Epidermolysis bullosa acquisita (EBA) is an autoimmune blistering disease of the skin occurring mostly in middle-aged persons with characteristic skin lesions of inflammatory in a vesiculobullae and mechanobullous lesions. Separation of the skin occurs at the dermoepidermal junction (DEJ) initiated by an immune process involving the anchoring fibrils (AF) 764, which have a role in the normal adherence of the epidermis and the dermis. Patients with EBA have autoantibodies of IgG to type VII collagen which is the main component of AF. An electron microscopic. picture of normal DEJ is shown in figure 1, and the antigen site 2011s of this disease (AF) is noted at the upper-most part of the dermis. In EBA, a biopsy specimen shows subepidermal bulla with a variable degree of dermal in-filtrates. Immunofluorescence (IF) demonstrates a linear deposit of IgG. The pattern of immune deposits along the DEJ is similar to that of bullous pemphigoid. However, the linear iing. fashion is thicker and coarser. When examined by the indirect method with a semi-horizontal section of normal human skin substrates the same patterns can be observed: a fine linear deposit with bullous pemphigoid antibodies and a slightly coarser linear pattern with EBA antibodies. With salt-split skin substrates, the serum autoantibodies of IgG are found to be bound only to the dermal side, the AF zone (Fig. 2). This immunopathologic study can provide a diagnostic finding. Transmission electron microscopic examination reveals blister to be localized just beneath the lamina densa, the site of the immune deposit. In immunoblot analysis of the patient's serum against the. dermal extracts, serum antibodies are found to recognize type VII collagen of 290/145 kD (Fig. 3). This is a confirmatory technique (with antibody-positive sera) in the diagnosis of EBA.
Antibodies ; Autoantibodies ; Biopsy ; Blister ; Collagen Type VII ; Dermis ; Diagnosis ; Epidermis ; Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita* ; Epidermolysis Bullosa* ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Methods ; Pemphigoid, Bullous ; Skin

Skin lesions of erythema nodosum leprosum(ENL) occurs as crops of erythematous papules with microscopical features of vasculitis, and these are considered to he immune complex mediated. Recent studies by several investigators detected high levels of circulating immune complexes in over fifty percent of patients with ENL, using well known Clq binding assay or monoclonal rheumatoid factor assay. Moreover they found immuoglobulins (Ig) and complement components in the blood vessels of these patients. These immunopathologic data presented more support to the immune complex mediated pathogenesis of the skin lesions in ENL spectrum. In connection with these findings, examinations of the skin lesions of Korean patient with ENL by immunofluorescent techniques were done. Among seven biopsy specimens from each seven patients, four revealed deposits of Igs (G and M) along with CR in dermal blood vesseIs. Alpha-1 antitrypsin and fibrin were also found in some patients.
Antigen-Antibody Complex ; Biopsy ; Blood Vessels ; Complement System Proteins ; Erythema Nodosum* ; Erythema* ; Fibrin ; Humans ; Research Personnel ; Rheumatoid Factor ; Skin ; Vasculitis

Three point scoring systems for the diagnosis of left ventricular hypertrophy were studied referring to positivity as well as false positivity in 100 cases of clinically proven LVH and 100 cases of healthy persons. 1) By Estes' scoring system 98% of LVH cases were diagnosed as LVH. There was 14% of false positive rate in healthy person. 2) By Romhilt and Estes' scoring system, 58% of LVH cases were diagnosed as LVH. There was 1% of false positive rate in healthy person. 3) By Skjaggested and Kierulf scoring system, 81% of LVH were diagnosed as LVH. There was 17% of false positive rate in healthy person. 4) Point scoring systems were more accurate in electrocardiographic diagnosis for LVH than any other conventional criteria. Among the reported scoring systems, Estes scoring system was considered the most useful as well as accurate one.
Diagnosis* ; Electrocardiography* ; Humans ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular*

