Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent antigen presenting cells that can activate naive T cells. Mature DCs exress high levels of MHC and costimulatory molecules on their surface and have capacity to produce IL-12, a 75 kDa heterodimeric cytokine composed of p35 and p40 subunit. IL-12 is currently thought to be one of most critical determinants for skewing the immune response towards Th1. Expression of IL-12 in dendritic cells seems to be regulated by various stimuli including CD40L. In the present study we investigated expression of IL-12 in mature DCs, which were cultured from bone marrow cells in the presence of GM-CSF. Maturity of the DCs was confirmed by morphologic characteristics, immunophenotypes, and allostimulatory activities. Exprssion levels of IL-12 p40 in the DCs were measured by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. Increases in IL-12 p40 expression were observed after treatment with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), an anti-MHC class II monoclonal antibody, or an anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody. The most remarkable increases, however, were observed in the DCs treated with an anti-CD40 monoclonal antibody. These results support a previous notion that signals through CD40/CD40L interaction may be important for the production of IL-12 by DCs. Moreover, results of this study show a possibility of using monoclonal antibodies against CD40 molecules for preparing DCs producing high amount of IL-12, which can be used for anti-tumor or anti-viral immunotherapy.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Antigen-Presenting Cells ; Bone Marrow Cells ; CD40 Ligand ; Dendritic Cells* ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Immunotherapy ; Interleukin-12* ; Mice* ; T-Lymphocytes

Anti-idiotype antibody (anti-id Ab) which recognizes idiotope in the variable region of immunoglobulin (Ig) can regulate Ab production by B cells in vivo and in vitro. Although it has been reported that anti-id Ab can suppress IgM production by lymphocytes or hybridoma cells without suppression of cell proliferation, the regulatory mechanism of anti-id Ab is not completely understood. We studied the effects of anti-id Ab on the production of IgG class anti-DNA Ab by hybridoma cells, on the proliferation of cells, and on the transcription levels of Ig genes. In contrast to suppressive effect of anti-id Ab on the production of IgM previously reported by others, stimulatory effects of anti-id Ab on the production of IgG by hybridoma cells as well as the proliferation of these .cells were observed. However, little effect of anti-id Ab on the transcription levels of Ig genes was observed. These results suggest that anti-id Ab can increase Ab production by stimulation of cell proliferation. Furthermore, these results suggest that the effect of anti-id Ab on the production of Ab may be determined by the difference in class of Ab produced by hybridoma cells following the treatment with anti-id Ab.
Antibody Formation* ; B-Lymphocytes ; Cell Proliferation ; DNA* ; Genes, Immunoglobulin ; Hybridomas* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins ; Lymphocytes

No abstract available.
Brain ; Brain Abscess ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Head

BACKGROUND: Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) catalyzes the oxidative decarboxylation of isocitrate to yield alpha-ketoglutarate (alpha-KG) with production of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). Dysfunctional IDH leads to reduced production of alpha-KG and NADH and increased production of 2-hydroxyglutarate, an oncometabolite. This results in increased oxidative damage and stabilization of hypoxia-inducible factor alpha, causing cells to be prone to tumorigenesis. METHODS: This study investigated IDH mutations in 61 Ewing sarcoma family tumors (ESFTs), using a pentose nucleic acid clamping method and direct sequencing. RESULTS: We identified four cases of ESFTs harboring IDH mutations. The number of IDH1 and IDH2 mutations was equal and the subtype of IDH mutations was variable. Clinicopathologic analysis according to IDH mutation status did not reveal significant results. CONCLUSIONS: This study is the first to report IDH mutations in ESFTs. The results indicate that ESFTs can harbor IDH mutations in previously known hot-spot regions, although their incidence is rare. Further validation with a larger case-based study would establish more reliable and significant data on prevalence rate and the biological significance of IDH mutations in ESFTs.
Carcinogenesis ; Constriction ; Decarboxylation ; Humans ; Incidence ; Isocitrate Dehydrogenase ; NAD ; Prevalence ; Sarcoma, Ewing*

BACKGROUND: Interstitial lung disease has various manifestations that are differentiated by their pathology, progress and treatment However, all manifestations eventually progresses to pulmonary fibrosis. Recent studies have shown that apoptosis of pulmonary epithelial cells might be related to pulmonary fibrosis. The correlation of the apoptotic index with the clinical manifestations, pathological findings, HRCT findings and the response to treatment were examined. METHOD: Twenty subjects (14 men, 16 women), who had been diagnosed with interstitial lung disease through an open lung biopsy, were enrolled in this study. The subtypes were one AIP, two NIP, eight BOOP, and seven UIP cases. The apoptotic index was scaled from 0-2 depending on the fraction of positive staining cells by TUNEL method. The clinical severity was assessed by a modification of a previously developed CRP scoring system. The pathologic scores were based on 4 components: fibrosis, cellularity, desquamation, and granulation. In the HRCT study, each lobe was scored by the radiologists on a scale for both fibrosis and ground-glass attenuation. The treatment response was assessed by an increase in more than 10% of the CRP score, and comparing the results 3 months before and after treatment. RESULTS: The apoptotic index showed no correlation with the CRP and HRCT scoring system. The apoptotic index correlated with the pathologic elements including fibrosis, cellularity and the desquamation score (p<0.05). Of the 16 patients who received corticosteroid therapy, 9 patients (56.3%) responded to therapy. There was no correlation between the response to corticosteroid and the apoptotic index. In the case of patients with acute and subacute ILD, the apoptotic index showed a correlation with the cellularity, desquamation, and the total histological score (p<0.05). In the case of patients with chronic ILD, the apoptotic index correlated with the fibrosis and cellularity score (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Apoptosis of the pulmonary epithelial cells is implicated in the pathogenesis of interstitial lung disease particularly on a pathological basis.
Female ; Humans

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney (ADPKD) is rare. To date, 54 cases of RCC in ADPKD have been reported. Among these, only 2 cases have different histologic types of RCC. Here we describe a 45-year-old man who received radical nephrectomy for multifocal RCC with synchronous papillary and clear cell histology in ADPKD and chronic renal failure under regular hemodialysis. The case reported herein is another example of the rare pathological finding of RCC arising in a patient with ADPKD.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Middle Aged ; Nephrectomy ; Polycystic Kidney, Autosomal Dominant ; Renal Dialysis

BACKGROUND: Steroid therapy has been shown to improve the clinical outcome in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients wit histological evidence of fibroproliferation in the lung tissue and no identifiab le soure of infection. Because the histopathological features of acute interstitial pneumonia (AIP) are identical with that of ARDS, early steroid therapy was used in AIP patients who had histological evidence of fibroproliferation in the lung tissue and no identifiable source of infection. We analyzed seven years of our experience to evaluate the efficacy of early steroid therapy in AIP. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed on AIP patients who received steroid therapy within 7 days of mechanical ventilatory support in Dankook University Hospital between May 1995 and May 2002. AIP was diagnosed clinically by ARDS without a known cause of the etiology and pathologically by a lung biopsy showing a fibroproliferative stage of diffuse alveolar damage. The clinical response and physiologic parameters were evaluated during steroid therapy. RESULTS: Five AIP patients received intravenous methylprednisolone (1-2mg/kg every 6 hours) after 0.6+/-1.7 days of mechanial ventilatory support. Lung biopsies were performed after 1.8+/-0.4 days of mechanical ventilatory support. Four patients(80%) survived and were extubated after 2.8+/-0.4 days of steroid therapy with improvement in the PaO2 ration (127.4+/-10.1 at day 0 to 223.8+/-37.6 at day 7) by steroid therappy. However, one patient(20%) died of respiratory failure after 15 days of steroid therapy. CONCLUSION: Early steroid therapy sppears to be beneficial in AIP patients without evidence of infection. However, as our study group was too small, futher large scale studies to define the effectiveness of steroids are required.
Biopsy ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial* ; Methylprednisolone ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Steroids

Primary pulmonary artery sarcoma is a rare malignant tumor arising from the pulmonary artery. Diagnosis of primary pulmonary artery sarcoma is quite difficult and the conditon is often misdiagnosed as a more common disease, such as a pulmonary embolism. PET can help in diagnosing a pulmonary artery sarcoma due to the increased uptake of 18F-FDG in the area of the tumor. However, the poor anatomic resolution of PET has limited its clinical applications in pulmonary vascular disease. The recently developed PET/CT is the fusion of PET and CT that improves the anatomical resolution of PET. We report a case of a primary pulmonary artery sarcoma mimicking a pulmonary embolism that was diagnosed with PET/CT and confirmed with a surgical resection.
Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Embolism ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography* ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Pulmonary Embolism* ; Sarcoma* ; Vascular Diseases

Botryomycosis is a chronic supprative disease with characteristic granules formation in the pus caused by bacteria and frequently is mistaken for a fungal infection. Pulmonary botryomycosis can resemble actinomycosis, tuberculosis, or invasive carcinoma by causing a mass lesion with constitutional symptoms. We report a case of pulmonary botryomycosis in a 43 years old man. He had a cavitary lesion of the right upper lobe and diagnosis was confirmed by percutaneous needle aspiration. The specimen demonstrated multiple clusters of bacteria within abscess that best were visualized by gram staining. Cultures of the biopsy materials yielded pure growth of Gemella morbilium. The patient recovered quickly after antibiotics treatment for 3 weeks.
Abscess ; Actinomycosis ; Adult ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Gemella* ; Humans ; Needles ; Suppuration ; Tuberculosis

We have determined and analyzed the full-length cDNA sequence of a coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) Korean isolate (CVB3-Korea/97) which has been known as a general human pathogen. The whole genome contains 7,400 nucleotides and has a single large open reading frame with 6,555 nucleotides that encodes a potential polyprotein precursor of 2,185 amino acids. The genome also contains a 5' non-coding region (NCR) of 741 bases and a 3' NCR of 104 bases followed by poly(A) tail. Sequence homologies of nucleotides and deduced amino acids between the CVB3-Korea/97 strain and the prototype (Nancy strain) were 81.7% and 91.5%, respectively. The genes encoding the functional proteins including viral protease and RNA dependent RNA polymerase showed higher homology than those encoding the structural proteins. We have further analyzed the sequences of 5' NCR, VP1 and VP2 of CVB3-Korea/97, which are known as cardiovirulent determining factors at the nucleotide and amino acid levels. Although the CVB 3-Korea/97 strain was isolated from an aseptic meningitis patient without cardiomyopathy, its 234th nucleotide and 165th amino acid were uracil and Asn as same as those of other cardiovirulent strains one. However, the 155th amino acid of VR1, which closely associated with cardiovirulence, was replaced with Arg155 by single nucleoptide substitution from A2916 to T2916. Moreover, additional amino acid substitutions were observed in the flanking region of Asp155. Taken together, aminoacid(s) substitution in VP1 may play a critical role in determining cardiovirulence of the CVB3-Korea/97 strain rather than individual nucleotide replacements in the 5' NCR and/or an amino acid substitution in VP2.
Amino Acid Substitution ; Amino Acids ; Cardiomyopathies ; Clone Cells* ; Cloning, Organism* ; DNA, Complementary* ; Genome ; Humans ; Korea* ; Meningitis, Aseptic ; Nucleotides ; Open Reading Frames ; RNA Replicase ; RNA, Messenger ; Sequence Analysis* ; Sequence Homology ; Uracil