Tuberous sclerosis is a complex neurocutaneous disease inherited as an autosomal dominant pattern, which is characterized by facial angio-fibroma, mental retardation and seizures. Many cases have been reported in the literatures, but familial cases are relatively rare. We present 9 cases of tuberous sclerois occuring througb 3 generations, which are 3 cases of angiofibroma, mental retardation and seizures, 2 cases of facial angiofibroma and seizures, 1 case of mental retardation and seizures and 3 cases who showed facial angiofibroma only. Two brothers in this family reveald icthyosis vulgaris without tuberous sclerosis.
Angiofibroma ; Family Characteristics* ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Seizures ; Siblings ; Tuberous Sclerosis*

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to estimate the incidence of abnormal liver function and risk factors in male employees of an industry in Ulsan City. METHODS: Five hundreds and seventy nine male employees were selected as the study cohort and 533(92.1%) of them were followed after one year. The blood sample was collected to test for AST, ALT, gamma-GTP, total-cholesterol, fasting blood sugar and a self-administered questionnaire on life style was done. General characteristics(age, marital status, educational level), job department, exposure status for organic solvents, life style(alcohol, smoking, exercise, diet), past history of liver disease, family history of liver disease, drug intake, HBsAg, blood glucose, total-cholesterol were considered as risk factors. The result of liver function test after 1 year follow-up was treated as dependent variable. The operational definition of abnormal liver function was as follows; those who had abnormal liver functions in the two repeated tests with one month interval. RESULTS: The annual incidence of abnormal liver function was 9.6 per 100 and age-standardized incidence was 9.5. BMI, alcohol, past history of liver disease, and meat intake were significantly related to the incidence(p<0.05). In multiple logistic regression analysis, BMI(RR=2.70, 95% CI=1.41-5.16) and alcohol(RR=1.98, 95% CI=1.08-3.60) were proved as the significant variables. By stratified analysis considering changing pattern of alcohol and BMI, the relative risk of the BMI normal-normal and alcohol intake high-high group was 2.24(95% CI=1.09-4.62) and that of the BMI obese-obese and alcohol intake high-high group was 5.66(95% CI=2.69-11.88) compared with that of BMI normal-normal and alcohol intake low-low group. CONCLUSIONS: The age-standardized annual incidence of abnormal liver function was 9.5 per 100 in male employees. Thus, an active effort for reducing alcohol intake and controlling BMI should be done to reduce the incidence.
Blood Glucose ; Cohort Studies ; Fasting ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Life Style ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Function Tests ; Liver* ; Logistic Models ; Male* ; Marital Status ; Meat ; Questionnaires ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Solvents ; Ulsan

The application of personal computer (PC) to manage urologic patient data is now popular in many institutes. many users were accustomed to the IBM PC and familiar with the dBASE program in managing urologic records. But in recent days, the number of Macintosh PC users are increasing because it is easy to learn and perform Macintosh which provides the excellent output under the given input data. We developed the patient management system with Excel program in Macintosh PC focusing on minimizing the effort to input the data and maximizing the output. The data fields consist of eight fields. They are chart number. name. sex. date of admission data of discharge. diagnosis and international classification of diseases. There is no need of typing the international classification of diseases because it is automatically registered by previous coding with diagnosis. We think that the application of international classification of diseases is essential to minimize the input errors. The output of data include sex ratio and variable statistics. which ere provided with graphic mode. Another output is the extract of data under the variable criteria. which are provided with worksheet mode.
Academies and Institutes ; Clinical Coding ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; International Classification of Diseases ; Microcomputers* ; Sex Ratio

PURPOSE: Some recent studies have demonstrated that finasteride, a well- known 5alpha-reductase inhibitor, can decrease prostate specific antigen (PSA) by approximately 50% during the first 1 year of treatment. We investigated how long-term treatment with finasteride and alpha-blockers impacts on the serum PSA level of men whose final diagnosis was benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a retrospective trial, we evaluated a total of 293 men with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) that were suggestive of BPH. These men were divided into two treatment groups: group A was treated with alpha-blockers and group C was treated with a combination of finasteride and alpha-blocker. Comparisons of the two groups were performed by using independent t-tests. The changes in the PSA concentrations from baseline to the time of the final measurements were determined by repeated measures of ANOVA. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in the baseline PSA between the two groups. A statistically significant reduction in the PSA levels was observed at 2 years in C group (p<0.05), whereas any significant increase were not observed in group A (p>0.05). In group A, the repeatedly measured PSA levels were 2.67, 2.40, 2.41 and 2.42, respectively. In C group, these were 3.22, 2.09, 1.81 and 1.71 respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our data showed that there was no clinically significant effect of long term treatment with alpha-blocker on the PSA levels. However, finasteride had significant effect on the serum PSA level during first two years of treatment.
Adrenergic Antagonists ; Diagnosis ; Finasteride* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Male ; Oxidoreductases ; Prostate* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen* ; Prostatic Hyperplasia* ; Retrospective Studies

The aim of therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is to improve quality of life by providing symptom relief and an increased maximum flow rate, as well as reduce disease progression and the development of new morbidities. There has been an enormous decline in the popularity of surgery and it is now apparent that medication is the most frequently used treatment for BPH. This has arguably therefore been the most major change in urological clinical practice in the last decade. Currently alpha(1)-adrenoceptor antagonists are the commonest medical therapy, and are thought to act by relaxing prostatic smooth muscle, the neural or so-called 'dynamic' component of BPO. 5alpha-reductase inhibitors are another option for BPH, which reduce prostatic mass and therefore the mechanical or 'static' component of benign prostatic obstruction (BPO). Another group of agents are the phytotherapeutic extracts, which act via various mechanisms, many as yet poorly defined. This review critically assesses existing publications relating to the medical management of BPH.
Disease Progression ; Muscle, Smooth ; Prostatic Hyperplasia* ; Quality of Life

