No abstract available.
Central Nervous System Infections* ; Central Nervous System*

Poor R-Wave Progression(PRWP) of precordial leads is frequently encountered electrocardiographic findings of uncertain significance and has simply been deemed as suggestion of anterior myocardial infarction without concrete ground. 217 cases with poor R-Wave Progression have been analyzed on clinical records and results are as follows. 1) PRWP was most frequently found in fifties and sixities, comprising 63.9% of the subjects. 2) Co-existent disease entities with PRWP were classified into three categories, cardiovascular diseases, chronic lung diseases and normal variants. 3) The cardiovascular diseases related with PRWP were mainly hypertensive diseases, comprising 59.8% of cardiovascular diseases, followed by ischemic heart disease, valvular heart disease and cardiomyopathies. 4) PRWP may be an early sign of acute myocardial infarction in a certain part of cases, which was endorsed by typical clinical symptoms and enzyme studies. 5) As the criterion of PRWP, V3R equal to or less than 3 mm was thought more adequate for higher specificity rather than 4 mm.
Cardiomyopathies ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Valve Diseases ; Lung Diseases ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Sensitivity and Specificity

No abstract available.
Autografts* ; Cartilage* ; Transplantation, Autologous*

BACKGROUND: Although good clinical effects have been reported, immunotherapy with house dust mite ( HDM ) antigen - autologous specific antibody complex ( IC - IT ) is not yet accepted as an effective immunomodulating tool in HDM allergic diseases. We aimed to prove the clinical effect of IC - IT in HDM sensitized respiratory allergic subjects. Method : Six HDM sensitized respiratory allergic subjects were enrolled. Autologous D. farinae specific IgG was purified with DEAE ion exchange and affinity chromatography. After one year of IC - IT treatment the clinical effects were analyzed with symptom scores, methacholine PC20, ELISA assay of D. farinae specific antibodies and intradermal skin reactivity. Result : The rhinitis symptom score significantly improved after a one - year administration of IC - IT ( 1.23 +/- 0.30 vs. 0.37 +/- 0.15, p< 0.05), but no significant differences were found in asthma symptom score, intradermal skin reactivity to D. farinae and ELISA optic absorbances of D. farinae specific IgE, IgG, and IgG subclasses. Methacholine PC20 values improved in all 6 patients who were administered with IC - IT ( 0.35 vs. 1.66 mg/ml, p< 0.05 ). CONCLUSION: IC - IT may be efficient for management of HDM atopic asthma. Further studies are needed before clinical application of IC - IT in house dust mite atopic subjects.
Antibodies ; Asthma ; Chromatography, Affinity ; Dermatophagoides farinae* ; Dust* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunotherapy* ; Ion Exchange ; Methacholine Chloride ; Pyroglyphidae* ; Rhinitis ; Skin

No abstract available.
Classification* ; Humans ; Spinal Cord* ; Urodynamics*

PURPOSE: Resistance to anticancer chemotherapeutic drug remains a major obstacle in cancer chemotherapy. Multidrug-resistance(MDR) gene overexpression and detoxification by glutathione are believed to be involved in adriamycin and cisplatin resistance. We investigated change of p-glycoprotein(MDR gene product) expression, cellular glutathione content and glutathione peroxidase and glutathione transferase activities by hyperthermia to elucidate the synergistic mechanism of hyperthermia with chemotherapeutic agent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human renal cell carcinoma cell lines, Caki-1 and A-498 were used. Control temperature was 37OC and hyperthermia of 43OC was applied in 2 and 4 hours durations. P-glycoprotein expression was measured by flowcytometric examination using monoclonal antibody to p-glycoprotein. Glutathione content and activities of glutathione peroxidase and transferase were measured by biochemical methods. RESULTS: Glutathione content and activities of glutathione peroxidase and transferase were not changed by hyperthermia. However, p-glycoprotein expression was reduced by hyperthermia of 43OC. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that reduced p-glycoprotein expression by hyperthermia causes increased intracellular accumulation of chemotherapeutic agent by decreasing drug efflux mechanism and plays an important role in synergistic effect with adriamycin and cisplatin cytotoxicities.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Cell Line ; Cisplatin ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy ; Fever* ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Glutathione Transferase ; Glutathione* ; Humans* ; P-Glycoprotein* ; Transferases

Allopurinol is widely used for chronic tophaceous gout as a uric acid lowering agent. Hypersensitivity to allopurinol occurrs in about 10% of patients, which limits the usage of allopurinol. The successful oral and intravenous desensitization of allopurinol has been reported worldwide since 1976. We recently experienced a 51-year-old male patient with gouty arthritis and hyperuricemia, who had previously experienced skin rash after allopurinol treatment. When allopurinol was retried, erythematous and foliative skin rash developed on entire body. Because allopurinol was essential in controlling hyperuricemia, the oral desensitization of allopurinol was tried. We report successful rapid oral allopurinol desensitization in the patient with chronic tophaceous gout, who exhibited exfoliative dermatitis as allopurinol hypersensitivity.
Allopurinol* ; Arthritis, Gouty ; Dermatitis, Exfoliative* ; Exanthema ; Gout ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Hyperuricemia ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Uric Acid

PURPOSE: We investigated if there are some differences in characteristic of recent renal infection from the past one and evaluated the need of ultrasonography in acute renal infection and the efficiency of antibiotics that have been used primarily in treatment of past renal infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed charts of 232 patients with acute renal infection retrospectively, who took admission treatment from 1991 to 1995 at our hospital. The laboratory tests such as complete blood count, urinalysis and urine culture with sensitivity and radiologic evaluations such as abdominal ultrasonography, excretory urography or voiding cystourethrography were performed. RESULTS: The most common age groups were 3rd decade(26.7%) and 4th decade(24.1%). Female was predominant in all age groups(M:F=1:8.7) except 1st decade(M:F=1.6:1). Acute pyelonephritis was the most common disease (87.1%) and then followed by acute focal bacterial nephritis(8.2%), renal abscess(4.3%) and perirenal abscess(0.4%). Five cases(2.2%) were accompanied by vesicoureteral reflux. Abdominal ultrasonography was done in 90.5%, but 74.8% of them were completely normal and most of abnormal findings at abdominal ultrasonography were clinically insignificant. Result of ultrasonography did not affect the outcome of the disease or the treatment plan. The significant bacterial isolation(more than 10(5)CFU/ml) in urine culture was 46.6%. Among them, E. coli was the most common organism(92.6%) and others were Enterobacter, Klebsiella or Pseudomonas. Causative agents were resistant to some drugs such as ampicillin or bactrim which have been usually used for urinary tract infection. CONCLUSIONS: Routine ultrasonography in renal infections without urinary tract obstruction was not helpful in treatment plan or outcome of this disease and selection of antibiotics in treatment of recent renal infection should be changed from the past one.
Ampicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Blood Cell Count ; Enterobacter ; Female ; Humans ; Klebsiella ; Pseudomonas ; Pyelonephritis ; Retrospective Studies ; Trimethoprim, Sulfamethoxazole Drug Combination ; Ultrasonography* ; Urinalysis ; Urinary Tract ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Urography ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the functional changes of the ventricles for 27 children with recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy in short stature using echocardiography with tissue Doppler imaging. METHODS: The conventional Doppler echocardiography with tissue Doppler imaging were performed in 27 children with rhGH therapy for short stature and 13 healthy children. Peak velocities of systolic (S) and early (E'), late(A') diastolic wave of mitral annulus,septum and tricuspid annulus were obtained from apical 4 chamber view. RESULTS: There was no differences in left ventricle (LV) mass (72.948+/-11.825 m/s2 vs 73.931+/-12.093 m/s2, P=0.08), LV ejection fraction (66.778+/-5.441% vs 70.154+/-6.641%, P=0.095) and LV fractional shortening (36.737+/-4.265% vs 38.085+/-3.419, P=0.327) were observed between patients and controls. There was no significant differences in E and A measured at mitral and tricuspid annulus were observed between pateints and controls. There was no significant differences in S, E' and A' measured using tissue doppler imaging at mitral annulus, septum, and tricuspid annulus were observed between patients and controls CONCLUSION: No significant differences in parameters of cardiac function using tissue doppler imaging with conventional echocardiography were found between patients with rhGH therapy and controls. But, longer follow-up, involving at a larger number of patients, is required to confirm the safety of long-term rhGH treatment.
Child* ; Echocardiography* ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Follow-Up Studies ; Growth Hormone* ; Heart Ventricles ; Human Growth Hormone ; Humans ; Ventricular Function, Left

BACKGROUND: Docetaxel has been effectively used as an anti-cancer chemotherapuetic agent for various tumor treatments including lung cancer. However, the cell death induction mechanism(s) involved with docetaxel treatment in lung cancer cells has not been known yet. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In the present study, the cellular and biochemical changes of NCI-H1703 cells (non-small cell lung cancer cell line, p53-mutant) after docetaxel treatment have been monitored by flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy and western blot. RESULT: Docetaxel treatment significantly resulted in decrease of S phase as well as increase of G2 phase, and consequently evoked an increase of cell death in NCI-H1703 cells. After docetaxel exposure the activations of caspase-3 and caspase-9 were detected. CONCLUSION: Take together, it is suggested that the docetaxel induces NCI-H1703 cell death by caspase-9 and caspase-3 dependent mitochondrial apoptotic pathway.
Blotting, Western ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Caspase 3 ; Caspase 9 ; Cell Death* ; Cell Line* ; Flow Cytometry ; G2 Phase ; Lung Neoplasms ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; S Phase