No abstract available.
Thumb*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Inpatients*

We studied the relationship between dermal mast cell proliferation and pruritus in patients with end stage of renal failure. Skin biopsies were taken from 21 patients undergoing hemodialysis in end stage of renal failure. As a control, 12 pruritic patients without any internai problem were u.d. During the hemodialysis, 13 patient ha<) pruritus. Serum PTH levels were measured by radioimmunoassay. We have thought that the cause of pruritus in patients undergoing hemodialysis is related with dermal mast cell proliferation and a release of histamine. The results were as follows .' 1. Significantly larger numbers of dermal mast cells were found in hemodialysis patients than in the control (p<0.001). 2. Significantly larger mumbers of dermal mast cells were found in prnritic patients than in the non pruritic patients among hemodialysis patients (p<0.01). 3. There was no clear relationship between dermal mast cell proliferation and duration of hemodialysis or seum level of parathyroid hormone.
Biopsy ; Histamine ; Humans ; Mast Cells* ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Pruritus ; Radioimmunoassay ; Renal Dialysis ; Renal Insufficiency* ; Skin

PURPOSE: To evaluate photodynamic therapy (PDT) with verteporfin for iris and angle neovascularization in eyes with neovascular glaucoma. METHODS: We treat a patient who had neovascular glaucoma with iris and angle neovacularization and showed reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) and the obliteration of neovascularization after PDT. PDT was performed following the treatment parameters used in age-related macular degeneration. The laser was directed at the anterior chamber angle and iris surface using a Goldmann three-mirror contact lens. Follow-up examination was performed 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and 8 weeks after PDT, and included visual acuity, IOP, and iris fluorescein angiography (7 weeks after PDT). RESULTS: Two months after PDT, we observed a reduction of IOP and the improvement of iris fluorescein leakage. IOP diminished considerably after 1 week, and showed subsequent tendency toward stabilization without additional antiglaucoma medicine. CONCLUSIONS: Photodynamic therapy can be used safely and effectively in the early phase of neovascular glaucoma to achieve the obliteration of iris and angle neovascularization and induce IOP reduction.
Anterior Chamber ; Fluorescein ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glaucoma, Neovascular ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Iris ; Macular Degeneration ; Photochemotherapy* ; Visual Acuity

Apoptosis, as a part of the natural defense mechanisms that protect against viral infection, plays a vital role in the pathogenic mechanisms. It also plays a key role in the pathogenesis of diseases including many viral diseases. Mechanisms of virus-induced apoptosis are not completely understood because of the complexity of the underlying biochemical cascades and all of the participating host factors. Mumps virus belongs to the genus Rubulavirus in the family Paramyxoviridae. It contains single stranded RNA genome with negative polarity. It was observed that mumps virus induced apoptosis in VeroE6 cells, and adsorption and penetration of mumps virus to cell membrane alone were not sufficient for the induction of cell death. When mumps virus was superinfected onto nucleocapsid protein (NP) expressing VeroE6 cells, cell viability and facterial titer were maintained until 13 and 12 day, respectively. The levels of p53, Bax, and Bcl-2 were increased in NP-expressing VeroE6 cells, and the increase in Bax, and Bcl-2 was outstanding. It was observed that NP protein did not directly affect the efficiency of the infection of mumps virus in NP-expressing VeroE6 cells. The levels of p53, and Bax were decreased in both mock-infected VeroE6 cells and NP-expressing VeroE6 cells infected with mumps virus. However, the Bcl-2 level was little affected by the virus infection.
Adsorption ; Apoptosis* ; Cell Death ; Cell Membrane ; Cell Survival ; Defense Mechanisms ; Genome ; Humans ; Mumps virus* ; Mumps* ; Nucleocapsid Proteins* ; Nucleocapsid* ; Paramyxoviridae ; RNA ; Rubulavirus ; Virus Diseases

