Due to the great deal of effort that has gone into the study of osteoclastic differentiation and activation over the last few decades, the mechanisms of these two events have been discovered gradually. Nitric oxide(NO-), which is produced from arginine by a nitric oxide synthase, opened up a new area of biological research. Recently, it has been reported that NO- is produced by osteoblasts stimulated by lipopolysaccharide and several other cytokines. In this study, the effect of sodium nitroprusside(SNP), a donor of nitric oxide(NO-), on osteoclast-like cell formation and on mature osteoclast function was examined. To determine the mechanism of the inhibitory effects of SNP decreased not only the basal 45Ca release but also thee bone resorption induced by PTH and l,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (I ,25[OH]2D3). The inhibitory effect of SNP on bone resorption induced by PTH appeared 2 days after treatment, whereas SNP effect on inhibiting bone resorption induced by l,25[OH]2D3 appeared at the third days. When chicken and rat osteoclasts were cultured on dentin slices, treatment of 300micronM SNP resulted in a significant decrease in dentin resorption by osteoclasts in terms of total resorption area and average individual area. We also examined the effect of SNP on formation of osteoclast-like cells that is TRAP-positive multinucleated cells from chicken and rat bone marrow cells in the presence or absence of 10(-8)M l,25[OH]2D3. The addition of 300 micronM SNP inhibited the formation of TRAP-positive multinucleated cells. The present data suggest that SNP, possibly as a NO- donor, inhibits the osteoclastic differentiation and osteoclastic activity.
Animals ; Arginine ; Bone Marrow Cells ; Bone Resorption ; Chickens ; Cytokines ; Dentin ; Humans ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Nitroprusside* ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoclasts* ; Rats ; Sodium* ; Tissue Donors

The present study was performed to investigate the role catecholamine in the genesis of reperfusion injury of ischemic heart. The possible involvement of catecholamine in the xanthine oxidase-linked production of oxygen free radicals was studied. langendorff preparations of rat hearts were made ischemic for 60 min followed by reperfusion. Upon reperfusion norepinephrine(NE) was significantly released into the coronary effluent regardless of oxygenation of the perfusion solution. Both the increased releases of creatine phosphokinase(CPK) and malondialdehyde(MDA) and the production of superoxide anion in the ischemic-reperfused hearts were significantly reduced by the treatment with either reserpine, a catecholamine depletor, or propranolol, a beta-adrenergic receptor blocker. In the reserpinized hearts, infusion of exogenous NE reversed the releases of CPK and MDA and the superoxide anion production to the original higher levels. The releases of CPK and MDA as well as the production of superoxide anion induced by NE in the reserpinized hearts were significantly depressed either by allopurinol, a specific competitive inhibior of xanthine oxidase(XOD), or by the calcium removal from the perfusion solution. Compared with the XOD activity of control ischemic hearts, that of the hearts treated with reserpine or propranolol showed lower activity in the oxygen radical producing 0-form and higher activity in D/0-form. In the reserpinized ischemic hearts, infusion of exogenous NE increased 0-form, but decreased D/0-form of XOD. The changes in XOD activities induced by exogenous NE was prevented by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride(a serine protease inhibitor) and pimoxide(a calmodulin inhibitor) as well as by calcium removal from the perfusion solution. It is suggested from the results that in the inchemic-reperfused heart of rat catecholamine participates in D/0 to 0-form conversion of XOD by promoting the calcium-calmodulin-dependent proteolysis and plays a contributing role in the production of oxygen free radical.
Allopurinol ; Animals ; Calcium ; Calmodulin ; Creatine ; Free Radicals ; Heart* ; Oxygen ; Perfusion ; Propranolol ; Proteolysis ; Rats* ; Reperfusion Injury* ; Reperfusion* ; Reserpine ; Serine Proteases ; Superoxides ; Xanthine Oxidase* ; Xanthine*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of music therapy and rhythmic exercise on health related quality of life, blood pressure and upper extremity muscle strength in the institution-dwelling elderly women. METHODS: The study was designed using a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants consisted of 35 elders (18 in the experimental group and 17 in the control group). The music therapy and rhythmic exercise were developed by the investigators. The experimental group took part in this program twice a week for 8 weeks. The Short Form 36 health survey questionnaire, blood pressure and grasp power scale were used as instruments. The data were analyzed using SPSS 14.0. RESULTS: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed that music therapy and rhythmic exercise had positive effects on quality of life, especially on vitality, general health and mental health. Also, there were statistically significant differences in diastolic blood pressure and upper extremity muscle strength between the pretest and posttest in the experimental group. CONCLUSION: The study suggests that this program can be applied for older women in long-term facilities to improve quality of life, blood pressure and upper extremity muscle strength.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Blood Pressure/*physiology ; *Exercise Therapy ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Muscle Strength/*physiology ; *Music Therapy ; Nursing Homes ; Program Evaluation ; *Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; Upper Extremity

