No abstract available.
Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio*

No abstract available.
Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

Vibrio vulnificus infection is one of the most fatal diseases in Korea. This study was undertaken to determine the cellular fatty acid (CFA) compositions of ninety-five clinical strains of V. vulnificus isolated from Korea during 1985-1995. We compared these results with the CFA profile of V. vulnificus in the Microbial Identification System (MIS) (CLIN library version 3.9; Microbial ID Inc., Newark, Del.), and also evaluated the MIS ability to identify V. vulnificus. Subgrouping of V. vulnificus by CFA analysis was performed and its results were compared with those of serotyping. Most of the CFAs in V. vulnificus strains were similar to the CFA profile of V. vulnificus in the MIS, but some distinctive differences were observed. First, means of two major CFAs, 16:0 and 16:1w7c, were 22.16% and 18.26% in this study, but 23.52% and 25.44% in the MIS respectively. Second, all isolates had 11:Oiso3OH, which was not present in the MIS. Eighty-five strains (89.5%) disclosed the first choice identification of V. vulnificus by the MIS, but only two strains (2.1%) were identified with SI values of 0.6. Remaining ten strains (10.5%) showed 'NO MATCH' results. Cluster analysis of CFA could separate V. vulnificus into nine subgroups, and predominant subgroups were subgroup VII (45 strains) and V (36 strains). There was heterogeny between subgroups by CFA and serotypes of V. vulnificus. The strains of 04 serotype which accounted for 80% (76/95) of the isolates were distributed into six different subgroups such as VII (40 strains), V (27 strains), III (4 strains), I (2 strains) and VI (1 strain). These showed that V. vulnificus strains isolated from Korea had different characteristics in the CFA composition in comparison with the MIS V. vulnificus library. Subgrouping by the CFA analysis might be a useful tool for the epidemiological study of V. vulnificus infection in Korea.
Korea* ; Serotyping ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio*

BACKGROUND: Aseptic meningitis is a common illness of children. It seems that viruses are the usual etiologic agents. The distribution of these agents mainly depends on the isolated time and region area. This study was performed to isolate the causative viruses from patients with aseptic meningitis in Gwangju area during recent one year. METHODS:A total of 130 patients with aseptic meningitis were evaluated. Stool and/or cerebrospinal fluid specimens from patients were inoculated into rhabdomyosarcoma (RD), HEp2 and Vero cell lines. The virus propagation was examined by the presence of cytopathic effects. Neutralizing tests using enterovirus serum pool were done on each viral isolates. RESULTS: The isolation rate of enterovirus was 24.6% (32/130). The enterovirus isolates were obtained mostly from stool specimens (29/32). Twenty-two isolates were identified by neutralizing test. Ten isolates disclosed 'untyping' by neutralizing test. The distribution of isolates was coxsackievirus group B2 (11 stains, 34.4%), echovirus 30 (4 strains, 12.5%), echovirus 6 (3 strains, 9.4%), echovirus 9, 11, 25 and coxsackievirus group A16 (1 strain, respectively). These strains were predominantly isolated during summer season (June to July). CONCLUSIONS: The causative viruses from patients with aseptic meningitis in Gwangju area during recent 1 year were coxsackievirus group B2, echovirus 30, 6, 9, 11, 25 and coxsackievirus group A16 which were mostly isolated from stool specimens in summer season.
Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Child ; Coloring Agents ; Echovirus 6, Human ; Echovirus 9 ; Enterovirus ; Enterovirus B, Human ; Gwangju* ; Humans ; Meningitis, Aseptic* ; Rhabdomyosarcoma ; Seasons ; Vero Cells

Aging is an universal phenomenon and irreversible syndrome, and its damage occurs to molecules (DNA, proteins, and lipids), to cells, and to organs. Hematopoietic tissue intrinsically has a very high turnover rate; nonetheless, it is not protected from age-related insults. Aging results in the overproduction of myeloid cells, which leads to a pro-inflammatory environment. The selective expansion of a clonal subtype of intrinsically myeloid-biased hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is a central component of hematopoietic aging. In the present study, the stress-response and inflammatory genes were up-regulated with age whereas chromatin remodeling and DNA repair genes were down-regulated. Accumulated DNA damage, loss of DNA repair, and epigenetic deregulation are the main molecular mechanisms underlying age-dependent HSC decline. The most profound effect is seen in the adaptive immune system with a marked decline of lymphoid function in the elderly. Mitochondrial dysfunction and mitochondrial DNA mutation are another important contributor to the aging of HSCs, which have been regarded as a part of the mitochondrial theory of aging. Generation of reactive oxygen species during mitochondrial adenosine triphosphate generation, results in damage to mitochondria and mitochondrial DNA, the latter leading to deleterious mutations that directly caused the functional decline of human. Studies have pointed toward intrinsic deficits in HSC function, and epigenetic deregulation as the important contributing factors behind hematopoietic decline and malignancy during aging. Aging-related changes such as hematopoiesis are reflected by a decline in marrow cellularity, increased risk of anemia, marrow failure syndrome, and myeloproliferative neoplasms as well as a decline of adaptive immunity.
Adaptive Immunity ; Adenosine Triphosphate ; Aged ; Aging* ; Anemia ; Bone Marrow ; Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly ; DNA Damage ; DNA Repair ; DNA, Mitochondrial ; Epigenomics ; Hematopoiesis* ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Humans ; Immune System ; Mitochondria ; Myeloid Cells ; Reactive Oxygen Species

To determine the ocular toxicity after intrachoroidal steroid injection in the rabbit eye, 0.15ml(40 mg/ml) triamcinolone acetonide, 0.15ml(40 mg/ml) methylprednisol one acetate and 0.15ml balanced salt solution(as controls) were injected into the choroid. The results were shown normal in fundus examination, electroretinography, and electron microscopy throughout the two weeks course of the experiment. From these result, it would appear that intrachoroidal 6 mg steroid injection demonstrated the lack of ocular toxicity.
Choroid ; Electroretinography ; Microscopy, Electron ; Pathology ; Triamcinolone ; Triamcinolone Acetonide

The patient was a 1-day-old female with full term normal vaginal delivery. Petechiae and purpura were noted on body surface at birth. She did not have mongoloid face and hand-foot deformity. The skin nodules were bluish to slate-grey in color, and observed on all body surfaces. Hepatosplenomegaly was also noticed. Peripheral blood smear showed marked leukocytosis (109,400/microliter), thrombocytopenia (16,000/microliter) and leukoerythroblastosis. VDRL and TORCH tests were negative. The bone marrow was replaced by leukemic lymphoblasts. The normal hematopoietic cells were depleted. The leukemic lymphoblasts expressed markers of mature B cell differentiation, negative for Sudan black B, peroxidase, and positive for PAS (en bloc pattern) stain. Skin biopsy specimen showed diffuse infiltration of the leukemic cells. The diagnosis was congenital mature B cell lymphoblastic leukemia. This patient died at 7 days after birth.
Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Cell Differentiation ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Leukocytosis ; Parturition ; Peroxidase ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma* ; Purpura ; Skin ; Sudan ; Thrombocytopenia

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate genetic polymorphisms of cytochrome P4502E1 (CYP2E1) among healthy control and alcoholic Koreans in order to determine its relation-ship to the development of alcoholism. We also evaluate the diagnostic usefulness of carbohydrate deficient transferrin (CDT) in alcoholism. METHODS: The healthy control group included 72 males and 32 females. Patients with alcoholism included 53 males and 12 females who met DSM-IV diagnostic criteria (American Psychiatric Asso-ciation, 1994) and were admitted to alcoholism treatment units. Rsa I and Pst I restriction fragment length polymorphisms of CYP2E1 gene PCR product determined the genotype of CYP2E1. The serum level of CDT was analyzed by Behring Nephelometer II using %CDT turbidimetric immunoassay kit. RESULTS: The prevalence of CYP2E1 genotypes was 74.0% for type A, 23.1% for type B, and 2.9% for type C in the 104 healthy subjects, and 93.8% for type A and 6.2% for tyupe B in the 65 patients with alcoholism. The allele frequency of c1 and c2 of CYP2E1 was 85.6% and 14.4%, respectively, in the control group and 96.9% and 3.1%, respectively, in the alcoholics. The %CDT range in healthy controls and alcoholics was 0-7.8% and 3.1-21.1%, respectively. The serum CDT level in the patients with alcoholism (14.4 +/-4.5, mean +/-SD) was higher than that of healthy controls (3.2 +/-1.2, ) (P<0.05). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, false positive rate, false negative rate, and test efficiency of %CDT were 85.1%, 93.3%, 88.7%, 90.6%, 6.7%, 15.4%, and 89.9%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant difference in frequencies of CYP2E1 genotype (P=0.001) and allele (P=0.003) between patient with alcoholism and control group, and the absence of CYP2E1 c2 allele was associated with alcoholism. Assessment of CDT yielded useful and objective informa-tion in the diagnosis and identification of alcoholism.
Alcoholics ; Alcoholism* ; Alleles ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1 ; Cytochromes* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Male ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic* ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Prevalence ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Transferrin*