No Abstract Available.
Humans ; Interleukin-12* ; Interleukin-18* ; Tuberculosis, Pleural*

BACKGROUND: In order to study hair biology, a hair organ culture system is necessary. However satisfactory hair culture systems have not been established. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of growth factors and to establish a hair organ culture system for studying hair biology and to evaluate the effectiveness of growth factors. METHOD: After the healthy human anagen hair follicles were collected without any visible damage, they were cultured in William E medium with several combinations of growth factors including insulin, hydrocortisone, sodium selenite, human transfemn, fetal calf serum and epidermal growth factor at 37C in an atmosphere of 5% CO2/air incubation. The culture medium was changed every 3 days. The results were evaluated by measuring hair growth and hair follicle morphology. RESULTS: The results of this study are summarized as follows; 1) In the medium composed of insulin, hydrocortisone,sodium selenite and human transferrin, the human hair follicles continued to grow at an in vivo rate of 0.3mm in a day over 10 days without change of gross and microscopic morphology. 2) In the medium containing insulin and/or hydrocortisone the growing rate of the human hair follicles was similar to that in vivo, but the follicles revealed premature entry into catagen at 2-6 days in the culture macroscopically and microscopically. 3) Adding fetal calf serum to the above medium made the hair follicles retain the freshly isolated hair follicles morphology for 10 days in culture, even though they grew somewhat slower than the in vivo rate from 6 days in culture. 4) The effectiveness of EGF mimics the in vivo depilation of EGF in sheep. CONCLUSION: To supplement insulin, hydrocortisone, sodium selenite, transferrin as growth factors, William E medium was necessary for maintenance of an in vivo growth rate and the morphology the anagen hair follicles. This culture system is not enough, but it might be useful for investigation of the physiology, biology of hair follicles as well as pharmacology and toxicology in hair.
Atmosphere ; Biology ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; Hair Follicle* ; Hair Removal ; Hair* ; Humans* ; Hydrocortisone ; Insulin ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins* ; Organ Culture Techniques* ; Pharmacology ; Physiology ; Selenious Acid ; Sheep ; Sodium Selenite ; Toxicology ; Transferrin

Bronchial foreign body is not a rare disease in children and it is urgently necessary to remove this foreign body from the airway to relive life or to prevent further damages and complications. But the innate small size of airways in infants makes it difficult to access by interventional methods such as intubation or bronchoscopy and etc. Laryngeal mask airway is a new way of method of airway management which is relatively recently introduced into medical practice. It gives way to access to airways without reducing the size of airway or incresing airway pressure during procedure through it and have many other advantages compared to the previous traditional endotracheal intubation, especially in infants. We successfully removed a case of bronchial foreign body, peanut, via laryngeal mask airway during fiberoptic bronchoscopy and by this method we can avoid the unnecessary tracheostomy in this 1 year old infant.
Airway Management ; Bronchoscopy* ; Child ; Foreign Bodies* ; Humans ; Infant ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Laryngeal Masks ; Masks* ; Rare Diseases ; Tracheostomy

In this study, we investigated interleukin (IL)-18 and IL-12 following in vitro stimulation with either the 30-kDa or purified protein derivative (PPD) antigens (Ag) of pleural mononuclear cells from 12 cases of tubercular pleurisy (TB-PMC) and 8 cases of malignant pleurisy (MG-PMC). Ag-stimulated TB-PMC produced significantly more IL-12 than did MG-PMC and the levels correlated with those of IFN - gamma. Although elevated IL-18 levels were found in freshly isolated pleural fluids, in vitro IL-18 production in response to either Ag was dramatically decreased in TB-PMC. Pro-IL-18 mRNA was detected before and after Ag stimulation in TB patients. Supernatants from the Ag-stimulated TB-PMC significantly suppressed IL-18 production in normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and primary malignant cells over an 18 h incubation period. In addition, this suppressive activity was not inactivated by either heat or trypsin. Our findings imply that modulation of IL-12 and IL-18 levels may contribute to the Th1 elevation induced in human TB-P VIC by the 30-kDa and PPD antigens.
Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Interleukin-12* ; Interleukin-18* ; Interleukins ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Pleurisy ; RNA, Messenger ; Trypsin ; Tuberculosis, Pleural

