BLAST, a basic bioinformatics tool for searching local sequence similarity, has been one of the most widely used bioinformatics programs since its introduction in 1990. Users generally use the web-based NCBI-BLAST program for BLAST analysis. However, users with large sequence data are often faced with a problem of upload size limitation while using the web-based BLAST program. This proves inconvenient as scientists often want to run BLAST on their own data, such as transcriptome or whole genome sequences. To overcome this issue, we developed NBLAST, a graphical user interface-based BLAST program that employs a two-way system, allowing the use of input sequences either as “query” or “target” in the BLAST analysis. NBLAST is also equipped with a dot plot viewer, thus allowing researchers to create custom database for BLAST and run a dot plot similarity analysis within a single program. It is available to access to the NBLAST with http:/bitglobal.comblast.

BACKGROUND: Blunted perception of dyspnea, which may be related to the increased mortality, has been demonstrated in patients with a history of near-fatal asthma and in the elderly. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between the perception of dyspnea and the severity of asthma. METHOD: Baseline spirometry and Borg score change(A Borg score) during breathing through an inspiratory muscle trainer were measured in 27 consecutive asthma patients and 11 normal subjects. RESULTS: The baseline Borg score was negatively related to FEV1 A Borg score was significantly lower in asthmatics than in controls at high level of loads. A Borg score was lower in severe asthma than in mild asthma. A Borg score was positively related to the baseline FEV1. Seventy-five percent of severe asthma, 62.5% of moderate one, and 9.1% of mild one showed impaired dyspnea perception. Dyspnea perception was related to age(r, = -0.49, p<0.001). CONCLUSION: Three quarters of patients with severe asthma showed impaired dyspnea perception to inspiratory resistive load. Dyspnea perception was related to asthma severity and age.
Aged ; Asthma ; Dyspnea* ; Humans ; Mortality ; Respiration ; Spirometry

To evaluate the radiographic characteristics of osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) and useful parameter for predicting mechanical stability, we retrospectively analysed 26 plain radiographic examinations and seven MR imagings in 28 cases of OCD in 24 patients. Typical radiologic findings were osteochondral defect with sclerotic rim of variable thickeness and osteochondral fragment. Sites of osteochondral defect were medial (35.9%) or lateral (32%) femoral chondyle and medial (7.1%) or lateral (25%) side of talar dome. Sclerotic rim was seen in 24 cases (85%) and osteochondral fragments including nine loose bodies were seen in 21 cases (75%). The size of osteochondral defect with unstable fragment (average 2.05cm) and loose body (2.04cm) in the knee joint were similar to, but statistically larger than that with stable fragment (1.35cm). All osteochondral defects were well visualized on MR images. Abnormalities of articular cartilage and effusion in the interface between the parent bone and fragment were seem in five cases of which there were confirmed three unstable cases arthroscopically. We conclude that size of defect may be a good parameter for predicting mechanical stability and MRI may be useful in the diagnosis of OCD and determining the methods of treatment.
Cartilage, Articular ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Osteochondritis Dissecans* ; Osteochondritis* ; Parents ; Retrospective Studies

We report here several experiences of interphase cytogenetics, using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique, for the detection of chromosome aberrations. FISH, using alpha satellite specific probes of 18, X, Y chromosomes, was done in interphase nuclei from peripheral blood of patients with Edwards' syndrome, Klinefelter's syndrome and Turner's syndrome with healthy male and female controls, respectively. The distributions of fluorescent signals in 100 interphase nuclei were well correlated with metaphase findings. Nowadays FISH plays an increasingly important role in a variety of research areas, including cytogenetics, prenatal diagnosis, tumor biology, gene amplification and gene mapping.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Cell Nucleus/*ultrastructure ; Child ; Chromosome Aberrations/*physiology ; Chromosome Banding ; Female ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence ; Infant, Newborn ; Interphase/*physiology ; Male

In the past, arthrodesjs was a widely used procedure but in recent times, with the development of replacement arthroplasty, decreased in tuberculosis and polio. etc, it is not commonly used by orthopedic surgeons. However, for those in the young age group, people employed in hard labor and patients with acute inflammatory disease, arthrodesis is through to be more appropriate than replacement arthroplasty. From January 1980 to December 1985, 20 cases of arthrodesis of the knee joint were carried out. The results were follows.; 1. Methods of arthrodesis used were Charnley compression arthrodesis in 10 cases, Hoffman compression arthrodesis in 2 cases, cross pinning in 3 cases and and cross pinning with patella graft in 5 cases. 2. Bone union was seen in all 12 cases of compression arthrodesis at an average of 21.3 weeks while bone union was seen in 7 out of 8 cases of non-compression arthrodesis at an average 25 weeks. 3. Among the 20 cases, complication were pseudoarthrthrosis in one case, pin tract infection in 2 cases and skin necrosis in 5 cases. 4. Inconclusion of the above results, bone union was carried out in 19 cases out of total 20 cases, and compression arthrodesis showed faster bone union at an average of 3.7 weeks earlier than non-compression arthrodesis.
Arthrodesis ; Arthroplasty, Replacement ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; Knee ; Necrosis ; Orthopedics ; Patella ; Poliomyelitis ; Skin ; Surgeons ; Transplants ; Tuberculosis

