In order to observe the complement fixation test and immuno-diffusion test of paragonimiasis, the sera taken at 10 days intervals up to 150 days from cats infected with Paragonimus westermani were examined by the above two immunological methods. The resultant findings were as follows: The complement fixation test showed positive reaction 20 days after the infection with 20 metacercariae, and 40-50 days after the infection with 10 metacercariae. The highest titer was observed 110 days later following the acceleration at 80 days later. In immuno-diffusion test, one are appeared 30 days after the infection with 20 metacercariae, but 60 days after the infection with 10 metacercariae. However, more than two arcs were observed since 70 days after infection. A relatively wide band appeared by the antigens of Fresh worm material and Somatic material. But relatively clear precipitin lines were observed in the diffusion test with V.B.S. antigen, increasing to 3-4 arcs after 110days. In general, complement fixation test showed earlier and higher sensitive reaction than immuno-diffusion test, and was considered to be more valuable method forr immunological diagnosis.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Paragonimus westermani ; immunology ; cat ; complement fixation test ; immuno-diffusion test

No abstract available.
Colloid Cysts* ; Colloids* ; Lateral Ventricles*

PURPOSE: We report the results of embolization in 42 cases of brain arteriovenous malformation and discuss the technical problems. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Flow-guided microcatheter for the superselection of the feeding arteries and nbutyl cyanoacrylate as an embolic agent were used. Wire guided microcatheter and microparticle were used in two exceptional cases. As preembolization functional evaluation, 30--50mg of thiopental sodium solution was injected into the feeding arteries through superselected microcatheters in 40 cases with supratentorial lesions. RESULTS: There was no local arterial complication by injection of thiopental solution. Embolization caused a permanent neurologic deficit(mild to moderated hemiparesis) in 2 patients (4.8%) by a reflux of embolic agent or probable spasm of main arterial trunk. In 8 patients(19%), the AVMs were completely obliterated and 25 patients(60%) showed anglographic obliterations of 50--90% of the lesions. Embolization induced venous occlusion was demonstrated at post-embolization angiography in 6 patients, and 3 patients of them showed delayed and transient neurologic deficits. CONCLUSION: Embolization of cerebral AVM can be performed effectively and safely by a superselective method and appropriate functional evaluation. Superselective thiopental sodium injection is a safe and reliable test for the evaluation of local brain function before embolization.
Angiography ; Arteries ; Arteriovenous Malformations ; Brain* ; Cyanoacrylates ; Humans ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Spasm ; Thiopental

The purpose of this study was to investigate the inhibitory role of vitamin A with respect to activation of Ito cells in fibrosis of the rat liver induced by common bile duct ligation(CBDL). The liver was examined by immunohistochemical staining for a-smooth muscle actin,the known marker of activated Ito cells, and light and electron microscopy after CBDL andCBDL with intraperitoneal injection of retinoic acid (Sigma, USA) 1 mg/Kg in 3 times per week. The results were sumrrlerized as follows: After CBDL, the bile ductules were markedly proliferated in the periportal areas extending toterminal hepatic veins. Interstitial fibrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration appeared, however,cholestasis was minimal. Retinoic acid treatment with CBDL decreased bile ductular proliferationand interstitial fibrosis compared to CBDL only. After CBDL, proliferated and activated Ito ceIs showing positive reaction in smooth muscle actin were present in the periductular andperisinusoidal areas, and areas of increased interstitial fibrosis. Activated ito cells weredecreased in number after CBDL with vitamin A treatment. Electron microscopically,intracytoplasmic fat droplets and the cytoplasmic processes of Ito cells were decreased afterCBDL. Myofibroblasts were frequently appeared in the interstitial fibrosis after CBDL. But,intracytoplasmic fat droplets of Ito cells were well preserved, and myofibroblasts were found lessfrequently after CBDL with vitamin A treatment. The results suggest that vitamin A plays an inbitory role in the activation and fibrogenesis ofIto cells after CBDL.
Rats ; Animals

