This study was undertaken to investigate the immunological mechanism of Behqet s syndrome, considered to be important in the pathogenesis of the disease. Seventy- three patients with complete, incomplete and suspected types of Behget's syndrotne were tested for leukocyte migration ingibition factor(LIF), one of the lymphokines. The results were as follows : 1. There was no difference between the average LIF activity of all the patients and that of eontrol. 2. LIF activity of complete type, according to Shirnizus classification, was significaritly lower than the control value. 3. LIF activity of ocular type, according to Lehners classification, was signficantly lower than the control value. 4. LIF activity for patients with 4 clinical symptoms was well below the value for patients with less symptomes 5. For patients with single clinical symptom, LIF activity of complete type was well below the values of incomplete and suspected types. 6. In suspected and mucocutaneous types, LIF activity was low when the patients showed two clinical symptoms than one. Thus, LIF activity was low for patients with complete, ocular and neurological types and with multiple symptorns.
Behcet Syndrome* ; Classification ; Humans ; Leukocytes* ; Lymphokines

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

The purpose of this preliminary study is to elucidate that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) influences contrast enhancement of hepatic tumors on computed tomography (CT). Fourteen patients with hepatic tumors (11 hepatocellular carcinomas; 3 metastatic cancers) underwent a dual-phase dynamic helical CT or computed tomographic hepatic arteriography. The attenuation of each mass was determined as hyperattenuation, isoattenuation or hypoattenuation with respect to the adjacent nontumorous parenchyma. Gun-needle biopsy was done for each tumor, and paraffin sections were immunostained with anti- VEGF antibody by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method. The pathologic grade was made by intensity (1 +, 2+, 3+) and area (+/-, 1 +, 2+). The tumor ranged 2.0-14.0 cm in size (mean, 5.8 cm). In arterial phase, the intensity was not correlated with the degree of enhancement (p=0.086). However, the correlation between the attenuation value of hepatic arterial phase and the area of positive tumor cells was statistically significant (p=0.002). VEGF may be the factor that enhances the hepatic mass with water-soluble iodinated contrast agent in CT.
Adult ; Aged ; Capillary Permeability ; Endothelial Growth Factors/physiology* ; Endothelial Growth Factors/analysis ; Female ; Human ; Liver Neoplasms/radiography* ; Liver Neoplasms/blood supply ; Lymphokines/physiology* ; Lymphokines/analysis ; Male ; Middle Age ; Prospective Studies ; Radiographic Image Enhancement* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

A secondary aortoenteric fistula (AEF) is a direct communication between the gastrointestinal tract and the aorta in a patient who has undergone major surgery on the aorta, often an aorta graft operation. We experienced a patient who had undergone graft interposition for abdominal aortic aneurysm and was admitted due to three episodes of hematemesis and following hamatochezia. Gastroscopy, colonoscopy, and radioactive iodine scan failed to identify the bleeding site in the patient. He was diagnosed with AEF by double balloon enteroscopy and recovered after surgical intervention.
Aorta ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal ; Colonoscopy ; Double-Balloon Enteroscopy ; Fistula ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Gastroscopy ; Hematemesis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Iodine ; Lymphokines ; Transplants

Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) therapy is an effective immunotherapy used for the treatment and prophylaxis of superficial bladder cancer. The mechanism through which BCG exerts its antitumor activity is not fully understood. However, several studies suggest that antitumor mechanism of BCG is associated with T-cell mediated immunity and lymphokines. In this report, the detection of IL-2(a lymphokine produced in response to BCG) in urine and serum specimens of patients treated with intravesical BCG is reported. Urine specimens of 10 superficial bladder cancers were obtained prior to BCG instillation, 4, 8, and 24 hours afterwards. Serum specimens of same patients were obtained before and 8 hours after BCG instillation. No change of serum IL-2 before and after BCG instillation were observed. Urinary IL-2 production increased significantly 4 and 8 hours (p<0.05) and decreased 24 hours after BCG instillation. Urinary IL-2 levels 24 hours after BCG instillation were similar to baseline values. Between urinary IL-2 of healthy men and cystitis patients were similar. These results suggest that BCG induce IL-2 production with highest level at 4 hours after BCG instillation and IL_2 might play a important role in antitumor mechanism of BCG. However, further studies are necessary to elucidate the antitumor mechanism of BCG.
Bacillus ; Cystitis ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Interleukin-2* ; Interleukins* ; Lymphokines ; Male ; Mycobacterium bovis* ; T-Lymphocytes ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms* ; Urinary Bladder*

