PURPOSE: The study has been done to evaluate the significance of APR test predictive of neonatal infection. METHODS: A study was made on 76 cases of clinically infeected neonates who had been admitted at the NICU of Chungnam National Unoversity Hospital during the period from January, 1996 to July, 1996 in order to know the significance of APR test predictive of neonatal infection. RESULTS: 1)The APR test Of Control group (20 cases) shows negative results on 19 cases (95%) and positive result on 1 case (5%). 2) The APR test of Patient group (76 cases) shows negative results on 17 cases (22.3%) and positive results on 49 cases (77.7%). Of cases with positive result, one points were on 23 cases (30.5%), two points were 25 cases (32.8%), three points were on 11 cases (14.4%) and More than one point were of 59 cases. The sensitivity of APR test, WBC count and CRP is 77.7%, 35% and 62.496, respectivitly. As above result, APR test has a high sensitivity. 3) APR positive values are not significantly different between those of premature and fullterm patients. 4) APR values are more significant than WBC count or CRP value to predict the neonatal infection. 5) The APR test is rnore useful for prognostic correlation than other index. CONCLUSION: APR test is very sensitive and significantly useful predictive of neonatal infection.
Chungcheongnam-do ; Fever ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn

Occasionally, a bony spine of variable size, the supracondylar process, projects distally from the anteromedial surface about 5cm proximal to the medial epicondyle, to which it is joined by a band of fibrous tissue. It was found in one per cent of living white subjects and less often in the colored races; only in rare instances it is associated with clinical signs, usually median nerve neuralgia. Here, we reported a case of incidental finding of supracondylar process without a definite symptom.
Continental Population Groups ; Humans ; Humerus ; Incidental Findings ; Median Neuropathy ; Spine

Of the shoulder syndromes, acute calcific tendinitis of the rotator cuff is the least difficult to differentiate, for the mechanical and inflammatory aspects combine to produce a picture of severe, and localized pain which presents in obvious distress, splinting the affected shoulder by holding the arm to his side. The radiologic picture corresponds poorly to the clinical picture, with visible calcium deposits ranging from thin crescents to large fluffy amorphous masses. Acute calcific tendinitis is a self-limited process with a natural history of 6 to 14 days. Relief is dramatic when the inflammatory and mechanical cycle is broken, but the potential remains for exacerbation as for more serious sequellae such as adhesive capsulitis. We expereinced 5 lesions of calcific tendinitis in supraspinatus tendon treated by surgical removal in 4 lesions and by conservative measure in one lesion.
Arm ; Bursitis ; Calcium ; Natural History ; Rotator Cuff ; Shoulder ; Splints ; Tendinopathy ; Tendons

Capsaicin, the pungent principle of hot peppers, is a neurotoxin that depletes unmyelinated primary sensory neurons (polymodal nociceptors) of neuropeptides like tachykinins. However, the role of capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerve in the production of cytokines, penicillin V (PEV)-induced active fatal anaphylaxis and other immune responses is not yet fully established. Neonatal mice were pretreated s.c. with a single injection of 10 ug of capsaicin per mouse in volume of 20 ul within 5 days of age. Using 5-8 week old mice pretreated as neonates with capsaicin, the capsaicin- pretreated and vehicle-treated control mice were examined for various parameters of immune responses described above. For the induction of active fatal anaphylaxis with PEV, 8 week old mice pretreated as neonates and age-matched capsaicin- untreated control mice were sensitized i.p. with 500 ug of PEV-ovalbumin conjugate plus 2*10(9) B. pertussis and 1.0 mg alum and challenged i.v. with PEV-bovine serum albumin conjugate 14 days later. It was found that neonatal capsaicin-pretreatment significantly enhanced contact hypersensitivity to TNCB and hemagglutination response to SRBC, but significantly inhibited the proliferation response of rnurine splenocyte to Con A and LPS. Interestingly, neonatal capsaicin pretreatment significantly inhibited the intensity of PEV-induced active fatal anaphylaxis and decreased the mortality due to anaphylactic shock. It also significantly inhibited LPS- induced production of cytokines such as TNF-a, IL-1B, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-12. The capsaicin-pretreatment also resulted in an inhibition of the activation of NF-kB. Taken together, these data showed for the first time that neonatal capsaicin-pretreatment significantly inhibited an antibiotic (PEV)-induced anaphylaxis and production of various cytokines, and suggest that capsaicin-sensitive primary sensory nerve may play an important regulatory role in active fatal anaphylaxis and cytokine production, thus potentially presenting tools for immune intervention. In particular, the data presented also indicated the possibility to selectively down-modulate cytokine production and NF-kB activation may offer a broad application for therapeutic intervention in neuroimmunological diseases and other pathological situations.
Anaphylaxis ; Animals ; Capsaicin* ; Cytokines ; Denervation* ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Hemagglutination ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-12 ; Interleukin-6 ; Mice ; Mortality ; Neuropeptides ; NF-kappa B ; Penicillin V ; Sensory Receptor Cells ; Serum Albumin ; Tachykinins ; Whooping Cough

