BACKGROUND: Recently, the apartment complex is rapidly increasing as a new type of housing in a large city. So the purpose of the this survey is to research the experience rate of young children's allergic disease in an area of the apartment complex of a large city and to help the family medical doctor to diagnose and treat the young patients. METHODS: The experience rate of atopic dermatitis, bronchial asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, food allergy was surveyed on June 1999 at an elementary school in a large apartment complex in Kwang ju. The survey group were 832 students attending elementary school from the second to sixth grade. Also this survey was used to elicit information about the relationship between allergic disease and factors such as age, sex, birth history, family history, and home environment. For analysis of our finding, we have been used chi square test. RESULTS: The survey shows that the experience rate of allergic disease is 40.4%. The experience rate of allergic disease was not related with sex, but the more ages the less experience rate. Allergic disease was not related with birth weight, gestational age, feeding method, use of carpet, breeding of pet, smoker in home, and the previous housing type. But experience rate of allergic disease was increased with positive family history. CONCLUSION: General facts of allergic disease in elementary school children had no differentiation between large city and the other region. The experience rate of allergic disease is 40.4%.
Asthma ; Birth Weight ; Breeding ; Child* ; Conjunctivitis, Allergic ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Feeding Methods ; Floors and Floorcoverings ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Gestational Age ; Gwangju ; Housing ; Humans ; Reproductive History ; Rhinitis

No Abstract Available.
Chondrocytes* ; Phenotype*

PURPOSE: Bone and cartilage were manufactured by using tissue engineering of mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) which can differentiate into variety of cell types. MATERIAL AND METHOD: MSC was isolated and cultured from the rabbit weighing 500g, and it was seeded into PGA mesh and pre-cultured for 1 week with different TGF- beta 3 treated conditions. It was implanted into nude mice and tissues generated were recovered from 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 ,and 12 weeks respectively. Degree of bone and cartilage formation was analyzed with histology and immunohistochemistry assay. RESULT: Pre-culture condition with TGF- beta 3 treatment showed early start of chondrogenic differentiation, and degree of bone and cartilage formation was promoted as time passed. But both of the cases differentiated into complete bone after 12 weeks. CONCLUSION: The results show that pretreatment of TGF- beta 3 promotes the differentiation process in vivo condition under the in vivo system where MSC differentiate into bone via cartilage formation.
Animals ; Cartilage ; Immunohistochemistry ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells* ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Tissue Engineering

The treatment modalities of the intramural hematoma (IMH) remain controversial. Nowadays, the IMH of the descending thoracic aorta is generally classified in the medical treatment category. We describe a patient with IMH of the descending thoracic aorta who received the medical treatment. During the follow-up, we speculated that the IMH had been aggravated leading to an aortic rupture including hemothorax. Therefore, we performed an emergency operation. Contrary to our expectations, operative findings showed a well-organized aortic wall and serous pleural effusion. The exact diagnosis was IMH of the descending thoracic aorta with penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer (PAU). This case reminded us of the importance of accurate diagnosis and proper treatment.
Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic* ; Aortic Rupture* ; Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoma* ; Hemothorax ; Humans ; Pleural Effusion ; Ulcer

A 15-year-old male was admitted with right-sided chest pain and cough for one month. On chest computed tomographic scan, a 10 x 15 x 16 cm-sized huge mediastinal mass was occupied in the right hemithorax. Radiologically, it seemed that the tumor was severely adhesive on the heart and the superior vena cava. Therefore we decided on chemotherapy and radiotherapy first instead of surgery. The tumor marker was nearly normalized afterwards, but the tumor size was seemed to be bigger on chest tomographic scan. This suggests the growing teratoma syndrome. After the successful resection, he showed symptomatic improvement and is being followed up without any symptoms in an out patient department up to now.
Adhesives ; Adolescent ; Chest Pain ; Cough ; Drug Therapy ; Heart ; Humans ; Male ; Mediastinal Neoplasms ; Radiotherapy ; Teratoma* ; Thorax ; Vena Cava, Superior

BACKGROUND: The video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) with 2 mm thoracoscopy in primary spontaneous pneumothorax (PSP) was known to be unreliable in its accuracy and recurrence rate. We compared 10 mm VATS with 2 mm VATS in the results of operation. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From Sept. 1998 to Dec. 2002, 176 cases (10 mm VATS; 73 cases, 2 mm VATS; 103 cases) of PSP were treated by VATS bleb resection at Korea University Ansan Hospital. 10 mm thoracoscope, 5 mm port, and 5 mm instruments were used in 10 mm VATS group, and 2 mm thoracoscope, 2 mm ports and 2 mm instruments used in 2 mm VATS group. In the two groups, staples were inserted through 11.5 mm port for chest tube. RESULT: The mean follow-up duration was 20.8+/-16.1 months in 10 mm VATS group, and 13.9+/-8.2 months in 2 mm VATS. The most common indication of operation was a recurrent pneumothorax (34%) in 10 mm VATS and patient's desire (40%) in 2 mm VATS, respectively. The operation time, number of staples used in operation, postoperative chest tube keeping days, postoperative total amount of drainage, and postoperative hospitalization days were statistically lower in 2 mm VATS. Other significant variables affecting the operation time in linear regression analysis were the number of staples that used in operation, the presence of pleural adhesion, and type of pleurodesis and thoracoscope used in operation. However, R2 values were lower than 0.1. The postoperative recurrence rate was 2.7% in 10 mm VATS and 2.9% in 2 mm VATS. It was not significant statistically. Recurrent cases developed within 1 year in both groups but the difference was statistically insignificant. CONCLUSION: Although there were differences in follow-up duration between two groups, the operation time, number of staples that used in operation, postoperative chest tube keeping days, postoperative total amount of drainage, and postoperative hospitalization days were statistically lower in 2 mm VATS. And in 2 mm VATS, there were no technical difficulties during operation and no differences in recurrence rate from 10 mm VATS. As a result, we suggest that 2 mm VATS can be used in the treatment of PSP.
Blister ; Chest Tubes ; Drainage ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hospitalization ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Pleurodesis ; Pneumothorax* ; Recurrence ; Thoracic Surgery, Video-Assisted* ; Thoracoscopes ; Thoracoscopy*

