There are well known infectious diarrheal disease including viral disease such as HuCVs (Human caliciviruses), rotaviruses, enteric adenoviruses and astroviruses. We performed surveillance of infectious diarrheal disease in this study for providing the information for regional prevalence of infectious diarrheal disease and establish basement of diagnostic scheme for these infectious diarrheal disease. For the study, 3,400 stool specimens collected from 10 hospitals in Gwangju from April 2000 to March 2002 were used in investigation for the detection of infectious diarrheal disease. For group A rotaviruses, enteric adenoviruses and astrovirus, we carried out antigen capturing ELISA and RT-PCR with specific primers reacting RNA dependent RNA polymerase gene of HuCVs is used for the detection of RNA of HuCVs. As a results, we detected viral antigen or genome from 537 out of 3,400 specimens (15.8%). 443 out of 537 (82.5%) were confirmed as rotaviruses antigen positively, and 14 (2.6%) and 3 (0.8%) samples were antigen positive to enteric adenoviruses and astroviruses, respectively. We detected HuCV genome from 73 (13.6%) samples by specific amplification. We found that predominantly causative virus is rotavirus in Gwangju but HuCVs take major portion of viral agents causing diarrhea considering the age and seasonal distribution of specimens. Prevalence of adenoviruses and astroviruses are very low compared with worldwide situation. While the infection of rotavirus is limited to young infant under 2 years old, infection of HuCV has wide age distribution. These results suggest that existence of various strains of HuCVs and low rate of cross-protection among distinct antigenic group make it difficult to form immunity in older age. This epidemiological information relating to various diarrheic viruses is first reported in Gwangju, therefore it could provide present prevalence of viral agents causing gastroenteritis and backgrounds to establishment of protection viral diarrhea and development.
Adenoviridae ; Age Distribution ; Child, Preschool ; Diarrhea* ; Dysentery ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epidemiologic Studies* ; Epidemiology ; Gastroenteritis ; Genome ; Gwangju* ; Humans ; Infant ; Prevalence ; RNA ; RNA Replicase ; Rotavirus ; Seasons ; Virus Diseases

PURPOSE: To investigate the relationships among the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway, androgen receptor (AR), and clinicopathological factors in hormone-naive prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted with132 cases of hormone-naive prostate cancer treated by prostatectomy and prostate needle biopsy. An immunohistochemical study using antibodies against beta-catenin, matrix metalloproteinase-7 (MMP-7), and the AR was performed. For the in vitro study, PC-3, LNCaP, 22Rv1, and DU145 cell lines were used. RESULTS: The clinical or pathological stage ware a localized cancer in 36 patients (27.3%), locally advanced cancer in 31 (23.5%), and metastatic cancer in 65 (49.2%). We detected increased beta-catenin, AR, and MMP-7 expression with a high Gleason grade, disease progression, and increasing serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels (p<0.01). In Spearman's rank correlations, the expression of cytoplasmic beta-catenin, MMP-7, and the AR were found to be significantly positively correlated. In addition, the expression of beta-catenin, MMP-7, and the AR were significantly correlated with clinicopathological variables indicative of a poor prognosis. Forty-nine patients with primary androgen deprivation had short response durations from hormone therapy to PSA progression with elevated MMP-7 expression on the Kaplan-Meier curve (p=0.0036). CONCLUSIONS: These data show that an activated Wnt/beta-catenin pathway and AR expression in prostate cancer are correlated with metastasis and aggressiveness. In addition, the expression of MMP-7 protein, a target of the Wnt/beta-catenin pathway, is associated with PSA progression in prostate cancer patients undergoing primary hormone therapy.
Antibodies ; beta Catenin ; Biopsy, Needle ; Cell Line ; Cytoplasm ; Disease Progression ; Humans ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 7 ; Matrix Metalloproteinases ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Prostate ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Receptors, Androgen

PURPOSE: To analyze the feasibility of three-dimensional (3D) diffusion-weighted (DW) PSIF (reversed FISP [fast imaging with steady-state free precession]) sequence in order to evaluate peripheral nerves in the elbow. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ten normal, asymptomatic volunteers were enrolled (6 men, 4 women, mean age 27.9 years). The following sequences of magnetic resonance images (MRI) of the elbow were obtained using a 3.0-T machine: 3D DW PSIF, 3D T2 SPACE (sampling perfection with application optimized contrasts using different flip angle evolution) with SPAIR (spectral adiabatic inversion recovery) and 2D T2 TSE (turbo spin echo) with modified Dixon (m-Dixon) sequence. Two observers used a 5-point grading system to analyze the image quality of the ulnar, median, and radial nerves. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of each nerve were measured. We compared 3D DW PSIF images with other sequences using the Wilcoxon-signed rank test and Friedman test. Inter-observer agreement was measured using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) analysis. RESULTS: The mean 5-point scores of radial, median, and ulnar nerves in 3D DW PSIF (3.9/4.2/4.5, respectively) were higher than those in 3D T2 SPACE SPAIR (1.9/2.8/2.8) and 2D T2 TSE m-Dixon (1.7/2.8/2.9) sequences (P < 0.05). The mean SNR in 3D DW PSIF was lower than 3D T2 SPACE SPAIR, but there was no difference between 3D DW PSIF and 2D T2 TSE m-Dixon in all of the three nerves. The mean CNR in 3D DW PSIF was lower than 3D T2 SPACE SPAIR and 2D T2 TSE m-Dixon in the median and ulnar nerves, but no difference among the three sequences in the radial nerve. CONCLUSION: The three-dimensional DW PSIF sequence may be feasible to evaluate the peripheral nerves around the elbow in MR imaging. However, further optimization of the image quality (SNR, CNR) is required.
Elbow Joint ; Elbow* ; Female ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Peripheral Nerves* ; Pilot Projects* ; Radial Nerve ; Signal-To-Noise Ratio ; Ulnar Nerve ; Volunteers