No abstract available.
Digoxin* ; Reserpine* ; Tachycardia*

The glucose uptake rate by plerocercoid of Diphyllobothrium sp. was a mean value of 5.35+/-0.80 micro-mole/hr/g of wet wt, and total CO(2) production rates by the plerocercoid larva averaged 7.54+/-0.73 micro-mole/hr/g of wet wt. The relative specific activity into respiratory CO(2) showed a mean value of 7.30 +/-0.90 per cent. The rate of CO(2) production derived from medium C(14)-glucose was a mean of 0.58+/-0.13 micro-mole/hr/g of wet wt. Therefore, the average value of 1.92+/-0.38 per cent of glucose utilized by the larvae from the medium C(14)-glucose was oxidized to respiratory CO(2). The tissue concentration of glycogen in plerocercoid larva was a mean of 46.28 +/-2.23 mg/g or 4.63+/-0.22 per cent/g of wet wt., and the turnover rate of glycogen pool was a mean of 0.049 +/- 0.012 %/hr or 0.010 +/- 0.003 mg/hr/g of wet wt. The average value of 2.76+/-1.00 per cent of glucose utilized by the larvae from the medium C(14)-glucose was incorporated to the glycogen. These data accounts for that only 5 per cent of the utilized glucose by the plerocercoid larvae participated in furnishing the oxidation into respiratory CO(2) and the synthetic process into glycogen.
parasitology-helminth-cestoda ; Diphyllobothrium sp. ; sparganum ; plerocercoid ; biochemistry ; autoradiography ; glucose ; metabolism ; CO(2)

No abstract available.
Glycogen Storage Disease*

The authors investigated the toxicity of two antimetabolites. 5-fluorouracil(5-FU) and mitomycin-C(MMC) on the rabbit cornea and sclera following glaucoma filtration surgery(GFS). Forty rabbits were divided into four groups; the first control group(I) was the balanced salt solution soaked group(BSS) during GFS, the second(II) was the 5-FU subconjunctival injected group(5-FU SC) after GFS, the third(III) was the 5-FU soaked group(5-FU) during GFS, and the fourth(IV) was the MMC soaked group(MMC) during GFS. At the fifth day after GFS, scanning electron microscopic findings showed that corneal epithelial cells were most seriously damaged in 5-FU SC group, slightly damaged in 5-FU group, and no change in MMC and BSS group. At six months after GFS, transmission electron microscopic observation on sclera revealed the most profound degenerative changes in 5-FU group, and followed by an order of MMC, 5-FU SC, and BSS group. These results suggest that the dosage and application method of antimetabolites should be selected with great caution to prevent ocular toxicity.
Antimetabolites ; Cornea* ; Epithelial Cells ; Filtering Surgery* ; Filtration* ; Fluorouracil* ; Glaucoma* ; Mitomycin* ; Rabbits ; Sclera*

We injected tPA into the anterior chamber of 43 pesudophakic eyes with moderate to severe fibrinous membrane which had developed following cataract surgery from January, 1990 to August, 1990 at St. Mary's hospital. The results were as follows: 1. Intraocular tPA injection was resulted in complete fibrinolysis within 1 hour in 38 of 43 eyes and patial fibrinolysis in 5 of 43. 2. No corneal endothelial cell loss was found, and tPA did not appear to cause a significant rise in intraocular pressure. 3. Complications of tPA injection included mild, transient, periocular pain(3 eyes), anterior chamber fibrin debris(2 eyes) and anterior chamber hemorrhage(1 eye). The results indicated that tPA is dramatically effective for the clearance of fibrinous membrane after cataract surgery.
Anterior Chamber ; Cataract* ; Corneal Endothelial Cell Loss ; Fibrin* ; Fibrinolysis ; Intraocular Pressure ; Membranes* ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator*

One hundred and twenty-three cases of planned ECCE with biconvex posterior chamber lens implantation were performed in St. Mary's Hospital from April 1988 to February 1990, were followed up for more than 6 months. We also analyzed 123 cases of planned ECCE with convex-plano posterior chamber lens implantation during the same period. The results were as follows: 1. The difference of visual acuity between the two groups was not statistically significant. 2. Of the 123 eyes with biconvex lens, 106 eyes (86%) were within +/- 0.50 spherical equivalent diopter compared to 55 of 123 eyes (44.7%) with convex-plano lens. This difference is statistically signficant (p<.001). 3. Eight out of the 123 eyes with biconvex lens (6.5%) developed after-cataract and two of these eight eyes were of the central type: 36 out of the 123 eyes (29.3%) with convex-plano lens developed after-cataract and 31 of the these 36 eyes were of the central type. This difference is statistically significant(p<.001).
Cataract* ; Visual Acuity

