in valve repair group than in valve replacement group. Data analysis of preoperative variables showed that echocardiographic left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(p<.05), but not other clinical and echocardiographic variables, were predictors of postoperative left ventricular systolic function. CONCLUSION: After surgical correction of chronic organic mitral regurgitation, left ventricular dysfunction is frequent and valve repair decreases the severity of left ventricular dysfunction. And the most powerful predictor of postoperative left ventricular systolic function is preoperative left ventricular end-diastolic diameter measured by echocardiography.
Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Echocardiography ; Humans ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency* ; Mitral Valve* ; Statistics as Topic ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Dysfunction, Left

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis and spasm. We investigated whether the polymorphisms in two oxidative stress-related genes, paraoxonase and p22phox, are associated with risks of coronary artery spasm and stenosis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The study comprised of 116 patients with variant angina, 118 patients with coronary artery stenosis and 117 control subjects, who were all classified by coronary angiography. In all three groups, the genotype frequencies of the Q192R polymorphism of the paraoxonase gene and C242T polymorphism of the p22phox gene were analyzed, and the serum thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance concentrations measured. RESULTS: The frequency of the RR genotype of the paraoxonase Q192R polymorphism was significantly higher in patients with variant angina and coronary artery stenosis than in the control subjects (40.4% in variant angina and 37.8% in coronary artery stenosis vs. 24.7% in control, p=0.020 and 0.048, respectively). From the multivariate analysis, the odds ratio of the RR genotype was 2.240 for variant angina (95% confidence interval ; 1.012-4.956), and 2.333 for coronary artery stenosis (95% confidence interval ; 1.140-4.777), in relation to the control subjects. The thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance level was significantly higher in the RR type than in the QQ+QR types (RR vs. QQ+QR : 1.106+/-0.420 nmol/mL vs. 0.949+/-0.311 nmol/mL, p=0.028). There was no significant difference in the prevalence of the C242T polymorphism of the p22phox gene between the three groups. CONCLUSION: The RR genotype of the paraoxonase gene Q192R polymorphism was found to be an independent risk factor for both coronary spasm and stenosis.
Angina Pectoris ; Aryldialkylphosphatase* ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Stenosis* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Odds Ratio ; Oxidative Stress* ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Spasm

Intussusception of the appendix is not only extremely rare but also presents with symptoms similar to appendicitis. Therefore, preoperative diagnosis is unusual. On the other hand, appendiceal mucocele refers to obstructive dilatation of the appendiceal lumen caused by mucus. It has been reported in 0.2~0.3% of appendectomy specimens. A 22-year-old woman visited the Emergency Department because of right lower abdominal tenderness with hematochezia. Abdominal CT scan revealed a target sign in the right lower quadrant area that was suggestive of intussusception. The patient underwent emergency surgical reduction of the intussusception and appendectomy. The pathology showed an appendiceal mucocele.
Appendectomy ; Appendicitis ; Appendix ; Dilatation ; Emergencies ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hand ; Humans ; Intussusception ; Mucocele ; Mucus ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: Maspin is known as a tumor suppressor gene, but its significance has been questioned in various human cancers. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression pattern of Maspin in human gastric adenocarcinomas and its possible correlation with clinicopathological findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of Maspin mRNA was measured by nested RT-PCR using 60 frozen adenocarcinomas of the stomach and 31 noncancerous tissues from the proximal resection margin. Immunohistochemical study for Maspin protein expression was carried out using 62 paraffin-embedded tissues, composed of both cancer and noncancerous tissues. RESULTS: Maspin mRNA expression was detected in 80.0% (48 of 60) of the gastric adenocarcinomas, but in only 22.6% (7 of 31) of the normal gastric mucosa (p<0.001). The positive rate of Maspin protein expression was higher in the adenocarcinomas than the normal tissues (62.9% vs. 27.4%, p<0.05). In addition, the intestinal type of tumors showed significantly higher expression levels compared to the diffuse type of tumors (81.5% vs. 48.6%, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that Maspin is frequently expressed in human gastric cancers, and its expression might be associated with tumorigenesis of the intestinal type of gastric cancer.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Carcinogenesis ; Gastric Mucosa ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; RNA, Messenger ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms