Excretory-secretory products (ESP) of T. vaginalis have been shown to inhibit sperm motility, viability, and functional integrity, leading to a decreased fertilization rate in vitro. This study investigated whether T. vaginalis induce apoptosis and ultrastructural changes of sperm using flow cytometry and electron microscopy. Incubation of sperm with T. vaginalis ESP increased phosphatidylserine externalization and DNA fragmentation, and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. Transmission electron microscopy of sperm incubated with ESP revealed abnormal features such as distorted heads, broken necks, and acrosomes exocytosis. This is the first report that demonstrates a direct impact of T. vaginalis ESP on sperm apoptosis and architecture in vitro.

No abstract available.
Humans ; Hydronephrosis* ; Radioisotope Renography*

BACKGROUND: Direct wet mount examination of vaginal secretion, widely applied for the diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis infection in woman patients, is rapid and economical. However, the sensitivity of this technique is not so high. In this study enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was employed for the detection of serum anti-T. vaginalis IgG antibodies from vaginal trichomoniasis patients. METHODS: Eighty sera from trichomonoasis patients who visited a Dr. Yoon Kyong's Obstetric & Gynecologic Clinic in Songnam and 30 non-infected healthy men were tested for detection of anti-T. vaginalis IgG antibody. Soluble lysate and excretory-secretory antigen prepared by mixing of six isolates of T. vaginalis, and lysate from one isolate(KT4) were used as antigen for ELISA. RESULTS: The sensitivity of ELISA using lysate of six isolates was 95.0%, and the sensitivity of the lysate from KT4 and mixed excretory-secretory antigen from 6 isolates were 86.4% and 76.3%, respectively. Specificities of ELISA by three 93.3%, 96.3% and 92.0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that ELISA using mixed lysate of T. vaginalis six isolates could be useful tools for the diagnosis of trichomoniasis.
Antibodies ; Diagnosis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G* ; Male ; Trichomonas vaginalis ; Trichomonas*

BACKGROUND: Thyroid status in uremia is still inconclusive due to the complexicity of the system. No single pathogenetic event may explain the thyroid function abnormalities in end stage renal disease (ESRD). Defects at all levels of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis have been identified. Regarding the thyroid dysfunction in ESRD it is well recognized that the TSH response to TRH is blunted and serum concentrations of thyroid hormones are decreased in patients with ESRD. Whether or not on maintenance hemodialysis. Restoration of renal function with renal transplantation resulted in normalization of all parameters of thyroid function with exception of blunted TSH response to TRH. We evaluated the long-term changes of the thyroid function in 10 patients to know whether the thyroid function and the hypothalamo-pituitary axis were improved with the recovery of the renal function under maintenance low-dosage steroid administration after renal transplantation. METHODS: These tests were performed during the morning in the fasting state in 10 ESRD patients before, 1 month and 6 years after renal transplantation (RT). Thyroid function tests. Serum T3, T4 were measured by RIA kit and serum TSH was measured by IRMA kit. TRH stimulation test. Serum blood samples were obtained 0, 30, 60, 90, 120 min after TRH (400microgram) administration. Statistical analysis. All grouped data were expressed as mean+/-SD. Student t-test was used to assess the statistical difference between any two means. RESULTS: 1) The mean basal level of serum T3 was reduced in ESRD patients (53.6+/-33.2ng/dL) and increased to the low normal level 1 month after RT (87.8+/-25.4ng/dL), improved to the normal level 6 years after RT (116.3+/-28.8ng/dL). 2) The mean basal level of T4 was within normal range before RT (5.9+/-1.1microgram/dL), after 1 month (6.2+/-1.2microgram/dL) and after 6 years (6.5+/-1.4microgram/dL) of RT. 3) The mean basal level of TSH was within normal range before RT (2.0+/-1.2microU/mL), after 1 month (1.1+/-0.7microU/mL), and after 6 years (0.7+/-0.5microU/mL) of RT. Rut the mean TSH level of 6 years of RT was significantly decreased within the normal range. 4) In ESRD the TSH response to TRH was blunted, had a diminished peak and delayed fall before RT. After 1 month of RT, the TSH response to TRH was persistently blunted, however showed more rapid fall of TSH. After 6 years of RT, the TSH response to TRH normalized, but the absolute level of TSH and the peak level of TSH to TRH were less than before and after 1 month of RT. CONCLUSIONS: The abnormalities of thyroid hormones in uremic patients were improved partially after 1 month of RT and almost completely after 6 years of RT. But the level of T3H and the peak level of TSH to TRH were low within normal range, these results may be a direct consequence of low-dosage and long-term glucorcorticoid administration.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Fasting ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Reference Values ; Renal Dialysis ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Hormones ; Uremia

A 23-year-old medical student showed a positive reaction on a skin test for Paragonimus westermani, and two Tarsonemus floricolus mites were subsequently found by sputum examination and identified morphologically. Our report is the first human case of Tarsonemus floricolus in Korea.
Adult ; Animals ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Mite Infestations/*parasitology ; Pyroglyphidae/anatomy & histology/*growth & development ; Sputum/*parasitology

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Bloating is common bothersome symptoms and most studies conducted in the Western countries found that bloating was frequently associated with lower gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms but many patients complaint bloating as upper GI symptoms in the clinical setting. This study was conducted to assess the prevalence of bloating, and to identify symptom grouping and finally document the impact of bloating in the diagnosis of functional GI disorders. METHODS: Participants in a comprehensive health-screening cohort were enrolled. They were asked about demographic, medical, and social history and upper and lower GI symptoms by using a validated questionnaire. Factor analysis with principal component analysis method with varimax rotation was used. RESULTS: Among the total of 1050 subjects (mean age, 44.6 ± 10.2 years; females, 46.4%), significant bloating symptoms were found in 282 (26.9%); the prevalence of functional bloating was 6.9%. Factor analysis revealed a 5-component structure with upper GI symptoms, constipation, diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), constipation-predominant IBS, and fecal incontinence. Abdominal bloating loaded on both the upper GI symptoms (0.51 of loadings) and constipation (0.40). On logistic regression analysis, bloating was more predictable for IBS (OR, 7.5; P < 0.001) than functional dyspepsia (FD; OR, 3.7; P = 0.002). Bloating was more frequently combined with IBS according to their severity, but this association was not detected in patients with FD. CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal bloating is common symptom in about a quarter of patients and appears as upper as well as lower GI symptoms. However, abdominal bloating is more predictable for IBS, especially constipation-predominant IBS, than FD.
Cohort Studies ; Constipation ; Diagnosis ; Dyspepsia ; Epidemiology ; Fecal Incontinence ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Diseases* ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; Logistic Models ; Methods ; Prevalence ; Principal Component Analysis

BACKGROUND: Lipoprotein(a)[Lp(a)] is a subspecies of low-density lipoprotein and has been shown to be associated with pathogenesis of thrombosis-related disease. It is already known that patients with diabetic nephropathy are usually complicated by vascular complications such as coronary artery diseases and cerebrovascular accidents. According to the recent data, Lp(a) level tends to be increased as the proteinuria is increased and renal function are decreased. We evaluated the Lp(a) level to know whether its level is correlated to the severity of diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: We investigated Lp(a) levels in eighty-one patients with Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients. They were divided into four groups according to the level of urinary albumin excretion and serum creatinine level: Group 1 (n=30): normal renal function + urine microalbumin or=1.5mg/dL. Blood samples were obtained during the morning in the fasting state and separated serum from the it and reserved at -70degrees C. Lp(a) concentration was checked by one-step sandwich ELISA test. All grouped data were expressed as mean+/-SD. ANOVA and unpaired t-test was used to assess the statistical difference between any two means. RESULTS: Lp(a) levels were 30.2+/-4.6mg/dL in Group 1, 42.7+/-8.2mg/dL in group 2, 73.4+/-19.7mg/dL in group 3, and 80.7+/-14.8mg/dL in group 4. The level of Lp(a) in group4, group 3, and group 2 was significantly higher than that of group 1 respectively (P=0.009, 0.001, 0.038). However, no significant correlation was observed between the level of Lp(a) and that of total cholesterol, triglyceride and total lipid in all groups. CONCLUSIONS: these results indicate that Lp(a) concentrations are increased in the patients with diabetic nephropathy with microalbuminuria or overt proteinuria. So, the presence of albuminuria may be the important determinant for the elevated Lp(a) level in diabetic nephropathy.
Albuminuria ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Creatinine ; Diabetic Nephropathies* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fasting ; Humans ; Lipoprotein(a)* ; Lipoproteins* ; Proteinuria ; Stroke ; Triglycerides ; Urinalysis

Neutrophils are the predominant inflammatory cells found in vaginal discharges of patients infected with Trichomonas vaginalis. In this study, we examined superoxide anion (O2(.-)) production by neutrophils activated by T. vaginalis. Human neutrophils produced superoxide anions when stimulated with either a lysate of T. vaginalis, its membrane component (MC), or excretory-secretory product (ESP). To assess the role of trichomonad protease in production of superoxide anions by neutrophils, T. vaginalis lysate, ESP, and MC were each pretreated with a protease inhibitor cocktail before incubation with neutrophils. Superoxide anion production was significantly decreased by this treatment. Trichomonad growth was inhibited by preincubation with supernatants of neutrophils incubated for 3 hr with T. vaginalis lysate. Furthermore, myeloperoxidase (MPO) production by neutrophils was stimulated by live trichomonads. These results indicate that the production of superoxide anions and MPO by neutrophils stimulated with T. vaginalis may be a part of defense mechanisms of neutrophils in trichomoniasis.
Anions/*metabolism ; Female ; Humans ; Neutrophils/enzymology/*metabolism/parasitology ; Peroxidase/metabolism ; Superoxides/*metabolism ; Trichomonas Infections/enzymology/*metabolism/parasitology ; Trichomonas vaginalis/*isolation & purification/physiology

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of interferon alpha therapy with or without prednisolone in children with chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: Twenty-eight children (22 boys, 6 girls, mean age 130 months) had seropositive results for HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV DNA; 11 had chronic persistent hepatitis and 17 had chronic active hepatitis. The patients were divided into two groups depending upon their inflammatory activity on liver biopsy, pretreatment serum ALT levels and HBV DNA levels. Fourteen children (group 1: chronic active hepatitis, ALT > or = 100 IU/L and HBV DNA < or = 100 pg/300 microliter) received interferon alpha 2a 5 MU/m2 of body surface three times weekly for 6 months. Fourteen children (group 2: chronic persistent hepatitis or chronic active hepatitis with ALT < 100 IU/L or HBV DNA > 100 pg/300 microliter) received prednisolone in decreasing daily doses of 60 mg/m2, 40 mg/m2, and 20 mg/m2, each for 2 weeks, followed after 2 weeks by interferon alpha 2a on the same schedule. At the end of therapy, 3 end points were analyzed: HBeAg seroconversion, serum ALT normalization rate and clearance of serum HBV DNA. RESULTS: At the end of treatment, HBe antigen-to antibody seroconversion was higher but not more significant in group 1 than group 2 (71.4% vs. 50.0%). Only one patient in group 2 who lost HBeAg, also cleared HBsAg. ALT normalization was similar in both groups (64.3% in group 1 vs. 55.6% in group 2). Clearance of serum HBV DNA was observed in 78.6% of patients in group 1 and 64.3% in group 2, but no significant differences. Complete response was similarly achieved in both groups (57.1% in group 1 vs. 50.0% in group 2). Interferon alpha therapy with prednisolone priming was well tolerated and all children finished therapy. CONCLUSION: The combined therapy with prednisolone followed by interferon alpha may be safe and effective in inducing a serological and biochemical remission of the disease in approximately 50% of children with chronic hepatitis B and with a high level of viral replication and less active disease. However, a controlled study should be performed to confirm these results.
Appointments and Schedules ; Biopsy ; Child* ; DNA ; Female ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B, Chronic* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha* ; Interferons ; Liver ; Prednisolone*

Vaginal trichomoniasis, caused by Trichomonas vaginalis, is the most common sexually transmitted disease. More than 170 million people worldwide are annually infected by this protozoan. In the Republic of Korea, 10.4% of women complaining of vaginal symptoms and signs were found to be infected with T. vaginalis. However, despite its high prevalence, the pathogenesis of T. vaginalis infection has not been clearly characterized although neutrophil infiltration is considered to be primarily responsible for the cytologic changes associated with this infection. We hypothesized that trichomonads in the vagina sometime after an acute infection secrete proteins like excretorysecretory product that have a chemotactic effect on neutrophils, and that these neutrophils are further stimulated by T. vaginalis to produce chemokines like IL-8 and GRO-alpha, which further promote neutrophil recruitment and chemotaxis. Thus, neutrophil accumulation is believed to maintain or aggravate inflammation. However, enhanced neutrophil apoptosis induced by live T. vaginalis could contribute to resolution of inflammation. Macrophages may constitute an important component of host defense against T. vaginalis infection. For example, mouse macrophages alone and those activated by lymphokines or nitric oxide are known to be involved in the extracellular killing of T. vaginalis. In the host, T. vaginalis uses a capping phenomenon to cleave host immunoglobulins with proteinases and thus escape from host immune responses. Recently, we developed a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique using primers based on a repetitive sequence cloned from T. vaginalis (TV-E650), and found that the method enables the detection of T. vaginalis at concentrations as low as 1 cell per PCR mixture.
Trichomonas vaginalis/cytology/*isolation & purification/pathogenicity ; Trichomonas Vaginitis/drug therapy/*epidemiology/parasitology ; Korea/epidemiology ; Humans ; Female ; Animals