STUDY DESIGN: The purpose of this study was to determine whether facet joint orientation and/or tropism influences the prevalence of disc degeneration in MRI in young patients. OBJECTIVE: 41 patients with disc degeneration disease including HNP in MRI were assesed on facet joint angles and tropism between 18 and 30 years old. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUD DATA: The patients who had back pain had association between disc degeneration and facet tropism in adults. But some authors have suggested that facet tropism has no clinical relevance. Physiologic aging and premature disc degeneration induce a gradual loss of water and proteoglycan from nucleus pulposus. METHODS: We reviewed the 41 MRI of lumbar spine with disc degeneration and measured facet joint angles on the mid-disc cut, which was parallel to inferior vertebral end-plate of superior vertebra. In simple X-ray, we reviewed relation between the transitional vertebrae and disc degeneration. It was analyzed statistically the facet joint angles and facet tropism in each levels. RESULTS: The mean facet angles was more increased in upper vertebral facet joints but statistically nonspecific. The facet tropism was not significant in all lumbar levels and the effects of transitional vertebrae on disc degeneration were ignorable and unclear. CONCLUSIONS: No statistical relationship was found among the magnitude of the angle and facet tropism and the presence of disc degeneration at any levels in young patients.
Adult ; Aging ; Back Pain ; Equidae ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Prevalence ; Proteoglycans ; Spine ; Tropism* ; Young Adult* ; Zygapophyseal Joint

Two isotypes of nm23 gene have been reported as multifunctional genes as well as CD44 gene. In tumor, both of genes, one isotype of human nm23, nm23-H1 and splice variants of surface glycoprotein CD44[CD44 v8-10], are correlated with tumor growth and metatastic potential[Keim et al., 1992 ; Dall et al., 1995]. However, the correlation of expression between these genes in tumor was not reported. In this immunohistochemical study on skin cancers, basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma, we intended to clarify the differences of expression on the basis of origins of skin tumors, basal cell, prickle cell, melanin producing cell, and compare the alterations of expressions between two genes in each tumor, respectively. The conclusion of this comparison is that relative parallel alteration in expressions between nm23-H1/NDP kinase and CD44 v8-10 was observed in basal cell carcinoma and malignant melanoma with inverse relation in differentiation. In squamous carcinoma, the expressions of two genes were much associated with differentiation. On the periphery of tumor, very low level of nm23-H1 protein and high level of CD44 v8-10 protein were detected.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Humans* ; Melanins ; Melanoma ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; Phosphotransferases* ; Skin Neoplasms* ; Skin*

No abstract available.
Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Stomach Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Ammonium Compounds* ; Ammonium Sulfate* ; Animals ; Bromodeoxyuridine* ; CHO Cells* ; Chromosome Aberrations* ; Cricetinae ; Humans ; Siblings* ; Sister Chromatid Exchange*

No abstract available.
Neurofibromatoses*

No abstract available.
Urticaria*

Human uniparental gestations such as androgenetic hydatidiform moles provide a model to evaluate the integrity of parent-specific gene expression,-i.e, genomic imprinting,- in the absence of a complementary parental genetic contribution. Several imprinted genes are characterized so far including the insulin-like growth factor-2 gene (IGF2) coding for a fetal growth factor and the Hl9 gene whose normal function is unknown but which is likely to act as an untranslated mRNA for its tumor-suppressing function. IGF2 is expressed exclusively from the paternal allele while Hl9 from the maternal allele. Such an alternate expression is quite interesting because both Hl9 and IGF2 genes are located close to each other on chromosome 11p15.5. An in situ hybridization analysis has shown strong expression of Hl9 and IGF2 alleles in nine hydatidiform moles. Especially, a prominent expression of Hl9 and IGF2 was detected in cytotrophoblast and the cellular localization was almost paralleled in Hl9 and IGF2 transcripts . Hl9 and IGF2 genes could be expressed either biallelically or monoallelically in the moles. However, IGF2 biallelic expression did not affect allele-specificity of Hl9 expression.. These results suggest that both H19 and IGF2 transcripts are expressed in the same cells and that the functional imprinting of H19 and IGF2 genes in hydatidiform moles can be controlled individually and independently of each other.
Alleles ; Chromosome Aberrations* ; Clinical Coding ; Female ; Fetal Development ; Genomic Imprinting* ; Humans* ; Hydatidiform Mole* ; In Situ Hybridization ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor II* ; Parents ; Pregnancy ; RNA, Messenger ; Trophoblasts

No abstract available.
Carcinogenesis* ; Humans* ; Oncogenes*

No abstract available.
Carcinogenesis*

PURPOSE: Ion channels play key roles in determining smooth muscle tone by setting the membrane potential and allowing Ca2+ influx. Potassium channels may be important in modulating corporal smooth muscle tone. In this study, we investigated the effects of potassium channels in the rabbit corpus cavernosal smooth muscle by blocking them with various agents. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Strips of rabbit corpus cavernosum were prepared for mounting and isometric tension measurement in an organ bath. On cavernosal strips contracted with phenylephrine (PHE), sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was applied in increasing concentrations from 10(-7)M to 10(-4)M, causing dose-dependent relaxation. The effects of various potassium channel blockers on SNP-induced relaxation were then evaluated by measuring the tension of the cavernosal strips. The potassium channel blockers used were tetraethyl ammonium (TEA), charybdotoxin, gliben clamide, and apamin. RESULTS: The relaxation responses to SNP of the corporal preparations contracted in response to PHE were significantly attenuated by TEA (10(-2)M) and charybdotoxin (10(-7)M), with no significant difference observed between the two drugs. The SNP-induced relaxation responses were not significantly attenuated by glibenclamide (10(-5)M) or apamin (10(-5)M). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that maxi-K+ channels play an important role in corpus cavernosal relaxation. The KATP channel and small-conductance KCa channel are thought to be unrelated to corpus cavernosal smooth muscle relaxation.
Ammonium Compounds ; Apamin ; Baths ; Charybdotoxin ; Glyburide ; Ion Channels ; Membrane Potentials ; Muscle, Smooth ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitroprusside ; Phenylephrine ; Potassium Channel Blockers ; Potassium Channels ; Relaxation* ; Tea