Recently, people living in a rapidly industrializing country such as Korea seems to have less opportunity to be exposed to Rhus and Ginkgo trees than before, which may cause a lower prevalence of sensitivity to such allergens than those reported in the past. To prove the prevalence of sensitivity in Koreans, we have tested 0. 002g and 0.0l%, Urushiols and 10% Ginkgo leaves produced by Torii company to 72 atients with or suggesting contact dermatitis. The results were as follows: 1) Twelve of 72 patients(13, 9%) showed positive reactions and two patients(2. 8 %) showed active sensitization to both 0. 002% and 0. 0l% Urushiols. Only one patient(]. 4%) reacted to 10g Ginkgo leaves, and she was also reacted to the Urushiols. 2) Age and sex distribution of the positive reactors were none under thirty, 2 in thirties, 3 in forties, 4 in fifties, one over sixty, and seven female patients outnumber three male patients. 3) Out of 5 patients having past history cf contact dermatitis to Rhus tree, only patients showed positive reactions. Out of 67 patients without past history of allergy to Rhus, 8(ll, 9%) showed positive reactions and 59(88. 1%) showed negative reactions.
Allergens ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Female ; Ginkgo biloba* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Korea ; Male ; Prevalence* ; Rhus* ; Sex Distribution ; Trees

This study was undertaken to observe the difference of patch test and prick test positive reactions in three groups, 20 atopic dermatitis patients, 20 chronic urticaria patients, and 20 normal controls, Twenty commercial antigens (ToriiCo.) and twenty three frozen and boiled antigens of fishes and shellfishes were used as test materials. The results were as follows: 1. No positive reaction was observed in all sixty subjects in patch test. 2 In prick test, difference in reactivity was observed among atopic dermatitis (14. 7%), chronic urticaria (8.7%), and normal control(1. 5%) 3. There was significant difference in reactivity between Torii and frozen antigens in atopic dermatitis group, but no significance in chronic urticaria and control groups. 4. Boiling altered the reactivity in tested materials in all three groups of subjects singificantly. 5. Patients with past or family history of allergic diseases showed double fold higher reactivity tban patients without any history.
Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Fishes ; Humans ; Patch Tests ; Shellfish* ; Urticaria*

Open discectomy is one of usual treatment for herniated intervertebral disc. We may expect the reduction of height of intervertebral disc due to decreased volume by partial resection of herniated disc. But the effect of decreased height of intervertebral disc space to posterior joint and spinal canal has not been identified, and the correlation between the amount of reduced height and the changes of range of motion has been undetermined. Thus, we analyzed radiologic changes of disc height and segmental motion by the flexion-extension view in 20 patients who had undergone discetomy for prolapsed intervertebral disc from June 1989 to January 1991 who could be followed up for 3 years or more. As a result, lumbar discetomy associates with 1) significant decrement of disc height (average 14%), 2) decreased disc motion of involved segment without hypermobility (average 34%), 3) hypermobility of adjacent segment, 4) and posterior facet overriding consistent with recurred low back pain.
Diskectomy ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; Joints ; Low Back Pain ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Spinal Canal

Hemangiopericytoma was first described by Stout & Murray in 1942 and was an uncommon soft tissue tumor thought to be derived from vascular pericytes. Approximately 10-15% of the cases occur in children have a propensity to develop in the region of head, neck and lower extremities. We experienced a case of congenital hemangiopericytoma of small bowel in a male neonate who showed vomiting and abdorninal distension. We reported a case of congenital hemangiopericytoma of small bowel with brief review of related literature.
Child ; Head ; Hemangiopericytoma* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Intestinal Obstruction* ; Intestine, Small ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Neck ; Pericytes ; Vomiting

OBJECTIVE: Although ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death among all cancers of the female reproductive tract, the genetic alterations involved in ovarian cancer remains largely unknown. Recently, mutations of the p53 gene have been documented in many types of human cancer including ovarian cancer. METHODS: In tbe present study, p53 gene mutation was examined in DNA samples extracted from paraffin embedded surgical specimens of ovarian cancer. Furthermore, clinicopathological parameters were examined in relation to p53 gene mutation in order to understand the role of p53 mutation in the development of ovarian cancer. Using the polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and single strand conformational polymarphism(PCR-SSCP), p53 gene mutation was examined and the mutations were confirmed by DNA scquencing in 17 cases of ovarian cancer. RESULTS: Abnormal bands indicating mutation were detected in 2/17(11.8%). DNA sequencing confirmed in 2 mutations and revealed C to T and A to T nucleotide chmges. In clinicopathological parameters, FIGO stage, grade, and recunence were not correlated with the p53 gene mutation. However, the recurrence rate was higher in patients with mutant p53 compared with those with wild type p53(50.0% vs 13.3%), altbough this is not statisticaUy significant. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, p53 gene mutation shows no correlation with stage, grade and recurrence, and p53 gene mutation does not appear to be a marker that predicts the biological behavior or the outmme of the disease. This study suggested useful data to elucidate the mechanism of chemotherapy-resistant ovarian cancer and further p53 expression assay would be mandatory for p53 nonfunctioning ovarian cancas.
Cause of Death ; DNA ; Female ; Genes, p53* ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Paraffin ; Recurrence ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

Neurocristopathy is characterized as having a common origin in aberrant neural crest development. Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (Ondine's curse) is characterized by marked depression of respiratory drive during sleep and normal ventilation while awake because of no response to both hypercapnea and hypoxia. The girl was full-term, weighing 3020 grams. The girl had poor respiratory effort at birth, but improved with oxygen supply and stimulation. abdominal distention and calcification were noted. During laparotomy transitional zone was found at distal jejunum; a jejunostomy was constructed. Numerous attempts at extubation failed because of apnea. The results of an apnea work-up, including brain sonography, echocardiogram, were normal. The girl died of sepsis at 37 days of age. para-aortic ganglioneuroblastoma was found on autopsy. We experienced a newborn with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome, Hirschsprung's disease and congenital ganglioneuroblastoma representative of neurocristopathy.
Anoxia ; Apnea ; Autopsy ; Brain ; Depression ; Female ; Ganglioneuroblastoma* ; Hirschsprung Disease* ; Humans ; Hypoventilation* ; Infant, Newborn* ; Jejunostomy ; Jejunum ; Laparotomy ; Neural Crest ; Oxygen ; Parturition ; Sepsis ; Ventilation

Ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VP shunt) for hydrocephalus is thought to inhibit the closure of processus vaginalis by increasing intraabdominal pressure, thus it promotes the inguinal hernia. We reviewed the incidence and characteristics of the inguinal hernia in VP shunted patients, and tried to estimate the patency rate of processus vaginalis in early childhood. A reprospective review of patients undergone insertion of VP shunt between January 1980 and May 1998 at Seoul National University Children Hospital was done. 262 patients were included in this study. Among them, 28 patients developed inguinal hernia (10.7%). Six patients developed inguinal hernia before the insertion of VP shunt. According to the age of VP shunt, the inguinal hernia developed in 16.2% (12/74) of patients who had undergone VP shunt before 6 months old, 12.4% (11/89) between 6 months and 2 years old and 5.1% (5/99) after 2 years old. Among 22 patients excluding 6 patients who developed hernia before VP shunt, the incidence of inguinal hernia after VP shunt was 8.6% (22/256) with male predominance (M:F=18:4). 8 patients developed inguinal hernia bilaterally (36.4%). It is suggested that at least 14% of processus vaginalis is patent until 2 years old.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; Hernia ; Hernia, Inguinal* ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Incidence ; Infant ; Male ; Seoul ; Ventriculoperitoneal Shunt*

