The objective of this study was to establish a good methodology to isolate single smooth muscle cells that are alive and respond properly to pharmacological agents. Canine urinary bladders were employed as the source of single cells, and acetylcholine, atropine and imipramine were used as indicators of pharmacological responsiveness. Imipramine, an antidepressant drug exhibited the anticholinergic and calcium antagonizing properties on rat detrusor muscle. To establish a control value for a further experiment to elucidate the mechanism of action of imipramine on detrusor muscle, we measured the concentration-response of single cells to acetylcholine in the presesnce of imipramine by length of the cells and compared the result with the response in the presence of atropine. Tiny chops of smooth muscle taken from anesthetized canine urinary bladder were incubated in collagenase solution at 36℃ for 17-20 minutes. The collagenase solution included collagenase 1.2 mg/ml, soybean tryspin inhibitory 0.08 mg/ml, bovine serum albumin 2% in 10 ml Krebs-Henseleit buffer solution aerated with a consistent breeze of 95/5% O2/CO2 to maintain the pH at 7.4. After washing with plain K-H solution on 450 mesh, cells were dissociated from the digested tissue for 12-15 minutes. Cell suspension was transfered in 5 ml test tubes and acetylcholine was added for the final concentration to be 10⁻¹⁴~10⁻⁹M. To find the optimal time to fix the cells to determine the contractile responses, 1% acrolein was added 5, 10, 20, 30, 60 and 120 seconds after the administration of ACh. The length of cells fixed by acrolein were measured by microscaler vis CCTV camers on phaes-contrast microscope. The average length of 50 cells from a slide glass was taken as the value of a sample at the very concentration point. Single cells were isolated from canine detrusor. The length of untreated cells varied from 82 µm to 94 µm. The maximal response to actylcholine 10E-9M was accomplished within 5 seconds of exposure, and the shortening was 19±3%. Atropine reduced the contraction of the cells concentration-dependently. Lmipramine which exerts a cholinergic blocking action on some smooth muscles also reduced the contraction concentration-dependently and by a similar pattern as atropine. These findings document that imipramine may exerts a cholinergic blocking activity in the single smooth muscle cells isolated from canine urinary bladder.
Acetylcholine ; Acrolein ; Animals ; Atropine ; Calcium ; Collagenases ; Glass ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Imipramine* ; Muscle, Smooth ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Rats ; Serum Albumin, Bovine ; Soybeans ; Urinary Bladder

No abstract available.
Korea*

No abstract available.
Sinusitis*

This study was designed to investigate the effect of GABA and related substances on the spontaneous contraction of rat small intestine. The rats (Sprague-Dawley), weighing 200-250g, were sacrificed by cervical dislocation, and the small intestine was isolated. Longitudinal muscle strips from duodenum, jejunum and ileum were suspended in Biancani's isolated muscle chambers and myographied isometrically. GABA and muscimol, a GABA A receptor agonist relaxed the duodenum and jejunum significantly, but baclofen-induced relaxation in those muscle strips negligible. The effectiveness of GABA and muscimol in various regions were the greatest on duodenum, and greater on jejunum than on ileum The effect of GABA and muscimol was antagonized by bicuculline, a competitive GABA A receptor antagonist and picrotoxin, a noncompetitive GABA A receptor antagonist. Duodenal relaxation induced by GABA and muscimol was unaffected by hexamethonium, but was prevented by tetrodotoxin. These results suggest that GABA inhibit the contractility of smooth muscle with distinct regional difference of efficacy, and the site of inhibitory action is the GABA A receptor existing at the presynaptic membrane of postganglionic excitatory nerves.
Animals ; Bicuculline ; Dislocations ; Duodenum ; GABA-A Receptor Agonists ; GABA-A Receptor Antagonists ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid* ; Hexamethonium ; Ileum ; Intestine, Small* ; Jejunum ; Membranes ; Muscimol ; Muscle, Smooth ; Picrotoxin ; Rats* ; Receptors, GABA-A ; Relaxation ; Tetrodotoxin

For trauma patients with severe shock, massive fluid resuscitation is necessary. However, shock and a large amount of fluid can cause bowel and retroperitoneal edema, which sometimes leads to abdominal compartment syndrome in patients without abdomino-pelvic injury. If other emergent operations except intraabdomen are needed, a distended abdomen is likely to be recognized late, leading to multiple organ dysfunction. Herein, we report two cases of a 23-year-old woman who was in a car accident and a 53-year old man who was pressed on his leg by a pressing machine; severe brain swelling and popliteal vessel injury were diagnosed, respectively. They were both in severe shock and massive fluid resuscitation was required in the emergency department. Distended abdomen was recognized in both the female and male patients immediately after neurosurgical operation and immediately before orthopaedic operation in the operating room, respectively. Decompressive laparotomy revealed massive ascites with retroperitoneal edema.
Abdomen ; Ascites ; Brain Edema ; Edema ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Hypertension* ; Laparotomy ; Leg ; Male ; Operating Rooms* ; Resuscitation ; Shock ; Young Adult

There has been no adequate diagnostic method for the diagnosis of intrascrotal lesions until recent days. Butafter the development of radionuclide testicular scan, early and relatively accurate diagnosis of the testicularlesions are possible. So the authors analyzed the 32 cases of patients who were examined by testicular scan andconfirmed by follow up study or operation, and the results are as follows; 1. These 32 cases consists of 13 casesod epididymitis, 7 cases of testicular torsion, 4 of cryptorchism, 2 of testicular tumor and etc. The over alldiagnostic accuracy is about 69%. 2. In epididymitis, the diagnostic accuracy is 85%(11/13) and the findings ofscan are increased perfusion in radionuclide angiogram and hot activity noted mainly in peripheral portion of thetesticle in static image. 3. In cases o testicular torsion, diagnostic accuracy is 86%(6/7). Acute torsion showsnormal perfusion in angiogram and round cold area instatic image. But in missed torsion, perfusion is increasedand round cold area wit surrounding hyperemia is noted in static image. Radionuclide testicular scan seems to benoninvasive, inexpensive, easily available and simple to perform with low gonadal radiation dose. So it can bevery useful as the first study in patients with acute testicular symptoms.
Cryptorchidism ; Diagnosis ; Epididymitis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gonads ; Humans ; Hyperemia ; Male ; Methods ; Perfusion ; Spermatic Cord Torsion

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the uroflow parameters of the pregnant women before delivery and immediate postpartum period. METHODS: Forty four patients delivered by spontaneous vaginal delivery (NVD group) and 46 patients by Cesarean section (C/SEC group) and 28 non-pregnant young women (Control group) were included in this study. Uroflow were checked 1 day before and 2 days after delivery by Jupiter 8000 (FM Wiest(R)) uroflowmetry. Mean value of the uroflow parameters in each group was compared using ANOVA t-test. For continuous data, linear associations with each of the uroflow parameters were assessed using a Pearson correlation coefficient. RESULTS: Maximal (18.48+/-5.21 mL/sec) and mean flow rate (9.45+/-3.73 mL/sec) of pregnant women were lower than control group (22.75+/-5.14 mL/sec), and were not changed after delivery (18.79+/-6.03 mL/ sec). Total flow time of pregnant woman (14.06+/-6.09 sec) was longer than control group (8.05+/-5.32 sec) before delivery, and increased after delivery especially after cesarean delivery. Time to peak flow of pregnant women (8.44+/-9.48 sec) was shorter than control group (16.33+/-6.11 sec) before delivery, and was similar to control group after delivery. Total voided volume (121.39+/-50.17 mL) was less than control group before delivery, and was increased after delivery (246.77+/-127.42 mL). Total voided volume after delivery was not different with control group statistically. CONCLUSION: There was no statistically differences before and after delivery in maximal flow rate, but was lower than non-pregnant women. Total flow time was much prolonged after delivery, especially after cesarean delivery. Time to peak flow and voided volume were restored to levels of non-pregnant women after delivery.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Humans ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women

The correction of author order.
Adult* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mortality*

BACKGROUND: Rapid and accurate identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex is important in the diagnosis, treatment, and assessment of prognosis of tuberculosis. But, the conventional identification procedures such as niacin test usually requires considerable time. In this study, we compared the diagnostic value of a gene probe method with that of the niacin test for the differentiation of M. tuberculosis complex from mycobacteria other than tuberculosis (MOTT). METHODS: Commercially available gene probe kit(AccuProbeTM, Gen-Probe, Inc. , San Diego, Calif.) and Niacin test strip were used to identify 78 strains of mycobacteria isolated from patients at Asan Medical Center. One ATCC strain (M. tuberculosis complex) and one MOTT strain were used as controls. Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) was used when the above two tests yielded discordant results. RESULTS: Fifty isolates were identified as M. tuberculosis complex by both gene probe method and niacin test. Likewise 25 isolates were identified as MOTT by the both methods. For the remaining 5 isolates, the results of the two tests differed from each other: M. tuberculosis complex by gene probe and MOTT by niacin test. By PCR, however. these strains were identified as M. tuberculosis. The time required for identification was 1 to 2 hours by gene probe method and 1 to 3 weeks by niacin test. CONCLUSION: Gene probe is simple, rapid and reliable and is a very practical diagnostic tool that can be used in any clinical laboratory.
Chungcheongnam-do ; Diagnosis ; Genes, vif* ; Humans ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Niacin ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prognosis ; Tuberculosis

Phospholipase C (PLC) plays a pivotal role in transmembrane signal transduction pathway for cellular proliferation differentiation and growth. Thus far, there have been few reports in which PLC activity was investigated in human malignant neoplastic tissues. In the present study, we evaluated PLC activity in 23 human gastric cancer tissues and normal mucosal tissues to investigate whether alteration of PLC activity is associated with gastric cancer. The amount of [14C] diacylglycerol, one of the earliest products of inositol phospholipid hydrolysis by PLC, was measured by thin layer chromatography. Also, expression of PLC-gamma1, which is one of the most important PLC isozymes,was examined by immunohistochemistry using specific monoclonal antibody directed against PLC-gamma1. The results are summarized as follows. PLC activity in all 23 gastric cancer tissues (1.35+/-1.04 units/mg of protein) was significantly higher than normal mucosal tissues (0.28+/-0.21 units/mg of protein) (P<0.001). PLC activity in gastric cancer tissues was not correlated with histologic grade (P>0.05). PLC-gamma1 immunoreactivity was detected in all of 23 cases studied. The intensity and extent of PLC-gamma1 immunoreactivity was not correlated with PLC enzyme activity, although stronger intensity was demonstrated in malignant cells in comparison to normal gland epithelial cells. The present study provides the first evidence of significant elevation of PLC activity in human stomach cancer tissues. Our results strongly suggest that PLC might be involved in tumorigenesis and/or progression(uncontrolled continuous cycling of cells) of human gastric cancer. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of elevated PLC activity in cancer tissues.
Humans ; Cell Transformation, Neoplastic ; Stomach Neoplasms