The mechanism of cytolysis by complement attack of nucleated cells(NC) is of special interest in comparison to that of red blood cells. It is known that NC death by membrane attack comples, C5b-9, is caused by many factors, i.e., efficiency of complex assembly, activation of intrinsic metabolic pathway by signal transduction, cytotoxic effect of the channel itself and natural repair ability. These factors suggest that colloid osmotic lysis, known in red blood cells, does not fully explain the complement-mediated cell death of NC. In this study, the authors investigated correlation between biochemical and morphological changes to prove "Ca2+-mediated metabolic death"8~13) representing a mechanism of NC death caused by C5b-9 attack. The L1210 cells, mouse leukemic cell line carrying small complement channel(TAC5b-91) were used in the experiments. The amounts of intracellular adenine nucleotides to extracellular Ca2+, ouabain, KC1 and dextran were analyzed by bioluminescence method using luminometer. Cell viability was checked by 0.4% trypan blue dye and LDH release. Morphological observation of TAC5b-91 was done by immunocytochemical staining and electron microscope. The results were as follows: 1) The release of ATP, ADP and AMP followed by cell death was rapid and progressive along the incubation time at 37 degrees C and it was accelerated in 1.5 mM of [Ca2+]0. 2) There was no evidence of ATP repairment in the TAC5b-91. 3) Extracellular KC1(150 mM), dextran(0.66 mM) and ATP supplement(0.2 microM) could not effectively inhibit ATP depletion and cell death. Ouabain(27 and 100 microM) enhanced cell death and could not completely prevent ATP loss. 4) Most of the mitochondria showed swelling, loss of cristae and Ca2+ deposit in matrix in the electron microscopic observation. Rapid, sustained and irreversible depletion of adenine nucleotides was due to Ca2+ deposit with destruction of mitochondria and also the leakage through transmembrane channels. Moreover this energy depletion was accelerated by high extracellular Ca2+ concentration. These results indicate that Ca2+-mediated, energy exhaustion is one of the mechanisms of the metabolic cell death by C5b-9 attack of NC.
Mice ; Animals

Nevus lipomatosus cutaneous superficialis(NLCB) is a rare condition consisting of ectopic fat tissue in the dermis and having the predilection for the pelvic girdle, especially gluteal region. The patient was a 20 year-old female. About 8 years prior to the first visit she had noticed the rice-sized papules on her lower back, which had been gradually increased in size and coalesced to become two, cerebriform, skin colored to yellowish tumor masses of soft consistency, distributed on both sides of the midline of lower back, and measuring respectively 3.5X7.Qcm and 7.0x11.5cm in size. Jihe biopsy specimen taken from the tumor mass revealed the ectopic presence of fat lobules occupying half of the reticular dermis. The fat lobules consisted of almost mature fat cells with the presence of dilated capillaries in their centers.
Adipocytes ; Biopsy ; Buttocks ; Capillaries ; Dermis ; Female ; Humans ; Nevus* ; Skin ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn

No abstract available.
Emphysema* ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular*

PURPOSE: To determine whether patient factors (pre-fitting patient's data) before reverse-geometry lens (RGL) use could be predicting factors for the increase in visual acuity after RGL use. METHODS: The authors reviewed out patient records of 805 eyes of 423 patients wearing RGLs from March 2003 to May 2009. The relationship between patient factors on UVA before wearing a RGL examined at follow-ups and the IVA after wearing a RGL were analyzed. RESULTS: The spherical refractive errors and the cylindrical refractive errors showed statistically significant results (p < 0.05). The lower was the refractive error, the greater were the UVA and IVA results. Correlations existed between the corneal astigmatism and UVA or IVA at three months (p < 0.05). The lower was the corneal astigmatism, the greater were the UVA and IVA results. Correlations were observed between the initial visual acuity and IVA, although the initial visual acuity cannot be a predictor. The other factors evaluated did not show statistically significant results (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The refractive error and the corneal astigmatism may be strong predictors of UVA and IVA after RGL use.
Astigmatism ; Eye ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Refractive Errors ; Visual Acuity

No abstract available.
Contracture*

BACKGROUND: Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) is widely accepted as the most accurate procedure to differentiate malignant from benign thyroid nodules. It is a simple, safe, and inexpensive procedure, and the accuracy of FNAC is relatively high; however, its success usually depends upon the skill in using the aspiration technique and the experience and skill of the cytologist. The authors confirmed the diagnostic value of preoperative FNAC in differential diagnosis of thyroid nodules treated by the surgical resection. METHODS: Three hundred fifty specimens were taken in the Department of Surgery, Inje University College of Medicine, from July 1990 to June 1996. Fifty-one males and 299 females with ages ranging from 11 to 73 years were enrolled. The cytology of FNAC was compared to the final histologic diagnosis. RESULTS: The number of inadequate smears (or sampling error) was 15.7%. Preoperative cytologic diagnoses was consisted of 198 cases of benign disease (92 cases of nodular goiters, 96 cases of follicular lesion types III, and 10 cases of thyroiditis), 12 cases of highly suspicious malignant lesions (follicular lesions type II), and 85 cases of malignant disease (71 cases of papillary carcinomas and 14 cases of follicular lesions type I). Histologic diagnoses consisted of nodular goiters in 116 cases, adenomas in 66 cases, thyroiditis in 9 cases, papillary carcinomas in 84 cases, and follicular carcinomas in 20 cases. These results has an 84.6% sensitivity, a 95.2% specificity, a 15.3% false negative rate, and a 4.7% false positive rate. In the fifty-five cases of inadequate sampling, 13 cases (23.6%) were malignant lesions histologically. In the 16 cases proven as false negative, nine cases were papillary carcinomas, and 7 cases were follicular carcinomas histologically. Thirteen cases (16.1% of 27 cases of cystic lesions) of cystic nodules revealed malignant neoplasms histologically. CONCLUSION: FNAC is a single, useful diagnostic procedure for the initial screening for malignancy in thyroid nodules. Performing repeated aspiration in cystic nodules and clinically suspicious cases could reduce inadeguate sampling and the false negative rate.
Adenoma ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Female ; Goiter, Nodular ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Nodule* ; Thyroiditis

No abstract available.
Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/*therapeutic use ; Camptothecin/*analogs & derivatives/therapeutic use ; Female ; Fluorouracil/therapeutic use ; Humans ; Leucovorin/therapeutic use ; Male ; Organoplatinum Compounds/therapeutic use ; Stomach Neoplasms/*drug therapy

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn*

No abstract available.
Gastrectomy* ; Stomach Neoplasms*