BACKGROUND: Several studies about myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have demonstrated that patients with high score of erythrocytic and total dysplasia showed a significantly lower degree of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) development. We analyzed correlation between bone marrow dysplasia and peripheral blood indices, and estimated the value of peripheral blood indices substituted for bone marrow examination to predict the progress of MDS to AML. METHODS: RBC count, MCV, RDW, WBC count, platelet count, MPV, and PDW were measured by Coulter Counter STKS (USA). We calculated the granulation score (G-score), percentage of peudo-pelger polymorphs (PPP) in the peripheral blood film, and examined the dysplasia in bone marrow aspirates. The reticulocyte survival study was performed with the venous blood collected in CPDA-1 under sterile conditions which was incubated immediately after collection at 37degrees C. RESULTS: G-score was inversly correlated with granulocytic and total dysplasia, but highly scored PPP showed a significantly lower degree granulocytic and total dysplasia. Reticulocyte survival curves showed variable pattern according to degree of erythrocytic and total dysplasia. Patients with a high degree of erythrocytic and total dysplasia showed significant difference compared with normal control group. MPV was increased in accordance with increase in megakaryocytic and total dysplasia. A lower score for erythrocytic and total dysplasia was observed in RAEB-t than in RA and RAEB. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that G-score, PPP, and MPV in peripheral blood as well as reticulocyte survival curve may be good markers for bone marrow dysplasia, and erythrocytic and total dysplasia in RAEB-t is lower than in RA and RAEB. Therefore, peripheral blood indices can be used to predict the progress of MDS to AML
Anemia, Refractory, with Excess of Blasts ; Bone Marrow Examination ; Bone Marrow* ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes* ; Platelet Count ; Reticulocytes

Neurons in the nucleus raphe magnus are involved in descending modulation of nociceptive transmission. In this study, we attempted to investigate electrophysiological properties of the NRM neurons dissociated from the postnatal rat medulla. The NRM neurons in the coronal slices of and the dissociated neurons from the postnatal rat medullae were immunohistochemically identified using antibody against serotonin. Relatively small number of neurons were positively stained in both preparations. The positively stained neurons displayed large cell body with double or multiple neurites. Using whole-cell patch clamp configuration ionic currents were recorded from the dissociated NRM-like neurons selected by criteria such as size and shape of cell body and cell population. Two types, high- and low-threshold, of voltage-dependent calcium currents were recorded from the dissociated NRM-like neurons. Some neurons displayed both types of calcium currents, whereas others displayed only high-threshold calcium current. Voltage-dependent potassium currents were also recorded from the dissociated NRM neurons. Some neurons displayed both transient outward and delayed rectifier currents but others showed only delayed rectifier current. These results suggest that there are at least two types of calcium currents and two types of potassium currents in the dissociated NRM neurons.
Animals ; Calcium ; Neurites ; Neurons* ; Potassium ; Rats* ; Serotonin

BACKGROUND: Simplified acute physiology score 3 (SAPS3) was developed in 2005 to evaluate intensive care unit (ICU) performance and to predict patient mortality or disease severity. The score is usually calculated by doctors, but it requires substantial human resources. And many nurse-lead studies use this scoring system. In the present study, we examined the inter-rater reliability of SAPS3 among nurses in an ICU. METHODS: Five ICU nurses who worked in an ICU for a mean length of 7.8 years were educated for 2 hours about SAPS3 score and its components. Each nurse scored 26 patients, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of the total scores and each subset were evaluated. RESULTS: The ICC (95% confidence interval) of SAPS3 score was 0.89 (0.82-0.95), that of subset I was 0.90 (0.82-0.95), subset II was 0.54 (0.35-0.73), and subset III was 0.95 (0.91-0.97). The ICC of predicted mortality was 0.91 (0.85-0.96). CONCLUSIONS: The ICC of SAPS3 score and predicted mortality among ICU nurses were reliable. According to these ICC values, SAPS3 score is a reliable scale to be used by nurses. The ICC of subset II was lower than those of the other subsets, suggesting that education of SAPS3 should focus on the definition of each subset II component.
Critical Care ; Education ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units* ; Mortality ; Observer Variation ; Physiology* ; Severity of Illness Index

The antigen (phenotype), gene (allele) and haplotype frequencies of HLA class I were analysed in 4,622 Koreans. With allele frequencies of over 0.05, the most frequent HLA-A,-B and -C antigens were A2, A24, A33, A11, A26, A31; B62, B51, B44, B54, B61, B35, B58, B60; Cw3, Cw1, Cw4, Cw7. Of these A2, A24, Cw1 and Cw3 were present in very high frequencies, respectively (0.3211, 0.2200, 0.2204, and 0.3737). The most common haplotypes with frequencies larger than 0.02 were A2-Blank, A33-B44, A33-B58, A11-B62, A24-B51, A24-B54, A2-B27, B54-Cw1, B58-Cw3, B51-Blank, B61-Cw3, B62-Cw4, B35-Cw3, B44-Blank, B60-Cw3, B27-Cw1, A2-Cw3, A2-Cw1, A24-Cw1, A33-Cw3, A26-Cw3, and A11-Cw4. A significant negative linkage disequilibrium was found for the haplotypes of A2-B7, A2-B44, A2-B58, A24-B13, A24-B27, A33-B54 and A33-B62, of which frequencies were larger than 0.003. The B-C and A-C haplotypes which showed the significant negative linkage disequilibrium were B44-Cw1, B51-Cw1, B44-Cw3,B62-Blank, A2-Cw4, A2-Blank, A11-Cw3, A11-Blank and A33-Cw1 and had frequencies higher than 0.01. The findings presented here could be used per se to estimate the populational relationships or as the control data for HLA-disease investigation. Furthermore they could provide the scope for the definition of new antigens.
*Alleles ; Gene Frequency ; *Genes, MHC Class I ; *Haplotypes ; Humans ; Korea ; Linkage Disequilibrium

Many congenital and acquired defects occur in the maxillofacial area. The buccal fat pad flap (BFP) is a simple and reliable flap for the treatment of many of these defects because of its rich blood supply and location, which is close to the location of various intraoral defects. In this article, we have reviewed BFP and the associated anatomical background, surgical techniques, and clinical applications. The surgical procedure is simple and has shown a high success rate in various clinical applications (approximately 90%), including the closure of oroantral fistula, correction of congenital defect, treatment of jaw bone necrosis, and reconstruction of tumor defects. The control of etiologic factors, size of defect, anatomical location of defect, and general condition of patient could influence the prognosis after grafting. In conclusion, BFP is a reliable flap that can be applied to various clinical situations.
Adipose Tissue* ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Humans ; Jaw ; Necrosis ; Oroantral Fistula ; Prognosis ; Re-Epithelialization ; Transplants

In patients with coronary artery disease, coronary stenting with a drug-eluting stent (DES) is associated with lower rates of in-stent restenosis and re-surgery for the target lesion compared with a bare metal stent, while late stent thrombosis has emerged as a life-threatening complication in patients treated with a first-generation DES. As no treatment has been established for potentially fatal late stent thrombosis associated with a first-generation DES, we perform drug balloon angioplasty for patients with stent thrombosis and in-stent restenosis associated with DES. Here, we reported the cases with normal coronary artery flow after a 2-year follow-up.
Angioplasty, Balloon* ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Drug-Eluting Stents* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Stents* ; Thrombosis

The conductance change evoked by step depolarization was studied in primarily cultured rat adrenal chromaffin cells using patch-clamp and capacitance measurement techniques. When we applied a depolarizing pulse to a chromaffin cell, the inward calcium current was followed by an outward current and depolarization-induced exocytosis was accompanied by an increase in conductance trace. The slow inward tail current which has the same time course as the conductance change was observed in current recording. The activation of slow tail current was calcium-dependent. Reversal potentials agreed with Nernst equation assuming relative permeability of Cs+ to K+ is 0.095. The outward current and tail current were blocked by apamin (200 nM) and d-tubocurarine (2 mM). The conductance change was blocked by apamin and did not affect membrane capacitance recording. We confirmed that conductance change after depolarization comes from the activation of the SK channel and can be blocked by application of the SK channel blockers. Consequently, it is necessary to consider blocking of the SK channel during membrane capacitance recording.
Animals ; Apamin ; Calcium ; Chromaffin Cells* ; Exocytosis ; Membranes* ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Permeability ; Rats* ; Tubocurarine

