No abstract available.
Myasthenia Gravis*

No abstract available.
Aorta* ; Pulmonary Artery*

The effect of intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) on the lymphocyte phenotypes in acute Kawasaki disease (KD) was studied in a random trial of IVIG-and-aspirin versus aspirin-alone. Before therapy, patients in each treatment group had an increased percentage of B cells, and a decreased percentage of T cells, CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells and CD5+ B cells. There was no significant difference in immunologic parameters between the two groups measured before therapy. Patients treated with IVIG-and-aspirin had by the fourth day developed a highly-significant increase in T cells, CD4 T cells and CD8 T cells and a decrease in B cells. Despite the decrease of B cells, there were significant increases in CD5+ B cells in both treatment groups. However, the degree of increase in the IVIG-and-aspirin treated group was significantly more noticeable than that in the aspirin-alone treated group. These findings indicate that treatment with IVIG restores the T- and B- cell abnormalities, especially CD5+ B-cell abnormalities found in patients with acute KD.
Child, Preschool ; Female ; Human ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/*therapeutic use ; Immunophenotyping ; Infant ; Lymphocyte Subsets/*immunology ; Male ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/immunology/*therapy ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

The effect of intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) on the lymphocyte phenotypes in acute Kawasaki disease (KD) was studied in a random trial of IVIG-and-aspirin versus aspirin-alone. Before therapy, patients in each treatment group had an increased percentage of B cells, and a decreased percentage of T cells, CD4 T cells, CD8 T cells and CD5+ B cells. There was no significant difference in immunologic parameters between the two groups measured before therapy. Patients treated with IVIG-and-aspirin had by the fourth day developed a highly-significant increase in T cells, CD4 T cells and CD8 T cells and a decrease in B cells. Despite the decrease of B cells, there were significant increases in CD5+ B cells in both treatment groups. However, the degree of increase in the IVIG-and-aspirin treated group was significantly more noticeable than that in the aspirin-alone treated group. These findings indicate that treatment with IVIG restores the T- and B- cell abnormalities, especially CD5+ B-cell abnormalities found in patients with acute KD.
Child, Preschool ; Female ; Human ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/*therapeutic use ; Immunophenotyping ; Infant ; Lymphocyte Subsets/*immunology ; Male ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/immunology/*therapy ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PURPOSE: Traumatic brain injury is a multifaceted injury that involves direct mechanical damage, intraparenchymal and subarachnoid hemorrhage, breakdown of the blood- brain barrier, excitotoxicity, and ischemia. Despite the dozens of previous investigations, the information about its pathogenic mechanism is still limited. The aim of this study was to reveal the appearance of antigen presenting cells in the cerebral cortex of rats after cauterization. METHODS: A total of 18 male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 300 g and 2 months old on the average were used throughout the experiment. The frontal bones were exposed by elevating the skin and craniectomies were performed adjacent to the central suture, midway between lambda and bregma. Cauterizing injury was then created by battery-operated small vessel cauterizers to the left frontal cortex. The rats were sacrificed on the 1st, 4th, 7th and 14th days after the surgery(n=3, each time), and three rats were sacrificed as normal controls. Serial brain cryosections were made by cryostat. For immunohistochemistry, brain tissue sections were allowed to react with mouse anti-rat MHC class II antibody(1:500) and mouse anti-rat ED2 antibody(1:200). Also, brain tissues were routinely stained by H-E, and then microscopic observation and cell counts were performed. RESULTS: 1) MHC class II positive dendritic cells were absent in normal cerebral cortex parenchyme, but were found 28 times more in number in injured rats on the 7th day after cauterization. 2) ED2 positive macrophages were absent in normal cerebral cortex parenchyme, and were found 16 times more in number in injured rats on the 7th day after cauterization. 3) The number of MHC class II positive dendritic cells were smaller in number than that of ED2 positive macrophages 6 hours and 1st day later after cauterization, but it was higher in number on the 4th, 7th and 14th days. 4) The number of MHC class II positive dendritic cells were higher in number than that of ED2 positive macrophages around blood vessels and peripheral regions in the injured brain. 5) MHC class II positive dendritic cells were usually aggregated. CONCLUSION: It can be suggested that the increase in number of two kinds of antigen- presenting cells affect cell-mediated immune responses and phagocytosis.
Animals ; Antigen-Presenting Cells ; Blood Vessels ; Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Cell Count ; Cerebral Cortex ; Dendritic Cells ; Frontal Bone ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Ischemia ; Macrophages ; Male ; Mice ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; Sutures

BACKGROUND: Biodegradable polymers have increasingly been recognized for various biological applications in recent years. Here we examined the immunostimulatory activities of the novel poly(aspartic acid) conjugated with L-lysine (PLA). METHODS: PLA was synthesized by conjugating L-lysine to aspartic acid polymer. PLA-nanoliposomes (PLA-NLs) were prepared from PLA using a microfluidizer. The immunostimulatory activities of PLA-NLs were examined in mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BM-DCs). RESULTS: PLA-NLs increased the number of BM-DCs when added to cultures of GM-CSF-induced DC generation on day 4 after the initiation of cultures. Examination of the phenotypic properties showed that BM-DCs generated in the presence of PLA-NLs are more mature in terms of the expression of MHC class II molecules and major co-stimulatory molecules than BM-DCs generated in the absence of PLA-NLs. In addition, the BM-DCs exhibited enhanced capability to produce cytokines, such as IL-6, IL-12, TNF-alpha and IL-1beta. Allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reactions also confirmed that the BMDCs were more stimulatory on allogeneic T cells. PLA- NL also induced further growth of immature BM-DCs that were harvested on day 8. CONCLUSION: These results show that PLA-NLs induce the generation and functional activities of BM-DCs, and suggest that PLA-NLs could be immunostimulating agents that target DCs.
Animals ; Aspartic Acid ; Cytokines ; Dendritic Cells ; Immunomodulation ; Interleukin-12 ; Interleukin-6 ; Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed ; Lysine ; Mice ; Polymers ; T-Lymphocytes ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

BACKGROUND: Biodegradable polymers have increasingly been recognized for various biological applications in recent years. Here we examined the immunostimulatory activities of the novel poly(aspartic acid) conjugated with L-lysine (PLA). METHODS: PLA was synthesized by conjugating L-lysine to aspartic acid polymer. PLA-nanoliposomes (PLA-NLs) were prepared from PLA using a microfluidizer. The immunostimulatory activities of PLA-NLs were examined in mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BM-DCs). RESULTS: PLA-NLs increased the number of BM-DCs when added to cultures of GM-CSF-induced DC generation on day 4 after the initiation of cultures. Examination of the phenotypic properties showed that BM-DCs generated in the presence of PLA-NLs are more mature in terms of the expression of MHC class II molecules and major co-stimulatory molecules than BM-DCs generated in the absence of PLA-NLs. In addition, the BM-DCs exhibited enhanced capability to produce cytokines, such as IL-6, IL-12, TNF-alpha and IL-1beta. Allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reactions also confirmed that the BMDCs were more stimulatory on allogeneic T cells. PLA- NL also induced further growth of immature BM-DCs that were harvested on day 8. CONCLUSION: These results show that PLA-NLs induce the generation and functional activities of BM-DCs, and suggest that PLA-NLs could be immunostimulating agents that target DCs.
Animals ; Aspartic Acid ; Cytokines ; Dendritic Cells ; Immunomodulation ; Interleukin-12 ; Interleukin-6 ; Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed ; Lysine ; Mice ; Polymers ; T-Lymphocytes ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

No abstract available.
Down Syndrome* ; Myeloproliferative Disorders*

Adult ; Angiomyoma ; Diagnostic Errors ; Humans ; Nasal Obstruction ; Recurrence

PURPOSE: To statistically evaluate the contributing role of the 3 radiographic factors (Obliquity, Asymmetry, Joint deviation) of the hallux valgus interphalangeus with comparison to the normal control group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study is based on the standing foot AP radiographs of the 77 feet (56 patients) of the hallux valgus interphalangeus out of 119 feet of randomly sampled patients of the age range 20 to 60. Fractures or other foot disorders have been excluded. Obliquity, asymmetry and joint deviation factors formed by proximal and distal phalanges of hallux are measured by one observer and evaluated the statistical significance of the contribution of the 3 factors to the hallux interphalangeal angle (HIA). RESULTS: The average age of the patients were 36.0 years old and average HIA was 14.5 degrees +/- 2.8 degrees. Obliquity was measured 4.8 degrees +/- 2.90 degrees, asymmetry 8.2 degrees +/- 3.28 degrees and joint deviation 2.0 degrees +/- 1.85 degrees. All 3 factors showed the statistical significance as the contributing factors to the HIA and among them, the asymmetry played the biggest role (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Hallux interphalangeal angle is formed by 3 radiographic factors (Obliquity, Asymmetry, Joint deviation), and among them the asymmetry factor plays the biggest role.
Foot ; Hallux Valgus* ; Hallux* ; Humans ; Joints