The 5 cases of human fetal liver aged from 11 to 23 weeks of gestation were investigated for the ultrastructure of sinusoidal wall by electron microscopy. The endothelial cells deficient in basement membrane formed almost all the part of sinusoidal wall. The cells were continued with neighboring cells by intercellular junction, and overlapped them and exhibited to maintain unfenestrated capillary wall, which was different from those with fenestra in adults. The cells were found to have coated pits on luminal side and several various vesicles in the cytoplasms. The cells were related with transcellular migration of reticulocytes and acidophilic erythroblastes, which penetrated into the endothelial cytoplasm to form transient migrating pore closing after the migration into sinusoidal lumen. The perivascular cells were present at perivascular space and surrounding the sinusoid discontinuously. The Kupffer cells were easily identified with filipodia and lamellipodia and with phagosome of nuclei enucleated from acidophilic erythroblasts.
Adult ; Basement Membrane ; Capillaries ; Cytoplasm ; Endothelial Cells* ; Erythroblasts ; Erythrocytes ; Humans* ; Intercellular Junctions ; Kupffer Cells* ; Liver* ; Microscopy, Electron ; Phagosomes ; Phenobarbital ; Pregnancy ; Pseudopodia ; Reticulocytes

The primitive erythroblasts in 21 cases of embryonic hearts from 4 to 9 weeks of gestation were studied with a light microscope. The nuclear diameter, the motosis, and the loss of nuclei of the primitive erythoblasts were analyzed quantitatively. The results obtained were as follows. 1. At 4 weeks of gestation, the blood cells consisted of proerythroblasts, along with basophilic polychromatophilic primitive erythroblasts. The nuclear diameter ranged from 3.20 µm to 9.20 µm, but the main range was from 4.20 µm to 6.00 µm. It was revealed that 9.50% had diameter of more than 6 µm. 2. At the fist half of the 7 week gestation when hepatic hemopoiesis developed, the blood cells consisted of basophilic, polychromatophilic, and eosinophilic erythroblasts. Cells of more than 6 µm in nuclear diameter were about 1.10% and thereafter gradually disappeared. The range of the nuclear diameters was from 2.60 µm to 7.00 µm, while a range from 3.40 µm to 5.20 µm wqs the main. The proportion of cells less than 4 µm in nuclear diameter was 39.58% and thereafter rapidly increased. 3. From the second half of 7 weeks to 9 weeks of gestation, the erythrocytes originating from hepatic hemopoiesis increasingly replaced the circulating primitive erythroblasts, which became mature during this time. The erythrocytes showed 72.88% at 9 weeks of gestation. The proportions of cells less than 4 µm in nuclear diameter in the first and second haIves of 8 weeks and 9 weeks were 52.73%, 80.02%, and 89.09%, which represented the rapid destruction of nuclei. 4. Mitosis in the primitive erythroblasts occurred principally up to the early 6th weeks, and very weakly at 8 weeks. 5. As the crown-rump length increased, the average nuclear diameter decreased very significantly (P<0.01, y=-0.2811X + 0.3171). The results suggest that distrilbution of the nuclear diameter, the maturity, the rate of nuclear loss, and the mitotic figure offer credible data for estimating embryonic age.
Basophils ; Blood Cells ; Crown-Rump Length ; Embryonic Structures* ; Eosinophils ; Erythroblasts* ; Erythrocytes ; Heart ; Humans* ; Mitosis ; Pregnancy

The stature, span, lower limb length, sitting height, head length and head breadth of 411 Korean elementary school girls ranging from 7 to 10 years of age were measured biometrically and the indices among all of the items were calculated to investigate the physical growth status. The following conclusion have been obtained. 1. The average statures were 117.40cm in 7, 122.72cm in 8, 126.76cm in 9 and 132.92cm in 10 years of age groups, and the annual average stature growth was 5.17cm. 2. The average spans were 113.12cm in 7, 118.70cm in 8, 124.26cm in 9, 130.46cm in 10 years of age groups, and the annual average span growth was 5.78cm. 3. The average lower limb lengths were 62.96cm in 7, 66.80cm in 8, 69.09cm in 9 and 73.13cm in 10 years of age groups, and the annual average lower length growth was 3.39cm 4. The average sitting heights were 65.82cm in 7, 68.56cm in 8, 70.18cm in 9 and 73.13cm in 10 years of age groups, and the annual average sitting height growth was 2.43cm. 5. The average body weights were 21.22kg in 7, 24.13kg in 8, 25.54kg in 9 and 29.27kg in 10 years of age groups, and the annual average body weight growth was 2.68kg. 6. The average head lengths were 16.29cm in 7, 16.38cm in 8, 16.47cm in 9 and 16.60cm in 10 yeras of age groups, and the annual average head length growth was 0.10cm. 7. The average head breadth were 14.50cm in 7, 14.65cm in 8, 14.67cm in 9 and 14.81cm in 10 years of age groups, and the annual average head breadth growth was 0.10cm. 8. While both relative span and lower limb length increased with age and the relative sitting height slightly decreased with age. 9. The relative body weight increased with age. 10. The head type depended on cephalic index was belonged to hyperbrachycephaly, and showed no differrences with age in all of the groups. 11. The relative span was over 96 in all age groups, and the value increased slightly with age. 12. The average annual growth showed remarkable high value between 9 to 10 years of age in the items of stature, span, lower limb length, sitting height and body weight.
Body Weight ; Female* ; Head ; Humans ; Lower Extremity

The influences of adrenal corticosteroid on the development and regression of neurons of dentate and hippocampus were studied by adrenalectomy and steroid overload in neonatal rats. The results obtained were as follows. 1. The cell death occurred naturally in numerous dentate granule cells and hippocampal pyramidal cells. 2. The number of dentate granule cells undergoing cell death decreased by injection of adrenal corticosteroid, but increased in adrenalectomized rat brains. The changes occurred prominently at postnatal day 6. 3. The number of hippocampal pyramidal cells undergoing cell death decreased in CA3 region by injection of adrenal corticosteroid, but was not changed in adrenalectomized rat brains. However, other regions exhibited no change by adrenal corticosteroid and adrenalectomy. 4. The cell death of pyramidal cells of CA3 region occurred in close relationship with the cell death of dentate granule cells, which was different from other CA regions. In summary, the cell death of dentate and hippocampal neurons occurred naturally but seemed to be influenced by other factors as well as adrenal corticosteroid.
Adrenalectomy ; Animals ; Brain ; Cell Death ; Hippocampus* ; Neurons* ; Pyramidal Cells ; Rats*

The authors studied the plasma cholesterol levels in 39 rats (Sprague-Dawley) after 4 weeks administration of etretinate and/or fish oil. The study groups were as follows.'13 rats recieved etretinate only;13, fish oil only;13, both ertetinate and fish oil. Cholesterol levels were determined by standard enzymatic methodology. The results were as follows. Tot,al-cholesterol levels in rats following administration of ertetinate only were increased(p<0.05), but the levels in rats receiving fish oil only and both etretinate and fish oil were markedly decreased(p<0.01). HDL-cholesterol levels in rats following administration of fish oil and both etretinate and fish oil were decreased(p<0.01). The ratio of HDL-cholesterol to total-cholesterol in rats receiving fish oil only and both etretinate and fish oil were increased(p<0.05) because of markedly decreased total-cholesterol levels.
Acitretin* ; Animals ; Cholesterol* ; Etretinate* ; Plasma* ; Rats*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Liver* ; Rats*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Cerebral Cortex* ; Glutamic Acid* ; Glycine* ; Kynurenic Acid* ; Perfusion* ; Rats*

Bacteroides fragilis is a Gram negative nonsporulating anaerobic rod bacterium that makes up about 1 to 2% of the norrnal human colonic microflora. In 1984, Myer et al. reported that some strains of B. fragilis produce enterotoxin and cause diarrheal disease in cattle and human. Since then it has been termed enterotoxigenic B. fragilis (ETBF). In this study, we tried to detect enterotoxin gene from 37 B. fragilis strains, isolated in Korean patients, to confirm the existence of ETBF and usefulness of PCR as a rapid diagnosis method. By this method, we identified 9 ETBF strains and confirmed their pathogenesis by cytotoxicity test. No significant cross- reactivity with other anaerobes or aerobes was observed. Thus, the PCR method may be considered useful for the sensitive and rapid detection of anaerobic infections. And the entire amplified PCR mixture was ligated into a pT7Blue T-vector and transformed into E. coli. When the nucleotide sequences of cloned PCR products were compared with reported enterotoxin gene, pBF529 inserted DNA sequence was nearly in good agreement with it but pBF570 inserted DNA sequence showed some difference at nucleotide 270-300. A search for nucleotide sequence homologies revealed that pBF529 exhibited 99%, but pBF570 indicated only 90% identity with reported enterotoxin gene. According to these results, it was suggested that ETBF toxin can be differentiated into at least 2 subtypes.
Animals ; Bacteroides fragilis* ; Bacteroides* ; Base Sequence ; Cattle ; Clone Cells ; Colon ; Diagnosis ; Enterotoxins* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction*

No abstract available.
Holoprosencephaly*

OBJECTIVE: The authors evaluate the differences in the pedicle screw pull-out strength between an unaugmented screw and a screw augmented by high pressurized PMMA in an embalmed human lumbar cadaveric spine. METHODS: Pedicle screws were inserted in the 50 pedicles of cadaver lumbar spine after measuring the bone mineral density(BMD) of the specimens. The pedicle screw was inserted without augmentation on the left pedicle and with augmentation by a vertebral reconstruction with high pressurized PMMA on the right side. The pedicle screw was inserted before the hardening of bone cement on the right side. A computed tomographic scan was done to evaluate the location of the PMMA and PMMA/ screw interface. After that, a screw pullout strength test was performed. RESULTS: There were positive correlations between the pull-out strength and BMD in the control group (r=0.7339). The average pull-out strength of the augmented group was 168% greater than that of the control group(p<0.05). The pull-out strength of the augmented group was correlated with in the volume of the PMMA. CONCLUSION: A pedicle screw that is augmented with PMMA will provide a more rigid fixation than that of an unaugmented screw, especially in the low BMD group of the specimens.
Cadaver* ; Humans ; Polymethyl Methacrylate ; Spine