No abstract available.
Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Streptococcus pneumoniae* ; Streptococcus*

No Abstract Available.
Adenoviridae* ; Coinfection* ; Herpesvirus 3, Human* ; Humans ; Synovial Fluid* ; Synovitis*

No Abstract Available.
Adult* ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Encephalitis* ; Humans ; Meningitis, Aseptic* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction*

Astrovirus is frequently associated with diarrhea in children. It can not be readily isolated by cell culture, and an electronmicroscope is usually used for detection of this agent. Recently in 1995 a combined method of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was designed for easier detection of astrovirus, which is based on the conserved sequence in 3'-end of genomes of the 7 known serotypes of human astrovirus. As of yet there has not been any report of astrovirus data in Korea using the RT-PCR methods. The purpose of this study was to detect astrovirus incidence, severity of symptoms, seasonal variation and coinfection rate with rotavirus in Korean children inpatients with diarrhea. Fecal specimens from 61 young children hospitalized with gasteroenteritis Korea from Jan. 1996 through Mar. 1997. They were examined for astroviurs infection by RT-PCR method. Results are as follows: 1. Astrovirus was detected at 9.8% (6/61) from fecal specimens of children with severe diarrhea by EIA using monoclonal antibody coated plates. 2. Astorvirus was detected at 29.5% (18/61) from fecal specimens of children with severe diarrhea by RT-PCR. 3. The age of the 18 children affected by astrovirus ranged from 2 monthes to 7 years with mean of 3.0 years. 4. Mean hospital stay of the 1S children was 6.1 days. 5. Five (27.8%) astrovirus RT-PCR positive strains were confirmed in November and in December, respectively out of 18 specimens in total. 6. Astrovirus coinfection with rotavirus type G1 was confirmed in 15/16 specimens (93.8%), and with type G2 was in 1/16 specimens (6.3%).
Cell Culture Techniques ; Child* ; Coinfection ; Conserved Sequence ; Diarrhea ; Feces* ; Genome ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inpatients ; Korea ; Length of Stay ; Mamastrovirus ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Reverse Transcription* ; Rotavirus ; Seasons

Human rotavirus has now been established as the leading cause of gastroenteritis in young children worldwide. At least fourteen serotypes of group A rotavirus have been identified on the basis of antibody responses to major neutralizing glycoprotein, VP7 (G type for glycoprotein), present in the outer capsid of the virus. Serotype 1, 2, 3 and 4 are the most highly prevalent in human. In Korea, rotavirus is also the principal cause of severe nonbacterial diarrhea requiring hospitalization in infants and young children, which is commonly detected by EIA method. The epidemiology of rotavirus infection has been monitored by only serologic methods without electropherotyping in Korea. This study shows seasonal and age related variations .of rotavirus infection in Korea according to the genotype using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Fecal specimens were obtained from 39 children hospitalized with acute watery diarrhea and gastroenteritis in Ewha Womans University MokDong Hospital in Seoul from Jan. to Dec. of 1996. All four (1, 2, 3, 4) major G serotypes were identified by amplification of segment of the gene for VP7 using RT-PCR. Rotavirus Gl 749 bp, G2 653 bp, G3 374 bp and G4 583bp were shown on 2.9 or 3.3% NuSieve agar gel. Results were as follows: 1) Rotavirus was detected at 53.8% (21/39) by EIA and 89.7% (35/39) by RT-PCR. 2) Serotype Gl, G2, G3, G4 when detected by RT-PCR accounted for 80.0% (28/35), 14.3% (5/35), 2.9% (1/35) and 2.9% (1/35), respectively. 3) Thirty five strains of rotavirus were detected at the frequency of 17.1% (6/35) in Oct., 20.0% (7/35) in Nov. and 20.0% (7/35) in Dec. 4) As for the age range, children affected by rotavirus were mostly under 1 years.
Agar ; Antibody Formation ; Capsid ; Child ; Child, Hospitalized* ; Diarrhea* ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Gastroenteritis ; Genotype* ; Glycoproteins ; Hospitalization ; Humans* ; Infant ; Korea ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Reverse Transcription* ; Rotavirus Infections ; Rotavirus* ; Seasons ; Seoul