1. Using the kidney of the rabbit weighing approximately 1.5kg the LDH isozymes, LDH-l through 5, were analyzed on the acetate strip by electrophoresis and it was found that the LDH-3 was the least active isozyme followed by the LDH-2, -4, -1, and -5 in increasing order of activity both in that cortex and the medulla, showing a specific distribution pattern in the two tissues. 2. The difference in the isozymic distribution pattern between the cortex and the medulla was confirmed by separating the H-and M-LDH by DEAE-cellulose, the ratio of M-/H-LDH being l. 441t the medulla and 3. O3 in the cortex, showing more active anaerobic metabolism in the latter than in the former. 3. The total activity of LDH in the 20% homogenate of the total kidney tissue was 10. 55 units/ml the cortical 2.98 units/ml. and the medullary 7. 37 unite/ml. 4. In the unilaterally nephrectomized rabbit. the cortex of the remaining kidney showed increased activities of both H- and M-LDH, but the medullary H-LDH decreased, resulting in increases of the ratio M-,H-LDH both in the cortex and in the medulla 5. In the unilaterally pedicle-clamped rabbit, LDH of the clamped kidney medulla decreased while that of the cortex increased, and LDH of the unclamped kidney showed elevated activity both in the cortex and in the medulla, yielding an increase in the ratio of M-/H-LDH. 6. The specific difference in distribution pattern of LDH igozymes between the cortex and the medulla of the rabbit kidney and an increase of the ratio of M-/H.LDH resulting from functional compensation following unilateral nephrectomy or pedicle clamping have been briefly discussed.
Compensation and Redress ; Constriction ; DEAE-Cellulose ; Electrophoresis ; Isoenzymes ; Kidney Medulla ; Kidney* ; Metabolism ; Nephrectomy ; Oxidoreductases*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation*

BACKGROUND: Restenosis remains one of major clinical problems in the coronary intervention. The effects of local radiation using radioactive balloon loaded with Ho-166 on coronary restenosis in the porcine model were observed. METHODS: Overdilation injury was performed in porcine coronary arteries using control balloon [Group I, n=, left anterior descending artery (LAD)=, left circumflex artery (LCX)=, right coronary artery (RCA)=] and Ho-166 loaded polyurethane-coating balloon [Group II; n=0, 21.98.1 mCi (20 Gy at 0.5 mm in depth), LAD=, LCX=, RCA=] at 5 atm for 3 min. Follow-up quantitative coronary angiogram (QCA) and histopathologic findings were compared at 4 weeks after balloon injury between two groups. RESULTS: Acute or late thrombotic arterial occlusion was not observed in both groups. Diameter stenosis measured by QCA was not different between two groups (Group I: 11.61.6%, II: 7.68.4%, P=.44). On histopathologic study, injury score, external and internal elastic lamina area, and media area were not different between two groups. Neointimal area and histopathologic area stenosis were significantly higher in Group I (0.320.86mm2, 20.677.01%) than those of Group II (0.150.26mm2, 12.032.44%). By immunocytochemistry, proliferating cell nuclear antigen indices in neointima and media were 8.244.44%, 7.972.46% in Group I, and 7.172.25%, 5.471.44% in Group II, which were not different between two groups(P=.587, 0.089). CONCLUSION: Local radiation using Ho-166 balloon is effective in reducing neointimal proliferation in a porcine model.
Arteries ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Restenosis* ; Coronary Vessels ; Follow-Up Studies ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neointima ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen

Due to the limited availability of immunoelectron microscopy, an alternative method for the differentiation between anti-lamina lucida and anti-sublamina densa antibodies was introduced; indirect immunofluorescence using NaCl-treated human skin as the substrate. In this study author examined sera and lesional skin of 4 cases of bullous pemphigoid (BP), and 2 cases of epidermolysis bulloaa acquisita(EBA) with the above mentioned indirect imrnunofluorescence and modified direct immunofluorescence to evaluate the specificity of the tests. The results showed that in BP the fluorescence patterns were epidermal in 3 patients with 1 combined by indirect immunofluorescence, and epidermal in all 4 patients by modified direct immunofluorescence. In ERA the fluorescence were dermal patterns in both 2 patients by indirect and modified direct immunofluorescence. These data are further confirming the syecificity and the reproducibility of the NaCl extraction technique for the irnmunofluorescence to differentiate the localization of the autoantibodies in the above two bullous dermatoses.
Antibodies ; Autoantibodies ; Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita* ; Epidermolysis Bullosa* ; Fluorescence ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Humans ; Microscopy, Immunoelectron ; Pemphigoid, Bullous* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Skin ; Skin Diseases, Vesiculobullous

No abstract available.
Hypothyroidism*

No abstract available.
Hyperlipidemias*

PURPOSE: CD5+ B (B1) cell is a subpopulation of B cells and CD5+ B cells constitute a large fraction of B cells in neonates. CD5 B cells are closely related with autoimmune diseases but the roles and functions in neonates are still unknown. The quantitative changes of CD5+ B cells in neonatal infections were examined to investigate the involvement of CDS+ B cells in neonatal immune reaction to general immunologic stimuli such as infections. Methods: Ten normal neonates and eight neonates with acute febrile diseases were studied. Venous blood was drawn and mononuclear cells were separated by Ficoll-Hypaque. Half was double-stained with FITC-conjugated anti-CD5 and PE-conjugated anti-CD19, and another half with FITC-conjugated anti-CD4 and PE-conjugated anti-CD8. Stained samples were analyzed using fluorescent-activated cell sortor. ...continue...
Autoimmune Diseases ; B-Lymphocytes* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn