No abstract available.
Neurilemmoma*

Irritant skin reactions can be evaluated by several techniques. Using different scores for the degree of erythema, edema, scaling and fissuring is the time-honored approach but implies t,he disadventagrs of lacking objectivity and pararretric properties. This paper describes the objective nteasurement of irritant. skin responses to various concentrations of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate(SLS) and Ethanol by a color reflectance meter(Chroma Meter) and compares with visual scoring The results are summarized as follows : 1. Pretreatment assessments by a Chroma Meter on normal forearm area showed an average score of 7.70+1.53 for Chroma Meter value a*(rediies:; score). 2. Skin responses to SLS in various concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 7.5% under occlusion for 24 hours were assessed by visual scoring system. They are measured 0.56+1.10, 0.74+1.29, 1.19 1.36, 2.11+1.69, 2.19+1.91, 2.56+1.50 2.81+2.16 respectively. 3. Skin responses to SLS in various concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, 5.0, 7.5% under occlusion for 24 hour were assessed by a Chroma Meter valu a*(redness score). They are measured 8.29+1.98, 8.37+2.47, 9.31+2.27, 10.34+2.97, 10.35+3.18, 10.51+2.47, 11.61+3.45 respectively. 4. Skin responses to Ethanol in various concentrations were nearly negligible. 5. We have demonstrated there is a highly significant correlation between skin redness measured by the Chroma Meter and visually assessed erypthma(p<0.0001). It yields reproducible, objective, quantitative measurements of iryhema that parallel the subjective visual assessments.
Edema ; Erythema* ; Ethanol* ; Forearm ; Humans ; Male ; Skin* ; Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate* ; Sodium*

No abstract available.
Lymphangioma

PURPOSE: Ataxia Telangiectasia (AT) is a hereditary multi-systemic disease resulting from mutations of AT gene and is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration, cancer, immune system defects, and hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation. AT gene has a homologue sequence of PI3-kinase. The activity and cellular function of PI3-kinase in AT gene remains unclear. This study was undertaken to evaluate the function of AT gene through the effect on cell survival and differentiation by the inhibition of AT gene expression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: NH2-terminal portion of AT gene was isolated from MCF-7 cells by RT-PCR. The isolated DNA fragment was ligated in reverse orientation in pcDNA3. This antisense ATM expression vector was transfected to PC-12 cells by calcium phosphate method, and the transformed cells were selected using G418 and immunohisto- chemistry. To analyze the cell survival and differentiation, cells were cultured in serum free medium supplemented with/without NGF. We performed the immunoprecipitation for the p53 induction of cells after ionizing radiation, and the FACS for the apoptosis of cells after the exposure of wortmanin. RESULTS: PC-12 cells which down-regulated AT gene (like ATM, AT mutated) showed decreased survival and ceased differentiation with NGF. Also, PC-12 (ATM) cells showed increased apoptosis with wortmanin and reduced or delayed p53 induction after ionizingradiation. CONCLUSION: Results obtained from these studies suggest that AT gene regulates survival and differentiation of PC-12 cells through PI3-kinase activity. It seems that apoptosis is induced by the inhibition of AT gene expression.
Apoptosis ; Ataxia Telangiectasia ; Calcium ; Cell Survival ; Chemistry ; DNA ; Gene Expression ; Hypersensitivity ; Immune System ; Immunoprecipitation ; MCF-7 Cells ; Nerve Growth Factor ; Phenotype* ; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases ; Radiation, Ionizing

In male reproducible health, fertility and IVF (in-vitro fertilization), semen analysis has been most important. Semen analysis can be divided into concentration, motional and morphological analysis of sperm. The existing method which was developed earlier to analyze semen concentrated on the sperm motility analysis. To provide more useful and precise solutions for clinical problems such as infertility, semen analysis must include sperm morphological analysis. But the traditional tools for semen analysis are subjective, imprecise, inaccurate, difficult to standardize, and difficult to reproduce. Therefore, with the help of development of microcomputers and image processing techniques, we developed a new sperm morphology analyzer to overcome these problems. In this study the agreement on percent normal morphology was studied between different observers and a computerized sperm morphology analyzer on a slide-by-slide basis using strict criteria. Slides from 30 different patients from the SNUH andrology laboratory were selected randomly. Microscopic fields and sperm cells were chosen randomly and percent normal morphology was recorded. The ability of sperm morphology analyzer to repeat the same reading for normal and abnormal cells was studied. The results showed that there was no significant bias between two experienced observers. The limits of agreement were 4.1%~-3.8%. The Pearson correlation coefficient between readers was 0.79. Between the manual and sperm morphology analyzer, the same findings were reported. In this experiments the slides were stained by two different methods, PAP and Diff-Quik staining methods. The limits of agreement were 7.2%~-5.7% and 6.0%~-6.3%, respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficients ware 0.76 and 0.91, respectively. The limits of agreement was tighter below 20% normal forms. In the experiments of repeatability, 52 cells stained by PAP and Diff-Quik staining methods were analyzed three times in succession. Estimating pairwise agreement, the kappa statistic for the pairs were 0.76, 0.81, 0.86, and 0.75, 0.88, 0.88 respectively. In this study it was shown that there was good agreement between manual and computerized assessment of normal and abnormal cells. The repeatability and agreement per slide of computerized sperm morphology analyzer was excellent. The computer's ability to classify normal morphology per slide is promising. Based on results obtained, this system can be of clinical value both in andrology laboratories and IVF units.
Andrology ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Fertility ; Humans ; Infertility ; Male ; Microcomputers ; Semen ; Semen Analysis ; Sperm Motility ; Spermatozoa*

