BACKGROUND: Generalized immune activation occurs early in the course of many infectious disease. Laboratory investigations have shown that immune activation can be quantified by the measurement of soluble immune activation products in serum. Soluble CD25, CD8, and CD4 are major immune activation products. Soluble CD8 and CD4 are indices of CD8+ T cell and CD4+T cell activity, respectively. OBJECTIVE: We estimated the concentrations of these molecules in patients with leprosy. METHODS: The study population consisted of 31 patients with tuberculoid leprosy and 71 patients with lepromatous leprosy(32 cases of M. leprae negative patients and 39 cases of M. leprae positive patients). Serum samples and clinical and laboratory data were collected form each patient and control. The levels of serum soluble CD25, CD8, and CD4 were measured by sandwich enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: The levels of serum soluble CD25 were significantly raised in leprosy patients as compared to control and did not vary signficantly between tuberculoid and lepromatous leprosy. The soluble CD8 levels in the serum of patients with leprosy did not differ from the levels of the control. The levels of serum soluble CD4 were significantly decreased in the patients with lepromatous leprosy, but not in the patients with tuberculoid leprosy. However, there was no significant correlation between CD25, CD8, and cD4 and bacterial indices in patients with lepromatous leprosy. CONCLUSIONs: There data suggest that non-specific immune activation occurs the spectrum in leprosy, while CD4+ T cell activity is significantly decreased in patients with lepromatous leprosy.
Communicable Diseases ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Leprosy* ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Leprosy, Tuberculoid

No abstract available.
Fibrin Tissue Adhesive* ; Fibrin*

No abstract available.
Meals* ; Measles* ; Vaccination*

Atopic dermatitis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease, associated with marked inflammatory cells (of mast cells and eosinophils) and severe itching, which leads to clinical problems in the pediatric population. This study was designed to investigate the inhibitory effects of luteolin liposome solution, that is entrapped the hydrophobic luteolin (one of the flavonoids) into ethosome to improve its stability, by using hapten-induced atopic dermatitis animal model (NC/Nga mice).The luteolin liposome treated mice showed anti-inflammatory effect as evidenced by the lowering of erythema and edema in clinical observation, reduction of inflammatory cell infiltration and epidermal thickness in histopathological examination, when compared with TNCB induced controls. Luteolin liposome solution also reduced the serum IgE level which played important roles in the atopic dermatitis model. These results suggest that luteolin liposome solution has some merit in this formulation showing inhibitory effects for the atopic dermatitis.
Animals ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Edema ; Erythema ; Immunoglobulin E ; Liposomes ; Luteolin ; Mast Cells ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Pruritus ; Skin Diseases

The clinicolaboratory findings, cardiac catheterization, and outcome of operation were analyzed in 78 patients with tetralogy of Fallot, which were diagnosed by echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, and a cardiac angiography and confirmed by operation at Dong San Hospital, Keimyung University, during a 4(1/2)-year period from January 1984 to June 1988. The following results were obtained : 1) Out of the 78 cases, 45 were male and 64 were female. 2) The electrocardiogram showed right axis deviation in 71 cases(91%) and right ventricular hypertrophy in 66 cases(84.6%). 3) Chest X-ray revealed that, the cardiothoracic ratio was normal or decreased in 68 cases(87.3%), and cardiac apex elevation was noticed in 57 cases(73%). 4) Pulmonary stenosis were chiefly valvular and infundibular type(53.8%). 5) The associated heart diseases with TOF were patent foramen ovale(64.1%), right sided aortic arch(19.2%), and secundum ASD(10.3%), in that order. 6) There was an intimate correlation between secondary polycythemia and thrombocytopenia. 7) Among the 78 Cases, 73 cases had total correction, 1 case had shunt operation, and 4cases had total correction after shunt operation. The highest mortality rate occurred in the cases of total correction after shunt operation(25%). The cases with a main pulmonary artery size of 1/3 to 2/3 against, the aorta had a higher mortality than the other group, and no cases expired in the group with a ratio of more than 2/3. The overall surgical mortality was 8.9%.
Angiography ; Aorta ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Hypertrophy, Right Ventricular ; Male ; Mortality ; Polycythemia ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis ; Tetralogy of Fallot* ; Thorax ; Thrombocytopenia

