The immune response to M. tuberculosis engages T-cell medicated reactions which determine the degree of resistance and also the clinical pattern of disease. Although antibodies produced by the infected host have yet no proven protection, they are appilicable for alternative diagnostic tests in tuberculosis. Preparation of purified antigens from Mycobacteria with specific antigenic determinants would improve serological diagnosis in tuberculosis. The antigen was prepared by extraction of M. tuberculosis with perchloric acid which was found to be major bands of 71, 42, 38 and 10 kD by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Thirteen sera from patients with active tuberculosis showed positive reactions to TB-P by ELISA, but the reaction to perchloric acid extract antigen is weaker than to PPD. The IgG subclass profiles to TB-P were IgG1, IgG2 and IgG4. By means of western blotting, the antibodies in the tuberculous patients showed the reaction with antigens of lower molecular weight such as 14, 12, 11 and 10 kD. These results suggested that the perchloric acid soluble antigen of M. tuberculosis might be more related with cell-mediated immune reactions rather than humoral immune reactions.
Antibodies ; Blotting, Western ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Electrophoresis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epitopes ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Molecular Weight ; Sodium ; T-Lymphocytes ; Tuberculosis*

No abstract available.
Antibodies* ; Coxiella burnetii* ; Coxiella* ; Korea* ; Prevalence*

Purpose: Paclitaxel, on systemic administration, is widely known to be effective in the treatment of bladder cancer. However, the intravesical use of paclitaxel has not been attempted because of its liposolubility and direct toxicity to the bladder mucosa. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of paclitaxel-loaded glyceryl monooleate (GMO) in the intravesical treatment of superficial bladder cancer, by enhancing its bioadhesiveness and bioavailability. Materials and Methods: 12 mice were divided into two groups, and bladder carcinomas induced by the addition of 0.05% BBN to their drinking water for 12 weeks. Group 1 received an intravesical instillation of 0.1ml GMO-paclitaxel-free buffer and Group 2 an intravesical instillation of 0.1ml GMO-paclitaxel. On day 21, the tumor incidence, bladder weight and toxicity were evaluated. Results: The incidence of cancer in groups 1 and 2 were 83 and 17%, respectively. The incidence of cancer was significantly reduced in group 2 compared to group 1 (p<0.05). There was a tendency for the average bladder weight in group 1 to be heavier than that in group 2, but there was no significant difference (p=0.375). There were no liver, kidney or bone marrow toxicities in either group. Conclusions: Intravesical GMO-paclitaxel therapy may have an inhibitory effect on the growth of superficial bladder cancer in a BBN-induced bladder cancer model; therefore, it could potentially be used in those patients showing little to no response to intravesical Bacillus Calmette- Guerin (BCG) or other anticancer drug therapies.
Administration, Intravesical ; Animals ; Bacillus ; Biological Availability ; Bone Marrow ; Carcinoma, Transitional Cell* ; Drinking Water ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kidney ; Liver ; Mice ; Mucous Membrane ; Paclitaxel ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms

The treatments of AOS have been debated since the late 1960s. Despite a considerable amount of study of intervention approaches to AOS, the effectiveness and efficacy of the treatment of AOS is still unclear. This study investigates the effect of motor learning guided (MLG) approach on individuals with AOS. Two individuals with AOS whose severity ranged from mild to moderate participated in this study. Two sets (each 20 utterance) of stimuli were created (based on high functionality) by the participants and their primary care-givers. Subjects were instructed to produce the target word three times with 4-second pause between each attempt. After 3 attempts, the experimenter provided knowledge of results (KR). Each target word was randomly selected from the written stimulus cards. The results showed that the mean scores of all the subjects increased during the sessions and this effect was transferred to the untrained target words.
Apraxias ; Knowledge of Results (Psychology) ; Learning ; Retention (Psychology)

