No abstract available.
Glutathione Transferase* ; Glutathione* ; Schistosoma japonicum* ; Schistosoma*

OBJECTIVES: This study was intended to compare cost-effectiveness between before and after risperidone in schizophrenic patients. METHODS: Twenty-four patients who have been prescribed traditional antipsychotics, and elapsed at least one year after changing into risperidone, were singled out retrospectively and evaluated in terms of treatment effects and quality of life by Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Quality of Life Scale (QLS), respectively. And we also reviewed hospitalization days, number of hospitalization, and number of visit to outpatient clinic while they took traditional antipsychotics and risperidone during one year, respectively. RESULTS: As for patients prescribed risperidone, there was a significantly decreasing trend in BPRS by 13.46 on the average, as QLS increased significantly by 18.96, compared to before risperidone medication. In addition, hospitalization days and number of hospitalization decreased by 18.96 days and 0.63 times per capita, respectively after risperidone treatment (p<0.05, p<0.05). The direct costs were estimated about 102, 000, 000 won for traditional antipsychotics and 100, 000, 000 won for risperidone during 1 year, showing no significant difference between two groups. The proportion in inpatient units out of total cost occupied 77.2% for traditional antipsychotics in comparison to 33.7% for risperidone. CONCLUSION: Risperidone may have better treatment effects and favorable cost-benefit effect than traditional antipsychotics despite of several limitation.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies ; Risperidone* ; Schizophrenia

The constrained alpha-helical structure of a C-peptide is useful for enhancing anti-HIV-1 activity. The i and i+3 positions in an alpha-helical structure are located close together, therefore D-Cys (dC) and L-Cys (C) were introduced at the positions, respectively, to make a dC-C disulfide bond in 28mer C-peptides. Accordingly, this study tested whether a dC-C disulfide bond would increase the alpha-helicity and anti-HIV-1 activity of peptides. A C-peptide can be divided into three domains, the N-terminal hydrophobic domain (HPD), middle interface domain (IFD), and C-terminal hydrogen domain (HGD), based on the binding property with an N-peptide. In general, the dC-C modifications in HPD enhanced the anti-HIV-1 activity, while those in IFD and HGD resulted in no or much less activity. The modified peptides with no activity clearly showed much less alpha-helicity than the native peptides, while those with higher activity showed an almost similar or slightly increased alpha-helicity. Therefore, the present results suggest that the introduction of a dC-C bridge in the N-terminal hydrophobic domain of a C-peptide may be useful for enhancing the anti-HIV-1 activity.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Anti-HIV Agents/chemical synthesis/*chemistry/isolation & purification/*pharmacology ; Cell Line ; Circular Dichroism ; Cysteine/chemistry ; Disulfides/chemistry ; HIV Envelope Protein gp41/*chemistry ; HIV-1/*drug effects/growth & development ; Humans ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Models, Molecular ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Peptides/chemical synthesis/*chemistry/isolation & purification/*pharmacology ; Protein Structure, Secondary ; Protein Structure, Tertiary ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Structure-Activity Relationship

The explanation of isolated-organ tuberculosis rests on the assumption that in the course of the lymphatic or hematogenous dissemination of bacilli, organisms may be rapidly destroyed in all other sites save for the particular tissue involved in the isolated tuberculous process. Tuberculosis can arise in all tissues having lymphatics or blood supply, but the disease causing biliary tract obstruction has been known to be rare. Recently, we experi-enced a case of isolated-organ tuberculosis causing common bile duct obstruction and periductal lymph node enlargement in a 46-year-old Korean male. An ultrasonography-guided percutaneous needle biopsy revealed a granulomatous inflammation of the lymph node. After 7 months of anti-tuberculous medication, the common bile duct obstruction and periductal lymph node enlargement disappeared completely in a follow up abdominal CT and ERCP.
Biliary Tract ; Biopsy, Needle ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholestasis ; Common Bile Duct* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphadenitis* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tuberculosis*

Brachytherapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medical Staff ; Mouth Neoplasms ; Necrosis ; Tongue Neoplasms ; Tongue

PURPOSE: To evaluate the characteristic MR imaging findings of Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) in the skull and to compare them with those of plain radiography and computed tomography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 10 lesions in 9 patients (Age range; 5-42 years, Mean age; 18, all women) with Langerhans cell histiocytosis in the skull were included in our study. Nine lesions in nine patients were histologically confirmed by surgery or fine needle aspiration biopsy. All patients performed with MRI, and plain radiography and CT scan were done in 7 patients (8 lesions). Two experienced neuroradiologists reviewed the radiological examinations independently with attention to location, size, shape and nature of the lesions in the skull and compared the extent and extension of the lesions to adjacent structures. RESULTS: The lesions were distributed in all of the skulls without predilection site. On MRI, the masses were shown as well-enhancing soft tissue masses (10/10) mainly in diploic spaces (8/10) with extension to scalp (9/10) and dura mater (7/10). Dural enhancement (7/10) and thickening (4/10) were seen. The largest diameter of the soft tissue masses ranged 1.1 cm to 6.8 cm, shaped as round (5/10) or oval (5/10). On CT scans, the lesions were presented as soft tissue masses involving diploic space (6/8) and scalp extension (7/8) were also well visualized. Although bony erosion or destruction was more clearly seen on CT rather than those of MRI, enhancement of soft tissue masses and dura were not well visualized on CT. In contrast, all of the lesions in LCH were seen as punched out (4/8), beveled-edge appearance (4/8) osteolytic masses in plain radiography, but scalp and dural extension could not be seen. CONCLUSION: Characteristic MR findings in patients with LCH are soft tissue mass in diploic space with extension to dura and scalp, and MRI would be better imaging modality than plain radiography or CT .
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Dura Mater ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell ; Humans ; Scalp ; Skull