The presence of the nucleic acid of the spotted fever group (SPG) and typhus group (TG) rickettsiae was investigated in 200 serum specimens seropositive for SFG rickettsiae by multiplex-nested ...polymerase chain reaction with primers derived from the rickettsial outer membrane protein B gene. The DNA of SFG, TG, or both rickettsiae was amplified in the 24 serum specimens, and sequence analysis showed Rickettsia conorii, R. japonica, and R. felis in the specimens. R. conorii and R. typhi were found in 7 serum specimens, which indicated the possibility of dual infection in these patients. These findings suggest that several kinds of rickettsial diseases, including boutonneuse fever, rickettsialpox, R. felis infection, and Japanese spotted fever, as well as scrub typhus and murine typhus, are occurring in Korea.
This article reviewed our experience with right lobe donor hepatectomy in living donor liver transplantations (LDLT), particularly in the context of preserving donor safety.
From January 2000 to ...August 2005, we performed 206 adult LDLT operations using the right lobe. The donor characteristics, operative findings, postoperative results including the peak values of liver enzymes (aspartate transferase AST, alanine transferase ALT, and bilirubin) and regeneration volumes, as evaluated by computed tomography volumetry, were reviewed at 1 week, as well as 3 and 6 months after surgery. The effects of three risk factors on donor safety were analyzed: age (<55 years, ≥55 years): fatty change in the donor liver (<10%, ≥10%); and remnant volume (<35%, ≥35%).
The liver enzymes and regeneration volumes showed no significant difference according to age, only ALT was significant increased associated with the severity of fatty change (
P < .05). There were significant differences in postoperative AST, ALT, and regeneration volume between the group with <35% and the group with ≥35% remnant liver volume (
P < .05). Upon further analysis with combinations of two out of three risk factors, the group according to remnant volume and fatty change was meaningful. Follow-up data on donor ALT showed a return normal levels and after postoperative 3 months there was regeneration of the remnant liver to more than 70% of the whole liver preoperatively. There was no donor mortality, but postoperative complications were observed in 39 patients (39/206, 18.9%). Biliary complications were encountered in 24 patients: one bile duct injury, 22 bile leakages, and one bile duct stricture. Other complications consisted of pleural effusion (
n = 8), delayed gastric emptying (
n = 6), atelectasis (
n = 1), and hepatic encephalopathy (
n = 1).
In cases of careful donor selection, a right lobectomy can be performed safely with minimal risks when the remnant liver volume exceeds 35% of the total liver volume and shows less than 10% fatty changes.
Soluble sugar levels affect a diverse array of plant developmental processes. For example, exposure to high levels of glucose or sucrose inhibits early seedling development of Arabidopsis thaliana ...(L.) Heynh. Media-shift experiments indicate that Arabidopsis seedlings lose their sensitivity to the inhibitory effects of high sugar levels on early development within approximately two days after the start of imbibition. The sugar-insensitive1 (sis1) mutant of Arabidopsis was isolated by screening for plants that are insensitive to the inhibitory effects of high concentrations of sucrose on early seedling development. The sis1 mutant also displays glucose and mannose resistant phenotypes and has an osmo-tolerant phenotype during early seedling development. The sis1 mutant is resistant to the negative effects of paclobutrazol, an inhibitor of gibberellin biosynthesis, on seed germination. Characterization of the sis1 mutant revealed that it is allelic to ctr1, a previously identified mutant with a constitutive response to ethylene.
Effects of the Korean carcass-grading system on carcass traits and meat quality parameters for the
longissimus dorsi (LD) and
semimembranosus (SM) muscles were investigated for Hanwoo steer beef. ...High quality grade beef cuts had significantly higher intramuscular fat content than those of low quality grade beef cuts. To establish a guaranteed system of eating quality for Hanwoo steer beef, a palatability prediction model was developed. The model development approach used canonical discriminant analysis and multivariate regression to assess effects of muscle type, cooking method, and aging treatment on Hanwoo beef quality grade. The palatability prediction model can provide Korean consumers with detailed information about expected eating quality for an individual cut, as well as provide critical information to the industry for maintaining high-quality beef production. The model is a significant advance in grading compared with the traditional carcass grading system, which applies a single quality grade to an entire carcass.
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