BACKGROUND: In epidermolysis bullosa acquisita, it has been recognized that there exists heterogeneity in the clinical and serologic/immunopathologic features. OBJECTIVE: We examined patients with epidermolysis bullosa acquisita to see if there were any associated clinical and serological features which may predict disease activity or prognosis in the disease. METHODS: Clinical and some serologic features were compared. between 2 groups of patients with epidermolysis bullosa acquisita; one with complete remission of the symptoms and signs of the disease for more than 2 years and the other group with persistent disease activities of longer than 5 years.
Epidermolysis Bullosa Acquisita* ; Epidermolysis Bullosa* ; Humans ; Population Characteristics ; Prognosis

PURPOSE: The effects of pain on brain is not well known. Also, differences between somatic and visceral pains have not been fully elucidated. This study was conducted to investigate changes in the expression of c-Fos protein after somatic and visceral pains were induced by formalin. METHODS: Male rats(n=65) were underwent one of three procedures : (i) Control group, rats were left undisturbed in their cages; (ii) Somatic pain group, rats were injected subcutaneously with 0.1 ml of 10% formalin in the plantar surface of right hindpaw; (iii) Visceral pain group, rats were administered with same amount of formalin, as described above, in the rectum. Rats were sacrificed at increasing times(30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours, 6 hours, 1 day, 3 days and 7 days) after noxious formalin stimuli to hindpaws and rectums. Rat brains were removed and sliced in rat brain matrix. Brain slices were coronal sectioned at interaural 5.70-6.70mm. Serial sections were immunohistochemically reacted with polyclonal c-Fos antibody. The numbers of c-Fos protein immunoreactive neurons in cingulate cortex, primary somatosensory area, and hippocampus were examined and analyzed statistically with Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: 1) The numbers of c-For protein immunoreactive neurons in cingulate cortex, primary somatosensory area and hippocampus peaked at 2 hours after somatic pain stimuli and reached almost normal conditions at 7 days. 2) The numbers of c-Fos protein immunoreactive neurons in cingulate cortex, primary somatosensory area and hippocampus peaked at 1 day after visceral pain stimuli and reached almost normal conditions at 7 days. 3) The numbers of c-Fos protein immunoreactive neurons of somatic pain groups were higher than that of visceral groups at all times and the difference of numbers peaked at 2 hours after pain stimuli. CONCLUSION: Reactions of somatic pain stimuli influenced more changable than visceral pain stimuli to brain. Conduction velocities of somatic pain were more faster than those of visceral pain. Higher numbers of c-Fos protein immunoreactive neurons were found in specific regions. These results provide some basic knowledge in understanding the mechanism and control of pain.
Animals ; Brain* ; Formaldehyde* ; Gyrus Cinguli ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Male ; Neurons* ; Nociceptive Pain ; Rats* ; Rectum ; Visceral Pain

Isolated dorsal dislocation of the trapezoid is an unusual injury. In 1990 Ostroski found only 15 cases of dorsal dislocation of the trapezoid in the world literature. The trapezoid is a wedge-shaped bone with the larger dorsal and smaller volar surface area, and stabilized by strong palmar ligaments. Therefore the dislocation of the trapezoid is produced hy a violent force against the dorsum of the hand on a rigid object and often associated with other injuries of the hand. The diagnosis is often missed or delayed perhaps secondary to the difficulty in interpreting the X-ray if you have not kept in mind. Several therapeutic modalities are performed from the collected experience of the authors reporting this injury. A rare example of an isolated dorsal dislocation of the trapezoid bone is described.
Diagnosis ; Dislocations* ; Hand ; Ligaments ; Trapezoid Bone

