• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.106-112
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• 2005

Purpose: Considering that nutritional state correlates to immunity, we performed this study to evaluate the correlation by assessing the numerical changes of the levels of serum albumin and lymphocyte subsets. Materials and Methods: The study was performed on patients who were diagnosed as having gastric cancer and who underwent curative surgery from August 1998 to August 2004 in the Gyeongsang National University Hospital and whose peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets were tested prior to surgery. The study population was a total of 150 cases. Results: The change in the lymphocyte subsets in relation to the change in the level of serum albumin in all patients with gastric cancer was determined, and was compared to disease stages. When patients were classified by using the level of serum albumin with 3.2 mg/dl as the cut-off point (low group: serum albumin <3.2 mg/dl, normal group = serum albumin $\geq$ 3.2 mg/dl), the number of peripheral blood lymphocytes, CD3+ cells, CD4+ cells, CD8+ cells, and CD16+ 56 cells were, significantly lower in the group with the level of serum albumin below 3.2 mg/dl (low group) than it was in the group with a serum albumin level above 3.2 mg/dl (normal group) (P<0.05). In stage I (n=59), CD16+56 cells were significantly lower in the low group. In stage II (n=29), the number of CD16+56 cells was lower and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ was higher in the low group than in the normal group significantly. In stage IV (n=33), except for CD19+ cells, the number of all lymphocyte subsets was significantly lower and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ was significantly higher in the low group. Conclusion: The group with a low level of serum albumin had a low absolute number of lymphocyte subsets. Based on this, we reconfirmed that the nutritional state is closely related with the immune state in patients with gastric cancer.

• Radiation Oncology Journal
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.53-59
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• 1996

Purpose : Radiation-induced alteration in the immune function is well known phenomenon in cancer patients. Our purpose is to evaluate the extent of immune suppression immediately after mediastinal or pelvic irradiation, which include significant volume of active bone marrow in adults. Materials and Methods'48 cancer patients with mediastinal(N=29) and pelvic irradiation(N=19) were the basis of this analysis. Age ranged from 36 to 76 and mean and median value was 57 years, respectively Sex ratio was 1.3(M: F=27/21). The immunological parameters were the complete blood cell(CBC) with differential cell(D/C) count, T cell subset(CD3, CD4, CD8 CDl9), NK cell test(CDl6, CD56), and serum immunoglobulin(IgG, IgA, IgM) level. Results : The mean value of white blood cell(WBC) was reduced from 7017 to 4470 after irradiation(p=0.0000). In the differential count, the number of lymphocyte, neutrophil, and basophil was markedly reduced with statistical significance(p<0.01) and the number of monocyte was not changed and, on the contrary, that of eosinophil was increased by irradiation. In the lymphocyte subpopulation analysis, the number of all subpopulations, CD3(T cell), CD4(helper T cell), CD8(suppressor T cell), CDl6(NK cell), CDl9(B, cell) was reduced with statistical significance. The mean ratio of CD4 to CD8 in all patients was 1.09 initially and reduced to 0.99 after radiotherapy(p=0.34) , but the proportional percentage of all subpopulations was not changed except CD19(B cell) after irradiation. In the immunoglobulin study, initial values of Ig G, Ig A, and Ig M were relatively above the normal range and the only Ig M was statistically significantly reduced after radiotherapy(p=0.02). Conclusion : Mediastinal and pelvic irradiation resulted in remarkable suppression of lymphocyte count in contrast to the relatively good preservation of other components of white blood cells. But the further study on the functional changes of lymphocyte after radiotherapy may be necessary to conclude the effects of the radiation on the immunity of the cancer Patients.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.167-174
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• 1996

Alcoholics increased susceptibility to microbial infection that is associated with decreased immunity. but there has been little experimental evidence to support alcoholics-induced increase of microbial infection directly in non-specific immunity. Therefore, we were used the method of phagocytic-plaque including all the stimulating factors for the phagocytosis, subtypes of lymphocytes and T-lymphocyte proliferation. The experimental groups were divided into 3 groups: (1) alcoholics who were hospitalized less than 1 week (newly hospitalized alcoholics), (2) alcoholics who were hospitalized more than 2 weeks (old hospitalized alcoholics), (3) healthy blood donors. We have studied 98 alcoholics and 35 healthy blood donors and control groups. A physician has checked the biological markers and diagnosed the body-condition alcoholics. The immunity and non-specific immunity on the alcoholics were analyzed by using the simultest kit and flow cytometry. Proliferation of the lymphocytes was analyzed by the phytohemmagglutinine mitogen. Phagocytosis and migration properties of leukocytes were identified on the layer formed by Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I strain. Biological markers of alcoholics and control groups, by such as blood glucose, ${\gamma}$-glutamyl transpeptidase and mean corpuscular volumes of red blood cells, were determined by biochemical and hematological methods. Compared with control groups, cluster of differentiation (CD)3+, CD8+ and CD19+ in alcoholic were more decreased except CD4+/CD8+ ratio. Proliferation of the T-lymphocytes, phagocytosis and migration properties of the leukocytes in alcoholics were decreased compared with those of control groups. According to the results observed in our experiment, they can be summerized as follows: 1, Cellular, humoral and non-specific immunities, are markedly decreased in alcoholics than those in control groups. 2. It is inferred that Phagocytic plaque formation is a very useful method to evaluate phagocytosis and migration properties of the alcoholic leukocytes 3. It is thought that the subtypes of lymphocytes, especially CD4+/CD8+ ratio, are essential methods to analyzed the alcoholic immunity. 4. Specific and non-specific immunity on the old hospitalized alcoholics was slightly increased, which depends upon the alcoholic medication.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.90-98
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• 1998

Background : The CD4+ T-helper cells comprise functionally distinct subsets of Th1 and Th2 cells that are distinguished on the basis of differential cytokines production Th1 cells secrete interferon-$\gamma$, lymphotoxin, interleukin-2. Th2 cells produce interleukin-4, interleukin-5, interleukin-10. A previous study shown that Th2 cells and their cytokines increased in patients with atopic asthma. We compared cytokines(IL-4, IFN-$\gamma$) activity and subpopulation of T-lymphocytes in peripheral blood from atopic asthmatics versus non-asthmatics. Method: Fifteen patients with atopic asthma(nine men, six women), twelve patients with chronic bronchitis(six men, six women), five healthy persons(three men, two women) were studied. Activity of IL-4, IFN-$\gamma$ and T-cell subpopulation in peripheral blood were estimated. Results: Patients had a median age of 55yr. The mean activity of IL-4 of asthmatics was significantly increased(control $0.75{\pm}1.1pmol/L$, atopic asthmatics $3.50{\pm}0.75pmol/L$, chronic bronchitis $2.01{\pm}1.2pmol/L$), but IFN-$\gamma$ was not significantly increased. In the T lymphocyte sunsets the percent of CD62L+ T-lymphoeytes of asthmatics was not significantly increased (control $16.7{\pm}16.4%$, atopic asthmatics $24.8{\pm}23.6%$, chronic bronchitis $17.0{\pm}16.9%$). Conclusion: In this study elevated production of IL-4 was observed in atopic asthmatics. CD62L+T-lymphoeytes was not increased in atopic asthma.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.211-222
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• 1996

