PURPOSE: Cooling and rewarming have been described to contribute to the pathogenesis of exercise induced asthma. However, little is known about the cellular response to cooling and rewarming of respiratory epithelial cells. Hypersecretion of mucus and allergic inflammation are important pathologic finding of patients who suffered from asthma. We investigated whether cooling and rewarming of respiratory epithelial cells induce mucin gene (MUC5AC, MUC5B) expression and IL-8 production. METHODS: NCI-H292 (human lung mucoepidermoid carcinoma cell line) cells were cultured in 6 well plates. Experimental groups were preserved at 1degree C, 4degrees C, 18degrees C and control groups at 37degrees C for 2 hours. And then both group were kept at 37degrees C. MUC5AC, MUC5B and IL-8 mRNA expressions were examined by RT-PCR. IL-8 concentration in the cell culture medium after rewarming was measured by ELISA. RESULTS: Cooling and cooling-rewarming stimuli did not increase MUC5AC and MUC5B expression. IL-8 concentration was remarkably decreased in experimental groups after cooling and then markedly increased during first 6 hours. IL-8 concentration of 1degrees C, 4degrees Cgroups were significantly increased compared to control group at 6 hour, of 18degrees C group at 12 hour and then persisted until 24 hour. CONCLUSION: Cooling and rewarming stimuli to respiratory epithelial cells did not increase MUC gene expression. However, increased IL-8 production provides evidence of cooling and rewarming induced airway inflammation. Further investigation will be needed to support this result.
Asthma ; Asthma, Exercise-Induced ; Carcinoma, Mucoepidermoid ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epithelial Cells* ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-8* ; Interleukins* ; Lung ; Mucins ; Mucus ; Rewarming* ; RNA, Messenger

PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and allergic conjunctivitis among primary school pupils in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province. We also investigated change of symptoms after environmental control. METHODS:In April 2005, a cross-sectional study was performed among 2,745 1st to 6th graders of 3 primary schools in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) standardized questionnaires and additional questionnaires about environmental changes were distributed to their parents. RESULTS:Data were collected from 2,535 children (1,279 boys and 1,256 girls). The most common allergic symptom was rhinorrhea (43.0%), and atopic skin lesions, ocular lesions and wheezing were 24.5%, 19.7% and 18.2%, respectively. There was no significant relationship between allergic diseases and environmental status. One thousand four hundred nineteen children moved to a new place or had new interior decorations within the last 2 years. Of these children, 352 (24.8%) had allergic symptoms (OR=2.76, CI= 1.96-3.41, P=0.001). Interestingly, we found that children who had moved into apartments experienced more symptom changes than those who had not (P=0.022). CONCLUSION:The results of this study demonstrated that the prevalence of allergic conditions in primary school children in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province in 2005 was higher than those of nation-wide studies in 2000. We found the results of our study is similar to those of Seoul in 2005. We found a significant relationship between environmental status and changes of symptoms in primary school children in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province.
Asthma ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity ; Child* ; Conjunctivitis, Allergic ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Parents ; Prevalence* ; Pupil ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Respiratory Sounds ; Rhinitis ; Seoul ; Skin

PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis and allergic conjunctivitis among primary school pupils in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province. We also investigated change of symptoms after environmental control. METHODS:In April 2005, a cross-sectional study was performed among 2,745 1st to 6th graders of 3 primary schools in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province. International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) standardized questionnaires and additional questionnaires about environmental changes were distributed to their parents. RESULTS:Data were collected from 2,535 children (1,279 boys and 1,256 girls). The most common allergic symptom was rhinorrhea (43.0%), and atopic skin lesions, ocular lesions and wheezing were 24.5%, 19.7% and 18.2%, respectively. There was no significant relationship between allergic diseases and environmental status. One thousand four hundred nineteen children moved to a new place or had new interior decorations within the last 2 years. Of these children, 352 (24.8%) had allergic symptoms (OR=2.76, CI= 1.96-3.41, P=0.001). Interestingly, we found that children who had moved into apartments experienced more symptom changes than those who had not (P=0.022). CONCLUSION:The results of this study demonstrated that the prevalence of allergic conditions in primary school children in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province in 2005 was higher than those of nation-wide studies in 2000. We found the results of our study is similar to those of Seoul in 2005. We found a significant relationship between environmental status and changes of symptoms in primary school children in Ilsan, Gyeonggi province.
Asthma ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity ; Child* ; Conjunctivitis, Allergic ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Parents ; Prevalence* ; Pupil ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Respiratory Sounds ; Rhinitis ; Seoul ; Skin

