• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.115-122
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• 1998

The maintenance of a viable pregnancy has long been viewed as an immunological paradox. The deveolping embryo and trophoblast are immunologically foreign to the maternal immune system due to their maternally inherited genes products and tissue-specific differentiation antigens (Hill & Anderson, 1988). Therefore, speculation has arisen that spontaneous abortion may be caused by impaired maternal immune tolerance to the semiallogenic conceptus (Hill, 1990). Loss of recall antigen has been reported in immunosuppressed transplant recipients and is associated with graft survival (Muluk et al., 1991; Schulik et al., 1994). Progesterone $(10^{-5}M)$ has immunosuppressive capabilities (Szekeres-Bartho et al., 1985). Previous study showed that fertile women, but not women with unexplained recurrent abortion (URA), lose their immune response to recall antigens when pregnant (Bermas & Hill, 1997). Therefore, we hypothesized that immunosuppressive doses of progesterone may affect proliferative response of lymphocytes to trophoblast antigen and alloantigen. Proliferative responses using $^3H$-thymidine ($^3H$-TdR) incorporation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) to the irradiated allogeneic periperal blood mononuclear cells as alloantigen, trophoblast extract and Flu as recall antigen, and PHA as mitogen were serially checked in 9 women who had experienced unexplained recurrent miscarriage. Progesterone vaginal suppositories (100mg b.i.d; Utrogestan, Organon) beginning 3 days after ovulation were given to 9 women with unexplained RSA who had prior evidence of Th1 immunity to trophoblast. We checked proliferation responses to conception cycle before and after progesterone supplementation once a week through the first 7 weeks of pregnancy. All patients of alloantigen and PHA had a positive proliferation response that occmed in the baseline phase. But 4 out of 9 patients (44.4%) of trophoblast antigen and Flu antigen had a positive proliferative response. The suppression of proliferation response to each antigen were started after proliferative phase and during pregnancy cycles. Our data demonstrated that since in vivo progesterone treated PBMCs suppressed more T-lymphocyte activation and $^3H$-TdR incorporation compare to PBMCs, which are not influenced by progesterone. This data suggested that it might be influenced by immunosuppressive effect of progesterone. In conclusion, progesterone may play an important immunological role in regulating local immune response in the fetal-placental unit. Furthermore, in the 9 women given progesterone during a conception cycle, Only two (22%) repeat pregnancy losses occured in these 9 women despite loss of antigen responsiveness (one chemical pregnancy loss and one loss at 8 weeks of growth which was karyotyped as a Trisomy 4). These finding suggested that pregnancy loss due to fetal aneuploidy is not associated with immunological phenomena.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제38권3호
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• pp.168-173
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• 2011

Objective: To examine the association between methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism and hyperhomocysteinemia in women with unexplained recurrent miscarriages (RM) and to investigate the association between MTHFR genotype variants and alloimmune activation, proportion of peripheral blood natural killer (pbNK) cells. Methods: A total of 39 patients with a history of two or more unexplained miscarriages were recruited to this study. The controls were women who had a live birth without a history of RM (n=50). The proportion of pbNK cells was measured by flow cytometry. Plasma homocysteine levels and the incidence of the MTHFR variant of the RM and control groups were compared. The proportion of pbNK cells was compared to the MTHFR variants in the RM group. Results: No differences were found between the two groups' mean plasma homocysteine levels ($7.6{\pm}1.5{\mu}mol$/L vs. $7.1{\pm}2.1{\mu}mol$/L) or incidence of the MTHFR genotype variant (CC, 35% vs. 33%; CT, 40% vs. 53%; and TT, 25% vs. 14%). In the RM group, individuals with the TT variant ($7.7{\pm}1.1{\mu}mol$/L) had higher homocysteine levels than those with the CC and CT variants ($7.4{\pm}1.9{\mu}mol$/L and $7.4{\pm}1.2{\mu}mol$/L) and those with the CT variant ($19.2{\pm}8.1%$) had a higher proportion of CD3-/CD56+ pbNK cells than those with the CC and TT variants ($17.7{\pm}6.6%$ and $17.9{\pm}7.0%$), but the results of both comparisons were statistically insignificant. Conclusion: These preliminary results show no difference in plasma homocysteine levels between the RM and control groups or among MTHFR genotype variants in the RM group, which may suggest that the plasma homocysteine level is difficult to use as a predictive marker of RM in the Korean population. A study of a larger number of patients is needed.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• 제38권1호
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• pp.47-52
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• 2011

Objective: To determine whether characteristics of sperm motility obtained by computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) could predict pregnancy after intrauterine insemination (IUI) in couples with unexplained infertility. Methods: Three hundred eighty-three cycles of intrauterine insemination with superovulation were retrospectively analyzed. Semen analysis was performed with CASA before and after swim-up and the parameters were compared between pregnant and non-pregnant women. Results: The pregnancy rate per cycle was 14.1%. Pregnant and non-pregnant women were comparable in terms of age, infertility duration, the number of dominant follicles. While sperm concentration, motility, and parameters such as average path velocity (VAP) and percentage rapid (RAPID) before semen preparation were significantly different between the pregnancy and non-pregnancy groups, there were no differences in sperm parameters when comparing the two groups after preparation. Using a receiver operating characteristic curve to measure sensitivity and specificity, the optimal threshold value for the predictors of pregnancy was revealed to be a concentration of ${\geq}111{\times}10^6/mL$, a motility of ${\geq}$ 51.4%, and RAPID ${\geq}$ 30.1% before preparation for IUI. Conclusion: Sperm parameters including concentration, motility, and RAPID before sperm preparation could have predictive value for pregnancy outcome after intrauterine insemination with superovulation in couples with unexplained infertility, and would be helpful when counseling patients before they make the decision to proceed with IVF/ICSI-ET.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 대한예방의학회 2004년도 제56차 추계 학술대회 연제집
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• pp.28.1-28.1
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• 2004

