Sequential changes of magnetocardiogram in rat models of experimental myocardial infarction / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND: Magnetocardiogram (MCG), which records the changes of magnetic fields generated by the heart's electrical activity, theoritically can provide unique data for clinical application. To date, MCG has been investigated only at a single time point after myocardial infarction (MI) with severe left ventricular dysfunction in rats. The purpose of the present study was to investigate sequential changes of MCG after MI and to evaluate effects of infarct size on MCG. METHODS: Acute MI were induced by the permanent ligation of left coronary artery in 22 rats. Magnetic fields were recorded just above a rat with Nb Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) gradiometer inside a magnetically shielded room. MCG was measured before and immediately after surgery and it was subsequently recorded at the time points of 1, 4 and 6 hours postoperatively. MCG was also measured at 1, 3, 7 and 21 days after surgery. RESULTS: Elevation of ST segment and appearance of pathological Q wave on the MCG were evident immediately after the ligation of coronary artery and persisted to 6 hours after MI. On MCG, ST segment was depressed and T wave was inverted from 1 day after MI. In rats with small- and moderate-sized MI (infarct size or = 30%). CONCLUSION: Evolutional changes of MCG were well-recognized up to 21 days after MI. Furthermore, the infarct size can be expressed by the extent of Q wave and ST segment depression on MCG. Taken together, these data indicate that MCG is a helpful modality for the diagnosis, evaluation of infarct size and follow up after MI.

A Case of Spontaneous Hemoperitoneum due to Gastroepiploic Vein Rupture in Alcoholic Cirrhosis / 대한간학회지

Portal hypertension often leads to the development of several collateral vessels that shunt blood flow from the portal to the systemic circulation. The rupture of intra-abdominal varix is an unusual complication of portal hypertension that can lead to life-threatening hemoperitoneum. If the patient is hemodynamically unstable due to massive intra-abdominal bleeding, exploratory laparotomy should be performed on the patient. There are several reported cases of intra-abdominal variceal bleeding such as paraumbilical varix, the varix from the small intestine and proximal colon etc. Spontaneous hemoperitoneum caused by the rupture of gastroepiploic vein varix, however, has not been reported in Korea, to the best of our knowledge. We will discuss a patient with portal hypertension due to liver cirrhosis who presented with acute intra-abdominal bleeding. During the laparotomy, he was found to have a rupture of the gastroepiploic vein. The vessel was ligated, and the patient recovered uneventfully by operative variceal ligation.

MTHFR gene polymorphism as a risk factor for diabetic nephropathy and macrovascular disease in NIDDM patient / 대한내과학회지

BACKGROUND: Diabetic nephropathy develops in 20-30% of patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Poor glycemic control, hypertension and duration of diabetes are known as risk factors for the development of diabetic nephropathy and there is high prevalence of diabetic nephropathy in the patients who have familial history of diabetic nephropathy, so it has been assumed that genetic factor is associated with the background of its occurences. Recently it has been observed that a cytosine to thymidine substitution of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene at nucleotide 677 (C677T) was related to diabetic nephropathy in patients with NIDDM and MTHFR gene polymorphism was also known to predispose to vascular disease. This study was performed to investigate whether MTHFR gene polymorphism is associated with the development of diabetic nephropathy and macrovascular disease in NIDDM patients. METHODS: The study population consisted of 243 NIDDM patients (duration> OR = 10 years). Nephropathy was defined by 24 hour urinary protein excretion of more than 500 mg. The MTHFR gene fragment was extracted using the polymerase chain reaction. The presence of the mutation was identified by HinfI digestion, which cuts at the mutation site, followed by 2.5% metaphore agarose electrophoresis and ethidium bromide staining. Statistical differences in genotype distribution and allele frequencies among the groups were assessed by the chi-square test. RESULTS: There was no difference in clinical characteristics except the prevalence of hypertension and diabetic retinopathy between nephropathy group and non-nephropathy group. The data do not show any difference of genotype distribution or allele frequencies between patients with or without diabetic nephropathy and macrovascular disease CONCLUSION: With the above results, it is assumed that there are no significant relationships among MTHFR gene polymorphism, diabetic nephropathy, and macrovascular disease.

Rapid Molecular Detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 / 감염

BACKGROUND: Sorbitol fermenting Escherichia coli O157 were reported. And E. coli O157:H7 produce various Shiga toxin (Stx) such as Stx1, Stx2, or variants of Stx2. In this study, we tried to establish laboratory methods that detect E. coli O157:H7 quickly and precisely by analyzing sensitivity of colony hybridization test and PCR technique. METHODS: Stx1-producing E. coli ATCC 43890, Stx2-producing E. coli ATCC 43889, and Stx2vha- producing E. coli ATCC 51435 were tested. Three strains of E. coli were diluted with 0.1 g of diarrheal stools from 107 CFU to 101 CFU respectively. The stool samples were incubated overnight in MacConkey agar plates. A mean of 63 colonies were hybridized by stx1- and stx2-specific oligonucleotide probes. PCR for stx1 gene and stx2 gene was done after overnight- incubation of stool samples in the LB broth with vancomycin (6 ug/mL). Positive colonies by colony hybridization were confirmed by PCR for stx1 gene and stx2 gene. RESULTS: Colony hybridization test could detect Stx1-producing E. coli at 103 CFU per 0.1 g of stool, Stx2-producing E. coli at 105 CFU per 0.1 g of stool, and Stx2vha-producing E. coli at 104 CFU per 0.1 g of stool. PCR technique after enrichment in LB broth with vancomycin (6 ug/mL) could detect stx1-, stx2-, and stx2vha-containing E. coli at 10 CFU per 0.1 g of stool respectively. CONCLUSOIN: A combination of colony hybridization and PCR after enrichment in broth with vancomycin (6 ug/mL) is useful for the rapid and precise diagnosis of infections of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7.