OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the corelation between an expression of lectins and survival of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix. METHODS: The cell surface carbohydrate profile of formalin-fixed paraffin embedded tissue section of squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix was evaluated using ulex europaeus agglutinin(UEA-1), peanut agglutinin(PNA), dolichos biflorus agglutinin(DBA), soybean agglutinin(SBA) and lotus tetragonobus lectin(LTL) by the avidin-biotin complex method. Fifty-one cases of squamous cell carcinoma and 10 cases of normal squamous epithelium of the uterine cervix were selected from the file which were treated during Jan. 89 to 31 Dec. 1992 in Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea University Hospital. RESULTS: UEA-1 and LTL were negative in normal cervix while positive in 76.5%, 47.1% of squamous cell carcinoma respectively, and useful markers for differential diagnosis between normal and squamous cell carcinoma. SBA and LTL were useful for differential diagnosis of keratinizing and non-keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma. UEA-1 may play an important role in lymphovascular invasion of squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix. CONCLUSIONS: There was no correlation among clinical staging, patient's survival and lectins binding in squamous cell carcinoma.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cervix Uteri* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Dolichos ; Epithelium ; Female ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Korea ; Lectins* ; Lotus ; Obstetrics ; Paraffin ; Soybeans ; Ulex

To find out the predictors of nocturnal arterial oxygen desaturation in patients with respiratory diseases, transcutaneous oxygen saturation(StcO2) monitoring studies using a pulse oximeter were performed during sleep in 20 patients. StcO2 was decreased more than 4% from the baseline value in 18 patients(90%) and more than 10%('Desaturator') in 8(40%). Five of the seven patients(71.4%) with awake PaO2<60mmHg and three of the thirteen patients(23.1%) with awake PaO2≥60mmHg were 'desaturators'. The awake PaO2/FIO2 and PaO2/PAO2 could distinguish 'desaturator' from 'nondesaturator, and PaO2, SaO2 or StcO2 could not. These results suggest that the nocturnal oxygen desaturation depends on the severity of the underlying disease rather than the baseline PaO2. Anthropomorphic and lung function factors could not separate between 'desaturator' and 'non-desaturator', and about a quarter of patients with a wake PaO2≥60mmHg developed significant desaturation. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor the nocturnal arterial oxygen saturation in patients with respiratory diseases regardless of their severity of airflow obstruction or awake PaO2.
Humans ; Lung ; Oxygen*

No abstract available.
Dyspnea* ; Humans

Conjoined twins are uncommon complications of monoamniotic twinning. Among them, cephalopagus twins are very rare. The accurate prenatal diagnosis of conjoining is essential for the optimal obstetric counseling and management. We describe a case where prenatal sonographic diagnosis of cephalopagus associated with multiple anomalies including meningomyelocele, diaphragmatic hernia, omphalocele, and club feet was made at 18 weeks of gestation.
Counseling ; Diagnosis* ; Foot ; Hernia, Diaphragmatic ; Hernia, Umbilical ; Humans ; Meningomyelocele ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Twins, Conjoined ; Ultrasonography*

OBJECTIVE: Closure of a low transverse cesarean incision with one layer and two layer, we compared operative time, hemostasis, blood loss and postoperative sonohysteroperitoneographic findings. Study design: At our hospital 103 women were randomized to closure of a low transverse cesarean incision with either one continuous layer of a locking No. 1 chromic suture or two continuous of No. 1 chromic suture with the first layer locked between Mar. 1, 1998 and Dec. 31, 1998. After three months later, sonhysteroperitoneography was taken and then we evaluated uterus indirectly. RESULTS: A one layer closure required less operative time, 16 versus 20.8 minutes (p<0.01), less hemoglobin change, 0.44 versus 1.3 (p<0.01) and less suture materials (p<0.01). But postoperative follow up sonohysteroperitoneography, a one layer closure shows slightly thinning of isthmic layer of myometrium, two layer closure shows more adhesional band and both are similar other findings. CONCLUSION: A one layer does not significantly affect the clinical course than traditional two layer closure. So we recommended a one layer closure when its use is anatomically feasible.
Animals ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Mice ; Myometrium ; Operative Time ; Sutures ; Uterus