PURPOSE: Traumatic brain injury is a multifaceted injury that involves direct mechanical damage, intraparenchymal and subarachnoid hemorrhage, breakdown of the blood-brain barrier, excitotoxicity, and ischemia. Even though much investigations were performed, acceptable mechanical informations were rare. The aim of this study was to reveal the expression pattern of intermediate filament proteins associated with gliotic scars in cerebral cortex of rats after cryoinjury. METHODS: A total of 18 male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 300 g, 2 months old, were used throughout the experiments. To injure the brain, rats were anesthetized for surgery with 3.5% chloral hydrate(1 mL/100 g, intraperitoneally); the frontal bones were exposed by elevating the skin; and craniectomies were performed adjacent to the central suture, midway between lambda and bregma. A cryoinjury was then created by applying a cold probe(3-mm-diameter steel rod chilled in liquid nitrogen) to the left frontal cortex(ipsilateral cortex) for 1 min. Rats were sacrificed at 1, 4, 7 and 14 days postsurgery(n=3, per time point), and three rats were sacrificed as normal controls. Serial brain cryosections were made by cryostat. For immunohistochemistry, brain tissue sections were allowed to react with mouse anti-rat GFAP antibody(1:200), mouse anti-rat vimentin antibody(1: 200), and mouse anti-rat nestin antibody(1:200). RESULTS:Reactive astrocytes expressing GFAP, vimentin and nestin appeared for the first time at 6 hours after cryoinjury. Proliferation of GFAP and nestin positive cells started at 1 day after cryoinjury, reached its maximum on day 4, and returned to normal level after the 7th post-injured day. Proliferation of vimentin positive cells started at 1 day after cryoinjury, reached its maximum on day 4, and returned to normal level after the 14th post-injured day. Characteristic morphological changes in reactive astrocytes were seen at 4 days after cryoinjury. CONCLUSION: The above results suggest that GFAP, vimentin and nestin positive cells attend in the formation of gliotic scars.
Animals ; Astrocytes ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Cerebral Cortex ; Chloral Hydrate ; Cicatrix ; Cold Temperature ; Frontal Bone ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intermediate Filament Proteins ; Intermediate Filaments ; Ischemia ; Male ; Mice ; Nerve Tissue Proteins ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Steel ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; Sutures ; Vimentin

This study intended to obtain an useful information on the prevalence of subjective symptoms, and to clarify the interrelationships between blood lead and lead related symptoms in low level lead exposure. The 93 male workers exposed to lead and 56 male nonexposed workers were examined for their blood lead (PBB), Zinc-protoporphy (ZPP), hemoglobin (HB) and personal history, and completed 15 questionnaires related to symptoms of lead absorption; also measured lead concentration in air (PBA) in the workplace. The results obtained were as follow; 1. The means of blood lead (PBB), blood ZPP and hemoglobin (HB) among workers exposed to lead were 26.1+/-8.8 microgram/dl, 28.3+/-26.0 microgram/dl and 16.2+/-1.2g/dl; whereas those of nonexposed workers were 18.7+/-5.1 microgram/dl, 20.6+/-8.7 microgram/dl and 17.3+/-1.1g/dl. The means of above three indicies between two groups showed significant difference statistically (p<0.05). 2. The means of blood lead (PBB), blood ZPP and hemoglobin of workers exposed to different lead concentration in air were as follows; When it was below 25 microgram/m3 , the indices were 24.7+/-79, 26.1+/-26.8 microgram/dl and 16.4+/-1.1 g/dl respectively; These indices were 27.1+/-8.5, 23.9+/-10.92 /dl and 16.2+/-1.3 g/dl when the lead concentration in air was 25~50 microgram/m3; and they were 3.4+/-9.3, 42.3+/-31.3 microgram/dl and 15.5+/-1.2 g/dl when the concentration of lead was above 50 microgram/m3. Although there were statistical difference in blood lead and hemoglobin among three different lead concentration in air, there was no statistical difference of blood ZPP among the three groups with different exposure levels (p>0.05). 3. The most frequently by complained symptom was "Generalized weakness and fatigue", and fewest symptom was "Intermittent pains in abdomen". 4. Only two symptoms out of fifteen symptoms checked by themselves revealed significant difference between exposed and nonexposed groups. These were "Intermittent pains of abdomen" and "Joint pain or arthralgia" (p<0.05). No positive correlation was found between the levels of blood lead and symptom groups categorized as gastrointestinal, neuromuscular and constitutional symptoms. 5. Blood lead (r=0.3995) and ZPP (r=0.2837) showed statistically significant correlation with mean lead concentration in air, whereas correlations were not demonstrated between blood lead and lead related symptoms or blood ZPP and lead related symptoms. 6. Blood lead (PBB) and ZPP showed association (r=0.2466) and the equation PBB=23.75+0.0842 ZPP was derived. 7. On stepwise multiple regression, using blood lead level as a dependent variable and ZPP, hemoglobin (HB), age, work duration (WD) and symptom prevalence as a independent variables, only ZPP significantly contributed a lot to blood lead level. 8. While the ZPP measurement was found to be a good indicator in evaluating health effect of lead absorption in low level lead exposure, lead related symptoms were not sensitive enough to evaluate of lead absorption in low level exposure.
Absorption ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Many researchers report that the measurement of urine calcium concentration during antenatal period is helpful in prediction of having preeclampsia,but some don`t. The purpose of this clinical study is to evaluate the relationship of low calcium level in urine and the develpoment of preeclampsia, and effects of other variables. 24hour urine were collected and measured for the concentration of calcium and creatinine from 769 pregnant women who visited our department of obstetrics at Young-Dong Severeance hospital, Yonsei university medical college for antenatal care from March 1, 1993 to May 31, 1996. One group of 41 women developed preeclampsia and the other didn`t. There were no diffrences in ages and gestational age at urine collection between two groups, but a group with preeclampsia had an increased mean arterial blood pressure. There were signiificant difference in calcium concentration in urine and ratios of concentration of calcium and creatinine from urine collected between gestational ages of 25 weeks and 32 weeks and also in those women younger than 25 years old and their first pregnancy. Our study suggests that the measure ment of calcium level and ratios of urine calcium concentration and creatinine concentration at gestational ages between 25 weeks and 32 weeks in women younger than 25 year old with their first pregnancy is quite helpful inpredicting the develpoment of preeclampsia.
Adult ; Arterial Pressure ; Calcium ; Creatinine ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Obstetrics ; Pre-Eclampsia* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Urine Specimen Collection ; Weights and Measures

A subperiosteal ganglion has been very rarely reported, since Ollier reported first one in 1864. A subperiosteal ganglion is produced by mucoid degeneration and cyst formation within the periosteum, which results in cortical erosion. The characteristic plain radiolographic appearance of irregular cortical erosion and scalloping, with reactive periosteal bone spicules, has been considered pathognomonic of subperiosteal ganglion. Magnetic resonance imaging is performed to further characterize the soft tissue component of the mass. As in our patient, the characteristic signal intensities of magnetic resonance imaging are especially useful in identifying the lesion as a ganglion and in defining the lobular nature and the anatomical extent. We report here the case of a 35-year-old female who had a sudperiosteal ganglion of the distal radius.
Adult ; Female ; Ganglion Cysts* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Pectinidae ; Periosteum ; Radius*

The Parasitological investigation on the encysted metacercariae in brackish water fish, Tribolodon taczanowskii Steindachner , in the downstream of Hyungsan river which is located in Kyungpook province of Korea, were carried out, and the following results were obtained. Metacercariae of Metagonimus species were found in seventy five fishes (40.5 percent) out of 185 examined. Parasitic frequencies of the encysted matacercaria of Metagonimus species in Tribolodon taczanowskii were 23.2 percent (43 out of 185) in the scale, 7.0 percent (13 out of 185) in the gill, and 10.3 percent (19 out of 185) in the flesh. The number of the metacercaria in the scale, gill and flesh were fewer than that of the others. The worms were identified as Metagonimus yokogawai Katsurada, 1912 by morphological studies on the adults and eggs, and compared with prereported Metagonimus species.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Metagonimus yokogawai ; epidemiology ; Tribolodon taczanowskii

No abstract available.
Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis*

The Parasitological investigation on the encysted metacercariae in brackish water fish, Tribolodon taczanowskii, in the downstream of Hyungsan river which is located in Kyungpook Province of Korea, were carried out serially and the following results were obtained. Metacercariae of Pseudexorchis major were found in six fishes(15.8 per cent ) out of 38 examined. Parasitic frequencies of the encysted metacercaria of Psedexorchis major in Tribolodon taczanowskii were 15.8 per cent (6 out of 38) in the scale, 10.5 per cent (4 out of 38) in the fin, 13.2 per cent (5 out of 38) in the gill, 10.5 per cent (4 out of 38) in the oral cavity and 7.9 per cent (3 out of 38) in the flesh. The worms were identified as Pseudexorchis major (Hasegawa, 1935) Yamaguti, 1938 by morphological studies on the metacercariae, excysted metacercariae, adults and eggs, and compared with prereported Pseudexorchis species.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Pseudexochis major ; Tribolodon taczanowskii ; epidemiology