OBJECTIVES: the aim of this study was to evaluate plasmin system in placenta fiom women with normal and preeclamptic pregnancy. METHODS: The levels of urokinase-type plasminogen activator(uPA), tissue-type plasrninogen activator(tPA), uPA receptor(uPAR) and plasminogen activatar inhibitor-1(PAI-1) mRNAs were measured by Northern blotting in placenta hom sixteen women with normal (n""8) and preeclamptic (n""8) pregnancy. The levels of tPA protein and PAI-1 protein were also measured by Westerrn blotting. RESULTS: Densitometric measurements revealed no difference in the levels of uPA mRNA, uPAR mRNA, tPA protein and PAI-1 protein in placentas fiom normal and preeclamptic pregnancies. There was, however, a significant decrease in the level of 3.2 kb PAI-I mRNA in placentas from preeclamptic women compared to normal pregnant women. CONCLUSION: To the contrary of our expectation, 3.2 kb PAI-1 mRNA level was significantly lower in placenta from women with preeclampsia compared to normal pregnancy. This seems to reflect differential accumulation of PAI-1 mRNAs due to environmental intluences or decreased differentiation potential of villous trophoblasts to invasive trophoblasts in placenta from preeclamptic women compared to normal pregnant women. The mechanism that regulates plasmin system in human placenta needs further investigations.
Blotting, Northern ; Female ; Fibrinolysin* ; Humans ; Placenta* ; Plasminogen ; Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 ; Plasminogen Activators ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; RNA, Messenger ; Trophoblasts

The purpose of this study is to reveal how the road traffic noise influences on the response of teachers and students, which composed of conversation, studying, relation, and physical disturbances. The research method used in this study was self- administrated questionnaire. Samples of the survey were composed of 420 persons(l14 teachers and 306 students) who are exposed to traffic noise less than 65 dB(A) from two junior high schools and 410 persons(140 teachers and 270 students) from two noisy junior high schools which the road traffic noise above 65 dB(A). In the response of both of the teachers and students in noisy(above 65 dB) schools complaints of disturbances of conversation, studying, relaxation, and physical disturbances are much higher than that of less noisy schools' teachers and students(p<0.01 ). On the occasion of time and season, the subjects answered the traffic noise cause high troublesome and stresses in the afternoon(12:00-17:00) and summer respectively. It is necessary to provide governmental comprehensive and fundamental measures to improve the noisy school environments.
Humans ; Noise* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Relaxation ; Seasons

BACKGROUND: Caudal block is useful when anesthesia for surgery or treatment for chronic pain is needed, but this procedure has a failure rate of up to 25% even when it performed byan experienced physician. This high failure rate is usually due to improper needle placement. METHODS: After gaining approval of the ethics committee, 46 patients received caudal blocks under ultrasound guidance; these were performed after the anatomical structures in the sacral hiatus had been measured with ultrasound. All these procedures were performed by the same anesthesiologist. The position and direction of the needle were identified using fluoroscopy by injecting a radio-opaque contrast through the needle. The time taken from thelidocaine injection to verification of the needle was measured and the planned nerve block was then carried out. RESULTS: All cases of needle insertion into the sacral canal under ultrasound guidance were successful. The average duration of the procedure and the trial count were 134.1 +/- 10.1 seconds and 1.2 +/- 0.1, respectively. In 12 of the 46 cases (26%), the needle deviated either left or right in the sacral canal, so the direction of the needle had to be adjusted. The distance between two cornua, the depth of the sacral hiatus and the thickness and length of the sacrococcygeal ligament were 17.1 +/- 0.4, 3.9 +/- 0.3, 2.3 +/- 0.1 and 24.9 +/- 0.9 mm, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Ultrasound guidance can increase the success rate of inserting a needle into the sacral canal. However, even when ultrasound is used, the needle can deviate either left or right in the sacral canal.
Anesthesia ; Chronic Pain ; Ethics Committees ; Fluoroscopy ; Humans ; Ligaments ; Needles* ; Nerve Block ; Ultrasonography*

