All ceramic restorations have had a more limited life expectancy than metal ceramic crowns because of their lower strength. The relatively lower strength has limited the use of all-ceramic crowns to the areas where occlusal loads are lower. Therefore many researches have been done to increase the strength of all-ceramic crowns. IPS Empress 2 is a new type of lithium disilicate glass-ceramic with enhanced physical characteristics which has been in use clinically since 1998. Previous researches reported that the flexural strength of all-ceramic material was greater than 300MPa, and all-ceramic crowns can be used in staining or layering technique. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the thickness of IPS Empress 2 ceramic on fracture strength. Both staining technique and layering technique was investigated. Vita VMK was used as control. For all three groups, five specimens each of 0.8mm, 1.0mm, 1.4mm, 1.8mm, and 2.2mm thickness (a total of 75 specimens) were prepared. Control group: Vita VMK Porcelain specimens were prepared with dentine ceramic and liquid glazing was done. Group I: IPS Empress 2 were prepared with staining technique and stained twice and glazed once. Group II : IPS Empress 2 were prepared with layering technique and glazed after wash firing. The thickness and diameter of the specimen were measured and controlled after specimen preparation. Biaxial Flexure Test (ASTM Standard F394-78) was adopted as this test method produces results least affected by the edge condition of the specimens. Fracture strength was measured with Instron Universal Testing Machine. Conclusions are as follow : 1. The fracture strength was increase in order of control group, test group I, test group II. 2. Fracture strength of the group I(Empress 2 Staining) was 65.54 N in 0.8mm, 155.2 N in 1.0mm, 233.5 N in 1.44mm, 434.5 N in 1.8mm, and 600.1 N in 2.2mm. 3. Fracture strength of the group II (Empress 2 Layering) was 190.0 N in 0.8mm, 283.5 N in 1.0mm, 437.2 N in 1.4mm, 732.0 N in 1.8mm, and 1115.0 N in 2.2mm. 4. No statistical difference was found in flexural strengths according to thickness in a specified group(p>0.05).
Ceramics* ; Crowns ; Dental Porcelain ; Dentin ; Fires ; Life Expectancy ; Lithium

Infantile form of histiocytosis X is commonly presented as multiorgan desseminated form such as Letterer-Siwe disease. Lymph node involvement of histiocytosis X is usually accompanied by adjacent bone or skin lesion. Solitary nodal eosinophilic granuloma without evidence of other organ involvement is very rare. A case herein report is a 11 month-old female infant presented with fever and palpable both inguinal lymph nodes. There was neither skin lesion nor hepatosplenomegaly. Laboratory evaluation was within normal range except increased alkaline phosphatase and many neutrophils in urine. Radiologic examination revealed no remarkable bone lesions. And she showed good clinical outcome without evidence of other organ involvements. On microscopic examination of inguinal lymph node it was replaced by infiltration of histiocytes mainly along the sinusoid. Some of histiocytes showed morphologic features of "histiocytosis X cell" having nuclear grooves or multilobulation. Multinulceated giant cells were frequently see. Numerous eosinphils were also infiltrated and showed multifocal microabscess formation. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that majority of histiocytes were postitive for S-100 protein but multinucleated histriocytes, phagocytic histiocytes and those around the abscess were positive for macrophage marker, suck as CD68 and alpha-1-antichymotrypsin. Interestingly some histiocytes showed positivity for both S-100 protein and macrophage marker. These results suggest that histiocytosis X is proliferative disorder of phenotypically heterogenous population of histiocytes in contrast to the theory that it is a proliferative disorder of Langerhans cells.
Infant ; Male ; Female ; Humans

No abstract available.
Escherichia coli* ; Escherichia* ; Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract*

BACKGROUND: HLA-B40 is the most frequently identified HLA-B type in Koreans. Also HLA-B60 and B61 are the serologic split antigens of HLA-B40. But because of the lack of mono-specific alloantisera, cross reactivity of sera used as typing reagents, and poor antigenicity of some specific cells such as cord blood lymphocytes, discrimination between HLA-B60 and B61 has been often problematic in laboratories. In this study, authors evaluated whether the PCR-SSP method can be useful for accurate assignments of HLA-B60 and B61 or not. METHODS: Twenty-nine lymphocytes samples which were suspected as heterozygotes or homozygotes of HLA-B60 or B61 and three samples typed as HLA-B40 are selected from stored cord blood and organ transplantation donors. HLA types of these samples were defined by serologic method using a commercial typing kit. PCR that amplified exons 2 and 3 of the HLA-B gene using sequence specific primer pairs exactly matched to HLA-B60 or B61 allele making up a serological specificity was done. RESULTS: A clear discrimination between B60 and B61 was possible in all samples including 9 serologically ambiguous samples. Discrepancy between serologic typing and molecular typing was seen in three cases identified serologically as B40 positive but inable to define a split. Among three samples, two were identified as HLA-B61 and one was identified as HLA-B60. CONCLUSIONS: Molecular typing was useful in discriminating between HLA-B60 and B61. The PCR-SSP method for HLA-B60 and B61 including other cross-reactive HLA types will be helpful as a supplemental method of the serologic typing.
Alleles ; Discrimination (Psychology)* ; Exons ; Fetal Blood ; Heterozygote ; HLA-B Antigens ; HLA-B40 Antigen ; Homozygote ; Humans ; Indicators and Reagents ; Lymphocytes ; Molecular Typing ; Organ Transplantation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants

No abstract available.
Moyamoya Disease*

Secondary osteoarthritis of hip joints is a common disease and is frequently followed by chronic sublexation and dislocation. Twenty four case of the secondary osteoarthritis associated with chronic subluxation and dislocation of the hip joints were evaluated with plain radiography and computed tomography. We retrospectively analyzed 1) the ossification and calcification of the acetabular labrum, 2) the thickeness of the quadrilateral plate of the ilium, and 3) anteroposterior diameter of the acetabulum. The changes of the hip joints in subluxation (n=14) revealed ossification of the acetabular labrum in 12 cases (86%), thickening of the quadrilateral plate of the ilium in 11 cases (78%) but anteroposterior diameter of the acetabulum was not changed. The changes of the hip joints in dislocation (n=10) revealed no evidence of the ossification of the acetabular labrum, thickening of the quadrilateral plate of the ilium in 10 cases (100%) and decreased anteroposterior diameter of the acetabulum. We conclude that CT findings of subluxation and dislocation of the hip joints can be helpful in the evaluation of the secondary osteoarthritis of the hip joints.
Acetabulum ; Dislocations* ; Hip Joint* ; Hip* ; Ilium ; Joints ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteoarthritis, Hip ; Radiography ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract*

This study was designed to investigate factors relating to fiscal deficit for regional health insurance. The financial statements for the fiscal year 1990 of nationwide 254 regional medical insurance societies were analyzed. Important findings are summarized below: 1. There were differences in the main reason for the financial deficit among regions when deficit and surplus societies were compared by regions. The total revenue per enrollee, especially revenue from the premium contribution of a deficit society was significantly smaller than that of a surplus society in large cities and counties. On the other hand, the total expenditure per enrollee of a deficit society was larger than that of a surplus society in small cities. 2. Both low premium irate at the beginning of health insurance program and less effort to increase the premium rate were main factors for the smaller revenue from the contribution of a deficit society in large cities and counties. 3. Larger expenditures per covered person of a deficit society in small cities were explained with larger medical expenditures especially for out-patients services rather than larger administrative expenses. 4. A regression analysis showed that utilization rates in out-patient services were significantly associated with income and numbers of total medical care institution per capita within a region where a health insurance society located. Also expenses paid by insurer per visit were associated with the proportion of utilization for tertiary care hospitals as well as the proportion of utilization of public health centers.
Hand ; Health Expenditures ; Humans ; Insurance ; Insurance Carriers ; Insurance, Health* ; Korea* ; Outpatients ; Public Health ; Tertiary Healthcare

Pulmonary vascular hypertension is characterized by migration and proliferation of smooth muscle cells accompanying abnormal synthesis and accumulation of extracellular proteins in vascular wall. The aim of this study is to define the role of endogneous TGF-betas and PDGF in the process of remodeling vessels through determining the temporal and spatial distribution of these growth factors in hypertensive pulmonary vessels in monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in rat. Sprague-Dawley rats were sacrificed 12 hours, 1, 2, 4, 7, 10, 14, 21, 28, and 56 days after treatment. The morphometric analysis of medial thickening and immunohistochemical study using antibodies to TGF-beta1, TGF-beta2, TGF-beta3, and PDGF were performed. Immunoreactivities for TGF-beta1 and TGF-beta3 were increased from the 14th day in the medial smooth muscle cells and PDGF showed increased expression from the 21st day in the medial smooth muscle cells. No difference in TGF-beta2 immunoreactivity was found between control and experimental groups. The expression of TGF-beta1, TGF-beta3 and PDGF increased in medial layers with the progressive thickening of pulmonary arteries which was considered to have close relation to medial hypertrophy of pulmonary arterioles. In the case of PDGF, however, the morphologic change occurred before increase in immunoreactivity was observed in the medial layer of pulmonary arterioles. Moreover, the function of isoforms of TGF-beta has yet to be completely elucidated; the different affinity to receptors and the degree of expression of these receptors that are supposed to affect the function of growth factors. Thus, further studies are needed.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Arterioles ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Pulmonary* ; Hypertrophy ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Monocrotaline ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Protein Isoforms ; Pulmonary Artery ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Transforming Growth Factor beta* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; Transforming Growth Factor beta2 ; Transforming Growth Factor beta3

No abstract available.