BACKGROUND: There is increasing concern in many countries about the problem of drug-resistant tuberculosis. Prevalence of primary drug-resistant tuberculosis is the optimal epidemiological indicator for long term monitoring of national tuberculosis control program. Our purpose was The purpose of our study is to assess clinical characteristics and socioeconomic status of patients with drug-resistant tuberculosis. METHODS: We studied 68 cases with durg-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection diagnosed at the Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital from March, 1995 to February, 2000. RESULTS: Patients with primary drug-resistant tuberculosis(PDR) were younger(39.6±16.3 years vs. 48.2±16.5 years; p<0.05), had more population of less than more were under the age of 40 years aged-group(62.9% vs. 36.4%; p<0.05) and were more highly educated than those with acquired drug-resistant tuberculosis(ADR)(38.9% vs. 11.1%; p<0.05). In patients with ADR, the rates of familial history of tuberculosis and living in a rented house residence in a rented house were increased higher than compared with to those of patients with PDR. Patients with ADR had more involved lobes(2.0±0.8 vs. 1.4±0.7; p<0.01) and longer treatment duration than those with PDR(18.3±7.2 months vs. 10.6±6.3 months; p<0.05). Patients with ADR showed larger numbers of resistant were resistant to more number of drugs, lower hospitalization rate and higher rate of self-interruption of medication than those with PDR. In patients with PDR, mono-drug resistance was increased, whereas poly-and multi-drug resistances were decreased compared with those with ADR. Resistance to isoniazid was the highest among antituberculosis drugs, and resistance to isoniazid in patients with ADR was higher than that in patients with PDR(90.9% vs. 71.4%; p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with ADR were more likely to include more population be of lower socioeconomic class, and patients with PDR seem seemed to be young and socially active population. For control of drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, proper isolation and prevention of patient with drug-resistant tuberculosis are needed.
Female ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Prevalence ; Social Class ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant*

No abstract available.
Edema* ; Hemoptysis* ; Lower Extremity*

Castleman disease is a benign disorder, usually occurring within mediastinum, characterized by proliferation of lymphold tissue. The authors report a rare case of Castleman disease originating from mesenteric root. The tumor was highly vascular, proved by dynamic CT examination and splanchnic angiography.
Angiography ; Giant Lymph Node Hyperplasia* ; Mediastinum

Many carcinomas have an active mononuclear cell infiltrates surrounding tumor. Various in vitro assays have shown that cellular constituents of peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC) can alter growth of carcinoma cell line. Author compared the effects of normal fibroblasts on squamous cell carcinoma cell line(SCL-1) along with those of sctivated and/or nonactivated PBMC on SCI 1 using a skin equivalent system. This system prevents direct cellular contact by growing SCL-1 on an overlying Millicell-HA membrane and normal fibroblast or supernatants of PBMC in a lower chamber. Normal fibroblasts enhanced the outgrowth of SCL-1 and induced a more organized phenotype of SCL-1. Supernatants from nonstimulated PBMC suppressed outgrowth of SCL 1, and concanavalin A stimulated PBMC supernatants alterd rnorphology of cultured SCL-1 from a disorganized phenotype to a more organized phenotype. It is concluded that fibroblasts and PBMC may affect the growth and differentiation of SCL-1 via their mediators(cytokines)
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cell Line* ; Concanavalin A ; Fibroblasts* ; Membranes ; Phenotype ; Skin

BACKGROUND: Whether the changes of risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, alcohol) can precipitate stroke remains unknown, and antecedent infection and psychologic stress are described insufficiently as predisposing risk factors for cerebral infarction. Therefore, we attempted to examine the roles of recent infection, psychologic stress, and the changes of risk factors as potential precipitants in each stroke subtypes. We also tested the temporal relationship between preceding exposure to coldness and stroke onset. METHODS: In this case-control study, 113 consecutive patients with acute cerebrovascular disease (38 small vessel disease, 43 large vessel disease, 11 cardiogenic infarction, 4 infarction of undetermined cause, and 17 intracerebral hemorrhage) and 23 control subjects were evaluated. Changes of the risk factors (and their management) were interviewed. A sign/symptom based questionnaire was used to characterize the prevalence of recent prior infection and exposure to coldness. Psychologic stress was measured with the use of Social Readjustment Rating Scale. RESULTS: The negative change of alcohol drinking was significantly higher in the stroke group. However, there was no significant difference between stroke and control groups in the changes of the other risk factors. The prevalence of previous (within 1 month) infection was significantly higher in the stroke group compared with control subjects (p=0.03). However, there were no significant differences among the stroke subtypes in the prevalence of infection(p=0.08). Upper respiratory tract infections constituted the most common type of infection. The exposure to coldness was significantly higher in the stroke group compared with control subjects (p=0.002). The level of stress within the prior 1 month/1 year was significantly higher in the stroke group than control group (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that preceding infection, exposure to coldness, psychologic stress, and the negative change of alcohol drinking may be com.
Alcohol Drinking ; Case-Control Studies ; Cerebral Infarction ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Infarction ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stress, Psychological* ; Stroke*

No abstract available.
Appendicitis* ; Child* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Humans

No abstract available.

Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis(AGEP) is a disease entity caused mostly by drugs or viral infections. Clinically it manifests as generalized erythema, erythema multiforme and amicrobial pustules with fever. Histologically, AGEP is composed of neutrophilic subcorneal and spongiform pustules. A 70-year-old female, with no personal or family history of psoriasis, was given medication including diltiazem for hypertension. Fourteen days after taking the medications, pustular eruptions appeared on the face and rapidly spread to the trunk and limbs. A Laboratory examination revealed neutrophilic leukocytosis and an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The skin biopsy showed subcorneal and spongiform pustules. We report here a case of AGEP probably due to diltiazem.
Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis* ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Blood Sedimentation ; Diltiazem ; Erythema ; Erythema Multiforme ; Extremities ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Leukocytosis ; Neutrophils ; Psoriasis ; Skin

We report a 44-year-old female patient with Eosinophilic cellulitis who had developed pruritic erythematous plaque on the right lower abdomen since two months ago. The blood eosinophil count was 2,066/mm at first visit. This lesion responded well to cortieosteroid therapy. However new erythematous swelling reappeared on the left lower abdomen and left inner thigh 3 months after the first treatment. A biopsy specimen taken from an erythematous plaque showed many flame figures and diffuse infiltration of eosinophils and histiocytes in the lower dermis and subcutaneous fat tissue.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Biopsy ; Cellulitis* ; Dermis ; Eosinophils* ; Female ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Thigh