BACKGROUND: An epidemiologic study was performed after the outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) from December 2006 to May 2007. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was performed using the medical records of the patients. The case and control patients were compared for age, gender, total length of stay in MICU, prior carbapenem use, Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACH II) score, presence of central line, effect of mechanical ventilation, and sputum suction. Environmental and hand-washing studies were performed during the outbreak. RESULTS: Ten CRAB-affected patients and 29 controls were enrolled in this study. Univariate analysis showed that the age, total length of stay in MICU, presence of central line, and prior carbapenem use were associated with the CRAB outbreak. However, multivariate analysis showed that only prior carbapenem use was associated with the CRAB outbreak (odd ratio: 8.67, P=0.01). The outbreak disappeared after implementing a combined infection control strategy, including the sequential disinfection of MICU and strict compliance with cross-transmission prevention protocols. CONCLUSION: The use of carbapenem was associated with an increased risk of CRAB infection. This study suggests that the MICU contamination and infection transmission by health-care workers played a major role in the CRAB outbreak. Novel strategies such as restricted use of broad-spectrum antibiotics, strict hand hygiene, strict isolation of the patients, and MICU disinfection may be required to prevent the CRAB outbreak.
Acinetobacter ; Acinetobacter baumannii ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; APACHE ; Case-Control Studies ; Compliance ; Disease Transmission, Infectious ; Disinfection ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Hand Hygiene ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Critical Care ; Intensive Care Units ; Length of Stay ; Medical Records ; Multivariate Analysis ; Respiration, Artificial ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sputum ; Suction

Although rheumatoid arthritis has been known to be a common autoimmune disease characterized by chronic inflammation mainly evident in diarthrodial joints, its pathogenesis remains to be clarified. In the present study, to investigate the pathogenic signaling system taken place in the rheumatoid joints, we assessed whether synovial fluid obtained from patients with rheumatoid arthritis contains inducers for proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23. Peritoneal macrophages isolated from IL-12/IL-23 p40-YFP reporter mice were stimulated with synovial fluid, followed by flow cytometry to screen CD11b+ and YFP-expressing cells, reflective of IL-12/IL-23 p40-producing macrophages. The expression levels of Toll-like receptor (TLR)-2 and -4, which have a potential to mediate IL-12/IL- 23 p40 induction, were determined in synovial cells obtained from a patient with rheumatoid arthritis by RT-PCR analyses. One out of 10 synovial fluid from rheumatoid arthritis patients induced IL-12/IL-23 p40 expression, while all of 10 synovial fluid from osteoarthritis patients did not. Synoviocytes constitutively expressed Toll-like receptor (TLR)-2 and -4 which are candidate receptors for IL-12/IL-23 inducers. Upon LPS stimulation, the levels of TLR-2 and -4 were downregulated and upregulated, respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that some patients with rheumatoid arthritis elicit synovitis through TLR-2- and -4-mediated induction of proinflammatory cytokines IL-12 and IL-23.
Animals ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Cytokines ; Flow Cytometry ; Fluorescence* ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-12 ; Interleukin-23 ; Interleukins ; Joints ; Macrophages ; Macrophages, Peritoneal ; Mass Screening* ; Mice* ; Osteoarthritis ; Synovial Fluid* ; Synovitis ; Toll-Like Receptors

Unilateral absence of the pulmonary artery (UAPA) is a rare congenital anomaly that occurs in association with other cardiovascular anomalies, such as tetralogy of Fallot or ventricular septal defects. On the other hand, it is less commonly found as an isolated finding without accompanying diseases. Isolated UAPA is a rare cause of hemoptysis, and massive hemoptysis has been reported to occur in approximately 18~20% of UAPA patients during their clinical course. Even if a lung resection is considered a treatment option to control life-threatening hemoptysis, the procedure is more difficult than an ordinary lung resection because of the excessive collateral vessels from the systemic circulation. We encountered an isolated UAPA occurring in a young male patient suffering from intermittent blood tinged sputum. To our knowledge, only a few cases of isolated UAPA have been reported in Korea. This case is expected to be a good example to help clinicians better understand isolated UAPA as an unusual cause of hemoptysis.
Hand ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung ; Male ; Pulmonary Artery ; Sputum ; Stress, Psychological ; Tetralogy of Fallot ; Tolnaftate

Levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS: Mirena(R)) have many important and potential gynecologic applications beyond its role in contraception. This article describes the evidence and results of clinical applications of use of Mirena(R) for gynecologic diseases such as idiopathic menorrhagia, endometriosis, leiomyoma, adenomyosis, endometrial hyperplasia and early endometrial cancer is reviewed.
Adenomyosis ; Contraception ; Endometrial Hyperplasia ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Endometriosis ; Female ; Genital Diseases, Female ; Leiomyoma ; Menorrhagia

The levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS), originally designed for contraception, has since been applied to various gynecologic diseases. This article summarizes the current status of clinical applications of LNG-IUS to the treatment of gynecologic diseases such as heavy menstrual bleeding, endometriosis, leiomyoma, adenomyosis, endometrial hyperplasia, and early-stage endometrial cancer.
Adenomyosis ; Contraception ; Endometrial Hyperplasia ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Endometriosis ; Female ; Genital Diseases, Female ; Hemorrhage ; Leiomyoma ; Menorrhagia

Patau syndrome, a trisomy of number 13 chromosome, is a rare congenital chromosomal anomaly accompaing many abnormalities of cardiovascular and central nervous system, kidney and extremity, face and eye. We experienced a case of Patau syndrome in newborn infant who had bilateral microphthalmia, microcornea, corneal opacity, iris coloboma, cataract, dislocated lens, spherophakia, retianl fold and dysplasia, which are typical ocular anomalies of this syndrome previously described overseas but not reported in domestic. So, we report this case with a review of the literatures.
Cataract ; Central Nervous System ; Coloboma ; Corneal Opacity ; Extremities ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Iris ; Kidney ; Microphthalmos ; Trisomy

Endometriosis, defined as growth of endometrial stroma and glands outside the uterine cavity, is a chronic and recurrent disease that affects patients' quality of life. Ectopic endometrial tissue can proliferate at any location in the body, but the pelvic organs and peritoneum are the most frequent implantation sites. Among extrapelvic endometriosis, inguinal endometriosis is a very rare gynecologic condition usually associated with previous pelvic surgery. Endometriosis should be preoperatively distinguished from other inguinal masses using computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, or ultrasonography. Here, we report a case of right inguinal endometriosis in a patient with no previous history of gynecologic surgery; in addition, we have provided a brief review of relevant literature.
Endometriosis* ; Female ; Gynecologic Surgical Procedures* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Peritoneum ; Quality of Life ; Round Ligament of Uterus ; Ultrasonography

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is a key negative regulator of immune responses and has been implicated in tumor tolerance, autoimmune disease and asthma. IDO was detected in the joint synovial tissue in the inflammatory microenvironment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but IDO expression in joint synovial tissue is not sufficient to overcome the inflamed synovial environment. This study aimed to unravel the mechanisms involving the failure to activate tolerogenic IDO in the inflamed joint. We demonstrate that both poly (I:C) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induce expression of IDO in synovial fibroblasts. However, inflammatory cytokines such as IL-17, TNF-alpha, IL-12, IL-23 and IL-16 did not induce IDO expression. Poly (I:C) appeared to induce higher IDO expression than did LPS. Surprisingly, toll-like receptor (TLR)4-mediated IDO expression was upregulated after depletion of myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88 (MyD88) in synovial fibroblasts using small interfering RNA (siRNA). IDO, TLR3 and TLR4 were highly expressed in synovial tissue of RA patients compared with that of osteoarthritis patients. In addition, RA patients with severe disease activity had higher levels of expression of IDO, TLR3 and TLR4 in the synovium than patients with mild disease activity. These data suggest that upregulation of IDO expression in synovial fibroblasts involves TLR3 and TLR4 activation by microbial constituents. We showed that the mechanisms responsible for IDO regulation primarily involve MyD88 signaling in synovial fibroblasts, as demonstrated by siRNA-mediated knockdown of MyD88.
Adaptor Proteins, Vesicular Transport/genetics/metabolism ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/*metabolism ; Blotting, Western ; Cells, Cultured ; Fibroblasts/drug effects/*metabolism ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase/genetics/*metabolism ; Interleukin-12/pharmacology ; Interleukin-16/pharmacology ; Interleukin-17/pharmacology ; Interleukin-23/pharmacology ; Lipopolysaccharides/pharmacology ; Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88/genetics/*metabolism ; Poly I-C/pharmacology ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Small Interfering/genetics/physiology ; Synovial Membrane/*cytology ; Toll-Like Receptor 4/genetics/metabolism ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/pharmacology

Selective labeling of small populations of neurons of a given phenotype for conventional neuronal tracing is difficult because tracers can be taken up by all neurons at the injection site, resulting in nonspecific labeling of unrelated pathways. To overcome these problems, genetic approaches have been developed that introduce tracer proteins as transgenes under the control of cell-type-specific promoter elements for visualization of specific neuronal pathways. The aim of this study was to explore the use of tracer gene expression for neuroanatomical tracing to chart the complex interconnections of the central nervous system. Genetic tracing methods allow for expression of tracer molecules using cell-type-specific promoters to facilitate neuronal tracing. In this study, the rat tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) promoter and an adenoviral delivery system were used to express tracers specifically in dopaminergic and noradrenergic neurons. Region-specific expression of the transgenes was then analyzed. Initially, we characterized cell-type-specific expression of GFP or RFP in cultured cell lines. We then injected an adenovirus carrying the tracer transgene into several brain regions using a stereotaxic apparatus. Three days after injection, strong GFP expression was observed in the injected site of the brain. RFP and WGA were expressed in a cell-type-specific manner in the cerebellum, locus coeruleus, and ventral tegmental regions. Our results demonstrate that selective tracing of catecholaminergic neuronal circuits is possible in the rat brain using the TH promoter and adenoviral expression.
Adenoviridae ; Adrenergic Neurons ; Animals ; Brain ; Cells, Cultured ; Central Nervous System ; Cerebellum ; Gene Expression ; Lifting ; Locus Coeruleus ; Neurons ; Phenotype ; Proteins ; Rats ; Transgenes ; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase

BACKGROUND: To determine the molecular structure of type II collagen-specific T-cell receptors associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: We generated CII-specific T-cell lines of 8 RA patient s by prolonged in vitro culture with bovine CII (bCII) and the immunogenic peptide (256-270) of human CII. The proliferation response towards CII stimulation was measured from the uptake of 3 H-thymidine. Changes in the secretion of Th 1 and Th2 cytokines in the culture supernatent were measured by ELISA. The TCR clonotypes of these T-cells were examined by RT-PCR/ SSCP analyses of all 22 V beta chains. RESULTS: T-cells from patients' tissue exhibited strong proliferation index upon CII stimulation, which was maintained up to 6 months in the culture. The secretion of INF-gamma from these T-cells increased along with the duration of culture time, while the amount of IL-4 production did not show significant changes. The SSCP band patterns of patients' T-cells appear as discrete bands unlike the smeary streak produced from normal samples. Some SSCP bands, each representing selected expansion of a TCR containing certain subtype of V beta peptides, appeared to be identical in more than one patients. Among these, the expansion of SSCP band representing the V beta 14 CDR3 region persisted after switching the antigen to the immunogenic human peptide (256-270). CONCLUSION: CII-reactive T-cells expressing distinct CDR3 motifs are selectively expanded in the peripheral blood and synovial fluid of RA patients, and their persistent proliferation upon CII stimulation, as well as the production Th 1-type cytokines, may play pivotal roles in RA pathogenesis.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Cytokines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Interleukin-4 ; Molecular Structure ; Peptides ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; Synovial Fluid ; T-Lymphocytes*