No abstract available.
Anesthesia* ; Humans

OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate the relationship between the levels of IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the peritoneal fluid(PF) of women with and without endometriosis and infertile women. Design: Prospective and case-control study. Setting: University hospital. Patients: Twenty-nine women with laparotomy or laparoscopic findings of minimal to severe endometriosis, and twenty-eight women with no visual evidence of pelvic endometriosis and with benign gynecologic disease. Main Outcome Measures: PF IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels were determined using commercial ELISA. IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations were compared among women with and without endometriosis, and with infertile and fertile women, and then also compared according the revised American Fertility Society classification. RESULTS: IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations were higher than in the PF of women with endometriosis than in matched normal controls. Cyclic variations in IL-6 concentrations were seen in PF from patients with endometriosis: the concentrations in the secretory phase were significantly higher than those in the proliferative phase. IL-6 concentrations were higher than in the PF among of infertile women than in fertile women. A significant correlation between PF IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations and endometriosis stage III and IV was noted. CONCLUSIONS: Increased PF levels of IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in patients with endometriosis may be relate to endometriosis-associated infertility and to the pathogenesis of endometriosis suggesting that partially contribute to the disturbed immune regulation observed in patients with endometriosis.
Ascitic Fluid* ; Case-Control Studies ; Classification ; Endometriosis* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Fertility ; Genital Diseases, Female ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular* ; Infertility ; Interleukin-6 ; Laparotomy ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Prospective Studies ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Nocardia Infections*

Nemaline myopathy is a rare congenital m opathy, characterized by nonprogressive or slowely progressive muscle weakness associated with rod-like structures in muscle fibers and characteristic dysmorphic features. We report the first farnilial nemaline myopathy in two generations of the same family, confirmed by muscle biospy in an 11-year-old boy and his mother. The patients had hypotonia and slowly progressive muscle weakness of the four limbs associated with characteristic facial dysmorphism and skeletal deformities. Light and electron microscopic study of a muscle biopsy showed numerous nemaline rods in both patients.
Biopsy ; Child ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Extremities ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Male ; Mothers ; Muscle Hypotonia ; Muscle Weakness ; Myopathies, Nemaline*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis*

In the course of immunoscreening of Clonorchis sinensis cDNA library, a cDNA CsRP12 containing a tandem repeat was isolated. The cDNA CsRP12 encodes two putative peptides of open reading frames (ORFs) 1 and 2 (CsRP12-1 and -2). The repetitive region is composed of 15 repeats of 10 amino acids. Of the two putative peptides, CsRP12-1 was proline-rich and found to have homologues in several organisms. Recombinant proteins of the putative peptides were bacterially produced and purified by an affinity chromatography. Recombinant CsRP12-1 protein was recognized by sera of clonorchiasis patients and experimental rabbits, but recombinant CsRP12-2 was not. One of the putative peptide, CsRP12-1, is designated CsPRA, proline-rich antigen of C. sinensis. Both the C-termini of CsRP12-1 and -2 were bacterially produced and analysed to show no antigenicity. Recombinant CsPRA protein showed high sensitivity and specificity. In experimental rabbits, IgG antibodies to CsPRA was produced between 4 and 8 weeks after the infection and decreased thereafter over one year. These results indicate that CsPRA is equivalent to a natural protein and a useful antigenic protein for serodiagnosis of human clonorchiasis.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Antigens, Helminth/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Base Sequence ; *Cloning, Molecular ; Clonorchis sinensis/genetics/*immunology ; DNA, Helminth ; Gene Library ; Human ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Rabbits ; Recombinant Proteins ; *Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Renal bacterial infection spans a continuum of severity from uncomplicated acute pyelonephritis through progressively worsening stages of interstitial inflammation to abscess formation. This study was done to evaluate CT findings in acute bacterial renal infection and correlation of clinical symptoms and renal scarring with CT findings. We studied 58 cases of acute pyelonephritis who were diagnosed clinically. Most of them had prolonged fever( >72 hours) and some of them suspected severe renal infections. We classified the patients regarding to CT findings. 58 cases were grouped into, 1) Group I (7 cases), normal or renal enlargement only; 2) Group II(31 cases), wedge-shaped lesions ( focal or diffuse) , 3) Group III(6 cases), focal mass-like lesions; 4) Group W(9 cases) , diffuse ( multifocal) mass-like lesions; 5) Group V (5 cases) , renal abscesses. There was the good correlation between the clinical parameters ( duration of fever, duration of hospitalization) and CT findings (P < 0.05). However, another clinical parameters(maximum temperature, duration of fever) were lacked correlation with CT findings(P >0.05). To demonstrate the presence of renal scar, we recommended DMSA scan in 15 cases of ABN (Group III and Group IV). 8 cases were performed DMSA scan and renal scar formation was found in 3 cases( 2 cases in Group III and another 1 case in Group IV). Because the size of abscess was small( <3cm), the patients of renal abscess(5 cases) were treated with antibiotics only and their clinical symptoms were improved. Second CT scanning was performed in 3 cases and their CT findings showed resolution of renal abscess. We concluded that computed tomography is selectively indicated in acute renal bacterial infection for the detection of acute renal inflammatory disease and for defining the extent of disease for planning of treatment.
Abscess ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacterial Infections ; Cicatrix ; Fever ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Pyelonephritis ; Succimer ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.
Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans