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C Choi

Publications and source records attributed to C Choi.

124 records · Page 7Linked to original sources

Therapy of experimental Pseudomonas endocarditis with high-dose amikacin and ticarcillin.

Right-sided infective endocarditis due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa was induced in 130 rabbits. Animals received either: (1) no therapy (controls); (2) standard-dose amikacin (AMK) (15 mg/kg/day) plus ticarcillin (300 mg/kg/day), or (3) high-dose AMK (20 or 25 mg/kg/day) plus ticarcillin, for 20 days. Animals in each treatment group were evaluated at 10 days after therapy for bacteriologic relapse. Both standard- and high-dose AMK regimens significantly decreased mortality and Pseudomonas aeruginosa vegetation titers versus controls (p less than 0.01, p less than 0.05, respectively). Despite significantly higher serum AMK levels at 25 mg/kg/day, there was no significant difference in mean vegetation titers, percent of vegetations sterilized, or posttherapy bacteriologic relapse in the three treatment groups. AMK at 20 or 25 mg/kg/day (but not at 15 mg/kg/day) significantly reduced the incidence of pulmonary infarction versus untreated controls (p less than 0.01).

Amikacin↗

Scrub typhus pneumonitis acquired through the respiratory tract in a laboratory worker.

We report a case of scrub typhus pneumonitis in a laboratory worker who apparently acquired it through the respiratory tract. The patient was suffering from fever, cough and dyspnea. He had both cervical and axillary lymphadenopathy, and hepatomegaly. A chest X-ray showed interstitial infiltrates. A diagnosis of scrub typhus was established upon isolation of Orientia tsutsugamushi. 12 days before the patient showed symptoms, he had purified O. tsutsugamushi proteins from infected cells using an ultrasonication method which could generate aerosols containing O. tsutsugamushi.

Adult↗

Birth abnormalities in pregnant sows infected intranasally with porcine circovirus 2.

Six pregnant sows were inoculated intranasally at 3 weeks before the expected farrowing date with porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2). The PCV2-inoculated sows showed abortion and premature farrowing, whereas two uninfected negative control sows remained clinically healthy and farrowed normally. PCV2 antigen and DNA were detected by immunohistochemistry and in-situ hybridization, respectively, in lymph node, spleen, thymus, lung, tonsil and liver from both stillborn and liveborn piglets. Simultaneous detection of viral protein and DNA provided molecular evidence of PCV2 infection and replication. The experiment suggested that PCV2 is capable of crossing the placenta, replicating primarily in lymphoid tissues, and inducing reproductive failure.

Abortion, Veterinary↗

Synthetic peptide-derived antibody-based immunohistochemistry for the detection of porcine circovirus 2 in pigs with postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome.

Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) was detected consistently in formalin-fixed paraffin wax-embedded lymph node and spleen from experimentally and naturally infected pigs by synthetic peptide-derived polyclonal antibody-based immunohistochemistry. Synthetic peptides were generated from open reading frame 2 of PCV2 by solid-phase peptide synthesis, purified by high performance liquid chromatography, and injected into rabbits to produce polyclonal antibody. Positive cells had large nuclei with abundant cytoplasm, and resembled macrophages. In serial sections, a similar distribution of PCV2 antigen and DNA was confirmed in virus-infected cells by immunohistochemistry and in-situ hybridization, respectively. The immunohistochemical method described was successfully applied to formalin-fixed, paraffin wax-embedded tissues and should prove helpful in diagnosing postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome.

Animals↗

Comparison of growth and recombinant protein expression in two different insect cell lines in attached and suspension culture.

Culture conditions required for obtaining maximum recombinant protein concentrations from two cell lines, Spodoptera frugiperda (IPLBeta-Sf21-AE) and Trichoplusia ni (Tn 5Beta-1-4), were determined in this work. Conditions studied include mode of culture (suspended vs attached), agitation rates, inoculum sizes, cell concentration at the time of infection, and various serum-free media (SFM). Results were compared with the performance of attached cultures in TnM-FH with 10% fetal bovine serum. Growth rates in the different culture media tested were similar, but the cell numbers achieved (i.e., yield) improved 2 to 2.7-fold in SFM over cultures in TnM-FH. Agitation rates of 150-160 rpm were necessary for maximum growth of suspended Tn 5Beta-1-4 cells compared to 125-150 rpm for Sf-21 cells. An inoculum size of 5 x 10(5) cells/mL gave good growth rates and optimum biomass yields for both cell lines. Cultures of both cell lines were infected with viruses encoding for beta-galactosidase or human secreted alkaline phosphatase (seAP). Protein expression in TnM-FH in attached culture showed that Tn 5Beta-1-4 cells are 2-4.5 times more productive on a per cell basis than Sf-21 cells grown under similar conditions. Production of beta-galactosidase in Sf-21 cells increased 50% in suspension cultures with SFM compared to attached cultures in TnM-FH, but seAP expression was essentially unchanged by culture techniques. The Tn 5Beta-1-4 cells produced 2.6-4.4 and 2.7-3 times more beta-galactosidase and seAP, respectively, in SFM in suspension compared to Sf-21 cells. EX-CELL 401 and Sf900-II were formulated as optimized SFM for Sf cell lines. However, in Sf-21 cultures EX-CELL 400 performed better than the other two media, as it increased the beta-galactosidase yield up to 25%. Surprisingly, EX-CELL 401 was the best medium for the production of beta-galactosidase by Tn 5Beta-1-4 cells, resulting in 25% and 69% higher volumetric and specific yields, respectively, compared to EX-CELL 405 which was formulated for this specific cell line. These results show that even when culture media are designed for maximal growth of a specific cell line, other media may provide the best conditions for protein production.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗

Expression of Interferon-gamma and tumour necrosis factor-alpha in pigs experimentally infected with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV).

The expression of mRNA encoding interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was studied, by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and by in-situ hybridization with a non-radioactive digoxigenin-labelled probe, in formalin-fixed, paraffin wax-embedded lung tissue from pigs experimentally infected with a Korean isolate (North American genotype) of PRRSV. Both IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha mRNA were detected in the lung as early as 1 day post-inoculation (dpi) and up to 10 dpi. Hybridization signals for IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha were usually associated with inflammation, in particular with macrophages within alveolar septa. Expression of these cytokines was minimal in non-lesional lung of PRRSV-infected pigs and in normal lung from control pigs. The results suggest that IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha play a role in pulmonary defence against PRRSV.

Animals↗

Expression of cyclooxygenase-2 in epithelial ovarian tumors and its relation to vascular endothelial growth factor and p53 expression.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in epithelial ovarian tumors and its correlation with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and p53 expression. Immunohistochemical studies with anti-COX-2, anti-VEGF, and anti-p53 antibodies were carried out in 54 malignant and 23 borderline epithelial ovarian tumors. Elevated COX-2 expression was detected in 77.8% of ovarian carcinomas, which was significantly higher than that of borderline tumors (26.1%) (P < 0.001). In ovarian carcinomas, there was no significant correlation between COX-2 expression and other clinicopathologic features. Elevated VEGF expression was detected in 74.1% of ovarian carcinomas, and p53 expression was found in 64.8% of ovarian carcinomas. COX-2 expression was statistically correlated with elevated VEGF expression (P < 0.001) and p53 positivity (P < 0.05). On a univariate analysis, FIGO stage (P < 0.0001), histologic type (P= 0.0104), and COX-2 expression (P= 0.0135) were significant prognostic factors for overall survival. In a multivariate analysis, FIGO stage (P < 0.0001) was the only independent prognostic factor for poor survival. These findings suggest that COX-2 may play a role in the progression of epithelial ovarian tumors and that COX-2 expression may contribute to ovarian tumor angiogenesis by stimulating VEGF expression. p53 may be responsible for the regulation of COX-2 expression.

Adenocarcinoma↗

Lymphonodular cryptococcosis diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology in hyper-IgM syndrome. A case report.

BACKGROUND: Most cases of cryptococcosis are diagnosed when signs of meningitis have appeared. We report a case of lymphonodular cryptococcosis that was diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), excisional biopsy of a cervical lymph node and culture of aspirated material. CASE: An 11-year-old boy presented with a history of fever and enlarged bilateral cervical lymph nodes of two weeks' duration. Past medical history included immunoglobulin replacement for hyper-IgM syndrome for the previous eight years. FNAC smears from a cervical lymph node showed numerous yeasts of various sizes, ranging from 5 to 15 microns in diameter, located in the cytoplasm of multinucleated giant cells and in the background. In air-dried, Diff-Quik-stained slides, the yeasts stained blue and were surrounded by clear halos. Aspirated material collected in the syringe was cultured, and Cryptococcus neoformans was isolated. CONCLUSION: This case report suggests that a combination of FNAC and culture is a simple and useful method of diagnosing fungal infections. Early diagnosis by FNAC makes possible the early initiation of treatment.

Biopsy, Needle↗

Prostatic marker-negative amphicrine carcinoma of the prostate.

It has been shown that prostatic adenocarcinoma differentiation correlates with prostatic-specific marker and neuroendocrine expression; that is, the more undifferentiated the tumor, the less it expresses prostatic markers and the more neuroendocrine cells are found in it. Complete absence of prostatic markers together with marked neuroendocrine expression has been associated with small cell morphology. This report describes a case of a metastatic, prostatic marker-negative, non-small cell prostatic adenocarcinoma with a prominent neuroendocrine component. The architecturally well-organized luminal-exocrine cells appeared ultrastructurally undifferentiated, however, displaying an almost empty cytoplasm. This contrasted with the prostatic marker-positive control cases of prostatic carcinoma, which contained relatively numerous cytoplasmic vacuoles. The neuroendocrine cells could be identified by light microscopy as eosinophilic cells. The number of the latter cells was markedly increased in the metastatic foci compared with the primary tumor. Light microscopically and ultrastructurally, the eosinophilic cells in this case differed from the Paneth-like cells described in prostatic carcinoma in previous reports. This case provides support for the general concept of multidirectional differentiation in human epithelial cancers and in particular for the association of poor tumor differentiation with neuroendocrine expression in prostatic carcinoma. In addition, in contrast with previous reports describing absence of basement membrane in metastatic foci of prostatic carcinoma, in the current case well-formed basal laminae were identified.

Acid Phosphatase↗

Ultrastructural characteristics of central neurocytoma in cell culture.

The study was performed to determine the ultrastructural characteristics of central neurocytoma and its features in primary cell culture. Fresh tissue from three tumors was mechanically and enzymatically dissociated into individual cells, which were cultured onto poly-L-lysine precoated Aclar coverslips in the media. The tumor cells attached to the surface of the coverslips within 12 to 24 h and delicate cytoplasmic processes developed within 2 to 3 days. Electron microscopic examination of the cultured tumor cells and the tumor tissue supported neuronal origin. Combined tissue culture and electron microscopic study provides a rapid, reliable, and reproducible means for the diagnosis of central neurocytoma.

Adolescent↗