No abstract available.
Genetic Therapy*

No abstract available.
Ethics*

Occupational asthma induced by the inhalation of the spore of Ganoderma lucidum was demonstrated in a 43-year-old woman who had cultivated it indoors for 6 years. She had suffered from paroxysmal cough and rarely wheezing dyspnea for two years. Recently she also had chest tightness and paroxysmal and repeated cough immediately after the exposure to Ganoderma lucidum spores. Her pulmonary function was normal. But, her PC20 was 6.4mg/ml in MBPT (methacholine bronchial provocation test). She showed not only positive reaction to skin prick test but also dual asthmatic reaction to the bronchial challenge test with antigenic extract of Ganoderma lucidum spores.
Adult ; Asthma, Occupational* ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Ganoderma* ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Reishi ; Respiratory Sounds ; Skin ; Spores* ; Thorax

To evaluate the utility of gene rearrangement analysis, eight cases of malignant lymphoma, one case of Hodgkin's disease, two cases of angioiminunoblastic lymphadenopathy (AILD) and two cases of non-specific lymphadenitis were studied by immunohistochemical and genetic analysis. Southern blot analysis was perfon-ned by a using vacuum transfer system and a biotin labelled probe. This method was faster, safer, and more convenient than conventional methods. Gene rearrangement study showed rearranged novel bands in five of six cases of B cell lymphoma, in all cases of T cell lymphoma, and in all cases of AILD. No rearrangement of the B cell receptor(BCR) or of the T cell receptor(TCR) was seen in Hodgkin's disease or in nonspecific lymphadenitis. These results suggest that gene rearrangement analysis of BCR and TCR is a recommended method for the diagnosis of clonality in lymphoproliferative disorders. It would allow pathologists to differentiate lymphoma from polyclonal lymphoid proliferation and to provide information for cell lineage.

No abstract available.
Mycobacterium bovis*

Mycobacteria cause diseases which occur the world over and which carry a considerable burden in morbidity, mortality and social problems. A battery of monoclonal antibodies specific for mycobacterial antigens would provide a useful tool for rapid diagnosis of mycobacterial diseases. Fourteen monoclonal antibodies to perchloric acid soluble antigen of M. tuberculosis were produced. Immunoglobulin isotypes of monoclonal antibodies were ten of immunoglobulin G2a, two of IgG3, and two of IgM. By means of Western blotting, monoclonal antibody detected the antigen of 54kD in TB-P. In the immunofluorescence assay, the monoclonal antibody showed a positive reaction with intact M. tuberculosis bacilli, M. tuberculosis in the pulmonary tissue of tuberculous patient and M. bovis BCG.
Antibodies, Monoclonal* ; Blotting, Western ; Diagnosis ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin Isotypes ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins ; Mortality ; Mycobacterium bovis ; Social Problems ; Tuberculosis

A 25-year-old male with asthma suffered from generalized urticaria, angioedema and syncope associated with exercise after ingestion of food made with wheat flour. Skin prick test with bread showed strong positive reaction(++++), but with wheat flour, a weak positive(+). Challenge test with wheat flour, and food made with wheat flour, without or with exercise, were done several times. Exercise such as 25 min of running on treadmill following 30 min after 50 grams of bread or 50 grams of hot pepper-stuffed rice cake only showed positive reaction such as generalized urticaria, angioedema and hypotension, but not with 15 grams of bread or 15 grams of hot pepper-stuffed rice cake. Ingestion of bread in such high amounts as 15 grams alone did not trigger reaction, not even with is min of exercise. This is the first clear case of food dependent exercise induced anaphylaxis (FDEIA) in which the allergic reaction depended on both the amount of food ingested and the amount of exercise was clarified.
Adult ; Anaphylaxis* ; Angioedema ; Asthma ; Bread ; Eating ; Flour* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Hypotension ; Male ; Running ; Skin ; Syncope ; Triticum* ; Urticaria

BACKGROUND: Menopause leads to rapid bone loss, mainly as a result of estrogen deficiency and peri and postmenopausal symptoms are related with estrogen deficiency. We investigated the relationship between peri and postmenopausal symptoms and vertebral bone mineral density(BMD). METHODS: Study subjects were women aged above 40 years underwent a vertebral bone density measurement with dual energy x-ray absorptiometry(DEXA). We examined the relationship between the menopausal symptoms by Kupperman index including vasomotor symptom and vertebral BMD in 74 perimenopausal and 205 postmenopausal women. RESULTS: On the basis of vertebral fracture threshold, 169 subjects were osteoporotic group and the others were nonosteoporotic group. Menopausal index was significantly high in osteoporotic group. And the osteoporotic one also complained of vasomotor symptom more severely. These findings were more definite during perimenopausal and early postmenopausal periods than late period. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that menopausal symptoms of peri and early menopausal period are significantly related with vertebral bone loss and helpful in predicting the vertebral osteoporosis.
Bone Density* ; Estrogens ; Female ; Humans ; Menopause ; Osteoporosis ; Postmenopause

The status of left ventricular (LV) intrinsic contractile function in pure rheumatic mitral stenosis is an unsettled issue. Although the overall LV ejection performance is reduced in a number of patients with MS, it is the product of the interaction of four variables; intrinsic myocardial contractile state, end-diastolic myocardial length(preload), afterload and LV myocardial mass. Although LV intrinsic contractility in MS has been found to be normal in previous studies, we found it to be decreased on the basis of newer techniques for assessing cardiac mechanics. Reliable load-independent indexes of intrinsic contractility using M-mode echocardiography are end-systolic pressure or end-systolic meridian wall stress to end-systolic volume or dimension ratio and fractional fiber shortening to end-systolic stress relations. We assessed LV intrinsic myocardial contractile state as measured by the aforementioned methods in patients with pure rheumatic MS. The results were as follows; 1) The clinical characteristics are no statistical significance of differences between the 2 groups. 2) Preload (LV end-diastolic volume index) was increased in patients with MS(77+/-23 VS 67+/-21 ml/m2, p<0.05). Fractional fiber shortening and LV ejection fraction were significantly lower in patients with MS(31+/-7 VS 40+/-7%, 66+/-9 VS 77+/-8%, p<0.001). 3) End-systolic stress was significantly elevated in the patient population compared with the control subjects (70.1+/-18 VS 50.5+/-10 dynes-cm2x103, p<0.001) The increased in end-systolic stress in the presence of reduced systolic blood pressure(106+/-8 VS 116+/-7mmHg, p<0.001) was due to a higher end-systolic volume index(26+/-12 VS 15+/-6ml/m2 p<0.005) and reduced systolic wall thickening (1.13+/-0.2 VS 1.54+/-0.2cm, p<0.001). 4) The end-systolic stress to volume index ratio and systolic pressure to end-systoli volume ratio were significantly lower in patients with MS(p<0.001). Relation between LV end-systolic wall stress and fractional shortening in patients with MS superimposed on 95% confidence limits of values in 105 normal control subjects derived from a previous study(r=-0.58, p<0.005). Thirty-six(75%) patients were below the 95% confidence limits of normal values.
Blood Pressure ; Echocardiography ; Humans ; Mechanics ; Mitral Valve Stenosis* ; Reference Values