• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.299-305
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• 2007

Herlyn-Werner-Wunderlich syndrome(HWWs) is a rare variant of Mullerian ductal anomalies characterized by the presence of a hemivaginal septum, a didelphic uterus, and ipsilateral renal agenesis. It usually presents after menarche with progressive pelvic pain, and palpable mass due to hemihematocolpos. If a cystic mass is detected behind the urinary bladder in children, in association with the absence of a kidney, the diagnosis of uterus didelphys with imperforate vagina and hydrocolpos should be considered. When renal agenesis is found in asymptomatic children, the small size and the tubular shape of the uterus makes it almost impossible to evaluate uterine anomalies, so follow-up should be performed until the end of puberty. Appropriate preoperative diagnosis and treatment will prevent unnecessary procedures and offer relief of symptoms. We report one case of didelphic uterus with blind hemivagina and ipsilateral renal agenesis with biopsy- proven thin glomerular basement membrane disease which is not related to the above syndrome.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.15 no.2 s.69
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• pp.231-235
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• 2005

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are a family of structurally and functionally related zinc-dependent enzymes responsible for proteolytic degradation of extracellular matrix components such as base membrane or interstitial stroma. MMPs play an important role in a variety of physiological and pathological tissue remodeling processes, including wound healing, embryo implantation, tumor invasion and metastasis. Since MMP-9 (gelatinase B) has unique ability to cleave type IV collagen, gene expression of MMP-9 has been focused on as a pharmacological target. Flavonoids are a class of compounds that are widely spread in plants. In the coures of screening for the suppressors of MMP-9 gene expression from natural products, Metasequoia glyptostroboides was selected. Six flavonoids, sciadopitysin, isoginkgetin, bilobetin, 2,3-dihydrohinokiflavone, luteolin and apigenin were purified as suppressors of MMP-9 gene expression from M. glyptostroboides. The suppressing activity of the isolated flavinoids on the MMP-9 gene expression was measured by gelatin zymography and Nothern blot analysis.

• Applied Microscopy
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.417-426
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• 1999

The present investigation is designed to provide basic information on fine structure of the skin of the sea bass, Lateolabrax japonicks in relation to study of epidermal change with environmental and physiological change. The skin of the sea bass is divided into the epidermal layer and dermal layer. Epidermal layer consists of supporting cells and unicellular glands. The supporting cells were classified into the superficial cell, intermediated cell and basal cell. Gland cells were classified into the mucous secretory cell and club cell which is more frequently observed. Superficial cell of epidermal layer is squamous or cuboidal and contains well-developed rough endoplasmic reticulum and the surface is covered with numerous microridges. Superficial cells are connected to another cell with membrane interdigitations and desmosomes. Intermediated cell is ovoid and the electron density is higher than the other supporting cells. Basal cell is cuboidal and has a well-developed mitochondria and membrane interdigitation. The mucous secretory cell has a numerous membrane bounded secretory granules. The cytoplasm of club cell is divided into cortex and medullar. The medullar cytoplasm has a nucleus, intracellular organelles and central vacuole, and the cortical cytoplasm has a well-developed tonofilament. Club cells are connected to another cell with well -developed membrane interdigitations and desmosomes.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.485-489
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• 2003

Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a mesenchymal-derived cytokine. It exerts a motogenic effect on various target cells, which is displayed either by cell scattering, locomotion, and migration during the wound repair process of cultured cells, or invasiveness through the extracellular matrix, in vitro. Although it is known that HGF influences the motogenic effect of endothelial cells, the precise effects of HGF during migration are still poorly understood. To elucidate the role of HGF in endothelial cell migration, the effect of HGF on endothelial cell migration and MMPs and plasmin production were studied. We found that HGF induces the migration of cultured endothelial cells through increased MMPs and plasmin secretion.

• Proceedings of the KOSOMBE Conference
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• v.1996 no.05
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• pp.335-338
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• 1996

We attempted to reconstruct basement membrane (BM) in between the epidermal compartment and dermal compartment in the artificial skin preparation and examine its effect on the skin architecture as well as on the epidermal differentiation. Laminin, one of the component of BM, stimulate the migration of the basal cells but type IV collagen which is a major component of the mechanical network of BM did not stimulate epidermal migration. However laminin in the presence of type IV collagen at a 1:1 molar ratio did not stimulate epidermal migration but provide nice demarcation between epidermis and dermis. This mixture of laminin and type IV collagen enhanced epidermal differentiation in the artificial skin based on the morphological observation as well as biochemical criteria. The epidermal acquirement of migratory ability on the laminin-rich substrate suggest that this type of unbalance in the expression of the components of BM may prevail in the area of healing tissue and the invasive transition of the tumor. The result in this study provide the technical improvement in the artificial skin preparation and further application of this technique for the reconstruction of other bio-artificial organ.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.94-99
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• 2010

Obesity-related glomerulopathy (ORG) is a secondary form of focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) manifesting as proteinuria and progressive renal dysfunction that results from maladaptive glomerular response to increasing adiposity. Reports of ORG progressing to end stage renal diseases in rare in the pediatric population. We report a 9-year-old boy with obesity (body mass index $35\;kg/m^2$) who was diagnosed with ORG presenting with proteinuria. He was diagnosed with obesity-related glomerulopathy based on the laboratory, urinary, and kidney biopsy finding. In spite of treatment with angiotensin- converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and/or, angiotensin-receptor blocking agent, the degree or amount of proteinuria increased and renal function declined continuously. His BMI did not decrease and eventually progressed to chronic renal failure. Consequently, obese patients should be monitored for proteinuria, which may be the first manifestation of FSGS, a lesion that may be associated with serious renal sequelae.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.141-146
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• 2010

Purpose: We examined the radioprotective effects of 5-androstendiol (5-AED), a natural hormone produced in the reticularis of the adrenal cortex, as a result of intestinal damage in gamma-irradiated C3H/HeN mice. Materials and Methods: Thirty mice (C3H/HeN) were divided into three groups; 1) non-irradiated control group, 2) irradiated group, and 3) 5-AED-treated group prior to irradiation. Next, 5-AED (50 mg/kg per body weight) was subcutaneously injected 24 hours before irradiation. The mice were whole-body irradiated with 10 Gy for the histological examination of jejunal crypt survival and the determination of the villus morphology including crypt depth, crypt size, number of villi, villus height, and length of basal lamina, as well as 5 Gy for the detection of apoptosis. Results: The 5-AED pre-treated group significantly increased the survival of the jejunal crypt, compared to irradiation controls (p<0.05 vs. irradiation controls at 3.5 days after 10 Gy). The evaluation of morphological changes revealed that the administration of 5-AED reduced the radiation-induced intestinal damages such as villus shortening and increased length of the basal lamina of enterocytes (p<0.05 vs irradiation controls on 3.5 day after 10 Gy, respectively). The administration of 5-AED decreased the radiation-induced apoptosis in the intestinal crypt, with no significant difference between the vehicle and 5-AED at 12 hours after 5 Gy. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the administration of 5-AED has a protective effect on intestinal damage induced by $\gamma$-irradiation. In turn, these results suggest that 5-AED could be a useful candidate for radioprotection against intestinal mucosal injury following irradiation.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.195-201
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• 1995

The present study was made of the effects of abscisic acid(ABA) and calcium ions on dark respiration in protoplasts isolated from the basal intercalary meristematic tissues of oat (Avena sativa L.) seedlings. The influences of calcium channel blockers diitiazem(DTZ), verapamil(VPM), and $LaCl_2$ and the calmodulin antagonist trifluoperazine(TFP) on protoplast respiration activities were also investigated in order to evaluate the possible involvement of calcium channels and calmodulin during the dark respiration. The ABA only caused an 21% inhibition of protoplast respiration at $10^{-6}\;M$, but the extent of inhibition was very low by calcium treatments in the absence of ABA. In the presence of $10^{-6}\;M$ ABA, however, this inhibition of respiration increased by the increment of calcium ions concentrations. Treatments of DTZ and VPM were all found to restore the calcium-dependent inhibition of protoplast respiration by ABA and it was the same in thc $LaCl_2$ treatment except at $10^{-4}\;M$. At concentration from $10^{-6}\;M\;to\;10^{-4}\;M$, TFP also restored an inhibition of respiration. These results support the possibility that ABA increases plasmalemma permeability to calcium ions which might then bind to calmodulin to regulate oat protoplast dark respiration.ration.

• Development and Reproduction
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 1999

The pathogenesis of endometriosis is unknown, but retrograde menstruation is widely accepted as an etiology. Refluxed endometrium from endometriosis patients is more prone to implant and invade peritoneum possibly through the action of extracellular proteolysis. This proteolytic action may involve plasminogen activators and the collagenase system. Plasminogen activators (PAs) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a critical role in the breakdown of extracellular matrix components and basement membrane in the processes of implantation and tumor invasion. PAs are inhibited by plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI) and MMPs activity is inhibited by tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP). To test the hypothesis that lower expression of PAI-1 and TIMP-3 in endometrium from women with endometriosis, we investigated their PAI-1 and TIMP-3 expression by quantitative competitive RT PCR in endometrium from women with and without endometriosis. Endometrial tissues were obtained from 14 patients with severe endometriosis and 14 patients without endometriosis. Total RNA was extracted and reverse transcribed into cDNA, and quantitative competitive PCR (QC PCR) was performed to evaluate PAI-1 and TIMP-3 mRNA expression. Endometrium from patients with endometriosis showed decreased expression of PAI-1 and TIMP-3 mRNA compared to endometrium from control in luteal phase (p<0.05). Our results suggest that endometrium from women with endometriosis expresses lower levels of PAI-1 and TIMP-3 than endometrium from normal women. Endometrium from endometriosis patients may be more invasive and prone to peritoneal implantation than control because of higher PA and MMP enzymatic activity. Thus, increased proteolytic activity may be one of the reasons for the invasive properties of the endometrium resulting in the development of endometriosis.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.137-150
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• 1985

The dorsal skin of Rana temporaria dybowskii Guenther was examined under electron microscope. The results of the fine structures in the xanthophores, iridophores and melanophores were as follows: Xanthophores: Xanthophores were filled with pterinosomes and carotenoid vesicles. Type I pterinosomes had a clear limiting membrane. Type II pterinosomes had the inner fibrous structures. Tyep III pterinosomes were characterized by a few superficial lamellae and type IV pterinosomes by multiple concentric lamellae. Especially typical type II and type III pterinosomes were evenly distributed in the cytoplasm. Iridophores: Iridophores were situated between a xanthophore and a melanophore in the outer part of the dermis just below the basement membrane. Iridophores were filled with reflective platelets, each of which is rectangular and convex lens-like in shape. These platelets were closely contiguous and leave no interspace between them. Endoplasmic reticulum and a few mitochondria were observed in the supranuclear cytoplasm. Melanophores: Dermal melanophores contained numerous melanosomes. The dendritic precesses of the melanophore containing the melanin granules extented up the lateral sides of the iridophore. Epidermal melanophores were filled with melanin granules which appered as the same electron density. A few melanin granules were observed in a cornified surface cell.