The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of ethanol administration on the resistance of mice to Cryptococcus neoformans, IL-2 production of murine splenocytes, active systemic anaphylaxis induced by ovalbumin (OVA), serum TNF-alpha production, nitric oxide (NO) production by peritoneal machrophages and B16F10 melanoma colonization in lungs in mice. It was found that ethanol administration significantly inhibited the resistance of mice to C. neoformans infection, IL-2 production, active systemic anaphylaxis induction, serum TNF- alpha production and NO production. Ethanol administration significantly enhanced lung colonization when it was administered before i.v. melanoma inoculation. These results demonstrate that ethanol may play a critical role in tumorigenesis and immunoregulation as an immunomodulator.
Anaphylaxis* ; Animals ; Carcinogenesis ; Colon ; Cryptococcus neoformans ; Cytokines* ; Ethanol ; Interleukin-2 ; Lung ; Melanoma* ; Mice ; Nitric Oxide* ; Ovalbumin ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

No abstract available.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis rarely in childhood, and certain features of the disease in children differ from its manifestations in adults. Juvenile dermatitis herpetiformis appears not to be the same disease as the typical dermatitis herpetiformis of adults. Juvenile dermatitis herpetiformis has been described as a predomimantly bullous disease, but rarely papulovesicular eruptions. This bullous eruption in children must be considered in the several entities such as bullous pemphigoid and erythema multiforme. Juvenile bullous dermatitis herpetiformis has not responded routinely to sulfapyridine and sulfone therapy. A 15-month-old child whose skin lesions fulfilled clinical, histologic, and therapeutic criteria for Juvenile dermatitis hepetiformis is reported. The skin lesions showed bullous eruptions and also complained of severe itching sensation different from bullous Juvenile dermatitis herpetiformis.
Adult ; Child ; Dermatitis Herpetiformis* ; Dermatitis* ; Erythema Multiforme ; Humans ; Infant ; Pemphigoid, Bullous ; Pruritus ; Sensation ; Skin ; Sulfapyridine

Plastic surgeons have frequently encountered wide and long skin defects which require flap coverage. These include defects that occur after radical tumor resection of the head and neck region, release of severe bum scar contracture, and defects with exposure of the bone or tendons in upper and lower extremities. Lateral thigh fasciocutaneous flap, first introduced by Baek in 1983, has a long and wide skin territory. By using this flap, we performed 6 cases of burn scar contractures and 2 cases of head and neck cancer defects. In the flap elevation, it is not necessary to change the patient's position, therefore, the two-team approach shortens the operating time. The donor site can be closed primarily if the width of flap is not over 8 cm. The donor scar of the thigh is easily concealed. The lateral thigh flap can also be used as a composite or sensate flap. We conclude that, due to the lateral thigh flap being a thin and pliale fasciocutaneous flap which has a long and wide skin territory, it is very useful for reconstruction of large skin defects.
Burns ; Cicatrix ; Contracture ; Free Tissue Flaps* ; Head ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Neck ; Skin* ; Tendons ; Thigh* ; Tissue Donors

Capsaicin, the pungent principle of hot peppers, is a neurotoxin that depletes unmyelinated primary sensory neurons (polymodal nociceptors) of neuropeptides like tachykinins. However, the role of capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerve in the production of cytokines, penicillin V (PEV)-induced active fatal anaphylaxis and other immune responses is not yet fully established. Neonatal mice were pretreated s.c. with a single injection of 10 ug of capsaicin per mouse in volume of 20 ul within 5 days of age. Using 5-8 week old mice pretreated as neonates with capsaicin, the capsaicin- pretreated and vehicle-treated control mice were examined for various parameters of immune responses described above. For the induction of active fatal anaphylaxis with PEV, 8 week old mice pretreated as neonates and age-matched capsaicin- untreated control mice were sensitized i.p. with 500 ug of PEV-ovalbumin conjugate plus 2*10(9) B. pertussis and 1.0 mg alum and challenged i.v. with PEV-bovine serum albumin conjugate 14 days later. It was found that neonatal capsaicin-pretreatment significantly enhanced contact hypersensitivity to TNCB and hemagglutination response to SRBC, but significantly inhibited the proliferation response of rnurine splenocyte to Con A and LPS. Interestingly, neonatal capsaicin pretreatment significantly inhibited the intensity of PEV-induced active fatal anaphylaxis and decreased the mortality due to anaphylactic shock. It also significantly inhibited LPS- induced production of cytokines such as TNF-a, IL-1B, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-12. The capsaicin-pretreatment also resulted in an inhibition of the activation of NF-kB. Taken together, these data showed for the first time that neonatal capsaicin-pretreatment significantly inhibited an antibiotic (PEV)-induced anaphylaxis and production of various cytokines, and suggest that capsaicin-sensitive primary sensory nerve may play an important regulatory role in active fatal anaphylaxis and cytokine production, thus potentially presenting tools for immune intervention. In particular, the data presented also indicated the possibility to selectively down-modulate cytokine production and NF-kB activation may offer a broad application for therapeutic intervention in neuroimmunological diseases and other pathological situations.
Anaphylaxis ; Animals ; Capsaicin* ; Cytokines ; Denervation* ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Hemagglutination ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-12 ; Interleukin-6 ; Mice ; Mortality ; Neuropeptides ; NF-kappa B ; Penicillin V ; Sensory Receptor Cells ; Serum Albumin ; Tachykinins ; Whooping Cough

