No abstract available.
Humans ; Meningitis, Aseptic* ; Paralysis*

BACKGROUND: To assess the clinical utility of new DNA extraction method, the authors attempted PCR using mycobacterial DNA extracted by Chelex 100 ion exchange resin method for 63 clinical samples in patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and compared with proteinase K method, simultaneously. METHODS: We used Chelex 100 ion exchange resin for preparation of DNA. Decontaminated sputums were mixed with resin and incubated at 56degrees C and 100degrees C without opening tube. After centrifugation, supernatants were used directly as template for PCR. 245 bps in primary PCR and 188 bps in nested PCR were amplified and analysed by agarose gel electrophoresis EtBr staining. RESULTS: Chelex 100 ion exchange resin method is more simple, rapid and reliable than proteinase K method, and during sample preparation, carry-over contamination loss of amplificated DNA, influence of organic solvents and cross-contamination are diminished. The results of PCR products are interpreted more distinctively in Chelex 100 ion exchange resin method than proteinase K method. CONCLUSIONS: In the basis of the results, it could be suggested that extraction of mycobacterial DNA by Chelex 100 ion exchange resin is more simple, rapid reliable method than that of conventional method for detection of mycobacterial DNA in patients with tuberculosis by polymerase chain reaction.
Centrifugation ; Diagnosis* ; DNA* ; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel ; Endopeptidase K ; Humans ; Ion Exchange ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Solvents ; Sputum ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

No abstract available.
Stomach Neoplasms* ; Tuberculosis, Pleural*

Bacterial meningitis results in significant neurologic dificits despite in spite of much effort in the treatment of the disease. This study was performed to determine the incidence of caustive organisms and to correlate between the organisms and computed tomographic (CT) findings with clinical outcome of bacterial meningitis in newborns and infants. We analyzed the brain CT and clinical records of 15 infants who had been diagnosed as bactrial meningitis by CSF culture. We found that the most common organisms were Group B streptococcus in neonates withou no neurologic complications in all but one and Hemophilus influenza in infants whose clinical outomes were poor in all except one. CT findings related with poor prognosis in this study were cerebral edema, basal cistermal obliteration & enhancement, and cerebral infarction on initial CT and ventriculomegaly on follow-up CT. We concluded that CT diagnosed intracranial complications of bacterial meningitis well and could contributed to better treatment of bacterial meningitis.
Brain ; Brain Edema ; Cerebral Infarction ; Follow-Up Studies ; Haemophilus ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn* ; Influenza, Human ; Meningitis ; Meningitis, Bacterial* ; Prognosis ; Streptococcus

A prospective study had been performed in infants with hydronephrosis due to ureteropelvic junction stenosis to determine adequate management plan. Forty infants (47 renal units) were selected for the study during the period from January 1995 to July 1997 in the Department of Pediatrics, Asan Medical Center. They were diagnosed prenatally or early postnatally (<3 months of age) on the basis of renal ultrasonography and techotium-99m-mercap- toacetyltriglycerine (MAG3) scan. The antero-poste- rior pelvic diameter (APPD) was measured from serial renal ultrasonography and relative renal function and clearance half time (T1/2) were calculated from serial MAG3 scan. Those who had accompanying other urogenital anomalies or vesicoureteral reflux were excluded in this study. Follow-up tests (ultrasonography and MAG3 scan) and surgical corrections, if necessary, were performed according to the predetermined algorithrn. The male to female ratio was 3: 1. Hydronephrosis was involved the left side in 24 renal units, the right side in 9 renal units, and the bilateral sides in 14 renal units. All the hydronephrotic renal units were divided into 2 groups; Group A (19 renal units) those had taken surgical correction, and group B (28 renal units) those revealed spontaneous improvement without surgical correction. The mean follow-up duration was 7.2+/-6.3 months in group A and 14.1+/-12.6 months in group B. The mean APPD in the first postnatal renal ultrasonography was 19.4+6.8 mm in group A and 10.0+/-3.0mm in group B and this was statistically significant (P<0.01). The rela- tive renal function of group A in the first MAG3 scan was under 35% in 7 renal units and over 35M in 12 renal units. In group B, the relative renal function was over 35% in the all 28 renal units. Tl/2 in the first MAG3 scan was longer than 20 minutes in the all 19 renal units in group A. In group B, Tl/2 was shorter than 10 minutes in 15 renal units, between 10 minutes and 20 minutes in 6 renal units, and longer than 20 rninutes in 7 renal units. The mean APPD of the 7 renal units in group B of which Tl/2 was longer than 20 minutes was 12.62.6mm and that of group A was 19.4+/-6.8mrn and this was statistically significant (P<0.01). In conclusion, the renal ultrasonography and MAG3 scan can be used effectively to determine the degree of the stenosis of the ureteropelvic junction in hydronephosis during infancy. When the babies are diagnosed with hydronephrosis due to ureteropelvic junction stenosis in the early infantile period, serial renal ultrasonography and MAG3 scan play an important role in the decision of the management.
Chungcheongnam-do ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis* ; Infant ; Male ; Pediatrics ; Ultrasonography* ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux

BACKGROUND: Soluble IL-2R, soluble CD8 and TNF-alpha are elevated in sera of some patients with hematological malignancies, and a marked elevation of these cytokines could be used to assess disease activity and prognosis in this malignancy group. METHODS: The serum levels of sIL-2R, sCD8 and TNF-alpha were assessed in 28 patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and 32 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and 39 cases of healthy control subjects to define clinical usefulness as prognostic markers by sandwich enzyme immunoassay. RESULTS: In MDS patients, serum sIL-2R levels were significantly higher as compared with controls, and a more pronounced increase of serum sIL-2R levels was found in patients with RAEB RAEB-t and CMML as compared with RA and RARS. Serum sCD8 levels were higher as compared with controls, but not related with FAB classification. In patients with leukemic conversion. sCD8 levels tended to be higher as compared with patients with non-conversion. The sIL-2R levels of AML patients were significantly higher than controls, and a significant correlation was detected between the levels of sIL-2R and WBC counts. Higher sIL-2R levels( >2000 U/ml) tended to affect both complete remission rate and survival. Serum sCD8 levels were higher than controls, but not related to FAB classification. No differences of serum TNF-alpha levels were detected as compared with healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: From these results, this study indicates that serum sIL-2R and sCD8 are significantly increased in some patients with MDS and AML, and increased levels of serum sIL-2R and sCD8 may be useful for predicting prognosis of these patients.
Anemia, Refractory, with Excess of Blasts ; Classification ; Cytokines ; Hematologic Neoplasms ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute* ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes* ; Prognosis ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

There are 3 basic methods for surgical treatment of axillary osmidrosis; 1) method that removes only subcutaneous cellular tissue without removing skin 2) method that removes skin and subcutaneous cellular tissue en bloc, and 3) method that partially removes skin and subcutaneous cellular en bloc as well as removing the subcutaneous cellular tissue of the adjacent region. We studied the results of partial removal of the skin and subcutaneous cellular tissue en bloc, as well as the removal of subcutaneous cellular tissue of the adjacent region to compare the results of the bipedicled flap with the graft conversion method. There was no difference between two methods in results and complication rates. There are 3 advantage to this procedure. First, about 70-80% of apocrine glands were centrally distributed among the axillary hairbearing region therefore, resection of the central portion of axillary hair distribution area is important for good result. Second, the preservation of the subdermal plexus with careful excision of adjacent underlying subcutaneous tissue under the aid of the magnifying surgical loupe, is important for good wound healing. Third, the central excision of the axillary hair distribution area provides good exploration for undermining and defatting of the undersurface of the adjacent area, therefore it tooks a shorter operation time.
Apocrine Glands ; Hair ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Transplants ; Wound Healing

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Bandages* ; Gentian Violet* ; Gentiana* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus* ; Wounds and Injuries*

Epidermolytic keratosis palmaris is a rare disease which shows clinical findings of Unna Thost keratoderma and histopathologic of epidermolytic hyperkeratosis. We report herein a case of epidermolytic keratosis palmaris et plantaris in a 16-month-old female baby. Light microscopy shows marked hyperkeratosis, large irregular keratohyalin granules, and large clear spaces in the granular and upper spinous layers. Eletron microscopic findings shows that the clear spaces are areas of cytoplasm filled with a fibrillar material and cellular organelles. Abnormal clumping of tonofilament and keratohyalin is also present.
Cytoplasm ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperkeratosis, Epidermolytic ; Infant ; Intermediate Filaments ; Keratoderma, Palmoplantar* ; Keratosis* ; Microscopy ; Organelles ; Rare Diseases