No abstract available.
Muscle, Smooth*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

We report a case of a 51-year-old woman with Evans syndrome (autoimmune hemolytic anemia and primary immune thrombocytopenia) and hypothyroidism. She was previously diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in 1994 (age, 35) and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) 3 years ago. She was treated with oral prednisolone. After a period, in which the anemia waxed and waned, there was an abrupt development of thrombocytopenia (nadir 15x10(9)/L) that coincided with the tapering off of prednisolone after 3 years of administration. Because her thrombocytopenia was refractory to prednisolone, we administered rituximab (375 mg/m2 weekly) for 4 weeks. Two weeks after the completion of the rituximab treatment, her platelet count was up to 92x10(9)/L. No intermittent peaking of thyroid stimulating hormone occurred after rituximab treatment was initiated. Evans syndrome and autoimmune thyroiditis might share common pathophysiological mechanisms. This notion supports the use of rituximab in a patient suffering from these disorders.
Anemia ; Anemia, Hemolytic ; Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune ; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived ; Female ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Middle Aged ; Platelet Count ; Prednisolone ; Stress, Psychological ; Thrombocytopenia ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis ; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune ; Thyrotropin ; Rituximab

PURPOSE: The mechanism of scar formation is not fully understood. Fibroblast is an important cell in wound healing process. We experienced a patient who was taking progesterone orally. Upper blepharoplasty was performed on her but, wound healing was delayed. We hypothesized that progesterone was the cause of delayed wound healing and fibroblast proliferation inhibition. We investigated the effect of progesterone in vitro on human dermal fibroblasts to study the effects on fibroblast proliferation. METHODS: Human dermal fibroblasts from four persons were cultured initially. Progesterone is mixed to them at various concentrations, and fibroblast cell count was measured by MTT assay method at 570nm. We confirmed that progesterone has some inhibitory effect on fibroblast proliferation and maximal inhibitory concentration of progesterone was determined. Then fibroblasts from a total of nineteen persons were cultured and the effects of progesterone were studied. RESULTS: The initial study showed the maximal inhibitory concentration of progesterone to be 50 microgram/ml. The main study showed that progesterone had 70.9% inhibitory effect on human dermal fibroblast in vitro. CONCLUSION: Progesterone has inhibitory effect on cultured human dermal fibroblast proliferation in vitro.
Blepharoplasty ; Cell Count ; Cicatrix ; Fibroblasts* ; Humans* ; Progesterone* ; Wound Healing

PURPOSE: Voiding function of the neonate is considered to be different from that of adult. Although immaturity in the central nervous system that governs urinary bladder is thought to be the cause, few well-designed physiological studies on the properties of bladder itself have been reported. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Urinary bladders were removed from male Sprague-Dawley rats, 1 to 3-day old neonate and 12 week-old adult. Anterior longitudinal muscle strips without mucosa were obtained and isometric contractions were recorded. Contractile responses induced by carbachol (CCh 0.05-10.0 microM) were obtained. To investigate length-tension relationship between adult and neonate bladder, each strip was stepwise stretched up to 300% L (taking L, 100% length in a resting state) by micropositioner. In each step it was fully permitted to reach steady state in which electrical field stimulations (0.8ms, 50Hz, 2.5s duration) were applied to assess optimal length for contraction. RESULTS: CCh produced a large phasic contraction followed by a sustained tonic contraction superimposed by rapid phasic activities (RPAs) in both group but the patterns were quite different. Neonatal bladder was characterized by its tonic contractions; lesser tone increase with dose increment and taller RPAs of shorter duration. Amplitude of CCh-induced contraction were corrected by tissue weight, neonatal bladder generated greater force than that of adult. Length-tension analysis revealed that the range of active contraction in neonatal bladder according to the stretch were similar, while passive properties were quite different from that of adult bladder. Stress in the muscle strips was derived from tension divided by cross-sectional area of the strip (g/cm2). Steep increase in total tension per area as stepwise stretch was observed in neonatal bladder, which was mainly ascribed to passive properties of the bladder. Optimal length of maximal active force generation was noted in 220% of resting length in both neonatal and adult bladder. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrated that CCh-induced contractile pattern and length-tension relationship in neonatal bladder are quite different from those of adult bladder in the rats, which suggests, aside from the neural immaturity, functional difference exists in the bladder itself. During development, neonatal urinary bladder seems to undergo remarkable changes in both active and passive properties.
Adult* ; Animals ; Carbachol ; Central Nervous System ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Isometric Contraction ; Male ; Mucous Membrane ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Urinary Bladder*

