No abstract available.
Aminosalicylic Acid* ; Cycloserine* ; Prothionamide* ; Retreatment* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

Tumor-draining lymph node (TDLN) lymphocytes contain immunologically sensitized to tumor but functionally deficient T cells. The 30 kDa protein antigen, a major secreted protein antigen of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, exhibits strong T cell stimulatory effect. In this study, it examined that the feasibility of using M tuberculosis 30 kDa antigen to stimulate tumor-draining lymph node cells for the generation of specific immune effector cells. Freshly isolated TDLN lymphocytes could directly respond to the 30 kDa antigen alone and their proliferative responses were markedly augmented by stimulation with rIL-2. TDLN cells were stimulated with the 30 kDa antigen for various time intervals and examined for the induction of IFN-r and IL-4 mRNA using RT-PCR. The expression of IFN-r mRNA was greatly augmented after 1 wk, whereas IL-4 mRNA is markedly decreased after 1 wk. Cytotoxic T cell activities induced by the 30 kDa antigen was also evaluated. TDLN cells stimulated with the 30 kDa antigen alone were able to generate remarkable cytotoxic response to K562 or Daudi cell lines after 6 days of culture. And their cytotoxic effects were highly augmented by stirnulation with rIL-2. These results suggest that the 30 kDa antigen of M. tuberculosis may selectively activate Thl cells of TDLN lymhocytes and induce the cytotoxic T cell activities. In conclusion, the 30 kDa antigen can be used as a biologic response modifier in tumor immunology.
Allergy and Immunology ; Cell Line ; Interleukin-4 ; Lymph Nodes* ; Lymphocytes* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; RNA, Messenger ; T-Lymphocytes ; Th1 Cells* ; Tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: The erythemal response and delayed tanning of the skin to UV radiations which are used as diagnostic phototest and guideline of phototherapy are different according to the races and light sources. OBJECTIVE: The MED and MMD induced by UVB radiation were measured in 130 normal young adult Koreans. METHODS: In this study, a high pressure mercury are lamp(Burdick UV-800) and a sunlight fluorescent lamp(Waldmann UV 800) were used as UVB light sources. Multiple sites of the lower baek or buttock skin were irradiated with an increasing dose by a constant, anount. The minimal doses of erythema response and delayed tanning of the skin were assessed visaually at 24 hours and 7 days after irradiation, respectively. RESULTS: MED and MMD of Burdick UV-800 are 18.0+/-9.8mJ/cm2 (mean+/-S.D.), 29.7+/-12.5mJ/cm2, respectively. MED and MMD of Waldmann UV 800 are 70.8+/-28.5mJ/cm2 and 91.2+/-33.1mJ/cm2, respecively. The most frequent MED by Burdick UV-800 is 10mJ/cm2 and those by Waldmann UV 800 are 50m J/cm2 and 60m J/cm2. CONCLUSION: In this study MED and MMD of young adult Koreans by two kinds of UVB light sources were assessed. The RESULTS: how that MED is less than MMD and the levels of MED under which the photosensitivity is suggested are 5.6mJ/cm2 by Burdick UV-800 anr 32.4mJ/cm2 by Waldmann UV 800.
Buttocks ; Continental Population Groups ; Erythema* ; Humans ; Phototherapy ; Skin ; Sunlight ; Tanning ; Triacetoneamine-N-Oxyl ; Young Adult*

No abstract available.
Humans

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: Smoking-related chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic asthmatic bronchitis, which are the most important causes of chronic airflow obstruction (CAO), can occur together in a pat,ient and the prognoses of these two diseases are different each other. OBJECTIVE AND METHOD: To estimate the extent of asthmatic component in patients with CAO and to evaluate the role of atopy as a predictable index for reversibility of airflow obstruction, 89 CAO patients who were older than 40 years were examined retrospectively. RESULT: Only 15 patients (16.8%) showed an increase of >15% in FEV20 to inhaled salbutamol (short-term responder). However, 18 out of 32 patients (56.3%), who were not responded significantly to inhaled bronchodilator and performed a follow-up lung function study, showed an increase of ) 15% in FEV20 to anti-asthmatic therapy including corticosteroid for 3-4 weeks (long-term responder). Peripheral blood eosinophil count only was different between short-term responder and short-term nonresponder, and there was no difference in all of the measurements between short-term responder and long-term responder. However, there were significant differences in smoking, wheezing on auscultation, peripheral blood eosinophil counts, serum total IgE levels, and MAST atopy score between long-term responder and long-term nonresponder. The increase in FEV, following shortor long-term therapy was related to peripheral blood eosinophil counts and MAST atopy score, and it was significantly great,er in patients with high eosinophil counts or high atopy score. CONCLUSION: About 2/3 of patients with CAO who were older than 40 years had an asthmatic component ap atopy may be useful to predict good bronchodilator response to anti-asthmatic therapy.
Albuterol ; Auscultation ; Bronchitis ; Eosinophils ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Lung ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* ; Respiratory Sounds ; Retrospective Studies ; Smoke ; Smoking

