Bacillus cereus meningitis can show unusual presentation and very rapid progression associated with high mortality and unusual MRI findings. We report a 77-year-old man with fever and altered mentality after epidural neuroplasty for chronic lumbar spinal pain. Symptoms rapidly progressed over the 12 hours following surgery. He was diagnosed with meningoencephalitis by Bacillus cereus confirmed by CSF culture and DNA sequencing. He improved with antibiotics slowly although his mental state did not completely revert to his prior level. This case demonstrates the rapid and fulminant clinical picture produced by Bacillus cereus associated with neuroplasty. It also shows peculiar frontal white matter changes with hydrocephalus on MRI

No abstract available.
Animals ; Photoreceptor Cells* ; Rats* ; Retina*

PUPOSE: This study was designed to investigate the validity of WHOQOL-BREF (Brief form of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument) and to explore quality of life (QOL) by using WHOQOL-BREF in patients with stomach cancer after a curative resection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty (50) patients with stomach cancer after a curative resection were recruited with informed consents. Age- and gender matched hospital staffs served as controls. The 100-item WHOQOL instrument was employed for the all subjects. The scores of the WHOQOL-BREF, which is a short version (26 questions) of the WHOQOL, and includes four domains (physical, psychological, social, and environmental), were compared with those of WHOQOL. RESULTS: The scores of the WHOQOL-BREF were significantly correlated with those of the WHOQOL in all domains. Two domains, physical and social, were associated with worse quality of life in patients with stomach cancer after a curative resection. CONCLUSION: The WHOQOL-BREF is a valid instrument that is useful for evaluating the quality of life in patients with stomach cancer.
Humans ; Quality of Life* ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Stomach* ; World Health Organization

In this experiment, side effects of two anticancer drugs (adriamycin and CP -2) on the structure of spleen were histologically studied. Each of ICR mice was inoculated with 1 x10 7 Ehrlich carcinoma cells subcutaneously in the inguinal area. From next day, 0.2 ml of saline solution, adriamycin (2 mg/kg) or CP -2 (30 mg/kg) were injected subcutaneously every other day. The day following the 7th injection of adriamycin or CP -2, each mouse was injected with a single dose of 0.7 micro Ci/gm of methyl -3 H -thymidine (25 Ci/mmol, Amersham Lab., England) through tail vein. Seventy minutes after the thymidine injection, animals were sacrificed, and splenic tissues were collected and fixed in 10% neutral formalin. Deparaffinized sections were coated with autoradiographic emulsion EM -1 (Amersham Lab., England) in the dark room and dried, and were kept in a light -tight box. The sections were exposured for 5 weeks in the dark room, and were developed in D -19 developer. The number of the labeled cells in the areas of the white pulp, the red pulp and the marginal zone (mean number of labeled cells per 0.21 mm 2 ) were observed and calculated. In the spleen of adriamycin treated group, vacuoles containing pyknotic nuclei were observed frequently. Whereas in the CP -2 treated group, morphological changes of the spleen were not observed. The number of the labeled cells of normal control, experimental control, CP -2 treated and adriamycin treated groups were 240.3 +/-53.28, 252.3+/- 58.24, 216.7 +/-55.17 and 45.4 +/-15.46, respectively, and most of the labeled cells were located near the marginal zone of the spleen. In the adriamycin treated group, labeled cells containing a few silver grains of 3 H -thymidine were observed more frequently than in those of the normal and experimental control groups. From the above results, adriamycin and CP -2 may suppress the DNA synthesis of the splenic tissues. Especially, CP -2 does not results any histological defect on the splenic tissues. These result suggest that CP -2 is expected as one of effective anticancer drugs.
Animals ; Edible Grain ; DNA ; Doxorubicin* ; Formaldehyde ; Mice* ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Silver ; Sodium Chloride ; Spleen* ; Thymidine ; Vacuoles ; Veins

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Arteries* ; Humans

To examine the role of actin microfilaments which are located at beneath the plasma membrane, we observed the ultrastructural changes of rat hepatocyte induced by alteration of the microfilamentous integrity. The isolated hepatocytes from Sprague-Dawley were cultured in the L-15 medium containing phalloidin (agent that cause polymerization of actin) or cytochalasin D (agent that cause depolymerization of actin) for 30 min, 1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, 10 hours and 20 hours, respectively. The results observed with scanning and transmission electron microscope were as follows. 1. Following the alteration of actin microfilaments, bile canaliculi were dilated and devoid of microvilli. In phalloidin treated group, the thickening of microfilamentous ectoplasm was more marked than that of cytochalasin D treated group. Whereas, the dilation of bile canaliculi was more marked in cytochalasin D group. 2. Both drugs, phalloidin or cytochalasin D, produced the alteration of cell shape to form cytoplasmic protrusions at the cell surface. In the phalloidin treated group, protrusions were pedunculated, and the microfilament networks were accumulated at the narrow neck region. 3. In cytochalasin D treated group, no microfilament barrier was seen at the broad base of protrusion which exhibit direct continuity with the internal cytoplasm. 4. Single hepatocyte tend to recover their structural integrity as those in vivo. The new bile canaliculus was sealed off at the intercellular space by tight junctions, and intercellular contacts were established by the junctional complexes. The results demonstrated that excessive accumulation or depletion of microfilaments induced by phalloidin or cytochalasin D altered the cell shape different, respectively. The microfilaments of ectoplasm play an important role in the maintenance of the structural integrity of cultured hepatocytes.
Actin Cytoskeleton* ; Animals ; Bile Canaliculi ; Cell Membrane ; Cell Shape ; Cytochalasin D ; Cytoplasm ; Extracellular Space ; Hepatocytes* ; Microvilli ; Neck ; Phalloidine ; Polymerization ; Polymers ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tight Junctions