Leptomeningeal carcinomatosis occurs in approximately 5% of patients with cancer. The most common cancers involving the leptomeninges are breast, lung cancer and melanoma. However, gastric adenocarcinoma has been rarely reported with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis. The presenting manifestations are usually headache, visual disturbances and seizures. We report a case of leptomeningeal metastasis that presented as a gastric cancer. A 49-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital with the symptoms of headache and melena for 10 days. The endoscopy showed a thickening of the folds of the stomach compatible with the diagnosis of a Borrman type IV gastric cancer. The biopsy revealed a signet ring cell carcinoma. The MRI of brain showed no abnormal findings; however, the patient complained of an intractable persistent headache, nausea and vomiting on admission day 6. The cytology examination of the cerebrospinal fluid supported the diagnosis of metastatic signet ring cell carcinoma.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Mannitol ; Meningeal Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery ; Middle Aged ; Stomach Neoplasms/*diagnosis/pathology/surgery

PURPOSE: In recent studies, the presence of lymphocytic infiltration in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) was reported to be associated with a favorable prognosis. The prognostic significance of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) in patients with PTC remains unclear. The aim of our study was to determine the frequency and prognostic significance of HT in patients with PTC. METHODS: From January 2005 to December 2007, 367 patients who underwent thyroid surgery for PTC were included in this study. They were divided into two groups: Group A (n=71; 19.4%) included the patients diagnosed as having PTC with HT and Group B (n=296; 80.6%) included the patients who had PTC without HT. The clinicopathologic features between Groups A and B were retrospectively reviewed via the medical records. RESULTS: Lymph node metastasis was less frequent in Group A than that in Group B (25.5% versus 41.0%, respectively, P=0.033). However, both groups had similar clinicopathologic features in terms of age, gender, the tumor size, multifocality, extrathyroidal invasion, the TNM stage and the AMES and MACIS scores. Also, the operative method did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the presence of HT is not associated with the prognostic factors of PTC.
Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Medical Records ; Methods ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Thyroiditis*

A fifty-five year old male was admitted because of fever and chill for one month. He complained of upper abdominal pain, malaise, anorexia and weight loss. So diagnostic procedures were performed: stool exam., bload chemistry testing, ultrasonography, radionuclide scintigraphy. ERCP, abdominal CT, and sonoguided liver aspiration, which revealed intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma associated with clonorchiasis.
Abdominal Pain ; Anorexia ; Chemistry ; Cholangiocarcinoma* ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Clonorchiasis* ; Fever ; Humans ; Liver ; Male ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography ; Weight Loss ; Cholangiocarcinoma

OBJECTIVES: Supraorbital route through eyebrow incision, mini-pterional craniotomy, and midline interhemispheric route are most generally used methods for key hole surgery on anterior circulation aneurysm. Surgical route is determined according to aneurysm architecture and patient status. The approaching route can be selected according to the findings of 3-dimensional computed tomography (CT) angiography simulation. Prospective decision-making protocol, surgical technique of key hole surgery, and the results are presented in this paper. METHODS: 173 patients with anterior circulation aneurysms were treated by direct surgical neck clipping during last two years. Twenty patients of poor grade (Hunt-Hess grade IV,V) were treated by craniectomy with clipping. Decision making protocol was applied to 153 unruptured and good grade ruptured aneurysm patients. Simulation of key hole surgery was conducted by CT work station using conventional software InSpace (Siemens, Germany), and direction and shape of aneurysm was observed from the perspective of microsurgery. RESULTS: 113 ruptured and 40 unruptured aneurysms were secured through one of the three approaching routes. Supraorbital approach had been performed in 82 cases (unruptured 24, ruptured 58) while 64 cases were treated by mini-pterional craniotomy. Midline key hole surgery were carried out in seven distal anterior circulation aneurysms (DACA) using brain navigation system. After locating the aneurysm, supraorbital approach was applied to 46 cases involving anterior cerebral artery (ACA), 16 in internal carotid artery (ICA) and 20 in middle cerebral artery (MCA). Mini-pterional craniotomy was carried out in aneurysms located in ACA (9), ICA (18), and MCA (37). In most cases, the results of clipping were good. The average follow-up time was 16.7months (ranging 2 to 32months) and the results were cosmetically excellent. CONCLUSION: Simulating surgical approaches with 3-D CT angiography is a highly useful method for determining various surgical routes in anterior circulation aneurysm treatment. Therefore, minimally invasive and tailored surgical approaches are recommended since optimal route can be found through simulation. Thus, minimal invasive and tailored surgical approach is available through this method. These procedures have clear advantages; shorter surgical time and hospital stay, less operative trauma, reduced costs and less pain, and better cosmetic outcomes compared to standard craniotomy. Optimal surgical results are expected from minimally invasive and tailored surgical craniotomy.
Aneurysm ; Aneurysm, Ruptured ; Angiography ; Anterior Cerebral Artery ; Brain ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Cosmetics ; Craniotomy ; Decision Making ; Eyebrows ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Length of Stay ; Microsurgery ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Neck ; Operative Time