Normal human B cells produce autocrine growth factor in response to Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I strain (SAC). However, the functional role and molecular nature of the B cell derived-B cell growth factor (B-BCGF) are largely unknown. We have tried to investigate the nature of B-BCGF using mAb for several years. We report here that B- BCGF is capable of binding to hemoglobin (Hb). The concentrated culture supernatant from tonsillar B cells stimulated with SAC for 24 h was loaded into the fast protein liquid chromatography and ion-exchange chromatography. The peak with BCGF activity was shown to have a M.W. of 16-18 Kda in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by silver stain. Amino acid sequence of the fraction was found to identical to human hemoglobin (Hb) by more than 85%. However, Hb itself had no BCGF activity. The presence of Hb in culture supernatant was due to the contamination of SRBC during B cell purification. SRSC were completely removed from B cells by percoll-gradient centrifugation and B cells were stimulated with SAC and exogenous Hb was added to the cultures. The Hb fraction from FPLC again showed a BCGF activity. These data strongly suggested that BCGF binds to Hb. We confirmed this in dot blot as well as Western blot. The M.W of Hb-binding BCGF was 20 Kda. This information may provide a rapid progress in research of BCGF.
Amino Acid Sequence ; B-Lymphocytes ; Blotting, Western ; Centrifugation ; Chromatography, Ion Exchange ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Humans ; Silver ; Staphylococcus aureus

No abstract available.
Humans ; Physicians, Family*

Heart failure (HF) is a growing health concern in aging societies worldwide. Sacubitril/valsartan is changing the real-world treatment in the whole spectrum of HF. The beginning was the PARADIGM-HF trial published in 2014, which demonstrated the beneficial effects of inhibiting natriuretic peptide breakdown in combination with hindering the renin-angiotensin system in HF patients with a reduced ejection fraction. Subsequent large-scale randomized trials have evaluated angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitor in HF patients with acute decompensation or with preserved ejection fraction. The post hoc analyses are being conducted as well. This review summarizes the recent evidence of sacubitril/ valsartan regarding patient-centered outcomes, based on randomized controlled trials and their associated studies.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the spectrum of MR characteristics of cystic acoustic neurinomas and to correlate with pathologic findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the MR findings of 12 patients with cystic acoustic neurinomas. The signal intensity and enhancement pattern of the cystic components as well as the location relative to the tumors were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 30 cysts were found in 15 acoustic neurinomas;28 were intratumoral cysts and the remaining two were extratumoral cysts. The signal intensity of all 28 intratumoral cysts was higher than that of CSF on Tl-weighted images, and isointense to CSF on T2-weighted images, while the signal intensity of the two extratumoral cysts was same as CSF on both Tl-weighted and T2-weighted images. Rim enhancement was seen in 27 of 28 intratumoral cysts but in none of the two extratumoral cysts. CONCLUSION: We concluded that intratumoral cyst was due to tumoral necrosis, hemorrhage or degenerative change and extratumoral cyst due to secondary arachnoid cyst formation.
Acoustics* ; Arachnoid ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Neuroma, Acoustic* ; Retrospective Studies

Carbohydrate intake is decreasing along with the reduction of rice consumption among the Korean population. There is an increasing trend of diet-related degenerative diseases with the increased consumption of animal food, and therefore, the increase of animal food intake can be considered as one of causes of the diet-related disease. The objective of this study is to investigate the differences in rice preference and breakfast patterns between the subjects have breakfast regularly and those skipping it. One thousand participants were selected by the stratified sample method from the primary, middle, high school and college, and company workers from 24 cities of Kyeonggi-do. The interviewing procedure was carried by regional home extension workers. Approximately half participants (49.9%) were under the age of 20. Although 86% of the subjects considered eating breakfast good for health. only 46.4% of the subjects had breakfast regularly (HB). The rest of them skipped breakfast (SB) more than twice a week. The proportion of subjects hiving no breakfast were 9.3% of male and 12.2% of female subjects. The main reason for not having breakfast was due to the limited time. For their breakfast 85% of the HB ate boiled rice with the side dishes. More subjects in SB (27.8%) preferred the boiled rice with various grains for breakfast than those of HB (21.8%). The subjects in HB (65.5%) preferred boiled plein rice more than those of SB (56.9%). In cases they must have breakfast, 47.7% of the subjects wanted rice with the side dishes, 24.2% preferred rice ball or rice roll with laver, 10.5% preferred a rice beverage. More subjects in HB (59.8%) wanted rice with side dishes than those in SB (36.9%). It was found out that selecting rice at the breakfast is still the main choice. Diverse ready-to-eat rice menus have to be developed to increase the rice consumption, specially to increase breakfast eating frequencies of SB through saving time and effort.
Animals ; Beverages ; Breakfast* ; Edible Grain ; Eating ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Humans ; Male

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify factors affecting nurses' burnout in secondary general hospitals. METHODS: Data were collected through structured questionnaires from 241 nurses working at the secondary general hospitals with below 400 beds in the P, C, and S city between April and May, 2009. Data analysis was done with independent t test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple stepwise multiple regression with SPSS WIN v 17.0. RESULTS: Burnout was significantly different according to religion, age, clinical experiences, and shift work. Burnout score of the subjects was 58/100. Burnout of the subjects were positively correlated with job stress and negatively correlated with hardness, self efficiency, self esteem, spiritual wellbeing, social support, and job satisfaction. The explained variances for burnout was 51.8% and factors affecting nurses' burnout in secondary general hospitals were job stress, hardness, self efficiency, job satisfaction and shift work. CONCLUSION: These results showed the significant factors fo nurses' burnout in secondary general hospitals. These findings can be utilized to development of strategies for reducing job stress and enhancing hardness, self efficiency and job satisfaction.
Hardness ; Hospitals, General ; Job Satisfaction ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Self Concept ; Statistics as Topic

Liver is generally known as an organ which is most commonly involved by the metastic tumors. According to the tendency of using fine needle aspiration in the diagnosis of hepatic tumors, the differentital diagnosis between hepatocellular carcinoma and metastatic carcinoma frequently has been a main issue in the poorly differentitated cases, especially to the pathologists of Korea, an endemic area of hepatocellular carcinoma. Until now the problem has been usually solved by the comparison of cytologic characteristics of their tumor cells but not by background cytologic features which rarely have been studied. We observed the background cytologic features helpful for the differential diagnosis through the analysis of 20 cases who had confirmed primary cancer and were diagnosed as metastatic carcinomas in the liver by fine needle aspiration cytology. Twenty cases included 9 adenocarcinomas, 7 spuamous cell carcinomas, 1 small cell carcinoma, 1 carcinoid, 1 adenoid cystic carcinoma, and 1 renal cell cacinoma. Analysis of background cytologic features revealed that 77% of adenocacinoma cases showed benign mesenchymal components and hepatocytes and spuamous cell carcinoma cases disclosed benign mesenchymal tissue (71%) and necrosis (57%). Remaining cases showed variable combinations of benign mesenchymal component, necrosis, hepatocytes, and bile duct epithelial cells. No case revealed atypical hepatocytic naked nuclei, a useful cytologic finding of hepatocellular carcinoma. In summary, the background cytologic features more commonly observed in metastatic carcinomas than in the hepatocellular carcinoma were benign mesenchymal components, hepatocytes, necrosis, and bile duct epithelium. The endothelial cells and hepatocytic naked nuclei, two relatively specific findings of hepatocellular carcinoma were not observed except for renal cell carcinoma. Above background cytologic features are thought to be helpful for the differential diagnosis between the hepatocellular carcinoma and various metastatic carcinomas in the poorly differentiated cases.
Adenocarcinoma ; Bile Ducts ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Carcinoid Tumor ; Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Endothelial Cells ; Epithelial Cells ; Epithelium ; Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome* ; Hepatocytes ; Korea ; Liver ; Necrosis ; Pneumococcal Infections* ; Ulnar Nerve