Mercury poisoning affects various organs including peripheral and central nervous systems, especially cerebellum. We report a case of mercury intoxication presenting cerebellar ataxia. From several days after exposure to mercury vapor, scanning speech, head titubation, bilateral limb and truncal ataxia developed and progressed slowly. On admission, brain MRI did not show remarkable change. However, nine months later, atrophic changes in both cerebellar hemispheres on follow-up brain MRI and perfusion defects in same areas on brain SPECT were found.
Ataxia ; Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Cerebellar Ataxia* ; Cerebellum ; Extremities ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mercury Poisoning ; Perfusion ; Poisoning ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

OBJECTIVE: Using alendronate after spinal fusion is a controversial issue due to the inhibition of osteoclast mediated bone resorption. In addition, there are an increasing number of reports that the endplate degeneration influences the lumbar spinal fusion. The object of this retrospective controlled study was to evaluate how the endplate degeneration and the bisphosphonate medication influence the spinal fusion through radiographic evaluation. METHODS: In this study, 44 patients who underwent single-level posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF) using cage were examined from April 2007 to March 2009. All patients had been diagnosed as osteoporosis and would be recommended for alendronate medication. Endplate degeneration is categorized by the Modic changes. The solid fusion is defined if there was bridging bone between the vertebral bodies, either within or external to the cage on the plain X-ray and if there is less than 5degrees of angular difference in dynamic X-ray. RESULTS: In alendronate group, fusion was achieved in 66.7% compared to 73.9% in control group (no medication). Alendronate did not influence the fusion rate of PLIF. However, there was the statistical difference of fusion rate between the endplate degeneration group and the group without endplate degeneration. A total of 52.4% of fusion rate was seen in the endplate degeneration group compared to 91.3% in the group without endplate degeneration. The endplate degeneration suppresses the fusion process of PLIF. CONCLUSION: Alendronate does not influence the fusion process in osteoporotic patients. The endplate degeneration decreases the fusion rate.
Alendronate* ; Bone Resorption ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Osteoclasts ; Osteoporosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Fusion

BACKGROUND: Negative U wave is frequent maker of systemic hypertension, aortic or mitral regurgitation and myocardial ischemia. This study was undertaken to determine the diagnostic significance of exercise-induced negative U wave in coronary artery stenosis. METHOD: 72 patients(46 men and 26 women ; 24~66 years of age) with chest pain were analysed with exercised-induced negative U wave and coronary angiographic finding. RESULT: Exercise-induced negative U wave was seen in 14 patients(19%). Among 14 patients with exercise-induced negative U wave, the predictive value of significant coronary artery stenosis(> or =75% stenosis of major coronary artery) was 71%, Exercise-induced negative U wave is more prevalent in patients with significant coronary artery stenosis(p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Exercise-induced negative U wave is a good marker of significant coronary artery stenosis.
Chest Pain ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Stenosis* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Myocardial Ischemia

The formation and malignant progression of gliomas are generally considered to undergo multistepped process like other tumors. Loss of 13q is implicated in the later stage of progression of gliomas. The retinoblastoma susceptibility gene(RB gene), located at the 13q14, is a prototypic tumor suppressor gene. Many kinds of tumors are noted to have mutations of the RB gene. To determine whether the loss of 13q is associated with RB gene or not, and to find the intragenic mutation of RB, we examined 28 gliomas for loss of heterozygosity(LOH) at the RB locus using a polymerase chain reaction-based restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-based RFLP) assay. We found LOH in 13 of 28(46%) gliomas. Eight of 12(67%) high-grade astrocytomas, 3 of 6(50%) differentiated astrocytomas showed LOH. And we also detected LOH in 1 of 2 anaplastic oligodendrogliomas and in 1 of 7(14%) differentiated oligodendrogliomas. When we classify them into low-grade and high-grade gliomas, 4 of 14(29%) low-grade gliomas, and 9 of 14(64%) high-grade gliomas showed LOH, PCR-SSCP analysis was performed on exon, 8, 14, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24 to find mutations in remaining allele, and one case of mobility shift was identified in glioblastoma multiforme which showed LOH in PCR-based RFLP study. Our results demonstrate that RB deletions are detected in both low-grade high-grade gliomas, and unlike the p53 gene, genetic alterations of the RB gene in gliomas are mainly deletions rather than point mutations.
Alleles ; Astrocytoma ; Exons ; Genes, p53 ; Genes, Retinoblastoma* ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Glioblastoma ; Glioma* ; Humans* ; Loss of Heterozygosity ; Oligodendroglioma ; Point Mutation ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Retinoblastoma*