Anthrax toxin consists of three separate proteins, protective antigen (PA), edema factor (EF), and lethal factor (LF). PA binds to the receptor on mammalian cells and facilitates translocation of EF or LF into its cytosol. PA is the primary component of anthrax vaccines. In this study we purified PA from culture filtrates of Bacillus anthracis. The purification involved sequential chromatography through hydroxylapatite, DEAE-Sepharose CL-4B, followed by Mono-Q. The purified PA was judged to be homogeneous on SDS-PAGE, and consisted of a single polypeptide chain with a relative molecular weight of 85,000.
Anthrax ; Anthrax Vaccines ; Bacillus anthracis* ; Bacillus* ; Chromatography ; Cytosol ; Durapatite ; Edema ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Molecular Weight

Once splinter hemorrhage can be considered as a pathognomonic sign of subacute bacterial endocarditis. But it can also be associated with a variety of systemic disorders that increase capillary fragility or primary nail bed involvement in dermatologic disorders. The cause of splinter hemorrhage can usually be established by careful history and physical examination. We report a case of 33-year-old man with splinter hemorrhages, who had polycythemia vera.
Adult ; Capillary Fragility ; Endocarditis, Subacute Bacterial ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Physical Examination ; Polycythemia Vera* ; Polycythemia*

Liver transplantation is the most effective treatment for end-stage liver diseases (ESLD) with satisfactory clinical results and so is considered as the treatment of choice for ESLD and early hepatocellular carcinoma with cirrhotic liver. Unfortunately, adverse effects of life-long immunosuppression prevent the development of alternative strategies to achieve better long-term outcome. Achieving clinical operational tolerance is one of the ultimate goals in the clinical transplantation field. Around 15% of liver transplantation recipients develop spontaneous operational tolerance after immunosuppression withdrawal, and the percentage may be even higher in pediatric living donor liver transplantation recipients. One of the possible explainable mechanisms is a T cell fatigue from large amount of antigen loaded. Despite continuing progress, clinical operational tolerance is still rare in liver transplantation. Reprogramming the recipient immune system by creating chimerism and utilizing regulatory cell therapies are among the newer promising means to achieve clinical liver transplantation tolerance in the future. In animal studies, administration of donor specific regulatory T cells allows a prolonged survival without immunosuppressive agents. In this review, proposed mechanisms for clinical tolerance will be offered and current experimental trial will be introduced.
Animals ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Chimerism ; End Stage Liver Disease ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Immune System ; Immune Tolerance* ; Immunosuppression ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Liver ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Transplantation* ; Living Donors ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; Tissue Donors

BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata (AA) is a common dermatologic disorder and the course is so variable that some patients undergo spontaneous remission and others undergo total hair loss. There is no clearly superior therapy for the treatment of alopecia areata. Currently, topical immunotherapy with DPCP represents the most accepted therapeutic modality for the treatment of extensive alopecia areata, but their response rates have varied in the literature. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the efficacy, prognostic factors, and side effects of DPCP in the treatment of extensive AA. METHOD: Thirty nine patients with extensive AA (>50 % scalp hair loss), treated for at least 6 months at the Department of Dermatology of Inha University Hospital between March 2000 and April 2003 participated in the study. After sensitization with 1% DPCP, progressively higher concentrations beginning from 0.001% were applied weekly onto the entire scalp. The primary study end point, i.e. clinically significant regrowth with DPCP therapy, was defined as a cosmetically acceptable response (as judged by the patient) or significant regrowth resulting in greater than 90% of the scalp being covered with terminal hair (as determined by the investigators) RESULT: A clinically significant regrowth was obtained in 91.3% of the patients with 50% to 99% AA and 50.0% with alopecia totalis/universalis. The overall clinically significant regrowth rate was 74% (29 of 39 patients). Variables associated with clinically significant regrowth were the beginning age of DPCP therapy and the extent of AA. Relapse was observed in 56.3% of the patients who achieved significant hair regrowth after 6 months of follow-up. The Clinically significant adverse effects observed were eczematous reaction with blistering, swelling of cervical lymph nodes, urticaria, and erythema multiforme. CONCLUSION: Treatment with DPCP for extensive AA is very effective. Response of AA patients to DPCP treatment is affected by the beginning age of DPDP therapy and the extent of AA.
Alopecia Areata* ; Alopecia* ; Blister ; Dermatology ; Erythema Multiforme ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hair ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Lymph Nodes ; Recurrence ; Remission, Spontaneous ; Scalp ; Urticaria

