No abstract available.
Giant Cells* ; Granuloma, Giant Cell*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Seizures, Febrile* ; Spinal Puncture*

The effect of a secretory proteinase from the pathogenic amoebae Acanthamoeba castellanii on hosts defense-oriented or regulatory proteins such as immunoglobulins, interleukin-1, and protease inhibitors was investigated. The enzyme was found to degrade secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), IgG, and IgM. It also degraded interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) and IL-1beta. Its activity was not inhibited by endogenous protease inhibitors, such as alpha2-macroglobulin, alpha1-trypsin inhibitor, and alpha2-antiplasmin. Furthermore, the enzyme rapidly degraded those endogenous protease inhibitors as well. The degradation of hosts defense-oriented or regulatory proteins by the Acanthamoeba proteinase suggested that the enzyme might be an important virulence factor in the pathogenesis of Acanthamoeba infection.
Acanthamoeba/*enzymology/pathogenicity ; Animals ; Endopeptidases/*physiology ; Immunoglobulins/*metabolism ; Interleukin-1/*metabolism ; Protease Inhibitors/*metabolism ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Virulence

No abstract available.
Chiroptera* ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome* ; Korea*

A 12-year-old boy developed cholestatic hepatitis with Steven-Johnson syndrome following the use of amoxicillin. The skin lesion and general condition were improved over 2 weeks, but jaundice was gradually aggrevated. We performed liver biopsy, on 30th hospital day, which showed cholestatic hepatitis. The patient improved gradually and liver function was normalized 5 months later.
Amoxicillin ; Biopsy ; Child ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Liver ; Male ; Skin

We report herein a case of pseudoxanthoma elasticum(PXE) in a 24 year old woman. She had a generalized laxity of the skin which tended to hang in folds along the sides of the trunk and in the axillary areas. There was no similar skin lesion in her family. Histopathological examination revealed clumping and fragmentation of the elastic fibers in the mid and lower dermis. Von Kossa stain showed dense deposition of calcium in these areas. We suspect this case as autosomal recessive type II PXE.
Calcium ; Dermis ; Elastic Tissue ; Female ; Humans ; Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum* ; Skin ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch*

PURPOSE: Elevated C-reactive protein (CRP) is associated with poor prognosis in several tumor types. The purpose of this study was to investigate serum CRP as a prognostic marker in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The pretreatment serum CRP level was measured in 157 newly diagnosed SCLC patients, and correlation between serum CRP level and other clinical parameters was analyzed. Multivariate analyses were performed to find prognostic markers using Cox's proportional hazards model. RESULTS: The initial CRP concentration was within the normal range in 72 (45.9%) patients and elevated in 85 (54.1%) patients. There was a significant correlation between serum CRP level and the extent of disease (p<0.001), weight loss (p=0.029) and chest radiation (p=0.001). Median overall survival (OS) in the normal CRp group was significantly longer than with the high CRp group (22.5 months vs. 11.2 months, p<0.001). Extent of disease (p<0.001), age (p=0.025), and performance status (p<0.001) were additional prognostic factors on univariate analysis. On multivariate analysis, elevated serum CRp level was an independent prognostic factor for poor survival (HR=1.8; p=0.014), regardless of the extent of disease (HR=3.7; p<0.001) and performance status (HR=2.2; p<0.001). CONCLUSION: High level of CRP was an independent poor prognostic serum marker in addition to previously well-known prognosticators in patients with SCLC.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biological Markers/blood ; C-Reactive Protein/*metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Lung Neoplasms/*blood/*mortality ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Prognosis ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma/*blood/*mortality

BACKGROUND: New methods of ventilation are devised to minimize airway pressure increase because high pressure ventilation might result in barotrauma and hemodynamic compromise. Intratracheal pulmonary ventilation(ITPV) was developed to allow a decrease in physiological dead space during mechanical ventilation. ITPV can be applied broadly when it combined with pressure controlled ventilation(PCV) to make a hybrid ventilation(HV). We intended to compare the respiratory effect of HV with volume controlled ventilation(VCV) and PCV. METHODS: Oleic acid of 0.06 ml/kg was injected to induce acute respiratory failure in rabbits. To reduce anatomic dead space, a reverse thrust catheter(RTC) was introduced into an endotracheal tube(ETT) through an adapter and positioned just above the carina inside the ETT. VCV and PCV were compared with HV by measuring peak inspiratory pressure(PIP) and dead space(VD) at various respiratory rates(RR) from 20 breaths/min to 120 breaths/min. Gas flowed through the RTC at the flow rate of 1 liter/min during HV. RESULTS: The values of VD of VCV were 37+/-10 ml, 29+/-11 ml, 23+/-5 ml, and 18+/-3 ml at respiratory rate of 20 breaths/min, 40 breaths/min, 80 breaths/min and 120 breaths/min, respectively. The values of VD of PCV were 33+/-6 ml, 28+/-7 ml, 23+/-5 ml, and 18+/-3 ml, respectively. The values of VD of HV were 25+/-13 ml, 15+/-8 ml, 9+/-5 ml, and 8+/-4 ml, respectively. The VD of HV were significantly lower than those of VCV and PCV at the same RR. The PIP was lower in HV than in VCV and PCV at the same RR. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that HV, as a modification of ITPV, can be applied to acute respiratory failure in rabbits to minimize airway pressures and dead space of mechanical ventilation.
Barotrauma ; Hemodynamics ; Oleic Acid ; Pulmonary Ventilation* ; Rabbits* ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Insufficiency* ; Respiratory Rate ; Ventilation

PURPOSE: Our aim was to determine the patterns of recurrence after curative resection of gastric cancer and to analyze the factors related with recurrence. We hypothesized that aggressive surgical approach including extended lymphadenectomy performed during last several decades may alter the patterns of recurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective analysis of 91 patients with recurrent gastric cancer after curative surgery at Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, from 1989 to 1992. RESULTS: Average time to recurrence was 21.8+/-17.9 months and 64 cases(70.3%) were recurred in 24 months after surgery. The most common type of recurrence was peritoneal dissemination(46.2%), followed by distant lymph node metastasis(24.2%), hematogenous metastasis(19.8%), and local recurrence(7.7%). Borrmann type III and IV, serosal invasion, lymph node metastasis, lymphatic and perineural invasion were the factors associated with recurrence. In peritoneal dissemination, serosal invasion and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma were high risk factors. Mean duration of life after recurrence was 5.4+/-5.2 months. Re-operation was performed in 12 cases(13.2%), and survival was longer in resection cases compared to non-resection cases(10.9 vs 3.8 months)(p=0.034). CONCLUSION: With the use of aggressive surgical approach, relative incidence of local recurrence has been lowered. On the other hand, peritoneal seeding was the most frequently encountered pattern of recurrence. Serosal invasion, Borrmann type III or IV and poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma were risk factors for peritoneal recurrence. Intensive follow-up examination is strongly suggested during the first 24 months after curative surgery for advanced gastric cancer because of high probability of recurrence in this period. Surgical resection for locally recurrent gastric cancer seems to prolong survival time.
Adenocarcinoma ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hand ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms*