BACKGROUND: Platelet function is directly influenced by lipoproteins, and platelets from hypercholesterolemic patients display increased reactivity which is related to initiation, progression, and development of thromboembolic complications in atherosclerosis. But the exact mechanism of this effect is unclear. METHODS: In this study, total and activated numbers of platelet glycoprotein (Gp) IIb/IIIa were evaluated in twenty patients (7 men; age, 55.4+/-8.7 years) with hypercholesterolemia (plasma total cholesterol level over 240 mg/dL and normal triglyceride level) and twenty one subjects (8 men; 51.1+/-13.7 years) with normal plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Flow cytometry was used to detect the binding of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated anti-CD41 or PAC1 to platelet Gp IIb<1/4>/<1/4>IIIa in whole blood. When whole blood was incubated with PAC1, platelets were also activated with adenosine diphosphate (ADP) or thrombin. RESULTS: PAC1 was more bound to unstimulated platelets from patients with hypercholesterolemia (p<0.005), and binding of PAC1 correlated significantly with plasma total cholesteol (r=0.48, p=0.002) and LDL-cholesterol (r=0.47, p=0.002) levels. Binding of PAC1 to unstimulated platelets increased as binding of anti-CD41 increased (r=0.40, p=0.01). On multivariate linear regression analysis, plasma total cholesterol level and binding of anti-CD41 were independent variables that determined binding of PAC1. After ADP- or thrombin-stimulation, binding of PAC1 to platelets and percentage of antibody positive cells were also greater in patients with hypercholesterolemia (p<0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between mean platelet volume and binding of anti-CD41 to unstimulated platelets (r=0.46, p<0.0050), but the latter was not different between hypercholesterolemia and control groups. CONCLUSION: Unstimulated platelets from patients with hypercholesterolemia had similar total number of Gp IIb/IIIa to those from control subjects, but had more activated Gp IIb/IIIa. After ADP- or thrombin-stimulation, platelet Gp IIb/IIIa was also more activated under hypercholesterolemia.
Adenosine Diphosphate ; Atherosclerosis ; Blood Platelets* ; Cholesterol ; Flow Cytometry ; Fluorescein ; Glycoproteins* ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Linear Models ; Lipoproteins ; Male ; Mean Platelet Volume ; Plasma ; Thrombin ; Triglycerides

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Regular aerobic exercise plays a role in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, but the risk of primary cardiac arrest transiently increases during vigorous exercise, particularly in sedentary men. There has been a controversy regarding the effect of exercise on platelet functional behavior, which is related to the pathogenesis of coronary ischemia. We evaluated the cytoplasmic free calcium concentration of platelets in healthy men after treadmill exercise. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Five physically active (group I: age, 24.2+/-2.3 years) and five sedentary men (group II: age, 22.4+/-1.4 years) were included in this study. Platelet calcium was measured with fluorescent dye, quin2 before and after treadmill exercise. RESULTS: Platelet calcium levels were increased from 86.8+/-11.8 nM to 128.8+/-15.0 nM in group I (p<0.05) and from 102.6+/-14.4 nM to 162.4+/-26.5 nM in group II (p<0.05) immediately after exercise. Thereafter, platelet calcium levels were decreased in group I, but continuously increased in group II. At fifteen minutes after exercise, platelet calcium concentrations were significantly higher than baseline values in group II (205.8+/-53.9 nM vs 102.6+/-14.4 nM: p<0.05), but not in group I (115.2+/-15.7 nM vs 86.8+/-11.8 nM). CONCLUSION: Cytoplasmic free calcium concentration in platelets were continuosly increased after treadmill exercise in sedentary men but not in physically active men.
Blood Platelets* ; Calcium* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cytoplasm* ; Exercise ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Male*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Regular aerobic exercise plays a role in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, but the risk of primary cardiac arrest transiently increases during vigorous exercise, particularly in sedentary men. There has been a controversy regarding the effect of exercise on platelet functional behavior, which is related to the pathogenesis of coronary ischemia. We evaluated the cytoplasmic free calcium concentration of platelets in healthy men after treadmill exercise. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Five physically active (group I: age, 24.2+/-2.3 years) and five sedentary men (group II: age, 22.4+/-1.4 years) were included in this study. Platelet calcium was measured with fluorescent dye, quin2 before and after treadmill exercise. RESULTS: Platelet calcium levels were increased from 86.8+/-11.8 nM to 128.8+/-15.0 nM in group I (p<0.05) and from 102.6+/-14.4 nM to 162.4+/-26.5 nM in group II (p<0.05) immediately after exercise. Thereafter, platelet calcium levels were decreased in group I, but continuously increased in group II. At fifteen minutes after exercise, platelet calcium concentrations were significantly higher than baseline values in group II (205.8+/-53.9 nM vs 102.6+/-14.4 nM: p<0.05), but not in group I (115.2+/-15.7 nM vs 86.8+/-11.8 nM). CONCLUSION: Cytoplasmic free calcium concentration in platelets were continuosly increased after treadmill exercise in sedentary men but not in physically active men.
Blood Platelets* ; Calcium* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cytoplasm* ; Exercise ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Male*