No abstract available.
Gastric Stump*

BACKGROUND: Transient global ischemia causes delayed neuronal death (DND) in the CA1 area, of which the mecha-nism is controversial. Induction of apoptosis-regulating proteins during the process of DND has been reported, howev-er ,the exact role of Bcl-2/Bax is not well understood. We tried to reveal the pattern of the Bax/Bcl-2 expression modi-fied by the duration of ischemia and hypothermia. METHODS: Global ischemia was induced in Mongolian gerbils for 2, 5, and 10 minutes under the temperature of 36 degrees C and 32 degrees C. Hippocampal sections were evaluated 48 hours after ischemia with H&E and immunohistochemical staining to Bcl-2/Bax. Viable neuronal density and semi-quantitative grading were compared. RESULTS: In the CA1 area, neurons were intact in 2 min ischemia, while partial or significant ischemic changes were observed in 5-10 min ischemia of 36 degrees C setting, which were less severe in 32 degrees C . Bcl-2 was posi-tive in 2 min ischemia, while negative in 5~10 min ischemia of 36 degrees C . Bax was negative in 2 and 10 min ischemia, while positive in 5 min ischemia. In 32 degrees C setting, Bcl-2 was also positive in 2 min ischemia and partially positive in 5- 10 min ischemia, although Bax expression was not different from 36 degrees C. CONCLUSIONS: The complex mechanism of DND, which is in the spectrum of apoptosis and necrosis, seems to be determined by the severity of ischemia. The bal-ance between Bcl-2 and Bax may determine the survival of neurons in mild to moderate ischemia. Further evidence remains to be determined by morphological and molecular biological methods.
Apoptosis ; Body Temperature* ; Gerbillinae ; Hypothermia ; Ischemia* ; Necrosis ; Neurons

To evaluate the difference in prognosis between hypertensive (HTN) and normotensive (NTN) cerebellar hemorrhages, we compared 20 HTN with 7 NTN patients with cerebellar hemorrhage. A series of 27 cerebellar hemorrhages diagnosed by CT scan in Seoul National University Hospital were divided into two groups: hypertensive(HTN) and normotensive (NTN). We analyzed two groups about clinical and radiological findings including outcome. We also evlauated the factors that had an effect on the prognosis of cerebellar hemorrhage. The etiologies of NTN were AVM in four, tumor in two and one unknown cause. The prognostic factors in both groups were initial consciousness level, degree of hydrocephalus, quadrigeminal cisternal obliteration, hematoma size and volume while the differences between HTN and NTN were age, hematoma size and volume, quadrigeminal obliteration and outcome. Therefore, the hematoma size. Volume and quadrigeminal cisternal obliteration might lead to poorer outcome in HTN group. We concluded that hypertensive cerebellar hemorrhages revealed poorer progonsis than normotensive cerebellar hemorrhage and hypertension should be considered as an underlying factor determining the prognosis of cerebellar hemorrhages.
Consciousness ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Hypertension ; Prognosis* ; Seoul ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The usual manifestations of Moyamoya disease are bilateral carotid narrowing or occlusion at the carotid fork and abundant basal.vascular network with various carotid neurovascular symptoms. We report two unusual cases showing visual symptoms(bilateral cortical blindness, right homonymous hemianopsia, respectively) and angiographically vertebrobasilar and complete proximal internal carotid occlusion, with extensive parenchymal and transdural anastomosis in Moyamoya disease.
Blindness, Cortical ; Carotid Artery, Internal* ; Hemianopsia ; Moyamoya Disease*

Visuomotor ataxia, a difficulty in reaching for or in seizing a well visualized object, has been described as resulting from lesion in premotor area or posterior parietal lobe or deep white matter connecting the two. We report a case of unilateral, both direct and crossed, visuomotor ataxia in the right homonymous half field of vision in the patient with left parieto-occipital arteriovenous malformation.
Arteriovenous Malformations ; Ataxia* ; Humans ; Intracranial Arteriovenous Malformations* ; Parietal Lobe

An extraordinary eye movement was seen in a vegetative patient. His eyeballs were exotropic in the primary position and showed dissociated nystagmus which appeared alternately in each eye every few seconds. He also had palatal myoclonus quite asynchronous with the nystagmus. To our knowledge, there has been no such nystagmus documented in the literature. We report the new nystagmus with his EOG and brain MRI.
Electrooculography ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myoclonus/*complications/diagnosis ; Nystagmus, Pathologic/*complications/diagnosis ; Palatal Muscles

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Various double crown systems have been used with removable partial dentures in the clinical field. Although retentive force between inner and outer crown are affected by several factors, differences between the retentive forces of different double crown system types are expected. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the initial retentive force of outer crowns fabricated by the conventional casting technique in conus and hybrid double crowns. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Ten double crowns were fabricated. The groups were as follows. Group 1, double crowns of hybrid inner and outer crowns using the conventional casting method; Group 2, double crowns of conus inner and outer crowns using the conventional casting method. Tensile strengths of double crowns when the inner and outer crowns were separated on a universal testing machine were measured. These values of retentive force were then statistically analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test. RESULTS: Retentive force in group 2 was significantly higher than that in group 1 (p<.05). CONCLUSION: The initial retentive forces of double crowns were affected by the types of the double crown system.
Conus Snail ; Crowns* ; Denture, Partial, Removable ; Tensile Strength