Combination Treatment of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy and Immature Dendritic Cell Vaccination for Augmentation of Local and Systemic Effects / Journal of the Korean Cancer Association, 대한암학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) as a tumor-associated antigen (TAA) presentation method for dendritic cell (DC) sensitization and evaluate its effect in combination with immunotherapy using an intratumoral injection of immature DCs (iDCs). MATERIALS AND METHODS: CT-26 colon carcinoma cell was used as a cancer cell line. Annexin V staining and phagocytosis assays were performed to determine the appropriate radiation dose and incubation time to generate TAAs. BALB/c mice were used for in vivo experiments. Cancer cells were injected into the right legs and left flanks to generate primary and metastatic tumors, respectively. The mice were subjected to radiation therapy (RT) alone, intradermal injection of electroporated DCs alone, or RT in combination with iDC intratumoral injection (RT/iDC). Tumor growth measurement and survival rate analysis were performed. Enzyme-linked immunospot and cytotoxicity assays were performed to observe the effect of different treatments on the immune system. RESULTS: Annexin V staining and phagocytosis assays showed that 15 Gy radiation dose and 48 hours of incubation was appropriate for subsequent experiments. Maximum DC sensitization and T-cell stimulation was observed with RT as compared to other TAA preparation methods. In vivo assays revealed statistically significant delay in the growth of both primary and metastatic tumors in the RT/iDC group. The overall survival rate was the highest in the RT/iDC group. CONCLUSION: The combination of SBRT and iDC vaccination may enhance treatment effects. Clinical trials and further studies are warranted in the future.

Study on the Zidovudine Resistance of HIV-1 Isolated Strains in Korea

To examine AZT resistance of HIV-1 isolates from AZT treated or untreated Korean, several biological characteristics such as syncytium formation, HIV-1 reverse transcriptase activity and the p24 antigen production in MT-2 cells infected with 4 HRT_1 isolates were determined. As controls, we tested HIV-1 HTLV-IIIB and pre-drug isolate as AZT susceptible strains, in addition to HIV-1 RTMC/MT-2 and post-drug isolate as AZT resistant strains. When the inoculum size of HIV-1 was 300 TCID50well and 100 TCID50/well, the AZT susceptibility of AZT untreated HIV-1 isolates 8806 and 9571 were similar to that of HIV-1 HTLV-IIIB and AZT-susceptible HIV-1 strains. When we evaluated AZT resistance of isolates HRs-1 8812 and 9113 treated with AZT for 36 months by observation of syncytium formation, HIV-1 8812 showed resistance simillar to that of HIV-1 RTMC/MT-2 strain forming syncytium up to AZT 1microgram/ml, and HIV-1 9113 showed resistance identical with that of AZT-resistant HIV-1 strain which formed syncytium up to AZT 10 microgram/ml. Especially, when we evaluated AZT resistance by HIV-1 reverse transcriptase activty and the p24 antigen production, HIV-1 isolates 8812 and 9113 showed much higher resistance (>10 - 200 fold) compared with HN-1 RTMC/MT-2 and AZT-resistant HIV-1 strain.

Screening of Anti-HIV-1 Activity of Natural Product by MTT Assay

Methanol and/or boiling water extraction of 201 natural products and subsequent MTT assay using MT-4 cell line was carried out to screen the anti-HIV-1 activity. Among 97 methanol extracts, 7 extracts from Chrysanthemi Indicium Flos, Magnoliae Cortex Machili Cortex, Reynoutriae Rhizoma, Lithospermi Radix Agastachis Herba, and Chaenomelis Fructus showed anti-HIV-1 activity and their SI value were 2.25 to 5.77. In addition, among 119 boiling water extracts, 10 extracts from Lonicerae Caulis et Foloium, Elsholtziae Herba, Leonuri Herba, Portulacae Herba, Schizonepetae Herba, Curcumae Rhizoma, Amomi Cardamomi Fructus, Cirsii Radix et Herba, Carpesii Herba, and Siegesbeckiae Herba showed anti-HIV-1 activity and their SI value were 1.30 to 7.64. Methanol extracts of above seven natural products were fractionated and the anti-HRs_1 activity of each fraction was examined. Extraction was carried out with hexane, chloroform, butanol, and water to trace active anti-HIV-1 componets. As a result, the water fraction of Magnoliae Cortex, Machili Cortex, Reynoutriae Rhizoma, Agastachis Herba, Chaenomelis Fructus and the butanol fraction of Chrysanthemi Indicium Flos, Reynoutriae Rhizoma showed anti-HIV-1 activity and their SI value were 1.40 to 8.02. We could reach a conclusion that studies to trace the anti-HIV-1 active component of each natural products in further Sractionation and to identify its structure by Infrared spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography were needed.

Isolation of Enterovirus in Patients with Aseptic Meningitis in Spring, 1996 / 감염

BACKGROUND: Aseptic meningitis is an acute viral infection of the central nervous system that occurs commonly in childhood. Although the etiologic agent is not always identified, the human enteroviruses are responsible for most cases of aseptic meningitis in which a cause can be identified. Enterovirus causes approximately 80% of all cases of aseptic meningitis. In 1993, there was a nationwide epidemic of aseptic meningitis by echovirus 9 and 30. We reported that the cause of aseptic meningitis in 1994 was echovirus 3 and coxsackievirus B3 and echovirus 7 in 1995. This study was done to detect the causative agent of aseptic meningitis in spring, 1996. METHODS: To isolate the causative viruses, stool and cerebrospinal fluid specimens from the patients with aseptic meningitis, who were admitted to Severance Hospital in 1996, were collected. Cultured RD cells and HEp-2 cells were inoculated with specimens to see the cytopathic effects. Neutralizing antibody tests using enterovirus serum pool were done on the specimens with the cytopathic effects. RNA was isolated from the cultured supernatants of the infected cells. Oligonucleotide was synthesized by PCR, which was run on polyacrylamide gel after purification with HPLC. After running the DNA produced by using Geneamp RNA PCR kit, electrophoresis was done. RESULTS: Enteroviruses were isolated from 14 out of 17 patients. Among these fourteen, Coxsackievirus B1 was isolated in 13 patients and poliovirus in one patient. PCR product from these viruses showed a 152bp band on electrophoresis. CONCLUSION: The causative virus of aseptic meningitis in patients who were admitted to Severance Hospital during the spring season of 1996 was Coxsackievirus B1.

Evaluation of anti-human immunodeficiency virus compounds by MTT 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay

No abstract available.

Isolation and Identification of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 from Patients with Herpes Progenitalis / 대한피부과학회지

In the present study, we have tried to isolate and identify herpes simplex virus type 2(HSV 2) from clinical specirnens, which were inoculated into Vero cell line and grown. Eight strains of viruses were isolated from 20 suspected cases diagnosed from the pr ivate clinics in Seoul. Viruses isolated from 4 rnale and 1 female cases with active lesion were identified to the HSV 2 by indirect immunofluorescence using monoclonal antibody to HSV-2. In addition, morphology of the isolated viruses were observed under electron microscope.