Pulmonary infection by capsule-deficient Cryptococcus neoformans (CDCN) is a very rare form of pneumonia and it is seldom seen in the immunocompetent host. The authors experienced a case of pulmonary cryptococcosis by CDCN in 25-year-old woman who was without any significant underlying disease. The diagnosis was made from the percutaneous lung biopsy and special tissue staining, including Fontana-Masson silver (FMS) staining. Fungal culture confirmed the diagnosis afterward. Her clinical and radiologic features improved under treatment with fluconazol. It's known that CDCN is not so readily confirmed because fungal culture does not always result in growth of the organism and the empirical fungal stain is not helpful for the differentiation between CDCN and the other infections that are caused by the nonencapsulated yeast-like organisms. In this report, we emphasize the diagnostic value of performing FMS staining for differentiating a CDCN infection from the other confusing nonencapsulated yeast-like organisms.
Silver Nitrate ; Lung Diseases/*diagnosis/*microbiology ; Humans ; Female ; Cryptococcus neoformans/*isolation & purification ; Cryptococcosis/*diagnosis/microbiology ; Cough ; Chest Pain ; Adult

The bronchial varices in mitral stenosis are uncommon and incidentally discovered during bronchoscopy. Although bronchial varices are primarily associated with bronchial or pulmonary disease, the bronchial vein can be dilated with increased pulmonary venous pressure secondary to mitral stenosis. The bronchial varices may present massive hemoptysis. The hemoptysis can be controlled by mitral commissurotomy or mitral valve replacement in case of mitral stenosis. We report a case of bronchial varies in a patient with severe mitral stenosis. The bronchial varices were found incidentally during bronchoscopy and they were nearly disappeared by mitral valve replacement.
Bronchoscopy ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Lung Diseases ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Stenosis* ; Varicose Veins* ; Veins ; Venous Pressure

Leflunomide is a new disease modifying anti rheumatic drug (DMARD) for the treatment of active rheumatoid arthritis. Its mechanism of action differs from other DMARDs in that it inhibits the de novo pyrimidine synthesis by inhibiting dihydroorotate dehydrogenase and therefore prevents the proliferation of activated lymphocytes. As it has been prescribed worldwide, there is a great deal of much concerns regarding its potential adverse effects. Because leflunomide has an active metabolite with a long elimination half life of approximately 2 weeks, serious adverse reactions may occur even after the leflunomide treatment has been stopped. The profile of serious reactions includes liver dysfunction, hematological disorders, severe skin reactions and respiratory dysfunction. Respiratory dysfunctions with leflunomide therapy are very rare and its incidence is lower than that of methotrexate therapy. However, there are reports in Japan showing that 5 patients died of interstitial pneumonitis and another 11 patients developed serious lung complications associated with leflunomide. This suggests the possibility of fatal respiratory toxicity of leflunomide. There are no reports of interstitial pneumonitis associated with leflunomide in Korea. We report a case of a 62-year old woman who developed interstitial pneumonitis, which might have been induced by leflunomide during the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Antirheumatic Agents ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Female ; Half-Life ; Humans ; Incidence ; Japan ; Korea ; Liver Diseases ; Lung ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial* ; Lymphocytes ; Methotrexate ; Middle Aged ; Oxidoreductases ; Skin

PURPOSE: Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-18-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) has been proven to be useful in the detection of breast cancer. However, the degree of FDG uptake was variable. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1) expression with the FDG uptake in patients with breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 15 patients with proven breast cancer underwent F-18-FDG PET. After surgical resection, anti-GLUT-1 immunohistochemical staining was performed in tumor tissues to measure the GLUT-1 expression. We evaluated the correlation between semi-quantitative FDG uptake by standardized uptake value (SUV) and GLUT-1 expression. RESULTS: In total 15 patients, there was no significant correlation between SUV and GLUT-1 expression. We separated the patients into two groups according to the tumor size. In the group of large tumor (short diameter > or =2 cm), there was no significant correlation. However, in the group of small tumor (short diameter <2 cm), there was a significant correlation between the FDG uptake and GLUT-1 expression (rho=0.812, p=0.047). CONCLUSION: GLUT-1 expression can influence the FDG uptake in the small breast cancers. For large breast cancers, other factors as well as GLUT-1 expression may influence the FDG uptake.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Electrons* ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Glucose ; Humans ; Positron-Emission Tomography*

