In order to obsetve the effect of stroke on hypothalamic-pituitary axis, TRH stimulabon test and dexamethasone suppression test(DST) were performed in 52 patients with stroke(cerebral infarction, 16 cases; intracerebral hemorrhage, 15 cases: subarachnoid hemorrhage, 21 cases) and 15 age-sex matched patients control without intracrania disease at Keimyung University Dongsan Hospital from April 1987 to August 1988. The results summarized as follows. 1. The frequency of blunted response on TRH stimulation test is significantly higher in total stroke and patients with cerebral infarction than in control(P<0.06, P<0.05). 2. The frequency of DST non-suppression in patients with cerebral infarction is significantly higher than in control, patients with cerebral hemorrhage and patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage(P<0.001, P<0.01, P<0.01). 3. Patients with left hemispheric stroke tend to show more frequent abnormal neuroendocrine test results than patient with right hemispheric stroke. 4. There are no correlation between abnormal neuroendocrine test results and age, sex, size of stroke and Barthel ADL scale. These results suggest stroke can influence on hypothalamic-pituitary axis, more marked in cerebral infarction and left hemispheric lesion.
Activities of Daily Living ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Cerebral Infarction ; Dexamethasone ; Humans ; Infarction ; Stroke* ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Vibrio cholerae strain other than O1 and O139 (Vibrio cholerae non-O1/O139) are associated with sporadic diarrhea and have often been reported in association with extraintestinal infections. We report a case of peritonitis by V. cholerae non-O1/O139 in 43-year-old male who was diagnosed cirrhosis. He, was complained of abdominal distension and fever without history of consumption of raw sea food and exposure to sea water. Gram negative bacilli were cultured from his peritoneal fluid and identified as V. cholerae sero group O14.
Adult ; Ascitic Fluid ; Cholera ; Diarrhea ; Fever ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Male ; Peritonitis* ; Seafood ; Seawater ; Vibrio cholerae* ; Vibrio*

Vibrio cholerae strain other than O1 and O139 (Vibrio cholerae non-O1/O139) are associated with sporadic diarrhea and have often been reported in association with extraintestinal infections. We report a case of peritonitis by V. cholerae non-O1/O139 in 43-year-old male who was diagnosed cirrhosis. He, was complained of abdominal distension and fever without history of consumption of raw sea food and exposure to sea water. Gram negative bacilli were cultured from his peritoneal fluid and identified as V. cholerae sero group O14.
Adult ; Ascitic Fluid ; Cholera ; Diarrhea ; Fever ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Male ; Peritonitis* ; Seafood ; Seawater ; Vibrio cholerae* ; Vibrio*

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to assess the status of infection control during influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted in November 2009 at the 100 hospitals designated by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) as influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009-treatment institutions. RESULTS: In 32.3% of the hospitals, the ventilation system of the influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009 isolation ward was separated from the hospital's ventilation system. With regard to wearing personal protective equipment while caring for patients with H1N1 infection, during usual patient contact, masks were always worn by all medical staff at all the hospitals; however, medical staff at 38.7% and 51.6% of the hospitals did not wear gloves and gowns, respectively. During aerosol-generating procedures, some medical staff wore surgical masks, whereas medical staff at 10% and 23.3% of the hospitals did not wear gowns and protective goggles, respectively. In all, 64.5% of the hospitals responded that the contents of the guidelines established by the KCDC were insufficient for reference purposes in actual practice. CONCLUSION: Some of influenza A pandemic (H1N1) 2009-treatment institutions are believed to be inadequate in facilities, infection control during patient treatment, and administrative measures among their efforts to prevent transmission in hospital. In preparation against the outbreak of similar diseases in the future, the government needs to establish guidelines highly applicable by medical staff, to secure exclusive spaces and personnel for treating infectious disease patients, and to develop personal protective gear support and management systems.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Communicable Diseases ; Delivery of Health Care ; Eye Protective Devices ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Influenza, Human ; Korea ; Masks ; Medical Staff ; Pandemics ; Ventilation ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The purpose of this study was to analyse the various patterns of calcification demonstrated in the anteriorand lateral neck roentgenograms of 213 unselected patients with thyroid enlargement. The patterns of thyroidcalcifications were correlated with clinical, surgical and histological findings. The results were as follows: 1.Of 213 cases of thyroid enlargement, 180 cases were benign and 168 cases were female. 2. The calcification ratewas high in the chronic thyroid enlargement. 3. The incidence of calcification was 30.2% in the malignancy and17.2% in the benign disease. There was no clacification in the Hashimoto's disease. 4. The nodular calcificationwas demonstrated in the both benign and malignant disease but curvilinear calcifiation was predominantly seen inbenign disease.
Female ; Hashimoto Disease ; Humans ; Incidence ; Neck ; Thyroid Gland

