Authors report herein a case of a 27-year-old male patient who had been suffering from chronic ulcerative dermatitis with scar-like changes and successive involvement of the ankles, limb folds, nape and abdomen, and no tendency to heal from age 4. At the age 14, an immunologic study showed a selective IgA deficiency with partial T-lymphocyte inactivation. Ten years later, at age 24, he showed a severe form of morphea over a generalized area and disabling joint contractures, and was diagnosed as disabling pansclerotic morphea with an IgA value that returned to a near normal level. At the age 27, an adult-fist, 7×6×4cm sized, squamous cell carcinoma with an easy bleeding tendency like an overgrowing granulation tissue vascular tumor had developed on the chronic ulcerative lesion on the posterior aspect of the right ankle for 2 months. Aggressive metastatic lesion occurred on the right popliteal area 3 months later. He died 1 month thereafter.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Ankle ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Contracture ; Dermatitis ; Epithelial Cells* ; Extremities ; Granulation Tissue ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; IgA Deficiency ; Immunoglobulin A ; Joints ; Male ; Scleroderma, Localized* ; T-Lymphocytes ; Ulcer*

Desmoplastic trichiepithelioma is a solitary tumor of the hair follicle with female preponderance, most commonly located on the face. Clinically the lesions appear annular and firm with a raised border and a depressed nonulcerated center, but the appearance is not so distinctive to hair follicle tumors that definite dignosis is established by the histopathologic findings. We report herein a case a case of desmoplastic trichoepithelioma in a 21-yeaar-old woman who had an asymptomatic hard, annular lesion, 0.4cm sized in diameter with a raised border and a depressed center on the right cheek. Histopathologic findings showed narrow strands of basaloid cells, horny cysts and desmoplastic stnoma, the features corresponding to the desmoplastic trichoepithelioma.
Cheek ; Female ; Hair Follicle ; Humans

BACKGROUND: The author surveyed and analyzed the changes of perception and satisfaction about family medicine. So that the outcome may bring us a reference to advance family medicine more. METHODS: 247 in and out patients in one general hospital in Seoul were surveyed by the questionnaire from July 26, 2000 to June 20. The date was analyzed statistically by SAS program. RESULTS: As for the knowledge of family medicine, 61.5% of the patients answered that they knew what it is, and the most of them, 54%, via medical institution. The office workers, married , and highly educated people tend to know more about family medicine (P<0.05). As for attitude, 68% of the group answered that family medicine is necessary, because "family medicine doctors give proper advice and consult through out all fields of medicine"(58.8%). As for the preference so prirate doctor, 56.7% of the group answered that they would register for family medicine clinic, and students and office workers are fond of family medicine(P<0.05). As for the satisfaction, 34.4% were ever been to family medicine clinic, and 35.5% out of them were dissatisfied, mainly due to the lack of knowledge of physicians about their diseases(70.1%). CONCLUSION: The perception of family medicine are still scanty compared to the old studies.
Hospitals, General* ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Seoul ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Hyperaldosteronism* ; Nephrocalcinosis*

