No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Methicillin Resistance* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus*

The purpose of this study was to investigate nutrition knowledge, dietary attitude and a food habits of middle school students. The study was carried out through questionnaire. The subjects were 431 middle school students (boys 298, girls 133) in Chonbuk area. In nutrition knowledge, there were no significant differences in total scores between boys and girls. However, the girls showed higher score in knowledge of weight control than boys did (p < 0.05). In dietary attitude, there were significant differences in attitude of "balanced meal (p < 0.05)", "sufficient protein intake (p < 0.01)", "food diversity (p < 0.001)" and "overeating (p < 0.01)" between boys and girls. The boys showed better dietary attitudes than the girls did. In food habits, there were significant differences in the rate of skipping breakfast (p < 0.05), the rates of skipping dinner (p < 0.01), the frequency of snacks (p < 0.05), the type of snacks (p < 0.05) between boys and girls. The girls showed higher rates of skipping a meal and frequency of snacks than the boys did. It suggests that gender should be considered for an effective and practical nutrition education for middle school students to improve dietary attitudes and food habits.
Breakfast ; Education ; Female ; Food Habits* ; Humans ; Jeollabuk-do* ; Meals ; Snacks

The purpose of current experiment is the generation of insulin-producing human mesenchymal stem cells as therapeutic source for the cure of type 1 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is generally caused by insulin deficiency accompanied by the destruction of islet beta-cells. In various trials for the treatment of type 1 diabetes, cell-based gene therapy using stem cells is considered as one of the most useful candidate for the treatment. In this experiment, human mesenchymal stem cells were transduced with AAV which is containing furin-cleavable human preproinsulin gene to generate insulin-producing cells as surrogate beta-cells for the type 1 diabetes therapy. In the rAAV production procedure, rAAV was generated by transfection of AD293 cells. Human mesenchymal stems cells were transduced using rAAV with a various multiplicity of infection. Transduction of recombinant AAV was also tested using beta-galactosidse expression. Cell viability was determined by using MTT assay to evaluate the toxicity of the transduction procedure. Expression and production of Insulin were tested using reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and immunocytochemistry. Secretion of human insulin and C-peptide from the cells was assayed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Production of insulin and C-peptide from the test group represented a higher increase compared to the control group. In this study, we examined generation of insulin-producing cells from mesenchymal stem cells by genetic engineering for diabetes therapy. This work might be valuable to the field of tissue engineering for diabetes treatment.

Leprosy is a chronic granulomatous disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae, which is an obligate intracelluar pathogen. It presents broad spectrum of clinical manifestations depending on the host's specific cell-mediated immune response to M. leprae. Especially, type I Th cells and macrophages are important in defense mechanism to M. leprae, and the immune response is regulated by cytokines secreted by immune cells. Recent investigations showed nitric oxide(NO) was the key molecule in the killing activity of macrophages, which was enhanced by IFN-gamma but suppressed by TGF-beta1 and IL-10. Since cytokine is secreted by activated immune cells with antigenic stimulation, decreased antigens by treatment modulates the expression of cytokines in leprosy. In this study, we observed the dynamics of cytokines expression using RT-PCR, such as TGF-beta1 and IL-10, which suppress the activity of macrophages, IFN-gamma, which activates macrophages, and iNOS, which represents the killing activity of macrophages, in the lesions taken from fifteen borderline lepromatous leprosy patients before and after multiple drug therapy for 4 weeks. The results are summarized as follows: 1. Before treatment, cytokines were expressed in order of IL-10, iNOS, TGF-beta1 and IFN-gamma(p>0.05). 2. After 4 weeks treatment, cytokines were expressed in order of iNOS, IL-10, TGF-beta1 and IFN-gamma(p<0.05). 3. Fifty-four percent of patients showed a non-polarized Th 0 pattern, 33% a polarized Th 1 pattern, and 20% Th-negative. Th 2 pattern was not observed. 4. The changes of cytokines expression after 4 weeks treatment were not significant, although mRNA of IL-10, TGF-beta1 and IFN-gamma were somewhat decreased. 5. There was negative correlation between TGF-beta1 and iNOS(gamma(2)=0.499, p<0.05, before treatment), positive correlation between TGF-beta1 and IFN-gamma(gamma(2)= 0.622, p<0.05, before treatment), and positive correlation between IFN-gamma and IL-10(gamma(2)= 0.935, p<0.05, before treatment; gamma(2)= 0.937, p<0.05, after treatment). In conclusion, these results suggest that TGF-beta1 and IL-10 may contribute to immune suppression in multibacterial leprosy patients, and that TGF-beta1 suppresses iNOS expression in macrophages. With 4 weeks treatment, the significant changes in cytokines expression were not observed. Interestingly, the majority of BL patients showed Th 0 pattern of cytokine, and none of Th 2 pattern.
Cytokines ; Drug Therapy ; Granulomatous Disease, Chronic ; Homicide ; Humans ; Interleukin-10* ; Leprosy* ; Leprosy, Multibacillary* ; Macrophages ; Mycobacterium leprae ; RNA, Messenger* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1*

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or glycolipid antigens of Leptospira interrogans have been candidates as serogroup or serotype specific antigen. In this study, therefore, we prepared the LPS and lipid antigens from L. interrogans serovars lai, icterohaemorrhagiae, copenhageni, canicola, pomona, grippotyphosa, and a Korean isolate 30R. The LPS antigens were analyzed by a polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and lipid antigens by thin-layer chromatography, respectively. The seroreactivity of the antigens were also examined with homologous or heterologous antisera using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The LPS antigens from serovar lai and the strain 30R were closely related but different from serovar icterohaemorrhagiae. Particularly, the LPS antigens from serovars icterohaemorrhagiae and grippotyphosa were reactive only with the homologous antisera, thus indicating serovar specificity. However, the LPS antigens of the other serovars were reactive to the heterologous antisera. The lipid antigen of serovar icterohaemorrhagiae reacted only with the homologous antisera. In contrast, lipids of other serovars reacted broadly with heterologous antisera, particularly among serovars lai, copenhageni, canicola, pomona, and the strain 30R. The results thus indicated that the LPS and lipid antigens of L. interrogans may contain serovar-specific as well as cross-reactive epitopes.
Antigens, Bacterial/*analysis ; Chromatography, Thin Layer ; Comparative Study ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Leptospira interrogans/*chemistry/immunology ; Lipids/*analysis/immunology ; Lipopolysaccharides/*analysis/immunology ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

BACKGROUND: Mycobacterial antigens released as PIM, LM, LAM, lipoproteins and other cellular factors may contribute to macrophage and dendritic cell activation through pattern recognition receptors such as TLRs. In this study, we assessed cytokine production and ERK activation with stimulation of several major mycobacterial antigens. METHODS: Purified mycobacterial antigens (10, 22, 30, 38kappaDa) and recombinant antigens (6, 16, 19, 38kappaDa, Ag85A antigen) were studied. The production of cytokines (TNF-alpha, IL-12, IL-6) was measured by ELISA. The ERK activation was detected by western blotting. The expression of TLR2 or TLR4 was measured by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Among purified antigens only 30kappaDa antigen induced production of IL-6 or TNF-alpha in THP-1 macrophage cells. When THP-1 macrophage cells were treated with 30kappaDa antigen, phosphorylation of ERK was detected. ERK activation also occurred in TLR2 transfectant HEK293 cells with 30kappaDa antigen stimulation. CONCLUSION: 30kappaDa antigen is one of the major mycobacterial antigens inducing cytokine production and MAP kinases phosphorylation in macrophages.
Blotting, Western ; Cytokines ; Dendritic Cells ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; HEK293 Cells ; Interleukin-12 ; Interleukin-6* ; Lipoproteins ; Macrophages* ; Phosphorylation ; Phosphotransferases ; Receptors, Pattern Recognition ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

