Glutathione S-transferase (28GST) with molecular mass of 28 kDa is an antioxidant enzyme abundant in Clonorchis sinensis. In adult C. sinensis, 28GST was localized in tegumental syncytium, cytons, parenchyma, and sperm tails examined by immunoelectron microscopy. C. sinensis 28GST was earlier found to neutralize bioreactive compounds and to be rich in eggs. Accordingly, it is suggested that 28GST plays important roles in phase II defense system and physiological roles in worm fecundity of C. sinensis.
Animals ; Clonorchis sinensis/*enzymology ; Glutathione Transferase/*metabolism/physiology ; Immunohistochemistry ; Microscopy, Immunoelectron ; Molecular Weight ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Antioxidant enzymes levels were determined in monocytes during phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-induced differentiation. PMA induced the differentiation of a human monocytic leukemia cell line THP-1 into macrophage-like cells as indicated by activity of acid phosphatase and morphological changes. The level of Mn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) was selectively increased in PMA-treated THP-1 cells after one day of culture, while the levels of Cu/Zn-SOD and catalase were progressively decreased by Western blot analysis. In contrast, levels of Cu/Zn-SOD and catalase protein and enzyme activitiy remained unchanged in THP-1 cells after transforming growth factor-p, treatment. Cu/Zn-SOD is oxidatively inactivated by exposure to H,O, which is produced by PMA-treated THP-1 cells, and then the inactivated enzyme undergoes proteolysis and fragmentation as analyzed by radiolabeled method. Thus monocytes have a coordinated system for synthesis and degradation of antioxidant enzymes during PMA-induced differentiation.
Acid Phosphatase ; Blotting, Western ; Catalase ; Cell Line ; Humans ; Leukemia ; Monocytes* ; Proteolysis ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate

Authors report a typical case of congenital fiber type disproportion (CFTD) with unique clinicopathologic characteristics. The patient was a 13-year-old boy who presented with weakness of lower extremities, especially proximal muscle, since his infancy. He has suffered from severe scoliosis which got worse since the age of 12. He showed mild dysarthria, high arched palate, and fish face. All routine laboratory data were within normal limits. EMG findings suggested myopathy. The muscle biopsy revealed fiber type disproportion with type 1 predominance. While most of the type 1 myofibers were atrophic or normal in size, the type 2 fibers showed universal hypertrophy. The difference of mean diameter between the larger and the smaller fibers was 27.9%. The patient's clinicopathologic settings fulfilled the criteria of CFTD.
Adolescent ; Biopsy ; Dysarthria ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Muscular Diseases* ; Myopathies, Structural, Congenital* ; Palate ; Scoliosis

No abstract available.
Knee* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging*

Fournier described five patients with gangrene of male external genitalia in 1883 and emphasized three characteristics: (1) abrupt onset in young healthy male, (2) rapid progression to gangrene,(3) absence of discernible cause. But more recent reports described genital gangrene as occurring in any age group and 4 patients in our cases, the mean age was 46 years with an age range of 31 to 59 years. Predisposing causes were as follows: case 1. prostatic calculi, Buerger's disease, case 2, perianal abscess, case 3, diabetes mellitus, case 4, tuberculous spondylitis accompanied by paraplegia and bed sores, liver cirrhosis. The duration of symptoms prior to the development of gangrene varied between 4 to 10 days. The cultured organisms were as follows : case 1. Alpha-hemolytic streptococcus, case 2. E. coli, Alpha-hemolytic streptococcus case 3. Alpha-hemolytic streptococcus, case 4, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, proteus species. Reconstructive surgery of defected scrotum was performed postoperative 8 to 41 days (mean 28.7) and total admission period was 25 to 83 days (mean 46 days).
Abscess ; Calculi ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Fournier Gangrene* ; Gangrene ; Genitalia ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Male ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Paraplegia ; Pressure Ulcer ; Proteus ; Scrotum ; Spondylitis ; Streptococcus ; Thromboangiitis Obliterans

