No abstract available.
Animals ; Macrophages, Peritoneal* ; Mice* ; Staphylococcus aureus* ; Staphylococcus* ; Superoxides* ; Ureaplasma urealyticum* ; Ureaplasma*

Cytokines are hormone-like proteins which mediate and regulate inflammatory and immune responses. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), Staphylococcus enterotoxin B (SEB), and Mycoplasma lysates on regulation of IL-6 and IL-8 production by human nasal fibroblasts. Primary cultured cells were incubated with LPS (1.0 ug/ml) from E.coli, SEB (1.0 ug/ml) from S.aureus, or Mycoplasma lysates (M.pneumoniae, Mp; M. fermentans, Mf; M. hominis, Mh, each 1.0 ug/ml). The culture supernatants were collected at 2, 6, and 24 hr and assessed for IL-6 and IL-8 production by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The production of IL-6 in the culture supematant was downregulated by LPS, SEB, or Mycoplasma lysates. But IL-6 was upregulated by mixed exposure with Mp+LPS (2 hr), Mp+LPS+SEB (24 hr), Mf+LPS (24 hr), Mf+LPS+SEB (2 hr), Mh+LPS (24 hr), Mh+SEB (24 hr), or Mh+LPS+ SEB (24 hr). The production of IL-8 in the culture supematant was similar to that of IL-6 by same stimulants. But IL-8 was upregulated by mixed exposure with Mf+LPS+SEB (2 hr), Mh+LPS (24 hr), Mh+ SEB (24 hr), or Mh+LPS+SEB (24 hr). These studies show that costimulation of LPS or SEB with Mycoplasma whole cell lysates upregulates the production of IL-6 and IL-8.
Bacterial Toxins* ; Cells, Cultured ; Cytokines ; Enterotoxins ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fibroblasts* ; Humans* ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukin-8 ; Mycoplasma* ; Staphylococcus

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the existence of amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and metronidazole resistance Helicobacter pylori and to determine the in-vitro MIC of two and three kinds of antibiotic concominant administration in the isolates. The antimicrobial agents tested against 169 H. pylori included metronidazole, amoxicillin, ciprofloxacin, clarithromycin, omeprazole, josamycin, erythromycin, and tetracycline. MIC of each antimicrobial agents was determined by broth microdilution method. The 169 strains of H. pylori were isolated from biopsy specimens of patients with gastric cancer. MIC50 of clarithromycin, amoxicillin, metronidazole, omeprazole, erythromycin, josamycin, tetracycline, and ciprofloxacin was 2.0, 1.0, 4.0, 8.0, 0.5, 0.5, and 0.5 ug/ml, respectively. MIC90 of clarithromycin, amoxicillin, metronidazole, omeprazole, erythromycin, josamycin, tetracycline, and ciprofloxacin was 64.0, 64,0, 32.0, 16.0, 8.0, 2.0, and 1.0 ug/ml, respectively. H. pylori isolates were detected in the following resistaince rates: 34.3% to clarithromycin, 31.9% to metronidazole, 20.7% to amoxicillin, 12.4% to erythromycin, and 10,1% to josamycin. The prevalence of the antibiotic resistant strains of H. pylori were detected 18.1% for two kind of antibiotics and 9.6% for three kind of antibiotics, and 3.9% for four kind of antibiotics. The MIC90 of clarithromycin-, metronidazole-,and amoxicillin-resistant H. pylori was decreased under the 1 ug/ ml by the two or three kind of antibiotic concomitant administration in-vitro. These results suggest that two or three antibiotics concomitant administration could be more effective for the treatment of clarithromycin-, amoxicillin-, metronidazole-, and josamycin-resistant H. pylori strains.
Amoxicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents* ; Anti-Infective Agents ; Biopsy ; Ciprofloxacin ; Clarithromycin ; Erythromycin ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Josamycin ; Metronidazole ; Omeprazole ; Prevalence ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Tetracycline

No abstract available.
Cells, Cultured* ; Mycoplasma*

No Abstract Available.
Prevalence* ; Ureaplasma urealyticum* ; Ureaplasma* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

This study was conducted to determine the level of inflammatory cytokines in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with meningitis. All the CSF of the patients were examined by Gram and acid-fast stain, culture, and PCR for Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycoplasrma spp..The levels of sugar, protein and leukocytes count were also evaluated in the CSFs. Concentrations of Interleukin (IL)-1B, IL-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a in the CSF were evaluated by the ELISA kit (Genzyme, USA). General bacteria, tubercle bacilli, and Mycoplasma spp. were not detected with stain and culture methods, but, Mycoplasma spp. was detected by PCR method from four (6.3%) patients with meningitis. The mean CSF concentration of IL-1B, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-cx in the control group were 0.6+/-0.2, 896.8+/-107.6, 50.1+/-5.1, and 4.8+/-1.4 pg/ml, respectively. The mean CSF concentration of IL-1B, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-a in the patients with aseptic meningitis were 3.8+/-0.6, 1261.6+/-144.3, 466.7+/-42.3, and 10.8+/-2.0 pg/ml, respectively. The mean CSF concentration of IL-1B, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-a in the patients with mycoplasmal meningitis were 10.2+/-8.1, 1979.5+/-133.8, 459.7+/-96.4, and 17.5+/-5.1 pg/ml, respectively. There were significantly differences in the levels of IL-1B, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-a between control and patients with aseptic meningitis or Mycoplasmal meningitis (each p<0.001). These results suggest that increased levels of IL-1B, IL-8, and TNF-a could be higly suggestive of meningitis.
Bacteria ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Cytokines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Interleukin-6* ; Interleukin-8* ; Interleukins ; Leukocytes ; Meningitis* ; Meningitis, Aseptic ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Mycoplasma ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

