PURPOSE: The positive rates of allergy skin test of pollens are relatively higher in children in Suwon compared to other areas in Korea. To evaluate the significance of tree pollen as a causative allergen, we undertook this study. METHODS: In 252 children with asthma, scratch tests were done with 72 extracts, including 9 tree pollen. Antigen specific serum IgE antibodies were measured by radioimmunoassay. In 2 children, birch-bronchial challenges were performed. RESULTS: By allergic skin tests, 231 of 252 children showed positive skin reactions to more than 1 antigen, and 102 (44.2%) showed positive reactions to tree pollen extracts. Twenty-five (24.5%) were house dust mites non-sensitive, tree pollen sensitive children. The skin test positivity to individual antigens are as follows : D. pteronyssinus (72.7%), D. farinae (68.4%), hazel (53%), willow (53%), birch (19.9%), oak (19.5%), beech (17.3%), alder (10.4%), ash (8.7%) and elm (7.4%). The degree of skin reaction to tree pollen was relatively weaker than those of house dust mites. The positive concordance rates between skin tests and specific IgE reactions to D. pteronyssinus, D. farinae and tree pollens were 94.4%, 77.3% and 64.1%, respectively. Seven out of 25 mite non-sensitive children had seasonal pollinosis and 2 children experienced early asthmatic responses due to birch-bronchial challenge tests. CONCLUSION: Up to 44.2% of children with respiratory allergy showed positive reactions to tree pollen extracts and 24.5% of them were house dust mites non-sensitive cases. Therefore, tree pollen should be investigated as a causative allergen, regardless of a patient's age.
Alnus ; Antibodies ; Asthma ; Betula ; Child* ; Fagus ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunoglobulin E ; Korea ; Mites ; Pollen* ; Pyroglyphidae ; Radioimmunoassay ; Rhinitis ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal* ; Salix ; Seasons ; Skin ; Skin Tests

OBJECTIVES: Refractory period and conduction time of the slow and fast pathways in the atrioven-tricular node are known to be the most important determinant of the inducibility of atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia (AUNRT) but their relationship has not been determined in Korean. METHODS: Two hundred and ten patients under-gone electrophysioiogic study. One hundred twenty two patients with dual AV nodal pathways were divided into two groups (group I, 77 patients with no inducible AVNRT; group II, 45 patients with inducible AVNRT). RESULTS: Antegrade dual AV nodal pathways were documented in 77 patients (47%) out of 165 patients on whom AVNRT was not induced, Antegrade ERP of slow pathway in paced rhythm (600 msec) was shorter in group II than in group I (331 +/- 14 msec vs 269 +/- 47 msec, p<0.05). Ventriculoatrial block cycle length (VABCL) and retrograde ERP of the AV conduction system were significantly shorter in group 2 than in group 1 (p<0.001). Maximum slow pathway conduction times in sinus rhythm and paced rhythm (600msec) in group 2 were significantly longer than in group 1 (sinus rhythm: 332 +/- 68msec vs. 379 +/- 88msec, p<0.005; paced rhythm: 332 +/- 69msec vs. 392 +/- 85msec, p<0.005). The ERP gaps of two AV nodal pathways of group 2 in sinus rhythm and in paced rhythm were also significantly longer than those of group 1 (sinus rhythm 41 +/- 3msec vs. 78 +/- 50msec, p<0.001; paced rhythm 36 +/- 32 msec vs. 72 +/- 19msec, p<0.005). The incidence of intact ventriculoatrial conduction was significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 (p<0.05). Antegrade slow pathway conduction time (A2H2 interval) at the time of AVNRT induction with single atrial premature depolarization (APD) with a coupling interval over 10 msec less than that of an APD producing AH jump were not correlated with VABCL (r=0.193, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Dual AV nodal pathways were observed in 47% of patients with no-inducible AVNRT group. The inducibility of AVNRT appears to be closely ralated to the some conduction characteristics of the dual pathways and the refractoriness, i.e. maximum slow pathway conduction time, the ERP gap of two pathways, retrograde fast pathway ERP, VABCL.
Humans ; Incidence* ; Tachycardia, Atrioventricular Nodal Reentry*

