BACKGROUND : DHEAS, the major circulating adrenal hormone, has been suggested to have a role in many aging related diseases and perhaps in aging itself. But, there is no epidemiologic data of DHEAS in normal adults in Korea. We studied age changes and sex differences in serum DHEAS & its related factors throughout adulthood. METHODS : We administ structured questionnaires to the study subjects. We measured serum DHEAS levels and several biochemical markers (total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, glucose etc) in 1.710 healthy men(857) and women (853), aged 17-76 years. We also measured their height, weight, waist & hip circumference and body fat contents with bioimpedance method. We analyzed various variables relating to serum DHEAS levels by using SPSS. Reference data of serum DHEAS level in normal adults were also suggested. RESULTS : The DHEAS concentration peaked at age group blow age of 30 years in man(260.9 microgram/dL). Then mean values declined steadily in both sexes (r=-0.38, p<0.001 in men and r=-0.46, p<0.001 in women). At age group above 70 years, only 30.9% in men & 30.4% in women, when compared with age group below 30 years, was remained. DHEAS concentration were significantly higher in men than women at all age group except age group above 70 years. Average 1.5 times higher concentration in men than in women (at least 1.28 times at age<30 and max 2.00 times at age 60-64). In men, DHEAS had higher mean value in smokers (218.1 vs 199.1 microgram/dL, p<0.05), drinkers (>or=2 times/week, 219.1 vs 185.3 microgram/dL, p<0.01), android type fat distribution group (waist/hip>0.85, 227.1 vs 197.4 microgram/dL) after adjusting age. DHEAS was positively correlated with body mass index (r=0.12, p<0.01). But in women, drinkers (154.3 vs 131.7 microgram/dL, p<0.05) and regular exercise group (146.1 vs 131.6 microgram/dL, p=0.05) had higher mean DHEAS value. There were no significant association between DHEAS and lipid profile (total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol) & fasting glucose level in both sex. CONCLUSION : Our data suggest that DHEAS levels may influenced by several sociodemographic factors (e.g. smoking, alcohol, exercise etc) and body mass index. DHEAS level was inversely correlated by age in both sex and men had 1.5 times higher DHEAS values than women. We could not find any association between DHEAS level and lipid profile & fasting blood sugar.
Adipose Tissue ; Adult ; Aging ; Biomarkers ; Blood Glucose ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol ; Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate* ; Dehydroepiandrosterone* ; Fasting ; Female ; Glucose ; Hip ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sex Characteristics* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Triglycerides ; Waist-Hip Ratio

No abstract available.
Brain* ; Nitrogen* ; Oxygen*

No abstract available.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cervix Uteri* ; Cystadenocarcinoma, Mucinous ; Female

The authors analysed statically 420 Cases of the ocular trauma among 35,460 patients who visited to the emergency department, from Jul. 1995 to Jun. 1996. Ocular trauma is one of the commonest causes of eye diseases and blindness, but its patterns and incidences are variable according to the environment. A large number of patients can be readily treated in the emergency department. Prevention is, of course, the best management, but when an ocular injury occurs, proper emergency treatment can often prevent permanent damage.
Blindness ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Emergency Treatment ; Eye Diseases ; Humans ; Incidence

BACKGROUND: Immediate early gene (IEG) is supposed to be linked in the continuous seizure induced long-term changes of specific neurons. We tried to investigate the effects of focal interictal epileptiform discharges on the c-JUN expression in the rat brain which is not clearly understood. METHODS:Epidural electrodes were placed on a male Sprague-Dawley weighing 150~230 g and benzathine penicillin (Pc) was applied cortically. After focal interictal epileptiform discharges were successfully identified, EEG was recorded regularly. Cardiac perfusion and extraction of the brain was done at 2, 4, 24 hours and 1 week after the Pc application. Sixteen rats were evenly distributed into 4 groups. Immunocytochemical staining with specific antisera (Santa Cruz) was performed. RESULTS: The epileptiform discharges were induced within an hour after topical Pc applications. At 2 hours after Pc application, c-JUN was moderately expressed in the dentate gyrus (DG) and weakly expressed in the CA3 pyramidal cell, amygdala, pyriform cortex, thalamus, and neocortex. At 4 hours, c-JUN was minimally expressed in DG and other regions. Whereas, at 24 hours, c-JUN was maximally expressed in the DG and also in the CA3 pyramidal cell, amygdala, pyriform cortex, thalamus, and neocortex. One week after Pc application, c-JUN was moderately expressed in the DG and weakly expressed in the CA3 pyramidal cell, amygdala, pyriform cortex, and neocortex. CONCLUSIONS: This data showed that even focal interictal epileptic activity can induce IEG encoded c-JUN protein in the specific distant brain regions of a rat until a late period and the expression pattern showed a synchronous and bimodal pattern.
Amygdala ; Animals ; Brain* ; Dentate Gyrus ; Electrodes ; Electroencephalography ; Humans ; Immune Sera ; Male ; Neocortex ; Neurons ; Penicillin G ; Penicillin G Benzathine ; Perfusion ; Pyramidal Cells ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Seizures ; Thalamus

