This study was designed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of H2 and H2 antihistaminics on dermographism. Twenty four patients with dermographism were allocated on a random to one of the following 3 treatment regimens. A) chlorphenirarnine and cimetidine (H1+H1) B) chlorpheniramine alone (H>) C) cimetidine alone (H) The patients cutaneous response to the dermographometer was assessed at weekly intervals for four weeks. The results were as follows: 1. The combinded treatment with chlorpheniramine and cimetidine was significantly more effective in inhibiting wheal and flare than the cimetidine alone (wheal p<0.01, flare p<0.02). 2. Following comparisions were not statistically significant: chlorpheniramine+ cimetidine vs chlorpheniramine (p>0. 05), chlorpbeniramine alone vs cimetidine alone(p>0.05). 3. Main side effects were drowsiness (3 cases) and mild gastric disturbance (2 cases) on hlorpheniramine alone.
Chlorpheniramine ; Cimetidine ; Histamine H2 Antagonists* ; Humans ; Sleep Stages

BACKGROUND: The generation of the invasiveness in transfromed cells represents an essential step of tumor progression. The primary cause of the scattering of the cells in invasive carcinoma is a loss of the integrity of the intercellular adherens junction often involving loss of a functional cell-cell adhesion molecule E-cadherin. Therefore, the perturbation of E-cadherin function causes diaggregation of tumor cells and may promote the invasion and metastases. OBJECTIVE: The reduction in E-cadherin activity seems to correlate with the infiltrative ability of tumor cells. The purpose of this study was to compare the E-cadherin expression among different cell lines which were normal to undifferentiated and to check the virtual relationaship between E-cadherin and invasiveness. METHODS: We used 5 cell lines, HaCaT, A431, C3, SiHa and HeLa cell. To check the expression patterns and amounts of E-cadherin in each cell line, immunofluorescence staining, Western blot anlysis and Northern blot analysis were done. An in vitro invasion assay using the collagen gel and MRC-5 fibroblast under the influence of HECD-1 antibody which block the E-cadherin function was done to measure the invasiveness of tumor cells. Collagenase activity in culture supernatants of each cell were analyzed by zymography. RESULTS: Immunofluorescence staining revealed a homogenously well preserved pattern in HaCat, A431, C3 cells. SiHa cells showed patch distribution but HeLa cells did not express the E-cadherin. Western blot analysis and Northern blot results largely corresponded with the immunofluorescence results. The in vitro invasion assay revealed invasion into the collagen matrix of the HeLa cells. When HECD-1 antibody was added to the medium, other cells showed partially disrupted stratification. The collagenolytic activity at 72 kDa sixe was detected in the HeLa cell line only. CONCLUSION: There is an inverse relationship between E-cadherin expression and tumor invasion. Therefore, through their regulation of cell adhesion and motility, cadherin plays a crucial role in the suppression of tumor invasion and metastasis.
Adherens Junctions ; Blotting, Northern ; Blotting, Western ; Cadherins* ; Cell Adhesion ; Cell Line* ; Collagen ; Collagenases ; Fibroblasts ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; HeLa Cells ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Neoplasm Metastasis

A clinica1 study was carried ou on the 98 cases of purpura who were admitted to the Han Gang Sung Shim Hospital during the period of 3 years from Sept., 1975 to Aug., 1978. The results were as follows: 1. The most common cause of purpura was allergic purpura (35.7%). 2. The highest incidence was under 10 years of age group(63.3%), and males were more frequently affected tban fomal with the ratio of 1.3: l. 3. The saonal incidence of purpura was high during the period of 5 months fror Jan. to Klay. Especially in the allergic purpura high incidence was seen in April, May and October. 4. The preclilection site of purpura was on the lower extremities (87.5%) Especially in allergic purpura, the purpura lesions were occured on the lower extremities in all cases. 5, Platelet count in allergic purpura was normal, and that of L.T.P., leukemia, menigococcemia, aplastic anemia and sepsis was decreased in mostly all cases. 6. Bleeding; time was normal in allergic purpura, hut prolonged in ahout 50% of otber diseases. Coagulation time was normal in all cases. 7. Occuit blood was positive in 40% of all cases. 8. Renal rnan!festations occured in 37 cases(37.8%). The most common among them was proteinuria(89.2%)
Anemia, Aplastic ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Leukemia ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Platelet Count ; Purpura* ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch ; Sepsis

