No abstract available.
Otoacoustic Emissions, Spontaneous*

Geotrichum(G.) candidum is a common fungus that is rarely pathogenic for man, first described by Link in 1809, and according to Dodge this fungus is classified as a subspecies of Eremnascaeae imperfectae. This species is largely saprophytic and is usually found in soil, decaying matters, and milk product, although isolation from skin, sputum, and feces of man is not unusual. Geotrichosis, caused by G. candidum may occur as an infection of the lung simulating chronic pulmonary tuberculosis or disseminated infection. Very rarely, skin and mucous membrane infection has been documented. These infections usually affect immunocompromised hosts. Literature concerning skin or soft tissue infection with this fungus is limited, especially in immunocompetent persons there are only a few reports by this organism. In this paper we report a case of cutaneous geotrichosis involving skin in a healthy woman, in which case steroid and trauma was supposed to play some roles in the pathogenesis.
Feces ; Female ; Fungi ; Geotrichosis ; Geotrichum* ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Lung ; Milk ; Mucous Membrane ; Skin ; Soft Tissue Infections ; Soil ; Sputum ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

Keloids are benign fibrous tumors which extend beyond the original wound. Methods of treatment include surgical excision, radiotherapy, intralesional steroid injection, cryotherapy, silicon gel and combined therapy. Postoperative irradiation or steroid injection could be an effective method for prevention of recurrence after surgical treatment. We report a case of earlobe keloid which occurred after ear piercing. It was treated by excision and saved autograft using the overlying skin of the keloid and then immediate corticosteroid intrawound injection after excision.
Autografts* ; Body Piercing ; Cryotherapy ; Keloid* ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Silicone Gels ; Skin ; Wounds and Injuries

We analyzed ERCP findings of 15 patients with clonorchiasis, that were confirmed by stool examination and operation from May, 1976 to September, 1980. The results were as follows. 1) Filling defects due to adult worm of clonorchis sinensis were significant direct findings of clonorchiasis. 2) Irregular stenosis, fuzziness, raggedness, peripheral dilation and disturbance of peripheral filling of intrahepatic bile ducts were significant indirect findings of clonorchiasis. 3) ERCP was excellent method to evaluate biliary tree in patients with clonorchiasis, who showed obstructive jaundice.
Adult ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic ; Biliary Tract ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde* ; Clonorchiasis* ; Clonorchis sinensis ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Humans ; Jaundice, Obstructive

Spontaneous subcapsular hematoma of the kidney is an uncommon, but there are only few reports on bilateral subcapsular hematoma associated with non-traumatic origin in the world. Several commonest causes for this phenomenon have been described : including disease of the kidney , nephritis, tumor, hydronephrosis, infection, tuberculosis. lithiasis and cystic disease, blood vessel disease ; arteriosclerosis, aneurysm, periarteritis nodosa and renal infarcts, blood dyscrasia. No definite causative factor was found in this case : that a 49-year-old woman was done the decortication of left kidney and hematoma remove, due to no specific abnormality in preoperative coagulation test, 24hr urine AFB stain, immunoserologic test and renal angiography.
Aneurysm ; Angiography ; Arteriosclerosis ; Female ; Hematologic Diseases ; Hematoma* ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Kidney* ; Lithiasis ; Middle Aged ; Nephritis ; Polyarteritis Nodosa ; Tuberculosis

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyze in detail the relationship between outcome and time course of effect in medically refractory primary cervical dystonia (CD) with phasic type that was treated by bilateral globus pallidus internus (Gpi) deep brain stimulation (DBS). METHODS: Six patients underwent bilateral implantation of DBS into the Gpi under the guide of microelectrode recording and were followed for 18.7 +/- 11.1 months. The mean duration of the CD was 5.8 +/- 3.4 years. The mean age at time of surgery was 54.2 +/- 10.2 years. Patients were evaluated with the Toronto Western Spasmodic Torticollis Rating Scale (TWSTRS) and relief scale using patient self-reporting. RESULTS: The TWSTRS total scores improved by 64.5%, 65.5%, 75.8%, and 76.0% at 3, 6, 12 months, and at the last available follow-up after surgery, respectively. Statistically significant improvements in the TWSTRS scores were observed 3 months after surgery (p = 0.028) with gradual improvement up to 12 months after surgery, thereafter, the improvement was sustained. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the scores at 3 and 12 months. Subjective improvement reported averaged 81.7 +/- 6.8% at last follow-up. Mild dysarthria, the most frequent adverse event, occurred in 3 patients. Conclusions: Our results show that the bilateral Gpi-DBS can offer a significant therapeutic effect from 3 months postoperatively in patients with primary CD with phasic type, without significant side effects.
Deep Brain Stimulation ; Dysarthria ; Follow-Up Studies ; Globus Pallidus ; Humans ; Microelectrodes ; Torticollis

BACKGROUND: Trinucleotide repeat (TNR) expanded disorders represent a novel class of human mutations, which are characterized by abnormal elongation of the triplet repeat sequence in the human genome and is caused by heritable DNA instability. The aim of this study is to determine the relative frequency, distribution of alleles, and the clinical manifestation of TNR expanded disorders in Korean patients with progressive ataxia. METHODS: A total of 76 clinical specimens that were suspicous of hereditary cerebellar ataxia were submitted from January 1999 to August 2001 and tested for TNR expanded disorders by PCR analysis. RESULTS: Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) type 1 was the most common hereditary ataxia (5.3%), while SCA2, SCA3, SCA6, SCA7, and dentatorubral and pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA) represented 2.6%, 3.9%, 2.6%, 2.6%, and 1.3% of progressive ataxia patients, respectively. This result is different from previous reports concerning Caucasian, Chinese and Koreans. CONCLUSIONS: This study may provide the basis for the study of TNR expanded disorders in Korean patients. To elucidate the prevalence and frequencies of mutation types in Koreans, a large scale study should be performed.
Alleles* ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Ataxia* ; Atrophy ; Cerebellar Ataxia ; DNA ; Genome, Human ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence ; Spinocerebellar Ataxias ; Spinocerebellar Degenerations ; Trinucleotide Repeat Expansion* ; Trinucleotide Repeats

Homeostasis of multicellular organism is controlled by proliferation and differentiation of cells as well as by cell death. The defects in programmed cell death contribute to the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematous. RA is considered to be a proliferating disorder of synovial tissue which is accompanied by inflammatory cell infiltration and bone erosion. The aim of the study was to find whether potent inducers of apoptosis could be induced apoptosis in RA synovial cells. We examined the effects of drugs, such as dexamethasone, methotrexate, hydrogen peroxide, and ceramide on induction of apoptosis in cultured RA synovial cells. Used drugs did not induced apoptosis in RA synovial cells. Finally Fas antigen-mediated apoptosis of RA synovial cells was investigated by the addition of anti-Fas antibody. To examine the ICE (interleukin-1p-convertase; caspase-1) expression in synovial cells, RT-PCR of caspase-1 gene was performed. In synovial cells of RA, Fas induces that caspase-1 activation cause apoptosis.
Apoptosis* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Cell Death ; Dexamethasone ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Ice ; Methotrexate

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to correlate the findings of peripheral hypoechoic rim, seen at transrectal ultrasonography (TRUS) in chronic prostatitis patients, with the histopthologic findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven patients with pathologically proven chronic prostatitis were involved in this study. The conspicuity of the peripheral hypoechoic prostatic rim, seen at TRUS, was prominent and subtle, and to determine its histopathologic nature, the microscopic findings were reviewed. RESULTS: In five of seven cases (71%), TRUS demonstrated a prominent peripheral hypoechoic rim. Microscopic examination revealed that inflammatory cell infiltration of prostatic glandular tissue was severe in three cases (42.9%), moderate in two (28.6%), and minimal in two (28.6%). In all seven cases, the common histopathologic findings of peripheral hypoechoic rim on TRUS were loose stromal tissues, few prostatic glands, and sparse infiltration by inflammatory cells. CONCLUSION: The peripheral hypoechoic rim accompanying prostatic inflammation and revealed by TRUS reflects a sparsity of prostate glandular tissue and is thought to be an area in which inflammatory cell infiltration is minimal.
Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Prostate/*pathology ; Prostatitis/*pathology/*ultrasonography

OBJECTIVE: To compare the multiplex-PCR and hybrid capture methods for detection of Human papillomavirus (HPV) in uterine cervical swab samples. METHODS: This study determined the HPV infection and its risk group (subtype) in uterine cervical swab samples of 91 Korean women by HPV hybrid capture I and multiplex-PCR method. RESULTS: The prevalence of HPV infection determined by muliplex-PCR was more higher than by hybrid capture method I. Of 65 women with nonspecific uterine cervical lesions, the frequence of HPV-positivity was 14/65 (12 low-risk and 2 high-risk HPV) by hybrid capture method I and was 37/65 (34 low-risk and 3 high- risk HPV) by multiplex-PCR method, respectively. The frequence of high-risk HPV was 2/6 in LSIL, 7/14 in HSIL, 4/6 in uterine cervical cancer by hybrid capture method I, and was 2/6 in LSIL, 8/14 in HSIL, 4/6 in uterine cervical cancer by multiplex-PCR method. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that multiplex-PCR is more sensitive, simple and cost-effective technique than Hybrid-capture I in the detection of HPV infection in the uterine cervix.
Cervix Uteri* ; Female ; Humans* ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Prevalence ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms