No abstract available.
Acanthosis Nigricans* ; Vitiligo*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn*

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is belived to be a disorder of keratinocyte hyperproliferation mediated by T helper cells. Cyclosproine is one of the immunosuppressants and there have been several studies showing the benefcial effects of cyclosporine on psoriasis. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy, tolerability, and adverse effects of cyclosporine, a randomized open uncontrolled multicenter study was conducted in 15 university hospitals in Korea. METHOD: There were 68 total trial cases and among them 16 patients dropped out from the study. The reported reasons for stopping the use of the medication under study prematurely were lack of cooperation(seven cases), adverse effects(six cases), the ineffectiveness of the medication(two cases), and another(one case). The drug was administered for 18 weeks to 52 patients. The initial dosage of the drug was 2.5mg/kg/day which was maintained or increased to 4mg/kg/day or 5mg/kg/day according to the PASI score reduction rate at the 6th and 12th week. The PASI score was measured and Iaboratory tests and observation of adverse events were done. RESULTS: At the end of therapy PASI score reduction rate of more than 66% occured in 40 patients (76.9%). The PASI score was significantly reduced from 20.0 to 5.4 after treatment for 18 weeks. The social disability score was significantly decreased. Pruritus and nail involvement were also significantly decreased. The change of systolic and diastolic blood pressure were statistically not significant. The 30% increase of serum creatinine level compared to the baseline was observed in six patients(11.5%) at the 6th week, three patients(5.8%) at the 12th week, five patients(9.6%) at the 18th week, but no patients showed an increase above the normal range.The increase of serum total bilirubin and SGOT was observed in six patients(11.5%) and one patient(1.9%0, respectively. The clinical adverse events reported during the study were gastrointestinal trouble(seven cases, 13.5%), hypertrichosis(two cases, 3.8%), generalized weakness(two cases, 3.8%0, paresthesia(one case, 1.9%), hypertension(one case, 1.9%), disturbance of erection(one case, 1.9%). The overall assessment of efficacy and tolerability by investigator and patients were mostly good or very good. CONCLUSION: Generally cyclosporine was well accepted and tolerated and low dose cyclosporine therapy-2.5mg/kg/day to 5mg/kg/day-is an effective therapeutic modality for the treatment of psoriasis.
Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Bilirubin ; Blood Pressure ; Creatinine ; Cyclosporine* ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Keratinocytes ; Korea ; Pruritus ; Psoriasis* ; Research Personnel ; T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer

To study the risk factors associated with maternal HBsAg carrier and the effects of maternal HBs antigenemia on the neonatal health, sera of 729 pergnant women admitted to the Keimyung University Hospital for delivery during the period of February 1-May 30, 1982 were tested for HBsAg by RPHA method and for anti-HBs by PHA method. Among them 43 women (5.9%) had HBsAg and 246 women (33.7%) had anti-HBs giving an infection rate of 39.6%. The interview data for 43 HBsAg positive mothers and randomly selected 210 HBsAg negative mothers showed a statistically significant association between acupuncture history and HBsAg positive rate (p<0.005) which suggest that acupuncture might have contributed significantly to the propagation of viral hepatitis in Korea. The living standard of HBsAg positive mothers was generally lower than that of HBsAg negative mothers which supports the hypothesis that environmental factors are associated with viral hepatitis B infection. None of the 43 neonates born to HBsAg positive mothers had HBsAg in their cord blood. Three months after birth, 35 out of 43 infants were retested and only one infant became HBsAg positive. At six months of age, 32 out of 35 infants were retested and none of them were HBsAg positive except the same infant who was positive at three months. Among 20 control infants of HBsAg negative mothers, all of them were HBsAg negative at three and six months follow-up. These findings are not consistent with the supposition that perinatal infection is a main route of viral hepatitis B transmission in south-east Asia including Korea. HBsAg positive mothers had significantly higher rate of premature delivery (27.9%) than HBsAg negative mothers (11.7%) (p<0.05). Also, the low birthweight incidence rate was higher among HBsAg positive mothers (23.3%) than negative mothers (14.1%) but this was not statistically significant (p=0.16). The premature rupture of membrane was more frequent among HBsAg positive mothers (25.5%) than negative mothers (11.1%) (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in the stillbirth rate and incidence of congenital anomalies between HBsAg positive and negative groups. It was not clarified in this study due to small sample size whether higher incidence of premature delivery and premature rupture of membranes among HBsAg positive mothers was due to HBs antigenemia per se or their lower living standard than HBsAg negative mothers.
Acupuncture ; Asia ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis B ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Membranes ; Mothers ; Parturition ; Risk Factors ; Rupture ; Sample Size ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Stillbirth

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether low FDG uptake would be associated with the biological low-aggressiveness of invasive ductal carcinoma. METHODS: The subjects consisted of 124 female patients with primary invasive ductal carcinoma. All the patients were examined with (18)F-FDG PET/CT before neoadjuvant chemotherapy. RESULTS: With regard to histopathologic grading, 117 were histopathologic grade 1 and 2, and 7 were grade 3. Low FDG uptake correlated with well and moderate histopathologic grade (p=0.003) and low (18)F-FDG uptake in invasive ductal carcinoma depended on the presence of axillary lymph node metastases (p=0.014) and small tumor (<2.0 cm, p=0.022). Ki-67 positivity ranged from 0% to 60% (mean 15%). Sixty seven specimens showed low immunoreactivity to Ki-67 antigen (<10% of tumor cells). This revealed a significant correlation between low FDG uptake and Ki-67 (p=0.003). Logistic regression analysis between these factors showed that lower histologic grade, no axillary lymph nodes metastases and low Ki-67 (<10%) were correlated with low FDG uptake. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that an association exists between low FDG uptake and good prognostic factors such as lower histologic grade (1, 2), no axillary lymph node metastases and low Ki-67 (<10%).
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Female ; Humans ; Ki-67 Antigen ; Logistic Models ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether low FDG uptake would be associated with the biological low-aggressiveness of invasive ductal carcinoma. METHODS: The subjects consisted of 124 female patients with primary invasive ductal carcinoma. All the patients were examined with (18)F-FDG PET/CT before neoadjuvant chemotherapy. RESULTS: With regard to histopathologic grading, 117 were histopathologic grade 1 and 2, and 7 were grade 3. Low FDG uptake correlated with well and moderate histopathologic grade (p=0.003) and low (18)F-FDG uptake in invasive ductal carcinoma depended on the presence of axillary lymph node metastases (p=0.014) and small tumor (<2.0 cm, p=0.022). Ki-67 positivity ranged from 0% to 60% (mean 15%). Sixty seven specimens showed low immunoreactivity to Ki-67 antigen (<10% of tumor cells). This revealed a significant correlation between low FDG uptake and Ki-67 (p=0.003). Logistic regression analysis between these factors showed that lower histologic grade, no axillary lymph nodes metastases and low Ki-67 (<10%) were correlated with low FDG uptake. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated that an association exists between low FDG uptake and good prognostic factors such as lower histologic grade (1, 2), no axillary lymph node metastases and low Ki-67 (<10%).
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Female ; Humans ; Ki-67 Antigen ; Logistic Models ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the efficacy and safety of positive pressure ventilation (PPV) with a laryngeal mask airway (LMA), compared with an endotracheal tube (ETT) during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. METHODS: Sixty six, ASA I II adults scheduled for an elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy were randomly assigned to LMA or ETT. Anesthesia was induced with fentanyl 2ng/kg, lidocaine 0.5 mg/kg and propofol 2 mg/kg and maintained with a continuous infusion of propofol 6 - 12 mg/kg/h in 67% N2O, atracurium and fentanyl. An ETT or LMA was placed with atracurium 0.5 mg/kg. Respiratory and hemodynamic parameters were measured before and after intraabdominal CO2 insufflation. The surgeon assessed the degree of change in gastric distension under laparoscope. RESULTS: Oxygen saturation, end-tidal CO2, peak inspiratory pressure, expiratory tidal volume and compliance of the respiratory system didn't differ between both groups. Blood pressure and heart rate were lower in the LMA group than in the ETT group only at 5 min after induction (P < 0.05). The maintenance dose of propofol, fentanyl and atracurium were similar in both groups. Degree of change in gastric distension were similar in both groups. The LMA resulted in less coughing after removal than did the ETT (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PPV with LMA permits adequate pulmonary ventilation and hemodynamic stability during laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Gastric distension occurs with similar frequency in LMA or ETT.
Adult ; Anesthesia ; Atracurium ; Blood Pressure ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic* ; Compliance ; Cough ; Fentanyl ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Insufflation ; Laparoscopes ; Laryngeal Masks* ; Lidocaine ; Oxygen ; Positive-Pressure Respiration* ; Propofol ; Pulmonary Ventilation ; Respiratory System ; Tidal Volume

OBJECTIVES: Although most of the functional and structural neuroimaging studies have reported the association of the that cognitive deficits in patients with schizophrenia with the pathophysiology of the prefrontal cortex, their findings vary considerably. Based on the precise parcellation methods, this study was designed to investigate substructural abnormalities of the prefrontal cortex in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: The subjects consisted of twelve patients with schizophrenia and 12 age- and sexmatched normal volunteers. Magnetic resonance images were obtained in all subjects, and parceled into 8 frontal substructures using the topographic landmarks. The frontal substructural volumes were compared between the two groups, and their correlations with the schizophrenic symptom severity were analysed in the patient group. RESULTS: In the comparison of substructural volumes, most frontal substructures of the patient group tended to be smaller than those of the normal comparison group; particularly the right supplementary motor area was significantly smaller(p<0.003). Negative symptoms tended to be inversely correlated with the frontal substructural volumes, particularly with the right superior frontal gyral volume(gamma= -0.70, p=0.01). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest the possibility of structural defects related to 'hypofrontality' in schizophrenia. These frontal structural defects may be the basis of neurocognitive deficits and neural circuital dysfunction in schizophrenia.
Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Neuroimaging ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Schizophrenia*

In hepatocellular carcinoma distant metastasis after curative surgical resection without intrahepatic metastasis is very rare. A 55-year old man presented with a huge pelvic bone mass. Eight years ago he underwent posterior hepatic segmentectomy following diagnosis of hepatocelluar carcinoma. He has received regular check-ups with abdominal ultrasonography and serum alpha-fetoprotein. On admission an MRI on the pelvic area showed an 18x10 cm sized lobulated mass invading the pelvic bone and acetabulum. Microscopic examination revealed that the tumor was a well differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma. There was no evidence of intrahepatic recurrence. He was treated with transarterial chemoembolization, external radiotherapy (total 3750 cGy), and systemic chemotherapy using 5-fluorouracil.
Acetabulum ; alpha-Fetoproteins ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Pelvic Bones* ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence* ; Ultrasonography

The presence of intracavitary cardiac metastasis from squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix is extremely rare. The diagnosis is made almost exclusively postmortem. Apart from causing intracardiac obstruction, it can present as pulmonary emboli and the prognosis is extremely poor. It is important to suspect this diagnosis in patient with recurrent pulmonary emboli. Due to the rarity of this condition it is very difficult to standardize care for these patients. However, it is possible that aggressive therapy may lengthen patients' survival and quality of life. We present a case of isolated intracavitary cardiac metastasis arising from a squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix, 44-year-old woman, diagnosed as stage complaint of fatigue and dyspnea on mild exertion. The echocardiogram showed a mass in the right ventricle and suspicious pulmonary embolism. We took an aggressive therapeutic approach. The pathological examination of the resected tissue revealed metastatic squamous cell carcinoma.
Adult ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cervix Uteri* ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Fatigue ; Female ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Embolism* ; Quality of Life ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms