OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the serum levels of IL-10 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis are different from those of normal controls and SLE patients and to find out any correlation with disease activity parameters of rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: Sera from 20 healthy normal persons, 16 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 16 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were collected and measured for IL-10 and IL-6. Various disease activity parameters were measured in RA patients. RESULTS: The serum level of IL-10 in RA patients was significantly elevated compared to normal controls but lower than those of SLE patients. In RA patients there was no definite correlation between the disease activity parameters and serum IL-10 levels. Despite significant improvements in terms of various disease activity parameters, there was no significant change of serum IL-10 levels after treatment in RA patients. In seropositive RA patients, positive correlation was found between serun IL-10 and rheumatoid factor levels. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that the serum IL-10 levels in patietns with RA are elevated compared to normal controls but lower than those of SLE patients. There was no correlation between serum IL-10 levels and disease acivity parameters of RA.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Humans ; Interleukin-10* ; Interleukin-6 ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Rheumatoid Factor

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of IL-10 on development of collagen-induced arthritis, on humoral and cellular immunity and on the endogenous production of IL-10 in DBA/1J mice. METHODS: DBA/1J mice were immunized with chicken type II collagen in Freund s complete adjuvant. Murine recombinant IL-10 was given intraperitoneally twice a week from the day of second immunization (week 3) in doses of 0.002ug, 0. 02ug and 0. 2ug for 3 different groups, respectively. Dexamethasone was injected in one group to suppress the arthritis development and this group was used as negative control group. Levels of anti-collagen antibodies, serum IL-10 and stimulation indices of splenic monocytes to collagen were measured at the end of study. RESULTS: The 0. 02ug IL-10 and 0. 2ug IL-10 treated groups developed earlier and more severe arthritis (week 6 and 8) compared to that of the control group while the 0. 002ug IL-10 group has shown similar course to the control group in terms of incidence and severity of arthritis, At week 10, all groups with or without IL-10 injections developed arthritis with similar degree of severity while dexamethasone group showed far less incidence and severity of arthritis. The serum levels of anti-collagen antibody, IL-10 and spleen monocyte stimulation indices to collagen antigen showed no difference among control group, IL-10 injected groups and dexamethasone injected group. CONCLUSION: This study shows IL-10 could worsen the arthritis in CIA with the dosage used in this study without significant influence on the level of anti-collagen antibodies or stimulation indices of spenic monocyte to collagen.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Experimental* ; Chickens ; Collagen ; Collagen Type II ; Dexamethasone ; Immunity, Cellular ; Immunization ; Incidence ; Interleukin-10* ; Mice ; Monocytes ; Spleen

