No abstract available.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to identify the acute and chronic immobilization stress-induced polyamine (putrescine) responses and their modulation by administration of melatonin in brain regions (frontal cortex and hippocampus) and gastrointestinal tract regions (GIT, gastric mucosa and duodenal mucosa). METHOD: For immobilization stress (3 or 14 days), rats (250-300 g, male Sprague-Dawley rats) were placed in restrainers once daily, for 3 h. Melatonin (10 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered once daily immediately after stress. Rats were sacrificed 2 h after the final application of stress for the measurement of putrescine levels. RESULTS: The putrescine levels of frontal cortex, hippocampus, gastric mucosa and duodenal mucosa were significantly increased by acute stress (p<0.05, p<0.05, p<0.0005 and p<0.01, respectively). The putrescine levels of frontal cortex and duodenal mucosa were significantly increased by chronic stress (p<0.05, respectively). In chronic stress group, animals showed adaptation tendency. The changes of putrescine level in gastric and duodenal mucosa induced by chronic stress were significantly lower than those by acute stress (p<0.05, respectively). The putrescine responses to acute stress in frontal cortex, hippocampus, gastric mucosa and duodenal mucosa were attenuated by administration of melatonin (p<0.01, p<0.05, p<0.05 and p<0.05, respectively). The putrescine response to chronic stress in frontal cortex was attenuated by melatonin administration (p<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: The results suggested that putrescine may play a role in stress response of brain regions (frontal cortex and hippocampus) and GIT regions (gastric and duodenal mucosa). Melatonin can inhibit the stress-induced putrescine responses in the brain and GIT.
Animals ; Brain* ; Gastric Mucosa ; Gastrointestinal Tract* ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Immobilization* ; Male ; Melatonin* ; Mucous Membrane ; Putrescine ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Priciples of kont-tying have assumed a new and enhanced role in operative laparoscopy. The surgeon should be familiar with extracorporeal knot-tying techniques. For extracorporeal knot-tying, a knot pusher is used to properly secure the knot. But a knot pusher has some limitation for tightening of the knot. I developed an instrument which has a slit and hole.(slit for knot pushing and hole for knot tightening) for a secure knot. By using this instrument(Lee's knot presser) it is very easy and secure for knot-tying. The surgeon can confirm and control the knot tightening.
Laparoscopy

Intraspinal tumors in children are of especially interest to orthopaedic surgeons for two reasons; First, musculoskeletal abnormalities, are often treated for long periods before the correct diagnosls is suspected; Second, important orthopaedic problems are encountered in almost everychild treated for intraspinal tumor, not only during the immediate postoperative management but all through subsequent growth. We report a case presentation of the intraspinai tumor, dermoid cyst, successfully treated with operation.
Child ; Dermoid Cyst ; Humans ; Musculoskeletal Abnormalities ; Surgeons

Intracranial hemorrhage is the most common neuropathologic finding in premature infants. But in full-term infants, it is less common and rarely causes death. We found out intracranial hemorrhages in 21 full-term neonates by real-time neurosonography and concluded as followings. 1) Among 21 neonates, 17 infants were male and 4 infants were female. 2) In 11 (52.3%) infants the hemorrhage was detected within 7 days after birth. 3) The intracranial hemorrhage was not related with delivery type nor Apgar score. 4) In 13 cases (61.9%) the hemorrhage was in the subependymal germinal matrix and the degree was Grade I. 5) Precipitating or associated factors were asphyxia, pneumonia, ventilator care, RDS and congenital heart disease. 6) Symptoms and signs were seizure, apnea, lethargy, cyanosis, jaundice, anemia or bulging fontanel.
Anemia ; Apgar Score ; Apnea ; Asphyxia ; Cyanosis ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Infant, Premature ; Intracranial Hemorrhages* ; Jaundice ; Lethargy ; Male ; Parturition ; Pneumonia ; Seizures ; Ultrasonography* ; Ventilators, Mechanical

