No abstract available.
Colostrum* ; Gastrins* ; Humans* ; Immunoglobulins* ; Milk*

BACKGROUND: Despite concern about treatment of sporotrichosis, little is known about the sensitivity of S. schenckii against antifungal agents. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to investigate minimal irihibitory concentration(MIC) of antifungal agents against S.chenckii. METHOD: The tested strains were seven in number. The tested antifngal agents were ketoconazole, itraconazole, amphotericin B, and potassium iodide. A various concentration of drugs were mixed into fluid media containing 50% ethanol, dimethyl sulfoxide, and distilled water. The inoculum consisted of 3mm block containing hyphae and spores. RESULTS: MIC ranges of ket.oconazole, itraconazole, amphotericin B, and potassium iodide were 0.39- 25pg/ml, 0.78-25pg/ml, 0.78-25pg/ml, and 75-550pg/ml, respectively. CONCLUSION: We find that ketoconazole is the most active drug against S. schenckii.
Amphotericin B ; Antifungal Agents* ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide ; Ethanol ; Hyphae ; Itraconazole ; Ketoconazole ; Potassium Iodide ; Spores ; Sporothrix* ; Sporotrichosis ; Water

The lupus band test(LHT) has been proposed as a diagnostic test for lupus erythematosus(LE), differentiating discoid I E from systemic LE and also has prognostic values. For the better understanding of relation between LBT and prognosis in SLE. a study was carried out in 32 SLE patients with skin lesions. Immunofluorescent study was done with biopsies taken from involved skin and uninvolved skin of patients with SLE. The results were as follows . 1) Incidences of a positive LBT were 84% in both involved and uninvolved skin and IgM was most frequently deposited(66% & 72%) in both, whereas IgA was least frequently deposited(34% & 19%) in both. 2) Deposits in DEJ of IgG, IgM, IgA and C were found with approximately same frequency in patients with different clinical manifestations and different laboratory findings. 3) Incidences of positive LBT in patients with renal disease were approximately same as in patients without renal disease. And deposits of all clssses of immuno glcbulins were found with about the same frequency in these two groups. 4) A positive LBT composed of IgG alone or IgG and other Igs were associated with an increase of anemia, ANA, anti-DNA and hypocomplementemia. Ten renal biopsies showed diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis(GN) in focal proliferative GN in 3 and membranous CiN in 2 and no correlation to immune deposits.
Anemia ; Biopsy ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Incidence ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Prognosis ; Skin

The reference study was performed to describe the trend and characteristics & studies related to dying and death of the elderly. The data were collected from 44 article in foreign literature. There results were as follows: 1. The research subjects related to the ares of dying and death of the elderly were death(death attitude, death anxiety), suicide, morbidity and mortality, dying(ethics at the end of life, right-to-die), and bereavement etc. 2. The selected studies were published in 24 health related Journal, including Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, American Journal of Psychiatry, Japanese Journal of Geriatrics, and International Psychogeriatrics, etc. 3. The published year of the article was between 1992 and 1996. 4. The frequently used research designs were survey, cohort study(retrospective study), records analysis, review, case studies and epidemiologic studies. 5. Questionnaires, medical records, interview, review, case studies, observation, and test were mainly used for the data collection for the selected studies.
Aged* ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bereavement ; Cohort Studies ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Geriatric Psychiatry ; Geriatrics ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Research Design ; Research Subjects ; Suicide ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Our experience with 150 patients with congestive heart failure has been reviewed with particular reference to physical and laboratory findings on admission, precipitating factors and diagnostic clues. Congestive heart failure has been defined as that heart failure due to myocardial failure (primary or secondary). (1) Congestive heart failure was found in 3.65% of total medical admissions and in 24.0% of total cardiovascular patients. There was no difference between two sexes and incidence was peak in the 6th decade. (2) Rheumatic heart disease was the most common cause of congestive heart failure (41.0%). Hypertensive and/or atherosclerotic heart disease (36.5%), cor pulmonary (6.6%), postpartum heart failure (5.3%), pericardial disease (3.6%), thyrotoxic heart disease (2.0%) and congenital heart disease (0.6%) were the etiologies of the remainder. In male hypertensive and/or atherosclerotic heart disease was most common cause of congestive heart failure. (3) The precipitating factors of congestive heart failure were found in 31% and infection, pregnancy, discontinuation of digitalis and physical exertion were major causes. (4) Dyspnea, cervical vein distension, pulmonary rale, hepatomegaly and cardiac murmur were important symptoms and signs on admission. (5) Peripheral venous pressure was elevated in 883.2% and circulation time was prolonged in 90.9%. (6) Leucocytosis (39.8%) albuminuria (60.2%), elevated GOT (serum glntamin oxaloacetic transaminase) (12.0%) and azotemia (50%) were observed. (7) Chest X-ray on admission revealed increased vascularity including pulmonary edema (88.8%), cardiomegaly (83.3%) and hydrothorax (27.1%). (8) Electrocardiographic findings was abnormal in 99.4% and left ventricular hypertnophy (45.7%), atrial fibrillation (27.3%), Right ventricular hypertrophy and low voltage were frequently observed.
Albuminuria ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Azotemia ; Cardiomegaly ; Digitalis ; Dyspnea ; Electrocardiography ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP)* ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Failure* ; Heart Murmurs ; Hepatomegaly ; Humans ; Hydrothorax ; Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular ; Incidence ; Male ; Physical Exertion ; Postpartum Period ; Precipitating Factors ; Pregnancy ; Pulmonary Edema ; Respiratory Sounds ; Rheumatic Heart Disease ; Thorax ; Veins ; Venous Pressure

Tumor angiogenesis, the development of new blood vessels by tumor, is a widely observed phenomenon associated with the growth of human solid tumors. To investigate how tumor angiogenesis correlates with other prognostic features i.e. menopause status, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, mitosis, angioinvasion, estrogen receptor (ER), p53 protein expression, histologic grade and clinical stage, we counted microvessels by immunohistochemistry using antibody for CD34 antigen in 56 cases of invasive breast carcinoma (27 with and 29 without axillary lymph node metastases) and 20 cases of non-inflammatory benign breast lesion. CD34 antigen is expressed on the surface of hematopoietic progenitor cells and more sensitively expressed than factor VIII in vascular endothelial cells. Microvessel count (MVC) was performed at a single hot field of 200x magnification (0.74 mm2 per field). The results are summarized as follows; 1) The mean MVC of invasive carcinoma and benign breast lesion were 92.0+/-54.4 (range, 7-237) and 20.7+/-16.6 (range, 4-73), respectively (p<0.0001). 2) Although MVC had no correlation with all other prognostic factors i.e. menopause status, tumor size, lymph node metastasis, mitosis count, angioinvasion, ER, p53 protein expression, histologic grade, and clinical stage (p>0.05), MVC had a tendency to increase in tumors with axillary LN metastasis or without ER expression. 3) Without correlation with MVC, ER (+), angioinvasion (-) and higher histologic grade correlate to significantly higher mitosis count (p<0.0005). Also, angioinvasion correlate to a significantly higher histologic grade (p<0.05). In conclusion, angiogenesis is related to tumorigenesis, but MVC may not be related to other clinicopathologic factors.
Antigens, CD34 ; Blood Vessels ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinogenesis ; Endothelial Cells ; Estrogens ; Factor VIII ; Female ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Nodes ; Menopause ; Microvessels* ; Mitosis ; Neoplasm Metastasis

No abstract available.
Anesthesia* ; Animals ; Guinea Pigs* ; Guinea*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Peptic Ulcer*

BACKGROUND: Whether the changes of risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, alcohol) can precipitate stroke remains unknown, and antecedent infection and psychologic stress are described insufficiently as predisposing risk factors for cerebral infarction. Therefore, we attempted to examine the roles of recent infection, psychologic stress, and the changes of risk factors as potential precipitants in each stroke subtypes. We also tested the temporal relationship between preceding exposure to coldness and stroke onset. METHODS: In this case-control study, 113 consecutive patients with acute cerebrovascular disease (38 small vessel disease, 43 large vessel disease, 11 cardiogenic infarction, 4 infarction of undetermined cause, and 17 intracerebral hemorrhage) and 23 control subjects were evaluated. Changes of the risk factors (and their management) were interviewed. A sign/symptom based questionnaire was used to characterize the prevalence of recent prior infection and exposure to coldness. Psychologic stress was measured with the use of Social Readjustment Rating Scale. RESULTS: The negative change of alcohol drinking was significantly higher in the stroke group. However, there was no significant difference between stroke and control groups in the changes of the other risk factors. The prevalence of previous (within 1 month) infection was significantly higher in the stroke group compared with control subjects (p=0.03). However, there were no significant differences among the stroke subtypes in the prevalence of infection(p=0.08). Upper respiratory tract infections constituted the most common type of infection. The exposure to coldness was significantly higher in the stroke group compared with control subjects (p=0.002). The level of stress within the prior 1 month/1 year was significantly higher in the stroke group than control group (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that preceding infection, exposure to coldness, psychologic stress, and the negative change of alcohol drinking may be com.
Alcohol Drinking ; Case-Control Studies ; Cerebral Infarction ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Infarction ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stress, Psychological* ; Stroke*

We report herein s case of subcutaneous aspergillosis in a 41-year-old woman with lumbar spondylitis(L4~L5). The patient had received high doses of corticosteroids and broad-spectrum antibiotics and two times of operation due to lumbar problems. The diagnosis of Aspergillus fumigatus infection was established by the mycologic study of cultures from wound exudate and histopathologic examination of the second surgical specimens of subcutaneous soft tissue, which was assumed to be iatrogenically susceptible infection. Intravenous amphotericin B therapy was discontinued because of the immediste adverse effects. After twelve-week therapy of oral ketoconazole(400mg/day), open wound healed and spondylitis with neurologic signs eventually resolved. No evidence of recurrent infection was noted during six months of follow-up.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Adult ; Amphotericin B ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Aspergillosis* ; Aspergillus fumigatus ; Diagnosis ; Exudates and Transudates ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Ketoconazole* ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Spondylitis* ; Wounds and Injuries