No abstract available.
Education* ; Humans ; Students, Medical*

BACKGROUND: Allergen-specific immunotherapy ( IT ) can be an important adjunctive therapy in the treatment of allergic disorders. Although a number of studies have shown that cytokine production by T cells may be modified by IT, IT-induced chsnges at the single cell level in allergen -specific Th ( T helper ) and Tc ( cytotoxic T ) responses have not been reported. Objective : The objectives of the present study were ( 1 ) to demonstrate differences in the house dust mite(HDM)-induced cytokine production patterns of Th and Tc cells between untreated and treated HDM allergic patients and ( 2 ) to determine whether there are differences between child and adult patients in Th and Tc cell responses to HDM. METHOD: This study included twenty Dermatophagoides farinae (Df)-sensitive asthmatics ( ten children and ten adults ), of which five children and five adults received immunotherapy to Df over a 1.5- to 3-year period. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells ( PBMC ) were isolated from peripheral blood of each patient and cultured in the presence of IL-2 ( 10ng/ml ) and Df extract (100ug/ml) for 6 days. After harvesting cultured cells, Th and Tc cell frequencies were determined by a multiparameter cytokine flow cytometric assay that allows simultaneous determination of intracellular IFN-r and IL-4 in CD4+ or CD8+ cells. RESULTS: Predominant Th2 responses to Df were observed in all untreated child patients, three untreated adult patients, and two treated adult patients. On the other hand, predominant Thl responses to Df were observed in all treated child patients, two of untreated adult patients, and three of treated adult patients. Predominant Tcl responses to Df were observed in all groups of patients. However, Tcl responses were more prominent in adults than in children and in treated adult patients than in untreated adult patients. In children, there were no differences in predominant Tcl responses except in one treated child, in whom more prominent Tcl response was observed.
Adult ; Cells, Cultured ; Child ; Dermatophagoides farinae ; Dust ; Hand ; Humans ; Immunotherapy* ; Interleukin-2 ; Interleukin-4 ; T-Lymphocytes

In the operation room of S.N.U.H., 10 patients were transfused with A,C.D. stored blood after warming to 36 degrees C by using a blood warmer. Observed changes of Na+, Cl-, K+ and. Ca++ were as follows. 1) Before warming, the electrolytes of A.C.D. stored blood were Na+ 148. 2 mEq/1, Cl-; 117. 0 mEq/1 and K+; 8. 4 mEq/l. After warming to 36C, these were significantly reduced(P <0. 05) and became 144. 6mEq/1, 112. 4mEg/1 and 68. 13mEq/1 respectively. 2) There was a tendency to increasing of K+ cencentration in proportion to storage duration. 3) In the case of calcium, pre-warmed concentration of calcium was 4. 09 mEq/1 and there was no significant change after warming(P>0.05).
Calcium ; Electrolytes* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Basement Membrane* ; Rats*

No abstract available.
Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal*

For the study on the effect of retinoic acid on the formation of palatal rugae and the cleft palate, retinoic acid was administered orally 150mg/kg of body weight by gastric tube at GD 10.5 to Sprague-Dawley rats. The pregnant rats were sacrificed on GD 17.5 under ether anesthesia, and laparatomized. After removal of uterus, the number of pregnant sacs and fetuses were counted. The fetuses weighed, the MEE (medial edge epithelium) thickness measured and the mitotic figures counted after routine processing and H·E stain. All the palates were photographed, and the number of rugae & the rugal pattern analysed. TEM photographs of MEE cells were observed after routine processing. The results were as follows ; 1. Rat fetus body weight after retinoic acid treatment increased significantly compared with the control group. 2. Mitotic figures in the retinoic acid treated group increased significantly compared with control group. 3. In the retinoic acid treated group, 79.3% of fetuses had cleft palates. Among fetuses with cleft palates, complete cleft palates were 10.6%, incomplete cleft palate 89.4%. Incomplete clefts were of two types ; median type (cleft palate at the intermolar region) and soft palate type (cleft posterior to the 8th rugae). Median type was 64.6% and the soft palate type 35.4%. 4. 2.3% of the fetuses had the numerical anomaly of the palatal rugae in the control group, but that of retinoic acid treated group 87.7%. 5. 17.4% of palatal rugae of the control group was disrupted, but 100% of the retinoic acid treated group disrupted. 6. Rugal papillae were observed in the 15.1% of fetuses of the control group and 63.1% of fetuses of the retinoic acid treated group. 7. Longitudinal rugae were observed in 19% of fetuses of the retinoic acid treated group, but not in the control group. 8. In TEM photographs, cytoplasmic processes, intercellular space, and desmosomes decreased. Swelling of mitochondria & ER were also found in the retinoic acid treated groups. According to the above results, it appears that there is close relationship between palatal rugae and cleft palates, and that excess retinoic acid induces disruption of pattern and numerical variations of rat fetus palate rugae. Also retinoic acid has an inhibitory effect on the proliferation of medial edge epithelial cells of palatal shelves. The cleft palates may be induced by the above mentioned retinoic acid effects. But, the exact mechanisms of retinoic acid on cleft palate formation is not thoroughly known and should be further studied.
Anesthesia ; Animals ; Body Weight ; Cleft Palate* ; Cytoplasm ; Desmosomes ; Epithelial Cells ; Ether ; Extracellular Space ; Fetus ; Mitochondria ; Palate ; Palate, Soft ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tretinoin* ; Uterus

No abstract available.

Primary retroperitoneal mucinous tumor is very rare. In the worldwide literature, only 14 cases have been reported. Herein, we report two cases of retroperitoneal mucinous tumor found at laparotomy. The patients were females, aged 24 and 21 years, respectively. They had bilateral normal ovaries. Histologically, one was mucinous cystadenoma and the other showed borderline histology. The connective tissue wall resembling ovarian stroma was noted in one case. The pathogenesis was discussed.
Female ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune hemolytic anemias are characterized by autoantibodies recognizing antigens on the Individual's own red blood cells, resulting in immune- mediated hemolysis. Blood transfusions have been regarded as hazardous in patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) because of potential intensification of hemolysis and a presumed high incidence of alloimmunization. METHODS: We examined the pretransfusion and posttransfusion hemoglobin levels in 6 patients with autoantibodies in their sera, which showed panagglutinations with all bloods tested in the compatibility testing. They received 'least' incompatible blood because of inability to find compatible blood. RESULTS: When we compared pretransfusion hemoglobin level with posttransfusion hemoglobin level, in 5 of 6 patients with AIHA, the hemoglobin levels were increased after red cell transfusion. 4 patient who did not respond to transfusion therapy initially had an increase in hemoglobin level after steroid treatment. Any signs or symptoms indicating hemolytic transfusion reaction were not observed ducting the transfusion period in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The decision to transfuse in AIHA should consider multiple factors including the patient's clinical status, the potential benefit of transfusion, the potential response to other therapeutic modalities, but must never be regarded as contraindicated, even though the compatibility test may be strongly incompatible.
Anemia, Hemolytic* ; Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune ; Autoantibodies ; Blood Group Incompatibility ; Blood Transfusion ; Erythrocyte Transfusion* ; Erythrocytes* ; Hemolysis ; Humans ; Incidence