No abstract available.
Femur Neck*

To elucidate the biologic significause of hepatocyte B core antigen (HBcAg) expression and its relation to the natural course of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, we tried to correlate the patterns of HBcAg with the HBV replication state and with disease activity in 40 needle biopsies performed on hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers aged from 15 to 46 years. In 32 of 40 cases, HBcAg was present in the hepatocyte nucleus (nHBcAg), in the cytoplams (cHBcAg) or in both (mixed). Pure nHBcAg was seen only in minimal hepatitis, but a diffuse pattern of expression of cytoplasmic HBcAg and mixed cytoplasmic and nuclear expression of HBcAg were seen in active hepatitis. There was also a good correlation between liver HBcAg and serum HBeAg. Cases in which HBcAg expression were observed were positive for serum HBeAg (81%) and the cases negative for HBcAg were all positive for serum anti-HBe.
Biopsy

To evaluate the relationship between p53 protein expression and proliferating activity in astrocytic tumors, we performed a study using 37 cases of astrocytic tumors; 13 cases of low-grade astrocytoma (LGA), 9 cases of anaplastic astrocytoma (ANA), and 15 cases of glioblastoma multiforme (GM). The p53 protein expression was studied by immunohistochemical staining (IHC) with DO-7 monoclonal antibody in 37 cases and p53 mutation was detected by single strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP) using PCR products of 31 cases. Proliferating activities were detected by Ki-67 (MIB-1) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA). Immunohistochemically, 24.3% (9/37) of astrocytic neoplasms showed p53 expression, which consisted of 7.7% (1/13) of LGA, 44.4% (4/9) of ANA, and 26.7% (4/15) of GM. The p53 expression was statistically significant between the tumor grades. p53 mutations on exon 5 were noted in 6 (19.4%) out of 31 cases of astrocytic tumors. Average indices of MIB-1 and PCNA were 1.5 2.6% and 7.0 10.1% in LGA, 10.0 12.7% and 23.7 23.2% in ANA, and 30.9 22.4% and 69.9 26.7% in GM, respectively. p53 positive group by IHC showed significantly higher average MIB-1 (26.2 23.5%) and PCNA index (56.7 30.3%) than those (12.1 18.3%, 27.6 29.6%) of p53 negative group (p<0.05). p53 mutation group also showed significantly higher MIB-1 (30.7 26.0%) and PCNA index (55.5 32.6%) than those without p53 mutation (10.8 16.5%, 24.2 28.7% respectively). These results showed that about one-fifth of astrocytic tumors have p53 abnormalities, which were related with higher proliferating activities than those without p53 abnormalities.
Astrocytoma ; Exons ; Glioblastoma ; Immunohistochemistry ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen

BACKGROUND: Chronic low back pain can be a manifestation of lumbar degenerative disease, herniation of intervertebral discs, arthritis, or lumbar stenosis. When nerve roots are compromised, low back pain, with or without lower extremity involvement, may occur. Local inflammatory processes play an important role in patients with acute lumbosciatic pain. The purpose of this study was to assess the value of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) measurements in patients with chronic low back pain or radiculopathy. METHODS: ESR and hsCRP were measured in 273 blood samples from male and female subjects with low back pain and/or radiculopathy due to herniated lumbar disc, spinal stenosis, facet syndrome, and other diseases. The hsCRP and ESR were measured prior to lumbar epidural steroid injection. RESULTS: The mean ESR was 18.8 mm/h and mean hsCRP was 1.1 mg/L. ESR had a correlation with age. CONCLUSIONS: A significant systemic inflammatory reaction did not appear to arise in patients with chronic low back pain.
Arthritis ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Low Back Pain ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Radiculopathy ; Spinal Stenosis

Sleep disturbances are commonly encountered problems in cancer patients. Sleep has a role in maintenance of immunity, metabolism, and quality of life but little has been known about the prevalence, risk factors, and effects on prognosis of sleep disturbances in patients with cancer. Also little attention has been made on proper assessment and management of sleep disorders in these patients. Recently, there have been some reports that sleep disorders are related with development of many cancers such as breast, colorectal, prostate, and endometrial cancers. An intermittent hypoxia and a disruption of circadian rhythm are considered as one of the possible mechanisms of cancer developments. More aggressive evaluation and meticulous management of sleep disturbances in cancer patients are essential to improve quality of life as well as prognosis.
Anoxia ; Breast ; Circadian Rhythm ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Prognosis ; Prostate ; Quality of Life ; Risk Factors ; Sleep Wake Disorders

Plasma renin activity (PRA) and aldosterone were measured to evaluate various status of clinical conditions in normal controls and patients with essential hypertension. Fourteen controls and 45 essential hypertensive patients for PRA, and 10 controls and 28 patients with essential hypertension for plasma aldosterone were studied. The results obtained are summarizing as follows. 1. Mean value of PRA of normal subjects was 2.9+/-1.4ng/ml/hr at rest, and 5.9+/-2.3ng/ml/hr by double stimulation, respectively, the latter elevated up to twice the former. 2. Mean value of PRA in the patients with essential hypertension was 3.37+/-3.0ng/ml/hr at rest, and 5.99+/-4.9ng/ml/hr by double stimulation. The latter have increased to 1.8 times the former. 3. The patients with low PRA observed in 33.3%, the normal in 42.2%, and the high in 22.5%, at rest. After double stimulation, the low group was observed in 22.2%, the normal in 60.0%, and the high in 17.8%. 4. Mean age of the patietns with low PRA was 57.2+/-2.6 years. Though it was higher than those of normal and high PRA groups(52.0+/-10.1 years), statistical significances were observed (0.05 Aldosterone* ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Electrocardiography ; Furosemide ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; Motor Activity ; Plasma* ; Potassium ; Proteinuria ; Renin* ; Sodium ; Triglycerides

No abstract available.
Breast* ; Female ; Humans ; Milk, Human*

The serum lipids level of healthy Koreans, including 306 normal adults, 15 overweight persons, 25 faculty members and 40 vegetarians (monks) were studied in 1973. The following results were obtained. 1. The mean serum liplids values of normal Korean adults were 188.7+/-33.7mg% for total cholesterol, 176.9+/-47.0mg% for phospholipid and 78.0+/-28.9mg% for triglyceride. 2. It was observed that the serum level of normal Koreans were influenced only by age and were not influenced statistically by sex, weight and socioeconomic state. 3. The mean serum lipids level of Korean vegetarians (monks) were 188.0+/-44.0mg% for total cholesterol, 158.5+/-35.6mg% for phospholipid and 64.8+/-21.4mg% for triglyceride and not influenced by sex and duration of altered eating habit. 4. The serum lipids level of Korean vegetarian (monks) were significantly low in phospholipid and triglyceride but not in cholesterol. 5. No significant difference in serum total cholesterol level between normal and vegetarian were observed all the role of diet of general population were discussed.
Adult* ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Eating ; Humans ; Overweight ; Triglycerides

No abstract available.
Humans ; Mucocele*

The molecular mechanisms that regulate glossal muscle cell cycle and terminal differentiation remain largely unknown. To determine which cyclins, cyclin dependent kinases (CDKs), cyclin dependent kinase inhibitors (CKIs) are important for glossal cell proliferation, we have examined expression of cyclins CDKs, CKIs during normal glossal muscle development in the rat. All cyclins, CDKs, and KIP/CIP family of CKIs were highly expressed during fetal glossal muscle development, then they decreased at different rates after birth. While the mRNAs of cyclin Dl, D3, E , A, and B decreased gradually in glossal muscle during all stages of development, the protein levels of these cyclins decreased differently in tongue during pre- and postnatal development. While the functionally active formed of cyclin Dl, cyclin D3 and E proteins were observed until 7 days after birth, cyclin A and B proteins were decreased more slowly. While the CDK4, CDK6, CDK2, cdc2, and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) proteins were higllly present during fetal glossal muscle development and gradually decreased during postnatal development. Particularly, cdc2 levels decreased markedly after birth. Immunohistochemical data for PCNA was consistent with Western blotting data for PCNA temporally and spatially. The mRNA and protein levels of p21, p27, and p57 were high, then their levels changed differently during glossal development. While the mRNA levels of p21 and p57 decreased gradually, the mRNA level of p27 did not change during glossal development. While the protein levels of p21 and p57 in tongue decreased markedly after birth, the protein levels of p27 increased slightly after birth, then decreased at adulthood. These findings suggest that the all cyclins and CDKs observed are involved in glossal muscle cell cycle, and reduction of cyclins and CDKs and induction of p21 are associated with the withdrawal of glossal muscle cell cycle after birth.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Proliferation ; Cyclin A ; Cyclin D3 ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinases* ; Cyclins* ; Humans ; Muscle Cells ; Muscle Development ; Parturition ; Phosphotransferases* ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; Rats* ; RNA, Messenger ; Tongue