A development of percutaneous nephrostomy has laid the foundation for a major advance in the treatment of urolithiasis. The percutaneous, nephrolithotomy has already, become an accepted alternative to conventional surgery. With the use of a variety of instruments, calculi can be either removed intact or if too large, fragmented in situ and extracted. We have performed percutaneous extraction of renal and upper ureteral stones in 50 patients via Storz percutaneous universal nephroscope. An overall success rate of 74% including 60% in initial, 88% in subsequent period, an acceptable incidence of complication, a rapid convalescence, sooner return to work, minimal postoperative pain and a cost effectiveness were obtained. We conclude that percutaneous nephrolithotomy can be the primary choice of treatment in renal and upper ureteral stones.
Calculi ; Convalescence ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Nephrostomy, Percutaneous* ; Pain, Postoperative ; Return to Work ; Ureter ; Urinary Calculi ; Urolithiasis

Inadequate effectiveness of anticancer drug in treating renal cell carcinoma has been attributed to the overexpression of multidrug resistance gene (MDR1) and its product, membrane-bound P-glycoprotein. P-glycoprotein is known to actively pump out intracellular drug, which results in low intracellular anticancer drug concentration. Progesterone, which has been used in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma is found to cause a three to four-fold increase in vinblastine accumulation in the P-glycoprotein-expressing murine macrophage-like cell line.We have studied to evaluate the MDR modulating action of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) in renal cell carcinoma cell lines also with tamoxifen and verapamil. A-498 of a high mdrl expressed cell line and Caki-2 of a low mdrl expressed cell line were each placed in 96 multiwell plates. Vinblastine, in concentration from 0.01 ug/ml to 10 ug/ml was added to each well and verapamil, from 0.1 uM to 10 uM, MPA, from 2.5 uM to 25 uM, or tamoxifen, from 0.1 uM to 10 uM was also added. The in vitro chemosensitivity of two renal cell carcinoma cell lines (Caki-2 and A498) to vinblastine was measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazol bromide(MTF) colorimetric assay. Growth of Caki-2 cells is inhibited by low doses of vinblastine(IC50: 0.27 ug/ml), but A-498 cells are highly resistant to the drug, with ICs0 value of 0.47 ug/ml. The chemosensitivity of the A-498 cells is increased in response to 5 uM MPA, 1 uM verapamil and 2 uM tamoxifen, which are known to partially reverse the MDR phenotype in other resistant tumors. The effective concentration of MPA for MDR reversal is in clinically achievable concentration but one of verapamil is not. The chemosensitivity of Caki-2 cells does not change according to MDR modulating agents. .MPA is an effective MDR modulating agents to enhance the cytotoxicity of vinblastine in renal cell carcinoma cell line showing P-glycoprotein expression. It suggests that combination therapy of MPA and vinblastine is better than monotherapy with MPA or vinblastine alone.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Cell Line* ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; Genes, MDR ; Humans ; Medroxyprogesterone Acetate* ; Medroxyprogesterone* ; P-Glycoprotein ; Phenotype ; Progesterone ; Tamoxifen ; Verapamil ; Vinblastine*

Inadequate effectiveness of anticancer drug in treating renal cell carcinoma has been attributed to the overexpression of multidrug resistance gene (MDR1) and its product, membrane-bound P-glycoprotein. P-glycoprotein is known to actively pump out intracellular drug, which results in low intracellular anticancer drug concentration. Progesterone, which has been used in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma is found to cause a three to four-fold increase in vinblastine accumulation in the P-glycoprotein-expressing murine macrophage-like cell line.We have studied to evaluate the MDR modulating action of medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) in renal cell carcinoma cell lines also with tamoxifen and verapamil. A-498 of a high mdrl expressed cell line and Caki-2 of a low mdrl expressed cell line were each placed in 96 multiwell plates. Vinblastine, in concentration from 0.01 ug/ml to 10 ug/ml was added to each well and verapamil, from 0.1 uM to 10 uM, MPA, from 2.5 uM to 25 uM, or tamoxifen, from 0.1 uM to 10 uM was also added. The in vitro chemosensitivity of two renal cell carcinoma cell lines (Caki-2 and A498) to vinblastine was measured by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazol bromide(MTF) colorimetric assay. Growth of Caki-2 cells is inhibited by low doses of vinblastine(IC50: 0.27 ug/ml), but A-498 cells are highly resistant to the drug, with ICs0 value of 0.47 ug/ml. The chemosensitivity of the A-498 cells is increased in response to 5 uM MPA, 1 uM verapamil and 2 uM tamoxifen, which are known to partially reverse the MDR phenotype in other resistant tumors. The effective concentration of MPA for MDR reversal is in clinically achievable concentration but one of verapamil is not. The chemosensitivity of Caki-2 cells does not change according to MDR modulating agents. .MPA is an effective MDR modulating agents to enhance the cytotoxicity of vinblastine in renal cell carcinoma cell line showing P-glycoprotein expression. It suggests that combination therapy of MPA and vinblastine is better than monotherapy with MPA or vinblastine alone.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Cell Line* ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; Genes, MDR ; Humans ; Medroxyprogesterone Acetate* ; Medroxyprogesterone* ; P-Glycoprotein ; Phenotype ; Progesterone ; Tamoxifen ; Verapamil ; Vinblastine*

In this paper, acknowledgments section was omitted unintentionally.

In this paper, acknowledgments section was omitted unintentionally.