No abstract available.
Short Rib-Polydactyly Syndrome*

No abstract available.
Hemangioma* ; Liver*

In order to develop antitumor agent which indicates weak side effects and strong antitumor activity, cytotoxicity and antitumor effects of MG was evaluated by MTT assay and SRB assay of colorimetric assay methods on the cultured NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and human oral epithelioid carcinoma cells (KB cells). KB cells were cultured in EMEM and RPMI 1640 media containing 10% fetal bovine serum, antibiotics and fungizone. After incubation for 24 hrs, the cells were treated with MG by dose dependent manner for 48 hrs under the same condition. The MTT and SRB quantity were measured by ELISA reader (Spectra Max 250, USA). The microscopic study was carried out to observed morphological change, Ag-NORs (argyrophylic nucleolar organizer region) number and PAS positive reacton of cultured KB cells. The results were as follows; 1. The MTT50 were 16677 micrometer in NIH 3T3 cell and 65.55 micrometer in KB cells treated with MG. 2. The SRB50 were 8701.23 micrometer in NIH 3T3 cell and 168.81 micrometer in KB cells treated with MG. 3. The number of Ag-NORs was not significant in cultured NIH 3T3 cells, but the number of Ag-NORs was significantly decreased in cultured KB cells treated with MG. 4. PAS reaction of cultured NIH 3T3 cells was not changed, but PAS reaction of cultured KB cells was changed to negative reaction. 5. Morphological changes of cultured NIH 3T3 cells treated with MG was weak, but KB cell treated with MG was severe. These results indicate that MG have noncytoxicity on NIH 3T3 fibroblasts and high cytotoxicity on KB cells.
Amphotericin B ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; KB Cells ; NIH 3T3 Cells ; Nucleolus Organizer Region ; Periodic Acid-Schiff Reaction

OBJECTIVE: To understand the expression pattern of osteopontin on various histologic types of ovarian tumors. METHODS: We performed an immunohistochemical study on 90 paraffin embedded tissues including 80 ovarian epithelial tumors and 10 normal ovaries. We also performed a semiquantitative study of osteopontin mRNA on 12 fresh ovarian tumors, 2 normal ovaries and SKOV3 cell line. SAS 8.2 program was used for statistical analysis and Fisher's Extract test and Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel Statistics for analysis of the relationship between expression of osteopontin and histologic types. RESULTS: Among 55 carcinomas, over 50% of tumor cells expressed osteopontin in 14/14 clear cell, 11/ 12 endometrioid, 11/16 serous, and 5/15 mucinous types. The expression degrees were well correlated with the histologic types of carcinomas (p=0.002). Among 25 benign tumors, over 10% of tumor cells showed in 11/15 serous and 3/10 mucinous types (p=0.008). However, the degree of osteopontin expression was not related to the tumor grades or stages of ovarian cancer. Semiquantitative study for osteopontin mRNA showed 5-6 times higher in SKOV3 cell line as well as in serous adenocarcinomas, compared with the normal ovaries. However, there was no increase of osteopontin mRNA in benign or malignant mucinous tumors. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the expression of osteopontin is not only present in ovarian cancers, but also in benign ovarian tumors.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cell Line ; Female ; Mucins ; Osteopontin* ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Ovary ; Paraffin ; RNA, Messenger

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) during pregnancy is a rare event and reports are isolated and highly scattered. HCC during pregnancy carries a poor prognosis because of difficulty in diagnosis due to the fetus. The impact of pregnancy on the prognosis of patients with HCC and the risk factors of developing HCC during pregnancy remains controversial. At present, the screening of maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein(AFP) in the second trimester of pregnancy is a standard procedure for detection of fetal malformation. An elevated maternal serum AFP level may not always be of fetal origin and some maternal diseases could present an elevated maternal serum AFP. The ultrasonography for abdomen has been accepted as a simple and safe method for this group. We have experienced two cases of HCC during pregnancy over the last 5 years. One was diagnosed with a palpble abdominal mass which was revealed to be HCC at 12 weeks of pregnancy and died 2 months after the diagnosis without treatmemt. The second was incidentally found to have abnormal serum AFP at 17 weeks of pregnancy and underwent the extended right hepatic lobectomy without complication. We suggest that careful physical examination and abdominal ultrasonography seems to be the best screening tools for early diagnosis of HCC in pregnancies with high serum AFP level.
Abdomen ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Fetus ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Physical Examination ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Pregnancy* ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Ultrasonography