Use of alternative drug therapies by patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Korea.
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Adult↗
Biomedical subjects
J D Ji
Publications and source records attributed to J D Ji.
Expression of p53 protein in rheumatoid arthritis synovium. An immunohistochemical analysis.
OBJECTIVES: Mutation of p53 may play a role in manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis synovium, but several studies on p53 expression in synovial tissues of rheumatoid arthritis showed conflicting results. We investigated the amount and pattern of p53 positive cells in rheumatoid arthritis synovium, in comparison with osteoarthritis synovium, by using immunohistochemistry with two other monoclonal antibodies for p53. METHODS: Synovial tissues from 9 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and 5 patients with osteoarthritis were examined for p53 expression by immunohistochemistry with 2 monoclonal antibodies for p53, DO-1 and DO-7. Histologic features of inflammation were also scored and compared with p53 expression. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between inflammatory scores in both groups. In the synovial tissues of rheumatoid arthritis patients, p53 positive cells were detected in 3 out of 9 samples(33%) and p53 expressions were restricted to inflammatory mononuclear cells, but synovial lining cells, subsynovial fibroblast-like cells and vascular endothelial cells were p53 negative. p53 expressions in osteoarthritis synovial tissues as control were observed in 2 out of 5 samples(40%) and the amount and pattern of p53 positive cells were comparable to those seen in rheumatoid arthritis synovial tissues. There was no demonstrable correlation between the synovial tissues of both groups with respect to inflammation scores and expression of p53 protein. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that altered p53 expression may not play a significant role in the manifestation of rheumatoid arthritis synovium. However these data need to be strengthened by increasing the number of samples and molecular biology approaches.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
Cryoglobulinaemia and rheumatic manifestations in patients with hepatitis C virus infection.
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association of cryoglobulinaemia and rheumatic manifestations in Korean patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. METHODS: Forty nine Korean patients with HCV infection were recruited. The prevalence, concentration, and type of cryoglobulin (by immunofixation), rheumatoid factor (RF), antinuclear antibody (ANA), and various rheumatological symptoms were investigated and HCV genotype was determined by polymerase chain reaction with genotype specific primer. RESULTS: The prevalence of cryoglobulin was 59% in Korean HCV patients and the concentration of cryoglobulin was 9.8 (7.9) g/l (mean (SD)). The type of cryoglobulinaemia was identified in 23 (80%) of 29 HCV patients with cryoglobulinaemia and they were all type III. There were no differences in age, sex, history of operation and transfusion, proportion of liver cirrhosis between the patients with cryoglobulinaemia and those without cryoglobulinaemia. The frequencies of RF and ANA were 14% and 3.4% respectively in HCV patients with cryoglobulinaemia. There was no difference in HCV genotype between the patients with cryoglobulinaemia and those without cryoglobulinaemia. Clinical features of HCV patients were as follows: arthralgia/arthritis (35%), cutaneous manifestation (37%), Raynaud's phenomenon (8%), paresthesia (44%), dry eyes (22%), dry mouth (10%), oral ulcer (33%), and abdominal pain (14%). However, these rheumatological symptoms did not differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Although the rheumatological symptoms were not different between HCV patients with and without cryoglobulinaemia, HCV patients showed various rheumatological manifestations. These result suggests that HCV infection could be included as one of the causes in patients with unexplained rheumatological symptoms.
Aged↗
Exudative pleural effusion and pleural leukocytoclastic vasculitis in limited scleroderma.
Involvement of the lung in scleroderma is common, but pleural effusion and vasculitis are rarely reported in scleroderma. We describe a 43-year-old woman with limited scleroderma who developed an exudative pleural effusion associated with pleural leukocytoclastic vasculitis.
