Codonopsis lanceolatae has been used as one of the traditional remedies as well as food source. However, few studies on their immunomodulating effects have been reported. We previously reported that ex vivo supplementation of Codonopsis lanceolatae water extracts enhanced splenocyte proliferation compared to the control group. In order to elucidate its ex vivo effect, six to seven week old balb/c mice were fed ad libitum on a chow diet and water extracts of Codonopsis lanceolatae were orally administrated every other day for four weeks at two different concentrations (50 and 500 mg/kg B.W.). After preparing the single cell suspension, the proliferation of splenocytes was determined by MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-y]-2,5-diphenyl terazolium bromide) assay. The production of cytokine (IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha), secreted by macrophages stimulated with LPS or not, was detected by ELISA assay using a cytokine kit. After 48 hrs of incubation with the mitogen (ConA or LPS) stimulation, the mice splenocyte proliferation in experimental group was statistically increased at two different concentrations than that in control group. The cytokines production was more significantly enhanced at the lower supplementation (500 mg/kg B.W.) group rather than higher concentration (500 mg/kg B.W.) compared to the control group. The results of this study may suggest that the supplementation of water extract of plant mixture could regulate the immune function by increasing the splenocyte proliferation and enhance the immune function through regulating cytokine production capacity by activated macrophages in mice.
Animals ; Codonopsis ; Cytokines ; Diet ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Interleukin-6 ; Macrophages ; Mice ; Plants ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Water

BACKGROUND: Onlay vein patch coronary angioplasty has been known to be an option for coronary artery stenosis in the selective iesions MATERIAL AND METHOD: During the period between July 1997 and August 1999, coronary angioplasty using autologous saphenous vein was done on 16 sites in 14 cases for the stenotic lesion at the bifurcation area and significantly stenosis distal to anastomosis. RESULT: Early patency of the angioplasty site was 85.7% at postoperative day 7. There was no statistically difference in graft patency, operative parameters, and complications compared to conventional anatomosis(p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the small number of cases, the patency rate of the coronary patch angioplasty was comparable to the conventional CABG. Coronary artery only patch angioplasty could be performed in highly selected coronary arteries.
Angioplasty* ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Artery Bypass ; Coronary Stenosis ; Coronary Vessels ; Inlays* ; Saphenous Vein* ; Transplants ; Veins

BACKGROUND: Early patency of the coronary artery bypass grafting is determined mainly by surgical technique and status of coronary artery. We analyzed the early result, focusing on the relationship between postoperative angiographic findings and the patency rate. MATERIAL AND METHOD: During the period of July 1997- August 1999, 86 cases of CABG were performed and the postoperative coronary artery angiography was done in 76 cases on postoperative day 7 to assess the graft patency. RESULT: Overall graft patency was 90.2% on the angiographic finding. Factors influencing the early graft occlusion were the surgeon's experience, small coronary artery size less than 1.5mm in diameter, coronary arteries related to pre-operative myocardial infarction, and local atheroma at the anastomosis site(p<0.001). Operative mortailty was 2.3%. Early recurrence of the symptom was 19.8% during the follow up period. CONCLUSIONS: We examined the postoperative coronary angiography and found that the surgeon's experience, small coronary artery size less than 1.5mm in diameter, bypass surgery on the coronary arteries related to pre-operative myocardial infarction, and local atheroma at the anastomosis site were the factors for the graft occlusion.
Angiography* ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Myocardial Infarction ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; Recurrence ; Transplants

To find the medical insurance utilization of workers when suffering from low back pain, an analysis was made toward the data of medical insurance benefits matched with the general characteristics of 10,183 workers, who were registered continuously from 1993 to 1995 at a medical insurance cooperation for industrial workers. The results were as follows; 1. The period prevalence of the medical insurance utilization for low back pain for 3 years from 1993 to 1995 was calculated as 17.1% for male workers and 19.4% for female workers. Most common cause of utilization was other dorsopathies including the herniation of lumbar discs. 2. The utilization rate increased significantly as the present age and the age joining the company got older(p<0.001). As the duration of employment got longer, the utilization rate of the male showed the tendency to increase and that of the female increased significantly(p<0.05). Among male workers employed at cement and concrete manufacturing companies showed higher utilization rate and among female laborers showed significantly higher utilization rate than clerical workers(p<0.01). 3. Annual utilization rate for low back pain didn't show any difference, but the portion of other dorsopathies among cause of utilization showed the tendency to increase from 1993 to 1995. 4. The mean number of claims for outpatient medical care for low back pain differed significantly by age, working duration, type of industries, income level(p<0.05), and the mean of total visiting days for care of low back pain differed siginificantly by working duration. In conclusion, considering the fact that the medical insurance utilization for low back pain increased annually and other dorsopathies including the herniation of dorsopathies were increasing, an effective preventive or management program for low back pain toward worker employed at industries were required.
Employment ; Female ; Humans ; Insurance Benefits ; Insurance* ; Low Back Pain* ; Male ; Outpatients ; Prevalence

In our preliminary study to find antiviral or antitumor agents from Korean natural products, we found that the Shope fibroma virus (SFV) induced fibromas reaching maximum size at 5~6 days with spontaneous disappearance at 15~20 days after SFV intracutaneous inoculation into Korean domestic rabbits. However, the sizes of fibromas of rabbits at day 5 after virus inoculation were significantly different individually. Assuming that the variation of tumor size was due to either susceptibility or the preexisting antibodies against SFV in the Korean domestic rabbits, the rabbits were checked for the antibodies against SFV by IFAT using SFV infected RKl3 cells. The antibody positive rate of normal Korean domestic rabbits was 32.8% and the sizes of the fibromas of the positive rabbits were significantly smaller than those of negative rabbits (p<0.0001). The fibroma sizes were dependent on the antibody titers of rabbits to SFV. The sizes of fibromas after inoculation of SFV into immunized rabbits were about one tenth of those by the first inoculation into normal rabbits. This is the first report on the antibody prevalence against SFV among normal Korean domestic rabbits and it suggest the existence of a wild fibroma virus or related virus in Korea.
Antibodies* ; Antineoplastic Agents ; Biological Products ; Fibroma Virus, Rabbit* ; Fibroma* ; Korea ; Prevalence ; Rabbits* ; Tumor Virus Infections*

Penicillin resistance in Streptococcus pneumoniae has increased sharply within the past few years and extended-spectrum cephalosporins haute been recommended for the empiric therapy of bacterial meningitis. However, therapeutic failure are being reported with increasing frequency due to extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant strains. We report two cases of meningitis caused by S. pneumoniae resistant to penicillin and cefotaxime. Both patients were recovered after ceftriaxone and vancomycin treatment, but one of them was left with neurological sequelae because of a delay in the institution of an antibiotic therapy appropriate for resistant pneumococci. This report indicates that extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistance must be considered In all clinical isolates of S. pneumoniae and in vitro susceptibility testings should be performed promptly and accurately to detect antibiotic resistance.
Cefotaxime ; Ceftriaxone ; Cephalosporins ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Humans ; Meningitis* ; Meningitis, Bacterial ; Penicillin Resistance ; Penicillins ; Pneumonia ; Streptococcus pneumoniae* ; Streptococcus* ; Vancomycin

BACKGROUND: There are few recent studies on transfusion practice and blood use with regard to diagnoses of Korean recipients. We conducted a survey of blood component use in Yonsei University Medical Center in Seoul, Korea. METHODS: A survey was carried out on blood component transfusion from January 2000 to June 2000. Transfused components were listed by broad diagnostic categories formed from the principal diagnoses of the recipients according to the ICD-10. RESULTS: Of all investigated components (67,433 units), 18,623 units of RBCs (27.6%), 10,203 units of FFP (15.1%), 38,547 units of platelets (57.2%), and 60 units of whole blood (0.1%) were transfused. The transfusion rate in relation to sex was 1.7:1 and the majority of all blood units were transfused to patients aged <65 yrs (85.9%). The rate of blood component transfusion was the highest in the department of internal medicine (47,451 units, 70.4%). Of 18,623 RBCs units and 10,203 FFP units, 70.8% and 74.5% were transfused to patients in four diagnostic categories; neoplasms, digestive system diseases, circulatory system diseases, and leukemia or lymphoma. Of 38,547 platelets units, 87.8% were used in patients with neoplasms, leukemia or lymphoma, digestive system diseases and diseases of the blood and blood-forming organs. CONCLUSIONS: This survey provides information on the blood component usage in tertiary-care teaching hospital in Seoul, Korea. It demonstrates the concentration of today's blood utilization among a few diagnostic categories. This information is relevant for quality management of transfusion practice, cost analyses and for planning local and regional blood donation programs.
Academic Medical Centers ; Blood Component Transfusion ; Blood Donors ; Classification* ; Costs and Cost Analysis ; Diagnosis ; Digestive System Diseases ; Digestive System Neoplasms ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; International Classification of Diseases ; Korea ; Leukemia ; Lymphoma ; Seoul

No abstract available.
Calcinosis* ; Humans ; Infant*

Myxoid neurofibroma is a benign tumor of perineural cell origin, which is demonstrated with a positive immunohistochemical stainig for S-100. The most common locations of the myxoid neurofibroma are face, shoulder, arm, periungual and foot. We experienced an unusual case of myxoid neurofibroma which originated from labia majora area then reported it. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a labia majora location is reported.
Arm ; Foot ; Neurofibroma ; Shoulder

Myxoid neurofibroma is a benign tumor of perineural cell origin, which is demonstrated with a positive immunohistochemical stainig for S-100. The most common locations of the myxoid neurofibroma are face, shoulder, arm, periungual and foot. We experienced an unusual case of myxoid neurofibroma which originated from labia majora area then reported it. To our knowledge, this is the first time that a labia majora location is reported.
Arm ; Foot ; Neurofibroma ; Shoulder