BACKGROUND: Ischemic preconditioning(a prior short period of coronary artery occlusion) has been known to have protective effects on ischemia-induced myocardial injury. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of hypoxic preconditioning or ischemic preconditioning on the
Animals ; Anoxia ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac* ; Cats* ; Coronary Vessels ; Heart* ; Hypoventilation ; Ischemic Preconditioning ; Methods ; Reperfusion ; Tachycardia, Ventricular ; Thoracotomy ; Ventilation ; Ventricular Fibrillation

BACKGROUND: Cytoplasmic stainings in antinuclear antibody tests using HEp-2 cells are usually undetermined and the significance has not been fully understood until now. Hence, we evaluated their clinical characteristics and also the coexistence of other autoantibodies in the sera with cytoplasmic stainings in antinuclear antibody tests. METHODS: We reviewed clinical records retrospectively in 53 sera showing cytoplasmic stainings among 3, 610 sera that were tested antinuclear antibodies from January to September, 2002 and performed antimitochondrial antibodies (AMA) tests using indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) and antibodies to antiribosomal P and extractable nuclear antigens (ENA) tests using enzyme immunoassay (EIA). RESULTS: Among 53 sera with cytoplasmic stainings, 31 sera showed an AMA pattern and 15 sera showed an antibody to ribosomal P pattern. Three cytoskeletal and one golgi complex patterns were also observed. The most common diagnosis was autoimmune disorders (32, 60.4%) and hepatic disorders (excluding autoimmune hepatitis) (6, 11.3%). Hepatic disorders including autoimmune, drug-induced, and alcoholic hepatitis were most commonly observed (32.3%) in sera with an AMA pattern. On the other hand, various autoimmune disorders such as SLE, systemic sclerosis, dermatomyositis, and polymyositis were observed (86.7%) in sera with a ribosomal P pattern. Of 31 sera with the AMA pattern, the corresponding antibodies were confirmed in three by IIF and of 15 sera with a ribosomal P pattern, only one was confirmed to have this antibody by EIA. All the confirmed sera showed high titered (>1: 320) cytoplasmic stainings. Antibodies to ENA were positive in sixteen (RnP, 5; Sm, 4; Ro, 5; La, 2) and anti-DNA in three of the sera. CONCLUSIONS: Although cytoplasmic staining patterns are not disease specific, it is suggested that continuous high titer stainings be followed up since they could provide diagnostic help.
Antibodies ; Antibodies, Antinuclear* ; Antigens, Nuclear ; Autoantibodies ; Cytoplasm* ; Dermatomyositis ; Diagnosis ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Golgi Apparatus ; Hand ; Hepatitis, Alcoholic ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Polymyositis ; Retrospective Studies ; Scleroderma, Systemic

BACKGROUND: The in vivo skin prick test (SPT) or in vitro detection of allergen specific IgE in serum is commonly used for the diagnosis of allergic disease. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of a new multiple allergen simultaneous test (MAST) immunoblot assay, Polycheck Allergy (Biocheck GmbH, Germany). METHODS: A total of 100 patients with clinical findings of allergic diseases were tested by SPT and three different MAST assays: Polycheck Allergy (Biocheck GmbH, Germany), MAST CLA allergy system (Hitachi Chemical Diagnostics, USA) and Allergy Screen (R-biopharm, Germany). The results of MAST assays were compared with those of SPT. RESULTS: Concordance rates of MAST assays with SPT were 79-100% for Polycheck Allergy, 88.9-100% for MAST CLA and 72.7-98.3% for Allergy Screen. In ROC curve analysis, significant differences were observed in four of 25 allergens analysed: Alternaria, Birch, Hazelnut and D. farinae. For Alternaria and Birch, Polycheck Allergy (P<0.001) and Allergy Screen (P=0.0075) showed significantly larger AUC (area under the curve) than MAST CLA. For Hazelnut, Polycheck Allergy (P=0.0021), and for D. farinae, MAST CLA (P=0.015) showed significantly larger AUCs than the other two tests. The ROC analysis for overall 16 food allergens showed better results in Polycheck Allergy (P<0.001), and that for overall 21 inhalants did not show significant differences among three MAST assays (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Since Polycheck Allergy showed similar or superior result to the others, it can be used for the detection of allergen specific IgE antibodies.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Allergens/*immunology ; Area Under Curve ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity, Immediate/*diagnosis ; Immunoblotting/*methods ; Immunoglobulin E/*blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; ROC Curve ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Skin Tests/methods

BACKGROUND: Peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) transplantation has been widely used as a substitute of bone marrow transplantation in patients with hematologic malignancies and solid tumors. Because, PBSC harvest by serial daily apheresis procedure is expensive and time consuming, it is important to determine the best time to start the collection for reducing the number of apheresis procedure. We analyzed our experiences of PBSC collections and evaluated the preapheresis hematologic parameters that may predict the PBSC yields. METHODS: One hundred seventy six PBSC harvests from seventy cancer patients (median age : 32 yrs; fourty five males and twenty five females) were performed using our large volume leukapheresis protocol (total blood volume processed : over three total blood volume) after chemotherapy and infusion of G-CSF. Peripheral blood obtained immediately before the start of apheresis was analyzed for total WBC, mononuclear cell (MNC), and CD34+ cell counts. Total WBC, MNC, and CD34+ cell count were performed on selected samples of PBSC from each patient before freezing for determining the PBSC yields. Linear regression analysis was performed on logarithmized data whether preapheresis WBC, MNC, and CD34+ cell counts on the day of harvest in the peripheral blood might correlate well with the PBSC yield, respectively. RESLUTS: With the use of linear regression analysis, preapheresis WBC counts and MNC counts were not correlated significantly with the CD34+ cell yield in PBSC harvests (WBC/microliter in PB vs. CD34+ cell/kg in harvests, r=0.35, p=0.10; MNC/microliter in PB vs. CD34+ cells/kg in harvests, r=0.42, p=0.07). But the CD34+ cell count (CD34+ cells/microliter in peripheral blood) correlated most closely with the progenitor cell yield in the corresponding leukapheresis product (CD34+ cells/kg body weight, r=0.75, p<0.001). A number of 20 circulating CD34+ cells/microliter blood ensured 2.0 x 106 CD34+ cells/kg, that is known to be a threshold dose for rapid hematologic recovery, and the best time for the collection on the same day by a single leukapheresis in more than 85% cases. CONCLUSIONS: The number of CD34+ cells/microliter blood allows a reliable prediction of the CD34+ progenitor cell yield in subsequent leukapheresis procedure, while WBC and MNC counts did not predict the progenitor cell yield. A level of more than 20 CD34+ cells/microliter indicates that the threshold quantity of 2.0 x 106 CD34+ cells/kg is likely to be obtained by a single leukapheresis processing 15~20 liters of peripheral blood.
Blood Component Removal ; Blood Volume ; Body Weight ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Cell Count* ; Drug Therapy ; Freezing ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Humans ; Leukapheresis ; Linear Models ; Male ; Stem Cells*

Experimental renovascular hypertensive model was established by clipping left renal artery and the right side of renal artery was taken 1 week and 1 month after the operation. The renal artery ring preparations were made for contractility studies of vascular wall. The relaxing and contractile responses were recorded and compared with the data obtained from control group. The following results were obtained: 1)One week after the clipping of renal artery, the renovascular hypertensive group showed increased contractility against the various contractile agents (high K+, norepinephrine, caffeine) compared to control group. 2)One month after the clipping of renal artery, the contractile responses to various contractile agents were restored to the level of control group. 3)One week after the clipping of renal artery, the renovascular hypertensive group showed increased responsiveness to acetylcholine treatment, however did not show any remarkable changes to other relaxing agents(sodium nitroprusside, verapamil). 4)One month after the clipping of renal artery, the responses to various relaxing agents showed almost same degree of responsiveness in the renovascular hypertensive group as compared with that of control group. From the above, it is suggested that stenosis- induced renovascular hypertension might induce exaggerated vascular response at early stage in intact renal artery. And the effects may be concerned with endothelium-dependent mechanism.
Acetylcholine ; Hypertension, Renovascular* ; Nitroprusside ; Norepinephrine ; Relaxation* ; Renal Artery*

Bone scan using (99m)Tc-MDP is the most accurate and reliable method for the early detection of fracture, and that is the screening procedure of choice for the demonstration of bone metastases. It is well known that it has superior sensitivity to radiography for this purpose. We report the case of 41 years old man with known primary tumor and metastatic vertebral fracture presenting false negative bone scan finding.
False Negative Reactions ; Mass Screening ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Spinal Fractures

Anaerobiospirillum succiniciproducens is a spiral-shaped, gram-negative anaerobic bacterium. A. succiniciproducens is a rare cause of bacteremia in human, especially immunocompromised patients. This organism may be mistakenly identified when using an automated bacterial identification system, and may be mistaken for Campylobacter spp. when using Gram staining. We report a case of bacteremia caused by A. succiniciproducens, which was negative for catalase, oxidase, and urease and confirmed by 16S rRNA sequencing (analysis revealed a 99% similarity), in a 69-year-old patient who was undergoing chemotherapy for treatment of a malignancy. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of bacteremia caused by A. succiniciproducens in Korea.
Aged ; Anaerobiospirillum ; Bacteremia ; Campylobacter ; Catalase ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Korea ; Oxidoreductases ; Urease

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to evaluate the significance of serum eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) levels in children with allergic diseases and non-allergic inflammatory diseases, and to assess the relationships between serum ECP levels and inflammatory parameters. METHODS: In this study, we included 146 children with allergic diseases, 76 children with non-allergic inflammatory diseases, and 25 control subjects. Serum concentrations of ECP, hs-CRP, total IgE, and allergen-specific IgE were measured. RESULTS: Serum ECP levels (77.5+/-88.2 microg/L) of patients with allergic diseases were significantly higher than those of the patients with non-allergic inflammatory diseases (42.2+/-58.8 microg/L) and control subjects (12.7+/-4.2 microg/L) (P<0.001, respectively). The serum ECP levels in patients with non-allergic inflammatory diseases were also significantly higher than those in the controls (42.2+/-58.8 vs. 12.7+/-4.2 microg/L; P<0.001). The hs-CRP levels were significantly higher in patients with allergic diseases than in the controls (0.4+/-0.9 vs. 0.1+/-0.2 mg/dL; P<0.05). No significant relationship was observed between serum ECP and hs-CRP levels in the allergic patients (r=0.09, P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of serum ECP and hs-CRP concentrations can be helpful in the clinical evaluation and monitoring of patients with allergic diseases. No significant correlation was observed between serum ECP and hs-CRP levels in allergic patients, thereby suggesting that elevated levels of ECP do not necessarily reflect the degree of systemic inflammation in allergic diseases.
C-Reactive Protein ; Child ; Eosinophil Cationic Protein ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Inflammation

BACKGROUND: Umbilical cord blood (UCB) has been increasingly utilized for reconstituting hematopoiesis in a variety of congenital disorders and hematologic malignancies. In this report, we evaluated the maximum collection volume, the efficacy of red cell depletion, cell viability and phenotypic analysis before and after cryopreservation. METHODS: Forty units of UCB (17 from NSVD and 23 from cesarean section) were collected into blood donation bag with ACD-A. Red cells were depleted using 3% gelatin sedimentation or buffy coat separation. UCB units were cultured in methylcellulose media, and phenotypic analyses were performed with monoclonal antibodies for CD34, HLA-DR, CD38, CD13, CD33, c-kit, CD45/CD3, CD45/CD19, CD3/CD4, CD3/CD8. RESULTS: The mean volume of one unit of UCB was 109.2 +/- 32.5 mL and one unit contained 1.20 +/- 0.51x19(9) nucleated cells. Cell counts after red cell depletion by 3% gelatin sedimentation or buffy coat separation revealed recovery rates of 77.5 +/- 14.9% and 64.5 +/- 7.4%, respectively. Cell viabilities and the number of colony forming units - granulocyte and monocyte from fresh and cryopreserved UCB were were 98.1 +/- 1.6%, 88.7 +/- 4.8%, and 6.48 +/- 2.14x10(5), 7.35 +/- 0.65x10(5). The mean percentage of CD34+ cells was 1.02 +/- 1.6% and those of CD34+/HLA-DR+, CD34+/CD38+, CD34+/CD13+, CD34+/CD33+, CD34+/c-kit+ cells were 68.6%, 58.0%, 5.6%, 46.8%, and 29.8%, respectively. Lymphocyte subsets were composed of CD45+/CD3+ (59.0%), CD45+/CD19+ (13.8%), CD3+/CD4+ (42.7%), and CD3+/CD8+ cells (17.1%). There was no significant difference in phenotypic characteristics between fresh and cryopreserved UCB. CONCLUSION: We established the protocols for UCB collection, red cell depletion, cryopreservation, culture and phenotypic analyses. These results would be very useful for future UCB transplantation and preservation/storage.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Blood Donors ; Cell Count ; Cell Survival ; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities ; Cryopreservation* ; Fetal Blood* ; Gelatin ; Granulocytes ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Hematopoiesis ; HLA-DR Antigens ; Humans ; Lymphocyte Subsets ; Methylcellulose ; Monocytes ; Stem Cells ; Umbilical Cord*

PURPOSE: Atopy is an important cause of asthma. Few data on the prevalence of atopy or comparisons with clinical characteristics of asthma in Korean patients have been published. We evaluated the effects of atopy on clinical profiles and airway inflammation in Korean asthmatics. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 1,492 asthmatics from the Cohort for Reality and Evolution of Adult Asthma in Korea (COREA) cohort who had undergone skin prick tests for aeroallergens. The patients' clinical characteristics, lung function, PC20, and sputum and blood inflammatory cell counts were compared based on the presence or absence of atopy. Atopy was defined as one or more positive reactions (A/H ratio >1) on a skin prick test. RESULTS: Among 11 aeroallergens, house dust mites (Dermatophagoides farinae and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus) were the most prevalent cause of a positive skin prick test. As compared with non-atopic asthmatics, atopic asthmatics showed early onset of the disease. Atopic patients with asthma had a higher FEV1, FVC, and FEV1/FVC as compared with non-atopic patients with asthma. In addition, asthmatics without atopy had more uncontrolled asthma (P=0.001) and severe rhinitis (P<0.05) as compared with atopic asthmatics. Smoking, as measured in pack years, was higher in the non-atopic asthmatics than in the atopic asthmatics. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate was higher in non-atopic asthmatics than in the atopic asthmatics and patients with non-atopic asthma had a higher sputum neutrophil count than did those with atopic asthma. CONCLUSIONS: Our data indicate that atopic asthmatics had an early onset of disease and high IgE levels, while the non-atopic asthmatics had decreased lung function and a high sputum neutrophil count, suggesting that a different approach is needed to treat atopic asthma.
Adult ; Allergens ; Asthma ; Blood Sedimentation ; Cell Count ; Cohort Studies ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Inflammation ; Korea ; Lung ; Neutrophils ; Prevalence ; Pyroglyphidae ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhinitis ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; Skin ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Sputum