Many fungi including Penicillium, Aspergillus, Gliocladium, and Thermoascus produce an epipolythiodioxopiperazine class of fungal metabolite, gliotoxin, which contirbutes the pathogenesis of fungal infection as an immunomodulator and cytotoxic agent. This study is designed to define the mechanism by which gliotoxin exerts the cytotoxic effect of gliotoxin on human promyelocytic leukemic cells, HL-60. Gliotoxin induces the apoptosis of HL-60 cells which is characterized by the ladder pattern fragmentation of DNA. Gliotoxin induces the activation of DEVD-specific cysteine protease in a time- and dose-dependent rnanner. It also increases the phosphotransferase activities of c-Jun N-terminal kinase1 (JNK1) and p38 in gliotoxin-treated HL-60 cells. Furthermore, gliotoxin decreases the activation of transcriptional activator, actiating protein (AP-1) and NF-kB. These results suggest that gliotoxin induces the apoptotic death of HL-60 cells via activation of DEVD- specific caspase as well as mitogen activated protein kinases (MAP kinases) including JNK1 and p38, and inhibition of transcriptional activators, AP-1 and NF-kB.
Apoptosis* ; Aspergillus ; Caspase 3 ; Cysteine Proteases ; DNA ; Fungi ; Gliocladium ; Gliotoxin* ; HL-60 Cells* ; Humans ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases ; NF-kappa B ; Penicillium ; Thermoascus ; Transcription Factor AP-1 ; Transcription Factors

No abstract available.
Apoptosis* ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Cell Line* ; Interferon-gamma*

Herpes zoster infections are frequently complicated by a postherpetic neuropathy. Postherpetic neuralgia is one of the most troublesome disease in pain clinic. Current therapy includes tricyclic antidepressant, anticonvulsants, sympathetic and somatic nerve blocks, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation(TENS). However, in a number of case, the illness dose not respond to treatment very well. The N-methyl-D-aspartate(NMDA) receptor is one of the receptor subtypes of the excitatory amino acids(EAA) glutamate, and seems to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of nerve injury pain and neuropathic pain. The non-competitive NMDA receptor blocker ketamine reduced continuous and evoked pain in patients with injury of the peripheral or central nervous system. We present three cases in which patients suffering from postherpetic neuralgia did not respond to conventional therapy and in whom continuous intravenous infusion of ketamine reduced severe pain.
Anesthetics ; Anticonvulsants ; Central Nervous System ; Glutamic Acid ; Herpes Zoster ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous* ; Ketamine* ; N-Methylaspartate ; Nerve Block ; Neuralgia* ; Neuralgia, Postherpetic ; Pain Clinics

No abstract available.
Cell Line* ; Cytokines* ; Nitric Oxide*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In the immunological and functional aspects, freshly isolated human hepatocytes are better than animal hepatocytes from other species such as the pig and hepatocytes from human tumor cell lines. Human liver tissue for hepatocyte isolation can be obtained either from surgical specimens of patients with liver disease, such as hepatocellular carcinoma or from donor livers that are not suitable for transplantation. In the latter case, the liver may be preserved in 4 degrees C UW solution. Therefore, studies of the limit on the preservation time to get clinically applicable hepatocytes, and proper isolation techniques improving cell viability are needed. In this study, the authors isolated hepatocytes from a few kinds of the liver with different UW preservation times and different isolation techniques. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 200g-250g were used. The hepatocytes were isolated from unpreserved livers(control), livers preserved for 24 hours in UW solution, and livers preserved for 48 hour in UW solution, with a modified Seglen's two step method. To improve cell viability, 5mM glycin was added to the EDTA solution in one group and in another, the pH of the EDTA solution was slowly changed from 6.5 to 7.25. RESULTS: The control group showed 80.0% of cell viability. 53.8% of isolated hepatocytes were viable even after 24 hours of preservation. The cell viability decreased to 36.1% and severe cellular damage was observed after 48 hours preservation. The glycin and pH change showed no protective effect on the isolation of hepatocytes from UW preserved livers. CONCLUSION: After 24 hours preservation in UW solution, many clinically useful hepatocytes were isolated with a modified Seglen's two step method. Further studies concerning the preservation of functions of hepatocytes isolated from UW preserved livers and on the technique of cell culture and cryopreservation are needed.
Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Survival ; Cryopreservation ; Edetic Acid ; Hepatocytes* ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Liver Diseases ; Liver* ; Male ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tissue Donors