Localized or solitary fibrous tumor (SFT) of the pleura has been classified as a type of mesothelioma, arising from the submesothelial connective tissue cells. The preoperative diagnosis of the tumor at the cytologic or histologic level is very important for the proper handling of the lesion. This preoperative diagnosis is now possible by means of the advance in the transthoracic fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNA) techniques and in the very experience of the cytopathologists. We describe FNA cytologic feature of two cases of SFT arising from the pleura. Cytologic, histologic, immunohistochemical, and electron microscopic characteristics of pleural SFT are discussed. The tumor cells of SFT are spindle or oval in shape with a variable amount of cytoplasm. They are arranged in irregular trabeculae intimately ass- ociated with capillaries. A unique cytologic feature observed in this tumor is that thick, eosinophilic, amorphous collagen bundles are scattered between tumor cells
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Capillaries ; Child* ; Collagen ; Connective Tissue Cells ; Cytoplasm ; Diagnosis ; Eosinophils ; Hematuria* ; Humans ; Mesothelioma ; Pleura ; Rhabdomyosarcoma ; Solitary Fibrous Tumors

PURPOSE: Our purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of propofol on pediatric cardiac catheterization or radiofrequency catheter ablation. METHODS: We measured the serial changes of arterial oxygen saturation, heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure at 4 stages, a baseline(during normal sleep), stage 1(just after loading of propofol 2 mg/kg over 10 minutes), stage 2(10-15 minutes after propofol continuous intravenous infusion at 50 microg/kg/min), and stage 3(25-30 minutes after continuous infusion). RESULTS: Serial changes of arterial oxygen saturation were 96.4+/-7.7, 96.7+/-6.5, 97.0+/-5.2, and 96.5+/-6.1% respectively, with a significant but mild decrease between stage 2 and stage 3(P<0.05), and no significant decrease as compared with the baseline value. There were no significant changes of heart rate(102+/-22, 101+/-21, 100+/-19, 99+/-17 beats/min.), systolic blood pressure(103+/-12, 101+/-14, 103+/-17, 104+/-15 mmHg) and diastolic blood pressure(55+/-10, 52+/-9, 54+/-13, 52+/-9 mmHg). Mean time to complete recovery of consciousness was 19+/-20(+/-2SD) minutes. Oxygen supplementation was required in five cases, and oxygen saturation was sastained stable after administration of the oxygen at the rate of 2-4 L/min. CONCLUSION: During invasive pediatric cardiac procedure, intravenous propofol sedation had no significant impacts on heart rate and blood pressure but some impacts on arterial oxygen saturation which was easily corrected by oxygen administration. Propofol might be considered as a relatively safe and effective sedative drug in pediatric cardiac invasive procedures.
Blood Pressure ; Cardiac Catheterization* ; Cardiac Catheters* ; Catheter Ablation ; Consciousness ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Oxygen ; Propofol*

To determine size and shape discrepancy between the bone of Korean women and the prostheses in total knee arthroplasty, the height(antero-posterior length) and width(medio-lateral length) of the distal femur and the proximal tibia were measured at the bone resection level for 104 knees of 62 female patients who underwent primary total knee arthroplasty and compared with the same parameters of the total knee prostheses designed by five different companies. On the condition that the height of the prostheses matched with each cases of the bone were optimal, the difference in the width was evaluated, and the criteria of the discrepancy were overhang if the width of the prosthesis was larger than bone, optimal if width of the prosthesis was same or smaller and difference was within 5 mm, and down-size if smaller and difference was over Smm. In femoral prostheses, 34.6% of all were optimal, 13.1%, overhang and 52.3%, down-size. In tibial prosthesis, 54.1% of all were optimal, 13.9%, overhang and 32%, down-size. In conclusion, although further investigation for clinical application is needed, there were discrepancies in size and shape between the femur and tibia of Korean women and total knee prostheses and improvement in design should be considered.
Arthroplasty* ; Female ; Femur ; Humans ; Knee Prosthesis ; Knee* ; Prostheses and Implants* ; Tibia

