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Biomedical subjects

C J Kim

Publications and source records attributed to C J Kim.

At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources

Use of recombinant poxviruses to stimulate anti-melanoma T cell reactivity.

BACKGROUND: Dendritic cells (DC) are potent professional antigen-presenting cells that can activate naive T lymphocytes and initiate cellular immune responses. As adjuvants, DC may be useful for enhancing immunogenicity and mediating tumor regression. Endogenous expression of antigen by DC could offer the potential advantage of allowing prolonged constitutive presentation of endogenously processed epitopes and exploitation of multiple restriction elements for the presentation of the same antigen. METHODS: DC were prepared from the peripheral blood of HLA A*0201 patients with metastatic melanoma in the presence of IL-4 (1000 IU/mL) and GMCSF (1000 IU/mL). Recombinant vaccinia and fowlpox viruses encoding the hMART-1 gene were constructed and used to infect DC. The efficiency of infection and expression of the MART-1 antigen were assessed by immunohistochemistry and intracellular FACS analyses. Cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTL) were generated by the stimulation of CD8+ T cells, with DC expressing the recombinant gene. Reactivity of the CTL was determined at weeks 1 and 2 by the amount of IFN-gamma released. RESULTS: DC were infected with recombinant poxviruses and demonstrated specific melanoma antigen expression by immunohistochemistry, immunofluorescence, and intracellular FACS analysis. The expression by DC of MART-1 MAA after viral infection was sufficient to generate CD8+ T lymphocytes that recognized naturally processed epitopes on tumor cells in 10 of 11 patients. CONCLUSIONS: Human DC are receptive to infection by recombinant poxviruses encoding MAA genes and are capable of efficiently processing and presenting these MAA to cytotoxic T cells. The potential advantage of this approach is the ability to present specific antigen independent of the identification of the epitope or the MHC restriction element. This strategy may be useful for the identification of relevant epitopes for a diverse number of HLA alleles and for active immunization in patients.

Antigens, Neoplasm↗

Teratoid Wilms tumor in childhood: CT and ultrasonographic appearances.

Teratoid Wilms tumor is defined as an unusual variant of nephroblastoma, in which there is a significant diversity of cell types and tissues in a neoplasm, where areas of classic nephroblastoma tissue are also present. We report a case of teratoid Wilms tumor demonstrated as a unilateral cystic and solid renal mass containing fatty tissue on ultrasonography and computed tomography.

Child, Preschool↗

An agar gel enzyme assay (AGEA) for simple detection of Salmonella enteritidis antibodies in chicken sera.

An agar gel enzyme assay (AGEA) was developed for the detection of antibodies to Salmonella enteritidis (SE). The assay was based on the ability of antibodies to diffuse through an agar gel and react with antigen coated on a polystyrene surface. The antigen-antibody reaction was then made visible by applying an enzyme-conjugated anti-immunoglobulin and the addition, subsequently, of a substrate-containing gel. The color change in circular zones was taken as the indication for the presence of antibodies. The present investigation reports identification of an antigen specific for SE and its use in the development of a relatively simple AGEA procedure. The results of AGEA were compared with those of conventional microagglutination (MA) test and serum plate (SP) test. The percentage agreement between MA and AGEA in positive serum sample was found to be 94.4%, and in negative serum samples it was found to be 88.8%. The present results suggest that the AGEA could be a very useful screening test for the detection of SE antibodies because the assay is inexpensive, specific and simple to perform without much equipment, and give results within a 3-hr period.

Agglutination Tests↗

Enhancement of kasugamycin production by pH shock in batch cultures of Streptomyces kasugaensis.

Biosynthesis of kasugamycin could be greatly enhanced by applying a nonnutritional stress of pH shock, that is, sequential pH changes from a neutral pH to an acidic condition and then back to the neutral condition. During the acidic period, cell growth decreased to nil. After recovery of the neutral condition, the cell growth resumed after a time lag concurrently with the biosynthesis of kasugamycin at a greatly enhanced rate compared with the control case without a pH shock. In a series of experiments performed to identify the optimal length of pH shock, four different lengths (6, 12, 24, and 48 h) of pH shock were applied. The best result was obtained when pH shock was applied for 24 h, with kasugamycin productivity approximately 7-fold higher than that of the control.

