This study was carried out to investigate the morphologic characteristics and localization of antigenic molecules of Pneumocystis carinii in experimentally induced P. carinii pneumonia in rats. After six weeks of administration of low protein diet and dexamethasone, Sprague-Dawley rats were sacrificed to submit lungs or bronchoalveolar lavage for the study. Monoclonal (092, 900, 902, and 904) and polyclonal (SP-D) antibodies were used for immunohistochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy (ITEM and ISEM). Immunohistochemically P. carinii organisms were well identified as clusters or separated forms in the alveolar spaces being frequently attached to the alveolar walls. Immunoelectron microscopically the adherences of gold particles were observed on the surface of all stages of the P. carinii. Occasionally positive immunogold labeling was observed in the cytoplasm of the trophozoites and on the pellicle of the intracystic bodies within the cysts. The monoclonal antibodies 092, 900, 902, and 904 reacted mainly with pellicles of P. carinii, whereas SP-D labeled on the pellicles, intracystic bodies, cytoplasms of the alveolar macrophages, and free floated surfactant material in the alveolar spaces. The immunogold particles were observed more diffusely and intensely in the cysts than in the trophozoites. These results indicate that antigen is mainly localized on the pellicles, and accumulated during development from the trophozoite to the cyst stages.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Cytoplasm ; Dexamethasone ; Diet, Protein-Restricted ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lung ; Macrophages, Alveolar ; Microscopy, Electron ; Microscopy, Immunoelectron ; Pneumocystis carinii* ; Pneumocystis* ; Pneumonia ; Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein D ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Trophozoites

Tinea pedis is frequently found in those people with poor hygine and in hot and humid environments. The authors investigated the clinical, epidemiologicol a id mycological characteristics of tinea pedis in 138 sewerage workers attending a sewerage plant in Seoul. Tinea pedis was found in 82, with a prevalence of 59.4%. The prevalence of tinea pedis increased with age and the period working at sewerage plant, however, there was no statistical significance. Also there was no difference in the prevalence of tinea pedis between the clerical workers and the field workers. Positive rate for KOH smear was 73.2%, and culture positive rates were 42.7%, producing 35 strains of dermatophytes. Twertyeight strains of Trichophyton Rubrum and 7 strains of Trichophyton mentagrophytes were isolated. Twentyseven yeast-form colonies were isolated, and Trichosporon beigelii was foungl in 19 samples. Most of the yeast forms were found mixed with dermatophytes and moulcis, However, 6 were isolated from direct smear positive cases and yieIded pure colonies of yeast. These included 4 cases of T. beigelii, 1 case of Candida parapsilosis, and 1 case of Candida hormicola. In view of the recent report of these fungi as pathogenic organism, these isolates, rspecially T. beigelii, were considered as a causative agent of tinea pedis in certain groups like sewerage workers.
Arthrodermataceae ; Candida ; Fungi ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Plants ; Prevalence ; Seoul ; Tinea Pedis* ; Tinea* ; Trichophyton ; Trichosporon ; Yeasts

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Facial Dermatoses* ; Keratosis, Actinic ; Skin*

No abstract available.
Herpes Simplex* ; Immunocompromised Host* ; Immunosuppression ; Simplexvirus*

This study was carried out to investigate the mechanisms of interstitial pulmonary fibrosis of rats after the intratracheal administration of bleomycin. Both lungs after bleomycin injection were examined by light and electron microscopy. The results are as follows: Light microscopically, 1 or 2 weeks after bleomycin injection acute and chronic inflammatory infiltrates and edema in the interstitium and alveolar spaces were observed. Proliferation of alveolar type II pneumocytes was also found at 4 to 6 weeks after bleomycin injection, chronic inflammatory infiltrates with interstitial fibrous thickening were noted. Electron microscopically, the number of type II pneumocytes and irregular lamellar bodies were increased and blunted microvilli were noted at 2 weeks. 4 to 8 weeks, proliferation of fibroblasts with deposition of abundant collagen fibrils in the thickened interstitium revealing irregular or collapsed alveolar spaces were observed. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that bleomycin-induced interstitial pulmonary fibrosis is considered to pass from an early acute inflammation of the interstitium and alveolar spaces to an interstitial fibroblast proliferation and collagen deposition to the length of the period after injection.
Rats ; Animals