The extensor plus finger is a rare condition, in which there is such tension of the extensor hood mechanism that simultaneous, complete flexion of the metacarpophalangeal joint and the interphalngeal joint is impossible. Full flexion of the metacarpophalngeal joint compels the interphalngeal joints to extend and vise versa. This condition is a severe handicap to grasp. The extensor plus state is produced by any condition which shortens the excursion of the extensor hood mechanism over the metacarpophalngeal joint and proximal phalanx. When the extensor hood (central extrinsic extensor and sagittal band) is the villain of the extenaor plus state, stretching out the hood by tenotomies of the central extrinsic extensor restored normsl function immediately. We experienced four cases of the extensor plus finger of a patient with severe crushing open forearm bone fracture, and treated the cases by staggered tenotomies or complete tenotomies of the central extrinsic extensor and division of the sagittal band, and obtained a satisfactory result.
Fingers ; Forearm ; Fractures, Bone ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Joints ; Metacarpophalangeal Joint ; Tenotomy

The authors experienced a case of atypical type of idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy that has bullous retinal pigment epithelium detachment and multiple leaking points. So, we report this case with the review of the literatures.
Central Serous Chorioretinopathy* ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium

The authors experienced a case of atypical type of idiopathic central serous chorioretinopathy that has bullous retinal pigment epithelium detachment and multiple leaking points. So, we report this case with the review of the literatures.
Central Serous Chorioretinopathy* ; Retinal Pigment Epithelium

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: It is important to evaluate the patient presenting with non-traumatic chest pain in emergency department, and it is also difficult to classify appropriately. The purpose of this study is to predict probability of acute myocardial infarction(AMI) and assess the group for low probability of AMI that is target for observation-unit of chest pain in emergency department. METHODS: A prospective, clinical study was performed from March 1998 to August 1998 at the department of emergency medicine, Ewha Womans University Mokdong hospital. We classified high-probability group and low-probability group of AMI according to Goldman's algorithm and then compared with the final diagnosis. RESULTS: The study included 218 patients. 84 patients(39%) was the high-probability group and 134 patients(61%) was the low-probability group of AMI. As compared with final diagnosis, AMI was 47 patients(56%) among the high-probability group and 1 patient(0.7%) among the low-probability group. We observed sensitivity of 98%, specificity of 78% in predicting AMI. CONCLUSION: The classification according to Goldman's algorithm may be useful predictor of AMI and improve triage for emergency department patient with chest pain. It is also helpful for management of observation-unit of chest pain in emergency department.
Chest Pain* ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Medicine ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Female ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thorax* ; Triage

No abstract available.
Dermatomyositis*

We have experienced three cases of extrarnsmmary Pagets disease. The first case was a 77-year-old female who showed 8x10cm sized, erythematous plaque on the suprspubic area of one year's duration. The second case was a 60-year-old male who showed erythematous, oozing, crusted, well circumscribed patches on the right scrotum and the pubic area of 8 years' duration. Third case was a 79-year-old male who showed erythernstous to gray, eczemstoid plaques with marginal elevation on the right side of the scrotum, penile root and pubic area of 3 years duration. On histologic exarnination, the third case showed swest gland adenocarcinoma in the dermis.
Adenocarcinoma ; Aged ; Dermis ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Paget Disease, Extramammary* ; Scrotum