Aminoglycosides↗

Continuous culture of immobilized streptomyces cells for kasugamycin production.

Continuous cultures of immobilized Streptomyces kasugaensis, a kasugamycin producer, were carried out on Celite beads. When using a prototype separator for immobilized-cell separation and recycling, the continuous operation could not be sustained for an extended period as a result of an excessive loss of immobilized cells caused by the poor performance of the separator. Accordingly, the immobilized-cell separator was revised to provide better immobilized-cell settling and thus recycling into the reactor. In a subsequent culture using the revised separator, a stable operation was maintained for over 820 h with a high kasugamycin productivity. The kasugamycin productivity ranged from 9.8 to 16.1 mg/L/h, which was about 14- to 23-fold higher than that in a batch suspended-cell culture. When the original feeding medium concentration was doubled at the end of the continuous culture, the productivity became severely impaired for several reasons, which will be discussed. An excessive formation of free cells and loss of immobilized cells through the separator were also observed.

Aminoglycosides↗

Hemolysate inhibits L-type Ca2+ channels in rat basilar smooth muscle cells.

Erythrocyte lysate increases intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and contracts cerebral arteries in vitro and has been suggested to be the cause for cerebral vasospasm. We investigated the effect of hemolysate on L-type Ca2+ channels directly by using patch clamp techniques in freshly isolated single smooth muscle cells from rat basilar artery. Patch clamp studies revealed a whole-cell current which resembles the L-type Ca2+ current reported by others. Hemolysate reduced the amplitude of the L-type Ca2+ channel current. The effect of hemolysate was reversible by washout and repeatable. Hemolysate was separated into two fractions by using filter membranes. The fraction > 1 kDa which contains oxyhemoglobin and other proteins mimicked the effect of hemolysate, while the fraction < 1 kDa and ATP were without effect. We conclude that hemolysate does not increase [Ca2+]i by activation of L-type Ca2+ channel.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗

Hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion for extremity sarcomas.

BACKGROUND: The treatment options available for extremity sarcomas are amputation or limb-sparing surgery with radiation, which may incur significant morbidity and body disfigurement. Hyperthermic isolated limb perfusion (HILP) may be an attractive option in extremity sarcomas for unresectable lesions to preserve limb function and maintain quality of life. METHODS: We report the outcomes of 5 patients who underwent HILP for unresectable primary or recurrent extremity sarcomas from 1994 to 2000 at our institution. RESULTS: All patients had initial complete clinical responses to HILP, and the limb was salvaged in 4 of the 5 patients. Complications included chronic lymphedema, neuropathic pain, and prolonged wound healing. CONCLUSIONS: HILP with melphalan is a safe and effective treatment option for selected patients with locally advanced and unresectable extremity sarcomas. The response rates are high, with limb salvage occurring in most patients. Further studies of larger groups of patients are warranted.

Adult↗

MR imaging of central diabetes insipidus: a pictorial essay.

Central diabetes insipidus (DI) can be the outcome of a number of diseases that affect the hypothalamic-neurohypophyseal axis. The causes of the condition can be classified as traumatic, inflammatory, or neoplastic. Traumatic causes include postoperative sella or transection of the pituitary stalk, while infectious or inflammatory causes include meningitis, lymphocytic hypophysitis, and granulomatous inflammations such as sarcoidosis and Wegener's granulomatosis. Various neoplastic conditions such as germinoma, Langerhans cell histiocytosis, metastasis, leukemic infiltration, lymphoma, teratoma, pituitary adenoma, craniopharyngioma, Rathke cleft cyst, hypothalamic glioma, and meningioma are also causes of central DI. In affected patients, careful analysis of these MR imaging features and correlation with the clinical manifestations can allow a more specific diagnosis, which is essential for treatment.

Adolescent↗

Overexpression of p53 and rare genetic mutation in mesenchymal chondrosarcoma.

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is extremely rare and accounts for less than 2% of all chondrosarcomas. The pathogenesis and the molecular genetic events which contribute to the development of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma are not well elucidated, due in part to the lack of sufficient tumor tissue available. To characterize the involvement of the p53 gene abnormality in this disease, we analyzed expression and sequence alteration of p53 by immunohistochemical analysis of the protein expression and quantitative DNA/PCR and PCR-SSCP assays of the gene in 33 paraffin-embedded tissue specimens. Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated that 19 (61.3%) of 31 had nuclear overexpression of p53 while 7 (22.6%) showed cytoplasmic expression. The remaining 5 (16.1%) were negative for p53 staining. The nuclear positivity of p53 was observed within a range of 22-64% (mean 37.3%) of tumor cells and showed a positive staining in mesenchymal components as well as chondroid components. Quantitative DNA/PCR analysis revealed that 6 (18.2%) of the 33 specimens carried significantly reduced or undetectably low levels of p53 indicating the genomic deletion of the gene in these tumors. In contrast, however, DNA/PCR-SSCP analysis failed to detect any types of mutations resulting in amino acid substitution within exons 5-9 regions of the gene. Taken together, our data suggests that genetic alteration of p53 is a relatively rare event in mesenchymal chondrosarcomas but substantial fraction of this type of tumors carries abnormal overexpression of p53, which might result from as yet unidentified epigenetic mechanism(s).

Chondrosarcoma, Mesenchymal↗

Focal fibrocartilaginous dysplasia of long bones: report of eight additional cases and literature review.

We report eight additional cases of focal fibrocartilaginous dysplasia (FFCD) in the proximal tibia (five), distal ulna (one), and distal femur (two). Spontaneous, complete resolution of the lesion was observed in two tibiae and one ulna. Three tibial lesions with genu varum deformity were managed with osteotomy. Two femoral FFCDs caused persistent or progressive deformity: one genu valgum with patellar dislocation, and one genu varum. These patients underwent concomitant deformity correction and lengthening by the Ilizarov method. The final results were satisfactory in all patients except one, who underwent valgus tibial osteotomy and developed mild postoperative genu valgum. The analysis of a total of 46 cases in the literature and our experience suggests that (a) FFCD has a wide histopathologic spectrum, ranging from purely dense, fibrous tendon-like tissue to benign fibrocartilaginous tissue; (b) at least 45% of tibial FFCD demonstrates progressive, spontaneous resolution; (c) in contrast, femoral and humeral FFCDs appear to have a slim possibility of spontaneous regression of the deformity; and (d) corrective osteotomy is indicated when the deformity is increasing or persistent, or when the existing deformity is severe enough to jeopardize adjacent joint mechanics and alignment.

Cartilage Diseases↗

[A study of home care needs of patients at discharge and effects of home care--centered on patients discharged from a rural general hospital].

The study was carried out at W. hospital, an affiliated hospital of Y university, involved a total of 163 patients who were discharged from the hospital between May 1990 and March 1991. Data collection was twice, just prior to discharge and a minimum of three months post discharge. Thirty patients who lived within a hour travel time of the hospital received home care during the three months post discharge. Nursing diagnoses and nursing interventions for these patients were analyzed in this study. The results of the study are summarized as follows: 1. Discharge needs for the subjects of the study were analyzed using Gordon's eleven functional categories and it was found that 48.3% of the total sample had identified nursing needs. Of these, the needs most frequently identified were in the categories of sexuality, 79.3%, health perception, 68.2% self concept, 62.5%, and sleep and rest 62.5%. Looking at the nursing diagnosis that were made for the 30 patients receiving home care, the following diagnoses were the most frequently given; alteration in sexual pattern 79.3%, alterations in health maintenance, 72.6%, alteration in comfort, 68.0%, depression, 64.0%, noncompliance with diet therapy, 63.7%, alteration in self concept, 55.6%, and alteration in sleep pattern, 53%. 2. In looking at the effects of home nursing care as demonstrated by changes in the functional categories over the three month period, it was found that of the 11 functional categories, the need level for health perception, nutrition, activity and self concept decreased slightly over the three month period. On the average sleep patterns improved, but restfulness was slightly less and bowel elimination patterns improved but satisfaction with urinary elimination was slightly less. On the other hand, role enactment, sexuality, stress management and spirituality decreased slightly. The only results that were statistically significant at the 0.05 level were improvement in digestion and decrease in pain. No statistically significant changes were found in ability related to ADL, the total ADL score at discharge was 19.78 +/- 8.23, and after 3 months 19.01 +/- 8.12. Considering that a majority of the patients were over 60 years of age and that many had brain or spinal cord injuries, the fact that their ADL ability did not deteriorate after discharge can be interpreted as related to a positive impact by the home health care nurses. Similarly there was a slight but not statistically significant decrease in the quality of life scores between the two test times (147.83 at discharge and 143.02 at the three month period).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Activities of Daily Living↗

Effect of time and temperature on growth of Salmonella enteritidis in experimentally inoculated eggs.

Influence of time and temperature on Salmonella enteritidis multiplication in experimentally injected eggs was examined. There was an increase in the number of S. enteritidis with the increase in temperature of egg storage. There was less increase of S. enteritidis in eggs stored at 4 degrees C than in eggs held at temperatures higher than 4 degrees C (P less than 0.05). These results suggest a possible method for monitoring commercial eggs for the presence of S. enteritidis. It was concluded that the chances of recovery of S. enteritidis can be increased 10(6)-fold or more by holding the eggs at temperatures of 21 or 27 degrees C for more than 20 days and culturing their contents.

Animals↗

[A study on the establishment of a fee system for hospital based home nursing care].

This study was done in order to provide basic data to a Fee System for hospital based Home Health Care services in Korea in the future. It was done by investigating activities provided to possible Home Health Care clients who could be discharged early from general hospitals and then estimating the nursing care fee according to each nursing activity based upon the time used for activity. The subjects of the study were selected by convenience sampling and consisted of 35 clients who might be clients for Home Nursing Care and were presently admitted to a medical-surgical ward of Y University Medical Center located in Seoul, Korea. The data collection period was from September 1, 1991 to September 30, 1991. The research instruments utilized for the study were a client selection criteria for Home Health Care developed by Choo (1991) and a check-list of nursing activity developed by researcher. The results of the study were as follows: 1. There were 44 different nursing activities provided in the seven days but the time was calculated for only 25 of the nursing activities. 2. Fees for the 25 different nursing activities were calculated by multiplying the median of the average wage of a staff nurse having five years experience in an A grade general hospital to the time of the nursing activity. The results were compared with the insurance fee which the government recognized as an appropriate fee for that activity. The nursing activities with a lower calculated fee than the insurance fee were suction, catheterization, exercise education and dressing change. The nursing activities with a higher calculated fee than the government recognized fee were IM injection and vital sign check. 3. There was a range of 1-15 nursing activities provided daily to the client. For the average number of nursing activities per day of 6.26 events the nursing care fee was calculated at W 6136 per day. 4. Based upon the results of the study, a recommendation for a Home Health Care fee per visit based on the nursing activities provided could be formulated for a Home Health Care fee system. It could be formulated as following: 1) Home health Care fee per visit = [(direct nursing fee (direct nursing care time per activity x average nursing wage) + indirect nursing fee) x average nursing activity per visit] + management fee+materials fee+a travel fee. In this way a nursing fee could be calculated based upon the result of the study of the nursing fees per visit.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Home Care Services↗

Bcl-2 expression in neuroblastoma is differentially regulated by differentiation inducers.

Neuroblastoma is characterized by differentiation in vivo and in vitro, and the process is known to be associated with changes in various gene expressions, among which is the bcl-2 gene whose major function may be potentially involved in the resistance to anticancer chemotherapy. We investigated the changing patterns of bcl-2 expression in neuroblastoma cell lines according to differentiation to assess whether the expression patterns can be differentially modulated by different types of differentiation inducers. Differentiation was induced in two neuroblastoma cell lines [SK-N-SH, SK-N-BE(2)] using all-trans-retinoic acid, gamma-interferon and EHS laminin, respectively. The levels of expression of bcl-2 were analysed before and after differentiation using immunoblotting and subsequent densitometry. The expression patterns of bcl-2 differed according to the type of differentiation inducers. Its expression increased when treated with retinoic acid and EHS laminin along with neuronal differentiation, while differentiation with gamma-interferon treatment was associated with decreased bcl-2 expression. Decreased expression of bcl-2 despite neuronal differentiation induced by gamma-interferon was thought to be important in that a certain differentiation pathway without increased drug resistance-related factor expression exists, which in turn has implications for the clinical application of gamma-interferon, combined with chemotherapy.

Apoptosis↗