This study was carried out to survey the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection and the incidence of vacuolating toxin producing H. pylori from the gastric biopsy specimens of patients with 178 gastritis, 57 gastric ulcer, 455 gastric cancer and 44 healthy person in Pusan, Korea. Further aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of ginseng extract, sofalcone, ginsenosides (F1, Rb3, Re, Rgl), sangwha, green, arrowroot, ginger, and jujube tea on the activity and production of vacuolating toxin by H. pylori in vitro. The isolation rates of H. pylori by culture method from gastric biopsy specimens were 34.1% in healthy person, 42.1% in gastritis, 36.8% in gastric ulcer, and 39.3% in gastric cancer. The isolation rates of vacuolating toxin producing H. pylori from gastric biopsy specimens were 80% in healthy person, 82.7% in gastritis, 81% in gastric ulcer, and 83.8% in gastric cancer. The growth of H. pylori was not influenced by the addition of 10 ug/ml or 100 ug/ml of Ginseng extract and 10 ug/ml of sofalcone in the medium, but the production of vaculating toxin of H. pylori was significantly inhibited by the addition of 100 ug/ml of Ginseng extract and sofalcone. The activity of vacuolating toxin in the culture supernatant of H. pylori was significantly diminished (1/2-1/16 compared to control) by the addition of 10 mg/ml of sangwha, green, arrowroot, and ginger tea, and 1 ug/ml of ginsenosides F1, Rb3, Re, and Rgl. These results suggest that the isolation rates of vacuolating toxin producing H. pylori were significantly higher than that of the foreign reports. Ginseng extract and sofalcone have direct inhibitory effect on the activity of vacuolating toxin production by H. pylori without considerable growth inhibition and sangwha, green, arrowroot, and ginger tea have direct inhibitory effect on the activity of vacuolating toxin of H. pylori.
Biopsy ; Busan ; Gastritis ; Ginger ; Ginsenosides ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Marantaceae ; Panax* ; Prevalence ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Stomach Ulcer ; Tea ; Ziziphus

In order to examine the morphology and ultrastructure of contaminated soft contact lens by scanning electron microscopy, soft contact lenses were contaminated with P.aeruginosa, S.aureus, S.epidermidis and C .albicans. After incubation of soft contact lens in P.aeruginosa suspension for 60 minutes, a number of P.aeruginosa, S.aureus and S.epidermidis were attached to soft contact lens and amorphous materials covering the some of the soft contact lens surface were observed. Also, C.albicans attached to soft contact lens, looking like healthy and the fine fibrillar material covered the surface of soft contact lens and interconnected between cell walls of C.albicans at 14 days after contamination. Soft contact lens may provide a suitable environment for microorganisms that they could attach and proliferate. And microoragisms themselves secreted amorphous materials to protect them from the outside and promote the proliferation. So, contaminated soft contact lens may play a role as pathogen to the cornea.
Candida albicans ; Cell Wall ; Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic* ; Cornea ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Staphylococcus epidermidis

No abstract available.
Animals ; Astrocytes* ; Interleukin-1* ; Interleukin-10* ; Interleukin-12* ; Interleukin-1beta* ; Interleukin-2* ; Interleukin-6* ; Melanoma* ; Mice* ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma*

In this study, the distribution and reisolation of Mycoplasma pneumoniae(Mp) were observed from the various tissues of BALB/c mice which were intraperitoneally pre-inoculated with Mp. In addition, the effect of Mp on the growth, phagocytic activities and nitric oxide production of microglial cells were also examined. The results were as follows; 1) Mp was reisolated from the various tissues such as lymph node, spleen, liver, kidney, brain and blood from one hour through 48 hours after intra-peritoneal inoculation of Mp in mice by the cultural method. Furthermore, it could also be confirmed from those tissues up to 72 hours by the indirect immunofluorescent antibody method. 2) There was no difference in the phagocytic activities between the control microglial cells and Mp stimulated microglial cells. 3) The growth of microglial cells in the medium was significantly increased by the stimulation with Mp compared with that of the control. 4) Nitric oxide production of mouse microglial cells was increased by the combined treatment if IFN-r and LPS or IFN-r and Mp or IFN-r, LPS and Mp, whereas, no increase was observed by either LPS or Mp alone. 5) Nitric oxide production of microglial cells primed with IFN-r was closely related with the dose of LPS and Mp in the dose dependent manner rather than that of the IFN-r. These results suggest that; i) Mp spreads to the various tissues of mice within one hour after intraperitoneal inoculation, ii) the growth of microglial cells increases by the infection of Mp, iii) microglial cells have phagocytic activities to C.albicans and iv) nitric oxide production of microglial cells was augmented by the infection of Mp. Increased nitric oxide production of microglial cells is regarded as an increase of the intracellular bactericidal activiteis of microglial cells. It is suggested, nonetheless, that the inflammatory response of the Mp infected tissues is augmented by the increase of nitric oxide.
Animals ; Brain ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lymph Nodes ; Mice* ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Nitric Oxide* ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma* ; Spleen