No abstract available.
Polymerase Chain Reaction*

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia(CAP) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recently, the evolution of drug-resistant microorganisms has become a serious problem in CAP management. Specific antimicrobial therapy is the cornerstone of CAP management. However, obtaining an accurate etiologic diagnosis clinically is not easy and empirical antimicrobial treatment is usually administered prior to the correct microbiologic diagnosis. In this study, the clinical usefulness of empirical CAP treatment was investigated. METHODS: A total 35 cases were studied prospectively over a 16-month period in Mokpo Catholic Hospital from Dec. 1995 to Mar. 1997. The microbiologic diagnosis was made by sputum, blood culture, a specific serum antibody test and an immunologic study. RESULTS: The causative organisms were isolated in 10 (30%) out of 33 cases: 8 cases and 1 case on the sputum culture and blood culture respectively, and 1 case by an indirect hemagglutinin test. 12 cases had underlying diseases: pulmonary tuberculosis 4, alcoholism 4, diabetes mellitus 3, and liver cirrhosis 1. Antimicrobial treatment was given empirically and all cases recovered. CONCLUSION: A definite microbiologic diagnosis before commencing the appropriate treatment in CAP is not straightforward. Empirical therapy according to a clinical assessment is important and helpful. However, every effort to make the correct etiologic diagnosis should be taken.
Alcoholism ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diagnosis ; Hemagglutinins ; Jeollanam-do* ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Mortality ; Pneumonia* ; Prospective Studies ; Sputum ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

The frequency of stab wounds is gradually increasing and patients with stab wounds visit the hospital through the emergency room. Management options for patients with stab wound include mandatory exploration and selective observation, but recently many authors have emphasized the importance of selective conservation with development of diagnostic procedure and controversy still exists concerning the management of patients with stab wounds. We retrospectively analysed the clinical data of 78 patients with stab wounds who visited the emergency room of St. Paul's Hospital over 5 years from January 1 1992 to December 31 1996. The following results were obtained. 1) The most prevalent age group were the twenties & the thirties(58.9% of patient) and then most patients were of young age. The male to female ratio was 2.9: 1. 2) Most injuries occurred at night between 8p.m. and 4a.m.(61.5%) and during September injuries were most frequent. 3) The most common causes of stab wound were fighting(55.1%) followed by suicide (21.8%), then accidents including traffic accidents(16.7%) and robbery(6.4%). 4) The instruments most commonly used were knives(53.8%) and broken glass(28.2%). 5) Half of patients were drunk from alcohol and in 3 cases from an antipsychotic drug. 6) In 11 cases(14.1%), there were multiple wound sites and in 8 cases(10.3%) superficial wounds into subcutaneous fatty tissue. 7) According to stab wound sites, the extremities were wounded in 36 cases(46.2%), chest in 21 cases(26.9%), abdomen in 15 cases(19.2%) and neck in 7 cases(9.0%). 8) Emergency explorations were performed in 43 cases(55.1%) under general or regional anesthesia, which included neck in 4 cases(9.3%), chest in 3 cases(7.0%), abdomen in 11 cases(25.6%) and extremity in 25 cases(58.1%). In exploratory laparotomy, negative exploration rate was 18.2%. 9) Death occurred in 2 cases(2.6%). One died due to sepsis with multiple colon perforation and the other due to hypovolemic shock with Superior Vena Cava injury.
Abdomen ; Adipose Tissue ; Anesthesia, Conduction ; Colon ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Extremities ; Female ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Male ; Multiple Trauma ; Neck ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis ; Shock ; Suicide ; Thorax ; Vena Cava, Superior ; Wounds and Injuries ; Wounds, Stab*

Lowe syndrome (LS), also known as oculocerebrorenal syndrome, is an X-linked multisystemic disorder caused by mutations in OCRL1, which encodes a member of the inositol-5-phosphatase family. As implied by its name, congenital cataracts, defects in the central nervous system, and renal manifestations are the main symptoms. Early hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) occurrence in Dent disease 2 (DD2), which is a mild variant of LS and shares the OCRL1 gene mutation, has been reported, although not in LS patients. Here, we report a case of HS in a 17-year-old boy with genetically confirmed LS, which suggests that defects in the OCRL1 gene may contribute to HS pathogenesis.

No abstract available.
Blood Pressure* ; Pancreatectomy* ; Subclavian Artery* ; Subclavian Steal Syndrome*

STUDY DESIGN: A case report. OBJECTIVES: To document that Gelfoam(R) (Pharmacia & Upjohn, Kalamazoo, MI) contributes to granuloma formation and spinal cord irritation by immune response. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: The Gelfoam(R) or microfibrillar collagen applied during various operation for hemostasis. Some complications of Gelfoam(R), such as mechanical cord compression, postoperative swelling and mass effect in closed cavity have been reported. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patient was underwent posterior decompression and instrumented posterolateral fusion under the diagnosis of the ossification of ligamentum flavum at T10-11 and T11-12. In operation, Gelfoam(R) was used at epidural space. She complained of sensory deterioration and muscle weakness around lower extremities after 10days postoperatively. A second operation was performed. RESULTS: Postoperatively, the patient immediately improved motor grade except spasticity. She is under observation. CONCLUSIONS: Gelfoam(R) at epidural space after posterior decompression can result hyperactive immune reaction and irritate spinal cord.
Collagen ; Decompression ; Epidural Space ; Gelatin Sponge, Absorbable ; Granuloma ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Ligamentum Flavum ; Lower Extremity ; Muscle Spasticity ; Muscle Weakness ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Spinal Fusion

No abstract available.
Catheters* ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory*

Rotational ankle fractures are one of the most common injuries of lower limbs treated by orthopedic surgeons. Open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) is considered a gold standard treatment for unstable ankle fractures, though adjunct ankle arthroscopy is being increasingly used in cases of ankle trauma. Although the role and use of ankle arthroscopy are expanding, the clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness of arthroscopy remain undefined. Furthermore, despite the number of clinical research studies performed on arthroscopically assisted surgery for ankle fractures, no definite guidelines have been agreed, and no consensus has been reached regarding indications. This article reviews the role, indications, operative techniques, and complications of ankle arthroscopy and compares the clinical outcomes of conventional ORIF and arthroscopically assisted ORIF.

Primary non-Hodgkin' lymphomas of the liver, an organ normally devoid of a native lymphoid tissue, are very rare. We recently experienced a case of a primary low-grade hepatic B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) type in a 36-year-old woman. The ultrasonography revealed a 5 cm sized mass in the right lobe of the liver. A right segmentectomy of the liver was done and showed a relatively well-circumscribed brownish yellow lobulated homogenous mass, measuring 5.5x4.5 cm in size. Histologic sections of liver mass revealed large lymphoid follicles with reactive germinal centers, follicular colonization by centrocyte-like cells (CCL cells), and lymphoepithelial lesions. The CCL cells were positive for B-cell (CD20), LCA (CD45RA), Bcl-2 oncoprotein, and lambda light chain.
Adult ; B-Lymphocytes ; Colon ; Female ; Germinal Center ; Humans ; Liver* ; Lymphoid Tissue ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Hospitals, General* ; Humans ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*