OBJECTIVE: Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), a novel hypothalamic neuropeptide, has been suggested to play a role in ovarian folliculogenesis. The present study evaluated the effect of PACAP on the growth of preantral follicles. METHODS: Preantral follicles were mechanically isolated from ovaries of 21-day-old rats and cultured in groups for 3 days in serum-free medium in the absence or presence of PACAP-38 (10-6 M). RESULTS: Treatment with PACAP-38 resulted in an increase in follicle diameter by 75% whereas treatment with follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) increased follicle diameter by 65%. PACAP-38 treatment enhanced the granulosa cell proliferation as measured by thymidine incorporation analysis. Furthermore, the production of progesterone by cultured granulosa cells and GFSHR-17 cell line was stimulated by PACAP-38. Interestingly, PACAP enhanced FSH action on stimulation of SF-1 and aromatase gene expression. CONCLUSION: The present results demonstrate that PACAP stimulated preantral follicle growth by potentiating proliferation and by stimulating steroidogenesis.
Animals ; Aromatase ; Cell Line ; Female ; Follicle Stimulating Hormone* ; Gene Expression ; Granulosa Cells ; Neuropeptides ; Ovarian Follicle* ; Ovary ; Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide* ; Progesterone ; Rats ; Thymidine

The authors performed a retrospective review on 27 eyes of 23 children with vitreous hemorrhage, to assess the natural history, the outcome of vitrectomy and the important prognostic factors. Mean age was 3. 7 years(range: birth~13.5 years). The causes of vitreous hemorrhage included trauma(6 patients), retinopathy of prematurity(5 patients), persistent hyperplastic primary vitreous(4 patients)and others(8 patients). Spontaneous absorption of vitreous hemorrhage in 11 of 27 eyes was observed and took mean 2. 5 months. Sixteen eyes had undergone vitrectomy for persistent vitreous hemorrhage(mean duration: 3. 4 months). Follow up period was mean 32. 8 months(range: 20~79 months). Visual improvement was achieved in 70%of all patients and there was no statistical significance between spontaneous absorption group and vitrectomy group. Deprivation amblyopia was complicated in 7 of 9 patients whose visual acuity could be measured in both eyes. anisometropic myopia(> OR =2. 0 diopter)was observed in 7 of 14 patients. Our results supported that causes of vitreous hemorrhage in children was variable and early vitrectomy and postoperative correction with occlusion therapy might be essential in treatment of childhood vitreous hemorrhage.
Absorption ; Amblyopia ; Child* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Natural History ; Prognosis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy ; Vitreous Hemorrhage*

No abstract available.
Hydrocortisone* ; Prolactin*

PURPOSE: This study aimed to synthesize the caring experiences of Korean family members of patients with dementia through a qualitative meta-synthesis method. METHODS: By searching through nine Korean and English databases, we compared 37 qualitative studies on caring experiences of family members of patients with dementia. The selected studies were synthesized through meta-synthesis, proposed by Sandelowski and Barroso (2007). RESULTS: The meta-synthesis elicited four themes: tough life due to care for patients, changes in relationships, adaptation to caregiver's roles, and new perspectives of life through personal growth. Caregivers were shocked when a sudden diagnosis of dementia was made prior to any preparation on their part. They were tied to their patients all the time and their mind and body got exhausted. Their relationship with patients began to change and they looked at them differently. They experienced conflicts with the other non-caring family members and were alienated from them. They were also socially isolated. However, by building their own care strategies and utilizing social resources, they gradually adapted to their caregiver roles. Finally, they experienced personal growth and acquired a new perspective toward life by accepting their roles and finding meaning in their lives. Shifting the caregiver's centricity from themselves to the patient was the process of becoming human beings who actively constructed their realities while giving meaning to their painful lives and interacting with the environment. CONCLUSION: The results of the study can be useful for nurses in understanding the experiences of caregivers of the patients with dementia and in providing them with practical interventions.
Caregivers ; Dementia* ; Diagnosis ; Emigrants and Immigrants ; Humans ; Methods ; Qualitative Research ; Shock

Reactive human mesothelial cells were examined by immunocytochemical stain with intermediate filaments(cytokeratin [CK1, CK7, CK8, CK18, CD19/, vimentin, desmin, actin), epithelial membrane antigen, carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA), MHC class II antigen(HLA-DR), LeuM-1(CD15), alpha1-antitrypsin(ACT), alpha1-antichymotrypsin (ACHT), CD68(KP-1) and FcgammaRIII(CD16). The mesothelial cells were isolated from patients with liver cirrhosis and pleural effusion, and short-term cultured in RPMI 1640 media containing 10% heat inactivated fetal calf serum and 1% identical supernatant fluid of the patients' transudates. The results obtained are as follows. 1. The cultured-reactive mesothelial cells were positive for the protein of cytoskeleton such as cytokeratin and vimentin, but negative for desmin and actin. The resting mesothelial cells showed positive reactions for cytokeratin, but negative for vimentin, desmin and actin. 2. The primary antibodies to the cytokeratin were strongly reactive for CK1, CK8 and CK18 but negative for CK7 and CK19 in both reactive and resting mesothelial cells. 3. Resting mesothelial cells showed negative reactions for CEA, but strong positive reactions in cultured-reactive mesothelial cells. 4. The markers for the monocytes\histiocytes (CD11b, CD14, CD16, CD68, lysozyme and alpha1-antitrypsin and alpha1-antichymotrypsin) were nonreactive in resting mesothelial cells, but lysozyme and alpha1-antitrypsin were weakly reactive in reactive and proliferative mesothelial cells. 5. MHC Class II molecule(HLA-DR antigen) was negative in both resting and reactive mesothelial cells. These results suggest that the short-term cultured, reactive mesothelial cells show a newly aberrant expression of the vimentin and carcino-embryonic antigen. The reason of the aberrant expression of the intermediate filament and oncofetal antigen in reactive and proliferative mesothelial cells should be further evaluated.
Actins ; Antibodies ; Cytoskeleton ; Desmin ; Exudates and Transudates ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Intermediate Filaments ; Keratins ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Mucin-1 ; Muramidase ; Pleural Effusion ; Vimentin

The Dandy-Wlaker syndrome is a developmental disoeder characterized by cystic dilatation of the fourth ventricle and agenesis or hypoplasia of the cerebellar vermis and is usually associated with hydrocephalus. This syndrome is also associated with intracranial malformations such as agenesis of corpus callosum, and extracranial malformations such as facial anormalies (cleft palate, cleft lip, and ocular anomalies), polycystic kidney, and cardiac anormalies. Reported associated ophthalmic anomalies are microphthalmos, coloboma, and congenital cataract.We experienced a case of infantile esotropia in abnormal insertion and direction of lateral rectus muscle as a variant of the Dandy-Walker syndrome accompanied by cleft palate and cleft lip in a 19-month-old male infant. Subsequent treatment of the 30delta esodeviation and left inferior oblique muscle overaction, including resection of the lateral rectus muscle in both eyes and the myectomy of the inferior oblique muscle in the left eye, yielded satisfactory results, so we report this case, with a review of the pertinent literature, as the first case of Dandy-Walker syndrome associated with esotropia with abnormal course of lateral rectus muscle in Korea.
Agenesis of Corpus Callosum ; Cleft Lip ; Cleft Palate ; Coloboma ; Dandy-Walker Syndrome* ; Dilatation ; Esotropia* ; Fourth Ventricle ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Infant ; Korea ; Lip ; Male ; Microphthalmos ; Polycystic Kidney Diseases

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine subjective happiness related factors in Korean nursing students. METHODS: A purposive sample of 200 nursing students was recruited for the cross-sectional survey design. The instruments were perceived stress scale, major satisfaction scale, resilience scale, and subjective happiness scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, hierarchical linear regression, and the Sobel test for testing mediating effects. RESULTS: The mean score of stress, major satisfaction, resilience and subjective happiness was 2.21, 3.95, 3.60 and 5.03, respectively. Perceived health status, stress_positive perception, stress_negative perception, resilience_self confidence, resilience_positivity, resilience_social support had significant effects on subjective happiness. Explained variance for the subjective happiness was 53.4%. Resilience had a partial mediating effect in the relationship between stress and subjective happiness (Sobel test: Z=-5.67, p<.001). Also, resilience had a mediating effect in the relationship between major satisfaction and subjective happiness (Sobel test: Z=5.65, p<.001). CONCLUSION: Based on the findings of this study, nursing intervention programs focusing on improving resilience are recommended to improve subjective happiness in nursing students.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Happiness* ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Negotiating ; Nursing* ; Students, Nursing*

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

No abstract available.
Male ; Penis* ; Xanthogranuloma, Juvenile*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare knowledge level of those clinical nurses who received HPV vaccine and those who did not and their perception of the relatedness of HPV vaccine to causes of cervical cancer. METHODS: A total of 249 clinical nurses were surveyed from June to July, 2009. The questionnaire originally developed by Kim & Ahn (2007) examined HPV-related knowledge originally and the tool for perception of the causes of cervical cancer was originally developed by Kim (1993). The total number of subjects equaled to: vaccination group of 52 (20.9%) and non-vaccination group of 197 (79.1%). RESULTS: Vaccination group showed significantly higher score of both knowledge of HPV vaccination and the perception of the cause of cervical cancer in comparison to the nonvaccination group at (p<.05). Among 4 subscales of the perception of causes of cervical cancer, destiny and constitution subscale scores were significantly different between the two groups at (p<.05). CONCLUSION: Clinical nurses need to constantly update with current knowledge of HPV and be prepared with currently changing cancer prevention strategies, especially in cervical cancer.
Constitution and Bylaws ; Humans ; Nurse Clinicians ; Papillomavirus Vaccines ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; Vaccination