No abstract available.
Cardiomyopathies* ; Peripartum Period*

Bacillus anthracis is a soil pathogen capable of causing anthrax in animals and humans. To establish a method for specifically detecting B. anthracis, we used nested polymerase chain reaction. Outer and inner sets of oligonucleotide primers were designed from the protective antigen (pag) gene and from the cya gene of the plasmid pXO1. Ainplification of 482 bp or 208 bp DNA fragment obtained from a nested PCR method provided the basis for rapid and reliable assay for the detection and identification of B. anthracis.
Animals ; Anthrax ; Bacillus anthracis* ; Bacillus* ; DNA ; DNA Primers ; Humans ; Plasmids ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Soil

Geotrichum(G.) candidum is a common fungus that is rarely pathogenic for man, first described by Link in 1809, and according to Dodge this fungus is classified as a subspecies of Eremnascaeae imperfectae. This species is largely saprophytic and is usually found in soil, decaying matters, and milk product, although isolation from skin, sputum, and feces of man is not unusual. Geotrichosis, caused by G. candidum may occur as an infection of the lung simulating chronic pulmonary tuberculosis or disseminated infection. Very rarely, skin and mucous membrane infection has been documented. These infections usually affect immunocompromised hosts. Literature concerning skin or soft tissue infection with this fungus is limited, especially in immunocompetent persons there are only a few reports by this organism. In this paper we report a case of cutaneous geotrichosis involving skin in a healthy woman, in which case steroid and trauma was supposed to play some roles in the pathogenesis.
Feces ; Female ; Fungi ; Geotrichosis ; Geotrichum* ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Lung ; Milk ; Mucous Membrane ; Skin ; Soft Tissue Infections ; Soil ; Sputum ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Spontaneous subcapsular hematoma of the kidney is an uncommon, but there are only few reports on bilateral subcapsular hematoma associated with non-traumatic origin in the world. Several commonest causes for this phenomenon have been described : including disease of the kidney , nephritis, tumor, hydronephrosis, infection, tuberculosis. lithiasis and cystic disease, blood vessel disease ; arteriosclerosis, aneurysm, periarteritis nodosa and renal infarcts, blood dyscrasia. No definite causative factor was found in this case : that a 49-year-old woman was done the decortication of left kidney and hematoma remove, due to no specific abnormality in preoperative coagulation test, 24hr urine AFB stain, immunoserologic test and renal angiography.
Aneurysm ; Angiography ; Arteriosclerosis ; Female ; Hematologic Diseases ; Hematoma* ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Kidney* ; Lithiasis ; Middle Aged ; Nephritis ; Polyarteritis Nodosa ; Tuberculosis

Keloids are benign fibrous tumors which extend beyond the original wound. Methods of treatment include surgical excision, radiotherapy, intralesional steroid injection, cryotherapy, silicon gel and combined therapy. Postoperative irradiation or steroid injection could be an effective method for prevention of recurrence after surgical treatment. We report a case of earlobe keloid which occurred after ear piercing. It was treated by excision and saved autograft using the overlying skin of the keloid and then immediate corticosteroid intrawound injection after excision.
Autografts* ; Body Piercing ; Cryotherapy ; Keloid* ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Silicone Gels ; Skin ; Wounds and Injuries

PURPOSE: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of the combined treatment of excision of the papillae and a supratarsal injection of triamcinolone on refractory vernal keratoconjunctivitis (VKC). METHODS: Twenty-three eyes of 14 patients with refractory vernal keratoconjunctivitis were included. Patients were treated with the combined excision of papillae and supratarsal injection of triamcinolone. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure, symptoms of itching, tearing, discomfort, secretion and epiphora, and signs including limbal hypertrophy, hyperemia, papilla size, keratitis, corneal neovascularization and blepharitis were evaluated before and two weeks, four weeks, and eight weeks after treatment. The CCL11 level in the tears of each eye were analyzed before and two weeks after treatment. RESULTS: The mean scores of subjective symptoms and objective signs as well as BCVA were significantly improved two weeks after treatment. CCL11 levels in the tears were 389.5+/-474.9 pg/ml before treatment and were undetectable two weeks after treatment. Improvement of symptom and sign parameters was maintained up to eight weeks after treatment. However, seven eyes (30.4%) recurred within two weeks after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Combined excision of the papillae and a supratarsal injection of triamcinolone may be effective in the treatment of refractory VKC.
Blepharitis ; Conjunctivitis, Allergic ; Corneal Neovascularization ; Eye ; Humans ; Hyperemia ; Hypertrophy ; Intraocular Pressure ; Keratitis ; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases ; Pruritus ; Tears ; Triamcinolone ; Visual Acuity