To investigate the effect of tumor removal and administration of OK432 on the splenic natural killer (NK) cell activity in the subcutaneous tumor bearing rats, NK cell activity assay using a 4-hour 51Cr release assay and flow cytometric analysis for NK cell population were performed. The results were as follows: 1. Splenic NK cell activity and population in the subcutaneous tumor bearing rats decreased along with the growth of the tumor. 2. The rats with subcutaneous tumor removal showed decrease of splenic NK cell activity, but splenic NK cell population was not decreased. 3. In the rats with subcutaneous tumor removal and OK432 administration, splenic NK cell activity was significantly increased 1 week after administration of OK432 and then gradually returned to normal, whereas increase of NK cell population was not significant. In the present study, splenic NK cell activity was significantly decreased despite removal of subcutaneous tumor. But with the administration of OK432, splenic NK cell activity returned to normal. Considering the role of NK cells on the first line of defense against the metastatic implantation of circulating tumor emboli, we suggest that perioperative administration of immunopotentiator such as OK432 may improve the patient's outcome after surgery of human neoplasm.
Animals ; Humans ; Killer Cells, Natural* ; Picibanil* ; Rats* ; Spleen

BACKGROUND: Flecainide is an antiarrhythmic agent that is used primarily in the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Some evidences also suggest that flecainide can participate in alveolar fluid clearance and inflammatory responses. This experiment was aimed to evaluate the effects of flecainide on sepsis induced acute lung injury in a rat model. METHODS: Rats were treated with subcutaneous infusion of saline or flecainide (0.1 or 0.2 mg/kg/hr) by a mini-osmotic pump. Subcutaneous infusion was started 3 hours before and continued until 8 hours after intraperitoneal injection of saline or endotoxin. Animals were sacrificed for analyses of severity of acute lung injury with wet to dry (W/D) ratio and lung injury score (LIS) in lung and inflammatory responses with level of leukocyte, polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) and inteleukin-8 (IL-8) in bronchoalveolar lavages fluid (BALF). RESULTS: Flecainide markedly improved dose dependently sepsis induced acute lung injury as analysed by W/D ratio (from 2.24 ± 0.11 to 1.76 ± 0.09, p < 0.05) and LIS (from 3 to 1, p < 0.05), and inflammatory response as determined by leukocyte (from 443 ± 127 to 229 ± 95, p < 0.05), PMNs (from 41.43 ± 17.63 to 2.43 ± 2.61, p < 0.05) and IL-8 (from 95.00 ± 15.28 to 40.00 ± 10.21, p < 0.05) in BALF. CONCLUSIONS: Flecanide improve sepsis induced acute lung injury in rats by controlling inflammatory responses.
Acute Lung Injury* ; Animals ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Flecainide* ; Infusions, Subcutaneous ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Interleukin-8 ; Leukocytes ; Lung ; Lung Injury ; Models, Animal ; Neutrophils ; Rats ; Sepsis*

No abstract available.
Borrelia burgdorferi* ; Borrelia* ; Humans ; Korea*

No abstract available.
Nasal Bone*

PURPOSE: To investigate postoperative outcomes of endonasal dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) using lacrimal sac flap and silastic sheet in patients with acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction. METHODS: From November 2009 until December 2010, endonasal DCR with lacrimal sac flap was performed in 26 eyes (group 1) and conventional DCR without flap in 28 eyes (group 2). The anatomic and functional success rates and complications were analyzed and compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: The anatomical success rate was 96.2% in group 1 and 85.7% in group 2. The functional success rate was 100% in group 1 and 92.9% in group 2. The success rate was higher in group 1 than in group 2, although not being statistically significant. Granuloma was found in 15.4% of patients in group 1 and 32.1% of patients in group 2. Synechia or membranous obstruction was not found in group 1, whereas synechia developed in 14.3% of patients in group 2. CONCLUSIONS: Endonasal DCR with lacrimal sac flap showed a greater success rate and lower formation of granuloma than conventional endonasal DCR without flap because of reduced inflammation and granulation tissue formation around retained bony spicles.
Dacryocystorhinostomy ; Dimethylpolysiloxanes ; Eye ; Granulation Tissue ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Nasolacrimal Duct

The role of the periosteum on osteointegration of Bio-Oss(R)(Geistlich, Wolhusen/Switzerland) was studied in rabbit calvarial defect. 12 New Zealand white male rabbits between 2.8 and 4 kg were included in this randomized, blinded, prospective study. Each rabbit was anesthetized with Ketamine HCl(5 mg/kg) and Xylazine HCl(1.5 ml/kg). An incision was made to the bony cranium and the periosteum was reflected. Using a 6-mm trephine bur(3i. USA), four 8-mm defects were created with copious irrigation. The defects were classified into barrier membrane(Tefgen(R), Lifecore Biomedical, Inc, U.S.A.) only group as a control, Bio-Oss(R) with barrier membrane group, Bio-Oss(R) with periosteum covering group, and Bio-Oss(R) without periosteum covering group. There were 2 rabbits in each group. The wound was closed with resorbable suture materials. Rabbits were sacrificed using phentobarbital(100 mg/kg) intravenously at 1, 2, and 4 weeks after surgery. The samples were fixed in 4% paraformaldehyde, and decalcified in hydrochloric acid decalcifying solution(Fisher Scientific, Tustin, CA) at 4degrees C for 2-4 weeks. It was embedded in paraffin and cut into 6 micrometer thickness. The sections were stained with H & E and observed by optical microscope. The results were as follows; 1. The periosteum played an important role in osteointegration of Bio-Oss(R) in bone defects. 2. When the periosteum remained intact and Bio-Oss(R) was placed on the defect, Bio-Oss(R) with periosteum covering has been incorporated into the newly formed bone from 2-week postoperatively. 3. When the periosteum was removed at the surgical procedure, invasion of connective tissue took place among the granules, and new bone formation was delayed compared to periosteum covering group. Therefore, when the bone grafting was performed with periosteal incision procedure to achieve tension-free suture, the integrity of the overlying periosteum should be maintained to avoid fibrous tissue ingrowth.
Bone Regeneration* ; Bone Transplantation ; Connective Tissue ; Humans ; Hydrochloric Acid ; Ketamine ; Male ; Membranes ; New Zealand ; Osteogenesis ; Paraffin ; Periosteum* ; Prospective Studies ; Rabbits ; Skull ; Sutures ; Wounds and Injuries ; Xylazine

