PURPOSE:The clinical course in adult autoimmune thyroiditis varies: both transient and intermittent hypothyroidism occur during the course of disease and spontaneous recoveries from the hypothyroid state has been described. To determine whether these kinds of variations occur in the course of juvenile chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis and whether the size of thyroid gland, or immunologic measurement such as thyroid antibodies correlated with the course or outcome of juvenile chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis. METHODS:Fifty six patients (54 girls) who attended the clinic between 1986 and 1996 were followed during 36 months prospectively. The clinical diagnosis of juvenile chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis was confirmed by Fisher et al.(1975) criteria in all patients. Assessment of thyroid function was based on clinical diagnosis and on the levels of thyroid stimulating hormone and free thyroxine. Physical examination, thyroid function test and antithyroid antibody test were evaluated with 6 months intervals. RESULTS:Initially, 27 patients were euthyroid, 19 compensatory hypothyroidism and 10 overt hypothyroidism. At the end of follow up, 31 patients were euthyroid, 11 compensatory hypothyroidism and 14 overt hypothyroidism. On one or more occasions, 92.7% of the patients had positive results for thyroid antibodies. Overt hypothyroidism at the end of follow up correlated with the initial thyroid states and with detection of thyroglobulin antibodies. CONCLUSIONS:The best predictors of the final hypothyroid state were initial hypothyroidism and detection of thyroglobulin antibodies.
Adult ; Antibodies ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hashimoto Disease* ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Physical Examination ; Prospective Studies ; Thyroglobulin ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis, Autoimmune ; Thyrotropin ; Thyroxine

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant ; Infant Mortality*

BACKGROUND: Bullous eruption of diabetes(BD) is a rare cutaneous sign of diabetes mellitus(DM). The mechanism for the development of these lesions is unknown, although speculation has ranged from trauma to vascular insufficiency. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose is to evaluate the difference of basement membrane gene expression in cultured skin fibroblasts between patients with diabetes and normal controls. METHODS: Total RNA was extracted from cultured skin fibroblasts of DM and normal, and then Northern blot and slot-blot hybridizations were done. RESULTS: The mRNA levels of a(I) procollagen, a(IV) procollagen, fibronectin, and laminin B1 were not altered significantly in the DM. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that BD has no relevance to the alteration of basement membrane components. Further studies are needed to clarify the underlying pathogenic mechanism of BD.
Basement Membrane* ; Blotting, Northern ; Diabetes Mellitus* ; Fibroblasts* ; Fibronectins ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Laminin ; Procollagen ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger ; Skin*

Sine the success of human growth hormone (GH) synthesis by DNA recombinant technology, these GH products are widely used in the treatment of children with growth hormone deficiency. Recently, methionyl-GH has been produced in the yeast, Saccaromyces cerevisiae 2150, by the use of a DNA recombinant method in Korea. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical efficacy, side effect and immunogenicity of this GH product during therapy of 3year in 22 children with naive GH deficiency. The subjects of this study are aged 4.5~17.9 years, diagnosed by the failure of plasma GH to respond to insulin induced hypoglycemia, arginine and/or clonidine loading and height below -2 standard deviation of mean for their chronological age. Each subjcct received GH 0.45IU/kg/week, intramusculary in 3 devided dose, During treatment, vital signs, height and body weight checked before and every 3 months. Blood count urinalysis, blood chemistry, bone age and measurement of thyroid hormone were performed before, every 3months in year 1, and every 6 months in year 2 and 3. Assay of antibody against GH were performed before, year 1,2 and 3. The height velocity was significantly increased from an average baseline level of 2.9+/-1.1cm/year to 7.9+/-1.9cm/year after the first year, 6.6+/-1.1cm/year during the second year, and 5.9+/-1.2cm/year during the third year of GH treatment. The height standard deviation score for chronological age was decreased from an average baseline of 3.5+/-1.3 to 2.9 1.2 after the first year, 2.7 +/-1.1 during the second year, and 2.5+/-1.2 during the year of GH treatment. The increment in height age was significantly increased from an average baseline of 0.6+/-0.2 year to 1.3+/-0.3 year in year 1, 1.1+/-0.3 year in year 2, and 1.0+/-0.2 year in year 3. The increment in bone age was significantly increased from an average baseline of 0.6+/-0.2 year to 1.2+/-0.2 in year 1, 1.3+/-0.3 year in year , 2, and 1.1+/-0.3 year in year 3. Antibody against hGH was observed in 3 of the 22 patients(13.5%) in year 1 and 1 and in 2 of the 17 patients(17.7%) in year 3. And unwanted side effects were not observed in any of the 22 patients. These results suggest that this yeast derived recombinant methionyl growth hormone appears to be a safe very effective product for treating of children with GH deficiency.
Arginine ; Body Weight ; Chemistry ; Child* ; Clonidine ; DNA ; Growth Hormone* ; Human Growth Hormone ; Humans ; Hypoglycemia ; Insulin ; Korea ; Plasma ; Thyroid Gland ; Urinalysis ; Vital Signs ; Yeasts*