This experiment was performed to study the morphological changes of the spleen of mice following injection of sodium dichromate (K2Cr2O7) or mercuric chloride (HgCl2). Male mice were divided into normal and experimental groups. The mice were subcutaneously injected with mercuric chloride (5 mg or 10 mg/kg) or sodium dichromate (10 mg or 20 mg/kg). Animals were sacrificed on 6 hours, 1 day, 3 days, 1 week and 2 weeks after injections. Pieces of splenic tissue were taken from each mouse, and fixed in 10% neutral formalin for light microscopy. The paraffin sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin, Masson-trichrome, Bielschowsky's silver impregnation or aldehyde-fuchsin stain. For electron microscopy, the tissues were fixed in 2.5% glutaraldehyde-1.5% paraformalde-hyde, and post-fixed in 1% osmium tetroxide. Dehydrated blocks were embedded in araldite mixture. The ultrathin sections stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate were observed with JEM 100CX-II electron microscope. On histological study, in the early stage (6 hours) of experimental groups, splenic white pulp exhibited numerous vacuoles containing pyknotic nuclei were observed as compared with those of normal control group. But after 3 days(sodium dichromate, 10 mg/kg or 20 mg/kg; mercuric chloride, 5 mg/kg) and 1 week (mercuric chloride, 10mg/kg), the morphology was recovered to normal one. In the experimental groups, positive reactions to Bielschowsky's silver impregnation, Masson-trichrome or aldehyde-fuchsin stain were similar to those of normal control group. On the ultrastructural study, in white pulps of experimental groups, nuclear bodies were observed frequently in the nuclei of the lymphocytes and the reticular cells, and myelin figures were observed in the nucleus or in the cytoplasm of the lymphocytes and the reticular cells. The plasma cells showed many irregularly distended cisternae of granular endoplasmic reticula and the macrophages containing phagosomes, were observed frequently. From the above results, it was concluded that potassium dichromate or mercuric chloride could disturb the normal differentiation or maturation of the lymphocytes and the reticular cells of the spleen, especially in the early stage of treatment. But histological changes occurred in the spleen following injection of the potassium dichromate or mercuric chloride were recovered to normal appearance in 3 days (potassium dichromate) or 1 week (mercuric chloride). Mercuric chloride was more harmful than potassium dichromate on the spleen.
Animals ; Citric Acid ; Cytoplasm ; Formaldehyde ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Macrophages ; Male ; Mercuric Chloride* ; Mice* ; Microscopy ; Microscopy, Electron ; Myelin Sheath ; Osmium Tetroxide ; Paraffin ; Phagosomes ; Plasma Cells ; Potassium Dichromate* ; Potassium* ; Silver ; Sodium ; Spleen* ; Vacuoles

No abstract available.
Animals ; Brain* ; Capillaries* ; Rats*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Rats*

BACKGROUND: Diagnosis of tuberculosis is more complicated because of low sensitivity and time consuming procedures of the conventional diagnostic methods as well as nonspecific clinical features. Recently the serologic diagnosis of tuberculosis has been reported as one of rapid sensitive and specific methods. We evaluated the ability of a rapid ICT Tuberculosis assay(AMRAD/ICT Diagnostics, Syndey, Australia) to detect pulmonary tuberculosis. METHODS: ICT Tuberculosis assay was performed to the sera from 50 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (24 patients with smear positive, 26 patients with smear negative) and 105 controls (48 patients without tuberculosis, 57 healthy controls). RESULTS: Antibodies were detected in 22 of 24 (92%) smear positive patients and 22 of 26 (85%) smear negative patients who had been clinically diagnosed as having active pulmonary tuberculosis. Two (4.2%) out of 48 patients without tuberculosis and 1 (1.8%) out of 57 healthy controls had a positive antibody response. The overall sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value of the ICT Tuberculosis assay were 88%, 97%, 94%, and 94%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The ICT Tuberculosis assay was not only sensitive and specific but also rapid and simple. This assay will be useful as a diagnostic method of pulmonary tuberculosis in combination with sputum smear and X-ray.
Antibodies ; Antibody Formation ; Diagnosis* ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sputum ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*