PURPOSE: The aim of our study was to determine the positive predictive value (PPV) and to evaluate the usefulness of ultrasound BI-RADS, as compared with the histologic results of breast lesions that were categorized and classified by the ultrasound BI-RADS lexicon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between January and December 2004, the ultrasound features of 471 breast lesions in 368 patients were analyzed and categorized with using ultrasound BI-RADS. All of the lesions were compared with the histological results. We categorized category 2 and 3 lesions as benign lesions, and category 4 and 5 lesions as malignant lesions. We then calculated the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy. RESULTS: The breast lesions were histologically diagnosed as 298 cases of category 2, 21 cases of category 3, 108 cases of category 4 and 44 cases of category 5. The categorical malignancy rate was 1% (3/298) in category 2 lesions, 4.7% (1/21) in category 3 lesions, 8.3% (9/108) in category 4 lesions and 90.9% (40/44) in category 5 lesions. Within category 4, the malignancy rate for category 4a lesions was 5.4% (5/92), the malignancy rate for category 4b lesions was 1.3% (1/8) and the malignancy rate for category 4c lesions was 50% (4/8). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 90.6%, 75.1%, 31.6% and 98.4%, respectively. The statistically valid ultrasound features that were correlated with malignancy were an ill defined margin, a microlobulated mass, an irregular mass, inhomogenic echogenicity, an echogenic halo and an older patient age. CONCLUSION: Ultrasound BI-RADS was useful in differentiating benign from malignant breast lesions.
Breast* ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography*

The superior orbital fissure syndrome is a rare condition characterized by opthalmoplegia, ptosis, and proptosis of the eye, fixation and dilation of the pupil, and anesthesia of the upper eyelid and forehead. Tumor metastasis to the orbit is uncommon and there were only 11 histologically proven cases of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma to the orbit. There was only one case of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma to the orbit with superior orbital fissure syndrome. The prognosis were poor for all reported cases, but palliative radiotherapy could be some help. We report a rare case of metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma to the orbit with superior orbital fissure syndrome.
Anesthesia ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Exophthalmos ; Eyelids ; Forehead ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Orbit* ; Prognosis ; Pupil ; Radiotherapy

For the purpose of obtaining reference materials for the prevention and management of mental health promoting in industrial workers, this survey was investigated the relationship between subjective fatigue symptoms and its related factors such as demographic, job and health related variables. 442 cases of industrial workers which occurred in 7 factories of machine an4 metal manufacturing industrial in Taejon industrial area surveyed by self-recorded questionnaire. The results were as follows : 1. In the complaint raters of fatigue, "eye strain" was the highest (21.9%) and followed by "feel like tying" (12.4%) and "feel a pain in the low back" (12.4%), "feel drowsy" (12.2%), "yawning a lot"(11.8%) and "whole body feels tired" (11.1%) in the descending order. 2. In the average weighted scores of fatigue complaints, dullness and steepness group (I) was the highest, followed by difficulty in concentration group(II) and bodily projection of fatigue group(III) in the descending order. 3. The average weighted scores of fatigue complaints by general characteristics were significantly higher in the lower age group, lower education group and unmarried divorce group. But there was no significant difference in sex. 4. By the working condition, the fatigue scores were significantly higher in manual worker and shift worker than in clerical worker and day worker. 5. By the life style, the fatigue scores were significantly lower in 7-8 sleeping hour group and every day eating breakfast group than in other groups. But fatigue score of everyday alcohol drinking group and the lower health practice indecies group were significantly higher than that of other groups. 6. By the health status and psychological factors, the fatigue scores were higher in unhealthy group, unsatisfaction income level group, unsatisfaction worker contents group and the group of badly self-control in work. 7. In the stepwised multiple regression, factors affecting the fatigue symptoms scores were depression symptom score, health status, marital status, job satisfaction, job repeatedness and body mass index.
Alcohol Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Breakfast ; Daejeon ; Depression ; Divorce ; Eating ; Education ; Fatigue* ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Life Style* ; Marital Status ; Mental Health ; Psychology ; Questionnaires ; Single Person