No abstract available.
Child* ; Cystitis* ; Eosinophils* ; Humans

Objective: Cerebral white matter changes (WMCs) and silent brain infarcts (SBIs) are common radiological findings in neurologically asymptomatic elderly people. Their presence is associated with an increased risk of stroke or dementia. Homocysteine (Hcy) can cause atherosclerosis and may thus act as a useful marker of stroke prior to symptom onset. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of Hcy as a surrogate marker for early intervention for stroke in community-dwelling healthy elderly persons with cerebrovascular lesions such as WMCs and SBIs. Methods: We assessed the relationship between the Hcy level and presence of WMCs/SBIs on brain computed tomography (CT) in 554 elderly individuals aged ≥65 years with no history of stroke or dementia. Results: The mean age of the participants was 74.43±7.32 years. Of the 554 patients, 106 (19.1%) had WMCs and/or SBI findings on brain CT. The mean Hcy level was higher in participants with WMCs/SBIs (P=0.001). The WMCs/SBIs group had a significantly greater number of participants with high Hcy levels than the non-WMCs/SBIs group (P<0.001). High Hcy levels (≥12.3 μmol/L) was significantly associated with WMCs and SBIs even after adjusting for age, Korean Mini Mental Status Examination score, education level, and vascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and smoking status. Conclusion: The result of our study suggests that regular monitoring of homocysteine level as a modifiable risk factor may be helpful for predicting the association of cerebrovascular lesions such as WMCs and SBIs for the prevention of future ischemic stroke and cognitive impairment.

Human seminal plasrna (HSP) is mixture of secretion derived from various glands associated with male reproductive tract which comprises approximately 80-90% of the volume of normal ejaculate. The present study was undertaken in an effort to explore the effect of HSP pretreatment on the production of IL-1B, TNF-a and IL-12, in mice, and to investigate if HSP may cause to induce active systemic anaphylaxis (ASA) in mice. In addition, effects of HSP pretreatment on contact hypersensitivity to trinitrochlorobenzene (TNCB), antibody response to polyvinylpyrroridone (PVP), a thymus-independent antigen and on ASA induced by egg albumin (OVA) were also studied in this study. For the experiments of contact hypersensitivity, antibody response and cytokine production, mice were pretreated i.p. daily with 0.3ml of HSP or sterile saline alone (control) for 3 consecutive days before antigen sensitization or lipopolysaccharide injection for the cytokine induction. For the experiments of OVA- induced anaphylaxis, mice were pretreated by a single s.c. injection of HSP 0.3ml per mouse before sensitization. For induction of ASA in mice by HSP, a group of mice were sensitized i.p. 2 consecutive days with 0.3ml of HSP and one day with 0.3 ml of HSP plus 2x10(9) B. pertussis and 1.0 mg of alum (schedule A) or another group of mice were sensitized i.p. with a single i.p. injection of 0.3 ml of HSP with 2x10' B. pertussis and 1.0 mg of alum (schedule B). All sensitized and unsensitized control mice were challenged i.v. with 0.2ml of HSP 14 days after HSP sensitization, and mortality were observed. It was found that HSP pretreatment inhibited the production of IL-lB, TNF-a and IL-12, and also inhibited OVA-induced ASA, contact hypersensitivity to TNCB and anti-PVP antibody production. Interestingly, ASA was induced by HSP irrespective of the applied sensitization schedule. Taken together, this study may provide the direct evidences that HSP may inhibit the production of IL-1B, TNF-a and IL-12 and this may be the first to show the induction of ASA by HSP in mice.
Anaphylaxis* ; Animals ; Antibody Formation ; Appointments and Schedules ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Humans* ; Interleukin-12 ; Male ; Mice* ; Mortality ; Ovum ; Picryl Chloride ; Semen* ; Whooping Cough