PURPOSE: The function of urinary bladder in neonate and adult are regarded as different but little is investigated on the physiological function of the neonatal urinary bladder. In this study, we compared the contractile responses of bladder muscle strips between neonate and adult rats to repeated electrical field stimulations(EFSs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Postnatal 1 to 3-day-old Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats (7.3+/-1.5gm, mean+/-SE, n=15) and 12-week-old adult SD rat(386+/-21gm, n=15) were sacrificed and longitudinal strips of the anterior wall of the bladder were prepared. Each preparation was mounted in a vertical chamber and connected to a force transducer (FT03, Grass, U.S.A.). Isometric contractions were induced by three different methods; 1) intrinsic nerve activation by applying EFSs(5, 20, or 60Hz frequency, square pulse of 0.8ms width, 70V/cm, 2,5s duration) every 50 seconds, 2) the activation of muscarinic receptors on smooth muscle cell membrane with 5.0microM carbachol(CCh), 3) direct smooth muscle stimulation by applying EFSs(60Hz frequency, 50ms width, 70V/cm, 2.5s duration) in the presence of tetrodotoxin every 50 seconds. RESULTS: Contractile responses to intrinsic nerve stimulations reached maximal amplitude at 60Hz stimulation in both adult and neonate rat bladder. Recovery from the fatigue in neonate and adult bladder muscle was evaluated by the amplitude changes in contractions evoked by EFS with 3 min. or 1 min. rest periods. Poor recovery was induced in neonates even by 3 min. rest period. In neonate group, the amplitude of contractions declined gradually (fatigue response) with 20 and 60Hz stimulations, while the fatigue responses were negligible in adult group. The responses to the exogenous CCh before and immediately after the repeated stimulations were not significantly different in both groups. Repeated direct muscle stimulations did not induce significant decreases of contractile responses in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that neonatal bladder becomes fatigued faster than adult bladder and the fatigue seems to occur at pre-receptor level of the smooth muscle cells rather than at the muscle itself.
Adult* ; Animals ; Carbachol ; Fatigue* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Isometric Contraction ; Membranes ; Muscle, Smooth ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Poaceae ; Rats* ; Receptors, Muscarinic ; Tetrodotoxin ; Transducers ; Urinary Bladder*

PURPOSE: A finding of only subtle open bladder neck unaccompanied by leakage at resting state, without any other symptoms suggesting overt intrinsic sphincter incompetence, is commonly observed during cystographic evaluation for women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI). We tried to define whether this finding has any clinical significance in aspect of intrinsic sphincter deficiency. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study was undertaken in a series of women whose diagnoses were SUI in our hospital. The appearance of contrast medium in the proximal urethra at resting state without overt leakage on cystogram was named as inverted tear-drop (ITD) sign. Quantification of ITD sign was made by measuring vertical and anterior-posterior (AP) distances of this area. Various clinical and urodynamic parameters were compared between the patients who had inverted tear-drop sign (ITD group) and those not (non-ITD group). RESULTS: A total of 453 women underwent fluoroscopic cystography and ITD sign was observed in 273 (60.2%). Analyses were performed in a total of 290 women (ITD group 186, non-ITD group 104). There was a significant difference in mean age between non-ITD (47.0+/-9.4 years) and ITD group (51.7+/-9.5 years). Several clinical factors such as frequency, urgency, urge incontinence, duration of symptoms, parity, previous pelvic surgery, previous anti-incontinence surgery, urine leakage volume by one hour pad test were not significantly different between two groups. However, a ITD sign was significantly more likely to be in groups of patients with menopause and those with a low valsalva leak point pressure (VLPP). VLPP was significantly lower in ITD group (87.1+/-2.7cmH2O) than in non-ITD group (99.0+/-4.1cmH2O). VLPP in ITD group has a negative correlation with vertical (p=0.0001. r=-0.498) and AP length (p=0.0014, r=-0.23) of tear-drop area. Maximal urethral closure pressure was significantly lower in ITD group (48.2+/-1.4cmH2O) than in non-ITD group (56.2+/-2.0cmH2O). ITD group has more advanced types by Blaivas classification than non-ITD group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that cystographic ITD sign at rest might reflect some loss of intrinsic sphincter function. When surgeons are planning to operate SUI patients, ITD sign could be considered as an additional parameter in choosing operation method.
Classification ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Menopause ; Neck ; Parity ; Retrospective Studies ; Urethra ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Incontinence* ; Urinary Incontinence, Urge ; Urodynamics

PURPOSE: With the aim of utilization in objectively assessing the symptom's severity and the treatment outcomes of urinary incontinence in Korean population, we translated the Bristol Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptom (BFLUTS) instrument into Korean which subsequently was linguistically validated. MATERIALS, METHODS AND RESULTS: Between May 2002 and December 2002, two bilinguists independently translated the original English version of BFLUTS into written Korean. A panel consisting of aforementioned translators and three authors reviewed the translations to form a single reconciled forward translation of the Korean version. Another bilingual translator who had never seen the original BFLUTS back-translated the first Korean version into English. The back-translation was subsequently assessed for equivalence to the original. Discrepancies between the original English form and the first draft Korean translation were reviewed by the panel. Cognitive debriefing interviews with five incontinent patients to test the interpretation of the translation were made. Summary of the changes from patient interviews were then reflected in the final Korean version. Finally, it was proofread to check spelling, grammar, layout and formatting. CONCLUSION: Translation and linguistic validation of Korean version of BFLUT instrument were completed. Further tests for psychometric performance are needed.
Female* ; Humans ; Linguistics* ; Psychometrics ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Translations ; Urinary Incontinence ; Urinary Tract* ; Urination

PURPOSE: Congenital factor VII(FVII) deficiency is a rare bleeding disorder and surgery can cause excessive bleeding due to an extrinsic pathway problem. It can be diagnosed by increased PT and decreased FVII level in coagulation test. Symptom varies according to the level of FVII, but it is essential to prevent intraoperative excessive bleeding. METHODS: In this report, we described the orthognatic surgery experience in a mandibular prognathism patient with congenital F'VII deficiency, in which recombinant activated factor VII(rFVIIa) was used to manage the bleeding. Rsults: We could get a successful result without any complication and there was minimal intraoperative bleeding. CONCLUSION: The orthognathic surgery could therefore be safely performed in patients with congenital factor VII deficiency using rFVIIa.
Factor VII ; Factor VII Deficiency ; Factor VIIa ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Orthognathic Surgery ; Prognathism ; Recombinant Proteins