PURPOSE: Multimedia can be used to understand the basic anatomy and pathological features of the bladder, providing more intuitive knowledge than traditional education methods. Cystoscopy is one of the most fundamental and important diagnostic procedures for detecting pathology in the bladder. Thus, we developed a PC-based digitalized recording device and electronic document to create an electronic medical record to perform cystoscopy and used them for medical education. METHODS: To share them with an educatee, cystoscopic images from a camera unit were shown on the monitor of a personal computer, which was installed with an interface device with an S-VHS input. With these cystoscopic images, the operator could provide some information on important structures in the bladder, such as bilateral ureteral orifices, the verumontanum and the trigone to the educatee. Also, simple questionnaires were given to medical students to evaluate the effectiveness and value of this system. RESULTS: Cystoscopic images could be transferred to the monitor with considerable ease and quality through the personal computer. This system was effective and valuable in teaching the normal anatomy and pathology of the bladder. Also, based on the results of the questionnaire, we concluded that this system provides high-quality images that are sufficient to relay medical information and is superior to traditional methods with regard to educational effectiveness and increasing one's understanding of medical diseases. CONCLUSION: The PC-based recording system for cystoscopy substitutes for commercial recording devices for medical purposes, and provides sufficient medical information to medical students to allow them to understand the normal anatomy and pathological structure of the bladder.
Cystoscopy ; Education, Medical ; Electronic Health Records ; Electronics ; Electrons ; Humans ; Microcomputers ; Multimedia ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Students, Medical ; Ureter ; Urinary Bladder ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Smoking is the single most considerable factor, which may likely affect one's health most adversely. Therefore, an effective control upon smoking has been the most important issue for all of the practitioners. Furthermore, the latters concern an the alternative medicine has been steadily mounting these days. Accordingly, a series of clinical group study has been mapped aut in order to clarify the effect and the outcome of acupuncture treatment and its rate of success. METHODS: The survey has been conducted fram April 7th, 1998 for six months with the voluntary help of 130 students as our study objects, who were the 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders at two metropolitan high-schools in Seoul A basic questionnaire has been prepared and collected at the first interview. The acupuncture treatment has been alternately administered at each side of ears once a week for the respective object-students and the information had been questioned in the survey. When 5 months lapsed with no treatment after the initial four weeks of intensive application, a further follow-up survey was repeated all over again(once every week for 4weeks and another after 6 months). For the analysis of our finding, the SAS V6.12 has been used together with the one way ANOVA test, t-test, and Cochran-Armitage trend test. RESULTS: Those who managed to stop smoking after the acupuncture treatment of one week, four weeks and six months respectively were found as follows; 2 students(61%), 12 students(37.5%), and 8 students(25%), proving that the success rate for smoking cessation after six months was 25%. Those who decreased their number of smoking more than half were; 13 students(39.4%), 15 students(46.9%), 25 students(75%). The number of withdrawal symptom and the smoking cessation as well as the smoking reduction rate were not found co-related each other. The frequency of their smoking, the frequency of the smoking attempt, the period of their abstinence from smoking, the facts whether their family-members of relatives smoked or not, the FTQ(Fagerstrom Tolerance Questionnaire), the frequency of their drinking and the motivation types of smoking(Why test) were found not influential upon the change of smoking tastes and their intensity of smoking wish by the treatment of the auricular acupuncture. CONCLUSIONS: The change of smoking taste and the change on the intensity of smoking wish as the outcome of acupuncture treatment for the stop-smoking has been statistically siganificant.
Acupuncture* ; Acupuncture, Ear ; Complementary Therapies ; Drinking ; Ear ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Motivation ; Seoul ; Smoke* ; Smoking Cessation* ; Smoking* ; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Stomach cancer is the most common cancer in Korea. Lifelong health management program recommends that males over 40 years and women over 50 years should undergo stomach cancer screening by endoscopy or upper gastrointestinal series every two years. The importance of re-screening of stomach cancer in a high risk group is emphasized. METHODS: A telephone questionnaire was done one year after to 123 patients over 40 years old considered as a high risk group with either chronic atropic gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, gastric ulcer, gastric adenoma among 804 subjects who had undergone anendoscopic examination from February 2002 to June 2003 at a university hospital health promotion center. RESULTS: The number of patients who responded were 109. The average recognition rate of high risk group was 53.2%. The rate of recognition of high risk group was lower in good subjective health estimation group and in less educated group, in old age group, and in chronic atrophic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia group. The rate of not receiving re-screening after 1 year was 48 (44.0%). Re-screening rate in patients with intestinal metaplasia (35.3%) and chronic atropic gastritis (39.1%) compared to gastric ulcer (77.8%) and gastric polyp (90.0%), in those not recognizing themselves as high risk group, in low education group, in old age, was lower. CONCLUSION: In patients with chronic atropic gastritis and intestinal metaplasia, in those not recognizing themselves as high risk group, in old age and in good subjective health state. We need to educate the importance for regular screening of stomach cancer more intensively.
Adenoma ; Education ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Gastritis ; Gastritis, Atrophic ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening* ; Metaplasia ; Polyps ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Stomach Ulcer ; Telephone ; Surveys and Questionnaires

