No abstract available.
Cyclosporine ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents* ; Psoriasis* ; Sarcoma, Kaposi*

No abstract available.
Cyclosporine ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents* ; Psoriasis* ; Sarcoma, Kaposi*

Since 1897 when Poncet first described polyarthritis in the acute stage of extra-articular tuberculosis, Poncet's disease has been considered a reactive arthritis to Mycobacterium tuberculosis. It is characterized by polyarthritis without evidence of direct mycobacterial involvement in patients with active tuberculosis, and eventually resolves without residual joint damage. Even though Poncet's disease is uncommon, the distinction between Poncet's disease and other arthritis, including tuberculous arthritis is clinically important. We report the second case of Poncet's disease diagnosed in a patient with pulmonary tuberculosis in Korea and review the relevant literature.
Arthritis ; Arthritis, Reactive ; Humans ; Joints ; Korea ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Wegener's grandulomatosis (WG) is a systemic small-vessel vasculitis characterized by necrotizing granulomatous lesions and anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA). WG frequently affects the upper and lower respiratory tracts and kidney but involvement of the pachymeninges or large vessels has rarely been reported. We report the first case of WG with periaortitis and pachymeningitis in Korea. A 57-year-old female complained of a stabbing headache, paresthesia below the thoracic 4th nerve level, and lower extremity weakness. During her course, she developed otitis media with sensorineural hearing loss, nodular scleritis, and microhematuria. A neuroimaging study showed an intradural mass in the area from the cervical 7th spine to the thoracic 5th spine, left cerebral convexity, and the left petrous area. A chest computed tomography scan revealed an enhanced and thickened aortic arch. A dural biopsy showed necrotizing granulomatous inflammation, and anti-MPO ANCA was positive. Under a diagnosis of WG, she received high-dose glucocorticoid and oral cyclophosphamide with improvement.
Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Biopsy ; Cyclophosphamide ; Female ; Headache Disorders, Primary ; Hearing Loss, Sensorineural ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Kidney ; Korea ; Lower Extremity ; Meningitis ; Middle Aged ; Neuroimaging ; Otitis Media ; Paresthesia ; Respiratory System ; Scleritis ; Spine ; Thorax ; Vasculitis ; Wegener Granulomatosis

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) is a disease characterized by a granulomatous necrotizing vasculitis of the small vessels, along with the presence of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA), serologically. GPA is a multisystem disease, in which the diagnosis is frequently based on respiratory and renal manifestations, with rare breast invasion. To date, several cases of breast invasion by GPA have been published, and most cases have been positive for ANCA. However, ANCA-negative forms of breast invasion by GPA are extremely rare and have not been reported in Korea thus far. Therefore, we report a case of ANCA-negative GPA in a 70-year-old woman, who was initially presented with a localized palpable mass in the left breast.
Aged ; Antibodies ; Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic ; Breast* ; Cytoplasm* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Vasculitis

OBJECTIVE: Although several ginsenosides have been reported to have anti-arthritic activity, few in vivo studies of the anti-arthritic effects of compound K (CK), a major metabolite of ginsenosides, have been conducted. Therefore, we investigated the preventative and therapeutic effects of CK on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). METHODS: CK was administered to CIA mice preventively and therapeutically and post-treatment bone microarchitectural characteristics, histopathological changes, and serum levels of anti-collagen antibodies, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin (IL)-17 were investigated. We also examined cytokine production by type II collagen (CII)-stimulated splenocytes and mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-1, receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL), and osteoprotegerin (OPG) in the joint tissues. RESULTS: CK reduced the severity of CIA preventively and therapeutically (all p<0.05). Additionally, CK dose-dependently decreased histopathological signs of arthritis and improved microarchitectural characteristics (all p<0.05) at 10 to 20 mg/kg/d in CIA mice. CK treatment significantly decreased the serum levels of anti-CII immunoglobulin G (p<0.01) and the secretion of interferon-gamma and IL-2 from stimulated splenocytes (all p<0.05). Furthermore, MMP-3/TIMP-1 and RANKL/OPG ratios were suppressed in CK treated mice (all p<0.01). CONCLUSION: CK attenuated CIA via suppression of the humoral immune response and modulation of joint-destructive mediators. These results suggest that CK has therapeutic potential in rheumatoid arthritis.
Animals ; Antibodies, Neoplasm ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Experimental* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Collagen Type II ; Ginsenosides* ; Immunity, Humoral ; Immunoglobulin G ; Interferon-gamma ; Interleukin-2 ; Interleukins ; Joints ; Matrix Metalloproteinases ; Mice* ; Necrosis ; Osteoprotegerin ; Panax ; RANK Ligand ; RNA, Messenger

BACKGROUND: Behçet disease (BD) is a relapsing inflammatory disease with increased production of inflammatory cytokines in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs); however, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well known. OBJECTIVE: To analyze whether the differential expression of transcription factors is involved in the increased tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-6 production by PBMCs of BD patients compared to healthy controls (HCs). METHODS: Expression of transcription factors was examined by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and western blotting. Cytokine production by CD11b+ cells transfected with siRNAs against transcription factors was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: In the absence of lipopolysaccharide stimulation, the transcript level of CCAAT-enhancer-binding proteins (C/EBP) β was increased in PBMCs from patients with active BD compared to that in PBMCs from patients with stable BD. The C/EBPδ transcript level was higher in PBMCs from patients with active BD than in those from HCs. The activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) transcript level was increased in PBMCs from patients with stable BD compared to that in PBMCs from HCs. siRNAs targeting C/EBPβ and C/EBPδ significantly reduced the production of IL-6 and TNF-α in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated CD11b+ cells from patients with BD as well as from HCs. CONCLUSION: We found differential expression of C/EBPβ, C/EBPδ, and ATF3 in PBMCs from patients with BD depending on disease activity, indicating the involvement of these molecules in BD pathogenesis.
Activating Transcription Factor 3 ; Behcet Syndrome* ; Blotting, Western ; CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Proteins ; Cytokines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukins ; RNA, Small Interfering ; Transcription Factors* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Pregnancy-related osteoporosis is a very rare condition characterized by the occurrence of fracture during pregnancy or the puerperium. Despite its relative rarity, it can be a dangerous condition that causes severe back pain, height loss and disability. Normal physiologic changes during pregnancy, genetic or racial difference, obstetrical history and obstetrical disease, such as preterm labor or pregnancy-induced hypertension, are presumed risk factors of pregnancy-related osteooporosis. However, exact etiology and pathogenesis are uncertain. The management and natural history are still poorly defined. Traditional medications for osteoporosis are calcium/vitamin D and bisphosphonate. Concerns with bisphosphonate include accumulation in bone and fetal exposure in subsequent pregnancies. The newly developed medication, teriparatide, has shown good results. We report six cases of pregnancy-related osteoporosis and spinal fracture with literature review.
Back Pain ; Female ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced ; Natural History ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Osteoporosis* ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors ; Spinal Fractures* ; Teriparatide

No abstract available.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Humans ; Sarcoma* ; Sarcoma, Kaposi

No abstract available.
Hand Deformities ; Humans ; Parkinsonian Disorders*