Hydroxyurea is commonly used to treat hematologic disorders and some type of solid tumors, but the mechanism for its therapeutic effect is not clearly known. In this study, we examined the effect of hydroxyurea on rat hepatoma McA-RH7777 cells, specifically, on the role of mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signal transduction pathways and p21Waf1, p27Kip1 and p53. Rat hepatoma McA-RH7777 cells treated with hydroxyurea for 7 days, caused the inhibition of cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. But, this growth inhibition was not caused by necrosis or apoptosis but instead was associated with cell senescence-like change as evidenced by senescence associated-beta-galactosidase staining, and cells arrest at G1 phase of cell cycle. Phosphorylation of MAP kinases, such as ERK, JNK, and p38, was found to be decreased after treatment of cells with hydroxyurea. But, the expression of p21Waf1 was increased, while p27Kip1 and p53 were not detected in hydroxyurea treated rat hepatoma cells. Hydroxyurea treatment induced G1 arrest and a senescence-like changes in rat hepatoma McA-RH7777 cells may be the likely results of signal disruption of MAP kinases (ERK, JNK, and p38 MAP kinase) and p21Waf1 over-expression.
Animals ; Antineoplastic Agents/*pharmacology ; Cell Aging/drug effects ; Cell Cycle Proteins/analysis/metabolism/*physiology ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cell Proliferation/drug effects ; G1 Phase/drug effects/physiology ; Hydroxyurea/*pharmacology ; Liver Neoplasms, Experimental/enzymology/*metabolism ; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/analysis/*physiology ; Phosphorylation/drug effects ; Protein p53/analysis/metabolism ; Rats ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Tumor Suppressor Proteins/analysis/metabolism ; Up-Regulation

Purpose: Data are limited on the long-term efficacy and safety of drug-coated balloon (DCB) treatment in comparison to drugeluting stent (DES) for de novo coronary lesions. We investigated the long-term clinical outcomes of DCB treatment in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for de novo coronary lesions. Materials and Methods: A total of 103 patients scheduled for elective PCI for de novo non-small coronary lesions (≥2.5 mm) who were successfully treated with DCB alone were retrospectively compared with 103 propensity-matched patients treated with second-generation DES from the PTRG-DES registry (n=13160). All patients were followed for 5 years. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events [MACE; cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stroke, target lesion thrombosis, target vessel revascularization (TVR), and major bleeding] at 5 years. Results: At 5-year clinical follow-up, Kaplan-Meier estimates of the rate of MACE were significantly lower in the DCB group [2.9% vs. 10.7%; hazard ratio (HR): 0.26; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.07–0.96; log-rank p=0.027]. There was a significantly lower incidence of TVR in the DCB group (1.0% vs. 7.8%; HR: 0.12; 95% CI: 0.01–0.98; long-rank p=0.015), and there was major bleeding only in the DES group (0.0% vs. 1.9%; log-rank p=0.156). Conclusion At 5-year follow-up, DCB treatment was significantly associated with reduced incidences of MACE and TVR, compared with DES implantation, for de novo coronary lesions.

A 56-year-old male presented with resting dyspnea and chest discomfort for several years. During transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, a spontaneously healed membranous type ventricular septal defect (VSD) with malaligned interventricular septal wall, aneurysmal changes, a subaortic ridge and a double-chambered right ventricle (DCRV) was observed. When combined with DCRV, VSD with malalignment between the outlet and trabecular septa was associated with tetralogy of Fallot. The subaortic ridge was due to turbulent flow caused by the malalignment-type VSD. The VSD with malaligned interventricular septal wall can be developed after aneurismal changes of a perimembranous VSD. We report here in the unusual case of a 56-year-old patient who had a pathology complex comprising DCRV, subaortic ridge, spontaneously healed membranous type VSD with malaligned interventricular septal wall, and survived with surgical treatment.
Aneurysm ; Dyspnea ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tetralogy of Fallot ; Thorax