The amebicidal activity of traditional anitiamoebic drug (emetine, carbasone, diodoquin, chloroquine, atabrine, chloramphenicol and tertracycline) and newly appeared chemicals(niridazole, metronidazole and No. 8603 substance) were assayed by in vitro experiment using five strains of human originated E, histolytica. The variety of amebicidal activity of drugs by the strains were discussed. Ranges of amoebicidal activity of traditional antiamoebic drugs kept almost similar titers of previous reports at the concentration; 1:5,000 to 1:20,000 with emetine hydrochloride, 1:10.000 to 1:20,000 with carbarsone, 1:8,000 to 1:16,000 with diodoquin, 1:50,000 with chloroquine, 1:1,000 to 1: 4,000 with atabrine ,1:1,000 to 1:2,000 with chloramphencol and 1:5,000 to 1:8,000 with tetracycline. The newly appeared chemicals showed higher amebicidal titres at the concentration; 1:500,000 to 1:5,000,000 with niridazole, 1:50,000 to 1:100,000 with metronidazol and 1:100,000 to 1:500,000 with No.8603 substance. Emetine, chloramphenicol and No. 8603 substance showed amebicidal activities at lower concentration to intestine originated amebae (YS 14, YS 15 and NAMRU II strain) than to liver originated amebae (YS 24 and YS 25 strain ), while carbarsone, chloroquine and metronidazole showed the activity at higher concentrations. Diodoquin showed lower amebicidal titres to trophozoite borne amebae (NAMRU II, YS 24 and YS 25 strain) than to cyst borne amebae(YS 14 and YS 15 strain), but niridazole showed converse results. The concentration of atabrine for amebicidal activity was not constant according to strains of the amoeba, but tetracycline showed almost settled titers.
parasitology-protozoa ; Entamoeba histolytica ; virulence ; in-vitro ; chemotherapy ; emetine ; carbasone ; diodoquin ; chloroquine ; atabrine ; chloramphenicol ; tertracycline ; niridazole ; metronidazole ; No. 8603 substance

BACKGROUND: Substrates play an important role in the effectiveness of the indirect immunofluro-rescence test. The monkey eaophagus has been known to be a more reliable and reproducible substrate than any other animal substrates for detecting pemphigus vulgaris autoantibodies, but it is quite difficult to get the monkey esophagus in Korea, therefore, we tried to find other substrates which could be substituted for it. OBJECTIVE: We studied to select the substrate which can be the most sensitive, to compare the immunofluorescent sensitivity of various animal substrates and fores,cins for detection of pemphigus autoantibodies, and finally to evaluate the effectiveness of cultured hunan keratinocytes as a substrate for indirect immunofluorescerice. METHOD: With foreskin, guinea pigs, cats, rats, dogs, rabbits and cultured human keratinocytes as substrates, an indirect imrnunofluorescence test was performed to detect pemphigus vulgaris autoantibodies in seven sera from the active patients before treatment and diluted serially from 1:10 to 1:1280 RESULT: We could detect pernphigus autoantibodies in all animal subtrates used in this study except rats and obtain good immunofluorescent results with foreskin, guinea pigs, and cultured human keratinocytes. The results were moderate with dogs, cats, rabbits, and poor with rats. CONCLUSION: We confirm thut cultured human keratinocytes can be a good effective substrate. According to effectiveness, subtrates can be divided into three groups. Foreskin, guinea pigs, and cultured human keratinocytes are included in the good effective substrate group, dogs, cats, and rabbits in the modeate group and rats in the poor substrate group, but we can not find any superiority of substrates within each groups.
Animals ; Autoantibodies* ; Cats ; Dogs ; Esophagus ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect* ; Foreskin ; Guinea Pigs ; Haplorhini ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; Korea ; Pemphigus* ; Rabbits ; Rats

A total of 120 infants, children, and teenagers, who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics, Severance Hospital from April 1989 to August 1989, were examined by cross-sectional echocardiography. Right and left atrial and ventricular dimensions and areas were measured in the parasternal, apical, and subcostal views. Dimensions of the inferior caval vein, the pulmonary and the aorta were obtained in the parasternal, suprasternal, and subcostal views. The results were as follows : 1) Statistical analysis showed no difference between boys and girls. 2) For all parameters, a positive linear correlation was found with age, height, weight, and body surface area. The best correlation was with body surface area. 3) The correlation was further improved if the logarithmic values of the measurements and body surface area were considered. 4) Measurements by cross-sectional echocardiography are clinically useful, especially in the study of the right-sided cardiac structures that are difficult to evaluate with M-mode echocardiography, but the problems of reproducibility have to be taken into account.
Adolescent ; Aorta ; Body Surface Area ; Child* ; Echocardiography* ; Female ; Humans ; Infant* ; Pediatrics ; Reference Values ; Veins

The purpose of this study was to evaluate clinical changes in graft size after treatment with connective tissue autograft in human. 40 premolar teeth in 23 patients having the following mucogingival problemswere selected. The width of extension, attached gingiva including free marginal gingiva, width of transplant and clinical sulcus depth were measured at the initial examination, 2, 12 and 24 weeks following the connective tissue autograft and free gingival autograft. The change of width of extension, attached gingiva including free marginal gingiva, width of transplant and clinical sulcus depth according to healing process in both graft procedures was statistically analyzed by ANOVA test and independent t-test using SPSS program. The results were as follows: 1. The change of keratinized gingiva in both grafting procedures was increased significantly at 24 weeks post-op. 2. The clinical sulcus depth exhibited no marked changes throughoutthe entire investigation in both grafting procedures. 3. After 12 weeks, no dimensional variation was seen in graft size in both grafting procedures. 4. Shrinkage differs significantly in both grafting procedures. From the day of graft to 24 weeks after surgery the percentages of shrinkage were connective tissue autograft 55% and free gingival autograft 29%.
Autografts* ; Bicuspid ; Connective Tissue* ; Gingiva ; Humans ; Tooth ; Transplants*