OBJECTIVES: This study is to explore the frequency of basic symptoms and their relationship with current clinical variables in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Eighty-eight schizophrenic patients diagnosed with SCID were interviewed with the Bonn Scale for the Assessment of Basic Symptom (BSABS) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). RESULTS: Most frequent basic symptoms were related to abnormalities in perception, cognition and stress reactivity. After controlling age effect, number of admission was correlated negatively with cluster 3 (impaired tolerance to normal stress). Onset age was correlated positively with cluster 3 and cluster 4 (disorders of emotion and affect) and total score. Scores of cluster 1 (thought, language, perception, motor disturbances), and cluster 2 (impaired bodily sensations), and total score of BSABS were significantly lower in paranoid type than residual type of schizophrenia. Scores of cluster 1, cluster 2, and total score of BSABS were correlated positively with subscales for positive and negative symptoms and general psychopathology and total score of PANSS. Cluster 3 was correlated positively only with general psychopathology score and cluster 4 with both positive symptoms and general psychopathology score. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that certain basic symptoms aggregate significantly in schizophrenia, especially in paranoid type schizophrenia and that systemic evaluation of basic symptoms can be used for the prediction of onset and progress of schizophrenia.
Age of Onset ; Cognition ; Humans ; Psychopathology ; Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVES: This study is to explore the frequency of basic symptoms and their relationship with current clinical variables in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Eighty-eight schizophrenic patients diagnosed with SCID were interviewed with the Bonn Scale for the Assessment of Basic Symptom (BSABS) and Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). RESULTS: Most frequent basic symptoms were related to abnormalities in perception, cognition and stress reactivity. After controlling age effect, number of admission was correlated negatively with cluster 3 (impaired tolerance to normal stress). Onset age was correlated positively with cluster 3 and cluster 4 (disorders of emotion and affect) and total score. Scores of cluster 1 (thought, language, perception, motor disturbances), and cluster 2 (impaired bodily sensations), and total score of BSABS were significantly lower in paranoid type than residual type of schizophrenia. Scores of cluster 1, cluster 2, and total score of BSABS were correlated positively with subscales for positive and negative symptoms and general psychopathology and total score of PANSS. Cluster 3 was correlated positively only with general psychopathology score and cluster 4 with both positive symptoms and general psychopathology score. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that certain basic symptoms aggregate significantly in schizophrenia, especially in paranoid type schizophrenia and that systemic evaluation of basic symptoms can be used for the prediction of onset and progress of schizophrenia.
Age of Onset ; Cognition ; Humans ; Psychopathology ; Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVES: Formal thought disorder has been regarded as an essential symptom in the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia. The aim of our study was to present gender differences in the formal thought disorder among patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: We tested for potential gender differences in the formal thought disorder among 167 inpatients with schizophrenia (86 men and 81 women). The Scale for the Assessment of Thought, Language and Communication (TLC scale), Clinical Language Disorder Rating Scale (CLANG), Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Young Mania Rating Scale, and Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia were used for evaluation of thought disorder, language disorder, overall symptoms, manic symptoms, and depressive symptoms, respectively. Using the analysis of covariance for continuous variables and logistic regression analysis for discrete variables, gender differences in the formal thought disorder were evaluated. RESULTS: After adjusting for the effects of marital status and religious affiliation, men showed a significantly higher score on the perseveration (TLC scale ; F=7.538, p=0.007), blocking (TLC scale ; F=8.956, p=0.003), stilted speech (TLC scale ; F=6.921, p=0.009), lack of details (CLANG ; F=7.375, p=0.007), dysfluency (CLANG ; F=21.250, p<0.0001), and dysarthria (CLANG ; F=31.198, p<0.0001) items than women. CONCLUSION: Our study has a virtue of exploring gender differences in the formal thought disorder in patients with schizophrenia. Based on our findings, further study might enlighten regarding neural correlates (namely, cerebral asymmetry/lateralization) for gender-differed patterns of the formal thought disorder in patients with schizophrenia.
Bipolar Disorder ; Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ; Depression ; Dysarthria ; Female ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Language Disorders ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Marital Status ; Schizophrenia* ; Virtues

Species identification is an important item to characterize unidentified bacterial pathogens in developing and managing bacterial resources. In this study, unidentified pathogens based on the results of an automated identification system were identified using matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALD-TOF MS) and 16S rRNA gene analysis for development of national resources in the National Culture Collection for Pathogens (NCCP) in Korea. A total of 437 unidentified strains from branch banks of the NCCP were collected, and 16S rRNA and dnaJ gene sequencing, as well as MALDI-TOF MS analysis were performed to identify bacterial species. The mass spectra extracted were analyzed. Twelve strains exhibiting less than 98.65% similarity in 16S rRNA gene were selected as the primary candidates for novel species, and 21 strains exhibiting 98.65~99.0% similarity in 16S rRNA gene were selected as possible candidates for novel species. Among them, strain 32, belonging to Dermabacter sp., was finally selected as a possible strain representing a novel species and 14 unidentified bacterial strains using automated phenotypic identification system were newly registered at NCCP. The present study showed that unidentified pathogens using the automated phenotypic identification system were efficiently identified using the combination of MALDI-TOF MS and 16S rRNA gene analysis, and developed to the national resources in NCCP.
Genes, rRNA* ; Korea ; Mass Spectrometry

BACKGROUND: In this study, we compared various methods of taxonomic identification of Bacillus strains: biochemical methods, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS). We also developed a pathogen- isolate resource database, thus increasing the identification rate when using MALDI-TOF MS. METHODS: Thirty Bacillus strains were obtained from the NCCP (National Culture Collection for Pathogens) and were identified using the VITEK 2 system (bio-Mérieux, France), API kit (bioMérieux, France), 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and MALDI-TOF MS. The pathogenicity of Bacillus cereus was confirmed through the identification of virulent genes using a multiplex PCR, and both protein extraction for protein profiling in MALDI-TOF MS and repetitive-sequence fingerprinting were performed. RESULTS: The identification rates at the species level were 40%, 80%, and 76.3% for the VITEK 2 system (bioMérieux), 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and MALDI-TOF MS, respectively. When the major spectrum-profiling dendrogram was compared with the phylogenetic tree, which was constructed based on the 16S rRNA gene sequences and rep-PCR fingerprinting, the classifications were confirmed to be effective. CONCLUSION: Identification of Bacillus strains using MALDI-TOF MS was more effective than that using the VITEK 2 system (bioMérieux), but was similar to that using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Continual addition to a proteome-based database can result in increased identification rates for MALDI-TOF MS.
Bacillus cereus ; Bacillus* ; Classification ; Dermatoglyphics ; Genes, rRNA ; Mass Spectrometry* ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Trees ; Virulence