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effectiveness and clinical utility of antenatal corticosteroids in the reduction of neonatal morbidity and mortality on preterm birth Material and method: Neonatal outcomes of 312 preterm babies were evaluated retrospectively. One hundred and two preterm babies(study group) were given dexamethasone more than 1 dose antenatally and 210 preterm babies(control group) were not given dexamethasone antenatally. Antenatal steroids were administered in the form of four 5mg intramuscular doses of dexamethasone 12 hours apart. Maternal and neonatal outcomes of study group were compared with those of control group. Student t- test, x2 test, Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression analysis were used where appropriate. p-value< 0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Antentenatal corticosteroid significantly decreased the incidence of RDS(OR:0.47, 95% CI:0.25-0.86), IVH/PVL(OR : 0.32, 95% CI : 0.12-0.86), necrotizing enterocolitis(OR : 0.49, 95% CI : 0.25-0.98), and neonatal death(OR: 0.30, 95% CI: 0.10 - 0.89) in preterm delivery. In the presence of PROM, antenatal corticosteoid seemed to have no protective effect on the neonatal complications such as RDS, IVH/PVL, NEC, PDA, and neonatal death. CONCLUSIONS: Antenatal administration of corticosteroids was effective to decrease the incidence of neonatal morbidity and neonatal mortality in the preterm neonates with no apparent maternal complications.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Dexamethasone ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant Mortality ; Infant, Newborn ; Logistic Models ; Mortality ; Premature Birth* ; Retrospective Studies ; Steroids

Spontaneous cervical epidural hematoma (SCEH) is a rare condition that causes paraparesis or quadriparesis. As spontaneous resolution is seldom expected, it usually requires surgical treatment for relieve symptoms. Even if spontaneous resolution occurs, relief from symptoms usually requires several hours to days. In contrast, hemiparesis is the most common symptom of a transient ischemic attack (TIA), and usually resolves over minutes to hours. We report here two patients with SCEH who presented with hemiparesis with severe neck pain. Both patients were taking antiplatelet drugs. Their neurological symptoms recovered spontaneously over a very short time. They were initially misdiagnosed as TIA. These cases show that patients with transient hemiparesis may have SCEH if there is severe neck pain and no cranial nerve involvement.

No abstract available.
Sarcoma*

No abstract available.
Family Practice* ; Humans ; Primary Health Care*

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is introduced as a marker of disease. At present, a variety of method may be used to quantify expression of this protein. Antigen capture-ELISA is a sensitive and accurate quantification method previously used with ovine, rat, and human IL-6 proteins. However, it has never been reported to quantify porcine IL-6 protein using capture ELISA. In this study, we generated and characterized a set of IgY and mono-specific polyclonal antibodies to recombinant porcine IL-6 (rpIL-6), and combining these with a sensitive and specific capture-ELISA for a diagnostic purpose. cDNA encoding the mature protein coding region of porcine IL-6 was cloned and expressed with pQE-30UA expression vector. rpIL-6 was then expressed and purified by using Ni-NTA resin. Protein mass of 24 kDa was found with SDS-PAGE and the identity of the protein was confirmed by Western-blot. Production of polyclonal antibodies against rpIL-6 was performed using the purified rpIL-6 in mice and hens. An antigen capture-ELISA was developed with the antibodies after their extraction. To compare the IL-6 level in the different sanitary state of farms, pig sera were randomly collected and concentration of IL-6 in the sera was measured with the antigen capture-ELISA. The capture-ELISA with the optimal concentration of antibodies, in this study, was able to detect about 10 ng/ml of rpIL-6. IL-6 levels determined with the capture-ELISA in pig sera showed positive correlation with the sanitary states of the farms. These results suggested that the developed antigen capture-ELISA could be a good tool for the screening of microbial infection in pig farms.
Animals ; Biological Markers/blood ; Blotting, Western/veterinary ; Chickens ; Cloning, Molecular ; DNA, Complementary/genetics/isolation&purification ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel/veterinary ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods/*veterinary ; Female ; Immunoglobulins/*blood ; Interleukin-6/*immunology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Recombinant Proteins/immunology ; Swine/*immunology