Erythropoietin is the major hormonal regulator of erythropoiesis. It is controlled by many factors inducing hypoxia in tissue. The serum erythropoietin levels of neonates have shown gradual dccrease until 1 month of age, which they are reactivated in the period of physiologic anemia. This change is exaggerated if the meonates are born prematurely, and the levels of erythropoietin respond to lower hemoglobin are lower than those of term neonates and adults. The purpose of this study was to assess the values of erythropoietin levels to compare hemoglobin on the preterm and term neonates until 1 month of age. The results were as follows: 1) At birth mean erythropoietin values of preterm and term neonates were 16.5+/-1.4mU/ml, 16.5+/-1.7mU/ml respectively, there was no significant difference. Also erythropoietin values in preterm and term neonates were 23.6+/-13.3mU/ml, 10.9+/-1.5mU/ml respectively. Resticulocyte counts in preterm and term neonates were 10.7+/-3.3%, 5.7+/-2.9% respectively, so they were significantly higher in preterm than in term neonates. 2) The changes of mean hemoglobin, reticulocyte counts and erythropoietin according to postnatal ages were that those of reticulocyte counts and erythropoietin were significantly increased about 1 month of age. 3) At the 1 month of age, mean erythropoietin values in preterm neonates were lower than those of term neonates and adults, despite of the lowest hemoblobin. This results showed that erythropoietin values in preterm neonates during the physilolgic anemia were lower values than those of term neonates and adults in spite of the lowest hemoglobin.
Adult ; Anemia ; Anoxia ; Erythropoiesis ; Erythropoietin* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Parturition ; Reticulocyte Count

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Phospholipase A (PLAq) is an rate-limiting enzyme hydrolyzing arachidonic acid from the sn-2 position of membrane phospholipids. In vitro studies demonstrated that the enzyme could be secreted into extracellular mileu by pro-inflammatory cytokines and endotoxin which were reported to have important roles in chronic liver diseases. This study was performed to know whether the enzyme is involved in the pathophysiology of the diseases. METHODS: The subjects were composed of 24 patients with chronic hepatitis B, 26 patients with liver cirrhosis and 14 healthy individuals. The PLAp activities wem measured in the sera of the subjects by detecting radioactivity of "C-fatty acid hydrolyzed from "C-labeled phosphotadylethanolamine by the enzyme. RESULTS: The activities of PLA were increased in the patients with chronic liver diseases, especially in the chronic hepatitis B patients with acute exacerbation and in the decompensated cirrhosis patients. Furthermore, their activities were closely related with the levels of transaminase in hepatitis group and with the levels of serum albumin in cirrhosis group, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that extracellular PLA might be involved in the exacerbution and progression of the chronic liver diseases.
Arachidonic Acid ; Cytokines ; Fibrosis ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver* ; Membranes ; Phospholipases A2* ; Phospholipases* ; Phospholipids ; Radioactivity ; Serum Albumin

No abstract available.
Incontinentia Pigmenti*

OBJECTIVE: The clinical value of preoperative serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen(SCC) in relation to clinical stage, tumor volume, disease extent and prognosis has already reported in many papers. The aim of this study is to analyse the relationship between preoperative SCC level and pelvic lymph node metastasis. Matrials and METHODS: From March 1995 to December 1998, 157 patients who examined pretreatment SCC levels before undergoing radical hysterectomy for squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix were included. The effect of pelvic lymph node status on the SCC level was examined by comparing 125 cases with cancer limited uterus or upper vagina and 32 cases with cancer confined to the uterus (including upper vagina) and pelvic lymph node using multivariate analysis. RESULTS: 90% of patients without pelvic lymph node metastasis showed SCC levels of 2.9ng/ml or below. 60.7% of patients with serum SCC level more than 2.9ng/ml exhibited pelvic lymph node metastasis. The marker values exceeding 2.9ng/ml increased risk of nodal metastasis 5 times compared with serum level 2.9ng/ml or below. Multivariate analysis confirmed that the pelvic lymph node metastasis had a large impact on the marker level than did tumor size or depth of stromal infilteration. CONCLUSION: SCC levels greater than 2.9ng/ml can be considered a high risk zone for nodal metastasis
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cervix Uteri ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Lymph Nodes ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Prognosis ; Tumor Burden ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms* ; Uterus ; Vagina

No abstract available.
Agenesis of Corpus Callosum

No abstract available.
Varicose Veins

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of regular stretching exercise for 1 year on health related fitness of the elderly women. We also determined whether the weekly stretching exercise sessions followed by intensive stretching exercise program was beneficial to maintain the altered health related fitness status. The thirty elderly women (F, 80.1+/-6.6 yr) were participated in this study. Subjects had no serious orthopedic problems. During the study period, they did not perform any regular physical activity beside the stretching exercise. The 1 year stretching exercise programs included 3 days/week stretching exercise session for the first 12 weeks followed by 1 day/week stretching exercise for rest of the study period. The subjects were tested 6 categories of health related fitness factors which included % body fat, flexibility, hand grips, back strength, balance, and agility. The summary of the results of this study were as followed: 1) There were significant increase in FFM and slightly decrease in %BF and WHR after the 3 days/wk stretching exercise program. However, there were significant decrease in FFM and WHR after the 1 day/wk stretching exercise program (p<.05). 2) There were significant increase in flexibility, hand grip strength (Rt.) and balance after the 3 days/wk stretching exercise (p<.05) while hand grip strength (Lt.) and back strength were slightly increase after the exercise. However, there were significant decrease in hand grip strength (both) and reaction time after 1 day/wk stretching exercise program while flexibility, back strength, and balance were slighly decrease after the program. In conclusion, this study showed that the 3 days/wk stretching exercise for 12 weeks result in significant increase of all health related fitness factors (p<.05). However, it showed that some of the HRF factors were decreased after the weekly stretching exercise unexpectedly.
Adipose Tissue ; Aged* ; Female ; Hand ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Motor Activity ; Orthopedics ; Pliability ; Reaction Time

Alveolar Soft Part Sarcoma(ASPS) in an unusual tumor of soft tissue, it has invariably ended in death from disseminated disease, and the lung has been the most common site of metastasis, but the brain was the 3rd most common site of metastasis. That proportion seems 0.4% of all soft tissue sarcoma. Clinical, pathological, and radiological features of metastatic cerebral lesions resulting from ASPS are presented. Angioarchitecture, and radiotherapic finding and chemotherapy are discussed. The unusual juxtaposition of the tumor cells to the endothelium seems responsible for the highly vascular appearance of the lesion on angiography, the frequency of hematogenous spread, and the grave, although delayed, prognosis. The purpose of this paper is to be report ASPS which has never been reported in Korea yet, with some references.
Angiography ; Brain ; Drug Therapy ; Endothelium ; Korea ; Lung ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Prognosis ; Radiotherapy ; Sarcoma ; Sarcoma, Alveolar Soft Part* ; Viperidae

A rare and tremendous skull metastasis from the follicular thyroid carcinoma is reported with review of the articles. Follicular carcinoma of the thyroid with distant metastasis is considered a relatively progressive tumor associated with poor five-year survival rate. The insidious character of the primary growth of the thyroid carcinoma is the long latent period which supervenes between the recognition of the primary growth and its secondary metastasis. The clinicopathological features, plain X-ray and C-T findings are discussed.
Adenocarcinoma, Follicular* ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Skull* ; Survival Rate ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.
Albuterol* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Ultrasonics*