• IMMUNE NETWORK
• /
• v.20 no.6
• /
• pp.44.1-44.19
• /
• 2020

The human body is continuously threatened by pathogens, and the immune system must maintain a balance between fighting infection and becoming over-activated. Mucosal surfaces cover several anatomically diverse organs throughout the body, such as the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, and are directly exposed to the external environment. Various pathogens invade the body through mucosal surfaces, making the mucosa the frontline of immune defense. The immune systems of various mucosal tissues display distinctive features that reflect the tissues' anatomical and functional characteristics. This review discusses the cellular components that constitute the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts; in particular, it highlights the complex interactions between epithelial and immune cells to induce Ag-specific immune responses in the lung and gut. This information on mucosal immunity may facilitate understanding of the defense mechanisms against infectious agents that invade mucosal surfaces, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, and provide insight into effective vaccine development.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.72 no.6
• /
• pp.507-510
• /
• 2012

Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) is a specific tumor marker of the biliary, pancreatic and gastrointestinal tracts. CA19-9 is occasionally elevated in serum in patiens with benign pulmonary diseases such as bronchiectasis, idiopathic interstitial pneumonia or collagen disease-associated pulmonary fibrosis. Intralobar pulmonary sequestration is an uncommon congenital lung anomaly. It is dissociated from the normal tracheobronchial tree and is supplied by an anomalous systemic artery. There have been some reports of elevation of CA19-9 in this lesion. We report a case of intralobar pulmonary sequestration with elevated serum CA19-9 in a 29-year-old man who was diagnosed with bronchiectasia of left lower lung field on general check up. He had no evidence of any malignant disease in pancreatobiliary or gastrointestinal tracts. Elevated serum CA19-9 level might be encountered with benign pulmonary disease such as pulmonary sequestration.

• Animal cells and systems
• /
• v.3 no.2
• /
• pp.193-197
• /
• 1999

A peroxidase-antiperoxidase method was used to detect the cells showing immunoreactivities to six hormone antibodies in the alimentary tracts of six frog species, Rana nigromaculata, R. rugosa, R. amurensis coreana, R. catesbeiana, Bombina orientalis, and Hyla arborea japonica, inhabiting Korea. The cells immunoreactive to gastrin and cholecystokinin-8 were observed in the pylorus of the stomachs and in the small intestines of all frog species examined. In contrast, these somatostatin-immunoreactive cells were identified in the esophagus and the whole gastrointestinal tracts, but were absent from the large intestines in R. rugosa, R. catesbeiana, B. orientalis and H. arborea japonica. The pancreatic polypeptide (PP)-immunoreactive cells represented their distribution limited to the small intestines of R. amurensis coreana and H. arborea japonica, and they were additionally identified in the pylorus of the stomachs in the other four species. Serotonin- and glucagon- Immunoreactive cells revealed different regional distributions in which the former were observed throughout the whole alimentary tracts in all frog species investigated, whereas the latter were not found in these regions at all. Endocrine cells were relatively abundant in the pyloric portion of the stomach compared to other organs. The present study showed that all endocrine cells except for PP had a similar distribution in the alimentary tracts of all frog species used.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.192-195
• /
• 2013

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor is a rare tumor which arises from the whole gastrointestinal tracts and most of it is detected in the stomach. It is uncommon with small intestine originated gastrointestinal stromal tumor and more uncommon with lymphatic metastasis. We experienced an unusual case of the small bowel gastrointestinal stromal tumor during experimental autopsy. Two primary tumors with central necrosis were detected in the ileum. The sizes of each tumor were $6.1{\times}3.4{\times}4.0$ cm and $3.7{\times}4.2{\times}3.2$ cm. There was extensive lymphatic metastasis on the greater omentum and mesenteric, iliac lymph nodes were also involved. With histologic findings, the eosinophilic spindle cells were densely distributed. Immunohistochemical findings were CD117 (-), CD34 (+), desmin (-), and S-100 protein (-). Therefore, we diagnosed the tumors as small bowel gastrointestinal stromal tumors with broad lymph node mestasis.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.315-318
• /
• 1993

