No abstract available.
Cytokines* ; Glomerulonephritis*

Sarcoidosis can affect two or more members of the same family, and the reported occurrence of such familial sarcoidosis is variable from 0.5 to 14%. Recently we have experienced familial sarcoidosis affected mother and daughter, for the first time in Korea. Mother was diagnosed as Stage II sarcoidosis 4 years ago by transbronchial lung biopsy and cervical lymph node biopsy with compatible BAL finding in our hospital. This time, the daughter was admitted with bilateral hilar enlargement and anterior uveitis. Even though she had positive tuberculin skin test and atypical BAL finding(lymphocyte: 61%, CD4/CD8: 1.22). Transbronchial lung biopsy and mediastinal lymph node biopsy revealed noncaseating epithelioid granulorna without AFB. Slit lamp examination of the eyes showed severe anterior uveitis. Systemic steroid therapy was started due to progressive uveitis with antituberculous medication.
Biopsy ; Humans ; Korea* ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Mothers ; Nuclear Family ; Sarcoidosis* ; Skin Tests ; Tuberculin ; Uveitis ; Uveitis, Anterior

Cytomegalovirus, one of beta human herpes virus, cause significant morbidity and mortality in the renal transplant patients via direct and indirect effects of viral infection, which is defined as the presence of CMV in the host. CMV disease in renal transplant recipients is the result of direct cytopathic effects of proliferating virus and manifest as CMV syndrome and/or tissue-invasive disease. Indirect effects of CMV infection are caused by the long-term immuological responses of host to existing CMV virus and manifest as increased occurrence of acute rejection, predisposition to opportunistic bacterial, viral or fungal infection, development of lymphoproliferative disease, atheroscrelosis and posttransplantation diabets mellitus and increase in all-cause mortality in renal transplant recipients. Because the development and severity of CMV disease depends on the amount of virus present in renal transplant recipients, the quantitative tests for viral load such as antigenemia assay and molecular amplification of CMV are useful for diagnosis of CMV disease and serve as a guidance in prophylaxis and treatment of CMV disease in renal transplant recipients. CMV prophylaxis is indicated in high-risk patients such as CMV negative recipients of CMV positive donor or CMV positive recipients who have received anti-lymphocyte antibodies as induction therapy or treatment of acute rejection. Universal prophylaxis and pre-emptive treatment using mainly ganciclovir are main strategies and have their own advantages and disadvantages. Recently long-term prophylaxis up to 24 weeks is favored to prevent the occurrence of CMV disease after discontinuation of prophylaxis. Although intravenous ganciclovir is effective standard treatment of tissue-invasive CMV disease in renal transplant recipients, emergence of ganciclovir-resistant CMV strain as a result of mutation of CMV genes involved in viral metabolism of CMV such as UL97 or UL54 is reported in renal transplant recipients.
Antibodies ; Collodion ; Cytomegalovirus ; Ganciclovir ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation ; Rejection (Psychology) ; Sprains and Strains ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants ; Viral Load ; Viruses

No abstract available.
Captopril* ; Hypertension, Renovascular* ; Radionuclide Imaging*

Owing to shared receptor components, the biological activities of IL-15 are similar to those of IL-2. However the patterns of tissue expression of IL-2/IL-2R alpha and IL-15/IL-15R differ. The development of agents targeting the receptor and signaling elements of IL-15 may provide a new perspective for treatment of diseases associated with expression of IL-15/IL-15R. We designed, genetically constructed and expressed a receptor site specific IL-15 antagonist by mutating glutamine residue within the C-terminus of IL-15 to aspartic acid and linked this mutant IL-15 to murine IgG2a. These IL-15 mutant/IgG fusion proteins specifically bound to the IL-15R, and competitively inhibited IL-15 triggered cell proliferation. We examined the immunosuppressive activity of this agent because of prolonged half-life and the potential for destruction of IL-15R+ leukocytes. The IL-15 mutant/IgG proteins markedly attenuated antigen specific DTH responses in Balb-c mice comparing with the responses in the mice treated with control IgG. Intraperitoneal injection of this mutant protein enhanced the acceptance of crude islet allograft from DBA/2J (H-2(d)) to B6AF1 (H-2(b/d),k) rendered diabetic by injection of streptozotocin (15 vs >65 days; control IgG vs IL-15 mutant/IgG treatment, mean survival time, 8 mice in each group). These findings suggest that i) IL-15/IL-15R+ cells are crucial to these T-cell dependent immune responses, and ii) treatment with IL-15 mutant/IgG protein may ameliorate T-cell dependent immune/inflammatory diseases.
Allografts ; Animals ; Aspartic Acid ; Cell Proliferation ; Glutamine ; Half-Life ; Immunoglobulin G ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Interleukin-15 ; Interleukin-2 ; Leukocytes ; Mice ; Mutant Proteins ; Streptozocin ; Survival Rate ; T-Lymphocytes

No abstract available.
Classification* ; Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative*

No abstract available.
Stents

No abstract available.
Urinary Tract*

Protein-calorie malnutrition is common in maintenance dialysis patients. Indeed, diabetic patients with chronic renal failure are considered to be at increased risk of malnutrition. The aim of this study was to compare the nutritional status and markers of inflammation of hemodialysis patients with and without type 2 diabetes. We compared nutritional parameters and C-reactive protein (CRP) as a marker of inflammation in 30 type 2 diabetic patients and age-matched 30 non-diabetic patients with hemodialysis. Serum albumin was significantly lower in patients with type 2 diabetes (3.45 +/- 0.43 g/dL) than in non-diabetic patients (3.64 +/- 0.36 g/dL) (p < 0.05). In contrast, the concentration of serum CRP was significantly higher in type 2 diabetes (1.42 +/- 1.8 mg/dL) (p < 0.05). There were significant negative-relationships between serum albumin and CRP level in both diabetic (r = -0.553, p < 0.01) and non-diabetic (r = -0.579, p < 0.01) patients. In diabetic patients, serum albumin level was significantly correlated with hemoglobin (r = 0.488, p < 0.01) and hematocrit (r = 0.386, p < 0.01). Diabetic patients as compared to non-diabetic patients showed a significant (p < 0.01) increased serum triglyceride (TG) (153.1 +/- 80.1 mg/dL vs 101.6 +/- 62.4 mg/dL) and decreased serum HDL cholesterol (36.89 +/- 13.48mg/dL vs 47.00 +/- 14.02 mg/dL, P < 0.05). There were significant correlations in the intake of calorie and serum albumin levels in both diabetic (r = 0.438, p < 0.05) and non-diabetic (r = 0.527, p < 0.05) patients. Serum CRP level was negatively correlated with calorie (r = -0.468, p < 0.05), protein (r = -0.520, p < 0.01) and fat intakes (r = -0.403, p < 0.05) in diabetic patients and calorie (r = -0.534, p < 0.05) and protein intakes (r = -0.559, p < 0.05) in non-diabetic patients. The prevalence of protein malnutrition and the risk factors of cardiovascular disease were significantly higher in type 2 diabetic patients than in non-diabetic hemodialysis patients. Thus, we can suggest that the higher comorbidity and mortality rate in diabetic hemodialysis patients are partially explained by malnutrition and inflammation.
C-Reactive Protein ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Comorbidity ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Dialysis ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Malnutrition ; Mortality ; Nutritional Status* ; Prevalence ; Protein-Energy Malnutrition ; Renal Dialysis* ; Risk Factors ; Serum Albumin ; Triglycerides

No abstract available.
Dendritic Cells* ; Isoantigens*