No abstract available.
Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses

No abstract available.
Carbon Dioxide* ; Carbon* ; Critical Illness* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Oxygen*

BACKGROUND: It has been known that androgenetic alopecia in both male and female is due to the role of the androgen hormone in the hair follicle, but the level of the androgen hormone in the plasma is controversial in relation with the development of the alopecia. OBJECTIVE: We have tried the clarify if there is any or no difference in the plasma levels of the hormones between the normal female and the patient with alopecia, because the range of the plasma DHEA-S and total testosterone in the normal female is very wide. METHODS: Plasma levels if the hormones were examined in 22 patients with female androgenetic alopecia and 20 normal females. RESULTS: 1. In DHEA-S, 21(95.5%) aut of 22 female androgenetic alopecia patients were in the normal range while 20(100%) of the 20 normal females were all within the normal range. However the mean value of the hormone(88.89+101.41 g/dl) in the patient group was significantly higher than that(82.18+44.03 g/dl) of the normal group(p<0.05). 2. In total testosterone, 17(94.4%) out of the 18 patents were in the normal range while 20 (100%) of 20 normal females were all within the normal range. However the mean value of the hormone(0.22+0.20ng/ml) in the patient group was significantly higher than that(0.08+0.09ng/ml) of the normal group(p<0.05). 3. As for distribution of DIEA S according to the age, the value of the patient group was higher than that of the normal group in all age groups studied. In the distribution of total testosterone according to age, there was no difference between the normal and the patient in the twenties. After the twenties, the testosterone levels were higher in the patients than the normal females. CONCLUSION: There were significant differences in mean values of plasma DHEA-S and total testosterone between the patients and the normal females although individuals in both groups were largely wit,hin normal range of the hormones.
Alopecia* ; Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate* ; Dehydroepiandrosterone* ; Female* ; Hair Follicle ; Humans ; Male ; Plasma* ; Reference Values ; Testosterone*

BACKGROUND: ST segment elevation in patient with chest pain was seen in acute myocardial infarction and in numerous other non-infarction syndrome. The causes of non-infarction syndrome were left ventricular hypertrophy, BER(benign early repolarization), and left bundle branch block in cardiac origin and were hyperkalemia and hyperventilation syndrome in metabolic origin and were others. Furthermore, the differentiation of electrocardiogram between acute myocardial infarction and non-infarction syndrome was very difficult. So, we compared and analysed characteristics of ST segment elevation of acute myocardial infarction and non-infarction syndrome that suggested the clue of early diagnosis of coronary artery disease. METHOD AND MATERIALS: We retrospectively reviewed the electrocardiogram of 961 patients with chest pain who visited the emergency center from January 1999 to December 1999. Acute myocardial infarction was diagnosed by clinical finding, electrocardiogram, cardiac enzyme, echocardiogram, and myocardial spect. Left ventricular hypertrophy, BER, and left bundle branch block in cardiac origin of non-infarction syndrome were diagnosed by electrocardiographic criteria suggested by William J. Brady. Acute myocarditis, acute pericarditis, and hyperventilation syndrome were diagnosed by clinical finding. RESULTS: Among 961 patients with chest pain, 236(24.6%) patients manifested ST segment elevation who were diagnosed acute myocardial infarction in 162(68.6%) patients and non-infarction syndrome in 74(31.4%) patients. The causes of non-infarction syndrome in 74 patients were left ventricular hypertrophy(32:13.6%), BER(28:11.9%), left bundle branch block(11:4.7%), and others(3:1.3%). Three others were acute myocarditis, acute pericarditis, and hyperventilation syndrome. Electrocardiographic characteristics of ST segment elevation of non-infarction syndrome manifested almost same finding compared to William J. Brady' criteria. CONCLUSION: ST segment elevation in patient with chest with chest pain visited emergency department was seen in acute myocardial infarction(68.6%) and the other non-infarction syndromes(31.4%). Significant number of patients were not associated with acute myocardial infarction. Therefore, we must completely understand characteristics of ST segment elevation in acute myocardial infarction and the other non-infarction syndromes to diagnose fatal early coronary artery disease and to avoid unnecessary thrombolytic therapy.
Bundle-Branch Block ; Chest Pain* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Early Diagnosis ; Electrocardiography ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Hyperkalemia ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; Hyperventilation ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myocarditis ; Pericarditis ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax* ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Multidrug resistance(MDR) phenotype is frequently observed in animal and human cancer cell lines selected for in vitro resistance to a single chemotherapeutic agent. It is characterized by the diminished j drug accumulation and is related to the drug efflux mechanism in resistant cells. In the present study, adriamycin resistant cells(L1210-AdR6 : 10-6M adriamycin, -AdR5: 10-5M) and vincristine resistant cells (L1210-VcR7: 10-7M vincristine, -VcR6: 10-6M) were produced from mouse lymphoblastic leukemia cell line L1210. Growth profiles of survived cells were observed for 5 days with MTT(thiazolyl blue) assay and resistance was compared with IWdrug concentration of 50% survival reduction in absorbance). Resisrant cells proliferated more slowly than sensitive cell. Doubling times were 29.7hr in L1210, 68.7hr in L1210-AdR5 and 58.2hr in -VcR6. MDRs expressed as resistance factor were as follows, L1210-AdR5 was 76.4 times for vincristine, L1210-VcR6 was 96.4 times for adriamycin. The cell membrane proteins with three different M.W. were recognized to be related resistance, 220, 158, and 88 kd in L1210-AdR5, 158, 140 and 88 kd in L1210-VcR6 by SDS-PAG electrophoresis. Cell surface membrane proteins were identified by radio-iodination and autoradiogram. their molecular! weights were 158, 72.8. and 42.4 Kd in L1210-VcR6.
Animals ; Cell Line ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Resistance* ; Electrophoresis ; Humans ; Membrane Proteins* ; Membranes* ; Mice* ; Phenotype ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma* ; Vincristine ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: To describe the appearance and average thickness of the internal anal sphincter with anal endosonography in healthy Korean adults. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 184 subjects(male: 96, female: 88) with no history of anorectal disease or surgery were studied with anal endosonography. The average thickness of internal sphincter was meas ured at the mid-anal canal. For the internal sphincter, which is often asymmetric, the thickness of each 4 part(12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock direction) were measured in left lateral decubitus position. RESULTS: The anal wall was well visualized in 5 layers(mucosa, submucosa, internal anal sphincter, intersphincteric plane, external anal sphincter) with anal endosonography. The anal endosonogram showed the internal anal sphincter as a homogenous, well-defined, hypoechoic, circular band, and slightly asymmetric. The average thickness of the internal anal sphincter in the area of mid-anal portion was 2.0 0.3 mm(range: 1~3 mm). There was no sexual difference; however, a significant positive correlation with age was found in average thickness of the internal anal sphincter. The correlation with lean body mass was not found. CONCLUSION: The internal anal sphincter is well-visualized, best defined structure by anal endosonography. Average thickeness of the sphincter in Korean appeared to be the same as in the Western.
Adult* ; Anal Canal* ; Endosonography ; Female ; Humans

No abstract available.
Anemia, Aplastic* ; Hepatitis*

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of regular stretching exercise for 1 year on health related fitness of the elderly women. We also determined whether the weekly stretching exercise sessions followed by intensive stretching exercise program was beneficial to maintain the altered health related fitness status. The thirty elderly women (F, 80.1+/-6.6 yr) were participated in this study. Subjects had no serious orthopedic problems. During the study period, they did not perform any regular physical activity beside the stretching exercise. The 1 year stretching exercise programs included 3 days/week stretching exercise session for the first 12 weeks followed by 1 day/week stretching exercise for rest of the study period. The subjects were tested 6 categories of health related fitness factors which included % body fat, flexibility, hand grips, back strength, balance, and agility. The summary of the results of this study were as followed: 1) There were significant increase in FFM and slightly decrease in %BF and WHR after the 3 days/wk stretching exercise program. However, there were significant decrease in FFM and WHR after the 1 day/wk stretching exercise program (p<.05). 2) There were significant increase in flexibility, hand grip strength (Rt.) and balance after the 3 days/wk stretching exercise (p<.05) while hand grip strength (Lt.) and back strength were slightly increase after the exercise. However, there were significant decrease in hand grip strength (both) and reaction time after 1 day/wk stretching exercise program while flexibility, back strength, and balance were slighly decrease after the program. In conclusion, this study showed that the 3 days/wk stretching exercise for 12 weeks result in significant increase of all health related fitness factors (p<.05). However, it showed that some of the HRF factors were decreased after the weekly stretching exercise unexpectedly.
Adipose Tissue ; Aged* ; Female ; Hand ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Motor Activity ; Orthopedics ; Pliability ; Reaction Time

Superficial gastritis has been classified as a type of chronic gastritis, since a report of Schindler in GASTRLTIS, 1947. Howev~er, Benedict reported that superficial gastritis is only acute gastritis or shows normal mucosa histologically. The com mon endopical findings of chronic superficial gastritis were adherent mucus, edema, redness. The common redness which were encounterd are patchy redness and comb-like redness(Kammrotung). We studied the relationship between the redness of superficial gastritis and acute inflammatory changes histologically. Each case of superfieial gastritis was biopsied to redening and non-redening mucosa respectively. We collected 24 cases with 48 biopsy specimens. The results are as follows: Acute inflammatory changes were found only one case in redness and none in non-redness groups. There was no difference in acute inflammatory changes in two groups. The degree of mucosal atrophy were 62.5%, 66.7% in normal mucosa, 12.5%, 16.7~% in mild atrophy, 25%, 12.5% in moderate atrophy, 0%, 4.l% in severe atrophy with respect to redness and non-redness mucosa respectively. There was no difference in degree of mucosal atrophy in two groups. Mucosal atrophies were higher in older ages above 41 years old than below 40 and with increasing age, there was increasing tendency of mucosal atrophy. In conclusion, There was no relationships between mucosal redness and acute in flammatory changes histologically and also between mucosal redness and degree of atrophy.
Adult ; Atrophy ; Biopsy ; Edema ; Gastritis* ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Mucus

No abstract available.
Panniculitis ; Panniculitis, Nodular Nonsuppurative*