No abstract available.
Animals ; Cats* ; Neurons* ; Visual Cortex*

No abstract available.
Fournier Gangrene* ; Scrotum* ; Sparganosis*

No abstract available.
Cellulitis* ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact*

No abstract available.
Bowen's Disease ; Foot

BACKGROUND: Soluble IL-2R, soluble CD8 and TNF-alpha are elevated in sera of some patients with hematological malignancies, and a marked elevation of these cytokines could be used to assess disease activity and prognosis in this malignancy group. METHODS: The serum levels of sIL-2R, sCD8 and TNF-alpha were assessed in 28 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and 32 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and 39 cases of healthy control subjects to define clinical usefulness as prognostic markers by sandwich enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: In MDS patients, serum sIL-2R levels were significantly higher as compared with controls, and a more pronounced increase of serum sIL-2R levels was found in patients with RAEB RAEB-t and CMML as compared with RA and RARS. Serum sCD8 levels were higher as compared with controls, but not related with FAB classification. In patients with leukemic conversion. sCD8 levels tended to be higher as compared with patients with non-conversion. The sIL-2R levels of AML patients were significantly higher than controls, and a significant correlation was detected between the levels of sIL-2R and WBC counts. Higher sIL-2R levels( >2000 U/ml) tended to affect both complete remission rate and survival. Serum sCD8 levels were higher than controls, but not related to FAB classification. No differences of serum TNF-alpha levels were detected as compared with healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: From these results, this study indicates that serum sIL-2R and sCD8 are significantly increased in some patients with MDS and AML, and increased levels of serum sIL-2R and sCD8 may be useful for predicting prognosis of these patients.
Anemia, Refractory, with Excess of Blasts ; Classification ; Cytokines ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute* ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes* ; Prognosis ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

Anal incontinence following pelvic trauma, surgery, or neurologic disorders has significant medical and social implication. Both Chetwood in 1902 and Bistom in 1944 utilized coccygeal origin portion of the gluteus maximus muscle for the anal sphincter reconstruction. The gluteus maximus muscle is a broad, fan-shaped muscle with a wide origin from the ilium sacrum and coccyx and a narrow insertion along the iliotibial band of the lateral femur. Its blood supply is from the inferior gluteal artery and its innervation is from L-5, S-1 roots by means of the inferior gluteal nerve Incisions are placed at the inferior border of the ischial tuberosity. Subcutaneous tunnels are created about the rectum and gluteal and perirectal incisions. Two overacting slings are being created Their opposing pull creates sphincter or valve effect about the distal rectum. We have experienced 2 cases of irregular, deep soft tissue defects of the perianal region requiring muscle coverage with the gluteus maximus muscle overlapping slings. We think the use of the gluteus maximus muscle is one of the most useful method for reconstruction of the anal sphincter mechanism.
Anal Canal* ; Arteries ; Coccyx ; Femur ; Ilium ; Nervous System Diseases ; Rectum ; Sacrum

No abstract available.
Animals ; Brain* ; Corpus Striatum* ; Neurons* ; Neuropeptides* ; Rats*

In complete heart block(CHB), there is a complete failure of the atrial impulse leading into a ventricular response, the atria and ventricles beat independently, with the latter having a slower rate. Approximately one-third of infants with congenital CHB have associated structural heart disease such as corrected transposition of the great arteries, single ventricle, and the heterotaxy syndrome. For those patients without associated anomalies in whom bradycardia causes heart failure unresponsive to drugs, a pacemaker is necessary. We report a case of congenital complete heart block showing a ventricular beat of 57 /min despite atrial beat of 125/min. The mother of the baby was asymptomatic but her serologic tests were positive for connective tissue disease. The patient had positive serologic tests for anti-Ro antibody and anti-La antibody but associated structural heart anomalies were not found. He remained well without signs and symptoms of heart failure and no treatment was required except 02 supply.
Arteries ; Bradycardia ; Connective Tissue Diseases ; Heart Block* ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Failure ; Heart* ; Heterotaxy Syndrome ; Humans ; Infant ; Mothers ; Serologic Tests

OBJECTIVE: The resistance mechanisms of tumor cells to chemotherapeutic drugs are known as the followings; the alterations in the drug transport and activation, the enhanced expression of the DNA repair and replication and the decreased apoptosis. The aim of this study is to examine a relative difference on the level of the mRNA expression of the multidrug resistance (MDR)-related and the apoptosis-associated genes between cisplastin-sensitive and cisplatin-resistant human ovarian cancer cell line. METHODS: MDR-associated genes (lrp, mdr1/p-glycoprotein, mrp) and PKC isozymes (alpha, beta1, beta2, epsilon, eta, theta), DNA mismatch repair (MMR) genes (hMLH1, hMSH2, hMSH3, hMSH6), DNA topology-related genes (topoisomerase IIalpha and beta) and apoptosis-related genes (p53, p21, mdm2, fas (Apo-1), trail (Apo-2L) were analyzed in cisplatin-sensitive ovarian cancer cell line A2780 and -resistant cell line A2780cp by complementary DNA polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The mdr1 and PKC eta in mRNA level were expressed in A2780cp, but not in A2780. The mRNA expressions of lrp, p21 and mdm2 were more increased in A2780cp than drug sensitive variant A2780, but not significantly correlated. In contrast mRNA expression of hMLH1, a kind of DNA MMR gene, was remarkably decreased and mRNA expression of hMSH2 was slightly decrease in A2780cp. However, the levels of mrp, topo II alpha and beta, hMSH3, hMSH6, p53, fas and trail were not affected. CONCLUSION: These results showed that mdr1/p-gp expression may be an important determinant of MDR phenotype in resistant cell line to chemotherapeutic agents, and PKC isozymes and DNA MMR genes may be responsible for cisplatin resistant in ovarian cancer.
Apoptosis* ; Cell Line* ; Cisplatin* ; DNA ; DNA Mismatch Repair ; DNA Repair ; DNA, Complementary ; Drug Resistance, Multiple* ; Humans* ; Isoenzymes ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Phenotype ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Messenger

No abstract available.
Ligamentum Flavum* ; Spinal Cord Diseases*