No abstract available.
Neck*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Gonadal Steroid Hormones* ; Rats*

No abstract available.
Salivary Glands*

No abstract available.
Diaphragm* ; Rupture*

PURPOSE: Flow interruptor high frequency ventilator(HFV) on neonatal respiratory failure caused by various disorders has been applied in order to assess its therapeutic effect and safety. METHODS: Premature babies below 1.8kg with respiratory failure from 1991 to 1997 in the Fatima neonatal intensive care unit(NICU) for 6 year and 4 months are included. Flow interruptor HFV with low intermittent mandatory ventilation(IMV) has been applied in 74 cases. If clinical symptom and arterial blood gas analysis(ABGA) became stable for 6-12 hrs, we started weaning aggressively. RESULTS: Mean duration of HFV with low IMV was 5.4 4 days. Initial success rate of weaning was 63 cases(85.1%). Weaning failure rate was 11 cases(14.9%). Six cases was due to underlying sepsis. Four cases was caused by pneumothorax and one case resulted from patent ductus arteriosus(PDA) with congestive heart failure(CHF). Complication of HFV with combined low IMV was 5 cases of pneumothorax, 4 cases of grade III intraventricular hemorrhage and one case of bronchopulmonary dysplasia(BPD). Eleven cases of stage III or more retinopathy of prematurity(ROP) and 5 cases of periventricular leukomalasia(PVL) were confirmed. CONCLUSION: Flow interruptor HFV with low IMV can be used safely as conventional mechanical ventilators in the case of respiratory failure caused by various disorders. If MAP has been adjusted appropriately, incidence of pneumothorax and BPD are expected to diminish by aggressive weaning as clinical symptom become stable.
Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Heart ; Hemorrhage ; High-Frequency Ventilation* ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Pneumothorax ; Respiratory Insufficiency* ; Sepsis ; Ventilators, Mechanical ; Weaning

In Korea, all domestic made test systems for detecting antibodies in HIV-1 contain the antigens from human immunodeficiency type 1 (HIV-1) subtype B. However, because HIV-1 subtype O is significantly different in amino acid sequences from all other subtypes of HIV-1, there has been a need for developing a test for detecting antibodies in subtype O. For this purpose, the entire nucleotide sequence corresponding to the extracellular domain of the transmembrane glycoprotein of HIV-1 subtype O was synthesized with consideration of Escherichia coli cordon usage. Various regions of the extracellular domain were cloned into E. coli expression vectors and tested for levels of protein production. The nucleotide sequence, named ECTM, that can encode a 129 amino acid-long peptide, was found to be expressed at a high level in E. coli. The protein of approximately 17 kDa specifically reacted with sera from individuals infected with HIV-1 subtype O. The ECTM protein was purified to near homogeneity by the CM-T gel chromatography, using concentrated, denatured inclusion bodies. In Western blot analysis, the purified viral antigen reacted with sera from individuals infected with subtype O more efficiently than subtype B. The enzyme linked immunoabsorbent assay (ELISA) system was developed using the subtype O viral protein and compared with the commercially available kit lacking the antigens from subtype O. The ELISA kit containing the subtype O antigen ECTM alone efficiently reacted with sera from individuals infected with subtype O. The subtype O antigen-containing kit produced a positive absorbence even when sera were diluted 512-fold, suggesting a high sensitivity. The commercially available kit also reacted with subtype O sera, but produced a negative result at a dilution of 8-fold. Our results suggest that the currently available kit may not be able to efficiently detect subtype O sera and that the viral protein developed in this study may be added to the current system to maximize the detection of sera from individuals infected with subtype O.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Antibodies ; Base Sequence ; Blotting, Western ; Chromatography, Gel ; Clone Cells ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Escherichia coli ; Glycoproteins ; HIV* ; HIV-1* ; Humans* ; Inclusion Bodies ; Korea ; O Antigens

K+ -selective ion channels were studied in excised inside-out membrane patches from human osteoblast-like cells(G292). There classes of K+ channels were present and could be distinguished on the basis of conductance. Conductances were 270+/-27 pS, 113+/-12 pS, 48+/-8 pS according to their approximate conductances in symmetrical 140 mM KCI saline at holding potential of -80 mV. It was found that the small conductance (48 pS) K+ channel activation was dependent on membrane voltage. In current-voltage relationship, small conductance K+ channel showed outward rectification, and it was activated by the positive potential inside the membrane. In recordings, single channel currents were activayed by a negative pressure outside the membrane. The membrane pressure increased P(open) of the K+ channel in a pressure-dependent manner. In the excised-patch clamp recordings, G292 osteoblast-like cells have been shown to contain three types of K+ channels. Only the small conductance (48 pS) K+ channel is sensitive to the membrane stretch. These findings suggest that a hyperpolarzing current, mediated in part by this channel, may be associated with early events during the mechanical loading of the osteoblast. In G292 osteoblast-like cells, K+ channel is sensitive to membrane tension, and may represent a unique adaptation of the bone cell membrane to mechanical stress.
Cell Membrane ; Humans ; Ion Channels ; Membranes ; Osteoblasts ; Stress, Mechanical

PURPOSE: The in vitro dissolution of intrahepatic stones was evaluated using the various solvent mixtures. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty four intrahepatic stones from 16 patients were used. Four kinds of solvent mixtures(No. 1 = basic buffer + EDTA, No. 2=1 + Sulfobetain-12, No. 3=2 + N-acetylcysteine, No. 4=3 + urea) were used. Dissolution rates were determined by measuring the weight loss of stones after 6, 12, 24, 48 hours incubation periods, respectively. RESULTS: The highest dissolution rates in dissolving intrahepatic stones were achieved with No. 4 solvent mixture(1% W/V EDTA/80mM, Sulfobetain-12/1 M, urea, pH 9.5). CONCLUSION: lntrahepatic stones could be largely dissolved up to about 70% of their initial weight after 48 hours incubation period in vitro.
Acetylcysteine ; Edetic Acid ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Urea ; Weight Loss

Captopril tablets of two different producers were tested for bioequivalence as well as therapeutic equivalence. The pharmacokinetics, the time course of plasma angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition, and the changes of systolic and diastolic blood pressure after administration of drugs were studied. In a balanced, randomized two-way crossover design, two single doses of 50mg each of captopril were administered orally to twelve male volunteers. Peak blood levels of free captopril were observed about 0.85 hour after the dose, and practically free captopril could not be detected in blood within 8 hours. Peak free captopril levels of both compounds were almost identical(Capoten(R), 464.3ng/ml ; Capril(R), 504.6ng/ml). No statistically significant difference was identified between two compounds when area und the concentration time curve, peak level, time to peak were compared. Inhibition of plasma angiotensin-converting enzyme to blood free captopril concentration showed the hyperbolic concentration-response relationship with IC50 value of 7.4ng/ml. The area under the percent angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition versus time curve were quite similar after administration of both drugs. The compounds were also found to be equivalent on the premise that no significant difference was detected when the time courses of systolic and diastolic blood pressure reduction were compared.
Biological Availability* ; Blood Pressure ; Captopril* ; Cross-Over Studies ; Humans ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Male ; Pharmacokinetics ; Plasma* ; Tablets* ; Therapeutic Equivalency ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Renin-angiotensin system (RAS) inhibitors are likely to reduce the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) by preventing atrial fibrosis. We attempted to assess the relevance of strain echocardiography for quantitative assessment of the left atrial (LA) status in AF, its modification by RAS inhibitors and changes of biochemical markers during cardiac remodeling in AF. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Strain echocardiography is performed 2 times (baseline and 12 month) in 60 patients with AF (RAS inhibitors-used group: 30, non-used group: 30). In an apical 4-chamber view, the regional analysis consisted of placing the region of interest cursor at the basal segments of the septal and lateral wall of LA. Mean peak systolic and early diastolic strain/rate are measured with LA end-systolic antero-posterior, longitudinal and transverse dimensions. RESULTS: Six patients of RAS inhibitors-used group (group A, 20%) and three patients of non-used group (group B, 10%) were converted to normal sinus rhythm during the study. LA size, E wave velocity, E/E', strain parameters showed no significant differences between groups at the baseline. There were no significant differences in LA size and E wave velocity between groups at the 12 months, however, peak systolic strain/rate were significantly higher in group A (36.71+/-13.63% and 2.98+/-0.59s(-1), p<0.05, respectively) than group B (27.21+/-10.49% and 2.21+/-0.47s(-1)). In addition, peak early diastolic strain/rate were significantly higher in group A (-1.89+/-3.30% and -2.32 +/-0.77s-1 p<0.05, respectively) than group B (-0.83+/-2.79% and -1.77+/-0.25s(-1)). There were no significant differences in C-reactive protein (CRP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) at the baseline, but BNP were significantly reduced in group A (822.9+/-798.3 pg/mL, p<0.05) than group B (1481.9+/-209.97 pg/mL) at the 12-month follow-up. CONCLUSION: The increased values of atrial peak systolic and diastolic strain/rate after treatment with RAS inhibitors revealed that passive stretching and shortening of LA wall might improve in some patients with AF even before LA size change possibly because of reduced atrial fibrosis and increased compliance. Our results indicated that strain echocardiography provides clinically useful information of LA function and remodeling and treatment with RAS inhibitors appears to preserve LA reservoir function in AF patients without visible LA structural change.
Atrial Fibrillation ; Atrial Function, Left ; Biomarkers ; C-Reactive Protein ; Compliance ; Echocardiography ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Muscle Stretching Exercises ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain ; Prospective Studies ; Renin-Angiotensin System ; Sprains and Strains