To generate drug delivery vector to locales in the body, genetic engineering and expression techniques have been used to produce antibody avidin fusion proteins. Chicken avidin has been fused to mouse-human chimeric IgG3 immediately after the hinge with a flexible linker (H-Flex-Av) and at the end of CH2 (CH2-Av). Fusion heavy chains were expressed with the expected molecular weight, assembled as H2L2 forms with a co-expressed light chain, and were secreted. The expression level of H- Flex-Av was 1~10 ug/ml/10(8)/24 hrs, but that of C2-Av was a very little (0.08~0.9 ug/ ml/10(8)/24 hrs). The resulting H-Flex-Av and CH2-Av fusion proteins continued to bind antigen dansyl and also bound biotinylated bovine serum albumin; both H-Flex-Av and CH2-Av had shown to retain 3-4 times higher relative affinity than that of CH3-Av in ELISA. Importantly the fact that both avidin fusion proteins had a higher relative affinity suggests that these avidin fusion proteins can be effectively used to deliver biotinylated ligands such as drugs and peptides to a certain locale, such as the brain.
Avidin ; Biotin* ; Brain ; Chickens ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Genetic Engineering ; Immunoglobulin G ; Ligands ; Molecular Weight ; Peptides ; Serum Albumin, Bovine

Development of antibody-based cancer therapies will be greatly facilitated if antibodies are better standardized in two fundamental issues that are specificity analysis of antibody reactivity and the detailed biodistribution and pharmacokinetic profile of antibodies. In the current endeavor we attempted to use an antibody binding specificity to target the tumor in a syngeneic carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) tumor model. CEA, a 180 kDa glycoprotein, expressed at high levels on the surface of nearly all tumors of the gastrointestinal tract was used a potential target for antibody immunotherapy of gastrointestinal carcinomas. Using the CEA model antibody-based cancer therapy directed against CEA has been evaluated in a syngeneic animal model of disseminated disease. We constructed mouse/human chimeric anti-CEA IgG3, which has been evaluated for the specificity for CEA and the detailed biodistribution and pharmacokinetic profiles. Anti-CEA IgG3 heavy chain was expressed with the expected 180kDa molecular weight, assembled as H2L2 forms with a co-expressed mouse/human chimeric anti-CEA light chain, and were secreted. On FACS the purified anti-CEA IgG3 specifically recognized the mouse colon adenocarcinoma cell line MC-38 transduced with CEA (MCA32a), but not MC 38 without expressing CEA. After subcutaneous injection in C57BL/6 mice the half- lives of anti-CEA IgG3 and an irrelevant anti-dansyl IgG3 showed the bi-phasic kinetic patterns, and their pharmacokinetics of the distribution and the elimination were similar in mice. However, the biodistribution patterns of anti-CEA IgG3 were very different from those of anti-dansyl IgG3. Anti-dansyl IgG3 was mainly distributed into kidney until 72 hours, but anti-CEA IgG3 was slowly rernoved from blood and distributed into liver, kidney, spleen, and tumor. It is note worthy that anti- CEA IgG3 increased in targeting MCA32a tumor expressing human CEA by time, but the targeting to MC38 tumor was negligible. Thus, the increased targeting of anti- CEA IgG3 made MCA32a tumor grow slowly
Adenocarcinoma ; Animals ; Antibodies ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Cell Line ; Colon ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Glycoproteins ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G* ; Immunotherapy ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Kidney ; Liver ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Molecular Weight ; Pharmacokinetics ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spleen

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify an influence of self-esteem and family- support on powerlessness of hospitalized elderly patients with chronic disease. METHOD: The subjects were 151 hospitalized elderly patients, age over 60, with chronic disease and admitted for at least 1 week. The data were collected by individual interview using a tructured questionnaire during the period from July 10th to August l0th, 2003 from three general hospitals in Busan. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, hierarchical multiple regression. RESULT: The level of self-esteem, family support, and powerlessness was 38.00, 38.26, and 38.38, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between self-esteem and family support and a negative correlation between self-esteem and powerlessness and between family support and powerlessness. Self-esteem and family support were each significant predictor of powerlessness. CONCLUSION: This study showed the hospitalized elderly patients need greater family-support and higher self-esteem to relieve the level of powerlessness. I suggest to study for replication in a larger sample size and considering the lengths of hospitalization for generalization of this study and to develop individual intervention programs for increasing family support and self esteem and testify their effects on the relief of powerlessness of the elderly.
Aged* ; Busan ; Chronic Disease* ; Generalization (Psychology) ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Sample Size ; Self Concept ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Mesenteric lymphadenitis due to Yersinia enterocolitica infection is not common in Korea. Although most cases of Yersinia enterocolitica-induced mesenteric adenitis are self limited, cardinal features of Yersinia enterocolitica-induced mesenteric adenitis are so similar to those of acute appendicitis that some of the patients undergo laparotomy with suspected appendicitis. The findings on laparotomy in such patients are usually enlarged mesenteric nodes with a normal or slightly inflamed appendix. Because histologic examination of the removed mesenteric lymph nodes reveals reactive hyperplasia in most cases, it is usually difficult to suspect Yersinia enterocolitica infection on morphology of the resected nodes. But suppurative granulomata of mesenteric lymph nodes, uncommonly encountered in Yersinia enterocolitica infection, strongly suggest yersinial infection. We report a case of mesenteric lymphadenitis in a 10-year-old boy, who underwent laparotomy with suspected acute appendicitis. The removed lymph node showed several suppurative granulomata in the cortex, suggesting yersinial infection. Serologic study confirmed Yersinia enterocolitica serotype O:3 infection.
Appendicitis ; Appendix ; Child ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Korea ; Laparotomy ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphadenitis ; Male ; Mesenteric Lymphadenitis* ; Yemen ; Yersinia enterocolitica* ; Yersinia*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to survey health requirements of middle-aged women and their families and to provide guidelines for developing nursing interventions by describing the process of family health maintenance experienced by middle-aged women and its conceptual system. METHODS: To get saturated data, each of four researchers conducted two or three times of in-depth interview with eight middle-aged women aged between 40-64 years old and living in Seoul and Chuncheon from the 10th to the 30th of October 2004 and each interview was continued one or two hours. The Grounded theory adopted by Strauss & Corbin (1998) is a substantive theory that can explain the experiencing process of middle-aged women. RESULTS: We found that the casual condition of family health maintaining by middle-aged women was "confidence of health belief", and "pouring by body moving" was found to be its phenomenon. A textual condition that might respond to the phenomenon was "fatal roles acceptance", and intervening conditions that promote their family health were "retracing" and "gathering health information". These intervening conditions impacted middle-aged women's confidence in family health and led them to take actions/interactions such as "being a model of health", "adapting to circumstances", "do-it-myself", "taking-care" "harmonious mind" and "the pursuit of cleanness". These actions/interactions produced results such as "being stronger", "being unmanageable" and "being fruitful". CONCLUSIONS: Health confidence and practical health behaviors were observed in the process that the middle-aged female participants experienced unmanageable circumstances but they accepted their roles and responsibilities and recognized that they must be get stronger. The behaviors of health-together-with were divided into enthusiastic type, adaptation type and self-sacrificing type. Therefore middle-aged woman with the understanding of family health maintaining process as well as the theoretical system and practical principals needs to implement the intervention in acceptable level of family health process of preventing psychological and physical problems.
Family Health* ; Female ; Gangwon-do ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Nursing ; Seoul

