PURPOSE: In children disorders affecting brain white matter are not uncommon and MRI has high sensitivity to detect white matter lesions. We performed this study to find out the distribution of underlying diseases that show abnormal white matter image findings on brain MRI and the relationship between the underlying diseases and some particular patterns of MR imaging abnormalities. METHODS: Out of 1477 pediatric patients who visited the department of pediatrics of Yeungnam University Medical Hospital and took brain MRIs from January 1995 to June 2001, ninety five patients with white matter abnormalities on T2 MR images were evaluated retrospectively. This study excluded the patients with brain tumor, brain abscess, trauma, secondary white matter abnormalities due to hydrocephalus, cerebral infarct, and those whose main lesions were gray matter. RESULTS: The most common underlying disease was cerebral palsy(50 cases, 52.6%), followed by acute disseminated encephalitis(10 cases, 10.5%), intrauterine CMV infections (9 cases, 9.5%), inherited neurometabolic disorders(7 cases, 7.4%). In 12 patients(12.6%) with some neurological problems such as afebrile seizures and developmental delay, no underlying disease were found. The most common pattern of abnormal image findings was periventricular white matter lesions(45.3%) strongly related with cerebral palsy. The pattern of peritrigonal deep white matter lesions was found in 19 patients(20.0%), in 10 patients of whom no underlying diseases were found. The pattern of multiple round margined scattered lesions was found in all the 10 patients(10.5%) of acute disseminated encephalitis. CONCLUSION: There are diverse underlying diseases showing abnormal white matter image findings on MR in pediatric patients and particular patterns of abnormal image findings may serve to make a specific diagnosis possible. But not in a small group of children no diagnosis was established. Further studies regarding the underlying diseases affecting white matter lesions and more detailed knowledge of abnormal MR image findings are needed.
Brain ; Brain Abscess ; Brain Neoplasms ; Cerebral Palsy ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Encephalitis ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Leukoencephalopathies* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Pediatrics ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant* ; Streptococcal Infections*

BACKGROUND: Oral allergy syndrome(OAS) is composed of it,ching sense and edema in oral cavity, lips, throat, pharynx, and larynx following eating some fresh fruits or vegetables. It has been known that most of patients with OAS are allergic to pollens. Common epitopes were found among pollens, fruits and vegetables. Although OAS is a common farm of food allergy in adults, this is the first epidemiologic study of OAS in Korea. MATERIAL AND METHOD: One hundred and fifty one patients who showed positive skin reaction to pollens were telephone-interviewed. Investigation of the prevalence and clinical manifestations of OAS was possible in 81 patients. RESULT: The prevalence of OAS among these patients was 34.6% (28/81). OAS was found in 24(48%) out of 50 patients sensitized to tree pollens, whereas 4(13%) of 31 grass or weed pollen-sensitized paients had OAS. Most common causative food was apple and all of 17 apple- OAS patients were sensitized to tree pollens. Peach was the second common food and 14 of 15 peach-OAS patients were sensitized to tree pollens. Besides oral symptoms, rhinitis, asthma, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting or generalized urticaria were accompanied in half of the OAS patients (14/28). Some patients showed OAS to some unique Korean foods such as dropwort, taro and Aster. CONCLUSION: OAS was very common in pollen-sensitized patients. Larger epidemiologic studies are needed to find unique Korean foods and their antigensm causing OAS.
Adult ; Asthma ; Colocasia ; Diarrhea ; Eating ; Edema ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epitopes ; Filipendula ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Fruit ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Korea ; Larynx ; Lip ; Mouth ; Nausea ; Pharynx ; Poaceae ; Pollen* ; Prevalence ; Prunus persica ; Rhinitis ; Skin ; Urticaria ; Vegetables ; Vomiting

Infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis(IHPS) is one of the most common causes of nonbilious vomiting in early infancy, and is caused by hypertrophied pyloric muscle but its exact etiology and pathogenesis are still unknown. Fredet-Ramstedt pyloromyotomy has been accepted as the treatment of choice for IHPS. Atropine is a cholinergic blocking agent with potent antimuscarinic activity that decreases peristaltic contractions by relaxing smooth muscles. We treated a case of IHPS in a 33-day-old male infant by administering atropine sulfate intravenously. One day after atropine sulfate administration, he did not vomit any more. Ultrasonograms of the pyloric canal which were done on eight days and three weeks after atropine treatment revealed no limitation in the passage of gastric content, and no changes in the muscle thickness and length of the pyloric canal. Thereafter, he did not show up at follow ups, we received his mother's answer through phone that he did not suffer from vomiting and he was growing well at 5 months of age.
Atropine* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth ; Pyloric Stenosis, Hypertrophic* ; Ultrasonography ; Vomiting

Authors studied the workers' knowledge about the health problems detected through the previous workers' periodic health examination, content of follow-up management and actions taken for their health problem detected on previous health examination. From June to September 1992, workers' periodic health examination was performed on workers employed in 10 companies located in 2 middle-sized Korean cities. A questionnaire survey was done for 150 workers who reported to have D2 result of either hypertension or liver disorder at the previous workers' periodic health examination done in 1991. The results are as follows; 1. Of 160 workers who had D2 result of either hypertension or liver disorder in previous examination one year before, only 85 workers(51.3%, 43 workers with hypertension, 38 workers with live disorder) responded that they have such disorders. The other 65 workers responded to questionnaire were all those with C results. Respondents' knowledge about their diagnoses was relatively precise (95.2% in hypertension group, 94.6% in liver disorder group) but knowledge about classification of diseases was poor. 2. The main efforts to solve the health problem was self management (26 spells, 55.3%), visiting clinic or hospital (6 spells, 12.8%), use of herb medicine (2 spells, 4.3%) and use of drug store (2 spells, 4.3%) in hypertension group. In liver disorder group, 30 spells (71.4%) relied on self management, 6 spells (14.3%) on hospital or clinic and 9 spells (21.4%) had no effort to improve the health problem. Content of self management was low salt diet, quit smoking, regular exercise and quit alcohol drinking in order. Avoidance of salt in diet was high in hypertension group and quitting alcohol drinking was high in liver disorder group. In those with self management, 80.7% of hypertension group and 83.3% of liver disorder group continued previous effort. Those, however, who utilized clinic or hospital, only 16.7% and 50.0% were still visiting hospital or clinic. 3. Fifty seven percent of hypertension group and 64.3% of liver disorder group was presently smoking, 8.5% and 11.9% reduced smoking and 21.3% and 14.3% stopped smoking. Forty nine percent of hypertension group and 28.6% of liver disorder group was presently drinking. Reduced alcohol intake was reported in 29.8% and 40.5%, 12.8% and 23.8% stopped alcohol drinking. Sixty six percent of hypertension group and 73.8% of liver disorder group did no regular exercise, but 12.8% and 11.9% of each group increased their physical exercise for last one year. Forty three percent of hypertension group and 38.1% of liver disorder group was overweight (defined by bodymass index greater or equal than 25). Reduced body weight was reported in 17.2% and 16.7% of each group. Reduced dietary salt intake was high in hypertension group (51.5%). The study results suggest that follow-up management after workers' periodic health examination is not satisfactory. In order to improve this situation, adequate information on the result of the workers' periodic health examination should be distributed to each worker group with health education and counselling.
Alcohol Drinking ; Body Weight ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Diet ; Drinking ; Exercise ; Follow-Up Studies ; Health Behavior ; Health Education ; Hypertension ; Liver ; Liver Diseases ; Overweight ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Self Care ; Smoke ; Smoking

No abstract available.
Amputation* ; Replantation*

Malignant histiocytosis is a rare, usually fatal malignant neoplasm of reticuloendothelial systems. The disease is associated with fever, malaise, weight loss, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, pancytopenia, jaundice, and purpura. A 44-year-old female patient is described who had multiple, purple crusted nodules and plaques in the skin. In the laboratory study, pancytopenia was noted on the peripheral blood. In addition many atypical histiocytes were seen on the bone marrow aspiration. A lesional biopsy showed nodular infiltrations of atypical histiocytes in the dermis and some erythrophagocytosis was seen. Immunohistochemically, the histiocytes were weakly stained for lysozyme and α-l-antichymotrypsin, but were unstained for S-100 protein, cytokeratin, CEA(carcinoembryonic antigen), pan T/B marker CD30(ki-1), UCHL-1 LCA(leukocyte common antigen), and α-l-antitrypsin.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Dermis ; Female ; Fever ; Histiocytes ; Histiocytic Sarcoma* ; Humans ; Jaundice ; Keratins ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Mononuclear Phagocyte System ; Muramidase ; Pancytopenia ; Purpura ; S100 Proteins ; Skin ; Weight Loss

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The outcome of asthma treatment has traditionally been assessed by measuring the conventional clinical parameters such as symptoms, expiratory flow rates and needs for medications. But none of them tells us whether the patients are actually able to function properly in their lives. Only assessment of the quality of life (QOL) can reflect the parts of patients lives affected by the disease. However, there is no measure to assess the quality of life of patients with any chronic diseases in Korea yet. We developed the QOL Questionnaire for Korean Asthmatics and evaluated its measurement properties. METHOD: The questionnaire was composed of 18 items in four domains : i.e. activity limitation (6 items), symptoms (5 items), emotional function (3 items) and environmental stimuli (4 items). At our out-patient clinic, 32 adults with moderate to severe persistent bronchial asthma were enrolled. The study design consisted of 4 week unblinded single cohort with visits at 0 and 4 weeks, and the patients were asked to answer the questionnaire by self administration method at the two separate visits. Forced expiratory volume for 1 second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) were recorded at each visit. According to the patients and physicians global assessment, the patients were divided into two groups, i.e. stable and changed (improved). The responsiveness, reproducibility and validity of the questionnaire were evaluated. RESULTS: The total QOL scores at the second visit in the changed group were significantly higher than those at the first visit. The score differences between the two visits in the changed group were higher than in the stable group. In the stable group, the responses to the questionnaire were reproducible. The QOL scores showed good longitudinal correlation with the expiratory flow rates, whereas FEV1 did not correlate with the QOL in cross-sectional analysis. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire proved to be reproducible, responsive and valid in the subjects. It could be recommended for the outcome evaluation of Korean asthmatics.
Adult ; Asthma ; Chronic Disease ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Korea ; Outpatients ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Quality of Life* ; Self Administration ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To describe MR findings of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed 11 MR images of six patients with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. The MR images were retrospectively analyzed in terms of location and signal intensity of the thrombi, parenchymal lesions such as hemorrhage and edema, and changes in follow-up study obtained in 4 patients. RESULTS: The thrombus in venous sinus was visualized on MRI in all six patients. The most frequently involved sites were superior sagittal sinus(n=4) and left transvere sinus(n=4). Signal intensity of the thrombus was isointense or hyperintense on both T1 - and T2-weighted images with loss of normal signal void of the sinus on all sequences in all patients. Parenchymal lesion was present in five of six cases, manifested as local hemorrhage in three and edema in three cases(one case overlapped). Local edema seen in three patients was completely resolved on follow-up study of seven to 29 days intervals. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that iso- or high signal intensity with loss of signal void in venous sinus is virtually diagnostic of venous sinus thromosis. If there are local parenchymal lesions such as hemorrhage and/or edema of unknown causes, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis should be included in differential diagnosis.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Edema ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Retrospective Studies ; Sinus Thrombosis, Intracranial* ; Thrombosis

No abstract available.
Animals ; Rats* ; Sepsis*