Adult↗
Ileocolonoscopic and histologic studies of Korean patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
We investigated the frequency of gut inflammation and the role of gut lesion in the pathogenesis of the ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in Korean patients. Ileocolonoscopy and biopsy of the colon and terminal ileum were performed on 24 Korean patients with AS. Endoscopic lesions were observed in 7 patients (29.2%). The lesions were found more often in the terminal ileum (6/7) than in the colon (1/7). Histologic signs of gut inflammation were detected in 14 patients (58.3%), acute lesions in 2 patients (8.3%) and chronic lesions in 12 patients (50%). Gut inflammation were as frequently found in Korean patients with AS as in Western patients. These findings suggest that gut inflammation may play a role in the pathogenesis of AS in Korean patients as it does in Western patients.
Adolescent↗
A study on carcinogenesis of endogenous nitrite and nitrosamine, and prevention of cancer.
Cancer patients show a salivary NO2- density that is twice that of healthy individuals. This indicates that endogenous NO2- is correlated with the cancer. By applying a culture medium modified by vitamin B1 or KCIO3, we have found that many bacteria in the human body (especially the bowels) can nitrify NH4+ to NO2-. NO2- can be combined with a second amine to form nitrosamine which is a carcinogen. We fed mice using G+ coccus, which can lead to a precancerous lesion and mammary carcinoma, and proved that nitrification in vivo is carcinogenic. We have tested a method to prevent cancer in 7392 workers. Patients with a salivary density of NO2- over 10 ppm for 3 consecutive days and with light symptoms were our targets for preventive treatment using antibiotics and nitrosamine destroyers. The result shows that the average cancer incidence rate in the control group is 58.4% higher than in the experimental group over 9 years. The difference between the two groups is statistically significant (x2 = 8.5, p < 0.01). This is reliable evidence that preventive treatment is effective when based on the idea that endogenous NO2- and nitrosamine are the carcinogens.
Adult↗
Quantitative analysis of HLA-B27 by flow cytometry using CD3 gating in seronegative spondylarthropathies.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship in patients with spondylarthropathies (SpA) between the clinical features of the disease and quantitative flow cytometric expression of HLA-B27 by CD3 gating. METHODS: We performed quantitative analysis of HLA-B27 antigen by flow cytometry using CD3 gating in 61 patients with seronegative and HLA-B27 positive SpA. The patients included 29 with ankylosing spondy-litis (AS), 29 with undifferentiated spondylarthropathy (uSpA), and 3 with reactive arthritis (ReA). In addition, we compared the fluorescence intensity of HLA-B27 with the clinical characteristics of the patients. RESULTS: The fluorescence intensity of HLA-B27 was significantly higher in patients with AS than in patients with other SpAs (220.5 +/- 13.7% vs 182.8 +/- 11.7%, p = 0.04). However, there were no demonstrable correlations between the quantitative expression of B27 and clinical features such as age, disease duration, results of the Schober test, chest expansion, the WBC count, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP). There was also no difference in the quantitative expression of HLA-B27 based on the presence or absence of uveitis, peripheral arthritis or enthesopathy. However, multiple regression analysis showed that age, disease duration and CRP were independent factors influencing the quantitative expression of HLA-B27 in SpA (beta = 0.568, 0.546, -0.437 and p = 0.006, 0.02, 0.04, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the quantitative expression of HLA-B27 may be related to some of the clinical features in patients with SpA.
Adolescent↗
Lymphocytic hypophysitis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus.
A case of lymphocytic hypophysitis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus is described. A 20-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with generalized myalgia and facial rash in May 1998. The patient had a medical history, physical examination, and laboratory findings compatible with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Headache and nausea had developed 3 months previously and worsened over the following months. Hormonal investigation showed hypopituitarism except for prolactin. A magnetic resonance image of the brain showed a mass lesion in the pituitary fossa. A trans-sphenoidal surgical procedure was performed which revealed a dark-yellowish hematoma. Microscopic examination showed diffuse infiltration of lymphocytes and plasma cells with fibrosis in the anterior pituitary. Post-operatively the patient's headaches and nausea resolved. This indicates that lymphocytic hypophysitis may be associated with SLE.
Adult↗