The purpose of this study was to examine the comparison of growth development, bone mineral density and nutrient intakes between double income families' preschool children(DIFPC) and full-time housewives' preschool children(FHPC). Subjects were 111 preschool children. Anthropometric characteristics and bone mineral density in right forearm were measured. The questionnaire was composed of health status, life style, dietary behaviors, and dietary intakes and was completed by the children's mothers. The average age of the DIFPC(n=60) was 53.02 months and that of the FHPC(n=51) was 54.80 months. The birth height and weight of the subjects were 50.47cm and 3.27Kg for DIFPC and 50.85cm and 3.36Kg for FHPC, respectively. The average height, weight, % body fat, and obesity index were 108.50cm, 18.35Kg, 15.35%, 96.71% in DIFPC and 111.46cm, 19.64Kg, 16.80%, 97.31% in FHPC, respectively. The bone mineral density in forearm of two groups were 0.24g/cm2 in all. The infant feeding method was significantly different between DIFPC and FHPC; 58.9% of DIFPC was fed formula, while 44.4% of FHPC was fed breast milk(p<0.05). Proportions of children for their regular meal were 59.4%, 89.6%, and 61.0% for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, respectively. The major reasons for irregular meal were lack of time and poor appetite for breakfast and snacks for lunch and dinner. Most of the children answered they have snack over once a day, and 60.0% have unbalanced diet. The intakes of energy, calcium, iron, zinc, vitamin A, vitamin B1, niacin, and vitamin C did not meet the Korean RDAs. The intakes of K and vitamin A for DIFPC were significantly higher than those of FHPC(p<0.05, p<0.05). In conclusion, double income families' preschool children more have a low frequency of breast feeding and low intakes of micro nutrients, such as K and vitamin A than full-time housewives' ones.
Adipose Tissue ; Appetite ; Ascorbic Acid ; Bone Density ; Breakfast ; Breast ; Breast Feeding ; Calcium ; Child ; Child, Preschool* ; Diet ; Feeding Methods ; Forearm ; Humans ; Infant ; Iron ; Life Style ; Lunch ; Meals ; Mothers ; Niacin ; Obesity ; Parturition ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Snacks ; Thiamine ; Vitamin A ; Zinc

Osteoblastoma is a rare tumor which forms osteoid and bone with highly vascular stroma, account for less than 1 percent of all bone tumors. The lesion had been thought to be controlled with curettage and locat excision. In recent years, cases of locally aggressive but not metastasizing osteoblastomas have been described as aggressive osteoblastoma or malignant osteoblastoma, separated from the innocuous behavior of usual osteoblastoma. It represents the histologic characteristics of the presence of epithelioid osteoblasts, trabecular rather than lace-like osteoid, low mitotic rate with no atypical form with prominent giant cells of osteoclastic type The differential diagnosis between aggressive osteoblastoma and osteogenic sarcoma is extremely difficult, but its peculiar histologic pattern and ist different clinical and radiologic features and better prognosis are helpful. We report here a case of aggressive osteoblastoma of 17 years old female patient with 2 years and 5 months follow-up period and review the literature.
Female ; Humans ; Diagnosis, Differential

This study was alone to identify the meaning and the essence of the menopause experience by means of the Colaizzi's phenomenological method. The participants were eight women, 48-60 years old, who were experiencing perimenopause or postmenopause. They were selected using a theoretical sampling technique. Data were collected through in-depth interviews from April 6 to May 20, 1999. The interviews took from 40 to 90 minutes. Interviews were tape- recorded and analyzed using the constant comparative method. Significant statements from data were extracted. From these formulated meanings, 18 themes, 8 clusters of themes and 3 catagories were constructed. Final descriptions were found to be valid through the interviewee validation process. Essential themes of the menopausal experience which emerged were "coming of change", "inclined to deny the in mind", and "adapted life". Menopause, as coming of change was the turning point in the women's life cycle acompaning changes, in body and mind and marital life changes. Especially, the unpredictable menopausal changes were an opportunity to hide the fact of menopause and not to talk with anybody. Such a phenomenon reflected on the psychological attributes of menopausal woman such as an inclination to deny in the mind. Their experiences of menopause as adapted life were generally regarded as signalling the end of fertility and were interpreted as a natural developmental process that indicates a life transition. In conclusion, participants depicted the menopause as a natural stage in the life cycle. In order to help women have a positive life change and self accomplishment, nurses need to understand the essential themes of the menopausal experience. Thus, the importance of an open approach in eliciting the phenomena of menopause cannot be overemphasized. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that exercise program is one of the effective interventions to improve the self-efficacy and also to lower the fatigue in the sample of female college students.
Climacteric ; Fatigue ; Female ; Fertility ; Humans ; Life Cycle Stages ; Menopause ; Perimenopause ; Postmenopause