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Plasma levels of MCP-1, RANTES and IL-18 are related to allergic diseases such as atopic dermatitis or asthma. But it is not well investigated in allergic rhinitis. We evaluated the association of plasma concentrations of these cytokines and allergic rhinitis. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The concentrations of plasma MCP-1, RANTES and IL-18 were analyzed by ELISA. The levels of cytokines were compared between perennial allergic rhinitis patients (n=48) and controls (n=33), and this depended on symptom severity. RESULTS: Plasma levels of MCP-1 and IL-18 were significantly increased more in allergic rhinitis patients (MCP-1, 108 pg/mL, p<0.01; IL-18, 299 pg/mL, p<0.01) than in controls (MCP-1, 86 pg/mL; IL-18, 168 pg/mL). Especially, the levels of moderate-severe allergic rhinitis group (MCP-1, 116 pg/mL; IL-18, 329 pg/mL) showed higher tendency than mild one (MCP-1, 101 pg/mL; IL-18, 273 pg/mL). However, the levels of RANTES did not exhibit any differences between allergic rhinitis and control. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that plasma MCP-1 and IL-18 might be associated with nasal inflammation of perennial allergic rhinitis, especially in severely symptomatic patients.
Asthma ; Chemokine CCL5* ; Cytokines ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-18* ; Plasma* ; Rhinitis*

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Low levels of soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products (sRAGE) are associated with three conventional vascular risk factors (3Fs: diabetes, hypertension, and hypercholesterolemia), nondiabetic coronary artery disease, and Alzheimer's disease. However, the association between sRAGE and acute ischemic stroke (AS), especially AS without a source of cardioembolism, has not yet been established. Methods: Patients with AS without a source of cardioembolism (n=259) and age-matched controls (n=300) were grouped according to the presence of 3Fs: AS patients with and without 3Fs (3Fs+ AS and 3Fs- AS, respectively) and controls with and without 3Fs (3Fs+ control and 3Fs- control, respectively). Levels of sRAGE were analyzed among the four groups. RESULTS: sRAGE was significantly higher in the controls than in the AS patients (855 pg/mL vs. 690 pg/mL, p<0.01). sRAGE was significantly higher in 3Fs- controls (996 pg/mL, p<0.05) than in 3Fs+ controls (721 pg/mL), and in AS group regardless of the 3Fs (629 pg/mL in 3Fs- and 705 pg/mL in 3Fs+). The lowest tertile of sRAGE was associated with an increased risk of AS in the 3Fs- group [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 4.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6-10.3, p<0.01] but not in the 3Fs+ group. The level of sRAGE was also correlated with neurological severity in the 3Fs- AS group (r=-0.32, p<0.05) but not in the 3Fs+ AS group. CONCLUSIONS: Low plasma levels of sRAGE is a potential biomarker for the risk of AS and may reflect the neurological severity of the condition, especially in subjects without identifiable conventional risk factors.
Alzheimer Disease ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Glycosylation End Products, Advanced ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hypertension ; Odds Ratio ; Plasma ; Risk Factors ; Stroke