Background: Epigenetic studies, particularly research on microRNA (miRNA), have flourished. The abnormal expression of miRNA contributes to the development of hematologic malignancies.miR-765 has been reported to inhibit cell proliferation by downregulating proteolipid protein 2 (PLP2), which causes apoptosis. We investigated miR-765 dysregulation in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). Methods: We compared the expression profiles of miR-765 in 65 patients with MDS and 11 controls.Cell proliferation and apoptosis assays were performed to determine the in vitro effects of miR-765 on leukemia cells transfected with the miR-765 mimic. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) and western blotting were performed to examine the targets of miR-765. Results: We found that miR-765 levels were upregulated 10.2-fold in patients with MDS compared to controls. In refractory cytopenia with multilineage dysplasia, the percentage of patients with elevated miR-765 levels was significantly higher than in other forms of MDS.Experiments with leukemia cells revealed that transfection with a miR-765 mimic inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. RT-qPCR and western blotting demonstrated that the target of miR-765 was PLP2. Conclusion These findings imply that upregulation of miR-765 induces apoptosis via downregulation of PLP2 and may have a role in MDS pathogenesis.

Sarcomatoid carcinomas are malignant epithelial neoplasms in which the tumor cells assume a partial or complete spindle cell pattern of growth, leading to the erroneous classification of some true carcinomas as sarcomas. These spindle cells are malignant and manifest various amount of both vimentin and cytokeratin. Positive reaction of some of the spindle cells for cytokeratin antibodies is confirmatory. Clinical features do not differ significantly from those of patients with high-grade transitional cell carcinoma. So far, 13 cases of sarcomatoid transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis have been reported in English and Korean literature. In this report, we describe clinicopathologic features of recently observed two cases of sarcomatoid transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis and summarize the pathologic findings of previously reported cases with review of the literature.
Antibodies ; Carcinoma ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell* ; Carcinosarcoma ; Classification ; Humans ; Keratins ; Kidney Pelvis* ; Sarcoma ; Vimentin

Glassy cell carcinoma is an unusual neoplasm of the uterine cervix with highly aggressive clinical behavior. On cervico-vaginal smear examination, the tumor has well confused of atypical repair cell of the endocervix. Recently, we have experienced two cases of glassy cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix, diagnosed on cervico-vaginal smears and confirmed on following histologic sections. The cervico-vaginal smears revealed abundant clusters with well defined boarders. The cell clusters were composed of large tumor cells. The tumor cells had distinct granular cytoplasm and eosinophilic macronucleoli. Characteristic cytologic features of this tumor were discussed in view of differential diagnosis.
Adenocarcinoma ; Breast ; Cervix Uteri ; Cytoplasm ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Hydronephrosis*

No abstract available.
Dyspnea* ; Humans

To find out the predictors of nocturnal arterial oxygen desaturation in patients with respiratory diseases, transcutaneous oxygen saturation(StcO2) monitoring studies using a pulse oximeter were performed during sleep in 20 patients. StcO2 was decreased more than 4% from the baseline value in 18 patients(90%) and more than 10%('Desaturator') in 8(40%). Five of the seven patients(71.4%) with awake PaO2<60mmHg and three of the thirteen patients(23.1%) with awake PaO2≥60mmHg were 'desaturators'. The awake PaO2/FIO2 and PaO2/PAO2 could distinguish 'desaturator' from 'nondesaturator, and PaO2, SaO2 or StcO2 could not. These results suggest that the nocturnal oxygen desaturation depends on the severity of the underlying disease rather than the baseline PaO2. Anthropomorphic and lung function factors could not separate between 'desaturator' and 'non-desaturator', and about a quarter of patients with a wake PaO2≥60mmHg developed significant desaturation. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the nocturnal arterial oxygen saturation in patients with respiratory diseases regardless of their severity of airflow obstruction or awake PaO2.
Humans ; Lung ; Oxygen*