No abstract available.
Porokeratosis*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The use of diagnostic laparoscopy has been changed because of the development of lesser invasive radiologic tools, which is more useful in the diagnosis of diffuse liver diseases recently. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical value of laparoscopy in diagnosis of diffuse liver diseases during laparoscopic surgery and to find the relationship between laparoscopic gross finding and liver biopsy. METHOD: Sixty-five patients were performed laparoscopic cholecystectomy from March 1. 2001 to July 30 . 2001. We prospectively compared the result of liver biopsy with preoperative serum liver function test, ultrasonographic finding and liver surface characteristics as observed during laparoscopic surgery. RESULTS: The results of liver biopsy obtained in 59 cases were normal liver; 57.6%, mild steatosis; 15.4%, moderate to severe steatosis; 16.9%, chronic liver disease; 1.5%, cholangitis; 3.1% and cirrhosis; 1.5%. There was no correlation between preoperative liver function test and liver biopsy. However, the ultrasonographic finding was more correlated with liver diseases. The sensitivity of laparoscopic liver surface characteristics was 76.0%. The liver surface characteristics was well correlated with liver biopsy finding, especially in color of liver surface and contuor of liver margin. Importantly, when one more abnormal findings in liver surface characteristics were found, the positive predictability of liver disease was 56%. CONCLUSIONS: Diagnostic laparoscopy is a safe and accurate method for evaluating the diffuse liver diseases. If the abnormal findings of liver surface characteristics is found during laparoscopic surgery, one shoud confirm liver disease by liver biopsy.
Biopsy ; Cholangitis ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Diagnosis* ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Laparoscopy* ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver Function Tests ; Liver* ; Prospective Studies

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: Photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) is a modern method for fluorescence imaging of a bronchogenic malignancy. Adverse effects and high costs, partly related to the general application of photosensitizers, are important limitations of the method. However, local application of a photosensitizer could help minimize these problems. 5-Aminolevulinic acid (ALA)-induced fluorescence promotes tumor selective accumulation of protoporphyrin, so tumors can be distinguished from healthy tissue. We compared white light bronchoscopy (WLB) with PDD for the early detection and exact staging of lung cancer. METHODS: We examined 56 stage I and II lung cancer patients (age 65 years; range, 44.83) by photodynamic bronchoscopy (D-Light/AFsystem; Karl Storz GmBH, Tuttlingen, Germany) who had symptoms of cough, sputum, and hemoptysis with atypical cells in sputum cytology. Biopsies were taken from suspected lung cancer by both methods, and 181 lesions were analyzed. RESULTS: The diagnostic accuracy of WLB, using histopathologic results as the standard, was 48.6%, whereas the accuracy using ALA-PDD was 73.5%. The sensitivity of WLB for detecting dysplasia or cancer was 57.1%, and the specificity was 85.6%. When the results from ALA-PDD were considered, these values were 90.5% and 79.1%, respectively. Of 2 patients with carcinoma in situ, only ALA-PDD revealed the lesions. Three patients with initial stage I or II became stage IIIB or IV after ALA-PDD. CONCLUSIONS: Early detection and exact staging of lung cancer can be facilitated using a combination of ALA-PDD and WLB.
Biopsy ; Bronchoscopy ; Carcinoma in Situ ; Cough ; Fluorescence ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Light ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Optical Imaging ; Photosensitizing Agents ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sputum

BACKGROUND: The treatment for multi-drug resistant tuberculosis(MDRTB) is encountered to be important clinically, but there are still a few reports about it all over the world. So, we evaluated the outcomes of only chemotherapy for the pulmonary MDRTB retrosptctively. METHOD: We reviewed the clinical courses of 63 patients with pulmonary disease due to M.tuberculosis resistant to rifampin and isoniazid who were under follow-up between March 1996 and June 1996 after hospitalization at our hospital between January 1993 and January 1996. We performed cohort retrospective study for all these patient's records. Their regimens were selected individually and preferably included four medications that they had not been given previously and to which the strain was fully susceptible. RESULTS: The 63 patients(mean age, 43.2 years) had previously received a median 5.1drugs. Fifty two(82.5%) patients responded to chemotherapy(as indicated by negative sputum cultures for at least three consecutive months); eleven patients(17.5%) had no response, as shown by continually positive cultures. In a univariate analysis, an unfavorable response was significantly associated with greater number of resistant drugs before the current courses of therapy(relative risk 21.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.2-3.0; p<0.05). The mean period of follow-up was seventeen months. There was no relapse subsequently among the patients with responses. There was no death related to tuberculosis. CONCLUSION: In this report from National Masan Tuberculosis Hospital in Korea, multi-drug resistant pulmonary tuberculosis responded relatively well to carefully selected regimens.
Cohort Studies ; Drug Therapy* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Isoniazid* ; Korea ; Lung Diseases ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Rifampin* ; Sputum ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

Postpartum hemorrhage is an important cause of maternal mortality and morbidity. Especially uterine atony is the most common cause of postpartum hemorrhage. Conventional method to control postpartum uterine atonic bleeding is based on the use of oxytocin and ergot preparations. Prostaglandin F2alpha analogue such as carboprost can be used to promote contraction when these agents fail to produce uterine contraction. Prostaglandin E1 analogue, misoprostol has uterotonic effect by oral or vaginal administration. They are used to induce labor and first or mid trimester abortion. In postpartum uterine atonic bleeding, misoprostols cannot be used via oral or vaginal route. Recently we have experienced that postpartum uterine atonic bleedings unresponsive to conventional methods were controlled by rectal misoprostols. So we report these cases with a brief review of literatures.
Administration, Intravaginal ; Alprostadil ; Carboprost ; Dinoprost ; Hemorrhage* ; Maternal Mortality ; Misoprostol* ; Oxytocin ; Postpartum Hemorrhage ; Postpartum Period* ; Uterine Contraction ; Uterine Inertia