Infected aneurysm of the aorta is a rare but life-threatening condition. The traditional strategy for treating infected aortic aneurysms is open surgical repair with antibiotic therapy. Endovascular repair of infected aortic aneurysms has been performed only sporadically. Case: A 70-year-old man with a history of diabetes who presented with intermittent fever for one month was referred to our institution. Before admission, antibiotic treatment had been already started and on admission, his general condition was not critical. A CT scan showed two saccular aneurysms of the infrarenal abdominal aorta and a retroperitoneal inflammation including hematoma. No microorganism was identified on blood culture. On follow-up CT scan 15 days later, a further increase in aneurysmal diameter was detected and endovascular repair was performed by using Gore Excluder stent graft. The patient was recovered and discharged on hospital day 29. One month after discharge, the patient was readmitted due to chilling and fever. Abdominal CT showed a retroperitoneal abscess around the previously repaired aortic aneurysm. Surgical drainage was performed without reconstruction with extra-anatomical bypass or in situ replacement. Culture from the abscess revealed the growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 31 and continues to be observed.
Abscess* ; Aged ; Aneurysm ; Aneurysm, Infected ; Aorta ; Aorta, Abdominal ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal* ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis ; Drainage ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Infected aneurysm of the aorta is a rare but life-threatening condition. The traditional strategy for treating infected aortic aneurysms is open surgical repair with antibiotic therapy. Endovascular repair of infected aortic aneurysms has been performed only sporadically. Case: A 70-year-old man with a history of diabetes who presented with intermittent fever for one month was referred to our institution. Before admission, antibiotic treatment had been already started and on admission, his general condition was not critical. A CT scan showed two saccular aneurysms of the infrarenal abdominal aorta and a retroperitoneal inflammation including hematoma. No microorganism was identified on blood culture. On follow-up CT scan 15 days later, a further increase in aneurysmal diameter was detected and endovascular repair was performed by using Gore Excluder stent graft. The patient was recovered and discharged on hospital day 29. One month after discharge, the patient was readmitted due to chilling and fever. Abdominal CT showed a retroperitoneal abscess around the previously repaired aortic aneurysm. Surgical drainage was performed without reconstruction with extra-anatomical bypass or in situ replacement. Culture from the abscess revealed the growth of Klebsiella pneumoniae. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 31 and continues to be observed.
Abscess* ; Aged ; Aneurysm ; Aneurysm, Infected ; Aorta ; Aorta, Abdominal ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal* ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis ; Drainage ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Rice bodies are materials with an amorphous nucleus and a fibrin layer found floating in the synovial space and bursa. These bodies have often been detected in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculous arthritis, and bursitis. Although the etiology and pathogenesis of rice bodies are not yet fully understood, it has been hypothesized that they might be caused by chronic inflammation originating from the synovium. However, we report on a case of idiopathic massive rice bodies in the knee joint without evidence of inflammatory articular disease or infection including rheumatoid arthritis, seronegative spondyloarthritides, tuberculosis, or bacterial or fungal infection.
Arthritis ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Bursitis ; Fibrin ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Knee Joint* ; Knee* ; Synovial Membrane ; Tuberculosis*

Metastatic pulmonary calcification refers to calcium deposition in the normal pulmonary parenchyma and this deposition is secondary to abnormal calcium metabolism. The most common radiologic manifestation consists of poorly-defined nodular opacities that are mainly seen in the upper lung zone. We present here a case of metastatic pulmonary calcification that manifested as atypical, dense, calcium deposition in airspaces within the previously existing consolidation in the bilateral lower lobes, and this process was accelerated by pneumonia-complicated sepsis in a patient with hypercalcemia that was due to hyperparathyroidism.
Calcinosis/*radiography ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia/etiology ; Hyperparathyroidism/complications/surgery ; Lung Diseases/*radiography ; Middle Aged ; Parathyroidectomy ; Pneumonia/complications ; Shock, Septic/microbiology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed/methods

OBJECTIVE: The measurement of liver size can be used for the diagnosis of the fetal growth abnormality (FGR, macrosomia etc.). The purpose of this study was to evaluate a mathematical relationship between the fetal liver size(liver length or volume) and the gestational age in the normal pregnancies. Brief comparisons were also tried on the base of the degree of the correlation between liver length and its volume. METHODS: We collected 54 singleton pregnancies of 20 to 36weeks of gestation for measuring fetal liver length and 57 singleton pregnancies for measuring fetal liver volume. We used Combison 530 utrasonic machine(Kreztechnik AG, Zipf, Austria). RESULTS: There was significant correlation between liver size( length and volume) and gestation age. And the liver volume better correlated with gestational age than liver length(r=0.93 : r=0.78, p<0.0001, p<0.0001). CONCLUSION: Ultrasonic measurement of fetal liver size is a reliable indicator of fetal growth, especially liver volume. Therefore these data may have a potential value for the prediction of abnormal fetal growth(FGR, macrosomia).
Diagnosis ; Fetal Development ; Gestational Age* ; Liver* ; Pregnancy* ; Ultrasonics

Intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma is the second most common subtype of primary hepatobilliary cancer. Despite advances in surgical and medical therapy, its survival rate remains poor. Compared to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common liver malignancy, the underlying mechanisms of cholangiocarcinoma carcinogenesis are poorly characterized. P-cadherin (CDH3) is a cadherin super family member. Although CDH3 is frequently over-expressed in cholangiocarcinoma tissues, its roles have never been characterized. To determine the roles of CDH3 in cholangiocarcinoma, we investigated CDH3 function in HuCCT1 cells using specific siRNA. Transfection with CDH3 siRNA did not affect proliferation of HuCCT1 cells. However, cell migration and invasion were significantly reduced when CDH3 was down-regulated. In addition, expressions of several biomarkers for epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) were not changed by CDH3 down-regulation. These results suggest that CDH3 regulates cell migration independent of EMT in cholangiocarcinoma cells.
Biomarkers ; Cadherins ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Cell Movement ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Down-Regulation ; Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Neoplasms ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Survival Rate ; Transfection ; Cholangiocarcinoma

PURPOSE: This study was designed to clarify the osseointegration of the titanium screw coated with CMP, in regard to the time schedule, through the characteristic of early osseointegration. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mechanical, radiological and histomophometric measurements were performed in 28 rabbit tibial proximal metaphyseal cortical bone screws 6, 12, 26 and 52 weeks after surgery for the in vivo comparison of the osseointegration of titanium screws (3.75 mm diameter, 5 mm length) with different surface treatments: CMP coating group, with the sol-gel method (experimental group) and uncoated group (control group). RESULTS: 1. Radiology: There were no differences between the two groups without a radiolucent line or in regard to the time schedule. 2. Histology: There were no differences between the two groups without a fibrous tissue intervening surface or in regard to the time schedule. 3. Torque test: The test results for the CMP coated group were 1.5 times higher than those for the uncoated group, which was statistically meaningful, but there was no difference in regard to the time schedule. CONCLUSION: CMP coating is an option to increase the osseointegration of the titanium screw.
Appointments and Schedules ; Bone Screws ; Ceramics* ; Osseointegration* ; Tibia ; Titanium ; Torque

BACKGROUND: Early recognition of thoracic aortic disease is critical to reduce morbidity and mortality. Transesophageal echocardiography(TEE) has recently proved superior to traditional diagnostic modalities such as computed tomogram(CT) scan, aortography and magnetic resonance imaging(MRI) in assessing thoracic aortic diseases because of high sensivity and portability. However, the safety of emergency TEE has never been evaluated in patients with acute aortic disease in the emergency department. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety of TEE as an emergency diagnostic procedure to detect thoracic aortic diseases. METHOD: From May 1994 to July 1996,25 patients who were suspicious of thoracic aortic disease and underwent TEE as the first diagnostic tool in the emergency department were enrolled. Biplane TEE was used under the administration of low-dose benzodiazepine and phayngeal spray of lidocaine. Airway protection by endotracheal intubation was done if the patient had no gag reflex or unconsciousness. RESULT: Among the 25 patients including 16 patients with nontraumatic cause and 9 patients with trauma, 18 patients had thoracic aortic diseases on TEE. Three of 9 patients with trauma had aortic injury(an aortic tear, an aortic aneurysm, an aortic subintimal hematoma). Fifteen of 16 patients with nontraumatic cause revealed aortic dissection on TEE. Systolic blood pressure and heart rate were not significantly changed by TEE. There was no complication during TEE in 23 patients(92%). Severe hypertension was noted in a patient and cardiac tamponade from previous pericardial effusion was developed in a patient during TEE. CONCLUSION: Our observation suggests that TEE is a safe diagnostic modality to detect thoracic aortic diseases in the emergency department.
Aortic Aneurysm ; Aortic Diseases* ; Aortography ; Benzodiazepines ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiac Tamponade ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal* ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Lidocaine ; Mortality ; Pericardial Effusion ; Reflex ; Unconsciousness