PURPOSE: This study was done to evaluate the effects of psychosocial interventions on cortisol and immune response in adult patients with cancer. METHODS: MEDLINE via PubMed, Cochrane Library CENTRAL, EMBASE, CINAHL and domestic electronic databases were searched. Twenty controlled trials (11 randomized and 9 non-randomized trials) met the inclusion criteria with a total of 862 participants. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane's Risk of Bias for randomized studies and the Risk of Bias Assessment tool for non randomized studies. Data were analyzed using the RevMan 5.2.11 program of Cochrane library. RESULTS: Overall, study quality was moderate to high. The weighted average effect size across studies was -0.32 (95% CI [-0.56, -0.07], p=.010, I2=45%) for cortisol concentration, -0.62 (95%CI [-0.96,-0.29], p<.001, I2=0%) for T lymphocyte (CD3) and -0.45 (95%CI [-0.74, -0.16], p=.003, I2=0%) for Th lymphocyte (CD4) numbers. Psychosocial interventions were not effective for Tc lymphocyte (CD4), NK cell, monocyte, and cytokine response. CONCLUSION: Although these results provide only small evidence of successful immune modulation, they support the conclusion that psychosocial interventions can assist cancer patients in reducing emotional distress and improving immune response.
CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes/cytology/immunology ; Cytokines/metabolism ; Databases, Factual ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone/*analysis ; Killer Cells, Natural/cytology/immunology ; Monocytes/cytology/immunology ; Neoplasms/metabolism/pathology/*therapy ; Psychotherapy ; T-Lymphocytes/cytology/*immunology

No abstract available.
Esophagus* ; Rupture*

No abstract available.
Esophagus* ; Rupture*

Though the incidence of paragonimiasis has been remarkably decreased since 1970, it is still not a rare disease in Korea. Major problems in the diagnosis of pulmonary paragonimiasis on chest radiography are its differentiation from pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer. Chest radiographic findings have been described in detail, but little have been reported on CT findings. We reviewed CT findings of 10 patients with pulmonary paragonimiasis. The characteristic CT findings were similar to those on chest radiography, such as air-space consolidation (70%), nodular mass (50%), pleural effusion (40%), cystic lesion (30%), small low density within the mass (30%), linear density (20%), pneumothorax(20%), and burrow track (20%). CT depicted the cystic lesions and the burrow tracks more clearly and showed the small worm-retaining cysts within the mass that were not detectable on chest radiography. In conclusion, all of these CT findings are useful in the diagnosis of pulmonary paragonimiasis especially when differentiation from tuberculosis or lung canceris difficult on chest radiography.
Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Paragonimiasis* ; Pleural Effusion ; Radiography ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Rare Diseases ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

No abstract available.
Animals ; Humans* ; Mice* ; Muramidase* ; Paneth Cells* ; Rats*

No abstract available.
Dopaminergic Neurons* ; Retina*

No abstract available.
Dopaminergic Neurons* ; Retina* ; Rodentia*

No abstract available.
Blood Transfusion, Autologous*

The retinal degeneration resulting from elevated intraocular pressure was evaluated through functional and morphological analyses, for better understanding of the pathophysiology of glaucoma. Ocular hypertension was induced via unilateral episcleral venous cauterization in rats. Experimental time was set at 1 and 3 days, and 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks post-operation. Retinal function was analyzed using electroretinography. For morphological analysis, retinal tissues were processed for immunochemistry by using antibodies against the calcium-sensing receptor and calcium-binding proteins. Apoptosis was analyzed using the TUNEL method and electron microscopy. Amplitudes of a- and b-wave in scotopic and photopic responses were found to be reduced in all glaucomatous retinas. Photopic negative response for ganglion cell function significantly reduced from 1-day and more significantly reduced in 2-week glaucoma. Calcium-sensing receptor immunoreactivity in ganglion cells remarkably reduced at 8 weeks; conversely, protein amounts increased significantly. Calcium-binding proteins immunoreactivity in amacrine cells clearly reduced at 8 weeks, despite of uneven changes in protein amounts. Apoptosis appeared in both photoreceptors and ganglion cells in 8-week glaucomatous retina. Apoptotic feature of photoreceptors was typical, whereas that of ganglion cells was necrotic in nature. These findings suggest that elevated intraocular pressure affects the sensitivity of photoreceptors and retinal ganglion cells, and leads to apoptotic death. The calcium-sensing receptor may be a useful detector for alteration of extracellular calcium levels surrounding the ganglion cells.
Amacrine Cells ; Animals ; Antibodies ; Apoptosis ; Calcium ; Calcium-Binding Proteins ; Cautery ; Electroretinography ; Ganglion Cysts ; Glaucoma ; Immunochemistry ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Intraocular Pressure ; Methods ; Microscopy, Electron ; Ocular Hypertension ; Rats ; Receptors, Calcium-Sensing ; Retina ; Retinal Degeneration ; Retinal Ganglion Cells ; Retinaldehyde

Diabetic retinopathy is characterized by the pericyte loss, microaneurysms and neovascularization eventually leads to blindness. The present study was examined changes of the microvasculature histochemically and immunochemically in the diabetic rat retina previously documented neuronal alterations, in order to verify the usefulness of the animal model of diabetes for the pathophysiology of angiogenesis. Diabetic condition was induced by a single intravenous injection of streptozotocin in Sprague-Dawley rats aged of 8weeks. The animals showing high blood glucose levels (above 300 mg/dL) were cared for 1, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, respectively. The retinas were processed for Griffonia simplicifolia isolection (GSI) B4 histochmistry, and anti-alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) and anti-NG2 immunochemical techniques. The retinal vasculature was well demarcated by endothelial profiles with GSIB4 histochemistry. alpha-SMA immunoreactivity appeared in the arterioles and the primary capillaries, and NG2 in the arterioles and the whole capillary beds. Changes evoked by diabetes were largely occurred in the capillary. Compared to the retina at normal state, the capillary networks were more complicated, enlarged, and dense. NG2 reactivity was reduced especially under the cytoplasmic processes of the pericytes. In the near periphery of the capillary mainly in the ganglion cell layer of the diabetes, GSIB4 reactive microglia were distributed. These results suggest that the retinal microvasculature showed the precedent events of neovascularization due to diabetes and rat model of diabetes is useful for study of neovascularization mechanism of the diabetic retinopathy.
Actins ; Aged ; Animals ; Arterioles ; Blindness ; Blood Glucose ; Capillaries ; Cytoplasm ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Ganglion Cysts ; Griffonia ; Humans ; Immunochemistry ; Injections, Intravenous ; Microglia ; Microvessels ; Models, Animal ; Muscles ; Neurons ; Pericytes ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Retina ; Retinaldehyde ; Streptozocin