The hypotensive effect of tripamide(Normonal(R)) were evaluated in 31 cases of essential hypertension. Fifteen to thirty mg of tripamide per day were administered continuously for 8 weeks. The results were as follows; 1) The systolic blood pressure was significantly lowered from 175+/-15 mmHg(Mean+/-SD) before treatment to 144+/-17 mmHg after treatment(p<0.01), and the diastolic blood pressure was significantly lowered from 106+/-11 mmHg before treatment to 90+/-12 mmHg after treatment(p<0.01). 2) The systolic blood pressure was lowered 20 mmHg or more in 25 out of 31 cases(80.7%), and the diastolic blood pressure was decreased 10 mmHg or more in 25 out of 31 cases(80.7%) at the end of 8 weeks treatement. 3) There was no significantl differences in the level of SGOT, serum cholesterol, serum electrolytes(Na+, K+, Cl-), BUN, creatinine and urinc acid before and after treatment with tripamide. 4) In most cases the subjective symptoms disappeared or became easier after tripamide treatment. 5) Profound weakness was developed in 2 cases during tripamide administration.
Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Creatinine ; Hypertension*

For the previous century, the humans have created an unintended and unwanted problem of endocrine disruptors as a potential threat to our public health. By the name of industrialization, endocrine disruptors are smuggling in the everyday life of people today. Although there are much debate on the reality of their emerging health threat, it is no doubt that there are certain classes of compounds that have the potential to affect hormonal status adversely, leading to abnormal development, reproductive dysfunction, and some cancers. The classes of endocrine disruptors are extensively diverse and even more increasing, such as, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins, dieldrin, bisphenol A and toxaphene. Although these endocrine disruptors have been prohibited or tightly regulated, many of them are still unrecognized and still used without knowing their potential threat to the biological world. Once they are released into the environment, they usually persist without degradation and even undergo bioaccumulation and bioconcentration in food chain. Comparing with the great concern over the public health, we do not have enough information for these issues. It is now clear that we need further extensive studies for the risk assessment and the protection of human and ecological health from the potential hazards of endocrine disruptors. This article introduces a breif overview of the current status of our knowledge and research on endocrine disruptors.
Dieldrin ; Dioxins ; Endocrine Disruptors* ; Food Chain ; Humans ; Polychlorinated Biphenyls ; Public Health ; Risk Assessment ; Toxaphene

Fetus in fetu is a very rare congenital abnormality in which one vertebrate fetus is enclosed within the abdomen of another fetus. With advancing ultrasound imaging technique, a few case of prenatal diagnosis is reported recently. A case of fetus in fetu with 6 X 6 X 4 cm sized cystic mass in the fetal retroperitoneum was diagnosed prenatally using ultrasound and confirmed by ultrasound and computer tomogram after delivery. This mass was removed completely from delivered baby and finally confirmed fetus in fetu by pathologic examination. Solid portion in this mass was composed of vertebral organization with limb bud, well-developed organ system.
Abdomen ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Fetus* ; Limb Buds ; Prenatal Diagnosis* ; Ultrasonography ; Vertebrates

Alveolar soft-part sarcoma(ASPS) is a rare, aggressive malignancy of uncertain histologic origin with a propensity for vascular invasion and distant metastasis. ASPS may mimic benign vascular neoplams of malformation but careful evaluation of the unique imaging features on CT scans, MR images, and angiograms lead to the correct diagnosis. ASPS of the tongue is slow-growing, painless mass, especially ASPS of the base the tongue is difficult to be noticed by patient, dentists or oral and maxillofacial surgeons on oral examintion because of its location and clinical resemblance to a benign lesion. And it leads to delayed or inadequate diagnosis. We report radiologic and clinical features of an ASPS of the basal portion of the tongue in a 17-year-old boy, showing normal appearance, but palpation of the tongue and floor of the mouth reveals the tumor. Among the 23 cases of a primary ASPS of tongue reported, 7 cases occured on the basal region of the tongue, inculding the present one. There has been no recurrence or metastasis as of 3 years postoperatively.
Adolescent ; Dentists ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Mouth ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Palpation ; Recurrence ; Sarcoma, Alveolar Soft Part* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tongue* ; Viperidae

