It is the most important to select optimal culture conditions to promote safe embryo growth in the technique of human in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer. It has been shown that the addition of biologic fluids, such as blood serum, of various origins, improved fertilization and early cleavage rates in numerous species. The purpose- of this study is to attempt to measure developmental potential of mouse eggs fertilized and cleaved in Ham's F10 culture medium containing a chelating agent, EDTA and fetal cord serum. hi this study, we selected 40 female mice and 20 male mice, and investigated optimal serum concentration' for mouse embryo growth. Two cell stage mouse embryos were cultured in Ham's F-10 medium, Ham's F-10 medium with various concentrations of EDTA, or Ham's F-10 medium with EDTA and 10% human cord serum. Developmental ratios to morula in Ham's F-10 medium containing various concentrations of EDTA and/or 10% fetal cord serum were significantly higher than in unsupplemented Ham's F-10 medium (p<0.05). Developmental ratios to blastocyst in Ham's F-10 containing 10% fetal cord serum and 5011M or 100pM EDTA were significanldy higher than in unsupplemented Ham's F-10 medium (p<0.05). Developmental ratios to morula in Ham's F-10 containing 10% fetal cord serum and 100,uM EDTA were significanitly higher than in Ham's F-10 with 10% fetal cord serum used commonly in many human IVF centers(p<0.05). Developmental ratio to blastocyst in Ham's F-10 containing 10% fetal cord serum and 100pM EDTA was significanity higher than in Ham's F-10 with 200pM EDTA(p<0.05).
Animals ; Blastocyst ; Edetic Acid* ; Eggs ; Embryo Transfer ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Fertilization ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Humans ; Male ; Mice* ; Morula ; Ovum ; Serum

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical and polysomnographic characteristics of Korean patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), especially in relation to differences due to age and gender. METHODS: All subjects were consecutive patients who were proven to have OSAS with nocturnal polysomnography. They were interviewed with a structured interview format including sociodemographic information, past medical history, medication, and sleep-related history. Simultaneously, they were also given Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) to answer in order to check subjective sleep quality and subjective sleepiness. RESULTS: Mean age of the 308 subjects was 49.5+/-13.3 years, with 77.6% of the subjects being males and 22.4% of the subjects being females. The aging effects on the sleep architecture in Korean OSAS corresponded with normal aging, but with the effect of OSAS itself superimposed, the extent of aging effects was more marked than that of normal aging. The severity of Korean patients of OSAS was not correlated with age. When divided into age subgroups, significant correlation was found between RDI and BMI in patients of each subgroup of those in the 4th to 7th decades. The oldest subgroup (>70 years) described their subjective sleep quality as poorer than any other age subgroups, despite of less subjective drowsiness. The severity of OSAS and the change of sleep architecture of male subjects turned out to be severer than those of female ones. The female/male ratio of the subjects tended to increase with aging. CONCLUSIONS: The aging effect on the sleep architecture in Korean OSAS seems to be a mixture of the changes by normal aging and sleep disorder per se. The severity of OSAS was not correlated with age, but highly correlated with BMI. The severity of OSAS and the change of sleep architecture of male patients were severer than those of female ones.
Aging ; Body Mass Index ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Polysomnography ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Sleep Stages

No abstract available.
Neurilemmoma* ; Neurofibromatosis 1*

No abstract available.
Extremities*

Nevus sebaceus of Jadassohn is a hamartoma of the skin with the potential to develop benign and malignant neoplasms. This case was characterixed by multiple basal cell epitheliomas, clinically one reddish nodule and multiple pigmented papules, arising in the nevus sebaceus. Histologically, epithelial papillomatous hyperplasia and high-positioned hyperplastic sebaceous glands were found, and tumor nests consisting of basaloid cells with peripheral palisading arrangements were mainly situated in the upper dermis without significant infiltrative growth. We report a rare case of nevus sebaceus with multiple basal cell epitheliomas in the right cheek of a 49-year-old woman.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Cheek ; Dermis ; Female ; Hamartoma ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Middle Aged ; Nevus* ; Nevus, Sebaceous of Jadassohn* ; Sebaceous Glands ; Skin

A possible therapeutic effect of acetyl-L carnitine (ALCAR) on peripheral nerve injuries and the expression of Jun, the protein products of immediate-early genes(IEGs), in the spinal cord were investigated after sciatic nerve injury in Sprague-Dawley rats. Experimental animals were divided into 3 groups: intact sciatic nerve as a control group, surgical repair alone, and surgical repair with ALCAR treatment. Toe-spreading response, pinprick response, and compound action potential were measured to evaluate the recovery of sciatic nerve injury. Recovery of behavioral function and electrophysiological function both improved in the surgical repair with ALCAR treatment group. Weak basal expression of Jun was shown in the ventral horn the of spinal cord in the control group. In the surgical repair alone group or the surgical repair with ALCAR treatment group, Jun expression persisted until 28 days after injury in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Moreover, the surgical repair with ALCAR treatment group showed more increased expression of Jun than the surgical repair alone group. These results suggest that ALCAR facilitates the functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury.
Acetylcarnitine ; Action Potentials ; Animals ; Carnitine* ; Horns ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sciatic Nerve* ; Spinal Cord