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• 제20권1호
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• pp.10-25
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• 1977

The photobiological receptors of phototactic, phototropic, and photomorphogenic responses of various organisms have been described in terms of spectroscopic, photophysical and photochemical properties which may be relevant in elucidating the energy transduct ion mechanism(s) in photobiology. The photoreceptors discussed include carotenoids, flavins, stentorin and phytochrome. Although the molecular modes of their photobiological action still remain largely unexplained, it is possible to suggest several primary molecul ar processes of the photoreceptors in eliciting responses of various organisms to light.

• 대한수학교육학회지:수학교육학연구
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.201-220
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• 2011

본 연구에서는 초등학교 5학년과 중학교 2학년 학생들이 측정상황과 우연상황에서 통계적 변이성을 설명하고 제어할 때 나타나는 사고 수준을 살펴본다. 연구결과, 측정상황에서 변이성을 설명할 때는, 원인 설명에 대한 이해가 부족한 수준, 원인 인식이 미흡한 수준, 물리적 원인을 제시하는 수준, 설명되지 않는 원인을 변이성의 근원으로 인식하는 수준, 설명되지 않는 원인을 의사-우연변이성으로 간주하는 수준이 확인되었다. 우연상황에서 변이성을 설명할 때는, 원인 설명에 대한 이해가 부족한 수준, 원인 인식이 미흡한 수준, 물리적 원인을 제시하는 수준, 우연변이성을 인식하는 수준, 분포의 원인을 인식하는 수준이 확인되었다. 변이성을 제어할 때는, 측정상황과 우연상황 모두에서 변이성 제어에 대한 인식이 미흡한 수준, 물리적 제어 방법을 고려하지 않으며 또한 통계적 방법 역시 부적절하게 적용하는 수준, 물리적 제어 방법은 고려하지 않지만 통계적 방법을 적절하게 적용하는 수준, 물리적 제어 방법은 제시하지만 통계적 방법을 부적절하게 적용하는 수준, 물리적 제어 방법을 고려하며 또한 통계적 방법을 적절하게 적용하는 수준이 확인되었다.

• 한국사회복지학
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• 제62권3호
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• pp.31-58
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• 2010

본 연구에서는 서울복지패널자료를 이용하여, 서울시 가구를 대상으로 강남지역과 비강남 지역 간 소득 및 재산격차를 살펴보고, 옥사카 요인분해를 통해 소득 및 재산격차와 관련된 요인을 분석하였다. 분석결과, 강남지역의 월평균 가구소득은 400만원으로, 비강남지역의 가구소득 323만원에 비해, 77만원 정도 높은 것으로 나타났다. 소득격차 중에서, 특성효과가 대부분을 차지하여, 고소득과 관련된 인적자본, 노동시장 특성의 지역간 상이한 분포가 소득격차의 주된 요인으로 작용함을 밝혔다. 한편, 강남지역과 비강남 지역간 순자산격차는 소득격차에 비해 더 심각한 것으로 나타났다. 강남지역 가구의 평균 순자산은 약 4억6천만원으로, 비강남지역의 2억8천만원보다, 약 1억3천만원 정도 높은 것으로 나타났다. 또한 소득격차와는 달리, 계수효과가 순자산 격차의 대부분을 차지하여, 자산의 세대간 이전 등 인적자본 이외의 다른 요인에 의해서 자산격차가 발생할 가능성을 시사하고 있다.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.193-197
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• 2008

저자 등은 원인이 확실하지 않았던 재발성 급성 췌장염의 14세 소아 환자에서 오디 괄약근 운동 검사로 오디 괄약근 운동 이상을 진단하고, 내시경 췌관 유두 괄약근 절개술을 시행하여 치료한 증례를 경험하였기에 보고한다.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• 제52권2호
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• pp.189-191
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• 2014

Visceral leishmaniasis or kala-azar is an endemic parasitic disease in some parts of the world which is characterized by fever, splenomegaly, and pancytopenia in most of the cases. Herein we report an 11 month-old male infant with diagnosis of kala-azar who presented with pallor, hepatosplenomegaly, failure to gain weight, and no history of fever. Surprisingly, fever started after beginning of meglumine antimoniate treatment in this patient. As far as we are aware of, this is a rare presentation of visceral leishmaniasis. Therefore, clinicians especially in endemic areas are highly recommended to include kala-azar among differential diagnosis of unexplained anemia without fever to prevent misdiagnosis of this potentially fatal, but treatable condition.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• 제21권1호
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• pp.31-34
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• 2017

Tumor lysis syndrome is a serious complication of malignancy, resulting from the massive and rapid release of cellular components into the blood. Generally, it occurs after initiation of chemotherapy. The onset of spontaneous tumor lysis syndrome (STLS) before anti-cancer treatment is rare and occurs mostly in Burkitt lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. There are only a few case reports in children. Here, we report a case of STLS secondary to T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which presented with urinary stone and subsequent acute kidney injury with severe hyperuricemia. Occult malignancy should be considered in case of unexplained acute kidney injury with extreme hyperuricemia.