Nonspecific interstitial pneumonia (NSIP) was first described as a new category of idiopathic interstitial pneumonia in 1994. This is a disease with a more insidious onset and has a chronic course. The histological findings are unusual for other idiopathic interstitial pneumonia cases (usual interstitial pneumonia, diffuse interstitial pneumonia, and acute interstitial pneumonia). In contrast to NSIP, acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) has an acute onset and a fulminant course with the rapid development of respiratory failure. A pathological examination demonstrated characteristic diffuse interstitial fibrosis, hyaline membranes, thrombi, and architectural derangement. Here we report a 48-year-old woman who was diagnosed pathologically NSIP, but with a rapid progressive course similar to AIP.
Female ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial* ; Membranes ; Middle Aged ; Respiratory Insufficiency

Tsutsugamushi disease is an acute febrile illness caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi. It is characterized by fever, myalgia, lymphadenopathy, and rash. And it can be easily diagnosed by characteristic eschar and serologic testing. Nearly all of the patients with tsutsugamushi disease improve with antibiotics such as doxycycline. However, the fatality rate of untreated cases is seven to ten percent. The well-known causes of mortality are respiratory failure associated with pulmonary edema or adult respiratory distress syndrome. We report a case of tsutsugamushi disease complicated with acute respiratory distress syndrome and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy, despite of doxycycline treatment. A 78-year old woman was admitted to the hospital because of fever. Twelve days before admission she had suffered myalgia and some days later she developed a rash. Despite of management at a local clinic, her condition deteriorated and she was transferred to our hospital. On admission she presented with altered consciousness and two eschars on her right arm and right thigh. Under the initial diagnosis of scrub typhus, doxycycline was administered. Her fever subsided with the initiation of doxycycline. However, her hypoxia worsened progressively and she died on the fifth hospital day.
Adult* ; Aged ; Anoxia ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Arm ; Consciousness ; Diagnosis ; Doxycycline ; Exanthema ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Mortality ; Myalgia ; Orientia tsutsugamushi ; Pulmonary Edema ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult* ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Scrub Typhus* ; Serologic Tests ; Thigh

PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between the expressions of p53, bcl-2, bax, and p-glycoprotein and the chemotherapeutic response seen in patients with advanced NSCLC. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-four patients pathologically proven as NSCLC were reviewed. They had undergone at least two cycles of the same chemotherapeutic agents (cisplatin 60 mg/m2 day 1+ vinorelbine 25 mg/m2 day 1, 8, 21-day cycle) and the clinical response was evaluated by WHO criteria. The expressions of p53, bcl-2, bax, and p-glycoprotein were determined by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Patients recorded as CR (2/44) and PR (20/44) were classified as the responder group (22/44) and stable (17/44) and progression (5/44) as the non-responder group (22/44). Positive expression of p53, bcl-2, bax, and p-glycoprotein were 84.1%, 65.9%, 88.6%, and 61.4% respectively. The expression score of p53 was significantly higher in the non-responder group than that seen in the responder group (8.59+/-1.89 vs 5.32+/-2.15, p<0.05). However, the expression scores of bcl-2, bax, and p-glycoprotein were not significantly correlated with the clinical response. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that p53 gene mutation plays an important role in the clinical response to chemotherapy including cisplatin and vinorelbine. In future investigations, the correlation with the survival time will be studied.
Cisplatin ; Drug Therapy ; Genes, p53 ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; P-Glycoprotein*

PURPOSE: To determine the therapeutic effect and toxicities of cisplatin and vinorelbine combination chemotherapy in patients with inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between Jan 1998 and Dec 1999, 28 patients with inoperable non- small-cell lung cancer were treated with cisplatin and vinorelbine combination chemotherapy as induction treatment. A combination of vinorelbine 25 mg/m2 day 1,8 and cisplatin 60 mg/m2 day 1 were given and repeated every 3 weeks. Then we assessed response and toxicity according to WHO grades. RESULTS: According to response criteria, there were 1 complete response, 12 partial response (42.9%), 12 stable disease (42.9%), and 3 progression (10.7%). The median survival was 12 months. According to toxicity grades, 24 grade 3 myelosuppression (24.7%), 12 grade 4 myelo suppression (10.7%), 6 grade 3 and 4 constipation (6.1%), and mild 7 (7.2%) thrombophlebitis were experienced in evaluable 97 cycles. There was no other clinically severe toxicity. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that combination chemotherapy with cisplatin and vinorelbine in patients with inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer was effective and safe.
Cisplatin* ; Constipation ; Drug Therapy ; Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Thrombophlebitis

