To delineate the individual role of follicular dendritic cells (FDC) and T cells at each stage of GC B cell differentiation at the clonal level and to analyze the signals required for the differentiation, we developed an experimental model using an FDC line, HK and a lymphoma cell line, L3055 for centroblasts. Phenotypic analysis of L 3055 revealed its origin of GC and the homogeneity. L3055 cells undergo spontaneous apoptosis when cultured in the absence of HK cells. L3055 cells proliferate continuously in the presence of HK cells, while they differentiate into a population with the phenotype of centrocytes after stimulation with CD40 ligand (CD 40L) plus IL-2, IL-4 and IL-10. L3055 undergo anti-Ig-mediated apoptosis, which is not protected by HK but by CD40L and the cytokines. These experimental results suggest that FDC provide signals for the survival and rapid proliferation of centroblasts and T cells trigger the differentiation of centroblasts into centrocytes.
Apoptosis ; CD40 Ligand ; Cell Differentiation* ; Cell Line ; Cytokines ; Dendritic Cells, Follicular ; Germinal Center* ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-2 ; Interleukin-4 ; Lymphoma ; Models, Theoretical ; Phenotype ; T-Lymphocytes

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: Follicular dendritic cells (FDCs) play key roles during T cell-dependent humoral immune responses by allowing antigen-specific B cells to survive, proliferate, and differentiate within the FDC networks of secondary follicles, i.e., germinal centers (GC). METHODS: A novel monoclonal antibody, 3C8, was generated by immunizing with an FDC line HK, in order to understand the molecular signals involved in the FDC-B cell interactions in the microenvironment of the GC. RESULTS: The 3C8 antibody did not bind to mononuclear cells, including T cells, B cells, and monocytes. Murine L929 and human skin fibroblasts exhibited no or little reactivity to 3C8. However, 3C8 specifically recognized HK cells by flowcytometry. Furthermore, the antigen recognized by 3C8 was restricted to the GC of the human tonsil. Dendritic networks of the GC were intensely stained by 3C8, but cells out side the GC were not. CONCLUSION: Our result s suggest that the antigen 3C8 may play some unique role on FDCs during the GC reactions.
B-Lymphocytes ; Cell Communication ; Dendritic Cells, Follicular* ; Fibroblasts ; Germinal Center ; Humans ; Immunity, Humoral ; Monocytes ; Palatine Tonsil ; Skin ; T-Lymphocytes

Congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited disease characterized by prolonged QT intervals and polymorphic ventricular tachycardia. The clinical manifestations vary from sudden cardiac death by ventricular arrhythmia to asymptom throughout life. In 1957, Jervell and Lange-Nielsen reported a syndrome of congen-ital sensory deafness associated with a prolonged QT interval in four children. The affected children had multiple syncopal episodes, and three died suddenly. The mode of inheritance is autosomal recessive. Affected persons are susceptible to recurrent syncope, and they have a high incidence of sudden death and short life expectancy. We report a case and review the literature on long QT syndrome diagnosed in a 30-year-old female with a history of convulsion and loss of consciousness during delivery.
Adult ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Child ; Deafness* ; Death, Sudden ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Jervell-Lange Nielsen Syndrome ; Life Expectancy ; Long QT Syndrome* ; Seizures ; Syncope* ; Tachycardia, Ventricular ; Unconsciousness ; Wills

OBJECTIVE: Appropriate evaluation of hypertension is important in the patients with a stroke because hypertension is a major cause of a stroke. Blood pressure may be falsely elevated or depressed immediately after a stroke, depending on the severity of neurological deficit, mobility, and physical activity, and the level of consciousness. To overcome this problem, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) has been proposed as a method of obtaining a more accurate clinical assessment. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The present study was performed in an acute stage of stroke patients to assess the manifestation of 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure, to observe the nocturnal blood pressure fall and to evaluate the relationship of blood pressure degree on admission and nocturnal blood pressure dip. Thirty four patients admitted within 24 hours after onset of acute stroke were involved in this study. 24 Hour blood pressure monitoring device was installed on an independent arm by oscillometric method as soon as brain imaging study was performed. ABPM readings were obtained each 30 minutes during daytime and each 1 hour during nighttime with electrocardiography. Each patients were classified as the presence or absence of hypertension. We examined nocturnal blood pressure dip and mean pressure of 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure. RESULTS: 1)This study demonstrated that comparing daytime with nighttime 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure, 20 of 24 patients (83%) with acute stroke with hypertension, did not show nocturnal blood pressure dip, and there was sustained high nocturnal blood pressure in patients with acute stroke with hypertension. 2)There were significant differences between 24 hour ambulatory mean daytime blood pressure and mean nighttime blood pressure in patients with acute stroke without hypertension, so was lower in nighttime (p<0.05). 3)It is likely that in acute stroke patients with hypertension, patients with higher blood pressure on admission had more abnormality of nocturnal blood pressure dip. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that in patients with acute stroke, 24 hour ABPM is useful method to assess diurnal variation and evaluate hypertension in acute stage of stroke patients, and suggest that patients with acute stroke with hypertension trend to loss of nocturnal blood pressure dip.
Arm ; Blood Pressure ; Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory* ; Blood Pressure Monitors ; Consciousness ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Motor Activity ; Neuroimaging ; Reading ; Stroke*

