The perchloric acid soluble, heat stable, and ethanol insoluble antigen of M. tuberculosis (TB-PBE) was prepared, and antigenicity of this antigen was studied in vivo and in vitro. TB-PBE showed a single band of 60 kDa by SDS-PAGE. Sera from the patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis did not react with this antigen by ELISA. A delayed hypersensitivity skin reaction was induced with this antigen and was correlated with the reaction with PPD. Skin biopsy was performed in this skin lesion induced by TB-PBE and stained by H-E and immunohistochemical methods. TB-PBE induced an inflammatory lesion similar to a lesion induced by PPD. Blastogenic activity of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated by TB-PBE increased, and showed a peak reaction at 7 days after stimulation. The blastogenic activity changed in a dose-dependent manner. After stimulation with TB-PBE, mononuclear cells were analyzed by FACS. DR+ T cells and CD4/CD8 ratio increased after stimulation by TB-PBE. These cells secreted IL-2, not IL-4 after stimulation with TB-PBE. In the immunofluorescence test, mouse antiserum against TB-PBE showed a positive reaction with M. tuberculosis and showed cross-reactivity with M. bovive and other atypical mycobacteria, but not with S. aureus. With these results, it is evident that TB-PBE is an antigen which can induce cell mediated immunity in vivo and in vitro.
Animal ; Antigens, Bacterial/immunology/*isolation & purification ; Cytokines/biosynthesis ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Human ; Hypersensitivity, Delayed ; Lymphocyte Activation ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/*immunology ; Perchloric Acid ; Skin/pathology ; T-Lymphocytes/immunology

The perchloric acid soluble, heat stable, and ethanol insoluble antigen of M. tuberculosis (TB-PBE) was prepared, and antigenicity of this antigen was studied in vivo and in vitro. TB-PBE showed a single band of 60 kDa by SDS-PAGE. Sera from the patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis did not react with this antigen by ELISA. A delayed hypersensitivity skin reaction was induced with this antigen and was correlated with the reaction with PPD. Skin biopsy was performed in this skin lesion induced by TB-PBE and stained by H-E and immunohistochemical methods. TB-PBE induced an inflammatory lesion similar to a lesion induced by PPD. Blastogenic activity of the peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated by TB-PBE increased, and showed a peak reaction at 7 days after stimulation. The blastogenic activity changed in a dose-dependent manner. After stimulation with TB-PBE, mononuclear cells were analyzed by FACS. DR+ T cells and CD4/CD8 ratio increased after stimulation by TB-PBE. These cells secreted IL-2, not IL-4 after stimulation with TB-PBE. In the immunofluorescence test, mouse antiserum against TB-PBE showed a positive reaction with M. tuberculosis and showed cross-reactivity with M. bovive and other atypical mycobacteria, but not with S. aureus. With these results, it is evident that TB-PBE is an antigen which can induce cell mediated immunity in vivo and in vitro.
Animal ; Antigens, Bacterial/immunology/*isolation & purification ; Cytokines/biosynthesis ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Human ; Hypersensitivity, Delayed ; Lymphocyte Activation ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/*immunology ; Perchloric Acid ; Skin/pathology ; T-Lymphocytes/immunology

PURPOSE: There have been few studies of bee-sting anaphylaxis in patients visiting the Emergency Department. Thus, this study was performed to observe the general characteristics and the various clinical presentations of beesting anaphylaxis. METHODS: The study was performed for two years between January 2001 and December 2002. The objects of the study were 42 patients who were diagnosed as having anaphylaxis due to bee stings among patients who visited Pundang Jae-Saeng Hospital's Emergency Department. Emergency medicine residents directly followed the beesting anaphylaxis protocol. RESULTS: Males were 33 cases (78.6%), and female wewe 9 cases (21.4%). Severe anaphylaxis occurred in 25 cases (59.5%) and mild anaphylaxis in 17 cases (40.5%). The most frequent month was September with 12 cases (28.6%), and the most frequent place was the mountains with 15 cases (35.7% ). Of the 18 cases (42.9%) presenting with a prior bee-sting history, the incidence of severe anaphylaxis was 14 cases (77.8%) whilst of the 24 cases (57.1%) without any prior history, the incidence was 11 (45.8%)(p= 0.037). CONCLUSION: The history of a previous beesting is more related to the incidence of severe anaphylaxis, and of those patients presenting with systemic symptoms, the incidence rate of severe anaphylaxis is higher at 59.5%. Thus, it seems reasonable to treat patients presenting with systemic symptoms from bee stings or with a history of previous bee stings with early administration of epinephrine and to keep them under close observation.
Anaphylaxis ; Bee Venoms ; Bees* ; Bites and Stings* ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Medicine ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Epinephrine ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male

Armeniacae semen (AS) has been considered a toxic herb in the Korean medicine as it contains hydrogen cyanide and amygdalin, especially in its endocarp. Therefore, prebrewed AS that is devoid of endocarp has been traditionally used. In the present study, amygdalin content of the prebrewed AS was significantly lower (2.73 +/- 0.32 microg/ml; p < 0.01) than the content in the extract that contained the endocarps (28.50 +/- 6.71 microg/ml); amygdalin content corresponded to 10% of the extract in the present study. Because of single oral dose toxicity of prebrewed AS according to the recommendation of Korea Food and Drug Administration Guidelines (2009-116, 2009), which was based on single oral dose toxicity study of prebrewed AS, mortality due to toxic principles was significantly reduced. In this study, 2,000 mg/kg of prebrewed AS led to death of 1 female rat and 1 male rat at the end of 2 hr of administration. Based on these results, the 50% lethal dose in both male and female rats was determined to be 9279.5 mg/kg. Seizure, loss of locomotion, and increases in respiration and heart rate were observed as prebrewed AS treatment-related toxicological signs; these signs were restrictedly manifested in the prebrewed AS (2,000 mg/kg)-treated rats. In addition, no changes were observed in body weight, organ weight, gross features, and histopathological parameters with 2,000 mg/kg of AS in both male and female rats. These findings serve as direct evidence that amygdalin in AS is the toxic principle, which can be reduced by the traditional prebrewing method involving the exclusion of endocarp.
Amygdalin ; Animals ; Body Weight ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hydrogen Cyanide ; Korea ; Locomotion ; Male ; Organ Size ; Rats ; Respiration ; Seizures ; Semen ; United States Food and Drug Administration

Few cases of hepatitis related to Chinese medicine have been reported in Korea. In such instances, since herbal medicines contain many ingredients, the component that causes the hepatitis to develop is unclear. A 55-year-old man was admitted with sudden-onset jaundice after taking the herbal medicine Dictamnus dasycarpus. The patient had consumed 70 g of alcohol daily and stopped drinking about a month earlier. The physical examination revealed no abnormalities other than scleral icterus. The patient's blood chemistry showed a total bilirubin of 16.0 mg/dL, an ALP of 288 IU/mL, an AST of 1,369 IU/L, and an ALT of 1,660 IU/L. The viral studies were all negative. A liver biopsy showed acute cholestatic hepatitis superimposed on chronic alcoholic fibrosis. This case suggests the development of hepatitis due to an herbal medicine (Dictamnus dasycarpus). Moreover, we recently experienced a case of acute hepatitis that developed after the consumption of Dictamnus dasycarpus.
Alcoholics ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bilirubin ; Biopsy ; Dictamnus ; Drinking ; Fibrosis ; Hepatitis ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Korea ; Liver ; Middle Aged ; Physical Examination

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There have been heated controversies over the choice of the canal wall down mastoidectomy (CWD) and canal wall up mastoidectomy (CWU), which are operational methods used to eliminate the lesion of chronic otitis media including cholesteatoma. The CWD method can secure a good operation field and remove the lesion easily, but it accompanies a cavity problem. The CWU method also has its shortcomings as it is difficult to eliminate cholesteatoma completely using this method. Combining the advantages of both methods, we invented a new operational method. The present study assesses the results of its use after a follow up of 55 months. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From December of 1994 to March of 1997, epitympanoplasty with mastoid obliteration was conducted on 44 adults (42 patients). Of these, 38 cases were cholesteatomas, 2 cases adhesive otitis media and 4 cases chronic otitis media with poor E-tube function. The postoperative observation period ranged from 41 to 68 months, with the average period of 55.2 months. RESULTS: There were 3 cases of residual cholesteatoma in the mastoid cavity and 3 cases in the middle ear cavity. All residual cholesteatomas in the mastoid cavity were treated with CWU, and there was no recurrent cholesteatoma or otorrhea, nor retraction pocket. CONCLUSION: Although the observation period of the postoperative process was not long enough, there was no recurrence. We suggest that it is advantageous to operate on cholesteatoma using the new method.
Adhesives ; Adult ; Cholesteatoma ; Ear, Middle ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Mastoid* ; Otitis Media ; Recurrence