Ultrasound Measurements of Kidney Size in the Elderly without Renal Disease / 대한신장학회지

PURPOSE: Kidney size (KS) is used to diagnose the patients with renal disease. When the length of a kidney is measured under 9 cm, it is considered to indicate an irreversible disease. Because glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decreases with age, the normal range of KS in the elderly is indefinite. Therefore, we measured KS in adults older than 80 years old and investigated correlated factors. METHODS: One hundreds six adults (51 men, 55 women: mean age 83+/-0.3) without renal disease were included. Their serum creatinine (Scr) levels did not exceed 1.3 mg/dL, and the calculated GFR were over 60 mL/min/1.73m2. Abdominal ultrasonography were performed to all of them and their body indexes (BI) were measured. RESULTS: 1) The mean length of kidney was 9.9+/-0.07 cm. 2) KS in the early eighties was larger than that of adults over ninety. 3) KS showed negative correlations with age and Scr, but a positive correlation with body surface area . 4) The calculated GFR showed correlations with the surface areas of both kidney (BK) by C-G equation and with the size of BK by MDRD equation. 4) The GFR calculated by MDRD and C-G equation presented inverse correlations with Scr, but only MDRD equation showed a statistic significance. CONCLUSION:In the elderly, KS may be smaller than that of younger adults. Other factors such as either surface area or volume of BK and BI should be considered to estimate the individual KS to decide whether the size is within normal range.

Tissue viability of human placental explants in normoxic and hypoxic culture / 대한산부인과학회지

OBJECTIVE: In vitro study systems for research of placental hypoxia are needed, among which human placental villous explant culture technique under experimentally variable condition is commonly used. So we performed this study to assess the viability of placental villous explant in normoxic and hypoxic culture that can provide validity for that system. METHOD: Placental villous explant tissues obtained from 9 cases of normal term pregnancies were incubated in normoxic (20% O2) and hypoxic (2~5% O2) condition for 72 hours. The viability of tissue was evaluated morphologically by microscopic examination and biochemically by LDH assay at variable time interval (0, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 hours). The apoptosis of the tissue was assessed by TUNEL assay. RESULT: By light microscope, all of H&E stained placental explant tissue sections in normoxic and hypoxic culture showed intact villous integrities without definitive syncytial sloughing and fibrinoid necrosis as time elapsed. Tissue viability of LDH assay during 6, 24, 48, 72 hours of placental villous explants showed over all 52.3~67.6% and didn't show statistically significant difference between normoxic and hypoxic culture. Tissue viability in both groups maintained 61.2~67.6% for the first 24 hours and eventually decreased with time. TUNEL assay showed over all negative findings in normoxic and hypoxic culture at different time periods. CONCLUSION: In vitro human placental explant culture system can be a useful and feasible technique for research of placental hypoxia which is related to development of obstetrical complications such as preeclampsia, intrauterine fetal growth restriction and preterm labor and so on. But our in vitro placental explant system needs some modification in culture condition and technique for maximizing viability of the tissue.

Analysis of chromosomal DNA aberrations in Korean cervical squamous cell carcinoma cell lines by CGH / 대한산부인과학회지

OBJECTIVE: Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) is a new fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique to identify genomic aberrations in cancers. The purpose of this study was to analyze non-random chromosomal DNA aberrations involved in cervical squamous cell carcinoma cell lines from Korean women. METHODS: We analyzed non-random chromosomal DNA aberrations involved in cervical squamous cell carcinoma cell lines from Korean women, SNU-17, SNU-682, and SNU-902 using CGH. RESULTS: Chromosomal DNA gains of 5p, 5q22-q23, 8q11.2-q12, 14q21-qter, and 20 as well as chromosomal DNA losses of 21 were found frequently. Chromosomal DNA gains on chromosome 3q, 6P, 7p13-pter, 9p22-pter, 9q21-qter, 15q21-q22, 17q22-qter, 18p11.3-pter, 18q11.2-q21, 19p13.3-pter, 19q13.2-q13.3, and 22q12-qter, with losses on 4p14-pter, 10p11.2-p13 and 10q24 were observed in 2 of 3 cell lines. CONCLUSION: Non-random aberrations which were disclosed in this study might be candidate regions for the abnormal genes involved in the tumorigenesis of cervical squamous cell carcinomas. Datas about chromosomal aberrations of Korean squamous cell carcinoma cell lines in this study could afford very useful basic information for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic modalties targeting the abnormal genes associated with uterine cervical cancer in Korea.

