O1igodendrocytes are known to be responsible for the synthesis and maintenance of myelin sheath in the central nervous system, and their functional disturbance leads to defect in myelination. But, the fine mechanism of myelination by oligodendrocytes is not yet known, and iron metabolism in central nervous system is suspected to be related with myelination process by oligodendrocytes. Carbonic anhydrase-II[CA-II], transfe-rrin, and ferritin are known to be present at oligodendrocytes and suspected to play a role in iron metabolism of central nervous system. In this study, demyelination and remyelination of ICR mouse brains were induced using cuprizone, the copper-chelating agent, and immunohistochemical changes of CA-II-, transferrin-, and ferritin-immunoreactive oligodendrocytes at corpus callosum were observed. During demyelination by cuprizone feeding, the numbers of CA-II- and transferrin-immunoreactive oligodendrocytes were decreased. Especially, the decrease ratio of CA-II-positive cells was great. In contrast, the number of ferritin-positive oligodendrocytes was increased during demyelination by cuprizone feeding. Cessation of cuprizone feeding leaded remyelination and the numbers of CA-II-, transferrin-, and ferritin-immunoreactive oligodendrocytes were returned to normal level. In conclusion, the derangement of iron metabolism in oligodendrocytes may be related to demyelination mechanism of central nervous system, and the CA-II is suspected to have an important role in iron metabolism of oligodenrocytes in relation to demyelination and remyelination induced with cuprizone.
Animals ; Brain ; Carbon* ; Central Nervous System ; Corpus Callosum ; Cuprizone* ; Demyelinating Diseases ; Ferritins ; Iron ; Iron-Binding Proteins* ; Metabolism ; Mice* ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Myelin Sheath ; Oligodendroglia ; Transferrin

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to determine the adequate cutoff value of the neonatal screening test to decrease recall and false-positive rates. METHODS: During the period of January 1999 through December in Asan Medical Center, newborn screening tests for phenylketonuria, congenital hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and galactosemia were performed in 3,775, 3,707, 3,783, and 3,806 newborns respectively using commercial ELISA kits. We reviewed and analyzed the recall rate at currently used cutoff values. RESULTS: 1)In neonatal screening test for congenital hypothyroidism, using a current cutoff value, 17 microIU/mL, the recall rate was 0.9% and using a 99.7% cutoff value, 21.3 microIU/mL, the predictive recall rate was 0.4%. There were no significant differences in the other reports that suggest adequate recall rate. 2)In neonatal screening test for phenylketonuria, using a current cutoff value, 3.6 mg/dL, the recall rate was 1.5% which was no significant difference compared with expected presumptive positive rate, 1.44%. 3)In neonatal screening test for congenital adrenal hyperplasia and galactosemia, the recall rate was high when using current cutoff value. But all results were within normal limits in reevaluation. CONCLUSION: The cutoff values of screening test which are currently recommended by manufacturers of commercial kits for congenital hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and galactosemia, are needed to be reset to decrease the recall rate by false-positive results on the basis of data from an individual newborn screening laboratory.
Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Congenital Hypothyroidism ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Galactosemias ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Mass Screening ; Neonatal Screening* ; Phenylketonurias

OBJECTIVES: For estimating the antenatal fetal wellbeing to develop new analysis method of fetal heart rate(FHR) with electronic Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring(eFHRM) and computer. METHODS: Heart rate signal is received from distressed fetus using eFHRM. It is necessary to carry out low pass filtering as a preprocess for the nonlinear method. Nonlinear parameters are calculated and classified to investigate the relations between these parameters and values of umbilical cord blood gas. RESULTS: By dividing values of the umbilical cord blood gas into 5 fetuses of acidemic group and 17 fetuses of non-acidemic group after 22 neonates who presented fetal distress were born, the following results as compared with nonlinear chaotic analysis result were obtained. 1. Delay time through AMI for acidemic group was 16.80+/-3.11, and was higher than 15.41+/-2.27 for non-acidemic group, and is not significant in statistics. 2. Embedding Dimension calculated with FNN method was 5.60+/-2.07 for acidemic group, and 4.71+/-1.26 for non-acidemic group, and it was not significant statistically. 3. Correlation dimension for acidemic group was 1.41+/-0.20, and was higher than 1.10+/-0.38 for non-acidemic group, and is not significant in statistics. 4. Mean crossing value by isoangular return map was 28.80+/-11.34 for acidemic group, and 16.65+/-7.00 for non-acidemic group, and it was significant statistically(P=0.008). 5. In comparison of information entropy in 1-D ED, acidemic group was 6.32+/-0.38 and non-acidemic group was 6.20+/-0.28 and it was not significant statistically. Also, in comparison of value in 2-D ED, acidemic group was 10.20+/-0.34. It was higher than non-acidemic group of 9.51+/-0.43 significantly in statistics(P=0.004). But, in comparison of value in 2-D EP, acidemic group was 8.78+/-0.86 and non-acidemic group is of 9.22+/-0.74 and it wasn't significant statistically. And, 2-D ED(DI) value was 10.64+/-0.14 for acidemic group and 10.51+/-0.18 for non-acidemic group, and it wasn't significant statistically. CONCLUSIONS: By the above result, nonliner dynamics and chaotic analysis of heart rate data with computer can serve as a new diagnosis method which may estimate the fetal wellbeing with real time. Through further studies for establishment of diagnosis standard and computer programming, real time diagnosis method shall be applied to clinical practice.
Diagnosis ; Entropy ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; Fetal Distress* ; Fetal Heart* ; Fetus ; Heart Rate ; Heart Rate, Fetal* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Nonlinear Dynamics* ; Pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: The ovine fetus responds to hemorrhage with a 10-20 fold increase in plasma erythropoietin (EPO) concentration at 24 hr and a return toward normal at 48 hr after the hemorrhage. The objective of the present study was more accurately to compare the magnitude and time course of the plasma EPO response after fetal hemorrhage. METHODS: Chronically catheterized, 12 of late gestation ovine fetus were gradually hemorrhaged 40% of their blood volume over 2 hr (1ml/min). Plasma was sampled for EPO concentration at 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 24, 30, 36 hr after initiating the hemorrhage were collected at these times. Radioimmunoassay was used to measure plasma EPO concentrations. Analysis of variance was used for statistical analysis. RESULT: After a slow hemorrhage in the ovine fetus (1ml/min over 2hr), plasma EPO concentration increased significantly at 4hr (2.3 times basal values), reached a maximum at 16 hr (33.3 times basal values), and declined thereafter. CONCLUSION: We studied change in time course of the fetal plasma EPO after slow hemorrhage and recent studies have shown that the fetal kidney, liver and placenta express EPO mRNA. These observation suggest that plasma EPO increase may be mediated by a tissue specific up-regulation of EPO transcription in the fetal kidney, liver and placenta. We have studied change in Epo mRNA expression in various fetal tissue after slow haemorrhage.
Blood Volume ; Catheters ; Erythropoietin* ; Fetus ; Hemorrhage* ; Kidney ; Liver ; Placenta ; Plasma* ; Pregnancy ; Radioimmunoassay ; RNA, Messenger ; Sheep ; Up-Regulation

