The authors studied the ultrastructural changes of liver cell mitochondria in autolysis. The male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighting 140~160 gm were sacrificed for extract liver tissue. The slices of the liver tissue were incubated in 37 degrees C aseptic normal saline, and those were examined by following intervals; 10, 20 and 30 minutes and 1, 2, 6, 12 and 24 hours with light and electron microscope. The results obtained by light microscopy were summerized as follow. Several fine intracytoplasmic vacuoles were observed 1 hour after incubation. After 3 hours, focal destruction of cytoplasmic membrane with pyknosis of nuclei were observed. More delicate intracytoplasmic architectural changes could not be detected at light microscopic studies. The cord arrangement and cellular boundaries were relatively well preserved until 24 hours after incubation. Electronmicroscopically, mild intramitochondrial swelling with diminution of intramatrical granules were observed at 20 minutes. These were the earliest findings. Both high amplitude swelling and destruction of mitochondrial membrane were observed concurrently at 1 hour after incubation. The earlier membrane changes were observed at inner membrane with cristae and followed by degeneration of the outer membrane. The intramatrical amorphous dense deposits were observed at 30 minutes when the membranes were not destroyed. These deposits were noted in the other experimental groups which were incubated longer than 30 minutes. More electron dense deposits were observed after 1 hour at that time the membrane changes appeared. Vhe results suggest in this experiment that the earliest autolytic changes of liver cell mitochondria is loss of intramitochondrial granules and the membraneous changes led to the irreversible mitochondiral injury. The appearance of two types of intramitochondrial dense deposits would be an interesting finding needed to require further investigation for the chemical stucture and mechanism of dense deposit formation.
Male ; Humans

Hantavirus is a genus of the Bunyaviridae family causing two serious diseases, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Puumala virus is a member of hantavirus originally found in Europe, and its natural reservoir is Clethrionomys glareolus. It is also associated with the hurnan disease nephropathia epidemica, a milder form of HFRS. To identify the hantaviruses in bats, bats were collected from Jeong-Sun, Won-Joo, Chung-Ju and Hwa-Cheon area in Korea, and nested RT-PCR was performed with serotype specific primer from M segment. Interestingly, Puumala virus was detected in bats (Rhinolophus ferrum-equinum) only from Won-Joo. The 327 bp nested RT-PCR product, was sequenced. The sequence database search indicates that the sequence is homologous to the published sequence of Puumala viruses. The sequence similarities were ranged from 71% to 97%. The highest sequence similarity was 97% with Puumala virus Vranicam strain, and the lowest was 71% with Puumala virus K27 isolate. Puumala virus Vranicam strain was isolated from a bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) in Bosnia-Hercegovina. Puumala virus K27 was isolated from human in Russia. This analysis confirms that bats (Rhinolophus ferrum-equinum) in Korea are natural reservoir of Puumala virus.
Arvicolinae ; Base Sequence ; Bunyaviridae ; Chiroptera* ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Europe ; Hantavirus ; Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; Humans ; Korea* ; Puumala virus* ; Russia ; Sequence Analysis*

Because of increasing resistance of circulating N. gonorrhoeae and frequent failures in the treatment of gonorrhoea, intensive work on gonorrhoea has become of paramount importance. During January 1980-April 1984, at the Choong-Ku VD Clinic in Seoul, 3,340 male patients with uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis were treated with various treatment regimens. Diagnosis of gonorrhoea and declaration of a treatment failure were made on the basis of positive urethral culture. In 1984, the prevalence of Penicillinase Producing N. gonorrhoeae (PPNG) was about 30%, The pretreatment minimun inhibitory concentration of various antibiotics were quite high. Even for non-PPNG urethritis standard penicillin regimens gave unsatisfactory results. For PPNG urethritis, only spectinomycin, cefoperazone and cefotaxim-probenecid regimens gave satisfactory results. No spectmomycin resistant strain of N. gonorrhoeae has been found since 1982 at the Choong-Ku VD Clinic. As an agent of single drug therapy, spectinomycin seems to be one of the most cost effective drugs in the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhoea in men.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Cefoperazone ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Penicillinase ; Penicillins ; Prevalence ; Seoul ; Spectinomycin ; Treatment Failure ; Urethritis

