No abstract available.
Mediastinitis*

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Tubal*

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Tubal*

No abstract available.
Pregnancy* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Pancreatic Diseases*

OBJECTIVE: It is known that mouse embryos before implantation develop in a low oxygen environment of 3- 8% concentration and with antioxidant materials such as vitamins, antioxidant enzymes, ferrous binding proteins, and albumin in follicular and tubal fluids. However, the 20% oxygen culture condition with chemically defined media might be produce an abundance of ROS, and leads to developmental delay or developmental block in vitro. In this study, we attempt to elucidate the relationship between intracellular H2O2 production and embryo development in different oxygen culture conditions of mouse embryos. METHODS: Prenuclear embryos from C57BL/CBA Fl hybrid and ICR mouse were cultured in incubators which provided 5% carbon dioxide, 20% oxygen and 5% carbon dioxide, 5% oxygen. Measurement of H2O2 level in a embryo was performed with DCHFDA(2, 7 -dichlorodihydroflourescein diacetate)and analyzed with Quanti-cell 700, and the number of blastomeres was counted with DAPI( 4, 6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole). RESULTS: Oxygen concentration of the culture medias was significantly higher in the 20% oxygen environment compared to that of 5% oxygen environment. Culture of mice embryos in high oxygen condition leads to high HO concentrations at 2 cell stage and developmental delay or ""2-cell block"" regardless of the strain. But in a 5% oxygen environment, which is similar to in-vivo conditions HO production was suppressed continuously through out culture and development of embryos was definitely improved. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that there is a difference in the production of ROS or protective mechanism according to the mouse strains and stage of development, and it is thought that in-vitro culture in 5% oxygen environment provides stable in vivo equilibrium but in a 20% oxygen environment there is production of ROS which overcome the protective mechanism which leads to cellular damage and embryo developmental delay.
Animals ; Blastomeres ; Carbon Dioxide ; Carrier Proteins ; Culture Media ; Embryonic Development ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Incubators ; Mice* ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Oxygen* ; Pregnancy ; Vitamins

BACKGROUND: Survival time of patients with multiple myeloma has been reported to be closely related to the cytology of bone marrow smears and the histologic features of bone marrow biopsies. However, there have been many differences in morphological criteria applied by various authors. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic relevance of bone marrow features in patients with multple myeloma by investigation of the cytologic feature and the histologic patterns. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred and seven previously untreated patients with multiple myeloma, admitted to Asan Medical Center, between 1989 and 1997, were studied. Bone marrow aspirations and biopsies were analyzed according to the criteria such as cytologic differentiation, volume of infiltration, pattern of infiltration, degree of hematopoiesis, and presence of fibrosis. RESULTS: 64 cases (59.8%) of 107 patients with multiple myeloma were plasmacytic type and 43 cases (40.2%) were plasmablastic type. Each median survival time was 35.0 months and 18.0 months (P<0.05). The patients with more than 25% of plasmablasts showed shorter median survival time than those with 1ess than 25% (18 months vs 38.9 months, P<0.05). The patients with nodular or packed marrow pattern revealed poorer prognosis than those with interstitial or interstitial/nodular pattern (P<0.05). The patients of plasmablastic type disclosed larger volume of myeloma cell infiltration and more packed marow pattern than those of plasmacytic type. CONCLUSIONS: The cytologic differentiation, the volume of infiltration and the patterns of infiltration were reliable predictors of survival in myeloma patients. Thus, for the prognostic evaluation and therapeutic plans, the descriptions for cytologic differentiation (especially percentage of plasmablasts), volume of infiltration and pattern of infiltration should be included in the bone marrow interpretation of multiple myeloma.
Aspirations (Psychology) ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow* ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Fibrosis ; Hematopoiesis ; Humans ; Multiple Myeloma* ; Prognosis

No abstract available.
Colon*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pemphigus is an autoimmune bullous disease of the skin and mucous membranes. There are two major types of pemphigus, namely pemphigus vulgaris(PV) and pemphigus foliaceus(PF) which can be classified by the specificity of the autoantibodies against the epidermal desmosomal antigens in this disease. Like many other autoimmune diseases, pemphigus is also considered to be strongly associated with certain HLA alleles; some alleles can be detected with higher frequencies as compared with those found in ethnically matched populations. At this time, we tried to find out if there were certain HLA class II allele(s) associated significantly with Korean patients of pemphigus. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty patients with pemphigus (fifteen of PV and fifteen of PF), and one hundred healthy Korean controls were enrolled in this study. For the genotyping of HLA class II alleles in DRB1 loci, genomic DNAs prepared from buccal epithelia were amplified by polymerase chain reactions with nucleotide sequence-specific primers. Each allele of thirteen different generic types belonging to the DRB1 loci were used to identify the existence of each allele in both patient and control groups on gel electrophoreses. RESULTS: In PV, there was a significantly increased frequency of HLA-DRB1*01 alleles than from the findings observed in the controls(pc=0.0013, RR:5). In patients with PF, there was a significant degree of association with HLA-DRB1*01(pc=0.00013, RR:5.5) when compared with that in normal controls. However, no allele of negative association with a significantly low frequency in the patient group was detected in both types of the disease. CONCLUSION: It can be suggested that DRB1*01 alleles may be susceptibility genes in Korean patients with PV, and DRB1*01 alleles could contribute to the autoimmune reactivity in patients with PF. This data shows different patterns in the frequency of each DRB1 allele in patient groups compared with those found in patients of other ethnic backgrounds.
Alleles* ; Autoantibodies ; Autoimmune Diseases ; DNA ; Electrophoresis ; HLA-DRB1 Chains* ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Pemphigus* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Skin

Achromobacter xylosoxidans is a gram-negative bacterium that can oxidize xylose. It is commonly found in contaminated soil and water but does not normally infect immunocompetent humans. We report a case of a cavitary lung lesion associated with community-acquired A. xylosoxidans infection, which mimicked pulmonary tuberculosis or lung cancer in an immunocompetent man. The patient was hospitalized due to hemoptysis, and chest computed tomography (CT) revealed a cavitary lesion in the superior segment of the left lower lobe. We performed bronchoscopy and bronchial washing, and subsequent bacterial cultures excluded pulmonary tuberculosis and identified A. xylosoxidans. We performed antibiotic sensitivity testing and treated the patient with a 6-week course of amoxicillin/clavulanate. After 2 months, follow-up chest CT revealed complete resolution of the cavitary lesion.