Normal human B cells produce autocrine growth factor in response to Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I strain (SAC). However, the functional role and molecular nature of the B cell derived-B cell growth factor (B-BCGF) are largely unknown. We have tried to investigate the nature of B-BCGF using mAb for several years. We report here that B- BCGF is capable of binding to hemoglobin (Hb). The concentrated culture supernatant from tonsillar B cells stimulated with SAC for 24 h was loaded into the fast protein liquid chromatography and ion-exchange chromatography. The peak with BCGF activity was shown to have a M.W. of 16-18 Kda in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by silver stain. Amino acid sequence of the fraction was found to identical to human hemoglobin (Hb) by more than 85%. However, Hb itself had no BCGF activity. The presence of Hb in culture supernatant was due to the contamination of SRBC during B cell purification. SRSC were completely removed from B cells by percoll-gradient centrifugation and B cells were stimulated with SAC and exogenous Hb was added to the cultures. The Hb fraction from FPLC again showed a BCGF activity. These data strongly suggested that BCGF binds to Hb. We confirmed this in dot blot as well as Western blot. The M.W of Hb-binding BCGF was 20 Kda. This information may provide a rapid progress in research of BCGF.
Amino Acid Sequence ; B-Lymphocytes ; Blotting, Western ; Centrifugation ; Chromatography, Ion Exchange ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Humans ; Silver ; Staphylococcus aureus

Great strides has been made in the past 20 years in the treatment of scoliosis. Treatment before scoliosis becomes severe eliminates the need for extensive surgery. Early detection of scoliosis by school screening has proven to be valuable for early diagnosis and prevention of severe deformities. Authors screened 5,256 middle and high school students in Seoul, who were chosen arbitrarily, to determine the incidence rates of scoliosis, and following results were obtained. 1. Scoliosis was diagnosed on a combination of at least one positive physical sign and a lateral curvature more than 5 degrees on an antero-posterior standing X-ray. 2. The overall incidence of scoliosis was 4.68% (Male 0.74%, Female 6.43%). 3. Idiopathic scoliosis was found in 238 students, congenital scoliosis in 5, and paralytic scoliosis in 3. 4. The most common pattern of curvature was thoracic curve. 5. In the single curve right to left ratio was 2.1, but 8.4 in the upper curve of double curve. 6. Close observations were required for all the 246 students and treatment was required in 14 students who had more than 20 degrees, 9 students for Milwaukee brace, and 5 students for surgical correction.
Braces ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Scoliosis ; Seoul

A 36-year-old man was brought unconscious to the emergency room; he suffered anoxic brain damage due to carbon monoxide (CO) intoxication, and had decerebrate rigidity clinically and died 1 month later after the acute insult. Computed tomography with contrast enhancement failed to show a brainstem lesion but the brainstem auditory evoked potential (BAEP) demonstrated the brainstem involvement. The BAEP can be used as an objective diagnostic aid for evaluating brainstem lesions in CO intoxication.
Adult ; Brain Stem/physiopathology* ; Carbon Monoxide Poisoning/physiopathology* ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory* ; Human ; Male

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Nephrotic Syndrome* ; Peritonitis*

Wilms' tumor is one of the most common primary malignant tumors of the kidney during infancy and childhood and is known to be originated from the primitive cells of metanephric blastema. It presents difficulties when encountered in deciding the presence of anaplasia or in differentiating it from other renal tumors of childhood with different biologic behavior because of its diverse histologic patterns and varying degrees of differentiation. Evaluation of clinical and histopathologic features in terms of prognostication was done of 32 cases of Wilms' tumor which were surgically resected and diagnosed in the period from January 1979 through June 1992. Immunohistochemical reaction for cytokeratin, vimentin, actin and desmin was also analysed on all cases of Wilms' tumor in conjunction with clear cell sarcoma of the kidney(CCSK), malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney(MRTK) and congenital mesoblastic nephroma(CMN) to assess the validity of immunohistochemistry in differentiating Wilms' tumor from these renal tumors. Twenty four(75%) cases were diagnosed before the age of 5 and 40.7% were under 2 years old. Mixed type was most common(62.5%), followed by epithelial, blastemal and stromal predominant type in descending order of frequency. Anaplasia was observed in 3 cases(9.4%), two of which were epithelial predominant type and one blastemal predominant type. Treatment modality and presence of anaplasia were significantly correlated with 5 year survival rate of patients. Immunohistochemical stain revealed that all epithelial component of Wilms' tumor were positive for cytokeratin and 56.3% of Wilms' tumor had blastemal component which were positive for both cytokeratin and vimentin. Twenty cases(62.5%) of Wilms' tumor had blastemal component which were positive for cytokeratin with a proportion of more than 5% of reactive cells. Stromal component of Wilms' tumor generally did not show differentiation into the specialized type of tissue and all revealed positive reactions for vimentin among which some revealed positive reactions for actin. Only 3 out of 6 cases with rhabdomyoblastic differentiation were positive for desmin. CCSK, MRTK and CMN which have different biologic behavior and treatment modality compared to Wilm's tumor showed positivity only for vimentin and/or actin. In summary, treatment modality and presence of anaplasia are significantly correlated with patients' survival and the immunohistochemical stain for cytokeratin is very helpful in confirming the presence of blastemal component and useful in the differential diagnosis of Wilms' tumor from other kinds of pediatric renal tumors.
Child ; Male ; Female ; Humans ; Diagnosis, Differential