BACKGROUND: Simplified acute physiology score 3 (SAPS3) was developed in 2005 to evaluate intensive care unit (ICU) performance and to predict patient mortality or disease severity. The score is usually calculated by doctors, but it requires substantial human resources. And many nurse-lead studies use this scoring system. In the present study, we examined the inter-rater reliability of SAPS3 among nurses in an ICU. METHODS: Five ICU nurses who worked in an ICU for a mean length of 7.8 years were educated for 2 hours about SAPS3 score and its components. Each nurse scored 26 patients, and the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of the total scores and each subset were evaluated. RESULTS: The ICC (95% confidence interval) of SAPS3 score was 0.89 (0.82-0.95), that of subset I was 0.90 (0.82-0.95), subset II was 0.54 (0.35-0.73), and subset III was 0.95 (0.91-0.97). The ICC of predicted mortality was 0.91 (0.85-0.96). CONCLUSIONS: The ICC of SAPS3 score and predicted mortality among ICU nurses were reliable. According to these ICC values, SAPS3 score is a reliable scale to be used by nurses. The ICC of subset II was lower than those of the other subsets, suggesting that education of SAPS3 should focus on the definition of each subset II component.
Critical Care ; Education ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Mortality ; Observer Variation ; Physiology ; Severity of Illness Index

Stem cell therapies are administered during the acute phase of stroke to preserve the penumbral tissues from ischemic injury. However, the effect of repeated cell therapy during the acute phase remains unclear. In this study, we investigated and compared the functional outcome of single (two days post-injury) and repeated (two and nine days post-injury) treatment with human umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The rotarod and limb placement tests were utilized to investigate functional outcomes, while infarct volume and tissue damage were measured by immunofluorescent staining for neovascularization, neurogenesis, apoptosis, and inflammation in the penumbral zones. We observed notable motor dysfunction and a significant decrease in infarcted brain volume, as well as increases in neurons and vessels in both single and repeated hUCB-MSC treatments compared to the control group. Interestingly, repeated administration of hUCB-MSCs was not found to elicit additional or synergistic improvements over monotherapy. This study suggests that a clearer understanding of the therapeutic window after stroke will facilitate the development of more efficient treatment protocols in the clinical application of stem cell therapy.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Brain ; Brain Ischemia* ; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy ; Clinical Protocols ; Extremities ; Humans* ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery ; Inflammation ; Ischemia ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells* ; Neurogenesis ; Neurons ; Rats* ; Stem Cells ; Stroke ; Umbilical Cord*

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is one of the devastating types of stroke. Human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) have potential benefits in recovery from brain damage following ICH. This study aimed to identify the beneficial effects of hUCB-MSCs and investigate whether they have anti-inflammatory effects on the ICH brain via neurotrophic factors or cytokines. hUCB-MSCs were transplanted into a collagenase-induced ICH rat model. At 2, 9, 16, and 30 days after ICH, rotarod and limb placement tests were performed to measure behavioral outcomes. ICH rats were sacrificed to evaluate the volume of lesion using H&E staining. Immunostaining was performed to investigate neurogenesis, angiogenesis, and anti-apoptosis at 4 weeks after transplantation. Inflammatory factors (TNF-alpha, COX-2, microglia, and neutrophils) were analyzed by immunofluorescence staining, RT-PCR, and Western blot at 3 days after transplantation. hUCB-MSCs were associated with neurological benefits and reduction in lesion volume. The hUCB-MSCs-treated group tended to reveal high levels of neurogenesis, angiogenesis, and anti-apoptosis (significant for angiogenesis). The expression levels of inflammatory factors tended to be reduced in the hUCB-MSCs-treated group compared with the controls. Our study suggests that hUCB-MSCs may improve neurological outcomes and modulate inflammation-associated immune cells and cytokines in ICH-induced inflammatory responses.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Blotting, Western ; Brain ; Cerebral Hemorrhage* ; Cytokines ; Extremities ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Humans ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells* ; Microglia ; Models, Animal* ; Nerve Growth Factors ; Neurogenesis ; Rats ; Stroke ; Umbilical Cord*