The capability of higher ascomyceteous fungi to cause typical soft-rot decay for wood under laboratory conditions is reviewed and discussed. Fungi tested were extremely active in the decomposition of timbers. Scanning electron micrographs illustrated typical soft-rot decay pattern of higher wood decay ascomycetes, with the exception of H. trugodes that caused white-rot decay. Most of the fungi tested could be grouped as soft-rot fungi that showed typical soft-rot type II. Hypha confined primarily to the resin canals in softwoods or vessel elements in hardwoods and spread tracheid to tracheid via pits of cell wall to cell wall with mechanical force.
Ascomycota ; Cell Wall ; Fungi* ; Hyphae ; Wood*

Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; drug therapy ; Humans ; Indomethacin ; therapeutic use ; Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn

BACKGROUND: Sustained-release theophylline, which is generally prescribed as a twice-daily equal-dose regimen, is one of the more common asthma treatments. the development of a sustained-release drug delivery technology that enables improved control of the theophylline blood levels represents a significant advancement in both the efficacy and safety of dosing. METHOD: A crossover study was conducted with 25 adult chronic asthmatic patients requiring daily bronchodilator therapy. The study group included thirteen males and twelve females with ages ranging from 19 to 71 years. The overall approach was to place the patients first on the twice-daily preparation(Etheophyl®) for 28 days at 8 AM and 8 PM, and measure the pulmonary function and theophylline level on the 28th day. the patients were subsequently switched to the once-daily preparation(Uniphyl®) in the same daily dose at 8 PM on the 29th day and the same parameters were measured on the 56th day. RESULTS: the mean serum levels of theophylline were 8.18±1.66µg/ml in the Etheophyl®-treated period and 8.00±1.75µg/ml in the Uniphyl®-treated period. In addition, the FEV1 showed 71.40±7.48 percent in the Etheophyl®-treated and 69.18±9.00 percent in the Uniphyl®-treated period. Thus there were no significant differences between the once-daily and twice-daily preparation. CONCLUSION: The results indicated little clinical differences between the two medication. The two drugs are equally effective in controlling asthma over the four weeks of treatment.
Adult ; Asthma* ; Cross-Over Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Theophylline

The surgical reconstruction of complex facial injuries have focused on the following; early one-stage repair, exposure of all fracture fragments, precise anatomic rigid fixation, immediate bone grafting, and definite soft tissue management were the main surgical procedures, as in other facial bone injuries. Complex facial bone fractures involving dentition should be managed by the same principles. However, conventional methods can not achieve accurate preinjury occlusion when there are unstable fracture segments, edentulous state, or complex palatal/maxillary and mandibular fractures. Seventeen patients were surgically reconstructed in conjunction with dental impression, model surgery, and fabrication of dental splints to establish better occlusion. Among the facial fractures that had the occlusal problem, maxillary/palatal fractures and complex mandibular fractures, were the major indications for fabrication of acrylic splints. During operation, fracture segments were reduced and repositioned according to dental wear facets of the prefabricated occlusal splint and then temporary intermaxillary fixations were performed. This allowed us to accomplish precise anatomical reduction and rigid intrenal fixations. The postoperative occlusions were acceptible and no complication occurred as direct effects of dental splint. We suggest that fabrication of an acrylic occlusal splint is necessary for the management of complex facial injuries involving dentition.
Bone Transplantation ; Dentition ; Facial Bones ; Facial Injuries* ; Humans ; Mandibular Fractures ; Occlusal Splints ; Splints* ; Tooth Wear

