Protective Effect of Nitric Oxide Against Lipopolysaccharide-induced Cytotoxicity in C6-glial Cell / 대한해부학회지

Nitric oxide (NO) is mainly involved in brain ischemic damage to elucidate the protective mechanism of NO pretreatment on ischemic-induced cytotoxicity. This study was investigated whether NO pretreatment inhibits the increase of iNOS expression by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) combined phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) via regulating NF-kB activation in C6 glial cells. C6 glial cells with LPS and PMA for 72 hours markedly induced NO, but sodium nitroprusside (SNP) (100 nM) pretreatment before exposure of LPS and PMA significantly supressed NO production, iNOS expression and NF-kB activation by LPS and PMA. In addition, LPS and PMA treatment for 72 hours induced severely cell death and LDH release from cell into media in C6 glial cells. However SNP pretreatment before treatment of LPS and PMA significantly protected LPS and PMA induced cytotoxicity. Treatment with LPS and PMA induced caspase 3 activation follewed by chromosomal condensation, and fragmentation of nuclei in C6 glial cells. SNP pretreatment before exposure to LPS and PMA supressed caspase 3 activation and inhibited chromosomal condensation and fragmentation of nuclei. From these above results, it is suggest that the protective effects of SNP pretreatment against LPS and PMA induced cytotoxicity may be mediated by inhibiting the expression of iNOS via regulating NF-kB activation.

A Case of Nonimmune Hydrops Fetalis / 대한주산의학회잡지

Hydrops fetalis is diagnosed when abnormal fluid collections are manifest in two or more fetal compartments, including abdominal ascites, pleural effusions, pericardial effusions, skin edema, polyhydroamniosis and placental edema. Although fetal hydrops was hystorically most commonly associated with Rh blood group isoimmunization, the availability of Rh immunoglobulin has increased the proportion of fetuses affected due to nonimmune etiologies. We have experienced a case of nonimmune hydrops fetalis at 32 weeks of gestation in a 27-year-old woman and reported that with brief review of related literatures.

Efficacy of Maternal Serum Corticotropin Releasing Factor Levels in Diagnosis of Pregnancies Complicated by Preterm Labor / 대한산부인과학회잡지

Human placenta synthesizes bioactive corticotropin releasing factor(CRF), a 41 amino acid peptide, which displays identical immunological, biological, and chemical characteristics to hypothalamic CRF. Placental CRF enters the maternal circulation and stimulates release of local placental prostaglandin E2 and F2alpha that have a central role in the mechanisms controlling uterine contractility and cervical softening. A large number of clinical investigators has suggested that placental CRF may be involved in mechanisms leading to labor. As well as CRF`s rises in term pregnancy, maternal serum CRF levels are also elevated in pregnancies complicated by preterm labor. So the clinical use of maternal serum CRF levels as a predictor of preterm labor was proposed. Therefore, we have carried out a prospective study on the efficacy of maternal serum CRF levels in diagnosis of preterm labor. In this study, the subjects consisted of 30 women admitted for the treatment of preterm labor and another 30 women with normal pregnancies between 28 and 36 completed weeks of gestation, and their serum CRF levels were assessed. The results were as follows: 1. In both groups, serum CRF levels were increased as being associated to gestational ages, especially in late pregnancy. 2. In a comparative study between two groups, the serum CRF values of pregnancies complicated by preterm labor were significantly higher than their values of control group(p0.05).