This study was performed to mark the criteria of the eathetic smile that was necessary to improve the esthetic problem in oral maxilla-facial region. The facial straight photographs of 62 adults(30 males, 32 females: 19-24 years old) in resting position and during smile were taken. The measurements and proportion of lip-teeth relationship during smile were statistically analized with photogrammetry The following results were obtained: 1. In the evaluation of the change of lips, smile line ratio was 0.93, buccal corridor ratio was 0.63, and smile symmetry ratio was 0.96. 2. The width of mouth during smile was 1.31 times of the width in the resting position and 0.48 times of face width. 3. The upper lip height during smile was 0.69 times of the height in the resting position and the lower lip height during smile was 0.93 times of the height in the resting position. 4. The mean exposed length of upper central incisor was 9.96mm, Maxillary incisor exposure was significantly correlated with the upper lip change ratio, mouth width change ratio, and buccal corridor ratio.
Adult* ; Female ; Humans ; Incisor ; Lip* ; Male ; Mouth ; Photogrammetry

We can assume a histogram of uterus neck cytoplasm image has three peaks which is consisted of nucleus, cytoplasm and background. We proposed a method for extraction of adaptive thresholding value that is suitable to each various intensity distribution. First, the adaptive thresholding is divided into thresholding of cytoplasm area and nucleus area. The thresholding of cytoplasm area, utilizing whole histogram, extracts thresholding value by using histogram standard deviation which of recognized as a background for each histogram distribution. The classification of nucleus is various in size and has difficulty in precise image extraction because of great difference in intensity in a cell image when using whole histogram distribution. So we suggests 'local thresholding' . In the first place, by using optimal thresholding, we can find nucleus seed area as a mask, and get adaptive thresholding value correct to each histogram distribution by obtaining histogram for each mask. Comparing to other methods that use the same thresholding value for one image, this can effectively extract nucleus and cyotoplasm. Because 'local thresholding' decides most suitable thresholding value for each distribution and characteristics.
Classification ; Cytoplasm ; Masks ; Neck ; Uterus

No abstract available.
Female ; HELLP Syndrome* ; Pregnancy

Rabbit eyes were irradiated with neodymium-yttrium-aluminum-garnet(Nd-YAG) laser and the changes of prostaglandin E and protein levels in aqueous humor were measured. Intraocular pressure and pupil diameter were also determined in the same rabbits. Prostaglandin E and protein in aqueous humor were increase depending upon the number of laser lesion. Increase of intraocular pressure and decrease of pupil diameter occurred at similar dose range of laser irradiation. Tesponse of iris to the photodisruption was rapid. Changes in prostaglandin and protein contents and pupil diameter were already prominent at 15 min after the laser irradiation. Indomethacin pretreatment abolished most of tese responses, suggesting that acute reactions following photodisruption were largely dependent on prostaglandin synthesis in iris tissure.
Aqueous Humor* ; Indomethacin* ; Intraocular Pressure ; Iris* ; Lasers, Solid-State* ; Pupil ; Rabbits

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the degree of streptococcal colonization in Korean pregnant women. METHODS: The study comprised of 153 singleton pregnant women who visited Severance Hospital for delivery, and their neonates. Specimens for GBS culture were collected by a sterile cotton swab from lower vagina and cervix of pregnant women, and from ear canal and throat of neonates. They were first cultured for 48 hours in Todd-Hewitt broth and then subcultured onto Tryptose blood agar plates(Difco). Group B streptococci were confirmed by the presence of beta-hemolysis and a positive reaction with Phadebact group B Streptococci reagent(Karo Biodiagnostics AB, Huddinge, Sweden). RESULTS: The prevalence of positive cultures in pregnant women and neonates were 2.61%(4/153) and 0%(0/4), respectively. In the study population there was a case of suspicious group B streptococcual sepsis in an infant whose mother was colonized. CONCLUSIONS: In our study the GBS colonization rate in Korean pregnant women was significantly lower than that of other countries. The reason for this difference may be associated with a racial differences, or social factors such as socio-economic status or a life style.
Agar ; Cervix Uteri ; Colon ; Ear Canal ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Life Style ; Mothers ; Pharynx ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women* ; Prevalence ; Sepsis ; Streptococcal Infections* ; Vagina

No abstract available.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Pregnancy