CD44, an integral membrane glycoprotein expressed by many cell types, serves as the principal transmembrane hyaluronate receptor and may be a determinant of metastatic and invasive behavior in carcinomas. This study was performed to investigate the relationship between CD44 splicing variants v4/5 and v6 expression and histopathologic prognostic factors (depth of tumor invasion, histologic classification, vascular and lymphatic invasion, and lymph node metastasis) in 107 gastric adenocarcinomas. In 107 cases of gastric carcinoma, the immunohistochemical stainining for CD44 v4/5 and CD44 v6 gave the following results. CD44 v4/5 was expressed in 40.2% and CD44 v6 in 67.3% of gastric carcinomas. The expression of CD44 v4/5 was correlated with histologic classification by Lauren (p<0.05), lymphatic invasion (p<0.05), and lymph node metastasis (p<0.004). In contrast, expression of CD44 v6 had no impact on prognostic markers. This study suggests the role of CD44 v4/5 in invasion, metastasis, and its prognostic significance in gastric adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Classification ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Nodes ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; Neoplasm Metastasis

Apoptosis is a distinct mechanism of cell death involved in many physiological and pathological processes. Various stimuli, including phagocytosis of bacteria, can induce apoptosis. As the cells proceed through apoptosis, functional activities decline in accord with phenotypic changes. However, decline in functional activities does not mean instantaneous shut-down of all functions, which is rather the characteristic of necrosis. Phagocytosis and oxidative burst are two of the major tasks of mloid cells for engulfment and killing of microbes. It was reported that the myeloid cells which phagocytosed bacteria underwent apoptosis, rendering resolution of acute inflammation. On the contrary, it was known that phagocytosis of latex beads did induce apoptosis. However, we found phagocytosis of latex beads within the apoptotic cell fraction. Thus we investigated whether phagocytosis of latex beads induced apoptosis or apoptotic cells phagocytosed the beads. We used human promyelocytic cell line HL-60 cultured for 4 days in RPMI1640 supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and 1 uM all-trans retinoic acid for phagocytic assay. Phagocytic activity was analyzed by flow cytometry after shaking incubation of HL- 60 cells (5 x 10 cells/ml) with fluorochrome-cougated latex beads for 1 hour at 37C followed by elimination of the un-phagocytosed beads by centrifugation on the density of fetal bovine serum. Apoptotic cells were identified as subdiploid fraction by staining the cells with DNA-dye. To investigate whether phagocytosis of latex beads leads to apoptosis or apoptotic cells phagocytose the beads, the cells wbich had phagocytosed the beads were sequentially analyzed before and after 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 hours of incubation. On the other hand, the apoptotic cell fraction was sorted to be analyzed for phagocytic activity. The sorted cells were also analyzed by chemiluminescence assay for capability of oxidative burst by stimulation with PMA (5 mM). The results showed little increase in the apoptotic fraction among phagocytic cells during incubation up to 24 hours. Rather the sorted apoptotic cells did phagocytose latex beads. But the sorted cells did not show any capability of oxidative burst. Taken these results into consideration, the apoptotic cells seemed to be on the way of dying process in which oxidative burst was lost while phagocytic activity remained. Thus it was suggested that the primitive function of phagocytosis remained longer in the cells proceeding through apoptosis, while oxidative bunt, requiring mitochondrial function, was lost earlier.
Apoptosis ; Bacteria ; Cell Death ; Cell Line ; Centrifugation ; Flow Cytometry ; Hand ; Homicide ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Luminescence ; Microspheres ; Myeloid Cells ; Necrosis ; Pathologic Processes ; Phagocytes ; Phagocytosis ; Respiratory Burst ; Tretinoin

