Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) -alpha plays a major role in the pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease (KD), a systemic vasculitis primarily affecting young children. We performed this study to examine the serum levels of TNF-alpha and to investigate a possible relation to promoter polymorphism at positions -238 and -308 in KD patients in Korea. We obtained 48 paired serum samples from 24 patients in the acute and subacute stages of KD, and control sera from 12 age-matched children who were having routine blood samples taken before elective surgical procedures. Our studies showed a significant increase in serum levels of TNF-alpha measured in the acute stage of KD (24.1+/-9.4 pg/mL) compared to those in the subacute stage (11.8+/-5.8 pg/mL; p < 0.01) and normal controls (10.4+/-4.9 pg/mL; p < 0.01). Previous studies report that the presence of the A allele at positions -308 and -238 may be associated with higher TNF-alpha levels. However, our results showed that the frequency of the A allele at position -308 in the KD patients was the same as the controls (2 out of 24, 8.3% vs. 8.3%, odds ratio (OR) = 1.00), while the frequency of the A allele at position -238 in the KD patients was lower than the controls (0/24, 0% vs. 8.3%, OR=0.00) ; this difference though was not statistically significant. We concluded that although TNF-alpha levels were significantly elevated in the acute stage of KD, there was no significant difference in the frequency of the A allele at positions -238 and -308 between the KD and control groups in Korean patients.
Case-Control Studies ; Child, Preschool ; Human ; Korea ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/*blood/*genetics ; *Polymorphism (Genetics) ; Promoter Regions (Genetics) /*genetics ; Tumor Necrosis Factor/*genetics/*metabolism

PURPOSE: We undertook this study to evaluate the significance of p53 immunoreactivity in squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, treated with radiotherapy alone. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Immunohistochemical staining of p53 proteins were performed in eighty patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, and who completed curative radiotherapy between Jan. 1996 and Apr. 1998 at the Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Chonnam National University Hospital. External- beam radiotherapy was combined with intracavitary brachytherapy. Results were analyzed for the end points of pelvic tumor control and distant failure rates. The follow-up time ranged from 7 to 58 months with a median of 40 months. RESULTS: p53 positive and negative groups involved 45 and 35 patients, respectively, and the positive p53 immunoreactivity rate was 56% (45/80). p53 immunoreactivity showed no significant correlation with age, tumor size, serum tumor marker (SCC), or HPV18 expression, while there was a statistically marginally significant correlation with HPV16 expression. The pelvic tumor control rate of the p53 positive group was 87% and that of p53 negative group was 83% (0.05). The other parameters influencing negatively to the pelvic tumor control and with statistical significance were tumor ulceration and barrel type. Multivariate analysis also showed that p53 immunoreactivity had no prognostic value for pelvic tumor control of the disease, and that the statistically significant factor was tumor ulceration. The treatment failure rate of the p53 positive group was 23% and that of the negative group was 26% (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: p53 immunoreactivity in the cervix cancer stage IB, II patients seems to have no value as a predictor of tumor behavior after curative radiotherapy.
Brachytherapy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cervix Uteri* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do ; Multivariate Analysis ; Radiation Oncology ; Radiotherapy* ; Treatment Failure ; Ulcer ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Elderly-onset rheumatoid arthritis (EORA) is considered to be different from younger-onset rheumatoid arthritis (YORA) in clinical manifestations, laboratory indices, and in prognosis. However, the differences between these two diseases have not been clearly defined. The aim of this study was to more clearly define the clinical characteristics of EORA. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 50 EORA and 58 YORA patients who met the classification criteria established by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). The two groups (EORA and YORA) were compared by three criteria. First, we considered the patterns of the joints involved and the presence of rheumatoid nodules. Second, we compared the disease activity indices and the level of auto-antibodies. Finally, we compared the use of medications. RESULTS: The mean age-of-onset and the women-to-men ratio in the EORA group was 66.2+/-5.5 years and 2.1:1, respectively. There was more large joint involvement seen in the EORA group. The titer of disease activity indices (ESR, CRP) and positive rate of auto-antibodies (rheumatoid factor, ANA, but not anti-CCP antibody) were also higher in the EORA group. We found no differences in the prescribed medications between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: From these studies, we believe that EORA has higher disease activity indices at onset and greater joint involvement, along with higher titers of auto-antibodies as compared to YORA.
Aged* ; Aging ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Classification ; Humans ; Joints ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Rheumatoid Nodule ; Rheumatology

Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency and all healthcare professionals need to be familiar with its diagnosis, acute management, long-term management including prevention of future episodes, and plan for patient education. Correct diagnosis and management for anaphylaxis is critical, but it is not easy in clinical setting. Up to the present, several practical guidelines for anaphylaxis are available for the practitioners. Among them, World Allergy Organization guideline for the assessment and management has recently been released and widely used. In this article, we reviewed and summarized the epidemiology, risk factors, diagnosis, management, prevention, and education based on case reports and studies of anaphylaxis in Korean and other countries. Although there are many controversies, this practical overview for anaphylaxis would provide a clinical guidance for Korean healthcare professionals.
Anaphylaxis ; Delivery of Health Care ; Emergencies ; Hypersensitivity ; Patient Education as Topic ; Risk Factors

Chronic urticaria (CU) is defined by the presence of urticaria that has been continuously or intermittently for a period of 6 weeks or longer. The prevalence of CU in the general population has been estimated to range from 0.5% to 5%. Correct diagnosis and proper management for CU is essential to improve the quality of care. To date, several practical guidelines have been available for practitioners. In this article, we reviewed and summarized the epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management based on case reports and studies of CU from Korea and the other part of world, and recently published guidelines. Although there are many controversies, this report for CU would provide a clinical guidance for healthcare professionals in Korea.
Delivery of Health Care ; Diagnosis ; Epidemiology ; Korea ; Prevalence ; Urticaria*

A 55-year old male presented with chest and abdominal pain for four hours. One day prior to admission he had received chemotherapeutic agents comprising 130 mg cisplatin and 5,200 mg 5-Fluorouracil for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. EKG showed ST elevations in the leads II, III and aVF. The levels of cardiac enzymes were elevated [creatine kinase (CK) 1129 U/L, CK-MB 180 U/L, troponin T 1.23 ng/mL and troponin I 23.29 ng/mL]. Urokinase was administered at the emergency room, but the patient's chest pain continued with persistent ST segment elevations. Urgent coronary and renal angiograms revealed thrombotic occlusive lesions in the distal right coronary and right renal arteries. Percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty using 6.0x20 mm balloon was performed for the renal artery. However, filling defects and distal renal flow were not improved and so Abciximab (ReoPro(r)) was administered. Follow-up coronary and renal angiograms on the fifth hospital day showed no filling defects with good distal flow in both right coronary and renal arteries.
Abdominal Pain ; Angioplasty ; Chest Pain ; Cisplatin* ; Electrocardiography ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Fluorouracil* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; Phosphotransferases ; Renal Artery* ; Thorax ; Thrombosis* ; Troponin I ; Troponin T ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator

A 55-year old male presented with chest and abdominal pain for four hours. One day prior to admission he had received chemotherapeutic agents comprising 130 mg cisplatin and 5,200 mg 5-Fluorouracil for nasopharyngeal carcinoma. EKG showed ST elevations in the leads II, III and aVF. The levels of cardiac enzymes were elevated [creatine kinase (CK) 1129 U/L, CK-MB 180 U/L, troponin T 1.23 ng/mL and troponin I 23.29 ng/mL]. Urokinase was administered at the emergency room, but the patient's chest pain continued with persistent ST segment elevations. Urgent coronary and renal angiograms revealed thrombotic occlusive lesions in the distal right coronary and right renal arteries. Percutaneous transluminal renal angioplasty using 6.0x20 mm balloon was performed for the renal artery. However, filling defects and distal renal flow were not improved and so Abciximab (ReoPro(r)) was administered. Follow-up coronary and renal angiograms on the fifth hospital day showed no filling defects with good distal flow in both right coronary and renal arteries.
Abdominal Pain ; Angioplasty ; Chest Pain ; Cisplatin* ; Electrocardiography ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Fluorouracil* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction ; Phosphotransferases ; Renal Artery* ; Thorax ; Thrombosis* ; Troponin I ; Troponin T ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) has become the treatment of choice for patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Studies have shown that maintenance treatment with interferon-alpha is associated with improved survival rates following ASCT. However, despite these recent advances in regimes, relapses are inevitable; thus, the prediction of relapse following ASCT requires assessment. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 39 patients who received ASCT between 2003 and 2008. All patients received chemotherapy with vincristine, adriamycin, and dexamethasone (VAD), and ASCT was performed following high-dose melphalan conditioning therapy. We evaluated the influence of the post-transplant day +14 (D+14) bone marrow plasma cell percent (BMPCp) (> or = 2 vs. < 2%), international scoring system (ISS) stage (II vs. III), response after 3 cycles of VAD therapy (complete response [CR] vs. non-CR), deletion of chromosome 13q (del[13q]) (presence of the abnormality vs. absence), and BMPCp at diagnosis (> or = 50 vs. < 50%) on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: During the median follow-up of 28.0 months, the median PFS and OS were 29.1 and 42.1 months, respectively. By univariate analysis, ISS stage III at diagnosis, BMPCp > or = 50% at diagnosis, CR after 3 cycles of VAD therapy, del (13q) by fluorescence in situ hybridization, and BMPCp > or = 2% at post-transplant D+14 were correlated with PFS and OS. A multivariate analysis revealed that a post-transplant D+14 BMPCp > or = 2% (PFS, hazard ratio [HR] = 4.426, p = 0.008; OS, HR = 3.545, p = 0.038) and CR after 3 cycles of VAD therapy (PFS, HR = 0.072, p = 0.014; OS, HR = 0.055, p = 0.015) were independent prognostic parameters. CONCLUSIONS: Post-transplant D+14 BMPCp is a useful parameter for predicting the outcome for patients with MM receiving ASCT.
Adult ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use ; Bone Marrow/*pathology ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Female ; *Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiple Myeloma/mortality/pathology/*therapy ; Plasma Cells/*pathology ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplantation, Autologous

BACKGROUND/AIMS: There is an increased risk of tuberculosis (TB) with impaired cellular immunity and extrapulmonary TB is more common in patients with chronic kidney disease. We explored the clinical features and treatment outcomes of extrapulmonary TB according to renal function. METHODS: This retrospective study reviewed the medical records of patients diagnosed with extrapulmonary TB between January 2003 and December 2007. We classified the patients into two groups using the glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), estimated using the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula cut-off of 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 and evaluated their clinical features, treatment outcome and mortality (Group I vs. Group II, > or = 60 mL/min/1.73 m2). RESULTS: The mean eGFR of Groups I (n=30) and II (n=312) was 34+/-19 and 102+/-26 mL/min/1.73 m2, respectively. The pleura was the most frequent site of TB in both groups (Group I, 30.0% vs. Group II, 28.2%; p=0.379). There was no treatment failure or recurrence in either group. The mortality was higher in Group I (22.2% vs. 2.8%; p<0.01). In a multivariate analysis, eGFR<60 mL/min/1.73 m2 was an independent risk factor for mortality (HR=11.51, CI 2.512-52.741; p=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Mortality related to extrapulmonary TB was higher in patients with impaired kidney function and kidney function was an independent predictor. However, there was no difference in treatment failure and recurrence according to renal function.
Diet ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular ; Kidney ; Medical Records ; Multivariate Analysis ; Pleura ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Treatment Failure ; Treatment Outcome ; Tuberculosis

Background/Aims: The role of serum myokine levels in sarcopenia and the outcome of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients are not clear. This study investigated the serum levels of myostatin, follistatin, and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in HCC patients and their association with sarcopenia and survival. Methods: Using prospectively collected pretreatment samples from 238 HCC patients in a hospital from 2012 to 2015, the serum levels of 3 myokines were determined and compared to 50 samples from age and sex-matched healthy controls. Sarcopenia was evaluated using the psoas muscle index (PMI) measured at the third lumbar level in the computed tomography, and clinical data were collected until 2017. Results: The median levels of the 3 myokines for the male and female HCC patients were as follow: myostatin (3,979.3 and 2,976.3 pg/mL), follistatin (2,118.5 and 2,174.6 pg/mL), and IL-6 (2.5 and 2.7 pg/mL), respectively. Those in the HCC patients were all significantly higher than in the healthy controls. In the HCC patient, the median PMI was 4.43 (males) and 2.17 cm2/m2 (females) with a sarcopenic prevalence of 56.4%. The serum levels of myostatin, IL-6 and follistatin in the HCC patients showed a positive, negative, and no correlation with PMI, respectively. The serum follistatin level was an independent factor for poor survival in HCC patients. Conclusions The serum levels of myostatin, follistatin, and IL-6 and their correlation with sarcopenia and survival were presented in HCC patients for the first time. The role of the serum follistatin level as a poor prognostic biomarker warrants further study.