No abstract available.
Child* ; Endoscopy* ; Gastrointestinal Diseases* ; Humans

Subacute paraneoplastic myelopathy is a rare cause of myelopathy. Serepositivity for antineuronal nuclear antibodies-1(ANNA-1, Anti-Hu) is a sensitive and specific marker for the paraneoplastic syndrome with small cell lung cancer. A 57-year-old male patient was admitted because of acutely progressive paraparesis, anesthesia of both lower limbs and loss of bladder function over 3 days. He was subsequently found to have small cell lung carcinoma of limited stage. Magnetic resonance image of the thoracic spine showed signal abnormalities with mild focal enhancement in the intramedullary portion of C7-T10 segments. Concurrent CSF cytology showed no abnormal findings. He had high sero-logic titer of ANNA-1. These findings suggest of a paraneoplastic syndrome although we didn't have nectrotic patholog-ic findings. Five months after onset of neurological symptoms, he died inspite of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We report a case of intramedullary myelopathy, probably of paraneoplastic origin, associated with small cell lung cancer.
Anesthesia ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Paraneoplastic Syndromes ; Paraparesis ; Radiotherapy ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma* ; Spinal Cord Diseases* ; Spine ; Urinary Bladder

A synophthalmia, another form of cyclopia, in which the element of the two eyes are partially fused to form an apparently single eye in the middle of the forehead. The synophthalmia is a result of complex, neural plate misdevelopment syndrome involving the eye, brain, skull and face. It is well known that synophthalmia is due to heterogenous causes, most of which chromosomal imbalances. We experienced a case of synophthalmia associated with proboscis, alobar holoprosencephaly and chromosomal anomaly 46, XX, -15,t (15 q, 21 q). Diagnosis was confirmed by brain MRI and autopsy, The patient died about 20 hours of age and autopsy was done. A brief review of the literatures was also presented.
Autopsy ; Brain ; Diagnosis ; Forehead ; Holoprosencephaly ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neural Plate ; Skull

Despite a recent trend toward increased screening and public awareness for colorectal cancer, 30% of patients present with incurable disease. This study was designed to identify objective criteria that might help surgeons decide which patients with incurable colorectal cancer will benefit from palliative resection. Among 33 patients considered incurable colorectal cancer, twenty one patients underwent palliative resection and twelve patients had bypass surgery. Incidence of postoperative complication after palliative resection was 61.9%(13 cases), and after bypass surgery was 58.3%(7 cases). Among patients treated by palliative resection, one patient required reoperation for postoperative bleeding. The operative mortality after palliative resection was 19%(4 cases), and after bypass surgery was 25%(3 cases). The median survival was 11.4 months for patients treated by palliative resection, and was 9.7 months for patients treated by bypass surgery. These results show that palliative resection can be done safely and effectively in patients with incurable colorectal cancer. We believe this approach improved the quality of the remaining life in these patients.
Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mass Screening ; Mortality ; Postoperative Complications ; Reoperation

Thromboembolism is the most common serious complication following total hip arthroplasty and most common cause of death after total hip arthroplasty. A prospective randomized study in 170 cases of elective cementless total hip arthroplasty was carried out to examine the incidence of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism after cementless total hip arthroplasty from Aug. 1993 to May 1995. Laboratory study, clinical symptoms and signs, chest roentgenograph and precipitating factors were analysed. Venography and lung perfusion scan using radionuclide scan were used for this study. The weight, height, sex, habitus of alcohol and smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, previous operation history of ipsilateral lower extremity, etiology of hip joint disease, and transfusion of blood were not precipitating factors, but the age over 40 and previous history of pulmonary embolism had a significant effect on the incidence of deep vein thrombosis. There was no significant relationship between the incidence of deep vein thrombosis and the laboratory assay, clinical symptoms and signs. Deep vein thrombosis was detected in 29 cases(17.0%), pulmonary embolism in 22 cases(12.9%), and fatal pulmonary embolism in 1 case(0.6%). The most common location of deep vein thrombosis was the popliteal area.
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip* ; Cause of Death ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Hip Joint ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Lower Extremity ; Lung ; Perfusion ; Phlebography ; Precipitating Factors ; Prospective Studies ; Pulmonary Embolism* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Thorax ; Thromboembolism ; Venous Thrombosis*