Chromosomal Mapping and Brain Distribution of alpha1 Subunit of N-type Voltage Dependent Calcium Channel / 대한해부학회지

Voltage dependent calcium channels mediate wide variety of physiological functions including neurotransmitter release, neurite outgrowth, and gene expression in neurons. omega-Conotoxin-sensitive N-type calcium channels are exclusively expressed in nervous system and involved in the control of neurotransmitter release from neurons. In this experiment, I have investigated human chromosomal location and rat neuronal distribution of N-type voltage dependent calcium channel alpha1, subunit [alpha1B]. I have localized human alpha1B subunit gene to the long arm of chromosome 9[9q34] by fluorescent in situ hybridization. The distribution of rat alphaB1 subunit mRNA has been examined in the rat brain by in situ hybridization histochemistry and high level of alpha1B subunit mRNA has been observed in olfactory bulb, anterior olfactory nucleus, cerebral cortex, piriform cortex, hippocampus, dentate gyrus, parabrachial nucleus, and cerebellum and low level of expression was also found in other areas of rat brain.

On the Degranulation of Rat's Mesenteric Mast Cells Caused by Morphine and Meperidine in Vitro

Histological studies were carried out on the degranulation of mesenteric mast cells of albino rats in which excised pieces of rat mesentery were incubated in media containing morphine and meperidine hydrochloride. The following conclusions were obtained. 1. The experimental dose of 0.04mg./ml. of morphine hydrochloride in Tyrode solution for the incubated mesenteric pieces brought about the degranulation of mast cells. 2. The experimental dose of 0.04mg./ml. of meperidine hydrochloride in Tyrode solution for the incubation of the mesenteric pieces did not effect the cytological changes of the mast cells. 3. By the addition of metabolic inhibitor such as iodoacetic acid to the incubating medium the degranulation of the mast cells was remarkably inhibited for the group in which the incubation was carried out for 20 minutes. However, the inhibition of the degranulation of the mast cells due to the metabolic inhibitor was abolished after 30 minutes of incubation. Consequently the authors have demonstrated the effect of morphine hydrochloride in its ability to induce a degranulation of mesenteric mast cells in vitro.

On the Degranulation of Mesenteric Mast Cells Caused by Morphine and Meperidine Hydrochloride in White Rats

Histological studies were carried out on the degranulation of mesenteric mast cells of white rats caused by injections of morphine hydrochbride and meperidine hydrochbride intravenously, intraperitoneally, and by local injection of the rat's mesentery and the following conclusions were obtained. 1. In the groups of intravenous, intraperitoneal, and local injections of morphine hydrochloride, fairly significant degranulation of the mesenteric mast cell was observed, which was probably associated with the concomitant liberation of tissue histamine derived from its source. 2. In the groups of intravenous and intraperitoneal injections of meperidine hydrochbride, the significant degranulation of the mesenteric mast ,cell was recognized. However, the local injections displayed no cytological change of the cell and no increased permeability of dermal capillaries was observed at the injecting site. 3. The degranulation of the mesenteric mast cell followed by an administration of meperidine hydrochloride was effectively inhibited after an adrenalectomy.

Differentiation of Heterosexually Transplanted Embryonic Ovary Associated with Embryonic Testes of the Albino Rat into Castrated Hosts

The authors studied Witschi's theory of "corticomedullary inductors" with the; heterosexual grafts of the embryonal gonads of the rats in very close proximity or in remote distance each other for the effect of the inductor substance and the possibility of the substance acting as blood-borne agent when multiple embryonal testes and one or two ovaries were separately grafted in distant sites in the mammalian level. The heterosexual grafts of the embryonal gonads aging 16 days old were performed as the methods Macintyre (1956) used. Additionally the author grafted one or two embryonal ovaries of the same age in the subcapsular site and multiple embryonal testes of the same age in the similar site of the opposite kidney of the same host and allowed to develop at the sites for 3 weeks. The explants removed from the host, were fixed in Bouin's fluid, embedded in paraffin, sectioned serially at 6mu, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The embryonal transplanted ovary with testis in close contact, was inhibited and depressed to the one side probably due to the more rapid growth and differentiation of the testis as compared with the ovary and contained a tubular structure (seminiferous-like tubule) in which the degenerating oocytes were found. The author presumed the testicular effect upon the mutual ovary as the activity of the diffused inductor substance derived from the testis. In the group, which more than 15 embryonal testes (maximally 25 testes were grafted) were transplanted in the subcapsular site and one or two ovaries in the opposite site of the kidney of the same host, the ovarian grafts, which were at a distant site from the multiple testicular grafts, showed inhibited growth and differentiation by the similar appearance of the transplanted embryonal ovary with testis in mutual contact. By this observation the author considered the inhibited growth and differentiation of the effect of blood-borne inductor substance derived from the multiple testicular grafts of the opposite site of the host kidney.