BACKGROUND: Morphine has been commonly used for postoperative pain control. We measured plasma concentrations of morphine and compared the efficacy and safety of continuous epidural analgesia (CEA) using morphine-bupivacaine with intravenous patient controlled analgesia (IV-PCA) with morphine for 48 hrs after the end of the operation. METHODS: Nineteen patients undergoing Mile's operation were assigned to receive a morphine loading dose of 5 mg followed by IV-PCA with 0.1% morphine (IV-PCA group, n = 9) or a morphine loading dose of 2 mg and 0.125% bupivacaine 10 ml, followed by CEA with 0.004% morphine and 0.075% bupivacaine at a rate of 5 ml/hr (CEA group, n = 10). The plasma concentrations of morphine were measured and visual analog scales (VAS) for pain were recorded at 1, 6, 12, 24, and 48 hr postoperatively and the effects on respiration and any other side effects were noted. RESULTS: The mean maximal and minimal levels of plasma morphine were 40.2 +/- 21.2 ng/ml and 23.4 +/- 9.7 ng/ml for the IV-PCA group and 11.8 +/- 3.5 ng/ml and 8.2 +/- 1.9 ng/ml for the CEA group, respectively. Resting and dynamic pain scores were significantly lower in the CEA group than in the IV-PCA group. There were no significant differences for the effects on respiration and for any side effects between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: We evaluated plasma concentrations of morphine with CEA using morphine-bupivacaine and IV-PCA using morphine for the postoperative pain control. The CEA group had better postoperative analgesia than that of the IV-PCA group and the incidence of side effects were not significantly different between the two groups.
Analgesia ; Analgesia, Epidural ; Analgesia, Patient-Controlled ; Bupivacaine ; Humans ; Incidence ; Morphine ; Pain, Postoperative ; Plasma ; Respiration ; Weights and Measures

No abstract available.
Humans ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases* ; Pneumoconiosis*

Lack of adequate sleep has become increasingly common in our 24/7 modern society. Reduced sleep has significant health consequences including metabolic and cardiovascular disorders, and mental problems including depression. In addition, although the increase in life expectancy has provided a dream of longevity to humans, the occurrence of osteoporosis is a big obstacle to this dream for both male and female. It is known that insomnia and bone health problems, which are very critical conditions in human life, interestingly, share a lot of pathogenesis in recent decades. Nevertheless, due to another side effects of the synthetic drugs being taken for the treatment of insomnia and osteoporosis, patients have substantial anxiety for the safety of drugs with therapeutic expectation. This review examines the pathogenesis shared by sleep and osteoporosis together and herbal medicine, which has recently been shown to be safe and efficacious in the treatment of both diseases other than synthetic drugs. We suggestions for how to treat osteoporosis. These efforts will be the first step toward enabling patients to have comfortable and safe prescriptions through a wide selection of therapeutic agents in the future.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Dreams ; Female ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Life Expectancy ; Longevity ; Male ; Osteoporosis ; Prescriptions ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders

BACKGROUNDS: The molecular genetic characteristcs of cis-AB blood group have shown that its allele had C, G, C and C at nucleotide positions (nps) 526, 703, 796 and 803, respectively. And all cis-AB analysed and reported molecular genetically in Korea and Japan had T at np 467 (leucine at amino acid position 156). We report a first case of cis-AB with C at np 467 (proline at amino acid position 156). METHODS: Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood of cis-AB patient and amplified by DS1/DS2 and DS3/DS4 allele-specific primers. After PCR, we analysed nps 261, 467, 526, 646, 703, 796, and 803 by restriction digestion, autoradiography and automatic sequencing. RESULTS: PCR-RFLP with DS1/DS2 primers and restriction enzyme KpnI showed that cis-AB had an 0 allele. The results of genomic sequencing, autoradiography and restriction digestion showed that cis-AB allele at nps 467, 526, 646, 703, 796 and 803 had C, C, T, G, C and C, respectively. CONCLUSION: This cis-AB showed characteristic molecular genetic features at nps 526, 703, 796, and 803. And this is a first case of A(Pro) cis-AB with C at np 467. (Korean J Blood Transfusion 10(1): 13-19, 1999)
Alleles ; Autoradiography ; Blood Transfusion ; Cytosine* ; Digestion ; DNA ; Humans ; Japan ; Korea ; Molecular Biology* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

We report a case of secondary anetoderma due to pilomatricoma. A 15-year-old girl presented with a soft, 1.5 × 1.5cm in size, atrophic, pinkish and bulged-out lesion overlying the palpable subcutaneous mass on the left upper arm for several months. Histologic examination revealed the reduced number of dermal elastic fibers overlying a typical pilomatricoma.
Adolescent ; Anetoderma* ; Arm ; Elastic Tissue ; Female ; Humans ; Pilomatrixoma*