Vitiligo is a relatively common depigmentary disorder occurring in approximately 1-2% of the general population. All races are affected. Both sexes are likely to be affected equally; the female prevalence in some studies can probably be attributed to cosmetic reasons. It can occur and spread at any stage of life and is often associated with a positive family history. Up to 30 percent of patients have reported vitiligo in another family member. The lesion is characterized by discrete, pale-white macules, few or several in number, which tend to enlarge centrifugally over time. It is not contagious, nor is it a serious health problem. However, it can be troublesome in brown and black people as well as in white persons who tan deeply (skin phototype IV), and often leads to social embarrassment and psychological turmoil.
Continental Population Groups ; Female ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Triacetoneamine-N-Oxyl ; Vitiligo*

OBJECTIVE: Estrogen is a major regulator/modulator of bone metabolism, and bone loss in estrogen deficiency is associated with increased bone turnover, But the mechanism for estrogen action on bone metabolism is still unknown. Recent studies have suggested that the increase in bone loss induced by estrogen deficiency is mediated by increased paracrine production of bone resorbing cytokines. Among cytokines, 1nterleukin-6(IL-6) is released from osteoblasts in estrogen deficiency and increases bone resorption by stimulation of osteoclastic activities and recruitment. Thus we performed this study to evaluate the effect of ovariectomies on bone mineral density and IL-6 in cultured monocytes of peripheral blood and bone marrow. METHODS: The experimental animals were 13 female Sprague-Dawley rats that were 8 weeks of age and weighed an average of 188.5 gram at the beginning of the study. Bilateral ovariectomies were performed in all rats from a ventral approach. Bone mineral density(BMD) of the total body, spine and level of IL-6 of cultured monocytes of peripheral blood and bone marrow were measured before and 8 weeks after ovariectomy. RESULTS: 1) BMD of total body and spine were lower after ovariectomy(0.257+/-0.069g/cm2, 0,208+/-0.005g/cm2) than before ovariectomy (0.276+/-0.005g/cm2, 0.229+/-0.011g/cm2), respectively (P<0.01). 2) Although IL-6 level of cultured monocytes in peripheral blood tended to be higher after ovariectomy than before ovariectomy, this difference was not statistically significant (P>0.05). 3) IL-6 level of cultured monocytes in bone marrow was higher after ovariectomy(82.78+/-4.99pg/ml) than before ovariectomy(48.85+/-2.42pg/ml)(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: It is possible that increased production of IL-6 in estrogen deficiency induced by ovariectomy occurs in the local environment of bone or bone marrow rather than in the pheripheral blood and stimulates bone resorption.
Animals ; Bone Density* ; Bone Marrow ; Bone Resorption ; Cytokines ; Estrogens ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-6* ; Metabolism ; Monocytes ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoclasts ; Ovariectomy* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spine

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

No abstract available.
Hemoperitoneum*

No abstract available.
Calcium* ; Lithium* ; Parathyroid Hormone*

This study was conducted to evaluate the relations between alcohol intake and blood lipid level in a group of 1,138 Korean adult men, ages 20 to 69 years. Total number of each of a variety of drinks in the previous two weeks was obtained by questionnaire and converted into grams of alcohol consumed in a week. The levels of blood lipid such as Cholesterol, HDL-Cholesterol, Triglyceride and LDL-Cholesterol were examined by enzyme method. We also observed the effects of various variables such as age, body mass index, smoking, exercise and blood pressure on blood lipid level. The results obtained were as follows; 1. Average weekly alcohol intake was 129.0+/-167.4 gm and that of 30-39 age group was the highest as 149.3+/-170.4gm. 2. Levels of Cholesterol, Triglyceride and LDL-Cholesterol tended to increase with increasing age, but level of HDL-Cholesterol showed no significant relationship with age. 3. The positive linear regressions of alcohol intake on HDL-Cholesterol and Triglyceride were noted statistically significant. 4. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the effect of alcohol on HDL-Cholesterol and Triglyceride was statistically significant and the contribution rates were 5.0% and 0.8%, respectively. And, in the case of HDL-Cholesterol, the alcohol intake was the most significant independent variable.
Adult* ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Male ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Triglycerides

PURPOSE: To evaluate the role of antegrade balloon dilatation and uteteral stenting in benign ureteral strictures. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Percutaneous antegrade balloon dilatation was attempted in 46 patients with benign ureteral strictures. The underlying causes of the strictures were urinary tract tuberculosis in 20 patients, congenital ureteropelvic junction obstruction in eight, ureteroneocystostomy or ureteroileostomy state in five, postoperative or post-extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy state for ureteral calculi in eight, ureteral injury during surgery in four, and retroperitoneal fibrosis in one. RESULTS: Antegrade balloon dilatation was performed with initial technical success in 43 patients but the procedure was aborted in the remaining three with urinary tract tuberculosis due to the failure in passing a guidewire through the stenotic lesions. Intravenous urograms obtained 4-76 months after the procedure showed improvements in 76%(13/17) with urinary tract tuberculosis, in 63%(5/8) with congenital ureteropelvic junction obstruction, in 88%(7/8) with strictures associated with ureteral calculi, and in 100%(4/4) with iatrogenic ureteral injury. The results were relatively poor in strictures of the ureteral anastomosis(1/5) and in ureteralstrictures associated with retroperitoneal fibrosis(0/1). CONCLUSION: Antegrade balloon dilatation of the urinary tract combined with ureteral stenting was an effective technique for the management of the benign ureteral strictures.
Constriction, Pathologic* ; Dilatation* ; Humans ; Lithotripsy ; Retroperitoneal Fibrosis ; Shock ; Stents* ; Tuberculosis ; Ureter* ; Ureteral Calculi ; Urinary Tract

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Humerus*

Objective: Cerebral white matter changes (WMCs) and silent brain infarcts (SBIs) are common radiological findings in neurologically asymptomatic elderly people. Their presence is associated with an increased risk of stroke or dementia. Homocysteine (Hcy) can cause atherosclerosis and may thus act as a useful marker of stroke prior to symptom onset. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of Hcy as a surrogate marker for early intervention for stroke in community-dwelling healthy elderly persons with cerebrovascular lesions such as WMCs and SBIs. Methods: We assessed the relationship between the Hcy level and presence of WMCs/SBIs on brain computed tomography (CT) in 554 elderly individuals aged ≥65 years with no history of stroke or dementia. Results: The mean age of the participants was 74.43±7.32 years. Of the 554 patients, 106 (19.1%) had WMCs and/or SBI findings on brain CT. The mean Hcy level was higher in participants with WMCs/SBIs (P=0.001). The WMCs/SBIs group had a significantly greater number of participants with high Hcy levels than the non-WMCs/SBIs group (P<0.001). High Hcy levels (≥12.3 μmol/L) was significantly associated with WMCs and SBIs even after adjusting for age, Korean Mini Mental Status Examination score, education level, and vascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and smoking status. Conclusion: The result of our study suggests that regular monitoring of homocysteine level as a modifiable risk factor may be helpful for predicting the association of cerebrovascular lesions such as WMCs and SBIs for the prevention of future ischemic stroke and cognitive impairment.

The function of the knee joint is determined by the anatomical integrity of ligamentous structures, however the ligaments and soft tissues which support by the knee joint are too weak to tolerate forceful stresses. The knee joint is one of the most susceptible joints to ligamentous injury. Recently, the incidence of ligamentous injuries of the knee increased because of rise in traffic accidents and participation in sports. For good results, it is very important to make an early diagnosis and to give prompt management. The authors reviewed 67 cases of ligamentous injuries in patients who were admitted and managed at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery of Presbyterian Medical Center from March of 1976 to December of 1982. The results of the clinical study are as follows: 1. The prevalent age group is the 3rd through 5th decades, and more frequent in males (8. 6 times). 2. The traffic accident is the most common cause of injury (80. 6%) and many ligamentous injuries were associated with fracture (53. 2%). 3. The most common ruptured individual ligament was the medial collateral ligament. The isolated ligamentous rupture of anterior and posterior cruciate ligament was 3 cases each, but most of the cruciate ligaments were combined with other ligament injury. 4. The rupture sites of the individual ligaments were found to be the following: (a) The medial collateral ligament was ruptured most frequently in the mid-substance (45. 2%), with the deep layer ruptured at the femoral attachment and the superficial layer in the mid-substance; (b) The lateral collateral ligament torn at the fibular attachment (62. 5%); (c) The anterior cruciate ligament torn at the femoral and tibial (47. 6%, respectively); (d) The posterior cruciate ligament torn at the femoral attachment (40. 0%). 5. It is significant if the difference between the normal knee and the injured knee on the stress film is more than 10 or 10mm. 6. Excellent and good results were obtained in 95.2% by non-surgical management and in 93.0% by surgical management. 7. Early surgical repairs, made within 2 weeks after injury, gave much better results than late repairs.
Accidents, Traffic ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; Clinical Study ; Collateral Ligaments ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Joints ; Knee Joint ; Knee ; Lateral Ligament, Ankle ; Ligaments ; Male ; Posterior Cruciate Ligament ; Protestantism ; Rupture ; Sports