In the present study, we investigated the differences in the levels of expression of virulence factors between blood isolates of Candida albicans and commensal strain isolated from the oral cavities of health volunteers, and correlations between virulence factors. Blood isolates of 33 and commenal isolates of 71 were characterized by putative virulence factors such as proteinase production (PROT), an ability to adhere to epithelial cells (ADH), cell surface hydrophobicity (CSH), phospholipase production (PLASE), and hyphal transition (GERM). In PROT, ADH, CSH, and PLASE, the means of expression of blood isolates were higher compared with those of commensal isolates, however statistical significance was only shown in CSH (p=0.036). On the contrary, mean expression of GERM of blood isolates was lower than that of commensal isolates. Of relationships between virulence factors, although a negative correlation of PROT with CSH was obtained, the correlation was relatively low (r=-0.316, p=0.001). These results suggest that higher expression of CSH is a more distinguishing character in virulent blood isolates of C. albicans and that the expression of virulence factors are independent.
Candida albicans* ; Candida* ; Epithelial Cells ; Healthy Volunteers* ; Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions ; Phospholipases ; Virulence Factors ; Virulence* ; Volunteers

This study was conducted to observe complications of the nervous system in chronic renal failure (CRF) and to observe the time of recovery of the nervous complications after successful renal transplantation. Median nerve somatosensory evoked potentials(MN-SEP), tibial nerve somatosensory evoked potentials(TN-SEP), brainstem auditory evoked potentials(BAEP) and visual evoked potentials (VEP) were recorded by using a Medelec ST10 Sensor EP apparatus before renal transplantation and subsequently 2, 4 and 12 weeks after renal transplantation in 40 CRF patients (32 men and 8 women). Results were then compared with normal data from age, sex and height matched controls. . At the same time of EP testing, BUN, serum creatinine, hemoglobin, hematocrit and parathyroid hormone of CRF patients were checked, and these changes were compared with the alterations of multimodal EP. In pre-renal transplantation states, the values of all of the absolute latencies and most d the interpeak latencies of MN-SEP,TN-SEP and BAEP were more prolonged than those of normal controls, but absolute latencies of VEP were not prolonged significantly. Multimodal EP responses except VEP showed improvement toward normal for 2 weeks, a steady state until 4 weeks, and then further improvement until 12 weeks after renal transplantation. In general, multimodal EP responses except BAEP showed more significant improvement in 12 weeks than did those of 2 weeks after renal transplantation MNSEP did not recover to normal control levels even by 12 weeks after renal transplantation, whereas some of the TN-SEP components had recovered to normal control levels in 2 weeks after renal transplantation, but VEP showed no significant alterations compared with normal controls before and after renal transplantation. In pre-renal transplantation states, most frequent abnormalities were found in MN-SEP (51.3%) whereas least frequent abnormalities were in VEP (5%). BAEP showed only peripheral nervous system dysfunction, whereas the other EP showed central and peripheral.
Brain Stem ; Creatinine ; Evoked Potentials* ; Evoked Potentials, Visual ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Male ; Median Nerve ; Nervous System ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Peripheral Nervous System ; Tibial Nerve

Intraventricular hemorrhage is a common hemorrhagic cerebral disorder in premature, but occurs much less frequently in the full-term newborn. In order to obtain documentation of clinical and ultrasonographic characteristics of intraventricular hemorrhage in full-term, we performed cerebral ultrasonography on 602 newborn infants who had been admitted to neonatal intensive care unit at the Deppartment of Pediatrics, Yonsei University College of Medicine between December 1989 and June 1991. 15 cases (2.5%) of intraventricular hemorrhage were analysed. The results were as follows: 1) Among 15 cases with intraventricular hemorrhage, there was no obstetrical and perinatal complication in 8 cases (53%) and 13 cases (87%) were neurologically normal at birth. 2) Sudden onset of dramatic neurologic abnormalitis inclued seizures, fever, bulging fontanel, irritability, lethargy, vomiting in cases (73%) and the remainder (27%) had no clinical symptoms and signs. 3) The age at diangosis of hemorrhage was before 72 hours in 5 cases (33%), between 4 and 7 days in 2 cases (13%), at 8 to 28 days in 8 cases (53%), 8 of 15 cases (53%) had Grade 1 IVH, four with Grade 2, cases with Grade 3, and 1 case of these infant demonstrated Grade IV IVH. The source of hemorrhage was subependymal germinal matrix in 12 cases (80%) and choroid plaxus in 3 cases (20%). 4) Precipitating factors were cerebral venous infarction in 7 cases, hypoxic injury in 5, and 3 other infants had no identifiable medical risk factors. 5) Among all 15 survivors, 2 of 3 infants with choroid plexus hemorrhage required placement of a ventriculo-peritoneal shunt, in the other case, ventriculomegaly decreased spontaneously.
Choroid ; Choroid Plexus ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Infarction ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Lethargy ; Parturition ; Pediatrics ; Precipitating Factors ; Risk Factors ; Seizures, Febrile ; Survivors ; Ultrasonography ; Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt ; Vomiting

