PURPOSE: To evaluate leptin values in placental cord blood of newborns with normal intruterine growth after 30 weeks of gestation and to study the relationship of leptin with gestational age, birth size, ponderal index, BMI, placental weight, gender difference, Insulin-like Growth Factor-I(IGF-I) and Insulin-like Growth Factor binding protein-3(IGFBP-3). METHODS: Ninety healthy newborns(49 males and 41 females) with normal intrauterine growth were studied. They were classified into 4 groups according to the gestational age(GA):group I(30-33 weeks GA, n=17), group II(34-36 weeks GA, n= 24), group III(37-39 weeks GA, n=32) and group IV(40-42 weeks GA, n=17). At the time of delivery, newborn infant' weight, length, head circumference and placental weight were measured and BMI, ponderal index were calculated. A venous cord blood sample was collected at the time of delivery and serum leptin(RIA), IGF-I (IRMA) and IGFBP-3(IRMA) were measured. RESULTS: Cord blood leptin correlated positively with gestational age(r=0.730, P>0.01), body weight(r=0.686, P<0.01), length(r=0.419, P<0.01), head circumference(r= 0.498, P<0.01), BMI(r=0.750, P<0.01), ponderal index(r=0.704, P<0.01), placental weight(r=0.536, P<0.01), IGF-I(r=307, P<0.01) and IGFBP-3(r=0.736, P<0.01). Multiple linear regression analysis showed BMI, IGFBP-3 and sex(female) were independent predictors of leptin values. Leptin values increased progressively throughout gestation. Mean leptin values of group II(3.90+/-.28ng/mL) were significantly higher (P<0.01) than those of group I(1.92+/-.09ng/mL) and also values of group III(5.37+/-.52ng/mL) were higher than those of group II(P<0.05). But there was no significant difference between group III and group IV(6.45+/-.36ng/mL). Mean leptin values in females(5.07+/-.54ng/mL, n=41) were significantly higher than in males(4.07+/-.76 ng/mL, n=49) but there was no inter-gender difference in body weight, BMI, ponderal index, IGF-I, IGFBP-3. In addition, mean leptin values in females(7.45+/-.07 ng/mL) were significantly higher than in males(5.02+/-.09ng/mL) after 40 weeks of gestation. CONCLUSION: BMI, IGFBP-3 and sex(female) were independent predictors of leptin values. Leptin values increased significantly after 34 weeks of gestation and females had higher leptin values than males, especially in fullterm newborns. Leptin values in newborns had higher correlations with IGFBP-3 than with IGF-I as gestational age increased.
Body Weight ; Female ; Fetal Blood* ; Gestational Age ; Head ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 3 ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Leptin* ; Linear Models ; Male ; Parturition ; Pregnancy*

Unknown primary melanoma shows only metastatic malignant malanoma without obvious primary tumor. These unusual instances of unknown primary melanoma have reported incidences of 1.0~8.7%. This 51 year old patient had many intra-abdominal and mesenteric masses without visible primary tumor. The most commonly accepted explanation for unknown primary melanoma is spontaneous regression of a primary skin lesion.
Incidence ; Neoplasm Metastasis

Since Whitehead had described a circular hemorrhoidectomy in 1882, many surgeons adopted it for decades for patients with protruding anal deformity. After a few decades of performing Whitehead operation, devastating complications such as anal stricture, fecal incontinence, and wet anus with mucosal eversion had been reported on the literatures and then it was buried as an abandoned procedure by surgeons for a long period. Recently, a few prominent anal surgeons reported that they could avoid such devastating complications by introducing diverse modifications of the original Whitehead's operation. The authors analyzed 22 patients who had undergone original Whitehead circular hemorrhoidectomy with the technique of preserving most of the perianal skin and W-shaped circular incision during the period from 1991 to 1996, with special regard to the com plications such as anal stricture and anal mucosal eversion which have been debated on so far and reviewed the articles about these issues. In immediate postoperative period, suture failure and resultant non-surgery requiring, mild anal stricture were documented in 3 of the 22 cases(13.6%). On long-term follow-up with the mean period of 44 months (18~79 months) in 14 cases, except those 8 cases that were lost, with phone-call questionaire, 13 patients(93%) had quite normal anal functions. The authors would like to suggest that the original Whitehead's circular hemorrhoidec tomy is a valuable surgical technique to manage the protruding anal deformity if surgeons can avoid well known complications such as anal stricture and anal mucosal eversion by choosing a correct location of initial W-shaped incision to preserve as much perianal skin as possible.
Anal Canal ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Fecal Incontinence ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhoidectomy* ; Humans ; Postoperative Period ; Skin* ; Sutures

The patient is a 20 years old female, Korean, who has many freckles and dark brownish pigment over the face, neck and hands. She also has a rice sized wart like elevation on lower lid margin and pea-nut sized elevation on nose bridge. Histopathologically the former was basal cell carcinoma and the latter squamous cell carcinoma.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Ichthyosis* ; Melanosis ; Neck ; Nose ; Warts ; Xeroderma Pigmentosum* ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Amitriptyline* ; Humans

No abstract available.

Page 31. The size of conidia of Alternatia brassicicola should be 20~80x8~25 microm instead of 20~120x8~30 microm.
Alternaria* ; Korea* ; Spores, Fungal

The taxonomy of the Alternaria spp. has been a subject, of controversy because of their high variability in conidial morphology and polymorphism displayed even in pure cultures. The published Korean literature on the genus Alternaria is scattered and fragmentary, and pertains to about 25 species with special emphasis on occurrence and pathogenicity, but mycological studies on this group of fungi are insufficient. This is the first series of detailed and consolidated account of Korean species of Alternaria, which includes 11 species; viz., Alternaria brassicae, A. brassicicola, A. cinerariae, A. dauci, A. dianthi, A. dianthicola, A. helianthi, A. helianthinffciens, A. iridicola, A. japonica and A. protenta. Detailed diagnostic descriptions, specific characterizations, taxonomic discussions and illustrations for each species are presented.
Alternaria* ; Brassica ; Classification ; Fungi ; Korea* ; Virulence

This report describes a primary malignant melanoma which developed in the anus, as documented by light microscopy and immunohistochemistry. A 53-year-old woman had a 4 month history of a protruding mass in the anal canal. The mass was located in the squamo-columnar junction of the anal canal, measuring 5.0x4.5 cm. Its cut surface was dark brown and poorly circumscribed. The histologic appearance was characterized by epithelioid or spindle cells with prominant nucleoli and frequent atypical mitosis. Melanin pigments were strongly seen in Fontana-Masson stain. Immunoreactivity revealed that the cytoplasm of tumor cells was strongly positive with antibody directed against S-100 protein, vimentin and it was focally positive with neuron specific enolase.
Female ; Humans

Primitive neuroectodermal tumors (PNET) of the ovary are rare tumors with an exclusive or almost exclusive malignant neuroectodermal composition, and are generally regarded as a monodermal expression of an ovarian teratoma. The tumors are basically identical with the lesions of the same name occuring typically in the central nervous system of children. These tumors consist chiefly of undifferentiated small cells resembling neuroblasts. There are also mature, well- differentiated neuroectodermal cells, such as astrocytes and ependymal cells. We report a case of ovarian PNET with glial and neuroblastic differentiation and focal teratomatous foci of non-neural tissue in a 17-year-old female.
Adolescent ; Astrocytes ; Central Nervous System ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Neural Plate ; Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive* ; Ovary* ; Teratoma