The conceptus which are resulted by mating between two genetically non-identical partners can be considered to be an allograft to the mother science which is not rejected by the mother's immunological attack. The present studies have been, therefore, attempted in order to elucidate the mechanism by which protection of the fete-placental allograft, between the C3H/HeJ female mouse and DBA/2 male mouse occurred. For this purpose, firstly systemic immunity was investigated by measuring T and B lymphocytes subsets. Natural killer cell activity in maternal splenic tissue and by observing the effects of pregnancy serums, progesterone and hCG on immune systems. Secondly, local immunity also investigated by measuring T lymphocytes subsets, natural killer cell activity in lymph nodes draining the uterus. The subsets of Thy-1.2$^+$ cells and L 3T4$^+$ cells decreased slightly while the subsets of Ly2$^+$ cell increased significantly compared with those of the control group beyond the mid-gestational stage. The subsets of B cell gradually in-creased from the mid-gestational stage untill delivery. The natural killer cell activity in the maternal splenic tissue significantly increased during the period of 5th to 8th day of gestation. The natural killer cell activity was significantly suppressed by the pregnancy serums and non-pregnant serums compared with those of serum-free group. The treatment of hCG significantly suppressed natural killer cell activity in the dose dependent manner (1 unit/ml-1000 unit/ml) while pro-gesterone increased the natural killer cell activity at phamarcological dose only. In the lymph nodes draining the uterus, the subsets of Thy-1.2$^+$ cells significantly increased during the period of implantation and L3T4$^+$ cell subsets slightly increased during the mid-gestational stage. The subsets of Ly2$^+$ cell increased significantly during the mid-gestational stage, but decreasing slightly be-fore delivery. The natural killer cell activity was significantly elevated after the implantation period in the lymph nodes draining the uterus. The natural killer cell activity of the lymph nodes draining the uterus was higher than those of splenic tissue during the same periods of gestation. It is therefore, concluded that during the pregnancy, the phenomena which the fete-placental allograft has not been rejected and rather protected from the maternal immunological attack might be due to local immune suppression in fete-maternal interface tissues rather than systemic immune suppression. And the subsets of Thy-1.2$^+$ cells and L3T4$^+$ cells mainly contribute to accepting allograft in early stage of pregnancy, while the subsets of Ly2$^+$ cell and the subsets of B cell increased significantly compared with those of the control group beyond the mid-gestational stage, so their role in systemic immunity and local immunity gradually increased from the mid-gestational stage until delivery.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.83-89
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• 2002

Background : Nowadays asthma is considered to be an inflamatory disease characterized by airborne hyper-responsiveness and pulmonary eosinophilia. Objective : We aimed to identify the effects of Sochongryongtang on blood eosinophil, serum IgE and T lympocyte subpopulation in asthmatic patients. Material and Methods : The subjects consisted of fifteen patients with asthma who had been treated with Sochongryongtang for two weeks from February 2001 through June 2001. Sochongryongtang is herbal decoction which has been used for the traditional therapeutic agent of asthma. Results : The blood eosinophil and serum IgE in a normal controlled group. However, the T lympocyte subpopulation in asthmatic patients was not significantly different from the T lympocyte subpopulation in a normal group. The patients were treated with Sochongryongtang for two weeks. No significant difference in the blood eosinophil, serum IgE and T Iympocyte in the sub population. After treatment with Sochongryongtang for two weeks, FEV 1 increased significantly over 0.5 points out of total scores. Conclusion : This study shows that Sochongryongtang has effects on improvement of pulmonary function and quality of life in asthmatic patients. However, the patients who were treated with Sochongryongtang for two weeks showed no significant difference in the blood eosinophil, serum IgE and T lympocyte subpopulation. Further long-term studies must be made on a large number of asthmatic patients.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.489-497
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• 2002

Purpose : The objectives of this study were to investigate the causes of chronic cough and to establish the appropriate diagnostic approach to chronic cough in children. Methods : One hundred and thirty two cases of chronic cough were prospectively evaluated. They visitors to pediatric chronic cough clinics at Kang-nam saint Mary's Hospital of Catholic University from August 2000 to July 2001 for 12 months. Careful history taking by questionnaire, physical examination, radiologic studies of chest and sinus, hematologic and immunologic studies, allergic skin tests, and methacholine challenge tests were performed. Color doppler(CD) ultrasonography were performed and compared with simultaneous 24 Hr. esophageal pH monitoring to diagnose gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD). Results : Age distributions were demonstrated that nine in infants, 82 in early childhood, 38 in late childhood, and three in adolescence. Common causes of chronic cough were bronchial asthma in 40 cases, chronic sinusitis in 22 cases, GERD in seven cases, bronchial asthma combined with sinusitis in 28 cases, bronchial asthma combined with GERD in 14 cases, psychogenic cough in two. cases, foreign body in one case, chronic bronchitis in one case, and bronchiolitis in one case. Comparing with 24 Hr. pH monitoring, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive values of CD ultrasonography were 88%, 69%, 85 %, and 73% respectively. Conclusion : The most common causes of chronic cough in children were bronchial asthma, sinusitis and GERD in order. We suggest that CD ultrasonography can be used as a good, convenient screening method for patients with suspected GERD in outpatient settings.