In 20 patients with psoriasis, 27 early psoriatic lesions of 1-2mm size (16 papules with scale and 11 maculopapules without scale) and 15 clinically uninvolved skin at distance of 2-4em from the nearest psoriatic lesion were histologically examined in an attempt to obtain information on the mechanism which initiates the development of the skin changes. (countinued..)
Humans ; Psoriasis ; Skin

Pretibial myxedema, which consists of localized cutaneous accumulations of acid mucopolyeaccharides, occurs in a small percentage of patients with diffuse toxic goiter. Pretibial myxedema may also occur during the course of nonthyrotoxic thyroid disease. A case of pretibial myxedema with diffuse toxic goiter in 64 year-old female is reported. She has been suffered from thickened yellowish waxy pIaques on both pretibial areas and left dorsum of foot. Initial skin lesions developed about 7 months ago, and increased its size and numbers insidiously. Diagnosis was confirmed by characteristic clinical, laboratory and histopathological findings. Literatures were reviewed.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Foot ; Goiter* ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Myxedema* ; Skin ; Thyroid Diseases

This paper is studied for statistical anaIysis of 1181 cascs of positive V.D.R.L test among 24414 cases who were visited for annual Physical examination and in or outpatients in the Han Gang Sung Shim Hospital during 5 years and 7 months from January 1972 to July 1977. Clinical survey was carried out with 182 syphilitic patients in the Department of Dermatology, Han Gang Sung Shim Hospital during 19 months from January l976 to July 1977. The results were as follows; 1. Positive rate for V.D.R.L test was 4.8%, and there were statistically significant differences in annual incidence(P<0.01). Biologic false positive rate for V.D.R.L test was 26. 7%, and there were statistically aignificant differences in annual incidence(P<0.01). 2. Departmental analysis such as Dermatology, Urology, Physical Examination and others including Obstetrics and Gynecology, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics etc. were carried out, the results showed that there were statistically significant departmental differences in V.D.R.L positive rate, but no in biologic false positive rate. 3. Biologic false positive rate was high inversely proportional to dilution titer, and that was a statistically significant difference(P<0.01). 4. 182 had syphilis, of whom 106(58. 2%) were latent syphilis and 74(40. 7%) were primary and secondary syphilis. 5. 119(65. 4%) among 182 syphilitic patients were male, most of patients(87.8%) occured in age from 21 to 40 years in the both sex. But there no statistically significant differences in age distribution between males and females. 6. The most predilection site of chancre was coronary sulcus(54.5%). 7. The lesions of secondary syphilis were composed of 18 cases(25%) of condyloma latum, 17 cases(23. 6%) of roseolar syphilid, 17 cases of papulo-squamous syphilid, 13 cases of alopecia syphilitica, 1 case of pustular syphilid, and 6 cases of others. 8. Married patients were nearly two times than single. In women, married. patients were much more(80. 3%) than single, and there were statistically significatnt differences(P<0.01). 9. There were no significant differences in S.T.S positive rate of spouse between infectious and latent syphilis. 10. Occupation distribution of male sexual partners were composed of 35 cases(29. 4%) of waitress, 28 cases(23. 5%) of call-girl, 20 cases(16. 8%) of office-girl, 17 cases of housewife, 12 cases of out of work, 7 cases of student. 1I. For patients with primary, secondary, and latent syphilis, treatment consiste of benzathine penicillin 2. 4 million units intramuscularly on the first visit and repeated three penicillin preparations at 7 days intervals in most of patients.
Age Distribution ; Alopecia ; Chancre ; Dermatology ; Female ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; Male ; Obstetrics ; Occupations ; Outpatients ; Pediatrics ; Penicillin G Benzathine ; Penicillins ; Physical Examination ; Serologic Tests* ; Sexual Partners ; Spouses ; Syphilis* ; Syphilis, Cutaneous ; Syphilis, Latent ; Urology

