To elucidate the effects of dimethyl sulfoxide on of myocardial and endothelial cells in culture, the cells were exposed to 10% dimethyl sulfoxide in culture medium for 1 hour at 48 hours after cell isolation. The general morphology and the cytochemical reaction of marker enzymes for mitochondria and Golgi complexes were investigated. The results were summarized as follows 1. DMSO induced elongation and narrowing of the cells and increase of mitochondrial reaction in myocardial cells. 2. DMSO induced destruction and disruption of myofibrils in myocardial cells resulting in increase of contractile activities. 3. In the endothelial cells, DMSO suppressed proliferative activities but thiamine pyrophosphatase reactions were enhanced indicating increase of Golgi complex activity. 4. DMSO seemed to hamper with the adhesiveness and motility of the endothelial cells causing the decrease of the number of cells in vitro.
Adhesiveness ; Cell Separation ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide* ; Endothelial Cells* ; Golgi Apparatus ; In Vitro Techniques ; Mitochondria ; Myofibrils ; Thiamine Pyrophosphatase

No abstract available.
Acetabulum*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The pulmonary veins and surrounding ostial areas frequently house focal triggers or reentrant circuits critical to the genesis of atrial fibrillation (AF). The purpose of this study was to assess the efficacy of pulmonary vein isolation, aided by intraoperative radiofrequency catheter ablation, for the treatment of AF associated with mitral valvular heart disease. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 32 consecutive patients with AF associated with mitral valvular disease, requiring mitral valvular replacement or valvuloplasty were included. We divided these patients into two groups. The first group, PVI, consisted of 16 patients that had mitral valvular operations with intraoperative radiofrequency pulmonary vein isolation, and the other 16 patients, the controls, had mitral valvular operation only. The conversion rate to sinus rhythm and other clinical data were compared between the two groups. RESULTS: Circumferential pulmonary vein isolation, with radiofrequency catheter ablation, was achieved in an average of 15+/-3 min. There were no mortalities or morbidities associated with this procedure. In the immediate postoperative period, the conversion rate to normal sinus rhythm in the PVI group was significantly higher than in the controls (81% vs. 37.5% p=0.016). After 21+/-4 weeks of follow up, the sinus rhythm maintenance rates in PVI group was also significantly higher than those of the control group (75% vs. 31.2% p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Circumferential pulmonary vein isolation, aided by intraoperative radiofrequency catheter ablation, is simple and effective for the treatment of chronic atrial fibrillation associated with mitral valvular disease.
Atrial Fibrillation* ; Catheter Ablation* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Valve Diseases* ; Humans ; Mitral Valve ; Mortality ; Postoperative Period ; Pulmonary Veins*

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has recently been recognized to be one of the leading causes of chronic liver disease. Obesity and type 2 diabetes are associated strongly with NAFLD. Although often used to detect liver disease, sometimes the cause of elevated Alanine Transaminase (ALT) activity was unclear. In the absence of other causes, the author examined whether BMI and metabolic markers of NAFLD can explain the cause of abnormal ALT in Korean. METHODS: From April 2002 to November 2003, 9997 persons visited health promotion center of Kyungpook National University Hospital and took health screening. After excluding persons with excessive alcohol consumption, abnormal gamma-GTP, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, 8379 persons were included in this study. All patients underwent anthropometric measures, blood chemistry analysis and abdominal ultrasonographic exam. RESULTS: Elevated ALT levels were found in 10% (835 persons) of the all subjects. In univariate analysis, factors associated with elevated ALT levels (p<0.05) included male sex, younger age (20-40 years), higher Body Mass Index (BMI), higher blood pressure, higher fasting blood glucose, higher triglyceride, lower HDL and more fatty change in ultrasonography. The proportion of elevated ALT with fatty change in ultrasonography was 57% and with higher BMI (>or=23 kg/m2) was 79% in abnormal ALT group. In multivariate logistic regression study, total cholesterol and blood pressure were eleminated but sex, BMI, triglyceride level, ultrasonographic fatty change were strongly associated with elevated ALT level (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: In this study, unexplained ALT elevation was strongly associated with obesity, adiposity and other features of metabolic syndrome, and thus may represent nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. However, more research is needed for the definite clinical determinants of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in Korean.
Adiposity ; Alanine Transaminase* ; Alanine* ; Alcohol Drinking ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Chemistry ; Cholesterol ; Fasting ; Fatty Liver ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Health Promotion ; Hepatitis B ; Hepatitis C ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Liver Diseases ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Obesity* ; Triglycerides ; Ultrasonography

The cytotoxic effects of oxygen free radicals and the antioxidative effect of ginseng saponin (SPN) on cardiac endothelial cell cultures derived from 3-day old rats were studied. Reactive oxygen species were generated by hypoxanthine (HX) and xanthine oxidase (XO) mixture to the culture medium. Exposure of cardiac endothelial cells to this oxygen-radical-generating system resulted in significant time-dependent decrease of MTT activity and increase of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release. These results correlated well with the morphological examination of randomly selected cultured cardiac endothelial cells, which showed large cytoplasmic vacuoles, disordered organelles, pronounced increase of endoplasmic reticular swelling, and decreased maintenance of membrane integrity. The decrease in cell viability and increase of LDH release induced by the oxygen free radicals in cardiac endothelial cell cultures were blocked during the first two hours by antioxidants such as ginseng saponin (SPN), deferoxamine (DFX), and ginseng saponin/deferoxamine mixture (SPN/DFX). These antioxidative effects were significantly greater in the SPN-treated group than in the other antioxidant-treated groups. Especially, the cells of the SPN-treated group showed well developed cytoskeletons, which enabled them to firmly attach to the culture vessel. In conclusion, these results indicate that ginseng saponin has a significant antioxidative effect on cardiac endothelial cells in culture and plays an important role in stimulating the formation of cytoskeleton and maintaining the integrity of cell membrane.
Animals ; Antioxidants ; Cell Membrane ; Cell Survival ; Cytoplasm ; Cytoskeleton ; Deferoxamine ; Endothelial Cells* ; Free Radicals ; Hypoxanthine ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Membranes ; Organelles ; Oxygen ; Panax* ; Rats ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Saponins* ; Vacuoles ; Xanthine Oxidase

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects of a multi-herbal formula known as WSY-1075 in the treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis in a rat model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Experimental chronic bacterial prostatitis was induced in 32 Wistar rats by instillation of a bacterial suspension (Escherichia coli, 10⁸ colony-forming units [CFU]/mL) into the prostatic urethra. After the induction of prostatitis, the rats were randomly divided into one of 4 treatment groups: control (n=8), ciprofloxacin (n=8), WSY-1075 (400 mg/kg) (n=8), and WSY-1075 (400 mg/kg)+ciprofloxacin (n=8). After 4 weeks of treatment, microbiological data from prostate tissue cultures, level of prostatic pro-inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α], interleukin [IL]-6, and IL-8), anti-oxidant effects (superoxide dismutase [SOD]), and histological findings were noted. RESULTS: The WSY-1075, ciprofloxacin, and WSY-1075+ciprofloxacin groups showed fewer CFUs in prostate tissue cultures than the control group. The WSY-1075, ciprofloxacin and WSY-1075+ciprofloxacin groups showed statistically significantly lower levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-6, and IL-8 than the control group. SOD levels in the WSY-1075, ciprofloxacin and WSY-1075+ciprofloxacin groups were significantly higher than in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that WSY-1075 had anti-microbial effects, anti-inflammatory effects, and anti-oxidative effects in a chronic bacterial prostatitis rat model. We expect the WSY-1075 may be useful for the clinical treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis.
Animals ; Antioxidants ; Ciprofloxacin ; Cytokines ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukin-8 ; Interleukins ; Models, Animal* ; Necrosis ; Prostate ; Prostatitis* ; Rats* ; Rats, Wistar ; Stem Cells ; Urethra