Nontuberculous mycobacteria usually cause systemic disease and often appear as a primary pulmonary infection. However, a cutaneous lesion may be the first or only sign of infection. The most frequent human diseases caused by Mycobacterium fortuitum are cutaneous or soft tissue infections, usually preceded by injection, trauma or surgery. We report a case of a cutaneous lesion due to Mycobacterium(M.) fortuitum occuring in a 50-year-old man with a subcutaneous flat nodule on his left anterior tibia. He had received a small injury to his left shin in a swimming pool. The culture from the skin biopsy specimen on Lowenstein-Jensen medium yielded clolnies after 5 days. The microorganism was subsequently identified as M. fortuitum by selected biochemical reactions. Therapy was instituted with minocycline for 5 months.
Biopsy ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Minocycline ; Mycobacterium fortuitum* ; Mycobacterium* ; Nontuberculous Mycobacteria ; Skin ; Soft Tissue Infections ; Swimming Pools ; Tibia

OBJECTIVE: To gain insights into structural characteristics of immunoglobulin kappa chain repertoire expressed in the inflammed synovium of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), we analyzed V kappa transcirpts expressed in the synovium of a patient with longstanding RA and compared to those expressed in the PBLs of RA and normal controls. METHODS: RT-PCR was done to amplify kappa chain transcripts from RA synovial lymphocytes and the cDNA sequences were compared to those from PBL of RA patient or normal control. RESULTS: Kappa chain repertoire from RA patient's synovial lymphocytes or PBL revealed increased somatic mutation and unusually long complementarity determining region (CDR) 3 compared to normal control. CONCLUSIONS: These changes in kappa chain repertoire in RA patient are suggesting that the antibody repertoire expressed in the synovium or PBL is unique and may be related with systemic dysregulation of B cell development
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Autoimmune Diseases* ; Complementarity Determining Regions ; DNA, Complementary ; Genes, Immunoglobulin* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin kappa-Chains ; Immunoglobulins* ; Lymphocytes ; Synovial Membrane*

No abstract available.
Cartilage*

Mediastinal fibrosis is pathologically characterized by chronic inflammation and fibrosis of mediastinal soft tissue. Mediastinal fibrosis is local expression of a family of systemic fibrosing syndroms. This can result in compression of adjacent mediastinal structures. Idiopathic fibrosing syndromes include retroperitoneal fibrosis, sclerosing cholangitis of the orbit and fibrosis of the thyroid gland(Riedel's struma). The cause of these disorders is obscure, in some instance there is an underlying malignancy, infection, history of drug ingestion, or trauma with retoperitoneal bleeding. Treatment of mediastinal fibrosis depends on structures involved by the fibrotic process. The disease is self limited in most case or improved by steroids uses. We experienced a case of idopathic solerosing mediastinitis with orbital fibrous dysplasia of unknown cause, which was confirmed by open lung biopsy, so reported it with a review of literature.
Biopsy ; Cholangitis, Sclerosing ; Eating ; Fibrosis* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lung ; Mediastinitis ; Orbit ; Retroperitoneal Fibrosis ; Steroids ; Thyroid Gland

PURPOSE: We determined the effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitor(TKI), ZM260603 on the growth of prostate cancer cell lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using the synthetic TKI, ZM260603, cytotoxicity test and cell cycle analysis were performed on LNCaP, DU-145 and PC3 prostate cancer cell lines. The bcl-2 and bax protein expressions were observed in PC3 prostate cancer cell line by western blotting. The inhibitory effect of TKI was determined under the presence or absence of dehydrotestosterone, in androgen-dependent LNCaP prostate cancer cell line. RESULTS: The synthetic TKI, ZM260603 showed definite cytotoxicity on all prostate cancer cell lines studied regardless of androgen-dependency. The IC50 were 0.35+/-0.08microM, 0.12+/-0.06microM and 0.21+/-0.09microM for LnCaP, DU-145 and PC-3 cell lines, respectively. The G0/G1 phase arrests were observed commonly in all of these cell lines by flowcytometric analysis. Decrement in bcl-2 expression and increment of bax protein expression in the PC-3 cell line was observed by western blotting. The IC50 of hormone-dependent LNCaP prostate cancer cell line on TKI was increased about four folds by the addition of dihydrotestosterone. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the changes in the expression of bcl-2 and bax proteins are related with inhibitory process of the synthetic TKI, ZM260,603 on the growth of prostate cancer cell lines. Androgen seems to act as compromising or weakening the effects of TKI in androgen-dependent prostate cancer cell line, although the exact relationships between androgen-dependency and bcl-2 expression are unclear.
bcl-2-Associated X Protein ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Cycle ; Cell Line* ; Dihydrotestosterone ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Prostate* ; Prostatic Neoplasms* ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases* ; Tyrosine*