BACKGROUND: The yeasts of the genus Malassezia are members of the normal flora on human skin and they are found in 75~80% of healthy adults. Since its association with various skin disorders have been known, there have been a growing number of reports that have implicated Malassezia yeast in atopic dermatitis (AD). OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study is to isolate the various Malassezia species from AD patients by using 26S rDNA (ribosomal Deoxyribonucleic acid) PCR-RFLP and to investigate the relationship between a positive Malassezia culture and the severity of AD. METHODS: Cultures for Malassezia yeasts were taken from the scalp, cheek, chest, arm and thigh of 60 patients with atopic dermatitis. We used a rapid and accurate molecular biological method 26S rDNA PCR-RFLP, and this method can overcome the limits of the morphological and biochemical methods. RESULTS: Positive Malassezia growth was noted on 51.7% of the patients with atopic dermatitis by 26S rDNA PCR-RFLP analysis. The overall dominant species was M. sympodialis (16.3%). M. restricta was the most common species on the scalp (30.0%) and cheek (16.7%). M. sympodialis (28.3%) was the most common species on the chest. The positive culture rate was the highest for the 11~20 age group (59.0%) and the scalp showed the highest rate at 66.7%. There was no significant relationship between the Malassezia species and SCORing for Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD). CONCLUSION: The fact that the cultured species was different for the atopic dermatitis lesion skin from that of the normal skin may be due to the disrupted skin barrier function and sensitization of the organism induced by scratching in the AD lesion-skin. But there was no relationship between the Malassezia type and the severity score. The severity score is thought to depend not on the type, but also on the quantity of the yeast.
Adult ; Arm ; Cheek ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Humans ; Malassezia ; Scalp ; Skin ; Thigh ; Thorax ; Yeasts

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Several specific foods are known to precipitate gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms and GERD patients are usually advised to avoid such foods. However, foods consumed daily are quite variable according to regions, cultures, etc. This study was done to elucidate the food items which induce typical GERD symptoms in Korean patients. METHODS: One hundred and twenty-six Korean patients with weekly typical GERD symptoms were asked to mark all food items that induced typical GERD symptoms from a list containing 152 typical foods consumed daily in Korea. All patients underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy followed by 24-hour ambulatory esophageal pH monitoring. The definition of “GERD” was if either of the 2 studies revealed evidence of GERD, and “possible GERD” if both studies were negative. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-six cases (51 GERD and 75 possible GERD) were enrolled. In 19 (37.3%) of 51 GERD cases and in 17 (22.7%) of 75 possible GERD cases, foods inducing typical GERD symptoms were identified. In the GERD group (n = 19), frequent symptom-inducers were hot spicy stews, rice cakes, ramen noodles, fried foods, and topokki. In the possible GERD group (n = 17), frequent symptom-inducers were hot spicy stews, fried foods, doughnuts, breads, ramen noodles, coffee, pizza, topokki, rice cakes, champon noodles, and hotdogs. CONCLUSIONS: In one-third of GERD patients, foods inducing typical symptoms were identified. Hot spicy stews, rice cakes, ramen noodles, fried foods, and topokki were the foods frequently inducing typical symptoms in Korea. The list of foods frequently inducing typical GERD symptoms needs to be modified based on their own local experiences.
Bread ; Coffee ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Esophageal pH Monitoring ; Gastroesophageal Reflux* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Symptom Assessment