Elastofibroma is a rare benign tumor-like condition manifesting as firm and spherical mass with poorly circumscribed margins of fibroelastic tissue, occuring in the subscapular region or the chest wall of elderly persons. It is not a true neoplasm but rather a reactive or degenerative process causing abnormal elastogenesis. It is unilateral in the majority of cases and the right side is affected more commonly than the left. We report a case of bilateral elastofibromas removed from both subscapular regions of a 73-year-old female farmer. She was presented with tender masses on the bilateral subscapular areas for seven years. Microscopically, it consisted of a mixture of intertwining broad eosinophilic collagen bundles and elastic fibers associated with a few fibroblasts and mature fat cells. The elastic fibers had a degenerated beaded appearance or were fragmented into serrated globules in a linear arrangement.
Adipocytes ; Aged ; Collagen ; Elastic Tissue ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Thoracic Wall

OBJECTIVE: Human embryonic stem (ES) cells have a great potential in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. The human ES cells could be differentiated into specific cell types by treatments of growth factors and alterations of gene expressions. However, the efficacy of guided differentiation and isolation of specific cells are still low. In this study, we characterized isolated cells from differentiated human ES cells by magnetic activated cell sorting (MACS) system using specific antibodies to cell surface markers. METHODS: The undifferentiated hES cells (Miz-hESC4) were sub-cultured by mechanical isolation of colonies and embryoid bodies were spontaneously differentiated with DMEM containing 10% FBS for 2 weeks. The differentiated cells were isolated to positive and negative cells with MACS system using CD34, human epithelial antigen (HEA) and human fibroblast (HFB) antibodies, respectively. Observation of morphological changes and analysis of marker genes expression were performed during further culture of MACS isolated cells for 4 weeks. RESULTS: Morphology of the CD34 positive cells was firstly round, and then it was changed to small polygonal shape after further culture. The HEA positive cells showed large polygonal, and the HFB positive spindle shape. In RT-PCR analysis of marker genes, the CD34 and HFB positive cells expressed endodermal and mesodermal genes, and HEA positive cells expressed ectodermal genes such as NESTIN and NF68KD. The marker genes expression pattern of CD34 positive cells changed during the extension of culture time. CONCLUSION: Our results showed the possibility of successful isolation of specific cells by MACS system from undirected differentiated human ES cells. Thus, MACS system and marker antibodies for specific cell types might be useful for guided differentiation and isolation of specific cells from human ES cells.
Antibodies ; Ectoderm ; Embryoid Bodies ; Endoderm ; Fibroblasts ; Gene Expression ; Humans* ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Mesoderm ; Nestin ; Regenerative Medicine ; Tissue Engineering

No abstract available.
Humans ; Quality of Life* ; Renal Dialysis* ; Renal Insufficiency*

Purpose: : This study aimed to understand and describe the experiences of collaborative practice among health professionals in Korea. Methods: : Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews conducted from January to March 2021 with 10 health professionals in Korea. All interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. The transcribed data then underwent qualitative content analysis. Results: : Through content analysis, 10 categories and 3 themes were formed. Three themes, “working based on knowledge,” “having difficulty in building collaborative relationships,” and “playing complementary roles” emerged. Conclusion : The limitation is that the study participants are 10 health professionals in Korea working at healthcare institutions. However, this study is of great significance in that it provided basic data for preparing measures for collaborative practice among health professionals in Korea.

A total of 68 primary melanorna cases diagnosed at Seoul National University Hospital for the past 10 years from 1978 to 1987 were included for this clinico pathological study. Among the 31 primary cutaneous melanomss, 19 cases (61.3%) occurred on hands or feet, especially on the plantar surfaces. The average age of patients with acral melanomas was 49.3 years at the tirne of diagnosis and the male to female ratio of 19 cases was 3.8 to 1. The clinical and histopathologic findings showed that most ecral melanomas, if not all, were the acral lentiginous type. A high incidence of metastasis (73.7%) was recognized in acral melanomas.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Foot ; Hand ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Melanoma* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Seoul