We found an error in this article. The author's name should be corrected as following: from "Younsuk Koh" to "Younsuck Koh".

BACKGROUND: Critical care physician staffing is a crucial element of the intensive care unit (ICU) organization, and is associated with better outcomes in ICUs. Adult ICUs in Korea have been suffering from inadequate full-time intensivists and nurses because of insufficient reimbursement rates (<50% of the original critical care cost) from the National Health Insurance System. Recently, full-time intensivists have been introduced as a prerequisite for adult ICUs of tertiary hospitals in Korea. The purpose of this study was to examine the perception of intensivist staffing among critical care program directors regarding the barriers and solutions when implementing an intensivist model of critical care in Korea. METHODS: An email survey of critical care program directors in designated teaching hospitals for critical care subspecialty training by the Korean Society of Critical Care Medicine was performed. The survey domains included vision, culture, resources, barriers, and potential solutions to implementing intensivist physician staffing (IPS). RESULTS: Forty-two critical care program directors were surveyed. A total of 28 directors (66.7%) responded to email queries. Of these, 27 directors (96.4%) agreed that IPS would improve the quality of care in the ICU, although half of them reported a negative perception of relevant clinical colleagues for the role of full-time intensivists and poor resources for IPS in their hospitals. Increased financial burden due to hiring full-time intensivists and concerns regarding exclusion from the management of their critically ill patients in the ICU, together with loss of income for primary attending physicians were stated by the respondents to be major barriers to implementing IPS. Financial incentives for the required cost from the health insurance system and enhancement of medical law relevant to critical care were regarded as solutions to these issues. CONCLUSIONS: Critical care program directors believe that intensivist-led critical care can improve the outcome of ICUs. They indicated the financial burden due to IPS and underestimation of a full-time intensivist's role to be major barriers. The program directors agreed that a partnership between hospital leaders and the Ministry of Health and Welfare was needed to overcome these barriers.
Adult* ; Critical Care ; Critical Illness ; Electronic Mail ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Intensive Care Units ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Motivation ; National Health Programs ; Personnel Staffing and Scheduling ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tertiary Care Centers

BACKGROUND: Many investigators have advocated neural and especially regional sympathetic blockade for acute herpe. zoster pain. Some believe that nerve blocks not only relieve acute pain but also, if given early in the course of clinical disease, prevent progression to postherpetic neuralgia. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the preventive effect of sympathetic blockade on herpes zoster METHODS: Fifteen patients with herpes zoster were treated with sympathetic blocks according to the severity of pain. RESULTS: The total score of pain degree decreased from 3.4 to 1.1 with sympathetic blocks in 15 patients in 2 months. Sympathetic blocks prevented or relieved postherpetic neuralgia in more than 90% of patients treated within 2 weeks of the onset of the acute phase of the disease and in more than 85% of patients over 60. CONCLUSION: Sympathetic blocks are effective in preventing postherpetic neuralgia if applied soon after the onset of the acute phase of herpes zoster.
Acute Pain ; Herpes Zoster ; Humans ; Nerve Block ; Neuralgia, Postherpetic* ; Research Personnel

We report two patients with multiple peculiar skin eruptions and polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia. Both patients visited our hospital for the evaluation of asymptomatic multiple nodular eruptions on almost their entire body except for the lower extremities. Histologic examinations disclosed prominent infiltration of plasma cells and lymphoid follicular hyperplasia in the dermis but these plasma cells showed neither a mitotic figure nor atypicalities. Laboratory examinations showed polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemias and increased erythrocyte sedimentation rates. In spite of various investigations, the cause of the hypergammaglobulinemia remained obscure.
Blood Sedimentation ; Dermis ; Humans ; Hypergammaglobulinemia* ; Hyperplasia ; Lower Extremity ; Plasma Cells ; Skin