This study was done in order to obtain normal data and normal wave form variations of brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) on various click stimulations of intensities of intensities and frequencies. Observations were made on 50 normal Korean volunteers (32 males and 18 females) ranging in age from 8 to 56 years. Silver disc electrodes 7mm in diameter were placed over the right and left ear lobes and vertex. Earphone rarefaction click stimulations were given with 10 click/sec 70 dB, 50 click/sec 70 dB and 10 click/sec 50 dB, and contralateral 40 dB masking noise. Using Medelec Sensor, input from recording electrode was led to differential amplifiers and the output was summated by average system and then recorded by X-Y plotter. Analysis time, low filter and high filter are adjusted to 10 msec, 100 Hz and 3,000 Hz, respectively, and 2,048 responses were summated. Normal data on various click stimulations and wave form variations of BAEPs were obtained. Increased intensity of click stimulation produced decreased latency and increased amplitude of each BAEP more discrete BAEP waves cound be obtained at 10 click/sec 70 dB than other type of stimulations. Absolute latency of each BAEP wave and interpeak latency were not significantly different from those of the normal data of the other laboratories.
Brain Stem* ; Ear ; Electrodes ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem* ; Humans ; Male ; Masks ; Noise ; Silver ; Volunteers

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of both exogenous and endogenous osteopontin on normal and malignant ovarian epithelial cell growth, and on paclitaxel chemo-resistance. METHODS: The ovarian cancer cell line OV429, which showed low level of endogenous osteopontin and paclitaxel sensitive cell line OV420, which showed high level of endogenous osteopontin, and a normal ovarian epithelial (HOSE: Human ovarian surface epithelial) cells were treated with purified osteopontin. Furthermore, OV420 was treated with osteopontin siRNA alone or in combination with paclitaxel. Proliferation rates and cell cycle progression of treated cells were determined by the tetrazolium colorimetric (XTT) assay and FACS analysis, respectively. RESULTS: Exogenous osteopontin increased the proliferation rate of OV429 and OV420 but had negligible effect on normal HOSE. Ovarian cancer cell lines treated with siRNA showed significantly reduced the growth rates (P<0.05), and they were arrested in G2/M phase of the cell cycle. Furthermore, OV420 treated with paclitaxel in the presence of osteopontin siRNA showed significantly decreased the survival rate. CONCLUSION: Osteopontin promote cell growth in malignant but not in normal ovarian epithelial cells, and may confer paclitaxel-resistance by adhesion to each cell and minimized the cell surface which exposure to chemo-agents.
Cell Cycle ; Cell Line ; Epithelial Cells* ; Humans ; Osteopontin* ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Paclitaxel ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Survival Rate

Niopam is a newer, nonionic, watersoluble contrast medium used predominately in cisternographic and myelographic studies with metrizamide lately. The former has fewer, less severe and shorter adverse reactions than the latter. Until now there were no reports on meningitis complicating Niopam CT cisternography or myelography. Now we present a case of aseptic purulent meningitis complicating Niopam CT cisternography.
Iopamidol* ; Meningitis* ; Metrizamide ; Myelography

Over the past three decades, a large number of genetic studies have been aimed at finding genetic variants associated with the risk of asthma, applying various genetic and genomic approaches including linkage analysis, candidate gene polymorphism studies, and genome-wide association studies (GWAS). However, contrary to general expectation, even single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) discovered by GWAS failed to fully explain the heritability of asthma. Thus, application of rare allele polymorphisms in well defined phenotypes and clarification of environmental factors have been suggested to overcome the problem of 'missing' heritability. Such factors include allergens, cigarette smoke, air pollutants, and infectious agents during pre- and post-natal periods. The first and simplest interaction between a gene and the environment is a candidate interaction of both a well known gene and environmental factor in a direct physical or chemical interaction such as between CD14 and endotoxin or between HLA and allergens. Several GWAS have found environmental interactions with occupational asthma, aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease, tobacco smoke-related airway dysfunction, and farm-related atopic diseases. As one of the mechanisms behind gene-environment interaction is epigenetics, a few studies on DNA CpG methylation have been reported on subphenotypes of asthma, pitching the exciting idea that it may be possible to intervene at the junction between the genome and the environment. Epigenetic studies are starting to include data from clinical samples, which will make them another powerful tool for research on gene-environment interactions in asthma.
Alleles ; Allergens ; Asthma/*genetics ; Endotoxins ; Environment ; *Epigenesis, Genetic ; *Gene-Environment Interaction ; Genome-Wide Association Study ; Humans ; Phenotype ; *Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide

Ganglioneuroma of the adrenal medulla is a rare disease. It is characterized by its composition of mature ganglionic cells and nerve fibers in histology, benign tendency and incidental discovery. We report herein a case of adrenal ganglioneuroma associated with renal tuberculosis which was confirmed by surgical exploration and histopathologic examination.
Adrenal Medulla ; Ganglion Cysts ; Ganglioneuroma* ; Incidental Findings ; Nerve Fibers ; Rare Diseases ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Renal*

Anesthesia for the patients with mediastinal mass may be associated with significant respiratory and cardiovaacular complications due to compression of traeheobronchial trees, the pulmonary artery, heart and superior vena cava The authors present a case of a 6-year-old girl with a large mediastinal tumor located in anterior and superior mediaetinum. Preoperatively, the patient was asymptomatic and anesthesia was induced and maintained uneventfully. Operative finding was that 8 X 14 cm sized hemangioma was extended superiorly over thoracic outlet, posteriorly aorta and SVC, medially pericardium and right hilum and inferiorly right upper lung and pleura. Because difficulties in removal of the hemangioma were expected, exploratory thoracotomy was discontinued. On emergence, as soon as the patient was extubated due to irritability, the patient became cyanotic and was noticed bulging mass on right supraclavicular area, Intubation was attempted and during direct laryngoscopy, anesthesiologist also noticed a bulging mass in right oral cavity. Postoperatively, the patients airway was kept with endotracheal tube, but cyanosis appeared on the face and skin over the chest, but not below the abdomen. Bulging mass on right supraclavicular area, distension of neck vein and conjunctival edema were noticed only when the patient was crying or suctioned. Symptoms improved by deep sedation. We assumed that enlargement of hemangioma due to increased central blood volume occasionally compressed tracheobronchial tree and sup. vena cava when patient was irritable, crying and coughing. On 11th postoperative day, patient was transferred to the another hospital for the better treatment with endotracheal intubation.
Abdomen ; Airway Obstruction* ; Anesthesia ; Aorta ; Blood Volume ; Child ; Cough ; Crying ; Cyanosis ; Deep Sedation ; Edema ; Female ; Heart ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Laryngoscopy ; Lung ; Mouth ; Neck ; Pericardium ; Pleura ; Pulmonary Artery ; Skin ; Suction ; Thoracotomy ; Thorax ; Veins ; Vena Cava, Superior

PURPOSE: To evaluate outcome and morbidity in patients with vulvar cancer treated with radiotherapy, concurrent chemoradiotherapy or postoperative radiotherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The records of 24 patients treated with radiotherapy for vulvar cancer between July 1993 and September 2009 were retrospectively reviewed. All patients received once daily 1.8-4 Gy fractions external beam radiotherapy to median 51.2 Gy (range, 19.8 to 81.6 Gy) on pelvis and inguinal nodes. Seven patients were treated with primary concurrent chemoradiotherapy, one patient was treated with primary radiotherapy alone, four patients received palliative radiotherapy, and twelve patients were treated with postoperative radiotherapy. RESULTS: Twenty patients were eligible for response evaluation. Response rate was 55% (11/20). The 5-year disease free survival was 42.2% and 5-year overall survival was 46.2%, respectively. Fifty percent (12/24) experienced with acute skin complications of grade III or more during radiotherapy. Late complications were found in 8 patients. 50% (6/12) of patients treated with lymph node dissection experienced severe late complications. One patient died of sepsis from lymphedema. However, only 16.6% (2/12) of patients treated with primary radiotherapy developed late complications. CONCLUSION: Outcome of patients with vulvar cancer treated with radiotherapy showed relatively good local control and low recurrence. Severe late toxicities remained higher in patients treated with both node dissection and radiotherapy.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymphedema ; Pelvis ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis ; Skin ; Treatment Outcome ; Vulvar Neoplasms