Parameters of the left ventricular performance were evaluated by echocardiographic examination in 66 normal subjects. Effects of pulse rate, systemic arterial pressure, peripheral resistance and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension on the parameters were also observed. Normal value(mean+/-SD) of fractional shortening was 34.0+/-5.2%, ejection fraction 0.71+/-0.07, mean rate of circumferential fiber shortening 1.15+/-0.19 circ/sec, mean posterior wall velocity 4.05+/-0.70cm/sec, maximal posterior wall velocity 6.31+/-1.26cm/sec, mean normalized posterior wall velocity 0.82+/-0.14/sec, and maximal normalized posterior wall velocity 1.28+/-0.24/sec. There were negative correlations of peripheral resistance to fractional shortening, ejection fraction and mean rate of circumferential fiber shortening. Pulse rate and left ventricular end-diastolic dimension did not have significant effects on these parameters. Mean and maximal posterior wall velocity had negative correlations to peripheral resistance and positive correlations to left ventricular end-diastolic dimension. But mean and maximal normalized posterior wall velocity had no correlations to any of them.
Arterial Pressure ; Echocardiography* ; Heart Rate ; Vascular Resistance

BACKGOUND: Because heterogeneity of the human tyrosinase gene has been reported, it is of vital significance to know the correct nucleotide sequence of tyrosinase in Koreans in order to study the molecular basis of oculocutaneous albinism. OBJECTIVE: This study was done to analyze the nucleotide sequence of tyrosinase gene in Koreans. METHODS: All exons were amplified from genomic DNAs and sequenced directly from three healthy Koreans. RESULTS: The nucleotide sequence of the tyrosinase gene in Koreans encode 511 amino acids with a molecular weight of 58,000. CONCLUSION: The nucleotide sequence of coding region is the same with that of pHTrl(Shibahara et al. Tohoku J Exp Med 156: 403-414, 1988). As we couldn't observe any polymorphisms in Koreans these results suggested the homogeneity of Korean people.
Albinism, Oculocutaneous ; Amino Acids ; Base Sequence ; Clinical Coding ; DNA ; Exons ; Humans* ; Molecular Weight ; Monophenol Monooxygenase* ; Population Characteristics ; Sequence Analysis*

BACKGROUND: Recently the sensitive measurement of radiation damage to DNA using flowcytometric analysis of nucleoid preparations was reported which allows an analysis of damage within the DNA of single cells. We applied flowcytometric analysis of the nucleoids for the detection of DNA damage by UVB. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to establish the method of detecting UVB-induced damage of DNA by flowcytometry and to elucidate the usefulness of this method to detect cell damage. METHODS: Human melanoma cells were cultured and were irradiated with various of UVB. Immediately after UVB irradiation nucleoid suspensions were prepared and flowcytometric analysis was done. RESULTS: The changes in fluorescence, forward scatter, and side scatter reflected damage of DNA induced by UVB quite well especially at lower UVB doses. CONCLUSION: Flowcytometric analysis of nucleoid will be a useful methosd to detect DNA damage by UVB.
DNA ; DNA Damage ; Fluorescence ; Humans ; Melanoma ; Methods ; Suspensions ; Ultraviolet Rays*

No abstract available.
Granuloma, Pyogenic*

BACKGROUND: Clinical features of atopic dermatitis(AD) have been well described according to age in the English literature. In Korea there have been some reports about clinical analyses of AD. However, there is no report about the clinical characteristics of adult AD. OBJECTIVE: We tried to characterize the clinical features of adult AD by comparing them with the childhood/infantile type. In addition we aimed to study the prognostic factors that may be related to the persistence of dermatitis into adult life. METHODS: Patients with AD were divided into the adult and childhood/infantile types according to the patient's age. Sixty three adult patients were compared with 107 childhood/infantile patients. Various clinical characteristics of AD were compared between these groups. RESULTS: Orbital darkening, foot eczema, and extensor involvement were more frequently observed in the childhood/infantile type, whereas flexural lichenification, especially in the antecubital fossa, prurigo papules in the extensor part of the extremities, cheilitis, forehead lichenification, Hertoghe's sign, nipple eczema, and anterior neck fold involvement were more frequent in the adult type. Light sensitivity was more prominent in the adult type. Later age at onset of AD was observed in adult patients. The incidence of respiratory atopy (asthma and allergic rhinitis) was higher in the adult group. CONCLUSION: In the adult type flexural involvement with lichenification became more prominent and prurigo papules were more frequently observed in the extensor part of the extremities. Later onset of AD and association with respiratory atopy were considered to be bad prognostic factors.
Adult* ; Age of Onset ; Cheilitis ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Eczema ; Extremities ; Foot ; Forehead ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Neck ; Nipples ; Orbit ; Photophobia ; Prurigo