In the case of a soft tissue defect which requires thin & pliable tissues, the choice of donor site is limited due to flap bulkiness and donor site morbidity. To overcome these problems, a variety of perforator-based flaps such as paraspinous and parasacral perforator flap, deep inferior epigastric perforator flap, gluteal perforator flap, and thoracodorsal artery perforator flap have recently been introduced. We experienced 8 cases of soft tissue defects from December 1996 to March 1999 using the thoracodorsal artery perforator flap for reconstruction. We could elevate the cutaneous flap with preservation of the latissimus dorsi muscle flap only when it was based on one cutaneous perforator. Defatting procedure was possible for further thinning of skin flap. In one case, axillary defect after release of postburn scar contracture was repaired with island perforator flap and the other seven cases were repaired with free flap. The results were satisfactory. We believe the thoracodorsal artery perforator flap is useful for reconstruction of soft tissue defects which are large or under conditions requiring thin flap.
Arteries* ; Cicatrix ; Contracture ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Humans ; Perforator Flap ; Skin* ; Superficial Back Muscles ; Tissue Donors

Mixed tumor of the skin (chondroid syringoma) is a rare benign tumor composed of epithelial elements intermingled with myxoid or cartilagenous stroma which is not separated by basement membrane. It had been believed to originate from the eccrine gland but recently, it was described to be of apocrine gland origin in case of showing apparent apocrine secretion. We report on a 63-year-old man with a tumor on the right upper eyelid showing typical microscopic features of mixed tumor of the skin. Many apocrine decapitation secretions were seen in tubular structures and follicular differentiations were also seen, which represents the common origin of folliculo-sebaceous-apocrine unit.
Adenoma, Pleomorphic ; Apocrine Glands ; Basement Membrane ; Decapitation ; Eccrine Glands ; Eyelids ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Skin

The effect of norepinephrine and phentolamine on the diameter of spinal pial arteries in rabbits was studied by topical microapplication of the drug to the perivascular environment. Arterial diameter was determined with the micrometer eyepiece on operating microscope through laminectomized area. Changes of physiological parameters(PaO2, PaCO2, blood pH, and systolic blood pressure) were not significant during all of the experiments. 1) Application of nerepinephrine over the range of 5x10(-8)M to 5x10(-3)M to the spinal pial arteries resulted in significant constriction of the vessels, with the exception of 5x10(-8)M. The dose-response curve showed a maximal constriction 30.5+/-7.1% at 5x10(-3)M. 2) Phentolamine produced no significant vasodilatation. 3) The vasoconstriction due to microapplication of norepinephrine was prevented by the inclusion of an equimolar concentration of the alpha-adrenergic blocker, phentolamine. 4) The vasoconstriction due to norepinephrine was evident while the concentration of norepinephrine was more than that of phentolamine. Furthermore the degree of vasoconstriction was proportional to the concentration of norepinephrine. The results indicate that alpha-adrenergic receptors are present in the smooth muscle of spinal pial arteries for the sympathetic control of blood flow to the spinal cord.
Arteries* ; Constriction ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Muscle, Smooth ; Norepinephrine* ; Phentolamine* ; Rabbits ; Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha ; Spinal Cord ; Vasoconstriction ; Vasodilation

Bronchiolitis obliterans is a distinct pathologic entity, characterized by the accumulation of pigmented macrophages within respiratory bronchioles and adjacent to air spaces, and thickening of the peribronchial interstitium. It has been reported to be associated with viral infection, drug, toxic fume, bone marrow transplantation, and connective tissue disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis. The etiology of bronchiolitis obliterans in the post-renal transplantation state is not yet clear, although several possibilities such as drug toxicity, graft-versus-host disease or postinfectious condition have been postulated. We presented three patient who had bronchiolitis obliterans, as a complication following renal transplantation. Chest radiograph showed bilateral perihilar reticular infiltration or ground glass appearances that progressed to either diffuse alveolar consolidations or solitary nodule. The main finding in each lung biopsy was the presence of macrophages within respiratory bronchioles as well as in the neighboring alveolar ducts and alveoli. Alveolar septa in these areas often showed nonspecific thickening by fibrosis, mild chronic inflammatory cell infiltrate, and hyperplasia of alveolar lining cells and type II pneumocytes.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Bronchioles ; Bronchiolitis Obliterans* ; Bronchiolitis* ; Connective Tissue ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Fibrosis ; Glass ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Kidney Transplantation ; Lung ; Macrophages ; Pneumocytes ; Radiography, Thoracic