Effects of thoracentesis on thoracic impedance and cardiac performance were studied in patients with uncomplicated unilateral tuberculous pleural effusion. The speed of the removal of the pleural effusion in thoracentesis was essentially similar to that of a generally used for therapeutic purpose in daily practice. Thoracic impedance was measured in 23 cases before, 4 and 10 minutes after thoracentesis to the amount of pleural effusion aspirated was observed. In 11 cases out of 23, the changes in cardiac performance as assessed by stroke volume, cardiac output, heart rate, heather index and ratio of pre-ejection period to left ventricular ejection time(PEP/LVET) were observed 4 minutes after 150 ml to 1,000 ml of thoracentesis. In these cases, stroke volume, cardiac output, and Heather index were determined from impedance cardiograms, and PEP/LVET from mechanocardiograms recorded simultaneously with the former. A significant increase in thoracic impedance was observed both 4 and 10 minutes after thoracentesis. There was a slight but a significant correlation between the changes in thoracic impedance and the amount of pleural fluid aspirated only 4 minutes after thoracentesis. Thoracentesis showed no consistent influence on cardiac performance as reflected to stroke volume, cardiac output, heart rate, heart index and PEP/LVET. These facts suggest that measurement of thoracic impedance may be a useful method reflecting alterations in pleural fluid volumes, particularly when it occurs in a relatively short period of time, and the effects of thoracentesis of less than one liter on the cardiac functions as determined by the above-mentioned parameters were variable.
Cardiac Output ; Electric Impedance* ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Pleural Effusion ; Stroke Volume

OBJECTIVES: Cognitive impairment in restless legs syndrome (RLS) patients can be affected by sleep deprivation, anxiety and depression, which are common in RLS. The objective of this study is to investigate relationship between cognitive impairment and RLS in the non-medicated Korean elderly with controlling for psychiatric conditions. METHOD: The study sample for this study comprised 25 non-medicated Korean elderly RLS patients and 50 age-, sex-, and education-matched controls. All subjects were evaluated with comprehensive cognitive function assessment tools-including the Korean version of Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Packet (CERAD-K), severe cognitive impairment rating scale (SCIRS), frontal assessment battery (FAB), and clock drawing test (CLOX). Sleep quality and depression were also assessed with Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and geriatric depression scale (GDS). RESULTS: PSQI and GDS score showed no difference between RLS and control group. There was no significant difference between two groups in nearly all the cognitive function except in constructional recognition test, in which subjects with RLS showed lower performance than control group (t=-2.384, p=0.02). Subjects with depression (GDS> or =10) showed significant cognitive impairment compared to control in verbal fluency, Korean version of Mini Mental Status Examination in the CERAD-K (MMSE-KC), word list memory, trail making test, and frontal assessment battery (FAB). In contrast, no difference was observed between subjects who have low sleep quality (PSQI>5) and control group. CONCLUSIONS: At the exclusion of the impact of insomnia and depression, cognitive function was found to be relatively preserved in RLS patients compared to control. Impairment of visual recognition in RLS patients can be explained in terms of dopaminergic dysfunction in RLS.
Aged ; Alzheimer Disease ; Anxiety ; Depression ; Humans ; Memory ; Restless Legs Syndrome ; Sleep Deprivation ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Trail Making Test

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a pathological syndrome in which activation of coagulation cascade leads to fibrin clot formation, consumption of platelets and coagulation factors, and secondary fibrinolysis. We report a case of severe postoperative hemorrhagic diathesis due to DIC. A 59-year-old man was scheduled for reduction of tibia fracture and anatrophic nephrolithotomy of staghorn calculi. On the fifth postoperative day, second operation was performed for nephrectomy due to perirenal hematoma. Two days later, third operation was performed for hemostasis because of the continuous bleeding. Coagulation tests showed positive DIC profiles of thrombocytopenia, hypofibrinogenemia, increased fibrin degradation products, and prolonged prothrombin time and thrombin time. The patient recovered uneventfully and discharged on the 59th postoperative day.
Blood Coagulation Factors ; Calculi ; Dacarbazine ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation* ; Fibrin ; Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products ; Fibrinolysis ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage* ; Hemorrhagic Disorders ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Nephrectomy ; Postoperative Complications ; Prothrombin Time ; Thrombin Time ; Thrombocytopenia ; Tibia