A Case of pigmented choroid plexus carcinoma is reported. The patient was a 35-year-old woman who had headache of 3-month duration, followed by ataxia for 1month before admission. Brain CT revealed a well enhanced mass at the left cerebello-pontine angle area as well as hydrocephalus. Subtotal removal of the tumor was performed via suboccipital craniectomy under the impression of meningioma because there was a mass only in the extraventricular area. The tumor was diagnosed by light microscopic examination. Pigmented choroid plexus carcinoma, which has been reported as low grade malignancy, is very rare and located always in the ventricles. In the case the tumor was subtotally removed and ventriculo-peritoneal shunt surgery and radiation therapy underwent later. The patient has been followed-up without recurrence for 1 year postoperatively.
Adult ; Ataxia ; Brain ; Choroid Plexus Neoplasms* ; Choroid Plexus* ; Choroid* ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Meningioma ; Recurrence ; Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt

Vibrio cholerae non-O1/O139 strains are the organisms that are biochemically indistinguishable from V. cholerae but do not agglutinate in Vibrio cholerae O1 and O139 antisera. V. cholerae non-O1/O139 strains are associated with gastroenteritis and extraintestinal infections such as bacteremia, peritonitis and wound infections. Gastroenteritis by V. cholerae non-O1/O139 is uncommon in Korea. We isolated V. cholerae non-O1/O139 from a stool specimen of a one year-old female with diarrhea and high fever.
Bacteremia ; Cholera ; Diarrhea ; Female ; Fever ; Gastroenteritis* ; Humans ; Immune Sera ; Korea ; Peritonitis ; Vibrio cholerae O1 ; Vibrio cholerae* ; Wound Infection

Tracheoesophageal fistula is a rare disease of abnormal communication between esopha- gus and respiratory system. The common causes are the acquired origins in adult such as trauma, infection of the adjacent organs, malignant tumor, and foreign body. Among the traumatic origins, chemical drug, the procedure of the dilatation on the stenotic area, blunt trauma(fall, collisions), penetrating trauma(bullet, knife), and pressure injury are much more common than others. Recently, trauma and foreign body in the esophagus and bronchus are becoming the main cause of the tracheoesophageal fistula, however the frequency of the development of tracheoesophageal fistula caused by the infectious diseases is getting decreased. Fibrinogen-thrombin glue stimulates the healing process of the wound and the ulcer. We treated a 52-year-old male patient with nan-inalignant tracheoesophageal fistula, who had symtoms of pharyngolaryngeal and chest discomfort concomitant with a paroxysmal cough on swallowing food which were caused by fish bone. The diagnosis of tracheoesophageal fistula was made by the esophagogram, chest CT, and esop aecopy. By using the therapeutic endoscopy with an injection of the fibrinogen-glue, the tracheoesopeal fistula was obliterated completely with dramatic symptomatic improvement. Here we conqluded that this method would be the one of the best methods for the treatment of tracheoesophageal fistula.
Adhesives* ; Adult ; Bronchi ; Communicable Diseases ; Cough ; Deglutition ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation ; Endoscopy ; Esophagus* ; Fibrinogen* ; Fistula ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Intestines* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rare Diseases ; Respiratory System ; Stomach* ; Thorax ; Thrombin* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tracheoesophageal Fistula* ; Ulcer ; Wounds and Injuries

We correct the revised date of this article.

An avulsion fracture of the second metacarpal base by the extensor carpi radialis longus is rare. There have been only 7 reports (in 10 patients) of this injury in the literature. We report upon a case of avulsion fracture of the second metacarpal base, which was treated successfully by open reduction and internal fixation.

A 22-year-old female patient visited the emergency room (ER) after a pedestrian traffic accident in a drunken state. An examination at the ER revealed fractures at the right side of the sacral ala, sacral foramina, left anterior acetabulum, right inferior ramus, and right superior articular process of S1. She underwent spino-pelvic fixation and iliosacral (IS) screw fixation. One year later, bone union was completed and implant removal was performed and the treatment was completed without complications. The authors recommend spino-pelvic fixation and IS screw fixation for unstable sacral fractures as one of the excellent methods for obtaining posterior stability of the pelvis among the various treatments of unstable sacral fractures.
Accidents, Traffic ; Acetabulum ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Humans ; Pelvis ; Young Adult