Hypertension is a well known causative factor of congestive heart failure and other cardiovascular disease, and usually induce myocardial hypertrophy. Recent study shows that some antihypertensive drugs may reduce the hypertrophied cardiac mass reversibly. And over the past some decades, increasing attention was focused on these drugs. These drugs include methyldopa, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, calcium channel inhibitor, beta-adrenergic blocker, but diuretics and vasodilators were known not to reduce the hypertrophied ventricular mass. In this study, 46 hypertensive patients were managed by captopril, atenolol, or hydrochlorothiazide monotherapy. And wer estimated and follow up LV mass by echocardiography during 3 months. Captopril and atenolol group showed LV mass reduced, but hydrochlorothiazide group did not. LV mass was reduced more in captopril group than in atenolo group. In conclusion, we have been impressed by this study that diuretics monotherapy for hypertension shoud be reconsidered. And we concluded that drugs which can reduce myocardial mass shoud be chosen to control hypertension as a monotherapeutic drug or a additive drug.
Antihypertensive Agents ; Atenolol ; Calcium Channels ; Captopril ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Diuretics ; Echocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hydrochlorothiazide ; Hypertension* ; Hypertrophy ; Methyldopa ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; Vasodilator Agents

No abstract available.
Shock*

The effect of temperature on the pH-dependence of actomyosin superprecipitation was studied, using actomyosin extracted from the rabbit and frog skeletal muscle tissues. The pH optima of superprecipitation was rather broad in both the rabbit and frog actomyosin. In the frog, superprecipitation measured at 16-42 degrees C was relatively independent of pH variations between 6.7 to 8.5, but it was significantly inhibited at pHs outside of this range, showing a sharp inflection of the curve. The pH at the inflection point was inversely proportional to the incubation temperature, but the (OH-)/(H+) ratio at the inflection point was not changed with temperature. The log (OH-)/(H+) was approximately -0.6 on the acidic side and 3.16 on the alkaline side. Similarly, superprecipitation of the frog actomyosin was virtually independent of the medium pH of the intermediate range (approximately 6.0-8.5); but it was drastically inhibited at pHs below or above this range, thus revealing a sharp inflection of the curve. Again, the pH at the inflection point changed inversely with temperature, preserving a constant (OH-)/(H+) ratio. The log (OH-)/(H+) ratio at the inflection point was approximately -2 on the acidic side and 3.5 on the alkaline side. The above pH effects were not associated with irreversible protein damage or with the changes in buffer species. These results strongly suggest that suppression of the superprecipitation of rabbit and frog actomyosin gels, at a low and high pH, be due to alterations in the fractional dissociation of histidine-imidazole and cysteine-SH groups, respectively.
Actomyosin* ; Animal ; Calcium/physiology ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Muscle Contraction ; Precipitation ; Rabbits ; Temperature*

PURPOSE: To investigate the efficacy and safety of topiramate monotherapy in children with recent-onset seizures. METHODS: An open-label, randomized, parallel group trial compared the efficacy and tolerability of topiramate monotherapy versus oxcarbazepine monotherapy in 54 children with newly diagnosed epilepsy. RESULTS: Of the 54 patients treated with topiramate (N=25) or oxcarbazepine (N=29), 51 patients completed the full study period of 16 weeks. In topiramate group, 64% became seizure free, 20% demonstrated a greater than 50% degree in seizure frequency, and 4% got worsened in seizure frequency. In oxcarbazepine group, 59% became seizure free, 24% experienced a greater than 50% reduction in seizure frequency. The efficacy was not statistically different between the two groups. Adverse events were usually only mild to moderate and the tolerability of therapy was similar between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Topiramate monotherapy was highly effective in controlling seizures of children with newly diagnosed epilepsy (seizure free rate : 64%).
Child* ; Epilepsy ; Humans ; Seizures*