No abstract available.
Epiphyses* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Osteochondrosis*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Fetal Growth Retardation* ; Growth Hormone* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Humans ; Pregnancy, Twin* ; Twins*

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by high serum glucose levels and by disturbances of carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. There are many cutaneous signs of this common endocrinopathy, such as nercobiosis lipoidica diabeticorum, diabetic bullosis, shin spot, diabetic pruritus, etc. OBJECTIVE: In this study, we investigated whether extracellular matrix gene expression in cultured skin fibroblast is influenced by insulin and Insulin-like growth factor-I(IGF-I). METHOD: Total RNA was isolated from insulin or IGF-I treated human skin fibroblasts. The Northern blot and slot-blot hybridization were then conducted. RESULTS: The mRNA levels of pro α1(I) collagen, pro α1(I11) collagen, fibronectin in insulin and IGF-I treated normal skin fibroblasts increased compared with untreated normal skin fibroblasts. CONCLUSION: Our results show that insulin and IGF-I stimulate collagen formation in normal skin fibroblast at physiological concentrations. Therefore, these demonstrate that insulin can modulate the expression of extracellular matrix gene.
Blood Glucose ; Blotting, Northern ; Collagen ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Extracellular Matrix* ; Fibroblasts* ; Fibronectins ; Gene Expression ; Humans ; Insulin* ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Lipid Metabolism ; Methods ; Pruritus ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger ; Skin*

BACKGROUND: The clinical and histopathological classification of erythema multiforme(EM) and Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) are difficult due to a lack of clear-cut criteria. In recent studies, some authors suggested that erythema multiforme and Stevens-Johnson syndrome were clinically and histopathologically different disorders. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to review the clinicopathological characteristics of the EM and SJS and to suggest specific findings for differentiating between the two diseases. METHODS: Fifty four patients with EM and SJS diagnosed in the Department of Dermatology of Dong-San Hcepita1 from January 1987 through to December 1996 were studied retrospectively. RESULTS: The results were summarized as follows. l. In view of causal factors, 54 cases were classified as drug-induced (n=22, 41%), herpes-induced (n=16, 30%), tuberculosis (n= 2, 3%), pneumonia (n=l, 2%), unknown (n=13, 24%). 2. Fifty four cases were clinically classified as SJS (n= 29, 54%), EM minor (n=-15, 2S%) and EM major (n = 10, 18%). 3. Erythema multiforme was found to be more related to herpes (13 of 25 cases) than to drugs (3 of 25 cases), while SJS was more related to drugs (19 of 29 cases) than to herpes (3 of 29 cases). 4. Varying degrees of necroti changes of keratinocytes were found in all the cases. The severity of degree or extent of necrosis was higher in patients with SJS than EM. 5. In demial changes, EM showed differences from SJS by having a denser and deeper lymphocytic infiltrate, and increased amount of extravasated erythrocytes. CONCLUSION: Taken together, although our findings could not provide a defmite clue to determine whether EM and SJS are different distinet entities or not, this study may be useful to differentiate and to understand the pathogenesis of EM and SJS. A prospective large scaled study should be conducted to definitively characterize these entities.
Classification ; Dermatology ; Erythema Multiforme* ; Erythema* ; Erythrocytes ; Humans ; Keratinocytes ; Necrosis ; Pneumonia ; Retrospective Studies ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome ; Tuberculosis

Trichotillomania is the cllinical syndrome of alopecia resulting from the repetative pulling, plueking and breaking of ones own hair. We report four cases of trichotillomania in 10 year old children. The lesions were limited to the scalp. All of them had psychiatric problems in the school or home according to a psychiatric consultation. The histopathologic examinatiorii revealed a normal number of hair follices, empty hair follicles and no inflammatory reaction. The treatment led to hair growth in three cases but one case did not respond to the treatment.
Alopecia ; Child ; Hair ; Hair Follicle ; Humans ; Scalp ; Trichotillomania*