Porokeratosis is an uncommon autosomally dominant inher ted disorder. Clinically, it is characterized by nonhealing plaques that develop most comnorly on the limbs. We report a case of disseminated superficial porokeratosis in immunosuppre sed kidney transplant recipient. An abrupt and extensive eruption of porokeratosis was observed in a 46-year-old man 7 months after renal transplantation, while being treated with cyclosporin A and prednisone. The histological features were essentially the same as the typical cornoid lamella. Immunosuppression may exacerbate or initiate the developm nt of porokeratosis in patients predisposed to alterations of cutaneous growth dynamics.
Cyclosporine ; Extremities ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Kidney Transplantation ; Kidney* ; Middle Aged ; Porokeratosis* ; Prednisone ; Transplantation*

No abstract available.
Cell Line* ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide* ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins* ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms*

Normal human B cells produce autocrine growth factor in response to Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I strain (SAC). However, the functional role and molecular nature of the B cell derived-B cell growth factor (B-BCGF) are largely unknown. We have tried to investigate the nature of B-BCGF using mAb for several years. We report here that B- BCGF is capable of binding to hemoglobin (Hb). The concentrated culture supernatant from tonsillar B cells stimulated with SAC for 24 h was loaded into the fast protein liquid chromatography and ion-exchange chromatography. The peak with BCGF activity was shown to have a M.W. of 16-18 Kda in polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis followed by silver stain. Amino acid sequence of the fraction was found to identical to human hemoglobin (Hb) by more than 85%. However, Hb itself had no BCGF activity. The presence of Hb in culture supernatant was due to the contamination of SRBC during B cell purification. SRSC were completely removed from B cells by percoll-gradient centrifugation and B cells were stimulated with SAC and exogenous Hb was added to the cultures. The Hb fraction from FPLC again showed a BCGF activity. These data strongly suggested that BCGF binds to Hb. We confirmed this in dot blot as well as Western blot. The M.W of Hb-binding BCGF was 20 Kda. This information may provide a rapid progress in research of BCGF.
Amino Acid Sequence ; B-Lymphocytes ; Blotting, Western ; Centrifugation ; Chromatography, Ion Exchange ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Humans ; Silver ; Staphylococcus aureus

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Humerus*

A Epiphyseal injury in children is common following trauma to result in significant and permanent loss of function and growth. We analyzed 24 cases of epiphyseal injuries about the knee inchildren, who were treated in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yonsei University, Wonju College of Medicine from Jan. 1980 to Dec. 1987. The results were as follows :1. The sex ratio between male and female eas 2.5: 1, and mean age was 11 years old. 2. Large number of cases were by slip-down, traffic accidents or fall. 3. Epiphyseal injuries about the knee occurred in 12% among the 417 cases of childrens epiphyseal injuries. In point of injury patterns, large number of cases were Salter-Harris type 2 and type 3 injuries in the distal femur and the proximal tibia. 4. They were treated with closed reduction and plaster immobilization in 66%, with operative reduction and internal fixation in 34%. 5. Complications occurred in 6 cases : Knee pain and limitation of motion, angular deformity and limb shorteniing.
Accidents, Traffic ; Child ; Clinical Study ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Extremities ; Female ; Femur ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Knee ; Male ; Sex Ratio ; Tibia

We made a randomized prospective comparison of the compression hip screw and the Gamma nail for the internal fixation of 60 intertrochanteric fractures to compare perioperative details and to analyze radiographic and clinical results in elderly patients. The operation time for Gamma nail group was shorter than for CHS group and also the intraoperative blood loss was lower in the Gamma nail group. And the Gamma nail enabled earlier ambulation. We found no significant difference of the union time and the sliding length of lag screw between two groups. The decrease of neck shaft angle in the Gamma nail group was significantly smaller than the CHS group. There was no significant mechanical complication in the Gamma nail group such as a fracture of the femoral shaft or fixation failure. We obtained satisfactory results on treatment of elderly patients with intertrochanteric fracture of femur using Gamma nail. So we consider that in the treatment of intertrochanteric fractures of geriatric patients, the Gamma nail would be more efficient than the CHS.
Aged ; Femur ; Hip Fractures ; Hip ; Humans ; Neck ; Prospective Studies ; Walking

No abstract available.
Abscess* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging*