No abstract available.

No abstract available.

The third equation on page 44 should be corrected.

No abstract available.
Schizophrenia*

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a disease affecting blood vessels and connective tissue, which are damaged by deposition of pathogenic autoantibodies and immune complexes. Although a complex disease, SLE provides a number of insights into autoimmune pathogenesis. Autoimmune disease, in general, is characterized by B cell hyperactivity which results in hypergammaglobulinemia and production of a variety of autoantibodies reactive to organ-nonspecific antigens such as DNA, RNA, and cell membrane structures. SLE patients usually show a marked increase in the number of activated and immunoglobulin-producing circulating B cells. Recently, cytokines with specific effects on immune regulation have been detected and extensively studied. One of them, Interleukin-6 (IL-6), is an activated monocyte derived factor which stimulates B cell growth and differentiation. We investigated the serum IL-6 levels of SLE patients in an attempt to demonstrate their relationship with the patients' clinical manifestation, and the serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), circulating immune complexes (CICs,) and soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R). The study subjects consisted of 22 patients with SLE who had visited Severance Hospital from July 1986 to September 1987 and 10 normal controls. The patients' sera were stored at -70degrees C and later analyzed. The serum levels of IL-6 were measured by ELISA method with Inter Test-6X Human IL-6 ELISA kit; the serum CRP levels by fluorescence polarization immunoassay; the serum CIC levels by solid phase Clp binding assay; and the serum sIL-2R levels ELISA method. The results were as follows: The mean serum IL-6 level of SLE patients (1,366 pg/ml) was higher that of the controls (98pg/ml) (p<0.05). Among the SLE patients studied. the mean serum IL-6 level was higher in those with vasculitis than those without. ln the SLE patients studied. a linear correlation was present between the measured serum IL-6 and CIC levels; however no correlation was present either between IL-6 and CRP levels, or between IL-6 level and platelet count. The mean sIL-2R level of the SLE patients studied (1,864 U/ml) was higher than that of the controls (300 U/ml). However, in the SLE patients studied, no correlation was present between the serum IL-6 and sIL-2R levels measured. The high serum IL-6 level might play an important role in the pathogenesis of SLE.
Antigen-Antibody Complex ; Autoantibodies ; Autoimmune Diseases ; B-Lymphocytes ; Blood Vessels ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cell Membrane Structures ; Connective Tissue ; Cytokines ; DNA ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fluorescence Polarization Immunoassay ; Humans ; Hypergammaglobulinemia ; Interleukin-2 ; Interleukin-6* ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Monocytes ; Platelet Count ; RNA ; Vasculitis

The equations on page 162 should be corrected.

Fibrous pseudotumor of paratesticular region is rare, but one of the most common neoplasm of that region. It has also been called as nodular fibrous proliferation, pseudofibromatous periorchitis, benign fibrous paratesticular tumor, and fibrous mesothelioma(pseudofibroma). We herein report a case of fibrous pseudotumor with characteristic histological findings. The patient is a 59 year-old male who had incidentally found scrotal mass and undergone radical orchiectomy. There was two separate nodules at tunica vaginalis and proximal spermatic cord which had bulging whitish-gray cut surface with focal myxoid change. Histologically, the mass was composed of dense collagenous tissue with scattered lymphoid follicles and numerous chronic inflammatory cells. There was a proliferation of spindle or stellate shaped cells, some of which featured enlarged hyperchromatic nuclei with prominent nucleoli, and abundant basophilic cytoplasm. These cells stained positive for vimentin and actin immunohistochemically, suggesting that this lesion might derive from proliferation of myofibroblasts.
Male ; Humans

In the published version of this article, the contents of Table 1 (‘Demographic characteristics of subjects’) are incorrect.

No abstract available.
Hematoma*

Drug-drug interaction (DDI) is defined as a change in effect or safety of a drug by another co-administered drug. The fact that more than half of the market withdrawal cases for the past ten years was caused by potentially fatal DDI's demonstrates its clinical importance. The mechanism of DDI can be categorized into pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions. Most of the clinically important drug interactions are caused by inhibition or induction of oxidative metabolism by cytochrome P450 (CYP) isozymes. Recent researches are also focusing on drug transporter interactions as another significant factor underlying DDI's. It is hard to prevent unexpected or rare DDI's. However, most of the cases of DDI occur from an erroneous prescription of drugs that are already known to result in deleterious interactions. To avoid such well-established DDI's, physicians are first recommended to utilize hands-on summary tables for CYP substrates before prescribing. It should also be remembered that old age, polypharmacy and damaged hepatic or renal function are risk factors of DDI as well as adverse drug reactions. Moreover, patients treated with drugs with a narrow therapeutic index (immunosuppressants, antiarrhythmics, anticoagulants, digoxin, theophylline etc) deserve a special consideration when their prescriptions are changed. In Korea, the clinical significance of DDI has been underemphasized. The fundamental prescription to this old prescription habit is to teach medical students and physicians clinical pharmacology and therapeutics, which have long been neglected in Korea.
Anticoagulants ; Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System ; Digoxin ; Drug Interactions ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Humans ; Isoenzymes ; Korea ; Metabolism ; Pharmacology, Clinical ; Polypharmacy ; Prescriptions ; Product Recalls and Withdrawals ; Risk Factors ; Students, Medical ; Theophylline