We recently noticed four cases of Vibrio(V.) vulnificus infection from July, 1985 to September, 1985. The V. vulnificus was isolated by culture from the necrotizirig skin bullae in three cases, blood culture in two cases, and cerebrospinal fluid(CSF) in one case. The clinical characteristics of V. vulnificus infection in our cases was as follows: 1)All patients were men with their age over forties and the outbreak of the disease was during the summer season. 2) It was suspected that all patients had the previous hepatic problems. 3) The skin lesions showing bullae in three patients and subcutaneous nodules in one patient were noticed. 4) Two patients were showed positive in blood culture and one of thern also showed positive in lesional skin, urine and CSF. Lesional skin culture showed positive in three patients. 5) The isolated v. ulnificus was sensitive to chloramphenicol, erythromycin, gentamycin, kanamycin and cefobid. 6) Two patients died due to sepsis within 48 hours after liospitalization and one patient died due to hepatic failure.
Cefoperazone ; Chloramphenicol ; Erythromycin ; Gentamicins ; Humans ; Kanamycin ; Liver Failure ; Male ; Seasons ; Sepsis ; Skin ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio*

BACKGROUND: Despite the widespread use of liquid nitrogen cryoth.rapy on warts, little is known about its therapeutic effects. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effect of liqiud nitrogen cryotherapy on warts. MEHTODS: One-hundred and fifteen patients with 142 cases of vira warts were studied. The cryosurgery set we used was CS-76 table-top liquid nitrogen spray unit and it was applied directly on the lesion, the freezing front extending 2 to 4mm onto the uninviblvid skin. RESULT: There was an overall cure rate of 69.7% and the averager umber of freezings required for a cure was 2.6 amongst all patients cured by 5 or less freezings at ntervals of 2 or 3 weeks. CONCLUSION: The liquid nitrogen cryotherapy on warts results in a relatively high cure rate with safety, simplicity, rapid healirig, continustion of normal function and a tivities, and restoration of normal appearance.
Cryosurgery ; Cryotherapy ; Freezing ; Humans ; Nitrogen* ; Skin ; Warts*

The positive rate for serum anti-Hbs was analized among 424 0f HA vaccinated and 2035 of non-vaccinated cases at the Yeungnam University Hospital, Computed Automated Med-screening Center. Most of them from Kyungbook province and they had the last HB vaccination in the periods of 3 to 42months prior to this study. The followings were obtained. 1. The positive rates for serum HBsAg were 0.7% in the vaccinees, 9.6% in the non-vaccinated and 8.0% in the whole cases. 2. The positive rates for serum ant-HBs were 66.3% in the vaccinees, 47.9% in the non-vaccinated and 51.6% in the whole cases. 3. The positive rates for serum anti-HBs were 51.4% in the cases with one time of vaccination and 68.6% in the cases with two times of vaccination. On the vasis of these findings the positive rate for serum anti-HBs among the vaccines was significantly higher than of non-vaccinated (P<0.05). The positive rate for serum anti-HBs shortly after vaccination was higher than that of present our study which was made relatively long period after vaccination. As the reason a natural decrease of the titers of the serum anti-HBs can be postulated as one of the contributing factors for the discrepancy. In order to keep to serum antibody of perfect protectivity against HBV, it may be better to check the serum anti-HBs just vaccination, follow up and take booster injection when it is needed.
Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Vaccination* ; Vaccines

In recent years, an increasing number of drugs have been reported to cause direct esophageal damage. More than 30 cases on tetracyclines induced esophageal ulcer have been reported since the first description of tetracycline induced esophageal ulcer by Bokey and Hugh in 1975. In Korea, only one case of doxycycline-unduced esophageal ulcer has been reported. Authors have experienced 3 cases of esophageal ulcer probably caused by tetracyclines. The patients had taken their capsules just before going to bed with little fluid intake. About 6-8 hours later they had felt substernal burning sensation and epigastric discomfort. Gastrofiberscopy revealed relatively well demarcated circular ulcers on the mid esophagus. An esophagogram showed no apparent abnormality. Patients's symptoms became negligible with antacid treatment within 2-5 days. One of the causes of the esophageal ulcer is thought to be the delay in transit time of drugs and direct esophageal damage from mucosal contact when tablets are ingested in the recumbent position without an accompanying proper quantity of fluid. If only physicians endow patients with more concern about drug induced esophageal ulcer, they could find out more increasing number of drug induced esophageal ulcers by gastroscopic examination and thereby could prevent tetracycline induced esophageal ulcer.
Burns ; Capsules ; Esophagus ; Humans ; Korea ; Sensation ; Tablets ; Tetracycline ; Tetracyclines* ; Ulcer*