BACKGROUND: Maligant pleural effusions are common and significant problems in patient with advanced malignancies. In comparison with traditional sclerosing agent, intrapleural chemotherapy has a potential advantage of treating the underlying malignancy in addition to providing local control of th effusion. This study evaluated efficacy of intrapleural chemotherapy with cisplatin and cytarabine in the management of malignant pleural effusion from lung cancer and others. METHODS: 29 patients with pathology-proven malignant pleural effusion were prospectively analyzed to estimate the effect of intrapleural chemotherapy. A single dose of cisplatin 100mg/m plus cytarabine 1200mg/m in the 250ml normal saline were instilled into the pleural space via a chest tube and drained 4 hours later. Patients were evaluated for toxicity and response at 24hours, 1st, 2nd, 3rd week, and monthly interval. No recurrence of the effusion was considered a complete response(CR). Partial responses (PR) was defined as a 75% or greater decrease in the amount of effusion on serial chest radiographs. RESULTS: The overall response rate(CR plus PR) was 93.1% (27 of 29 patients). The median length of response was 7.5 months. Among 17 patients who were assessable until they died, 14 patients(82%) maintained complete response at the last follow-up. One patient experienced reversible grade 4 myelosuppression, 3 patients had grade 3 nausea & vomiting. 2 patients had empyema, and 2 patients had wound infection. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of this trial indicated that the intrapleural chemotherapy with cisplatin and cytarabine with little treatment related mortality and morbidity.
Chest Tubes ; Cisplatin* ; Cytarabine* ; Drug Therapy* ; Empyema ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Mortality ; Nausea ; Pleural Effusion ; Pleural Effusion, Malignant* ; Prospective Studies ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Recurrence ; Vomiting ; Wound Infection

BACKGROUND: Ineffective cell-mediated immune response in human tuberculosis is associated with a depressed Th1 cytokine response and reduced production of IFN-gamma. Most persons infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis are healthy tuberculin reactors with protective immunity, but a minority with ineffective immunity develop extensive pulmonary tuberculosis. The cell-mediated immune response is an important aspect of host resistance to mycobacterial infection and is believed to be tightly regulated by a balance between Th1 cytokines including IFN-gamma IL-12, IL-18, regulated on activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) and Th2 counterparts such as IL-4, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). METHODS: Proliferation and mRNA expression of IFN-gamma RANTES and MCP-1 by RT-PCR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in response to in vitro stimulation with mycobacterial antigens were compared in pulmonary tuberculosis patients with cured and treatment failure and in tuberculin-positive and tuberculin-negative healthy subjects. RESULTS: Defective proliferative responsiveness to aqueous TSP antigen was involved with treatment failure tuberculosis patients. Aqueous TSP antigen-induced IFN-gamma and RANTES mRNA expression was decreased in treatment failure tuberculosis patients compared with healthy tuberculin reactors and cured tuberculosis patients (23.1% versus 90.0% for IFN-gamma and 46.2% versus 70.0% versus 46.2% for RANTES). The frequency of MCP-1 mRNA expression to aqueous TSP antigen in treatment failure tuberculosis patients was greater than in healthy tuberculin reactors and cured tuberculosis patients (76.9% versus 40.0%). CONCLUSION: The increasing expression of MCP-1 mRNA in response to aqueous TSP antigen might be predicted to favor Th2 responses and restricted Th1 responses in treatment failure of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Chemokine CCL2 ; Chemokine CCL5 ; Cytokines ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular* ; Interleukin-12 ; Interleukin-18 ; Interleukin-4 ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; RNA, Messenger ; Treatment Failure* ; Tuberculin ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*