No abstract available.
Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic*

BACKGROUND: HIV-1 p24 antigen assay is useful for the detection of circulating viruses, and infection prior to seroconversion. However, circulating HIV-1 p24 antigen may be complexed with HIV antibody and prevent it from being detected by antigen capture assay. To detect HIV-1 p24 antigen in the specimen, it is necessary to dissociate immune complexes and confirm the presence of HIV-1 p24 antigen after the neutralization with the specific antibody. METHODS: We tested 32 sera from HIV-1 infected persons who were diagnosed from 1987 tO1996 in Korea for HIV-1 p24 antigen by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA.) with or without the dissociation of immune complexes. And we confirmed the antigen assay results by the neutralization with HIV-1 specific antibody as a confirmatory test. We also calculated the concentration of HIV-1 p24 antigen in each specimen. RESULTS: Eleven of 32 sera tested were initially positive for HIV-1 p24 antigen. After the dissociation of immune complexes for 29 sera except two of which signal/cutoff ratios were higher than 7.0 and except one which was not enough for the assay,13 were shown to be positive for HIV-1 p24 antigen and their signal/cutoff ratios were increased by 10 times. Five of antigen negative cases were turned to be positive after the immune complex dissociation. After neutralization with HIV-1specific p24 antibody for sera of 13 which were positive for HIV-1 p24 antigen with or without the immune complex dissociation, all were shown to be neutralized. We have observed more than 90% neutralization reduction for 12 sera and more than 50% less than 90% for one. The average concentration of HIV-1 p24 antigen was8.76pg/ml by antigen assay and was increased to 76.81~g/m~ after immune complex dissociation. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the sensitivity and the specificity of HIV-1 p24 antigen assay could be increased by dissociation of the immune complexes and neutralization with the specific antibody.
Antigen-Antibody Complex* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; HIV ; HIV-1* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Sensitivity and Specificity

No abstract available.
Fractures, Compression* ; Vertebroplasty*

Section of the corpus callosum(SCC) is a useful surgical therapy in selected types of epilepsy, i.e., tonic, atonic, and intractable generalized convulsive seizures. The object of this study was to determine effect of SCC on behaviors, electroencephalography(EEG) and Fos expression in the lithium-pilocarpine model of status epilepticus in the rat. A total of 40 Sprague-Dawley rats were used. They were divided into two groups: control and lesioned group, 20 rats for each. The control group had no callosal section and was injected with lithium-pilocarpine. The lesioned group had callosal section before lithium-pilocarpine injection. In each group, ten rats were used for behavior and EEG monitoring and other 10 were used for Fos expression. The results were as follows: 1) In the SCC group, four(40%) rats never developed status epilepticus, among them two(20%) never exhibited any seizure, while all of the control group developed seizure and status epilepticus. None of the SCC animals died until 24 hours after lithium-pilocarpine injection but 70% of the control animals died within 24 hours of status epilepticus. This difference was statistically significant(p<0.05). 2) The mean latency to the first seizure, status epilepticus and periodic epileptiform discharges after lithium-pilocarpine injection were 34.7+/-2.6min, 32.3+/-1.8min and 180.4+/-9.8min, respectively, in the SCC group, while was 21.0+/-2.0min, 58.2+/-6.9min and 215.6+/-7.2min, respectively, in the control group. These latencies were significantly longer than in the control group(p<0.05). 3) There was a massive Fos expression on the cerebral cortex in the control group at 4 hours after lithiumpi-locarpine injection , while it was less in the SCC group. This difference was statistically significant(p<0.05). In conclusion, complete corpus callosotomy had contributed to the protective effect on the development of status epilepticus in the lithium-pilocarpine model which was similar to that observed in humans. And result of Fos expression suggest that Fos immunohistochemisty may be useful in the study of seizure pathways as a metabolic marker in the lithium-pilocarpine model.
Animals ; Cerebral Cortex ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy ; Humans ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Seizures ; Status Epilepticus

Fifteen cases of diffuse axonal injury(DAI) brought about by nonmissile head injury in humans are analyzed. All cases were subjected to comprehensive clinical studies such as measurement of cerebral blood flow by SPECT, continuous intracranial pressure monitoring and multimodality evoked potentials(MEPs). In the patients with DAI, a high incidence of low cerebral perfusion and abnormal MEPs. especially auditory evoked potentials, were found, with high incidence of high velocity traffic accident injury mechanism. On the other hand, a low incidence of increased intracranial pressure was found and dehydrating agents such as glycerol and mannitol did not exert a beneficial influence upon the clinical courses or the outcomes. The outcome of the patients with DAI depended upon the duration of coma and whether or not brain stem signs were noted.
Accidents, Traffic ; Axons ; Brain Stem ; Coma ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Diffuse Axonal Injury* ; Evoked Potentials* ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory ; Glycerol ; Hand ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intracranial Pressure* ; Mannitol ; Perfusion ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Twenty eight year-old male with 3 year history of radiating pain to both thighs and thirty six year-old female with one year history of perineal hypesthesia and constipation were presented. The clinical features, radiologic features, surgical techniques and complications are described. In both cases, postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage was developed and managed successfully with lumbar drainage and rest respectively. The preoperatively presented symptoms were completely disappeared after surgery.
Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Constipation ; Drainage ; Female ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Male ; Thigh

