BACKGROUND: Chronic low back pain can be a manifestation of lumbar degenerative disease, herniation of intervertebral discs, arthritis, or lumbar stenosis. When nerve roots are compromised, low back pain, with or without lower extremity involvement, may occur. Local inflammatory processes play an important role in patients with acute lumbosciatic pain. The purpose of this study was to assess the value of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) measurements in patients with chronic low back pain or radiculopathy. METHODS: ESR and hsCRP were measured in 273 blood samples from male and female subjects with low back pain and/or radiculopathy due to herniated lumbar disc, spinal stenosis, facet syndrome, and other diseases. The hsCRP and ESR were measured prior to lumbar epidural steroid injection. RESULTS: The mean ESR was 18.8 mm/h and mean hsCRP was 1.1 mg/L. ESR had a correlation with age. CONCLUSIONS: A significant systemic inflammatory reaction did not appear to arise in patients with chronic low back pain.
Arthritis ; Blood Sedimentation ; C-Reactive Protein ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Low Back Pain ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Radiculopathy ; Spinal Stenosis

BACKGROUND: Intracellular calcium overload is a common final feature of the ischemic-reperfused heart and mediates the genesis of irreversible cell damage. Reactive oxygen medabolites have been known to play and important role as toxic mediators in myocardial injuries resulting from ischemia and reperfusion. In order to investigate the mechanism of intracellular calcium accumulation in the ischemic-reperfused myocardium, the present study observed the possible contribution of the reactive oxygen metabolite to the calcium transport of cardiac mitochondria. METHODS: Mitochondrial were isolated from rabbit hearts. The effects of a reactive oxygen metabolite, H2O2 on calcium uptake and release, redox states of endogenous pyridine nucleotides and glutathiones of mitochondria respiring with succinate were observed. Calcium uptake and release were monitored by dual-wave length spectrophotometer using a calcium indicator, arsenaze III. Contents and redox states of pyridine nucleotides and glutathiones were measured by enzymatic methods using spectrofluorometer and HPLC. RESULTS: Hydrogen peroxide(10-500microM) promoted calcium release dose-dependently from CA++-preloaded mitochondria, but did not affect the mitochondrial calcium uptake. The H2O2-induced calcium release was accompanied by simultaneous oxidation of the pyridine nucleotides and decrease in the content of the reduced form of glutathione(GSH). When mitochondria were treated with BCNU(N,N=bis(2-chloroethyl)-N-nitrosourea) to inhibit glutathione reductase and so as to reduce the GSH content, there were no increase in calcium release from the mitochondria. These results may indicate that H2O2 increases the permeability of cardiac mitochondrial membrane to calcium in association with the changes in redox state of endogenous pyridine nucleotides, but not with that of glutathiones. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that the reactive oxygen metabolites induce the release of calcium from mitochondria by altering the redox state of pyridine nucleotides, and it may partly be involved in the elevation of cytosolic calcium concentration in the ischemic-reperfused myocardial cells.
Calcium* ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Cytosol ; Glutathione Reductase ; Heart ; Hydrogen ; Ischemia ; Mitochondria* ; Mitochondrial Membranes ; Myocardium ; Nucleotides ; Oxidation-Reduction ; Oxygen* ; Permeability ; Reperfusion ; Succinic Acid

No abstract available.
Polyps* ; Vitelline Duct*

Generalized perforating granuloma annulare is a rare variant of granuloma. annulare, which was first described by Duncan et al 1) in 1973. A 21-year-old female had hundreds of 3 to 5mm papules over the whole body, which were mainly distributed in the extremities and trunk since three months ago. Individual papules developed a central umbilication with a peripheral collarette of scale. Histopathologic examination showed an epidermal perforation and transepidermal elimination of necrobiotic material. The epidermal perforation communicated with areas of necrobiotic collagen surrounded by palisading granulorna in the dermis. We treated her with oral prednisolone and dapsone, but there was no clinical improvement.
Collagen ; Dapsone ; Dermis ; Extremities ; Female ; Granuloma Annulare* ; Granuloma* ; Humans ; Prednisolone ; Young Adult

A total of 42 cases undifferentiated large cell tumors were stained by immunoperoxidase techniques using antibodies against leukocyte common antigen (LCA) and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA). In 18 of the 21 cases studied, initially diagnosed as malignant lymphoma or Hodgkin's disease, reactivity with monoclonal anti-LCA (and noreactivity with monoclonal anti-EMA)indicated that the tumor was a lymphomas. The remaining 3 cases gave the reverse reaction pattern and therefore were classified as carcinoma. One out of 16 cases diagnosed as undifferentiated carcinoma proved to be a case of mialignant lymphoma in 5 patients in whom the original diagnosis was uncertain, a definite diagnosis was possible in all cases and 3 of these proved to be large cell lymphoma; the remainders, undifferentiated carcinoma. It is suggested that the staining of undifferentiated human neoplasms using combinations of antibodies reactive with epithelial and lymphoid cells may result in much greater diagnostic accuracy.
Humans

A total of 42 cases undifferentiated large cell tumors were stained by immunoperoxidase techniques using antibodies against leukocyte common antigen (LCA) and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA). In 18 of the 21 cases studied, initially diagnosed as malignant lymphoma or Hodgkin's disease, reactivity with monoclonal anti-LCA (and noreactivity with monoclonal anti-EMA)indicated that the tumor was a lymphomas. The remaining 3 cases gave the reverse reaction pattern and therefore were classified as carcinoma. One out of 16 cases diagnosed as undifferentiated carcinoma proved to be a case of mialignant lymphoma in 5 patients in whom the original diagnosis was uncertain, a definite diagnosis was possible in all cases and 3 of these proved to be large cell lymphoma; the remainders, undifferentiated carcinoma. It is suggested that the staining of undifferentiated human neoplasms using combinations of antibodies reactive with epithelial and lymphoid cells may result in much greater diagnostic accuracy.
Humans

This study aims to investigate the recent clinical and mycological trends of dermatophytoses in Pusan area. The number of patients with dermatophytoses diagnosed by KOH examination and culture at Maryknoll Hospital was 1, 213 during past 2 years from November 1982 to October 1984. The incidence rate of dermatopbytoses was 9. 8% out of 12,377 cases of out patients in total. Tinea pedis (33 .7%,) was the most frequent diagnosis, followed by tinea cruris, tinea unguium, tinea corporis, tinea faciale, tinea manus and tinea capitis, in the order of decreasing frequency. The majority of cases were found in the age group from 20 to 39 4, The over all ratio of male to female patients was ] 2: 1 5 The positive rate in KOH examination was 96. 2A, and it was especially low in the areas of scalp, face and toe webs. The positive culture rate was 55, 9g, and it was higher in the covered area than in the exposed area. 6 678 strains out of the 1, 213 patients were isolated and identified. The species isolated were, in the order of decreasing frequency, Trichophyton rubrum (558 strains, 82.3% of total organisms isolated), Tn'chophyton mentagrophytes (55,8, 1 Microsporum canis (48, 7. 1g) Epidermophyton floccosum (12, 1 8g) and Microsporum gypseum (5, 0. 7gp) Trichophyton rubrum was the major causative organism in all the types of dermatophytoses except tinea capitis and tinea faciale. In tinea capitis, Microsporum canis was the main causative organism, and Trichophyton ferrugineum was not isolated, at all, which was a specific point, compared with the past tendency. In tinea faciale, zoophilic organisms were mainly isolated.
Busan* ; Diagnosis ; Epidermophyton ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Microsporum ; Onychomycosis ; Outpatients ; Scalp ; Tinea Capitis ; Tinea Pedis ; Tinea* ; Toes ; Trichophyton

Lipodystrophia centrifugalis abdominalis infantilis, an typical form of progressive lipodystrophy, is a disease mainly decribed in japanese infants. We report a case of lipodystrophia centrifugalis abdominals infantilis in Korean infant. The patient is a 2 year-old-girl with a coin sized well defined depressed lesion with surrounding redness and scaly changes in the right inguinal region. The skin from the depressed lesion revealed changes similar to those originally described by Imamura et al.
Infant ; Male ; Female ; Humans

Botulium toxin A has been used therapeutically in humans for over 20 years for a variety of medical indications. Some wrinkle and unsightly facial expressions are due to hyperkinetic muscle. For the past year, the author has injected it for variant purpose, so we describe the our experience with the variant extended use of the toxin including correction for just dynamic wrinkle, used with subperiosteal face lifting or peeling, post-traumatic twitching, and facial paralysis and relevant anatomy are discussed. Also we have another concept about muscle anatomy which have superficial and deep portion. The superficial portion is for harmonious action with SMAS during facial expression, which is also related to fine wrinkle, and the deep portion play role gross movement. Botulium toxin is safe and effective in varient field without complication. Its use is associated with a high degree of patient and physician satisfaction.
Exotoxins* ; Facial Expression ; Facial Paralysis ; Humans ; Rhytidoplasty

Primary pyogenic psoas abscess is rare lesion, and often is not suspected. Reasons for delayed diagnosis are unfamility with the lesion and the fact that symptoms often resemble those of primary disease of the hip. We present a case of primary pyogenic psoas abscess in child, which was diagnosed by MRI, and completely recovered after surgical treatment.
Child ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Hip ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Psoas Abscess