PURPOSE: To evaluate the radiologic characteristics of axillary lymph nodes which are found on mediolateral oblique(MLO) view of mammography and to assess their clinical significance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 119 cases axillary lymph nodes on MLO view of 410 cases of mammography in 205 patients regarding the size, bilaterality, number, grade of density, presence of central lucency, calcification of lymph nodes and presence of associated parenchymal pathologic lesions in breast. RESULTS: Axillary lymph nodes on MLO view were demonstrated in 119 (29%) among 410 cases. Axillary lymph nodes(112 cases) in cases without breast parenchymal lesions or with benign breast lesions showed; unilaterality in 68 cases(61%), smaller than 1.5cm in 100 cases(89%), lower density than breast parenchyma in 99 cases(88%), presence of central lucency in 99 cases(88%) and calcification in 3 cases(2.7%). Axillary lymph nodes(7 cases)in cases with breast cancer showed small size of less than 1.5cm in 4 cases(57%), absence of central lucency in 7 cases(100%) and iso-to higher density than breast parenchyma in 7 c&ses(100%). CONCLUSION: Axillary lymph nodes noted on MLO view of mammography, more than 1.5cm in diameter, absence of central lucency and iso to higher density than breast parenchyma could be suggested as clinically significant.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes* ; Mammography ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: To evaluate the radiologic characteristics of axillary lymph nodes which are found on mediolateral oblique(MLO) view of mammography and to assess their clinical significance. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 119 cases axillary lymph nodes on MLO view of 410 cases of mammography in 205 patients regarding the size, bilaterality, number, grade of density, presence of central lucency, calcification of lymph nodes and presence of associated parenchymal pathologic lesions in breast. RESULTS: Axillary lymph nodes on MLO view were demonstrated in 119 (29%) among 410 cases. Axillary lymph nodes(112 cases) in cases without breast parenchymal lesions or with benign breast lesions showed; unilaterality in 68 cases(61%), smaller than 1.5cm in 100 cases(89%), lower density than breast parenchyma in 99 cases(88%), presence of central lucency in 99 cases(88%) and calcification in 3 cases(2.7%). Axillary lymph nodes(7 cases)in cases with breast cancer showed small size of less than 1.5cm in 4 cases(57%), absence of central lucency in 7 cases(100%) and iso-to higher density than breast parenchyma in 7 c&ses(100%). CONCLUSION: Axillary lymph nodes noted on MLO view of mammography, more than 1.5cm in diameter, absence of central lucency and iso to higher density than breast parenchyma could be suggested as clinically significant.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes* ; Mammography ; Retrospective Studies

Intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) is common in the premature infants and occurs mainly in subependymal germinal matrix. In contrast, IVH in the term infants is rare and different in pathogenesis and bleeding sites from those of the premature infants. Most studies of IVH in term infants have been studied by computerized tomography and postmortem examination. Brain ultrasonography which has become a frequently used diagnostic tool of IVH in the premature infants is reported to be also effective in diagnosis in the term infants. The study population comprised 11 term neonates admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Seoul National University Children's Hospital between July 1989 and June 1991, in whom IVH was diagnosed by ultrasonography. We analysed severity of birth asphyxia. ultrasonographic findings and clinical manifestations to investigate severity, timing, risk factors, and pathogenesis of IVH in the term neonates. 1) Apgar scores were available in 7 cases with severe asphyxia (Apgar at 1 min: less than 3), 1 cases with mild asphyxia (Apgar at 1 min: between 5~7), and 2 cases without asphyxia. 2) Clinically, 4 cases had fetal distress, and 3 cases had meconium aspiration pneumonia. 3) Bleeding sites by ultrasonography were subependymal germinal matrix in all 11 cases. IVH of choroid plexus was combined in 2 cases. Severity of IVH were grade I in 9 cases, grade II in 2 cases by Papile's classification. 4) There were no correlations between the grade of IVH and severity of perinatal asphyxia. In conclusion, ultrasonography is very useful in diagnosis and follow-up of IVH in term neonates. Subependymal germinal matrix could be common site of IVH in term neonates because germinal matrix still remains in term neonates despite of its regression. Also this can explain why IVH in our cases is not severe.
Asphyxia ; Autopsy ; Brain ; Choroid Plexus ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Fetal Distress ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Meconium Aspiration Syndrome ; Parturition ; Pneumonia ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Ultrasonography

Electrodiagnostic studies were carried out in 4 patients with neurological complications of acute hemorrhatic conjunctivitis at Severance Hospital on 1983. Both motor and sensory nerve conduction studies were normal even in the involved limbs. The electromyography, however, reveals denervation potentials and neuropathic MUPs. The somatosensory evoked potentials taken in median nerve stimulated at the wrist and peroneal nerve stimulated around the knee showed normal latencies, shapes and amplitudes almost symmetrically.
Adult* ; Conjunctivitis ; Conjunctivitis, Acute Hemorrhagic* ; Denervation ; Electromyography ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory* ; Extremities ; Humans ; Knee ; Median Nerve ; Neural Conduction ; Peroneal Nerve ; Wrist

No abstract available.
Child* ; Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative* ; Humans