BACKGROUND: The incidence of fungal urinary tract infections has increased in the immunocompromized patients. We analyzed urine culture results of St. Mary's Hospital during 28 month period between October 1993 and January 1996 to evaluate the frequency of yeast isolates and to survey the distribution of departments from where yeasts isolated. METHODS: We performed a retrospective analysis of urine culture results. Yeasts were identified by the examination of germ tube production in human serum at 37degrees C and API2OC (BioMerieux, France) yeast strip. RESULT: A total of 1,387 urine cultures were reviewed, of which 164 (11.8%) were isolated as fungi. Candida albicans occurred in 36.5% of the total yeast isolates, C. tropicalis in 35.3%, C. glabrata in 10.9% and Trichosporon beigelii in 0.6%. The incidence of urinary fungal infection increased in 1995 (13.0%) than 1994 (9.1%) (P=0.047). Fifty two percents (85/164) of urinary fungi were isolated from patients in Neurosurgery (NS), where isolation of C. tropicalis was significantly more increased than other departments. In four patients, candiduria progressed to candidemia, which were caused by C. albicans (three patients) and C. glabrata (1 patient). CONCLUSIONS: The isolation rate of yeast species was different in NS and non-NS department. The frequency of isolation of C. albicans increased in non-NS department than NS department, while the frequency of isolation of C. tropicalis increased in NS department than non-NS department. The most common organism was C. albicans and department was Neurosurgery.
Candida albicans ; Candidemia ; Fungemia ; Fungi ; Humans ; Incidence ; Neurosurgery ; Retrospective Studies* ; Trichosporon ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Yeasts

PURPOSE: This research was designed as a pre-post experimental study with a nonequivalent control group to verify the effects of meridian exercise on health status, depression and self-esteem in institutionalized elderly people. METHOD: The research population included 38 participants, 65 years and over, who were assigned to an experimental group (18) or a control group (20). All of the participants were institutionalized in Seoul. Data collection was done from October, 2000 to May, 2001 and the experimental treatment for this study, meridian exercise, was done for a total 30 minutes per session for 12 sessions over two weeks. The exercise was developed by a professor of Oriental Medicine and the researchers involved in this study. The data were analyzed using the SPSS PC+ program. RESULT: There were no significant differences for general characteristics between the two groups. Physical health status, mental-mood health status, depression and self-esteem were low. Differences in the physical health status of the elderly people was higher in the experimental group (t=16.299, p=0.000). The effects of the meridian exercise on mental-mood health status, depression, and self-esteem were statistically significant (t=10.301, p=0.000; t=15.579, p=0.000; t=14.571, p=0.000). CONCLUSION: According to the results, meridian exercise should be used to improve health status, reduce depression and increase self-esteem, and so promote the quality of life for elderly people who must be institutionalized. A study to measure the physiological index in meridian exercise for elderly people is suggested as a method to set up a Korean nursing intervention to enable elderly people to manage their own health.
Aged* ; Data Collection ; Depression* ; Humans ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Nursing ; Quality of Life ; Seoul

Viral meningitis and encephalitis are important and serious diseases in young children and adults. There are many causative viruses but it is known that a low percentage of adenovirus (ADV) and parvovirus (PA V) infected individuals develop meningitis or encephalitis. Few reports have been published about central nervous system complications that were rare but fatal. First we used enzyme immunoassay (EIA) with monoclonal antibody to detect ADV antigen (Ag) and PAV Ag in cerebrospinal fluids (CSF) from acute phase of hospitalized adult patients with viral meningitis or viral encephalitis. Second we detected ADV DNA and PAV DNA in the same CSF after cell culture by nested-polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Third we evaluated ADV and PAV dual infection in CSF by EIA and nested-PCR. ADV Ag in CSF by EIA positivity was 42.9% (12l28) and PAV Ag in CSF by EIA positivity was 21.4% (6/28). ADV DNA in CSF by nested-PCR positivity was 89.3% (25/28) and PAV DNA in CSF by nested-PCR positivity was 38.5% (10/26). ADV and PAV dual infection in CSF by 11CSted-PCR was 35.7% (10/28). Detection rate of ADV DNA and PAV DNA in CSF by nested-PCR with viral meningitis or encephalitis adult patients were higher than we expected. Positive detection of nested-PCR was higher than that of EIA with monoclonal antibody for detection of antigens ADV and PAV in CSF with viral meningitis or encephalitis adult patients. Both methods were analnized by the McNemar test.
Adenoviridae* ; Adult* ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Central Nervous System ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Child ; DNA ; Encephalitis ; Encephalitis, Viral ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques* ; Meningitis ; Meningitis, Viral* ; Parvovirus* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction*