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 case of systemic cytomegalovirus infection in a newborn baby is reported. This female baby was born after 36 weeks gestation to a 30 year-old mother who had no prenatal problem except for breech presentation and placenta previa for which Caesarian section was given. The mother has two healthy children. The clinical course of this baby was characterized by repeat spells of apnea, cyanosis and edema, that progressed to deepening jaundice and generalized petechiae. She died 58 hours after birth. A characteristic linear calcification along the ventricular wall of the brain enabled us to suggest congenital nature of cytomegalic inclusion disease in the patient. Postmortem exmaination showed numeorous cystomegalic inclusions in kidneys, pancreas, liver and thyroid. There was subependymal and periaqueductal calcification together with hydrocepalus and cerebellar hypoplasia.
Adult ; Apnea ; Autopsy* ; Brain ; Breech Presentation ; Child ; Cyanosis ; Cytomegalovirus Infections* ; Edema ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Jaundice ; Kidney ; Liver ; Mothers ; Pancreas ; Parturition ; Placenta Previa ; Pregnancy ; Purpura ; Thyroid Gland

A total of 213 fine needle aspirations from pulmonary lesions in 193 patients performed from January, 1986 to March, 1989 were analyzed. The cytologic diagnoses were unsatisfactory in 10, negative in 60, atypical in 6, suspicious in 11 and malignant in 126 cases. The cytologic types of the malignant cases were 47 squamous cell carcinomas, 40 adenocarcinomas, 10 small cell carcinomas, 6 large cell carcinomas and 10 metastatic tumors. They were verified by the histologic confirmation in 31 cases and by the clinical data in the remainder. There were 5 false-negative cases and none was false-positive, representing 96% sensitivity and 100% specificity. Primary lung cancers were accurately typed in 73% of histologically confirmed case. Cell blocks, prepared in 99 cases, were helpful in tumor typing of 11 cases.
Neoplasm Metastasis ; Lung Neoplasms

PURPOSE: Food allergies can affect the growth and nutritional status of children with atopic dermatitis (AD). This study was conducted to determine the association between the number of sensitized food allergens and the growth and nutritional status of infants and young children with AD. METHODS: We studied 165 children with AD, aged 5 to 47 months, and who visited the Atopy Clinic of the Seoul Medical Center. We recorded the birth weight, time at which food weaning began, scoring of atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) index, eosinophil counts in peripheral blood, and total serum IgE and specific IgE to six major allergens (egg white, cow's milk, soybean, peanut, wheat, and fish). The height and weight for age and weight for height were converted to z-scores to evaluate their effects on growth and nutritional status. Specific IgE levels > or =0.7 kUA/L, measured via the CAP assay, were considered positive. RESULTS: As the number of sensitized food allergens increased, the mean z-scores of weight and height for age decreased (P=0.006 and 0.018, respectively). The number directly correlated with the SCORAD index (r=0.308), time at which food weaning began (r=0.332), eosinophil counts in peripheral blood (r=0.266), and total serum IgE (r=0.394). Inverse correlations were observed with the z-scores of weight for age (r=-0.358), height for age (r=-0.278), and weight for height (r=-0.224). CONCLUSIONS: A higher number of sensitized food allergens was associated with negative effects on the growth and nutritional status of infants and young children with AD. Therefore, a thorough evaluation of both growth and nutritional status, combined with adequate patient management, is crucial in pediatric AD patients presenting with numerous sensitized food allergies.
Aged ; Allergens ; Birth Weight ; Child ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Eosinophils ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Infant ; Milk ; Nutritional Status ; Soybeans ; Triticum ; Weaning