The cell cycle is composed of G1, S, G2 and M phase. The transitions between different phases are regulated at checkpoint such as Start(restriction), S phase and mitotic checkpoint. These checkpoints are regulated by specific cyclins and Cdks(cyclin-dependent kinases). Especially, Start checkpoint in late G1 is though to be very important in control of cell cycle. In this study, it was shown various CDKN2(p16ink4A) alteration, including deletions, mutations, down regulations, and performed differential expression of p53, Cdk4, PCNA and pRb in stomach cancer tissues. 1. The frequency of CDKN2 mutations was not observed in the 19 primary stomach cancer tissues. In contrast to the mutations of CDKN2, mRNA levels was showed by Northern blot analysis that expression of CDKN2 was absent or decreased in 10 of the 19(53%) primary stomach adenocarcinoma. Western blot analysis was performed to determine the differential expression of p53, Cdk4, PCNA related to Start checkpoint. Overexpression of p53 was shown 38%, Cdk4 was expressed in all each specimens, and expression of PCNA was not shown. 2. As the other method to determine the differential expression of p53, Cdk4, PCNA and pRb, immunohistochemical analyses were performed on each 14 formalin-fixed and paraffin embedded tumor tissues of stomach adenocarcinoma. p53 overexpression was showed to clear nuclear staining only in tumor cells not in nonneoplastic cells. In staining for cdk4, the tumor was considered to be cdk4 positive if there was nuclear staining in tumor cells, regardless of cytoplasmic staining. PCNA staining for carcinoma tissues showed more intense nuclear staining in tumor cells than in nonneoplastic cells. pRb overexpression was show in tumor cells. Significant differences were observed in the expression of the proteins among the cancers from different anatomic site. Overexpression of adenocarcinomas had high rate of p53(57.1%) and pRb(71.4% ), and low late of cdk4(7.1% ) and PCNA(14.3% ), As these results, deletion of CDKN2 gene in human stomach cancer was not observed but mRNA expression was down regulated in restriction checkpoint, G1 phase. Inactivation of the CDKN2 gene due to hypermethylation may play an important role in development of cancer. And one of the abnormalities in p53, Cdk4, PCNA or pRb function occurs very common in various cancers, especially oral adenocarcinoma, osteosarcoma and squemous cell carcinoma, suggest that components in restriction checkpoint also play an critical role in the carcinogenesis and progression of cancers.
Adenocarcinoma ; Blotting, Northern ; Blotting, Western ; Carcinogenesis* ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Division ; Cyclins ; Cytoplasm ; G1 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Genes, p16 ; Humans ; M Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints ; Osteosarcoma ; Paraffin ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; RNA, Messenger ; S Phase ; Social Control, Formal ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms

The MR images of 13 patients with brain abscesses were retrospectively reviewed. The abscesses were solitary in 11 patients and multiple in 2 patients. They were located in the corticomedullary junction of the cerebral hemispheres(11) and cerebellum (2).: The sizes of the abscesses were variable, ranging from 1 cm to 5 cm in diameter. They were round (5), oblong (4) or multilobulated (4) in shape. Massive surrounding edema was found in 12 patients. The signal intensity of the abscess contents was hypointense to gray matter and hyperintense to CSF on T1-weighted images, and hyperintense to gray matter on both proton-density-and T2-weighted images. In 5 patients the abscess contents were heterogeneous on both T1-and T2-weighted images. The signal intensity of the abscess walls was isointense(11), slightly hyperintense (1) or hypointense (1) relative to gray matter on T1-weighted images, whereas they were isointense (4) or hypointense (9) on T2-weighted images. Of 10 patients with Gd-enhanced-T1-weighted images, 5 patients(50%) showed thin, smooth, rim enhancement, while the other 5 patients revealed somewhat irregular thick wall enhancement Satellite or daughter abscesses were found in 6 patients. Meningeal or ventricular wall enhancement suggesting meningitis or ventriculitis was associated in 3 and 1 patient, respectively. In conclusion, the characteristic morphology and intensity of the abscess capsule, massive surrounding edema, satellite abscess and associated meningitis or ventriculitis are characteristics of the brain abscess, even though they are not entirely specific to allow for accurate diagnosis in all patients.
Abscess ; Brain Abscess* ; Brain* ; Cerebellum ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Gray Matter ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Meningitis ; Nuclear Family ; Retrospective Studies

Lipomas of the heart are benign neoplasms and have rarely been described. Due to the fact that they normally cause no symptoms, diagnosis is often purely accidental. Because of the rarity of these tumors, it seems worthwhile to present an example studied at autopsy. It was associated with the sudden death of a 15-year-old boy. The tumor arose from the wall of the left ventricle and occupied the pericardial cavity, measuring 13x7x6 cm in size. The tumor was whitish-yellow, translucent, and soft. Microscopically, the tumor was composed of mature adipose tissue which extended between muscle fibers. This current case, the giant cardiac lipoma is believed to produce disturbances of the conduction system and distrubances of cardiac filling.

PURPOSE: This study was done to provide fundamental data for developing a depression prediction model by discovering main factors that affect depression in patients who do maintenance hemodialysis. METHOD: The subjects were 191 patients doing maintenance hemodialysis selected from outpatient dialysis clinics at 9 major general hospitals, The Instrument tools utilized in this study were adapted from depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, stress, adaptation,symptoms, daily activities, and role limitation and thoroughly modified to verify reliability and validity. The collected data was analyzed with a SPSS-PC 11.0 Window Statistics Program for real numbers, percentage, average, standard deviation, and multiple regression. RESULTS: The correlation factor for depression was (M=2.54) fatigue(M=3.12), sleep disturbance (M=2.82), stress(M=3.04), adaptation(M=2.53), daily activities(M=2.24), symptoms(M=2.37), and role limitation(M=2.24). The strongest factor that affected depression was explained by symptoms of the patients who performed hemodialysis. The analysis of the factors that affected depression revealed a 58.4% prediction in symptoms, stress, role limitation, and adaptation. CONCLUSION: It has been confirmed that the regression equation model(Depression=7.351 + .266*symptoms + .260*stress -.189*adaptation + .057*fatigue) of this research may serve as a prediction factor for depression in Hemodialysis Patients.
Stress, Psychological/etiology ; Sleep Disorders/etiology ; Risk Factors ; Renal Dialysis/adverse effects/*psychology ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Humans ; Female ; Fatigue/etiology ; Depressive Disorder/diagnosis/*etiology ; Adult

CT and MR findings of nine cases with intratemporal facial nerve nouromas were described and compared with CT findings of 3 cases with facial nerve palsy and facial nerve canal erosion which may mimic facial nerve neuroma. The tympanic segment of the facial nerve was involved in 8 cases, mastoid segment in 7 cases and labyrinthine segment in 5 cases. The lesions were easily diagnosed with high resolution CT with bone algorythms by showing the expansion of bony structures along the course of the facial nerves. In 4 cases with large vertical segment tumors. Extensive destruction of mastoid air cells and external auditory canals posed difficulty in making a diagnosis. Two out of 5 cases with labyrinthine segment imvolvement were presented as middle cranial fossa masses. MRI with enhancement was performed in 4 cases and was useful in characterizing the lesion as a tumor with its superior sensitivity to enhancement. Three cases of facial neuroma-mimicking lesion including post-inflammatory perineural thickening. Perineural extension from parotid adenoidcystic carcinoma, and congenita: cholesteatoma showed irrgular erosion or mild expansion of the facial nerve canal which may be helpful for differential diagnosis from neuromas.
Cholesteatoma ; Cranial Fossa, Middle ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Ear Canal ; Facial Nerve* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mastoid ; Neuroma* ; Paralysis

We retrospectively analyzed the MR findings of 12 patients with herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) (8 months 64 years old). MR imaging was performed on either a 0.5T (6 patients) or 2.0T (6 patients) superconducting unit with spin echo pulse sequence. The most common and characterristic MR finding consisted of non-hemorrhgic lesions in the cortices of the temporal lobes(12), and insula(6), either bilateral(7) or unilateral(5). The frontal lobe and cingulate gyrus were involved in 4 and 2 patients respectively. Petechial hemorrhge was found in 3 patients. Non-hemorrhagic lesions were shown as high signal intensities on proton and T2WI,and iso-or low signal intensities on T1WI. In conclusion, MR imaging findings described above appear to be characteristic of HSE and were found to be extremely valuable in the diagnosis of HSE.
Diagnosis ; Encephalitis, Herpes Simplex* ; Frontal Lobe ; Gyrus Cinguli ; Herpes Simplex* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Protons ; Retrospective Studies