PURPOSE: Recently, the prevalence and disease burden of asthma have increased. Thus, the need for early diagnosis and appropriate management of asthma is emerging. However, it is difficult to identify the diagnosis, symptoms and the prevalence of asthma due to lack of reliable investigating items. The purpose of this study was to develop a standardized survey format in order to assess the prevalence of asthma in Koreans. METHODS: We investigated surveys and related information that are utilized to assess asthma diagnosis and prevalence by systematic review. After that, Delphi survey was conducted on 44 Korean allergists in order to develop a standardized survey in Korea. The process consisted of 3 serial rounds across 3 age groups. Each subsequent round narrowed investigating items for the decision of standard set about asthma prevalence, current asthma, and asthma aggravation. RESULTS: Lifetime asthma was defined as “ever doctor-diagnosed asthma” in all age groups. Current asthma was defined as “treatment for asthma during the past 12 months” in all age groups, and “doctor-diagnosed asthma during the past 12 months” was added on the ≥5-year-old and adult groups. “Wheezing ever” was defined as “wheezing at any time in the past,” and current wheeze was defined as “wheezing in the last 12 months.” Asthma aggravation was defined as “visits at the emergency department or admission due to asthma attack within the last 12 months” in all age groups. CONCLUSION: We established applicable nationwide definitions of “lifetime asthma,” “current asthma,” and “asthma aggravation” in Koreans by the Delphi survey.
Adult ; Asthma ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Korea ; Prevalence

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis is one of the most common extrapulmonary manifestations of tuberculosis. Foreign guidelines recommend a six-month short course chemotherapy for tuberculous peripheral lymphadenitis as an initial standard regimen. However, there have been some debates about the duration of chemotherapy in South Korea. The aim of this study is to determine the reasonable duration of chemotherapy for tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis in a randomized controlled study. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We analyzed clinical outcome of 80 patients with tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis treated at Korea University Medical Center from April 1998 to November 2001. All patients were randomized in two groups by treatment regimens. All patients were given antituberculous chemotherapy for 6 or 12 months, starting with isoniazid (H), rifampicin (R), ethambutol (E) and pyrazinamide (P) for 2 months, then continuing with isoniazid, rifampicin and ethambutol for the remaining 4 months or 10 months, respectively. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients were given a 12-month regimen (2 HERZ/10 HRE), and 43 patients (91.5%) were cured. Thirty-three patients were given a 6-month regimen (2 HERZ/4 HRE), and 20 patients (60.6%) were cured. The cure rate of the 12-month regimen appeared significantly higher than that of the 6-month. In both groups, no recurrence was found during the follow up period up to 12 months. CONCLUSION: The 12-month regimen could be recommended as a reasonable chemotherapy regimen for tuberculous cervical lymphadenitis in South Korea. Single lymph node excisional biopsy is an important diagnostic method. but, it has no additional benefits of treatment.
Academic Medical Centers ; Biopsy ; Clinical Protocols ; Drug Therapy* ; Ethambutol ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; Korea ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymphadenitis* ; Pyrazinamide ; Recurrence ; Rifampin ; Tuberculosis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We evaluated the long-term outcome and clinical course of patients of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced small intestinal injury by performing capsule endoscopy (CE). METHODS: A multicenter retrospective study was conducted using data collected from the CE nationwide database registry, which has been established since 2002. RESULTS: A total of 140 patients (87 males; mean age, 60.6+/-14.8 years) from the CE nationwide database registry (n=2,885) were diagnosed with NSAID-induced small intestinal injury and enrolled in our study. Forty-nine patients (35.0%) presented with a history of aspirin use and an additional 49 (35.0%) were taking NSAIDs without aspirin. The most prominent findings after performing CE were multiple ulcerations (n=82, 58.6%) and erosions or aphthae (n=32, 22.9%). During the follow-up period (mean, 15.9+/-19.0 months; range, 0 to 106 months), NSAID-induced small intestinal injury only recurred in six patients (4.3%). Older age and hypertension were positive predictive factors for recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the recurrence of NSAID-induced small bowel injury was not frequent in the presence of conservative treatment. Therefore, the initial diagnosis using CE and the medication history are important.
Age Factors ; Aged ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/*adverse effects ; Aspirin/adverse effects ; *Capsule Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Intestinal Diseases/chemically induced/*pathology ; Intestine, Small/*drug effects/injuries/*pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Time Factors ; Ulcer/chemically induced/*pathology