A young woman developed a hemilateral tonic spasm associated with multiple sclerosis. Her symptoms included brief recurrent episodes of abnormal, often painful, posturing of one or more extremities without alteration of consciousness. An area of demyelination in the contralateral cerebral peduncle was observed on a magnetic resonance imaging. The tonic attacks abated with carbamazepine therapy. The pathophysiology may involve ephaptic transmission between demyelinated fibers in acute plaques within the corticospinal tract secondary to axonal irritation by lymphokines. (J Korean Neurol Assoc 19(2):167~169, 2001)
Axons ; Carbamazepine ; Consciousness ; Demyelinating Diseases ; Extremities ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphokines ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Multiple Sclerosis* ; Pyramidal Tracts ; Spasm* ; Tegmentum Mesencephali

A young woman developed a hemilateral tonic spasm associated with multiple sclerosis. Her symptoms included brief recurrent episodes of abnormal, often painful, posturing of one or more extremities without alteration of consciousness. An area of demyelination in the contralateral cerebral peduncle was observed on a magnetic resonance imaging. The tonic attacks abated with carbamazepine therapy. The pathophysiology may involve ephaptic transmission between demyelinated fibers in acute plaques within the corticospinal tract secondary to axonal irritation by lymphokines. (J Korean Neurol Assoc 19(2):167~169, 2001)
Axons ; Carbamazepine ; Consciousness ; Demyelinating Diseases ; Extremities ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphokines ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Multiple Sclerosis* ; Pyramidal Tracts ; Spasm* ; Tegmentum Mesencephali

The pollen of Artemisia has been considered as the main late summer-autumn allergen source in this country. To identify its allergenic components, Artemisia princeps pollen extracts were separated by 10% sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and transferred to nitrocellulose membrane, where IgE binding components were detected by the reaction with sera of twenty Artemisia-allergic patients and 125I-anti-human IgE, sixteen components in the molecular range of 10,000 and 85,000 daltons were detected. Twelve bands bound to IgE from 50% of the sera tested, and two bands (37,000, 23,000 daltons) showed the highest (85%) frequency of IgE-binding in twenty sera tested. When the gel of SDS-PAGE with Artemisia pollen extracts was sliced into 11 allergenic groups (AG) and the protein of each AG was obtained by the gel elution method, the wormwool-RAST inhibition test showed that the AG 10 demonstrated to be the most potent, and the AG 7 was the next. Six AGs showed significant responses (more than 100% of wheal size to histamine, 1 mg/ml) on the skin prick test in more than 50% of the patients tested. It is suggested that electrophoretic transfer analysis with SDS-PAGE may be a valuable method for Artemisia allergen identification, and the possibility of partial purification of allergens by employing gel elution is discussed.
Blotting, Western/methods ; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel/methods ; Human ; Korea ; Lymphokines ; Plants/immunology ; Pollen/analysis/*immunology ; Skin Tests/methods

The pollen of Artemisia has been considered as the main late summer-autumn allergen source in this country. To identify its allergenic components, Artemisia princeps pollen extracts were separated by 10% sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and transferred to nitrocellulose membrane, where IgE binding components were detected by the reaction with sera of twenty Artemisia-allergic patients and 125I-anti-human IgE, sixteen components in the molecular range of 10,000 and 85,000 daltons were detected. Twelve bands bound to IgE from 50% of the sera tested, and two bands (37,000, 23,000 daltons) showed the highest (85%) frequency of IgE-binding in twenty sera tested. When the gel of SDS-PAGE with Artemisia pollen extracts was sliced into 11 allergenic groups (AG) and the protein of each AG was obtained by the gel elution method, the wormwool-RAST inhibition test showed that the AG 10 demonstrated to be the most potent, and the AG 7 was the next. Six AGs showed significant responses (more than 100% of wheal size to histamine, 1 mg/ml) on the skin prick test in more than 50% of the patients tested. It is suggested that electrophoretic transfer analysis with SDS-PAGE may be a valuable method for Artemisia allergen identification, and the possibility of partial purification of allergens by employing gel elution is discussed.
Blotting, Western/methods ; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel/methods ; Human ; Korea ; Lymphokines ; Plants/immunology ; Pollen/analysis/*immunology ; Skin Tests/methods

To investigate leukocyte inhibitory factor(LlF) production and circulating immune complexes (CIC) in leprosy, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from 61 patients and sera from 6O patients were tested. The results indicate that there is a defect in LlF production in the lepromatous (LL) or borderline lepromatous (BL) types compared to the tubrculoid (TT) type (mean migration index=66.O +/- 16.O in LL 61.1 +/- 15.3 in BL, 51.9 +/- 11.2 in TT) (p < 0.05). The number of patients with positive CIC was higher among the LL patents (30%) than the TT patients (20%). There was also positive correlation between the bacterial index (Bl) and the CIC level (r=0.46, p < 0.05). The correlation between CIC and LIF in LL patients and the possibility (p=0.06) that the inuease m CIC may account for the decrease in LIF production in LL patients and vice versa are discussed.
Antigen-Antibody Complex/*analysis ; Human ; Leprosy/*immunology ; Leprosy, Lepromatous/immunology ; Leprosy, Tuberculoid/immunology ; Lymphokines/*analysis ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't