With an aging population, osteoporotic vertebral collapse is an increasingly common condition. This compression fractures has been considered a benign entity, quite responsive to conservative treatment. In a rare patients, however, a major neurologic complication and painful kyphosis despite conservative treatment can develop. Therefore, the purpose of this present study is to analyze the surgical results of 14 patients with severe back pain, an increasing kyphosis and neurologic deficits caused hy osteoporotic vertebral collapse following minor trauma, who were treated surgically. Presenting signs and symptoms included severe back pain with progression of kyphosis in 6 patients and increasing neural deficit in 8 patients. Of 14 patients, eight patients had an intravertebral cleft sign (vacuum sign). Indications for surgery included increasing kyphotic deformity, intractable pain, or increasing neurologic deficit. There was no correlation between intravertebral cleft sign and neurologic deficit. However, patients who had intravertebral cleft sign had not well respond to conservative treatment. As treatments, combined anterior and posterior fusion in 8, anterior fusion in 4, posterior instrumentation, and wide decompressive laminectomry in one patient, respectively, were carried out. The final correction of the deformity averaged 0.3 degrees. Therefore. correction of kyphosis was not favorably maintained because of variable surgical methods, and sinking of graft bone or instrumentation into the osteoporotic vertebral bodies. However, pain was reduced significantly in all patients. In addition neurological symptoms improved in 7 patients. One patient underwent reoperation with nnterior inierbody tusion together with anterior instrument because of an increasing kyphosis, neurologic. iymptoms and scvcre hack pain following wide decompressive laminectomy. There was no complication relatecl to instruments. The authors strongly helieved that surgical intervention has highly satisfactory results in patients who have intravertehral cleft sign with persistent back pain despite conservative treatment, and proressive or persistent neurologic deficits following osteoporotic vertebral collapse.
Aging ; Back Pain ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Fractures, Compression ; Humans ; Kyphosis ; Laminectomy ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Osteoporosis ; Pain, Intractable ; Reoperation ; Transplants

No abstract available.
Animals ; Mice* ; Oocytes*

The purpose of this study is to present our experience of distraction osteogenesis procedure used to improve the functional and consmetic problems of two patients associated with Pierre-Robin sequence, which is an uncommon congenital disease in combination with micrognathia, glossoptosis, and respiratory obstruction. A female child of 42 months and a male infant of 4 months suffering from pneumonia, difficult breathing, cyanosis and insomnia were admitted. We performed temporary tongue to lip dhesion by modified Routledge method and bilateral mandibular distraction. After the operation, symptoms of insomnia and impaired breathing had improved. We found an extension of the mandibular length. In addition, the posterior airway space and lower face area were expanded in the cephalometric tracing and profilogram. We report that bilateral distraction provedure could be an effective and safe method for improving of impaired breathing and cosmetic problems of patients with Pierre-Robin sequence.
Child ; Cyanosis ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Lip ; Male ; Osteogenesis, Distraction ; Pneumonia ; Respiration ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Tongue

No abstract available.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Myotonic Dystrophy* ; Pregnancy

Fournier's gangrene is a fulminating gangrene of the male genitalia. It is associated with severe systemic toxic effect and a high motality rate, and it requires early diagnosis and intensive care with surgical intervention. We report a case of Fournier's gangrene in 33-year-old man, who showed marked swelling and necrosis of the scrotum, and extending cellulitis on the right flank and chest. With prompt excision of all the gangrenous scrotal skin and drainage incisions made on the flank and chest, the healing was successful.
Adult ; Cellulitis ; Drainage ; Early Diagnosis ; Fournier Gangrene* ; Gangrene ; Genitalia, Male ; Humans ; Critical Care ; Male ; Necrosis ; Scrotum ; Skin ; Thorax