Total 9 cases of extraintestinal amoebiasis, amebic liver abscess and amebic lung abscess, were treated with metronidazole. The diagnosis and progress check were done by (1) stool examination, (2) size and pain of liver, (3) hematological examination, (4) urinanalysis, (5) X-ray or liver scanning (6) examination of aspirated pus from liver and (7) immobilization test of E. histolytica. Results are summarized as follows: Amebic hepatitis: Metronidazole was given to 3 cases with daily dose of 0.9-1.2 gm for 3-7 days. Clinical symptoms were completely restored by the treatment. Amebic lung abscess: One case was treated with metronidazole for 3 days with the daily dose 1.2 gm. X-ray findings showed remarkable improvement by the treatment. An additional administration of the drug for 6 days resulted complete resolution of the pneumonic changes. Amebic liver abscess: Four cases were treated with metronidazole. The daily doses were 0.4-2.4 gm and continued for 2-10 days. Aspiration of the abscess for 1-10 times or continuous drainage of pus were performed during the course supplementarily. All cases were recovered to normal by the combining treatment. No remarkable side effect was noticed by the drug administration, and no relapse was experienced up to date.
parasitology-protozoa-Entamoeba histolytica ; chemotherapy ; metronidazole ; liver ; lung ; amoebiasis

No abstract available.

A Statistical observations were done on 587 pediatric patients who were diagnosed as having congenital heart disease by cardiac catheterization angiography and operation at Dong San Hospital Keimyung University, during the period of January 1982 to june 1987. The results were as follows 1) Out of 587 patients, 317 cases were male and 276 cases were female. There were female preponderance in atrial septal defect and patent ductus arteriosus, whille in male tetralogy of Fallot, pulmonary stenosis, and ventricular septal defect. 2) The incidence of congenital heart disease were as folliws;ventricular septal defect 35.7% tetralogy of Fallot 17.5%, patient ductus arteriousus 13.9%, arterial septal defect 7.5% and pulmonary stenosis 2.9%. 3) Most of the patients were visited hospital for the first time between the age of 2 and 10 years. 4) Assosiated anomalies of major congenital heart disease were as follows:the most commonly associated anomaly in ventricular septal defect were pulmonary stenosis and patent ductus arteriosus. Pulmonary stenosis was frequently associated with atrial septal defect. Right sided aortic arch and pentalogy were assosiated with tetralogy of Fallot. The mitral regurgitation was associated with patent ductus arteriosus mostly. 5) The overall surgical mortality was 6.8%. The mortality was high in tetralogy of Fallot(16.1%), transposition of great vessels(28.5%).
Angiography ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital* ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Mortality ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis ; Statistics as Topic* ; Tetralogy of Fallot

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of oxidative stress and antioxidantson heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in cultured human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. METHODS: Cultured RPE cells were challenged with different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and the HO-1 mRNA level was determined by RT-PCR after 24 hours and 48 hours of incubation independently. Additionally, the HO-1 mRNA level was measured after preincubating RPE cells with N-acetylcystein (NAC) as the antioxidant for 30 minutes and then challenging the cells with H2O2. RESULTS: The expression of the HO-1 mRNA level increased after H2O2 exposure, and this level was proportional to the increased H2O2 concentration (p<0.05). Expression of the HO-1 mRNA level decreased when the RPE cells were preincubated with NAC (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In human RPE cells, the HO-1 level increased in proportion to the degree of oxidative stress and decreased with exposure to antioxidants. Expression of HO-1 may be helpful in preventing retinal disease, which occurs due to oxidative stresses such as age-related macular degeneration.
Antioxidants ; Heme ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Macular Degeneration ; Oxidative Stress ; Retinal Diseases ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium ; Retinaldehyde ; RNA, Messenger

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of oxidative stress and antioxidantson heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in cultured human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. METHODS: Cultured RPE cells were challenged with different concentrations of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), and the HO-1 mRNA level was determined by RT-PCR after 24 hours and 48 hours of incubation independently. Additionally, the HO-1 mRNA level was measured after preincubating RPE cells with N-acetylcystein (NAC) as the antioxidant for 30 minutes and then challenging the cells with H2O2. RESULTS: The expression of the HO-1 mRNA level increased after H2O2 exposure, and this level was proportional to the increased H2O2 concentration (p<0.05). Expression of the HO-1 mRNA level decreased when the RPE cells were preincubated with NAC (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In human RPE cells, the HO-1 level increased in proportion to the degree of oxidative stress and decreased with exposure to antioxidants. Expression of HO-1 may be helpful in preventing retinal disease, which occurs due to oxidative stresses such as age-related macular degeneration.
Antioxidants ; Heme ; Heme Oxygenase-1 ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Macular Degeneration ; Oxidative Stress ; Retinal Diseases ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium ; Retinaldehyde ; RNA, Messenger

We report a case of epidermolysis bullosa acqumta with characteristic clinical features, subepidermal vesicles in histopathology, and deposits of IgG in basement membrane zone at routine direct immunofluorescent test. 1M NaCl-treated immunofluorescent test was performed in order to correctly diagnose our case. In this method, linear immunofluorescent deposits of IgG were found only at the dermal part of separation induced by 1M NaC1 treatment to skin specimen.
Basement Membrane ; Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita* ; Epidermolysis Bullosa* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Methods ; Skin