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: Definite criteria for the diagnosis and treatment evaluation for different clinical stags of syphilis are not yet present dute to the inability to dultivate Treponema pallidum in vitro. However, as the staining methods and the serological tests currently used have their limitations, a more definite method for its confirmation is needed. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR), due to its high sensitivity and specificity, is currently being applied to the detection of T. pallidum. OBJECTIVE: We have used PCR for the detection of T. pallidum DNA in various clinical specimens in orber to evaluate its potenital as a diagnostic tool. METHOD: Clinical specimens were collected from patients with different stages of syphilis who visited ithe Deparment of Dermatology of Yonsei medical Center for 1 year beginning from May, 1991. Sera from 63 patients, cerebrospinal fluids from 24 patients, amniotic fluids from 3 patients, and 21 tissues from 19 patients were subjected to PCR and the results were analyzed to evaluate its usefulness as a diagnostic and treatment evaluation tool. A portion of the T. pallidum-specific chromosomal DNA, tpp47, which encodes the 47 kDa surface protein, was used as the template DNA to amplify the 658 bp DNA fragment, and the following results were obtained. PCR using primers 47-1 and 47-2 were applied to amplify 658 bp DNA fragments from the T. pallidum-specific tpp47 gene encoding 47 kDa surface protein. RESULT: 1. To evaluate the sensitivity of the PCR, T. pallida and their chromosomal DNA were diluted. The diluents contataining a single organism and 1 fg of the chromosomal DNA showed positive reactions by the amplification. 2. Specificity of the PCR was determined by using T. pallidum, 4 species beloging to genus Treponema, and 9 species of nonpathogenic or pathogenic organisms. A positive reaction was obtained only when T. pallidum chromosomal DNA was used. 3. PCR was positive in 5 of 9 (55%) sera in primary syphilis, 22 of 26(84%) in secondary syphilis, 3 to 15(20%) in early latent syphilis, 1 of 19 (11%0 in late latent syphilis, 2 of 2 (100%) in neurosyphlis, and 0 of 2 (0%) in congenital syphilis. The differences in the positive rates were statistically significant (P<0.01) in all stages except neurosyphilis and congenital syphilis, as their numbers were too smalll to deduce any significant meaning. Despite their high VDRL titers, the positive rate in early latent syphilis was relatively low when compared to the rate in secondary syphilis. 4. Follw-up PCR of sera in some patients showed positive results 9 months after treatment. However, some with negative PCR before treatment showed positive results after treatment. 5. PCR was positive in 1 of 1 (50%) cerebrospinal fluid in primary syphilis, 3 of 14 (21%) in secondary syphilis, 2 of 7 (29%) in early latent syphilis, and 1 of 1(100%) in neurosyphlis. The differences in the positive rates showed no statistical significance in relation to the clinical stages. Cerebrospinal fluid VDRL test, white blood cell count, and protein content showed no correlation to the PCR results in early syphilis patients. 6. Amniotic fluid showed a positive PCR result only in a pregnant woman whose serum showed a high VDRL titer and a positive PCR. 7. PCR positive rates were 90% in frozed tissues and 50% in paraffin embedded tissues. CONCLUSION: From the results, it is suggested that PCR is not suitable for treatment evaluation but is useful for the detection of T. pallidum in sera of secondary syphilis patients and syphilitic lesions, and for the confirmation of the diagnosis the diagnosis in these cases.
Amniotic Fluid ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Dermatology ; Diagnosis ; DNA ; Female ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Neurosyphilis ; Paraffin ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Pregnant Women ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Serologic Tests ; Syphilis ; Syphilis, Congenital ; Syphilis, Latent ; Treponema pallidum* ; Treponema*

Vitiligo is an acquired systemic disease of the skin characterized by circumscribed patches of complete pigment loss due to destruction of melanocytes. A 28-year old male patient presented with generalized depigmented patchs. We performed microscopic studies of cultured melanocytes from this patient and compared them with those of normal neonatal foreskin. Phase contrast microscopic findings revealed no difference between the two groups of melanocytes, but transmission electron microscopic findings showed dilated circular rough endoplasmic reticulum in cultured melanocytes from our vitiligo patient. We could observe the innate cellular structural aberration of melanocytes from the vitiligo subject.
Adult ; Endoplasmic Reticulum, Rough ; Foreskin ; Humans* ; Male ; Melanocytes* ; Skin ; Vitiligo*

No abstract available.
Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell*

BACKGROUND: Each kind of human cell has its own characteristic morphological and functional property. In the skin, epidermal cells, including keratinocyte and melanocyte, also have their own functional characteristics. Thus, it is expected that there are some different responses to external stimuli, such as ionizing radiatio,, free radicals, and cytokines between these cells. OBJECTIVE AND METHODS: To im estigate whether there are different effects of UV light on the viability of cultured human ker tinocytes and rnelanocytes. Cultured human keratinocytes and melanocytes are irradiated by UVB at 5, 25, 50, and 100mJ/cm, and examined by Methylthiazole tetrazollium assay at 0, 1, 3, 6, 24, 48, and 72 hours after UVB exposure. RESULTS: 1. The effects on viability according to the doses of UVB are as follows: 1) In the keratinocytes, the viability was increased in most of the UVB exposure groups within 24 hours after UVB exposure, and was significantly increased at 25, 50, and 100mJ/cm of UVB at 3 hours after UVB exposur.(p<0.05). However, the viability was significantly decreased at relatively high doses of UVB (50, 100mJ/cm) from 48 hours after UVB exposure (p<0.05). 2) In the melanocytes, the viability was decreased in all of the UVB exposure groups within 3 hours, and was significantly decreased in all of the UVB exposure groups at, 1 hour after UVB exposure (p<0.05). The viability was increased from 6 to 24 hours, which was significantly decreased at 100mJ/cm of UVB from 48 hours after UVB exposure (p<0.05). 2. The effects on viability according to the time after UVB exposure at the same dose of UUB In both cells, the viability was increased as time went by. The slopes of the viability curve gradually decreased according to the increment of UVB doses. CONCLUSION: The viability of keratinocyte was decreased at 50mJ/cm of UVB which melanocyte did not show decrease. Melanocyte was more easily damaged than keratinocyte in relatively earlier time period after UVB exposure. These results suggest that the change of viability in cultured keratinocyte and melanocyte after UVB exposure at the dose of less than 100mJ/cm is related to the time course after UVB exposure as well as to the UVB dose.
Cytokines ; Free Radicals ; Humans* ; Keratinocytes* ; Melanocytes* ; Skin ; Ultraviolet Rays