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether gene expressions of VEGF and PlGF are different between the human placenta of normal and abnormal pregnancy. METHODS: Placenta was collected at each trimester of normal pregnancy, missed abortion, intrauterine growth retardation and pre-eclampsia. Total RNA was extracted from placenta. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) was performed using VEGF and PlGF primer. RESULTS: VEGF121, VEGF165 and VEGF189 were identified in normal pregnancy and missed abortion. In two cases of four IUGR and one case of three pre-eclampsia, four of isoforms (VEGF121, VEGF145, VEGF165, and VEGF189) were identified. The intensity of signal was strongest for VEGF165 in all cases. PlGF131 and PlGF152 were identified in all cases. However, the signal intensities of VEGF121, VEGF165, VEGF189, PlGF131 and PlGF152 were not different according to the gestational age. They were also not different between normal pregnancy and abnormal pregnancy. CONCLUSION: VEGF and PlGF were not only expressed at placenta but also overexpressed in part of IUGR and pre-eclampsia. The results suggest that VEGF may play a role in the induction of angiogenesis of placenta in normal pregnancy and its production may be increased under the hypoxic condition.
Abortion, Missed ; Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gene Expression* ; Gestational Age ; Humans* ; Placenta* ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy ; Protein Isoforms ; RNA ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

OBJECTIVE: Since the management of pregnancy is gestational age dependent, accurate knowledge of the dating of gestational age is essential. The gestational age calculation system(GACS) was made to get a precise informations of exact gestational age of pregnant mothers. METHODS: Using the personal computer and Microsoft Visual Basic soft ware, the GACS program was made to meet obstetrician's desire. This program is designed and embodied to calculate gestational age controlling many variables such as last menstrual period(LMP), expectant date of confinement(EDC), gestational age on the calculating date, ultrasonographical gestational age, and conceptional date. RESULTS: The accurate gestational age was displayed by GACS according to various input data. The work sheet of whole gestational age can be printed by GACS. CONCLUSION: The GACS is a tool to calculate gestational age of pregnant mothers precisely. This can be used very conveniently and informatively by obstetric clinicians. We recommend this program for the members of perinatologists and obstetricians.
Gestational Age* ; Humans ; Microcomputers* ; Mothers ; Pregnancy

No abstract available.
Hepatocyte Growth Factor* ; Hepatocytes* ; Placenta* ; Pre-Eclampsia*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate intrauterine fetal death and to elucidate the etiology of intrauterine fetal death. METHODS: This is a clinical study of 153 cases of fetal death in utero (FDIU) among 11,866 deliveries at Holy Family Hospital during Mar. 1995 to Feb. 2002. RESULTS: 1. The average incidence of FDIU was 1.29%. 2. The age distribution of mother with FDIU was between 16 to 45 year old and was highest in the 25 to 29 year old age group (45%). 3. The parity of mothers with FDIU was the highest in nulliparous group (58.5%) and there was a decreased tendency with high parity. 4. There were 80 cases (52.1%) with previous history of abortion and 8 cases (5.2%) with previous history of FDIU. 5. The highest incidence rate of FDIU was shown at 20~24 weeks of gestation (36.6%) and in the fetus weighted less than 1,000 gm (56%), and the sex ratio of male versus female fetus was 1.29:1. 6. The mode of delivery FDIU was labor induction (54.3%), laparotomy (15.2%), spontaneous labor (30.4%). The indication for laparotomy were placental abruption, previous cesarean section state, twin and maternal death. As the gestational age and fetal weight decreased, the mean time interval from start of labor induction to fetal expulsion and the variety of labor induction became increase. 7. The etiology factors of FDIU was unexplained causes (44%), congenital anomaly (17%), cord complication (14%) in order. CONCLUSION: The proper antenatal care should be taken of fetuses on the basis of risk factors of antepartum and intrapartum so that unnecessary intrauterine fetal death might be able to be prevented.
Abruptio Placentae ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Cesarean Section ; Female ; Fetal Death* ; Fetal Weight ; Fetus ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence ; Laparotomy ; Male ; Maternal Death ; Middle Aged ; Mothers ; Parity ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors ; Sex Ratio ; Twins

No abstract available.
Pre-Eclampsia* ; Pregnancy* ; Umbilical Arteries*