No abstract available.
Esophageal and Gastric Varices*

Metabolomics, a novel "omics" platform, is a powerful tool for the discovery of clinically useful biomarkers and biochemical processes to improve diagnosis and therapy. Through the use of advanced analytical technologies, metabolomics enables the assessment of comprehensive metabolic profiles that are affected by both genotype and environmental factors. Recently, attention has been focused on the concept of pharmacometabolomics, an emerging field that is derived from metabolomics. Pharmacometabolomics is focused on the use of individual metabolic signatures for the prediction and evaluation of drug efficacy and safety, eventually accelerating clinical pharmacology toward personalized drug therapy.
Biochemical Processes ; Biomarkers ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Genotype ; Humans ; Precision Medicine ; Metabolome ; Metabolomics ; Pharmacology, Clinical

OBJECTIVE: Acute inflammatory lesions in the placenta is one of the most common histopathologic lesions of women with preterm premature rupture of membrane. But there is a few scientific evidence to support the association between amniotic fluid white blood cell count and the presence and severity of acute placental inflammation in preterm premature rupture of membrane. To evaluate the relationship between amniotic fluid white blood cell count and the presence and severity of acute placental inflammatory lesions in preterm premature rupture of membrane. METHODS: The relationship between amniotic fluid white blood cell count and placental histologic finding was examined in 89 consecutive patients who were admitted with the diagnosis of preterm premature rupture of membrane and who delivered singleton gestation within 3 days. RESULTS: The prevalence of acute histologic chorioamnionitis was 68.5%(61/89) and that of positive amniotic fluid culture was 32.6%(29/89). The prevalence of positive amniotic fluid culture increased according to the higher severity of inflammation in each type of placental section(p<0.05 for each). The median amniotic fluid white blood cell count increased significantly according to the presence and higher severity of inflammation in each type of placental section(p<0.01 for each). The median amniotic fluid white blood cell count increased significantly according to the higher total grade of inflammation in placental histologic examination(p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Both the presence and higher severity of acute histologic chorioamnionitis are associated with an elevated amniotic fluid white blood cell count. The total grade of acute histologic chorioamnionitis is associated with an elevated amniotic fluid white blood cell count. Amniotic fluid white blood cell count is a reliable prenatal marker of histologic chorioamnionitis."
Amniotic Fluid* ; Chorioamnionitis ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation* ; Leukocyte Count* ; Leukocytes* ; Membranes* ; Placenta ; Pregnancy ; Prevalence ; Rupture*

No abstract available.
Biofeedback, Psychology* ; Electric Stimulation* ; Humans ; Muscles* ; Pelvic Floor*

No abstract available.
Biofeedback, Psychology* ; Electric Stimulation* ; Humans ; Muscles* ; Pelvic Floor*

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.
Humans

No abstract available.
Humans

Red blood cells that agglutinate with most normal adult sera but never with own sera are termed polyagglutinable and can be separated by patterns of lectin reactivity into various types. Among these polyagglutination, activation of the T cryptantigen occurs when carbohydrate structures on glycophorins A and B lose sialic acid and express the disaccharide Gal beta-l-3 GalNac which reacts with the peanut agglutinin, a lectin from Arachis hypogaea. T activation is a temporary condition due to exposure of the membrane antigen to the action of microbial neuraminidase. In T activated red cells, the following hazards, which are theoretically possible, are spontaneous polyagglutination of red cells in vitro, in vivo and severe blood transfusion reactions. We experienced a case of T activation in 6 month old girl with bacterial meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. The reactivity to lectins indicated the patient's red cells were T activated. We report a case of T activation in an infant with the review of literature.
Adult ; Arachis ; Blood Transfusion ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Glycophorin ; Humans ; Infant ; Lectins ; Membranes ; Meningitis, Bacterial ; N-Acetylneuraminic Acid ; Neuraminidase ; Peanut Agglutinin ; Streptococcus pneumoniae

PURPOSE: This study was done to determine the rate for handwashing by intensive care unit nurses according to the content of nursing tasks, to investigate the relationship between hand washing practice evaluated by nurses themselves and their actual practice observed, and finallly to provide basic materials for strategy for hand washing education. METHOD: Data were collected by observing 27 nurses working in intensive care units of a hospital in Uijeongbu, Gyeonggi-do and by using observation and a structured self-assessment tool. Collected data were analyzed with SPSS and SAS. RESULTS: The handwashing rate for the nurses was 4.3%. The handwashing rate was high in proportion to the risk of cross infection. In addition, the handwashing rate was highest in nurses working in the neurosurgery intensive care unit. The average score for self-assessment of handwashing was 49.42+/-3.78 points and it was higher than their actual practice of handwashing. CONCLUSION: In order to improve handwashing by nurses, it is necessary to educate them on the importance of handwashing. In addition, there should be strategies for standardizing knowledge and attitudes to handwashing and inducing nurses to practice hand washing in compliance with the policies and working conditions of the institution.
Compliance ; Cross Infection ; Education ; Faculty, Nursing* ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hand Disinfection* ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units* ; Critical Care* ; Neurosurgery ; Nursing Faculty Practice* ; Nursing* ; Self-Assessment