We experienced 7 cases of patients who were performed $^{99m}Tc$-methylene diphosphonate bone scintigraphy for the evaluation of diseases they had. Their bone scintigrams showed incidental radionuclide uptake in the gastrointestinal tracts and they had no special symptom or sign attributable to the findings. Case 1 showed radionuclide uptake in the stomach and both lung and the patient had suffered from hypercalcemia and azotemia. Case 3 and case 6 showed diffuse radionuclide uptake in the stomach and intestinal tract. Others showed diffuse or regional radionuclide uptake in the intestinal tracts. Radionuclide uptake in the gastrointestinal tract by $^{99m}Tc$-methylene diphosphonate is caused by a certain pathologic lesion but also can be seen in the normal gastrointestinal tract. So, one who reads bone scintigrams should be alert for the pathologic lesion in the gastrointestinal tract although one must interpretate with the concept of this normal variations.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
• /
• v.33 no.3
• /
• pp.276-296
• /
• 1990

This study attempts to investigate several enteroendocrine cells in the gastrointestinal epithelia of the Korean snakes (Dinodon rufozonatum rufozonotum Rhabdophis tigrina tigrina, Enhydris rufodorsata, Agkistrodon blomhoffii brevicaudus, Agkistrodon saxatilis, Agkistodon calginosus). For a light-microscopical examination of immunocytochemistry, the paraffin sections (5 $\mu$ m) of tissue specimens taken from the various parts of the gastrointestinal tract were stained immunocytochemically by PAP procedure with 10 antisera. The frequency of enteroendocrine cells per unit area (mm$^2$) of each mucosa were counted and the shapes of the cells were observed. In Dinodon rufozonatum rufozonatum, Rhobdophis tigrina tigrina, Enhydris rufodorsata, Agkistrodon saxatilis and Agkistrodon caliginosus, cholecystokinin (CCK)-8, gastrin, pancreatic polypeptide (PP) and serotonin cells were observed. But the freuqency of these immunoreactive cells differ trom each portion of gastrointestinal tracts of all species, respectively. In Agkistrodon blomhoffii brevicaudus, CCK-8, gastrin and serotonin cells were observed. CCK-8 and serotonin cells were found in whole gastrointestinal tracts and gastrin cells were observed in pylorus and mucosa of small intestine. The frequency of these cells was different from each portion. The shapes of CCK-8, gastrin, PP and serotonin cells were pyramidal or oval and closed type in stomach. A large number of these cells were spindle in shape and open type in small intestine and anterior pant of large intestine, whereas some cells were closed type. In posterior part of large intestine and rectum, these cells were oval in shape and closed type.

• Journal of Trauma and Injury
• /
• v.20 no.2
• /
• pp.90-95
• /
• 2007

Purpose: This research was conducted to study whether the specific location of pelvic-bone fractures could increase the risk for injury to the urinary bladder, urethra, or lower gastrointestinal tract. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of 234 patients with pelvic-bone fractures who visited the emergency department of Kyungpook National University Hospital from January 2004 to December 2006. The location of the pelvic-bone fracture was divided into 8 parts. The association of fracture location with injury to the urinary bladder, urethra, or lower gastrointestinal tract was analyzed with Fisher' s-exact test and multiple logistic regression. Results: Nineteen(19) patients had urinary bladder injury, 8 had urethral injury, and 9 had lower gastrointestinal tract injury. The following fracture locations were found to be significant; urinary bladder: sacroiliac (SI) joint (p<0.001), symphysis pubis (p=0.011), and sacrum (p=0.005); urethra: SI joint (p=0.020); lower gastrointestinal tract: symphysis pubis (p=0.028). After the multiple logistic regression analysis, the primary and the independent predictors for each of the injuries were as follows; urinary bladder: sacroiliac joint (p=0.000, odds ratio [OR]=10.469); lower gastrointestinal tract: symphysis pubis (p=0.037, OR=7.009). Conclusion: Consideration of further workup for injuries to the lower gastrointestinal and urinary tract is needed for some locations of pelvic-bone fractures because certain pelvic-bone fracture locations, especially the sacroiliac joint and the symphysis pubis, are associated with increased risk for injury to the lower gastrointestinal and urinary tracts.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.597-603
• /
• 1993

