No Abstract Available.
Chondrocytes* ; Phenotype*

Purpose: To assess the impact of toxoplasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) titers on the diagnosis of active ocular toxoplasmosis. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients tested for toxoplasma IgG at our uveitis clinic. Active ocular toxoplasmosis was clinically diagnosed based on wide-angle fundus photography and disease progression. Patients with IgG titers ≥ 30 IU/mL were classified as seropositive-high titer, those with IgG titers of 1.6-30 IU/mL as seropositive-low titer, and the remaining patients as seronegative. We compared the proportion of active ocular toxoplasmosis among these groups. Additionally, we evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of each titer and attempted to determine an ideal reference titer for toxoplasma IgG in diagnosing active ocular toxoplasmosis. Results: Out of 824 patients, 86 (10.4%), 88 (10.7%), and 650 (78.9%) were categorized as seropositive-high titer, seropositivelow titer, and seronegative, respectively. Among these patients, 34 in the seropositive-high titer group and 2 in the seropositive- low titer group were clinically diagnosed with active ocular toxoplasmosis. The false-positive rate was significantly different between the groups, being 60.5% in the seropositive-high titer group and 97.7% in the seropositive-low titer group (p < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic curve indicated that 37.70 IU/mL could be an ideal reference titer for diagnosing ocular toxoplasmosis. Conclusions The false-positive rate was notably lower (60.5%) in patients with IgG titers ≥ 30 IU/mL compared to those with titers of 1.6-30 IU/mL (97.7%). Therefore, not only the presence of IgG but also the level of titer appears to be important in diagnosing ocular toxoplasmosis.

Present study aimed to investigate the immunological activities of cell wall associated protein antigen solubilized with Triton X-100 (TSP) from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv and conducted on 43 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (newly diagnosed, medicated within 12 months and chronic refractory patients) and 17 normal healthy controls. These immunological responses were compared with those induced by the PPD or 30 kDa antigen from M, tuberculosis H37Rv culture filtrates, identified as biologically important secreted proteins. Proliferative responses to mycobacterial antigens were compared in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of healthy subjects and pulmonary tuberculosis patients. Signiticant blastogenic responses to the TSP were observed in healthy tuberculin reactors, newly diagnosed and some of antituberculosis drug-medicated patients by H-thymidine incorporation assay. IL-12 p40 and IFN-r mRNA expressions to the TSP were markedly increased, whereas IL-10 and TNF-a mRNA expressions were decreased at a 5 day-stimulation by PBMC in healthy tuberculin reactors, newly diagnosed and medicated patients. However, patients with chronic refractory tuberculosis exhibited more depressed IL-12 p40 and IFN-r mRNA expressions to all of the antigens than another groups. Interestingly, very low IL-10 and TNF-a mRNA expressions cultured with the TSP were also shown. These data suggest that the TSP may be involved in the macrophage activation by induction of Th1 stimulatory signals, such as IL-12, and suppression of Th1 inhibitory cytokine, IL-10.
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Testicular infiltration is less common than CNS leukemia and is manifested by painless, progressive enlargement of the testis, This complication may also occur during a period of hematologic remission. We report a case of testicular infiltration developed in a 14yrs old man old man and the relevant literature has been reviewed.
Humans ; Leukemia* ; Testis

Dermatofibroma with granular cells is composed mainly of spindle shaped cells mixed with in-conspicuous foamy cells that contain granular cytoplasm. We present a case of dermatofibroma with granular cells in a 36-year-old male who visited our clinic to evaluate a slow-growing nodule on the medial side of the left lawer leg. He have had the nodule for five years and sometimes felt an itching sensation. Biopsy of the nodule identified a dermal nodular tumor showing cellular spindle cell proliferation admixed with peripheral foamy histiocytes. With the immunohistochemical staining, the granular cell was positive for alpha-1-antitrypsin and CD68, and negative for S-100. A few electron-dense granules were seen in the cytoplasm on the electronmicroscopic study. These results suggested that the granular cells originated from histiocytes.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Cell Proliferation ; Cytoplasm ; Histiocytes ; Histiocytoma, Benign Fibrous* ; Humans ; Leg ; Male ; Pruritus ; Sensation

Matrix metalloproteinases are believed to play an important role in tumor invasion and metastasis. But little is known about the role of them in the gastric adenocarcinoma. We investigated the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1,2,3 in eighty paraffin blocks of the primary gastric adenocarcinoma tissues with immunohistochemistry and analysed their correlation with lymph node metastasis and survival. MMP-1,2,3 were expressed most intensely in the fibroblasts around the tumor stroma. In our study the increased immunoreactivity of MMP-2 only showed statistically significant correlation with lymph node metastasis (P=0.0517, Odd's ratio=2.274). But MMP-1,2,3 all were correlated with survival. Type IV collagen was observed in the vascular basement membranes and tumor basement membranes and showed statistically significant correlation with lymph node metastasis (P=0.0002, Odd's ratio=0.194) and prognosis (P=0.0001). The immunoreactivity of MMP-2 and type IV collagen was inversely correlated (Kendall's Tau-b correlation = 0.37482, P=0.0001). Our results suggest that in human gastric adenocarcinoma the increased immunoreactivity of MMP-2 and the decreased immunoreactivity of type IV collagen has an important role in lymph node metastasis and prognosis. MMP-1,3 are not correlated with lymph node metastasis but correlated with survival. The mechanism responsible for the production of MMP by the host fibroblasts remains obscure and requires further investigation.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Basement Membrane ; Collagen Type IV* ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Nodes* ; Matrix Metalloproteinases ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Paraffin ; Prognosis*

No abstract available.
Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome*

No abstract available.
Mitral Valve Insufficiency*

No abstract available.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Sputum*

No abstract available.
Humans* ; Lymphokines* ; Monocytes* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium*