No abstract available.
Animals ; Embryonic Structures* ; Freezing* ; Mice* ; Sucrose*

No abstract available.
Fertilization in Vitro* ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone*

No abstract available.
Fertility* ; Humans ; Infertility, Male* ; Male ; Male* ; Sperm Motility* ; Spermatozoa*

Bacterial infection has been implicated in premature labor in human. But it is impossible to undergo human study of bacteria-induced preterm delivery. If we carry out animal experiment which simulate human preterm delivery induced by bacteria, studies for mechanism, diagnosis, and treatment of preterm delivery will be progressed rapidly. To elucidate mechanisms and potential intervention strategies in preterm pregnancy loss, we observed bacteria-induced preterm labor and the protecting effect of administration of antibiotics with hysteroscopy-guided intracervical inoculation of Escherichia coli. Sterile saline solution(group I, n=5) or 2x10(7)cfu (colony-forming units) of E. coli bilaterally in the cervix of pregnant New Zealand White rabbits on day 20 or 21(70% of gestation) by hysteroscopy was inoculated and rabbits were assinged to ampicillin-sulbactam therapy beginning at 0hr(group II, n=4), 2 hr(group III, n=4), 4 hr(group IV, n=2), and 16 hr(group V, n=2) after inoculation with E. coli, or to no antibiotic therapy(group VI, n=3). Unasyn(ampicillin-sulbactam) was used and its daily dosage was 100 mg/kg/day. The occurrence of vaginal bleeding or preterm birth was observed every two hours. If one rabbit fetus was found to be delivered, exploratory laparotomy was done. Amniotic fluid culture on each sac, decidual culture on each uterine cavity, and pathologic examinations on each placenta were done. The results of experiments are as follows. In control group(0.2cc sterile saline inoculation only), there was no preterm labor and no bacterial growth in culture. In all three rabbits in group VI, preterm delivery occurred and the culture results were all positive in maternal blood, decidua, and amniotic sacs. Preterm delivery also occurred in group V, but results of maternal blood culture were all negative. Increased trend in the occurrence of preterm delivery was statistically significant in the order(p < 0.05) : group I(0/5), group II(0/4), group III(0/4), group IV(0/2), group V(2/2), and group VI(3/3). Pregnancy outcomes on the basis of the number of living fetus, dead fetus, and macerated fetus, have significant trend in the above order. Amniotic fluid culture results also had significant relationship(p < 0.05) : group I(0.20), group II(20/26), group III(18/30), group IV(10/11), and group VI(7/7). In group V, amniotic fluid fail to be obtained due to severe oligohydramnios. Decidual culture results also had an increased trend; group I(0/32), group II(21/29), group III(20/30), gorup IV(16/16), gorup V(11/11), and group VI(25/25). It is statistically significant(p < 0.05) Incidence of histologic chorioamnionitis was also significantly increased from group I to VI. These results indicate that E. coli inoculation has induced preterm delivery and antibiotic therapy has somewhat prevented preterm birth, amniotic fluid infection, decidual infection, and histologic chorioamnionits. Antibiotic effects were attenuated in cases of delayed antibiotic administration.
Amniotic Fluid ; Animal Experimentation ; Anti-Bacterial Agents* ; Bacteria ; Bacterial Infections ; Cervix Uteri ; Chorioamnionitis ; Decidua ; Diagnosis ; Escherichia coli ; Female ; Fetus ; Humans ; Hysteroscopy ; Incidence ; Laparotomy ; Models, Animal ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Oligohydramnios ; Placenta ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Premature Birth ; Prognosis* ; Rabbits ; Uterine Hemorrhage

No abstract available.
Splints* ; Sterilization, Tubal*

BACKGROUND: Several studies have demonstrated that quantitation of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in sera of HBsAg-positive patients is more useful test for the assessment of infectivity and for the evaluation of disease status than previously utilized numerous serological markers and qualitative polymerase chain reaction for the detection of HBV DNA. We tried to measure serum HBV DNA using a branched DNA (bDNA) signal amplification assay, which is recently introduced and known to be a simple and nonradioisotopic method. METHODS: Total forty patients with HBsAg were randomly selected and serum HBV DNA was measured with duplication using bDNA signal amplification assay (QUANTIPLEXTM HBV DNA ASSAY, Chiron, USA). Quantitation was determined from a standard curve and expressed as HBV DNA equivalents/mL (Eq/mL; 1 Eq = 1 molecule of the primary HBV DNA standard). Serum HBeAg, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) , and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) were compared with HBV DNA. RESULTS: Serum HBV DNA was quantitated in 13 patients (32.5%) (range 6.4x106-7.4x109 Eq/mL, mean 1.8x109 Eq/mL, CV 8.1%). All eleven patients (100%) with both HBsAg and HBeAg an4 2 of 29 patients (6.9%) with HBsAg but not with HBeAg showed measurable HBV DNA (p < 0.001). In addition, serum levels of AST, ALT, and sIL-2R were significantly higher in HBV DNA measured patients compared with those of unmeasured patients. CONCLUSIONS: Above results show that more than half the HBsAg-positive patients do not have enough HBV DNA which is measurable with boNA signal amplification assay but all of HBeAg-positive patients and some of HBeAg-negative patients do. In addition, HBV DNA quantitation might be correlated with the disease activity in HBsAg-positive patients because serum levels of AST, ALT, and sIL-2R are higher in patients measured with HBV DNA than unmeasured.
Alanine Transaminase ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Branched DNA Signal Amplification Assay* ; DNA ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Interleukin-2 ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

No abstract available.
Animals ; Embryonic Structures* ; Mice*

No abstract available.
Fluoroimmunoassay* ; Immunoenzyme Techniques*

A 38-year-old male patient visited our clinic complaining of three skin lesions on the scalp. There were yellowish to brownish, waxy, non-tender, walnut-sized nodules. Hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed amorphous pinkish material deposits in the dermis. The Congo red stain and Dylon stain under polarizing microscopy showed yellow-green birefringence and the immunoglobulin-lambda light chain stain showed a positive reaction. An electron microscopic examination revealed filaments with uniform diameter(6 to 10nm) that were straight and neither branched nor anastomosed. Based on the clinical, histopathological, immunohistochemical and electron microscopical findings, the skin lesions were diagnosed as nodular amyloidosis.
Adult ; Amyloidosis* ; Birefringence ; Congo Red ; Dermis ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Hematoxylin ; Humans ; Male ; Microscopy ; Scalp ; Skin

No abstract available.
Animals ; Embryonic Structures* ; Freezing* ; Mice*