Although the psoralen therapy has been used extensively on vitligo since the : introduction by El-Mofty on 1948, the result has not been satisfactory. Recent investigations showed that the autoimmune mechanism might be the causative factor to the development of vitiligo, and the use of steroid might be expected to be beneficial in the treatment of this disorder. Authors tried the combined treatment of prednisolone and psoralen on vitiligo and the results obtained are as follows; 1. Repigmentations began to develop from injected area of prednisolone as well as frorn hair follicles and peripheral area of the lesions. 2. More satisiactory responses were obtained on the widespread and symmetrical lesions of shorter duration than on the lesions of localized and long duration.
Ficusin* ; Hair Follicle ; Prednisolone* ; Vitiligo*

A case of typieal subcorneal pustular derrnatosis in 16-year-old female was presented. She failed to respond to oral administration of sulfone, however responded favorably to prednisolone.
Administration, Oral ; Adolescent ; Female ; Humans ; Prednisolone ; Skin Diseases, Vesiculobullous*

Prisms have been used as tools with which to treat and diagnose many diseases in strabismology. But, because of prismatic distortion and dispersion, the visual acuities are declined. The purpose of this study is to show the relationship between prismatic effect and visual acuity degradation. Visual acuities were measured through a series of prisms of CR-39 to quantify the blur induced by prism. The mean visual acuities of myopias and amblyopias(with or without correction), and emmetropias were reduced as prism diopters were increased. The declines were linear. There was no significant difference among the declines of visual acuities of each group. Whenever to prescribe prisms and to test with prisms, we should remind that prisms could reduce visual acuities.
Emmetropia ; Myopia ; Visual Acuity*

Disfiguring hyperpigmentation of the exposed areas may have impartant and lasting effects on the emotional well-being of the patient. And many attempts to treat areas of hyperpigmentation have been earried out, but all of them are not very successful. Recently 4-isopropylcatechol has been known to inhibit melanin pigmentation with a selective action on melanocytes either destroying or inactivating the melanocytes experimentally. There is no report on its clinical trial till now. In this study, 1% 4-isopropylcatechol cream was topieally applied to the hyperpigmented lesions of 29 patieots of melasma, freckle, and cafe-au-lait spot. The bleaching effect on meiasmas was very satisfactory in all patients but coantact dermatltis in 3 patients and reticular hyperpigmentation with areas of depigmented spots in one patient were developed as the side effects of the drug. Freckle and cafe-au-Iait spots were not bleached.
Cafe-au-Lait Spots ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Melanins ; Melanocytes ; Melanosis ; Pigmentation

This study was carried out to investigate the perception of body image, the dietary attitude, the nutrient intake and the dietary self-efficacy of middle school students in Kyoung-Nam. The survey was conducted from April 8 to April 22 in 2002. The results are summarized as follows. Twenty three point nine percents of the underweight group, 24.5% of the normal weight group, 57.1% of the overweight group and 62.5% of the obese group had correct perception about their body image. Most of the students were concerned about their body image and weight control. The obesity of the parents correlated significantly with the obesity of the subjects. The higher the obesity rate, the lower the dietary attitude and dietary self-efficacy. There was a significant positive correlation between the education level of their mothers and the dietary attitude of the subjects and a significant negative correlation between the obesity rate of the subjects and their dietary attitudes. Dietary attitude scores showed no significant difference among the groups. Intakes of calories, protein, calcium and iron were lower than those of the Korean recommended dietary allowances (RDAs).
Body Image ; Calcium ; Education ; Humans ; Iron ; Mothers ; Obesity* ; Overweight ; Parents ; Recommended Dietary Allowances ; Thinness

BACKGROUND: Typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella enterica serotype Typhi, remams an important public health problem in Korea, and asymptomatic chronic carriers play a role in the endemicity. However, the molecular studies of S. typhi isolates are very limited. We characterized clinical isolates of S. typhi by molecular and phage typing tools for the extent of genetic diversity and relatedness among the isolates. METHODS: A total of 49 S. typhi isolates from sporadic cases of typhoid fever were collected in 3 university hospitals in Seoul during 1992 to 1998 and examined for in vitro susceptibility to 14 antimicrobials by disk diffusion method, ribotyping using PstI restriction enzyme, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) using XbaI and Vi phage typing. The distribution of the epidemiological types and genomic DNA relatedness were analyzed. RESULTS: Forty-five out of 49 isolates were susceptible to all drugs tested. Thirty-two out of 47 were typable by phage typing and 56.3% possessed the phage type El or Ml. Forty-nine isolates divided into 6 different ribotypes (A to F) and 19 different PFGE types (AO through A17, BO) by ribotyping and PFGE analysis, respectively. Based on the 3 typing systems, 32 isolates divided into 17 different epidemiological types. The E1-A-A12 (phage type-ribotype-PFGE type) was most prevalent (18.8Fo) and isolated only in 1998, but distributed in various areas of isolation. The next prevalent M1-A-A1 (15.6%) was isolated from 1992 through 1998. The genetic relatedness based on PFGE analysis revealed that F (coefficient of similarity) values are 0.64 to 1.0 and 0.52 for A subtypes and BO type, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the circulating S. typhi strains in Seoul city show considerable genetic diversity, whereas most of them seems to be clonally related.
Bacteriophage Typing ; Bacteriophages ; Diffusion ; DNA ; Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field ; Genetic Variation ; Hospitals, University ; Korea ; Public Health ; Ribotyping ; Salmonella enterica* ; Salmonella typhi ; Salmonella* ; Seoul* ; Typhoid Fever

Clinical trials were done to obtain ifnormation on the clinical efficacy, tolerance and side effects of a new antihistarnine, Mecloprodine(Tavegyl), in various skin disordetrs. A total of 48 patients suffered from various skin disorders as urticaria, eczema etc. v ere treated with 2mg. daily for 3 days to 15 days according to state of disorders. The results are as follows. 1. Improvement was noticed in 79.2% of total patients(38/48). 2. Tavegyl was efiective in all 8 cases of acute urticaria and most cases(7/8) of urticaria factitia. 3. Among 19 cases of chronic urticaria, improvement was noticed in 13 cases(68. 49). Improvement was alsa noticed in all 6 cases of eczema. 5. Drowsiness and weakness cccurred in 6.2% of cases(3/48).
Clemastine* ; Eczema ; Humans ; Skin ; Sleep Stages ; Urticaria

OBJECTIVES: Parents of child neuropsychiatic patients may have many stresses due to their children's illness. Characteristics and severity of diseases will influence to the stresses of parents. The authors investigated various factors and parents' social support having an effect on the parenting stress. METHODS: Children and parents in outpatients interviewed and completed measures assessing children's problem behaviors, parenting stress, general social support, and support related to parenting by Child Behavior Checklist, Parenting Stress Index, Medical Outcomes Study's Social Support Scale, and Parenting Support Scale. RESULTS: We could not find the differences in the total scores of CBCL, Social Support Scale, and Parenting Stress Index among major diagnostic groups. In the same diagnosis, no difference of parenting stress was found according to general social support. Parenting stress highly correlated with severity of problem behaviors measured by CBCL. CONCLUSION: Severity of problem behaviors perceived by parents most predicted parenting stress. Parenting stress correlated with support to parenting, but not with general social support. Managing of children's problem behaviors is the most immediate and effective method to diminish the parental stress of child neuropsychiatric patients.
Checklist ; Child Behavior ; Child* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Outpatients* ; Parenting* ; Parents*

No abstract available.
Hypertension, Renovascular*

This study was planned to determine the subjective and objective refraction under Mydrin P (Sansei Do Pham. Co.) among 758 Korean high school girls in Seoul area age of 12 to 18 years. Brightness (illumination) of 6 class rooms out of 30 in junior high school and 11 class rooms out of 24 in senior high school was measured with a sight meter (Western model 703-60, type 7, Western Co.) and a sun light illumination meter (Western model 756, Weston Co.). 1. Among 758 high school girls, error was 80.34% and emmetropia 19.66%. 2. As to the distribution of refractive erros, 30.02% was hyperopic refractive error and 69.98% was myopic refractive error. 3. The incidence of each refractive errors was the following order: hyperopia 15.44%, myop4 37.40%, compound myopic astigmatism 15.04%, compound hyperopic astigmatism 5.54%, simple myopic astigmatism 3.23%, simple hyperopic astigmatism 2.9%, mixed astigmations 0.73%. 5. The incidence of refractive errors in relation to age reveals the myopic refractive error increases from 37.35% at the age of 12 years reaching to 97.06% at the age of 18 years, while the hyperopic refractive error decreases from 62.65% at the age of 12 years decreasing to 2.94% at the age of 18 years. 6. Emmetropia was most frequent at the age of 16 years and there after tends to decrease. 7. Hyperopic refractive error under 1.00D was 23.99% and myopic refractive error under 1.00D was 26.62%. 8. As to the type of astigmatism, "with the rule" was 52.88%, "against rule" 40.14%, "oblique" 4.33% and mixed astigmatism 2.64% only. 9. The brightness of classrooms reveals averaing 75.5 F.C. in senior high school and 30.2 F.C. in senior high school. The day light factor measured at the same time was average 6.2% in junior high school and 1.8% in senior high school. The balance of illumination measured at the sametime was average 69.8% in junior high school and 52.6% in senior high school.
Astigmatism ; Emmetropia ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperopia ; Incidence ; Lighting ; Refractive Errors ; Seoul ; Solar System