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Valproic acid (2-propylpentanoic acid) which enhances GABA synthesis and blocks it's degradation has been useful treatment of migraine and may activate GABA receptors to modulate trigeminal nociceptive neurons innervating the meninges. But the mechanism and action of sodium valproate in headache is not clear. To investigate the mechanism of valproic acid action in headache model, we compared the change of dural plasma protein extravasation in both substance-P neurogenic inflammation rats with valproic acid pretreatment and without valproic acid pretreatment. METHOD: Sprague-Dawely rats were pretreated with valproate 30 minutes prior to substance-P administration in order to test the effects of sodium valproate on dural plasma protein extravasation by detecting the amount of extravasated Evans blue in the dura matter. To examine the abilities of either bicuculine (GABAA antagonist) and phaclofen (GABAB antagonist) to reverse the effect of valproate, they were administered 5 min before valproate administration. After then we also test the effect of muscimol (GABAA agonist) and bicuculine (GABAA antagonist) in substance-P induced neurogenic inflammation rats. RESULTS: Intraperitoneal injection of sodium valproate and muscimol reduced dural plasma protein extravasation after intravenous substance-P administration. The GABAA antagonist bicuculine completely reversed the effect of valproate and muscimol on plasma extravasation following substance-P administration, whereas the GABAB receptor antagonist, phaclofen, did not. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the attenuation of dural plasma protein extravasation by valproate and muscimol is mediated by via GABAA receptors within the meninges. Agonists and modulators at the GABAA receptor may become useful for the development of selective therapeutic agents for migraine headache.
Animals ; Evans Blue ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; Headache* ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Meninges ; Migraine Disorders ; Muscimol ; Neurogenic Inflammation ; Nociceptors ; Plasma ; Rats* ; Receptors, GABA ; Sodium* ; Valproic Acid*

BACKGROUND: Respiratory atopy (RA) is frequently associated with atopic dermatitis (AD) and the age of onset is usually later than that of the dermatitis. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence, the onset, and the duration of RA associated with AD in Korea. We also tried to correlate the existence of RA with the severity and prognosis of AD. METHODS: One hundred and eighty one patients with AD were studied. Information about the age at onset and the duration of RA were obtained from the medical history of patients or from the medical records. The severity of AD was graded. RESULTS: RA was found in 66 cases of AD (36.5%). The average age at onset of asthma was 6 years and the average duration of asthma was 6 years. The average age at onset of allergic rhinitis (AR) was 12.4 years and the average duration of AR was 6.8 years. The prevalence of asthma with AD was the most common in the age group between 8 and 11 years while the prevalence of AR was the most common in the age group between 20 and 23 years. The higher occurrence of RA in the older age group was considered to represent persistence of AD in-to adult life. We could not find any difference in the severity of AD between pure AD patients and AD patients with RA. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of RA in AD in Korea was considered to be similar to that of other reports. The average onset of asthma in Korea was a little later, whereas the average on-set of AR was a little earlier than that in the other reports. The duration of RA, which has hardly been mentioned in the literature, was considered to be about 6 years in Korea. It is likely that RA is a poor prognostic factor for AD, but does not affect severity of dermatitis.
Adult ; Age of Onset ; Asthma ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Humans ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Prevalence ; Prognosis ; Rhinitis, Allergic

BACKGROUND: Recently doubts have been raised regarding the diagnostic significance of some of the minor clinical features of atopic dermatitis (AD) proposed by Hanifin and Rajka. Some of them may be nonspecific and racial difference was suggested. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic significance of 14 minor clinical features out of Hanifin and Rajka's 23 minor features of AD in the Korean pediatric population. The significance of 5 more items was evaluated as additional minor features. METHODS: The difference in frequency of the total 19 features of AD was compared between 100 patients with AD and 76 controls. RESULTS: Fourteen of these were shown to be significantly more frequent in patients than in controls including our 5 additional clues such as scalp scaling, postauricular fissure, infraauricular fissure, forehead lichenification, and infragluteal eczema. CONCLUSION: Our study about the minor features may be a valuable guideline for the diagnosis of AD in the Korean pediatric population.
Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Diagnosis ; Eczema ; Forehead ; Humans ; Scalp

BACKGROUND: Recently doubts have been raised regarding the diagnostic significance of some of the minor clinical features of atopic dermatitis (AD) proposed by Hanifin and Rajka. Some of them may be nonspecific and racial difference was suggested. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic significance of 14 minor clinical features out of Hanifin and Rajka's 23 minor features of AD in the Korean pediatric population. The significance of 5 more items was evaluated as additional minor features. METHODS: The difference in frequency of the total 19 features of AD was compared between 100 patients with AD and 76 controls. RESULTS: Fourteen of these were shown to be significantly more frequent in patients than in controls including our 5 additional clues such as scalp scaling, postauricular fissure, infraauricular fissure, forehead lichenification, and infragluteal eczema. CONCLUSION: Our study about the minor features may be a valuable guideline for the diagnosis of AD in the Korean pediatric population.
Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Diagnosis ; Eczema ; Forehead ; Humans ; Scalp

BACKGROUND: Gamma linoleic acid (GLA, Epogam) is considered a safe and effective modality in the treatment of atopic dermatitis (AD) in which impaired function of the enzyme, delta-6-desaturase, has been reported to result in reduced levels of GLA, desaturated fatty acids. OBJECTIVE: We performed this study to observe the changes of skin surface conditions measured objectively by bioengineering methods in relation to clinical improvement after treatment with GLA (Epogam®) in children with AD. METHODS: Thirty-four children with AD were treated with GLA (Epogam®) and evaluated with clinical parameters.The changes of skin surface conditions were monitored by non-invasive experimental instruments. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease of transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and gradual improvements in clinical severity after 12 weeks of GLA (Epogam®) treatment. The change of skin surface pH was statistically significant on the antecubital fossa and abdomen except the popliteal fossa. The other parameters including skin surface hydration and skin surface lipid did not show consistent changes. CONCLUSION: Clinical improvement of AD with GLA (Epogam) seemed to be achieved by the reduction of TEWL.
Abdomen ; Bioengineering ; Child ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Fatty Acids ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Linoleic Acid* ; Linoleoyl-CoA Desaturase ; Skin* ; Water