The distribution of transforming growth factor -alpha (TGF -alpha ) and epidermal growth factor (EGF) on the cardiovascular system of developing mouse embryos of gestational age 7 to 12 days were immunohistochemically (ABC method) studies to investigate the differential expression of these growth factors. Paraffin embedded sections were immunostained with antibodies for TGF -alpha and EGF. In the 8 -day -old mouse embryos, the endocardial tissue, myocardial tissue and cardiac jelly were all TGF -alpha stained. EGF stain was observed in the cardiac jelly and myocardial tissue but was not observed in the endocardial tissue. This suggests that in the initial phase of the cardiovascular system development, TGF -alpha function as earlier growth factor than EGF. The 9, 10 and 11 -day -old embryos showed TGF -alpha stain in the broad spectrum of developing cardiovascular tissues such as, the bulbus cordis, primitive atrium, sinus venosus, aortic sac, dorsal aorta, vitelline artery, endocardial cushion tissue, and myocardium of primitive ventricle. However, EGF stain was observed only in the bulbus cordis, primitive atrium and endocardial tissue. This finding indicates that TGF -alpha function as a more extensive growth factor than EGF. The 12 -day -old embryos showed stronger EGF stain than TGF -alpha in the primitive ventricle, bulbus cordis, and endocardial tissue. This suggests that EGF function as a more growth factor than TGF -alpha at this particular developmental stage and plays important role at the end stage of the primitive heart development.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Aorta ; Arteries ; Cardiovascular System ; Embryonic Structures* ; Endocardial Cushions ; Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Gestational Age ; Heart ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Mice* ; Myocardium ; Paraffin ; Transforming Growth Factors* ; Vitellins

To localize glycoconjugates of surface mucous cells, mucous neck cells and chief cells in the developing rat, nine of biotinylated lectin(SBA, DBA, PNA, BSL-1, RCA-1, sWGA, UEA-1, Con A and LCA) were applied with ABC method. In the surface and gastric pit epithelium of body of the stomach, DBA affinity was not demonstrated. Although Con A and LCA affinity were slightly increased after birth, these affinities with RCA-1 and sWGA maintained constantly from fetal to adult rat. And UEA-1 affinity gradually increased from the end of suckling period. BSL-1 and PNA affinity showed a tendency to decrease and was not observed in most cells from the suckling and weanling period respectively. In the gastric gland proper, mucous neck cells and chief cells were not distinguished until the early weanling period. All affinities examined except DBA and BSL-1 were observed and increased in the gland of postnatal rat. With the approach of weanling period, more intense affinity for PNA, RCA-1, sWGA and UEA-1 were found on lower portion of the gastric gland proper and more intense affinity for SBA on upper portion. The mucous neck cells showed a similar affinities as gastric gland proper from the weanling period and two affinities for PNA and Con A were detected in the chief cell.
Adult ; Animals ; Epithelium ; Gastric Mucosa* ; Glycoconjugates ; Humans ; Neck* ; Parturition ; Rats* ; Stomach

Upward migration of the peritoneal catheter of a subgaleo-peritoneal (SP) shunt and coiling into the subgaleal space is an extremely rare complication of a SP shunt. A 32-year-old male patient visited our hospital presenting with a large skull defect due to a prior craniectomy performed elsewhere. The patient underwent a cranioplasty with methylmetacrylate, but subsequently developed progressive pseudomeningocele and subgaleal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) collection. The patient underwent CSF diversion via a SP shunt. After SP shunting, the pseudomeningocele disappeared completely. Six months later, the patient presented with progressive scalp swelling. Skull X-ray showed migration and coiling of the distal catheter of the SP shunt. The patient was treated by removing the entire shunt catheter and the dura was covered with a subgaleal flap. We would like to report our experience with a very rare complication of subgaleo-peritoneal shunting.
Adult ; Catheters* ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Humans ; Male ; Scalp ; Skull

To examine the effects of electroacupuncture (EA) on central nociceptive modulation, expressional changes of spinal neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) were investigated in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-injected rats. Inflammation was induced by an intraplantar injection of CFA into the hindpaw of male Sprague-Dawley rats. Bilateral EA stimulation at 2 Hz, 15 Hz and 120 Hz was applied at those acupoints corresponding to Zusanli and Sanyinjiao in man with 3-day intervals for 30 days. At 30 days after CFA-injection, effects of EA on nNOS expression were observed in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord using immunohistochemical methods. The mean integrated optical density of nNOS immunoreaction was significantly increased in the dorsal horn throughout L1 to L5 lumbar segments in CFA-injected rats. The nNOS expression was attenuated in all regions of the dorsal horn by all types of EA. Especially, these reaction was markedly decreased in the superficial laminae and nucleus proprius of L1 and L3 lumbar segments by three types of EA, but a marked decrease in the neck of the dorsal horn was observed only in 2 Hz stimulation. The marked decrease of nNOS also showed in nucleus proprius and the neck of L5 lumbar segments in 2 Hz and 15 Hz EA stimulated rats. It is concluded that EA treatment can attenuate chronic inflammatory process in CFA-injected rats through modulating expression of nNOS in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord.
Acupuncture Points ; Animals ; Electroacupuncture* ; Freund's Adjuvant ; Horns ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Male ; Models, Animal* ; Neck ; Neurons* ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord

Purpose: In this paper, we propose deep-learning methodology with which to enhance the mass differentiation performance of convolutional neural network (CNN)-based architecture. Materials and Methods: We differentiated breast mass lesions from gray-scale X-ray mammography images based on regions of interest (ROIs). Our dataset comprised breast mammogram images for 150 cases of malignant masses from which we extracted the mass ROI, and we composed a CNN-based deep learning model trained on this dataset to identify ROI mass lesions. The test dataset was created by shifting some of the training data images. Thus, although both datasets were different, they retained a deep structural similarity. We then applied our trained deep-learning model to detect masses on 8-bit mammogram images containing malignant masses. The input images were preprocessed by applying a scaling parameter of intensity before being used to train the CNN model for mass differentiation. Results: The highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.897 (Î 20). Conclusion Our results indicated that the proposed patch-wise detection method can be utilized as a mass detection and segmentation tool.

Failure of normal embryogenesis may result in various anomalies of the inferior vena cava that can bereli-ably detected by computed tomography. Agenesis of the intrahepatic segment of the inferior vena cava withazygos continuation is a rare anomaly due to a complex developmental process of the inferior vena cava. Theauthors report a case in which this anomaly was diagnosed on computed tomography and confirmed by inferi-or venacavography.
Azygos Vein ; Embryonic Development ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Vena Cava, Inferior*

Between March 1994 and March 1995, 10 patients with thoracolumbar burst fractures underwent a one-stage operation consisting of anterior decompression, reduction, bony fusion with iliac bone and stabilization with Kaneda device. The mean follow-up was 6.4 Months. Most patients with incomplete neurologic lesions showed postoperative improvement and were upgraded one or two steps in the Frankel scale. No patient showed neurological deterioration after surgery. Loss of reduction was 5.5 degree during follow-up period. Anterior decompression and strut fusion was used to effectively recover the neurological deficit and reduce the pain in a thoraco-lumbar burst fracture.
Decompression ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans

Colorectal cancer is extremely rare in children. Unlike adult colorectal cancer, the overall prognosis of colorectal cancer in children is poor. Delayed diagnosis, advanced stages of the disease at presentation, and mucinous type of histology are the major determinants of poor outcome in childhood. A 13-year-old boy with abdominal pain visited our hospital. Physical examination andabdominal ultrasonography identified acute appendicitis with perforation. He underwent appendectomy and then the pathologic findings revealed mucinous adenocarcinoma. The cancer was located at the transverse colon and had metastases on peritoneal wall at 2nd laparotomy. Extended right hemicolectomy was performed. He underwent palliative chemotherapy. After 4 months later, hepatic metastasis and aggravated peritoneal seedings developed. He died of renal failure and pneumonia 13 months after operation. We need to have a high index of suspicion for the possibility of a malignant colorectal tumor in any childhood case with nonspecific signs and symptoms.
Abdominal Pain ; Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Appendectomy ; Appendicitis ; Child ; Colon ; Colon, Transverse ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Mucins ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Physical Examination ; Pneumonia ; Prognosis ; Renal Insufficiency ; Seeds

PURPOSE: To evaluate the diagnostic value of source images of 3D TOF MR angiography in patients with hemifacial spasm. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen patients with surgically-confirmed hemifacial spasm and 30 who were not suffering from this condition were included in this study. T1 and T2-weighted images and 3D TOF MR angiography were performed. In 43 randomly-selected individuals, we retrospectively determined whether source images obtained during 3D TOF MR angiography could be used to evaluate symptoms. The results were correlated with surgical findings. RESULTS: Sensitivity was 92% and specificity was 86%. In all 13 patients with hemifacial spasm, neurovascular compression was detected during their operation. Offending vessels were the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) in four cases, the posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) in seven, both the vertebral artery and PICA in one, and the vertebral vein, also in one. There were ten false-positive cases in the asymptomatic control group, nine of which showed neurovascular contact in the root entry zone of the facial nerve; one case showed indentation of the pons. CONCLUSION: Source images obtained during 3D TOF MR angiography are useful in the preoperative evaluation of hemifacial spasm.
Angiography ; Arteries ; Facial Nerve ; Hemifacial Spasm* ; Humans ; Pica ; Pons ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Veins ; Vertebral Artery

The multimodality evoked potentials(MEP)(somatosensory, auditory, and visual evoked potentials) is studied in patients with various head trauma. The use of evoked potentials for the evaluation of disorders of the nervous system has become a most valuable aid to the neurosurgeon and neurologist, often providing information of critical value without recourse to invasive technique. The multimodality evoked potentials is classified in three grades per modality as the degree of abnormality of the electrophysiological data. Data from 20 normal Korean subject are given for comparison with the abnormal data obtained from 96 patiemts with head trauma. The multimodality evoked potentials is a simple and useful method for clinical evaluation of abnormal function of the brain and prediciton of the patient's outcome in the head trauma patients.
Brain* ; Craniocerebral Trauma* ; Evoked Potentials* ; Head* ; Humans* ; Nervous System ; Prognosis