The purpose of this stady was to investigate division cells by in vivo bromodeoxyuridine(Brdur) immunohistochemistry for labeling the proliferative epithelial cells in the gastrointestinal tracts of rats. Rats were administrated intraperitonially by twice consecutive injections of 24 hr interval with Brdur(0.05mg/g BW/time) and then were sacrificied at 1 hour after last injection. The specimens were taken from the stomach, small intestine(ileum), and large intestine(colon). The well-oriented crypts and villi in the preparations were examined, The crypt columns and villi were devided into 10 segments from crypt base to surface of the lumen or to villis top. Labeling index(LI) was measured by counting the number of Brdur-positive cells against the total number of crypt column cells in the stomach and large intestine and also against the total numbers of crypt column and it's villi epiterial cells in the small intestine. 1. In the stomach, the LI in each part from segment 1 to segment 10 of the crypt column were 4.2%, 5.0%. 6.6%, 9.0%, 11.3%, 15.3%, 9.3%, 15.6%, 11.3%, 0%, respectively and it's mean LI were 8.7%. The Brdur-positive epithelial cells were predominantly located in the middle regions and middle-upper regions of the crypt columns. 2. In the small intestine, the LI in each part from segment 1 to segment 10 of were 62.4%, 50.9%, 27.8%, 22.5%, 18.6%, 12.1%, 7.5%, 4.3%, 2.5%, 1.4%, respectively and it's mean LI were 21.0%. The Brdur-positive epithelial cells were predominantly located in the lower regions of the crypt columns and tended to be less in the higher regions of the villi than that in the crypt column. 3. In the large intestine, the LI in each part from segment 1 to segment 10 of the crypt column were 19.4%, 29.9%, 34.1%, 41.6%, 41.2%, 32.4%, 25.4%, 15.4%, 10.8%, 1.2%, respectively and it's mean LI were 25.1%, The Brdur-positive epithelial cells were predominantly in the middle and middle-lower regions of the crypt columns. 4. The organs with higher LI were ordered as the large intestine(25.1%), small intestine(21.0%) and stomach(8.7%).

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.29 no.8
• /
• pp.1255-1265
• /
• 2019

To investigate the diversity of gastrointestinal microflora and lignocellulose-degrading enzymes in wild Asian elephants, three of these animals living in the same group were selected for study from the Wild Elephant Valley in the Xishuangbanna Nature Reserve of Yunnan Province, China. Fresh fecal samples from the three wild Asian elephants were analyzed by metagenomic sequencing to study the diversity of their gastrointestinal microbes and cellulolytic enzymes. There were a high abundance of Firmicutes and a higher abundance of hemicellulose-degrading hydrolases than cellulose-degrading hydrolases in the wild Asian elephants. Furthermore, there were a high abundance and a rich diversity of carbohydrate active enzymes (CAZymes) obtained from the gene set annotation of the three samples, with the majority of them showing low identity with the CAZy database entry. About half of the CAZymes had no species source at the phylum or genus level. These indicated that the wild Asian elephants might possess greater ability to digest hemicellulose than cellulose to provide energy, and moreover, the gastrointestinal tracts of these pachyderms might be a potential source of novel efficient lignocellulose-degrading enzymes. Therefore, the exploitation and utilization of these enzyme resources could help us to alleviate the current energy crisis and ensure food security.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
• /
• v.24 no.6
• /
• pp.996-1003
• /
• 2010

This study was performed to investigate the effect of promoting gastrointestinal function and inhibiting of decreasing body temperature of ginger extract(Zingiber officinale) in rats. In order to elucidate the gastrointestinal function and inhibiting effect of body temperature of native ginger and improved ginger, water extracts of ginger were orally administrated into rats. The results are as follows: The gastrointestinal transit time was significantly decreased in native ginger(7.66hrs) and improved ginger(7.72hrs) extract administrated groups compare to control group(8.44hrs). The mean red faecal weight was increased in native ginger(30.6%) and improved ginger(31.1%) extract administrated groups compare to control group(24.9%) for 24hrs. Inhibiting effect of decreasing body temperature induced by serotonin was increased in native ginger($1.116^{\circ}C$) and improved ginger($1.416^{\circ}C$) extract administrated groups compare to positive control group($0.384^{\circ}C$) during 40 minutes. Gastrin and CGRP immunoreactive density was more strongly expressed in native ginger and improved ginger extract administrated groups compare to control group. Serotonin immunoreactive density was more weakly expressed in native ginger and improved ginger extract administrated groups compare to control group. These results suggest that ginger extracts may enhance physiological activity such as gastrointestinal motility, protection of mucosa and gastric acid secretion in gastrointestinal tracts, and inhibits decreasing body temperature