Higher levels of IgE-containing immune complexes (IC) have been reported in sera from patients with allergic diseases than in sera from controls. To evaluate the possibility of an IC-mediated mechanism in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma, we measured circulating C3-containing IgE IC (C3-IgE IC) using anti-C3 ELISA from 20 house dust mite (HDM)-sensitive asthmatics, 20 non-atopic asthmatics, and 14 non-atopic controls. C3-IgE IC levels were significantly higher in HDM-sensitive asthmatics (mean +/- S.D.: 12.2 +/- 7.8 AU/ml) than in non-atopic asthmatics (6.5 +/- 7.5 AU/ml) or controls (5.8 +/- 4.4 AU/ml). C3-IgE IC levels were significantly correlated with HDM-specific IgE levels (r = 0.50, p<0.05), but not with total IgE levels (r = 0.36, p< 0.05) in HDM-sensitive atopic asthmatics. C3-IgE IC levels in sera did not significantly change during HDM-bronchoprovocation test in six HDM-sensitive asthmatics who showed positive reaction. Part of C3-IgE IC could be precipitated by protein G coupled beads. In conclusion, C3-IgE IC levels were elevated in sera from HDM-sensitive asthmatics; moreover IgG antibodies might be a component of C3-IgE IC. Our results suggest that an IgE IC-mediated mechanism could be involved in the pathogenesis of atopic asthma.
Adult ; Animal ; Antigen-Antibody Complex/*blood ; Asthma/*immunology ; Complement 3/*analysis ; Dust ; Human ; Immunoglobulin E/*blood ; Mites/immunology

BACKGROUND: Korea is an endemic area of scrub typhus and it is a common seasonal febrile illness. Although, various humoral immune responses to scrub typhus have been documented, no association between gammopathy and scrub typhus has ever been reported. We analyzed the incidences and types of monoclonal and biclonal gammopathies in scrub typhus for better coping with those gammopathies in scrub typhus. METHODS: Anti-Orientia tsutsugamushi antibody-positive sera identified by indirect immunofluorescence assay were acquired from 40 patients with confirmed scrub typhus. Monoclonal and biclonal gammopathies were screened by protein electrophoresis and were confirmed using immunofixation electrophoresis (IFE). Laboratory findings on admission of the patients with monoclonal or biclonal gammopathy were investigated retrospectively to characterize the gammopathies. RESULTS: Monoclonal or biclonal gammopathies were detected in 30% (12/40) of patients with scrub typhus (IgG-lambda, 40%; IgG-kappa, 30%; IgM-kappa, 10%; IgM-lambda, 10%; IgA-kappa, 5%; IgA-lambda, 5%). Concentrations of clonal immunoglobulin were less than 3 g/dL in all gammopathies, and hypercalcemia was not detected in any of the patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest possible association between gammopathies and scrub typhus. Further studies in larger series will be needed for exact incidence and clinical course of gammopathies in scrub typhus.
Adult ; Aged ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A/blood ; Immunoglobulin G/blood ; Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains/blood ; Immunoglobulin Light Chains/blood ; Immunoglobulin M/blood ; Incidence ; Middle Aged ; Orientia tsutsugamushi/immunology ; Paraproteinemias/complications/*diagnosis/epidemiology/immunology ; Retrospective Studies ; Scrub Typhus/complications/*diagnosis/immunology

BACKGROUND: In Korea, reemerging of indigenous malaria (Plasmodium vivax) have been reported in 1993 and malarial patients were rapidly increased in number and made some social problems. For the effective control for malaria cost effective, high sensitive and specific diagnostic methods has been needed. We tried to purify trophozoites of P. vivax by Percoll density gradient for detecting malaria in P. vivax infection patients who were early stage or the state after taking anti-malarial medicines. METHODS: Ten mL of EDTA venous bloods from malarial patients were collected and removed plasma after centrifugation. The packed cells were suspended by RPMI 1640 supplemented with 1% fetal bovine serum (1% FBS/RPMI) and overlaid onto the 47%, 45%, and 43% of Percoll solutions, respectively. The buffy coat and under layer were collected after centrifugation. Finally cell pellet suspension with 1% FBS/RPMI were prepared and cytospin slides were made and Wright-Giemsa stained. RESULTS: The density gradient of 43% Percoll solution showed best result for purifying P. vivax under microscopic observation. Also infected RBC with malarial trophozoite phagocytosed by activated monocyte and neutrophil were noted in 47%, 45%, and 43% of Percoll solutions. CONCLUSTIONS: The Percoll density gradient is very useful laboratory method to detect malaria in P. vivax infection patients who were early stage or the state after taking anti-malarial medicines.
Centrifugation ; Edetic Acid ; Humans ; Korea ; Malaria ; Monocytes ; Neutrophils ; Plasma ; Plasmodium vivax* ; Plasmodium* ; Social Problems ; Trophozoites