Between December 18, 1985 and May 31, 1986 at the VD Clinic, Choong-ku Public Health Center, in Seoul, 274 male patients with uncomplicated gonococcal infection, including 124 penicillinase producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae(PPNG) infection, were entered into the study. They were divided randomly into the group A and the group B. In the group A, treated with kanamycin 2g, im regimen, 126 of 137 patients were followed and 86 patients(68.3%) were cured. In the group B, treated with gentamicin 240mg, im regimen, 125 of 137 patients were followed and 78 patients(62.4%) were cured. The cure rates in PPNG urethritis were 63.9%(39/61) in the group A and 50.9%(29/57) in the group B. The cure rates in non PPNG urethritis were 72.3%(47/65) in the group A and 72.1% (49/68) in the group B. No significant difference was observed in cure rates between two groups. It is suggested that. both kanamycin 2g, im regimen and gentamicin 240mg, im regimen is not suitable for a first line treatment for uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis.
Gentamicins* ; Humans ; Kanamycin* ; Male* ; Neisseria ; Penicillinase ; Public Health ; Seoul ; Urethritis*

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the reliability and usefulness of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve conduction study by comparing the modified Ma's method (method I) with the method proposed by Spevak and Prevec (method II) and to develop a standard value of the Korean normal adult by the method II. METHOD: Twenty-nine healthy adults were examined for the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve conduction by both methods bilaterally. The nerve was stimulated 1 cm medial to anterior superior iliac spine (ASIS) in the method I and 8 cm distal to ASIS in the method II. The sensory nerve action potential was recorded with 8 cm long strip electrodes placed on the thigh 17 cm distal to ASIS in the method I and 33 cm distal to ASIS in the method II. RESULTS: 1) Among 58 extremities, a sensory nerve action potential was detected in 52 extremities (89.7%) by the method I and in 57 extremities (98.3%) by the method II without a significant difference between both methods. 2) The mean distal latency was 3.41 msec by the method I and 4.56 msec by the method II. 3) The mean amplitude was 7.24 microvolt by the method I and 6.63 microvolt by the method II without a significant difference between both methods. 4) The mean conduction velocity was 50.9 m/sec by the method I and 55.2 m/sec by the method II without a significant difference between both methods. CONCLUSION: According to the study, both methods are compatible and reliable for the examination of lateral femoral cutaneous nerve except for a significant difference in a mean conduction velocity.
Action Potentials ; Adult ; Electrodes ; Extremities ; Humans ; Neural Conduction* ; Spine ; Thigh

This study was performed to investigate the effect of endotoxin to the CCl4-induced liver injury. Twelve Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally injected 1.6 g/kg CCl4 as control group. Another 24 rats were orally administrated 300 mg/kg of neomycin at 16 and 3 hours prior to CCl4 injection as experimental group. Twelve among them were intraperitoneally infected 1.0 mg/kg of endotoxin(E-Coli, 0111:B4, No L-2630, lipopolysaccharide, Sigma, USA) and CCl4 simultaneously for offsetting neomycin effect. The rats were sacrificed at 1, 4, 10, and 24 hours after CCl4 injection. The liver tissues from all experimental groups were observed by light and electron microscopy. The results obtained were summarized as follows: In the CCl4 only group, the hepatocytes revealed sweling of ER and mitochondria with many lipid droplet in the cytoplasm. Focal cellular necrosis was seen at the later phase. The Kupffer cells were activated and showed many cytoplasmic processes, secondary lysosomes, and vaculoles. The endothelial cells were edematous. Several neutrophils, platelets, and microthrombi were scattered in the sinusoid. In the neomycin-CCl4-endotoxin administrated group, both hepatocytic destruction and intrasinusoidal microthrombi formation were more pronounced. In the neomycin pretreated group, the hepatocytes revealed mild cellular destruction without necrosis. There is no intrasinusoidal microthrombi. According to these results, it would be concluded that the small dosage of gastrointestinal tract-derived endotoxin affects to the liver injury caused by CCl4. The synergistic effects of CCl4 and gastrointestinal tract-derived endotoxin which can not be detoxified by damaged Kupffer cells, may be more important in the pathogenesis of CCl4-induced liver injury.
Rats ; Animals

Amiodarone, an antiarrhythmic drug, may exert pulmonary toxicity in some patients but the pathogenesis is not clear. This study was carried out to investigate the pathogenetic mechanism of pulmonary injury induced by amiodarone at dose of 100 mg/kg/day given to rats by intraperitoneal injection for 3 weeks. And the preventive effects of concomitantly injected steroid (10 mg/kg/day) on amiodarone induced pulmonary injury was also studied using bronchoalveolar lavage, light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The results obtained were summarized as follows: Mild lymphocytosis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was found in all experimental groups. Intracytoplasmic lamellar body formation was found in all types of pulmonary cells and type II pneumocytes revealed the earliest abnormal lamellar body formation. The capillary endothelial cells showed cellular swelling and detachment from underlying basement membrane at early phase of experiment and the edema of alveolar wall and interstitium were noted. Interstitial fibrosis and proliferation of type II pneumocytes were noted at late phase. The lungs of steroid injected groups revealed accumulation of lamellar bodies in all types of pulmonary cells but interstitial fibrosis was not occurred. These findings support the concept that amiodarone is responsible for a drug-induced phospholipidosis and directly toxic to pulmonary endothelial and epithelial cells. And steroid may regress the progression of amiodarone induced pulmonary injury.
Rats ; Animals

The authors studied the formation of giant mitochondria in liver cell. The Sprague Dawley rats were sacrificed following intervals; 5, 10, 20, 30, and 60 minutes after intraperitoneal injection of hydrazine in the amount of 200 microliter/kg. And the extracted liver tissues were examined with light and electron microscopes. The results obtained were summarized as follow; Light microscopically, there is little difference between control and experimental groups. Electron microscopically, elongated, bizzare shaped mitochondria are appears 5 minutes after hydrazine injection. Those show attenuated portion, Y, U, or C shaped feature suggesting fusion or budding mitochondria. The number of giant mitochondria is decreased after 10 minutes group and rarely present in 60 minutes group. The results suggest in this experiment that the formation of giant mitochondria is kind of reversible change and it is different from the mitochondrial swelling of cellular injury. Intermitochondrial fusion and mitochondrial budding may be related with the formation of giant mitochondria.
Rats ; Animals

The authors studied the lung injury induced by endotoxemia and the effects of proteolytic agent on the lung changed by endotoxemia. Sprague-Dawley rats were intraperitoneally administrated with a single dose of endotoxin (4 mg/kg, E. coli 025 : B6 lipopolysaccharide) or with endotoxin and gabexate mesilate (200 mg/kg), a proteolytic agent, concomitantly. Rats of each group were scarificed at 9, 18, and 27 hours after injection. Light and electron microscopic examination were done. The results obtained were summarized as follows: Light microscopic exmination revealed congested capillaries and neutrophilic infiltration in both groups. Electron microscopic findings were interstitial and alveolar neutrophilic infiltration, endothelial swelling with increased pinocytotic vesicles and cytoplasmic process formation, and interstitial edema. Decrease of osmiophilic bodies in the type II pneumocytes had appeared at 9 hours after endotoxin injection. These changes were increased in severity at 18 hours and 27 hours after endotoxin injection. In the group of concomitant treatment of gabexate mesilated and endotoxin, there was no edema at 9 hours after injection. After 18 hours welling of endothelial cell and interstitial edema had appeared. However, the severity of the edema was markedly decreased. Type II pneumocytes showed well preserved osmiophilic bodies. According to these results, it is considered that administration of gabexate mesilate can significantly redeced the lung injury induced by endotoxemia.
Rats ; Animals

From November 18 to December 31, 1986, seventy-five male patients with unconplicated gonococcal urethritis at the Venereal Disease Clinic of Choong-ku Public Health Center in Seoul were allocated randomly into one of two treatment regimens, and seventy patients were followed. All thirty-five patients including PPNG infections, treated with single oral dose of norfloxacin 600mg, were recovered(100%). One of thirty-five patients treated with a single oral dose of norfloxacin 800mg, failed. This failed case was one of eighteen nonPPNG infections (failure rate of 5.6%). Susceptibility test with disks containing norfloxacin 10ug showed the inhibition zone greater than 30mm. It is suggested that a single oral dose of 600mg or 800mg norfloxacin has good effect in the treatment of gonococcal urethritis with minimal side effects. Because of high prevalence of PPNG, it can be recommended as the first line treatment for gonorrhoea in Korea.
Humans ; Korea ; Male* ; Norfloxacin* ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Seoul ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases ; Urethritis*