No abstract available.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone* ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Spasms, Infantile*

No abstract available.
Vasculitis*

No abstract available.
Thumb*

No abstract available.
Cyclic GMP* ; Cytomegalovirus* ; Gene Expression* ; Humans*

No abstract available.
Lung* ; Pneumonia*

No abstract available.
Head* ; Hypopharynx* ; Mouth* ; Neck* ; Oropharynx*

BACKGROUND: Since the advent of AIDS, tuberculosis has become a major public health problem in the western society. Therefore, it is essential that pulmonary tuberculosis be rapidly diagnosed. Light microscopic detection of acid-fast organisms in sputum has traditionally been used for rapidly diagnosing tuberculosis. However positive smears are only observed in about one-half to three-quarters of cases. Studies using PCR for diagnosing pulmonary tuberculosis disclosed several shortcomings suggesting an inability to distinguish between active and treated or in active tuberculosis. In this study, the clinkcal significance of a PCR-bases rapid technique for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in peripheral blood investigated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From July 1, 1998 through to August 30, 1999, 59 patients with presumed tuberculosis, who had no previous history of anti-tuberculosis medication use whithin one year prior to this study were recruite and followed up for more than 3 months. AFB stain and culture in the sputum and/or pleural fluids and biopsies when needed were performed. Blood samples from each of the 59 patients were obtained in order to identify Mycobacterium Tuberculosis DNA by a PCR test. RESULTS: 1) Forty five out of 59 patients had a final diagnosis of tugerculosis; Twenty eight were confirmed as having active pulmonary tuberculosis by culture or biopsy. Four were clinkcally diagnosed with pulmonary tuberculosis. The othe 13 patients were diagnosed as having tuberculous pleurisy (9) and extrapulmonary tuberculosis (4). 2) Fourteen patients showed a positive blood PCR test. The PCR assay correctly identified active tuberculosis in 13 out of 14 patients. The overall sensitivity and specificity of this blood PCR assay for diagnosing tuberculosis were 29% and 93%, respectively. The positive predictive value was 93%, the negative predictive value was 29% and diagnostic accuracy was 44%. 3) Six out of 14(43%) patients with blood PCR positive tuberculosis were immunologically compromised hosts. 4) A simple chest radiograph in blood PCR positive tuberculosis patients showed variable and inconsistent findings. CONCLUSION: A peripheral blood PCR assay for Mycobacterium tuberculosis is not recommended as screening method for diagnosing active tuberculosis. However, it was suggested that the blood PCR assay could contribute to an early diagnostic rate due to its high positive predictive value.
Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; DNA* ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Public Health ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sputum ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pleural ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

There have been limited reports about the prevalence and its characteristics of glaucoma in Korea. To clarify further, we retrospectively analyzed the data of 1482 patients with glaucoma from January 1993 to December 1994. The prevalence of glaucoma was 0.58%. The type of glaucoma consisted of secondary glaucoma 33.9%, primary open angle glaucoma(POAG) in 33.2%, angle closure glaucoma(ACG) 28.0%, normal tension glaucoma 4.0% and congenital glaucoma 0.9%. The mean age of the patients with POAG was 55.2+/-16.5 and that of ACG was 64.7+/-9.2. In POAG, the age group over 40 years old occupied 79.7% while 99.3% was the age group over 40 years in ACG. The incidence rate of men was higher than women in POAG but in women it was 3.6 times higher than men in ACG. Secondary glaucomas due to diseases of uveal tract, neovascular glaucoma, steroid induced glaucoma, and aphakic (or pseudophakic) glaucoma were 37.0%, 18.9%, 16.5%, and 15.7% respectively.
Adult ; Female ; Glaucoma* ; Glaucoma, Angle-Closure ; Glaucoma, Neovascular ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Low Tension Glaucoma ; Male ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Paralyses, Familial Periodic*

A case of arterial priapism was treated by superselective transcatheteric autologous clot embolization of cavernosal artery 25 days after blunt periheal trauma. No immediate improvement was noted but the priapism subsided on 48th day after the procedure. Normal physiclogic erectlie function was achieved on 53rd day after the procedure, and the period of postprocedure impotence was shortened, as compared with previously reported cases. Autologous blood clot embolization may be an effective treatment method even in delayed priapism, and superselective technique is thought to be more effective to shorten the postprocedure erectlie dysfunction
Arteries ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Male ; Priapism*