No abstract available.
Urticaria*

The effect of a secretory proteinase from the pathogenic amoebae Acanthamoeba castellanii on hosts defense-oriented or regulatory proteins such as immunoglobulins, interleukin-1, and protease inhibitors was investigated. The enzyme was found to degrade secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA), IgG, and IgM. It also degraded interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) and IL-1beta. Its activity was not inhibited by endogenous protease inhibitors, such as alpha2-macroglobulin, alpha1-trypsin inhibitor, and alpha2-antiplasmin. Furthermore, the enzyme rapidly degraded those endogenous protease inhibitors as well. The degradation of hosts defense-oriented or regulatory proteins by the Acanthamoeba proteinase suggested that the enzyme might be an important virulence factor in the pathogenesis of Acanthamoeba infection.
Acanthamoeba/*enzymology/pathogenicity ; Animals ; Endopeptidases/*physiology ; Immunoglobulins/*metabolism ; Interleukin-1/*metabolism ; Protease Inhibitors/*metabolism ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Virulence

No abstract available.
Animals ; Brain* ; Carbon Monoxide* ; Carbon* ; Rats*

No abstract available.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Liver*

No abstract available.
Bile*

No abstract available.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Breast*

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell*

A total of 28 patients of confirmed cerebral parenchymal cysticercosis was followed serologically by ELISA(enzyme linked immunosorbent assay) and clinically over 1 year after praziquantel treatment. The subjects were confined to pure cerebral parenchymal form of neurocysticercosis patients in order to evaluate the effect of praziquantel on specific IgG antibody level. The main clinical features were epilepsy and headache and the brain CT showed multiple low densities, cystic rnass, nodule and calcifications. The patients included in this study were categorized into 3 groups according to the follow-up period, namely, group I (1-2 years), group II (2-3 years) and group III(over 3 years). In serum, the post-treatment(last follow-up) anti-body levels were decreased to 71% in group I, 50% in group II and 52% in group III of pre-treatment levels. Also, in CSF, the post-treatment antibody levels were decreased to 81% in group I, 71% in group II and 33% in group III of pre-treatment levels. Eight patients(2 in group I, 3 in group II, 3 in group III) showed negative conversion of IgG antibody in both serum and CSF during follow-up period. All antibody levels in serum and CSF were expected to decline below negative range around 56-57 months after praziquantel treatment by simple linear regression analysis. However, in CSF, it took about 66-67 months for high pre-treatrnent titer patients above 0.8 to convert into negative range and about 34-35 rnonths for low pre-treatrnent titer ones below 0.8. In conclusion. It might be possible to differentiate serologically the early cured from the chronically ill patients uith slowly calcifying lesion by ELISA in neurocysticercosis, :which would be also helpful to determine the next treatment modality.
Brain ; Chronic Disease ; Cysticercosis* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay* ; Epilepsy ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Headache ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Linear Models ; Neurocysticercosis ; Praziquantel*

We report the first case of an angiomyomatous hamartoma (AH) of the popliteal lymph nodes (LNs) occurring in association with diffuse pigmented villonodular synovitis (PVNS) of the knee. AH is a rare benign vascular disease with a predisposition for the LNs of the inguinal region. Twenty-five cases of AH have been reported to date; however, the precise pathogenesis is still undetermined. In the present case, an open synovectomy revealed two of three popliteal LNs in close proximity to the extra-articular component of diffuse PVNS. These LNs demonstrated irregularly distributed thick-walled blood vessels in the hilum. These vessels extended into the medulla and cortex and were associated with haphazardly arranged smooth muscle cells in the sclerotic stroma. These findings are compatible with an AH. Our observations raise the possibility that AH of the popliteal LNs may represent an abnormal proliferative reaction against the inflammatory process caused by PVNS of the knee.
Angiomyoma ; Blood Vessels ; Hamartoma ; Knee ; Lymph Nodes ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Synovitis, Pigmented Villonodular ; Vascular Diseases

PURPOSE: In patients with small or large aneurysms, the decision for surgical treatment is not so simple. The mortality of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is high. This study was designed to retrospectively analyse the clinical characteristics of patients with AAA. METHODS: Ninety-one cases of AAA were surgically treated between January 1991 and January 2003 at the Department of Surgery, Chonnam National University Hospital. Patients were divided into 49 elective cases and 42 emergency cases, and retrospective analysed on the basis of age, sex, chief complaints, physical examination, associated diseases, size of aneurysm, diagnostic modalities, operative mortality and causes of death. RESULTS: The initial presentations were mainly palpable masses in the elective cases. On the other hand, in the emergency cases which were ruptured, many patients complained of abdominal or back pain. There was a positive relationship between the size of AAA and the incidence of the rupture in our study, especially in the case of transverse diameters above 10 cm (P<0.001). There was no death in the elective cases, but there were 22 surgical mortalities in the 42 emergency cases (52.3%, P<0.001). Overall surgical mortality was 24.1%. The causes of death were intraoperative and postoperative bleeding (11), myocardial infarction (5), acute renal failure (4), and sepsis (2). CONCLUSION: Surgical mortality in ruptured AAA was high. Consequently, surgical intervention is recommended and the operation must be performed. In that way we can reduce the operative mortality and improve the treatment outcome.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Aneurysm ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal* ; Back Pain ; Cause of Death ; Emergencies ; Hand ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Jeollanam-do ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction ; Physical Examination ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture ; Sepsis ; Treatment Outcome