PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of a technetium-99m mercaptoacetyltriglycine (Tc-99m MAG3) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) performed on transplanted kidney. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty renal transplant patients were included in this study. Planar scan was performed for 30 minutes using 555 MBq Tc-99m MAG3. A post-voiding SPECT scan was acquired on the third, seventh, fourteenth and twenty eighth day after transplantation. RESULTS: SPECT scan showed interpretable image quality in 26 of 30 patients (86.7%) and 84 in 120 scans (70%). Fourteen of 26 patients with interpretable SPECT image showed decreased or increased radioactivity, but only 5 had abnormal findings on the planar scan. Focal SPECT defects were seen in allografts with normal function (n=3), acute tubular necrosis (n=3), and acute rejection (n=2). The defects are thought to reflect focally underperfused renal parenchyme or, in normal allografts, an artifact from uneven radioactivity distribution. Four of 10 patients with renal arterial variation showed focally decreased radioactivity and SPECT helped guide further studies that confirmed the exact cause. Five of 10 patients with acute tubular necrosis or acute rejection showed focally decreased radioactivity, but its relation to the patients' clinical course was not clear. Focally increased radioactivity was observed in 5 allografts with normal function and 1 with double ureter in which local clearance delay was observed. CONCLUSION: Tc-99m MAG3 SPECT renal scan can detect additional focal abnormalities compared to planar scan. Further study is necessary to elucidate the exact clinical significance of the SPECT findings.
Allografts ; Artifacts ; Humans ; Kidney* ; Necrosis ; Radioactivity ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon* ; Ureter

No abstract available.
Hematuria* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Neurofibromatoses* ; Pseudarthrosis* ; Ulna*

No abstract available.
Antibody Formation* ; Child* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Vaccination*

No abstract available.
Acidosis*

No abstract available.
Hemangioendothelioma*

The distribution of transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) in developing mouse embryos of gestational age 8 to 15 days was immunohistochemically (ABC method) studied to investigate the differential expression of these growth factors. Paraffin embedded sections were immunostained with antibodies for TGF-α and EGF. Staining of TGF-α was observed in several organs derived from endoderm, mesoderm and ectoderm in 9-day-old mouse embryos, such as in the heart, optic pit, head mesenchyme, neural tube and primitive gut, and the staining became more intense in 10 to 15-day-old mouse embryos. The staining of EGF was seen in the heart and primitive gut derived from mesoderm and ectoderm respectively, in 9-day-old mouse embryos, but it was observed in other organs as well in 10 to 15-day-old embryos although the intensity was weaker. In the development of heart, immunoreactivity for TGF-α was more intense than EGF, which suggests more active involvement of TGF-α. In the lung, TGF-α staining was observed both in the bronchus and lung bud, whereas EGF staining was seen only the bronchus. In the nervous system, TGF-α was expressed more extensively and more intensively than EGF. In the developing skeletal system, TGF-α staining was stronger and the expression was observed at earlier stage compared with EGF. These results indicate that the activity of TGF-α is more potent than EGF in the development of mouse embryo in general, especially, in the development of mouse heart, nervous system, mesenchyme and skeletal system.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Bronchi ; Ectoderm ; Embryonic Structures* ; Endoderm ; Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Gastrula ; Gestational Age ; Head ; Heart ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Lung ; Mesoderm ; Mice* ; Nervous System ; Neural Tube ; Paraffin

BACKGROUND: Circardian variation in the onset of cardiovascular events includig sudden cardiac death, myocardial infarction and ventricular arrhythmias has been discribed. The frequency of ventricular premature complexes has also been reported to demonstrate a pattern consisting of a daytime peak and nightime nadir. We tried to see if the same circardian pattern is found in dilated cardiomyopathy patients. We have also studed how various modifying factors such as left ventricular ejection fration and ACE inhibitor use may affect the circardian pattern. METHOD: 24-hour ambulatory electrocaridiographic monitorings were performed in 50 dilated cardiomyopathy patients and 20 control subjects. Patients were prospectively divided in 2 groups based on LVEF and ACE inhibitor use. RESULTS: In dilated cardiomyopathy patients, the expected morning increase in VPC frequency is absent and show a peak in evening. This pattern is not correlated with heart rate. Evening peak is more prominent in low LVEF group and ACE inhibitor non-user group. CONCLUSION: In dilated cardiomyopathy patients, VPC frequency show a peak in the evening.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated* ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Prospective Studies ; Ventricular Premature Complexes*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Brain* ; Endothelium* ; Mannitol* ; Perfusion* ; Rats*

Real-time ultrasonogram was performed in 31 Pt. with CHPS, who was admitted at the pediatric department of Wonkwang University hospital from January 1991 to June 1993. Those who had positive results of pyloric volume for diagnosis of CHPS and were confirmed by surgery. The results were at follows: 1) The average ultrasonographic measurements of pyloric muscle thickness, pyloric diameter, pyloric length were 4.9+/-1.09mm, 14.42+/-2.69mm, 19.17+/-2.37mm, and pyloric volume was 3.26+/-1.39ml. 2) The diagnostic reliabilities with the ultrasonographic measurements of muscle thickness (>4mm), pyloric diameter (>12mm) and pyloric length (>15mm) by Stunden's criteria in 31 cases were compared, which were not significant difference among them. 3) In ultrasonographic measurements of 31 cases for diagnosis of CHPS, positive results with 3 parameters were 80.6% and with 2 parameters and double tract signs were 87.1%. So. we conclude pyloric volume greater than 1.4ml was the most reliable parameter, which was satisfied 100% with diagnosis of CHPS.
Diagnosis* ; Pyloric Stenosis, Hypertrophic* ; Ultrasonography