BACKGROUND: The dipyridamole and dobutamine stress echocardiography have been studied as a non-invasive diagnostic test in coronary artery disease. Recently, some authors have extended the usefulness of these tests to predicting the prognosis of myocardial infarction patients. But as far as we know, there was no literature which tried boh tests to the same infarcted patients group. So, we performed both tests in the 23 infarcted patients to compare and evaluate both tests as predicting the prognosis in myocardial infarction. METHODS: Patients underwent (1) two-dimensional echocardiography under basal condition and after dipyridamole infusion for 4 minites at the dose of 0.14mg/kg/min, (2) another two dimensional echocardiography under basal and during dobutamine infusion at each dose of 5 to a maximum of 20microg/kg/min at 1 or 2 days after dipyridamole stress echocardiography, and (3) coronary and left ventricular angiography. Preinfusion and peak infusion images were analyzed independently by two different observers using Nova Micro Sonic soft were(DataVueII and ColorVue II analysis system). The segmental wall motions were scored as follows ; hyperkinetic : 1, normal : 2, hypokinetic : 3, akinetic : 4. THe test response was considered positive if abnormal wall motion and reduced myocardial thickening were observed during drug infusion at the vascular distributions except the akinetic infarcted segment identified during basal condition. The coronary angiography was analyzed by measuring the maximal luminal diameter stenosis with caliper and 50% or greater diameter narrowing was considered significant. The sensitivity and specificity were calculated by comparing echocardiographic prediction and angiographic findings. RESULTS: 1) Among 22 patients with sufficient image in dipyridamole stress echocardiography, 13 patients have myltivessel coronary disease without resting akinesia of non-infarcted segments. Only 5 patients showed positive findings in dipyridamole stress echocardiography(sensitivity, 38.4%). Among 9 patients who has single or minimal disease, 9 patients were negative finding(specificity, 100%). 2) Among 21 patients with sufficient image in dobutamine stress echocardiography, 12 patients have multivessel coronary disease without resting akinesia of non-infarcted segments. 7 patients showed positive finding in dobutamine stress echocardiography(sensitivity, 58.3%). Among 9 patients who has single or minimal disease, 8 patients showed negative finding(specificity, 88.8%). 3) In hemodynamic changes, dipyridamole stress echocardiography showed significant changes in heart rates and double products and dobutamine stress echocardiography showed significant changes in heart rates, systolic blood pressure and double products. 4) There was no significant side effect during both stress tests inacute and old myocardial infarction patients. CONCLUSION: 1) The dobutamine and dipyridamole stress echocardiography are safe and easy test for myocardial infarction patients. 2) The dobutamine stress echocardiography has higher sensitivity than dipyrdamole stress echocardiography for identifying multivessel coronary disease in myocardial infarction patients but the dose of both drugs were relatively small to get the adequate results. So the high dose of drugs must be tried in feature study.
Angiography ; Blood Pressure ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Disease ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Dipyridamole* ; Dobutamine* ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Stress* ; Exercise Test ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Phenobarbital ; Prognosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity

No abstract available.
Epidermal Cyst ; Pilomatrixoma

No abstract available.
Thanatophoric Dysplasia*

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the applicability of the Korean version of Fall Efficacy scale(FES) and Activities-specific Balance Confidence Scale(ABC) to Korean older adult through an examination of instrument`s internal consistency and validity METHOD: A sample of 90 Korean older adults who lived in a community completed a survey instrument which included Korean version of FES and ABC. Because of comparable data derived from each scale, fear of falling and quality of life, activity daily living were included. Concurrent validity, criterion validity and correlational validity were tested. Reliability was tested by internal consistency, test-retest method. RESULTS: Cronbach`s alpha was 0.9043 in FES, and 0.99623 in ABC. Test-retest correlations in all scales were higher than 7.0. Statistically significant association was found between fear of falling and both scales. Correlation coefficient between Quality of life(SF-8) and ABC was -0.142(p=0.049). Both FES and ABC are correlated significantly each other. CONCLUSION: The Korean version of FES and ABC appears to be a reliable and valid method for meas- uring fear of falling. These instruments may be useful in assessing the independent contribution of fear of falling. ABC scale may be more useful to detect loss of balance confidence in more highly functioning seniors.
Adult ; Humans ; Quality of Life ; Reproducibility of Results* ; Weights and Measures