In this paper, a case of corneal squamous cell carcinoma is reported. Invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cornea is a rare disorder and has not been previously described in the Korean literature. In this case, the invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the cornea was treated by complete excision and cryotherapy. No evidence of metastasis or recurrence has been found since the procedure. Complete excision and adjunctive cryotherapy has become the treatment of choice because of the higher recurrence rate following a simple excision.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/*pathology/surgery/therapy ; Case Report ; Corneal Diseases/*pathology/surgery/therapy ; Cryotherapy ; Eye Neoplasms/*pathology/surgery/therapy ; Human ; Male ; Neoplasm Invasiveness

PURPOSE: Most malignant peritoneal or pleural effusions caused by advanced malignancy are unresponsive to systemic chemotherapy except for chemotherapy sensitive tumors, and they are equally ineffective to regional therapy or radiotherapy. Thus, for the purpose of palliating the symptoms related to malignant effusion and to reduce fluid reaccumulations, we evaluated the therapeutic feasibility and efficacy of intracavitary ' Ho-CHICO (chito- san complex) instillation for intractable malignant effusions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty one patients with cytologically or pathologically proven malignant effusions underwent intracavitary 166Ho-CHICO therapy from May 1996 to March 1998 at Ajou University Hospital. The subjective and objective responses were evaluated 4 weeks after the treatment, including the changes of symptoms, weight, abdominal girth, doses of diuretics, frequencies and amounts of repeat aspirations for fluid reaccumulations, and imaging studies of chest radiograph and ultrasounds. RESULTS: The response rates treated with Ho-CHICO were 50% in patients with peritoneal effusion and 46% in patients with pleural effusion (overall 49%). The response rates between 166Ho-CHICO doses of 50-80 mCi and 90-100 mCi were similar (50% vs 47%). Response rate of 70% was noted in patients with even distribution of radioisotope on the post-therapy scan, but, the response rate was lower in cases with focal (44%) and uneven (29%) distribution pattern. There was no difference in response by the effusion sites. All patients tolerated intracavitary 166Ho-CHICO instillation well, although the majority of patients experienced Grade I/II side effects such as pain, fever, weakness and dyspnea. But, no serious complications of Grade lII or IV degree were observed with 166Ho-CHICO therapy. CONCLUSION: Intracavitary 166Ho-CHICO instillation was clinically efficacious in controlling malignant effusions without a significant toxicity seen with conventional sclerotic therapy. The therapeutic modality appeared to offer similar benefits obtained with the conventional intracavitary therapy.
Ascitic Fluid ; Aspirations (Psychology) ; Chitosan* ; Diuretics ; Drug Therapy ; Dyspnea ; Fever ; Holmium* ; Humans ; Pleural Effusion* ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Radiotherapy ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: Renal function in patients, who undergo medical examination, is usually evaluated by the serum creatinine level. However this numerical value does not always represent the entire renal function because the values increases only when the renal function has decreased more than 50%. The purpose of this study was to find the prevalence of renal diseases through the GFR (Glomerular filtration rate) using MDRD (Modification of Diet in Renal Disease) equation and to analyze the risk factors related to renal diseases. METHODS: We reviewed all the clinical records of 440 patients who had visited for medical examination between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2004. We have calculated the GFR for each group using the MDRD equation and then figured out the correlation between the GFR and its risk factors. RESULTS: Patients haing GFR of less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m2 were 19 (7.2%), 60~90 mL/min/1.73 m2 were 123 (46.4%) and more than 90 mL/min/1.73 m2 were 123 (46.2%). The correlation between the GFR and age, obesity, hypertension and diabetes melitus were observed as negative results in univariate analysis of variance (P<0.05). Age and diabetes melitus were independent factors affecting the GFR (OR=3.1, 2.2 respectively, P<0.05) in multiple logistic regression analysis. CONCLUSION: It is a well known fact that the declined renal function is related to the aging process and diabetes melitus. Therefore, the mortality rate caused by renal failure and its complications should be decreased through the control of diabetes melitus, aging process and other risk factors.
Aging ; Creatinine ; Diet ; Filtration ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Logistic Models ; Mortality ; Obesity ; Prevalence* ; Renal Insufficiency ; Risk Factors*