The fundamental event of cancer invasion and metastasis is the complicated interaction of cancer cells with host cells, in which event, a number of proteases and their inhibitors are involved. Matrix metalloproteinases are the potent proteases in degrading the basement membrane and extra cellular matrix and are inhibited by specific endogeneous inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases-1(TIMP-1) and TIMP-2. The expression of mRNA for TIMP-1 and -2 was investigated by Northern blot analysis in specimens taken from 27 patients with primary gastric adenocarcinoma; 25 samples from the primary site, six from the metastatic lymph nodes and two from the peritoneal fluids. The expression for TIMP-1 and -2 was compared in primary gastric cancer tissues, metastatic lymph nodes and normal gastric mucosae. TIMP-1 mRNA was overexpressed in 24 (96%) out of 25 primary cancer tissues compared with the paired normal mucosae, while TIMP-2 was in 10 (40%). In six specimens of metastatic lymph nodes, TIMP-1 and -2 were overexpressed in 6 (100%) and 4 (67%) specimens, respectively. Of two specimens prepared from the peritoneal fluids, all specimens overexpressed TIMP-1 compared with the those of primary cancer tissues, while one (50%) specimen overexpressed TIMP-2. Immunohistochemical staining was done to investigate the localization of TIMP-1 and -2, demonstrating that the immunoreactivity for TIMP-1 and -2 was clearly detected in the cytoplasm of the stromal cells. These results suggest that both TIMP-1 and -2 are overexpressed by stromal cells in most of primary and some metastatic gastric cancer tissues and that TIMP-1 and TIMP-2, produced by stromal cells, may play an important role in inhibiting the proteolytic activity of matrix metalloproteinases originated from cancer cells, in gastric cancer.
Adenocarcinoma/*enzymology ; Blotting, Northern ; Glycoproteins/*biosynthesis/genetics ; Human ; Proteins/*biosynthesis/genetics ; RNA, Messenger/biosynthesis ; Stomach Neoplasms/*enzymology ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases ; Tissue Inhibitor-of Metalloproteinase-2

The fundamental event of cancer invasion and metastasis is the complicated interaction of cancer cells with host cells, in which event, a number of proteases and their inhibitors are involved. Matrix metalloproteinases are the potent proteases in degrading the basement membrane and extra cellular matrix and are inhibited by specific endogeneous inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases-1(TIMP-1) and TIMP-2. The expression of mRNA for TIMP-1 and -2 was investigated by Northern blot analysis in specimens taken from 27 patients with primary gastric adenocarcinoma; 25 samples from the primary site, six from the metastatic lymph nodes and two from the peritoneal fluids. The expression for TIMP-1 and -2 was compared in primary gastric cancer tissues, metastatic lymph nodes and normal gastric mucosae. TIMP-1 mRNA was overexpressed in 24 (96%) out of 25 primary cancer tissues compared with the paired normal mucosae, while TIMP-2 was in 10 (40%). In six specimens of metastatic lymph nodes, TIMP-1 and -2 were overexpressed in 6 (100%) and 4 (67%) specimens, respectively. Of two specimens prepared from the peritoneal fluids, all specimens overexpressed TIMP-1 compared with the those of primary cancer tissues, while one (50%) specimen overexpressed TIMP-2. Immunohistochemical staining was done to investigate the localization of TIMP-1 and -2, demonstrating that the immunoreactivity for TIMP-1 and -2 was clearly detected in the cytoplasm of the stromal cells. These results suggest that both TIMP-1 and -2 are overexpressed by stromal cells in most of primary and some metastatic gastric cancer tissues and that TIMP-1 and TIMP-2, produced by stromal cells, may play an important role in inhibiting the proteolytic activity of matrix metalloproteinases originated from cancer cells, in gastric cancer.
Adenocarcinoma/*enzymology ; Blotting, Northern ; Glycoproteins/*biosynthesis/genetics ; Human ; Proteins/*biosynthesis/genetics ; RNA, Messenger/biosynthesis ; Stomach Neoplasms/*enzymology ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinases ; Tissue Inhibitor-of Metalloproteinase-2

Gastric volvulus is torsion of the stomach axis accompanied by obstruction and/or strangulation. It is a very rare condition, but it is considered a clinical emergency when it occurs acutely. Acute gastric volvulus requires an early diagnosis and prompt surgical treatment because a delayed diagnosis may lead to gastric obstruction, ischemia and necrosis. We experienced two cases of acute gastric volvulus due to diaphragmatic hernia and the patients were successfully treated with surgery. Here, we report on these two cases with the review of the reported literature on 26 adult cases of gastric volvulus in South Korea.
Adult ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Hernia, Diaphragmatic ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Necrosis ; Republic of Korea ; Stomach ; Stomach Volvulus