No abstract available.
Humans ; Oligochaeta* ; Prospective Studies*

No abstract available.
Edema*

No abstract available.
Glomerulonephritis*

No abstract available.
Cause of Death* ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Renal Dialysis* ; Survival Rate*

BACKGROUND: Elevated plasma homocysteine concentrations are an independent risk factor for vascular disease. The metabolism of homocysteine is closely related to vitamin B12 and folic acid. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the correlation between homocysteine and vitamin B12 as well as folic acid in patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS: Sixteen patients, in whom coronary angiography revealed more than 50% of stenosis at least in one coronary vessel, were enrolled as the patient group, and sixteen hypertensive subjects were selected as the control group. Blood was collected in the peripheral vein to measure the concentrations of homocysteine, vitamin B12, and folate. We evaluated the correlation between homocysteine, vitamin B12 and/or folate in both groups. RESULTS: Total plasma homocysteine concentrations were higher in the coronary artery disease group than in the control group. There were no significant differences in the folate and vitamin B12 levels between the coronary artery disease group and the control group. In the control group, the concentrations of homocysteine showed negative correlation with both vitamin B12 and folate concentrations, but similar trends were not observed in the coronary artery disease group.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels ; Folic Acid* ; Homocysteine* ; Humans ; Metabolism ; Plasma* ; Risk Factors ; Vascular Diseases ; Veins ; Vitamin B 12*

BACKGROUND: The central physiological derangement of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by hantaan virus (HTNV) is a vascular dysfunction, manifested by hemorrhage, impaired vascular tone and increased vascular permeability. Platelet activating factor (PAF), whose actions are mediated through a specific receptor, is a potent bioactive lipid. PAF has diverse biological functions in the vascular system, such as increasing vascular permeability, adhesion of leukocytes to the endothelium and reduction of cardiac output, which result in hypotension and shock. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether PAF is involved in the pathogenesis of HFRS. For this purpose, we evaluated the effect of HTNV on the expression of PAF receptor (PAF-R) and on the activity of PAF-acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) instead of PAF because PAF is rapidly degraded by PAF-AH in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To evaluate the expression of PAF-R, we performed reverse-transcription PCR, western blot and FACS analyses using HTNV-infected human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and non-infected (control) HUVECs. In addition, we measured the activity of plasma PAF-AH in HFRS patients and normal healthy persons. RESULTS: The mRNA and protein expression of PAF-R was increased in HTNV-infected HUVECs compared with control HUVECs at 2 and 3 days post-infection (d.p.i.). FACS analysis showed that HTNV induced the surface expression of PAF-R in HUVECs from 2 d.p.i. The activity of plasma PAF-AH was 2.5-fold lower in HFRS patients than in normal healthy persons. CONCLUSION: Increased PAF-R expression by HTNV might increase the responsiveness to PAF in endothelial cells. Reduced PAF-AH activity in the blood of HFRS patients might delay PAF degradation. These results suggest that changes in PAF-R and PAF-AH by HTNV might influence to PAF activity and might be involved in the vascular dysfunction of HFRS.
Blood Platelets ; Blotting, Western ; Capillary Permeability ; Cardiac Output ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelium ; Hantaan virus ; Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Leukocytes ; Plasma ; Platelet Activating Factor ; Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled ; RNA, Messenger ; Shock

BACKGROUND: Organophosphate and carbamate insecticides have been used extensively in agriculture resulting in serious increases in poisoning. Levels of poisoning by carbamates and organic phosphorus compounds and the severity of associated symptoms are dependent not only on the degree of reduction of acetylcholinesterase activity in the nervous system but also on the rate of inhibition and the type of inhibitive action. The most striking differences between the clinical effects of the two groups of compounds are the much more rapid and spontaneous recovery from poisoning by carbamates and the relatively large difference between the smallest dosage of any carbamate that will cause mild illness and the lethal dosage of the same compound. The purpose of this study is to compare the clinical characteristics of acute intoxication by organophosphate and carbamate insecticides. METHOD: We retrospectively analyzed the clinical characteristics of 41 patients poisoned with organophsphates and 12 patients poisoned with carbamates, who were admitted to the department of internal medicine, Soonchunhyang Chunan hospital from January 1995 to December 1996. RESULTS: 1) The most common organophosphate was EPN (9 cases) followed by Dichlorvos (7 cases). In the carbamates group, Carbofuran (5 cases) was the most common followed by Methomyl (3 cases).2) The main cause of poisoning was ingestion for the purpose of suicide in both groups.3) The severity of poisoning was more acute in the organophosphate group than in the carbamate group.4) Altered consciousness and respiratory depression occurred more frequently in the organophosphate group than in the carbamate group. Six cases out of the organophosphate group suffered from respiratory depression 24 hours to 96 hours after poisoning.5) The activity of serum cholinesterase showed no significant difference between poisoning with organophosphates and with carbamates.6) The mortality rate was 22% in organophosphate intoxication and 16.7% in carbamate intoxication. The most common complication of organophosphate and carbamate intoxication was aspiration pneumonia. CONCLUSION: Carbamate insecticides exhibited less toxicity than organophosphates.
Acetylcholinesterase ; Agriculture ; Carbamates ; Carbofuran ; Cholinesterases ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Consciousness ; Dichlorvos ; Eating ; Humans ; Insecticides* ; Internal Medicine ; Methomyl ; Mortality ; Nervous System ; Organophosphates ; Phosphorus Compounds ; Pneumonia, Aspiration ; Poisoning* ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Strikes, Employee ; Suicide

Primary carcinoma arising in the diverticular wall of the urinary bladder is the most serious complication. The clinical importance is that the carcinoma is difficult to diagnose early, widespread at diagnosis and has poor prognosis. Recently, vigilant studies including bladder mapping reveal premalignant changes and carcinoma in situ adjacent to carcinoma and suggest these premalignant changes evolve to flank carcinoma. For early detection and improving the prognosis, be required through cystoscopic examination including diverticular wall and multiple punch biopsies as well as consecutive urine cytologic examination. Author report two cases of primary carcinoma arising in bladder diverticulum. One revealed carcinoma in situ accompanied with adjacent atypical hyperplasia in diverticula mucosa incidentally found at the pathologic examination on the divertiuclectomy specimen. The other case showed invasive transitional cell carcinoma(Grade IV, Stage D) of diverticulum. The two cases described suggest that vesical diverticulum should be removed into to with a good amount of surrounding bladder wall.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Diagnosis ; Diverticulum* ; Hyperplasia ; Mucous Membrane ; Prognosis ; Urinary Bladder

No abstract available.
Heparin*

We illustrate serial HRCT findings over a 16-month period in a 35-year-old woman who had ingested paraquat. Initial areas of ground-glass opacity changed into areas of multiple air cysts on follow up scan obtained five months after ingestion. A further follow-up scan obtained 16 months after ingestion showed improvement, with increased lung volume and normalized lung architecture.
Adult ; Eating ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Lung ; Paraquat