OBJECTIVES: The significance of the coccoid forms of H. pylori is still controversial and the questions of whether these forms are viable and infective or degenerative are still open. We induced conversion from rod to coccoid forms and studied morphological changes and antigenic evolutions during this conversion and, thereby, elucidated the viability of coccoid forms. METHODS: The H. pylori strain (C001) used for Western blotting was isolated from the patient with gastric cancer. The antigenic evolution during coccoid conversion of H. pylori was studied by Western blotting, using different sera from thirty patients known to be culture positive. These sera were used to reveal the total antigens of the strain cultured for 2 days (100% rod) and 15 days (> 99% coccoid). After SDS-PAGE, with 10% separating gel of total antigens (rod and coccoid), transblotting (Trans-Blot electrophoretic cell, Bio-Rad) was taken onto a nitrocellulose membrane (Bio-Rad). Then, the blots, with human sera diluted at 1/100, were developed with color reaction by goat serum anti-human IgG with alkaline phosphatase and BCIP. RESULTS: The antigenic profiles were not changed in 46.7% (14/30 cases) and were changed in 53.3% (16/30 cases) during coccoid conversion. Antigenic fractions changed during coccoid conversion were protein band at 120 kDa and band at 35 kDa, and were not detected in coccus forms. The rest of the profiles were identical between rod and coccoid forms. The protein which disappeared include CagA (120 kDa) and porin, or adhesin (35 kDa). The morphological changes during coccoid conversion were U shaped at day 7, doughnut shaped at day 9 and full coccoid at day 15. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that coccoid forms of H. pylori retain cellular structures similar to rod form, and some of the antigens (CagA and porin) disappeared during coccoid conversion. Therefore, coccoid form might be viable and represent one of the stages of H. pylori biological cycle.
Adaptation, Physiological ; Antigens, Bacterial/isolation & purification* ; Gastritis/microbiology ; Helicobacter Infections/microbiology ; Helicobacter pylori/ultrastructure* ; Helicobacter pylori/immunology* ; Helicobacter pylori/growth & development ; Human ; Microscopy, Electron ; Stomach Neoplasms/microbiology ; Virulence

We report here on the use of the Venture(TM) catheter to facilitate successful advancement of a guidewire across difficult, complex lesions after the prior attempts at guide wire passage were unsuccessful with using standard wires. This Venture(TM) catheter may increase the success rate and reduce the procedural time for such a challenging interventional procedure.
Angioplasty ; Catheters

In generalized amyloidosis, involvement of heart is not rare, but development fo severe conduction distubance in cardiac amyloidosis is a rare presentation in a clinical situation. We report the first case in Korea of cardiac amyloidosis with complete atrioventricular block, which was confirmed by endomyocardial biopsy. A 59-year-old woman was admitted due to drowsy mentality. We observed a severe atrioventricular conduction disturbance on the electrocardiogram and a marked hypertrophied ventricular wall and a granular sparkling appearance within the wall, a characteristic feature in cardiac infiltration of amyloidosis, on the echocardiography. Endomyocardial biopsy was performed and revealed extensive deposition of amorphous eosinophilic materials within the cardiac muscle cells. Polarizing illumination after Congo-red staining showed typical green birefrigence. We performed a insertion of permanent pacemaker(VVI type) for the treatment of complete atrioventricular block.
Amyloidosis* ; Atrioventricular Block* ; Biopsy ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Heart ; Humans ; Korea ; Lighting ; Middle Aged ; Myocytes, Cardiac

A 72-year-old man presented with aggravating dyspnea and swelling of the face due to thymic carcinoma, which was diagnosed based on a transfemoral biopsy specimen. Chest computed tomography and transthoracic echocardiogram showed a mediastinal mass that invaded the superior vena cava and the right atrium. The patient underwent successful chemotherapy with multimodal regimens including cyclophosphamide, vincristine and the dyspnea, facial edema improved. Here, we present a case of spreading thymic carcinoma identified as an intraluminal growth spreading from the mediastinum into the superior vena cava and cardiac cavity.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Cyclophosphamide ; Drug Therapy ; Dyspnea* ; Edema ; Heart Atria ; Heart Neoplasms ; Humans ; Mediastinal Neoplasms ; Mediastinum ; Thorax ; Thymoma ; Thymus Gland* ; Thymus Neoplasms* ; Vena Cava, Superior ; Vincristine