Utile recently, osteotomy & reposition surgery of prominent zygoma have been performed by means of a coronal incision or intraoral preauricular incision. But penalties are paid, such as scar, the possibility of facial nerve injury and long operative time. Reflecting on our past experiences of facial bone surgery, we developed an alternative approach. In our method, the protrusion in the cheekbone is corrected by performing an osteotomy and reposition method through intraoral incision only. During the past 3 years we have operated on 23 patients of malar prominences. The amount of the bone to be removed is determined on preoperative interview, physical examination and x-rays. Intraoral incision provide access to the zygomatic body and lateral orbital rim. After L-shaped osteotomy, two paralle vertical and one transverse osteotomies, at medical part of the zygomatic body, the midsegment is removed. Posterior portion of zygomatic arch was approached through medical aspect and was outfractured using curved osteotome. After completion of triple osteotomy, the movable zygomatic complex was reduced medially and fixed with miniplates and screws on the zygomaticomaxillary buttress. The patients were followed for 9.5 months with acceptable result and little complication. The author concludes that this technique is effective and safe method in reduction malarpalsty.
Cicatrix ; Facial Bones ; Facial Nerve Injuries ; Humans ; Operative Time ; Orbit ; Osteotomy ; Physical Examination ; Zygoma

Intestinal capillariasis is caused by a small trichurid nematode, Capillaria philippinensis, which infects freshwater fish as intermediate hosts and subsequently fish eating birds as definitive hosts. It has occurred in areas such as the Philippines and Thailand where people eat raw fish. We report an imported case of intestinal capillariasis in a 31-year-old Korean man who lived in Saipan for ten years. He suffered from diarrhea with weight loss, abdominal distension, and pitting edema in the lower extremities for two years. He ate raw freshwater fish in the Saipan 2 years ago. The diagnosis was confirmed by jejunal biopsy. Flat mucosal surface without villi contained sections of numerous round worms with stichosome, larvae, and eggs which were identified as Capillaria philippinensis. The patient was successfully treated with albendazole.
Adult ; Albendazole ; Biopsy ; Birds ; Capillaria ; Diagnosis ; Diarrhea ; Eating ; Edema ; Eggs ; Fresh Water ; Humans ; Larva ; Lower Extremity ; Ovum ; Philippines ; Protein-Losing Enteropathies* ; Thailand ; Weight Loss

BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that diabetic patients are under high oxidative stress and plasma MDA concentration is a reliable marker for oxidative stress. However, some studies showed that plasma MDA is not a good marker for oxidative stress. Reeently, the total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAPc) has been proposed as a marker for the overall antioxidant property of plasma samples. Therefore, in this study, we tried to evaluate whether MDA and TRAPc are reliable markers of the oxidative stress-antioxidant system or not. METHODS: The plasma samples from 67 type 2 diabetic patients and 31 normal subjects were collected. The plasma MDA, protein-bound SH groups, uric acid and vitamin C were determined by fluorophotometry or spectrophotometry. Plasma vitamin E concentration was analyzed by HPLC. Calculated TRAP (TRAPc) were determined by the proposed calculation methods. RESULTS: 1. Diabetic patients had significantly lower TRAPc, compared with normal subjects. 2. SH groups, uric acid, vitamin C and vitamin E were not different between the two groups. 3. MDA and MDA/TG were significantly higher in diabetic subjects. CONCLUSION: From the results of this study, TRAPc seems to be a reliable parameter of overall plasma antioxidant system and the plasma MDA may be used as a marker of oxidative stress, but further long-term logitudinal studies are needed.
Ascorbic Acid ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Fluorophotometry ; Humans ; Oxidative Stress ; Plasma ; Spectrophotometry ; Uric Acid ; Vitamin E ; Vitamins

No abstract available.
Diabetes Mellitus*

A 6-year-old girl visited us with a 4-week history of inflammatory, pustular, tender patches and plaques on the scalp, and a 3-day history of multiple, erythematous, indurated, tender, subcutaneous nodules on both pretibial areas. A swab was taken from the scalp lesion and colonies of Tiichophyton mentagrophytes grew on culture. The histopathological findings of the leg nodule were consistent with erythema nodosum. The patient was treated with oral itraconazole and deflazacort, combined with topical potassium permanganate solution. Erythema nodosum regressed two weeks later and the kerion of the scalp regressed six weeks after starting the treatment, leaving residual scarring alopecia. The patient was diagnosed as erythema nodosum probably induced by kerion celsi, that has not been reported in the Korean literature.
Alopecia ; Child ; Cicatrix ; Erythema Nodosum* ; Erythema* ; Female ; Humans ; Itraconazole ; Leg ; Potassium Permanganate ; Scalp ; Tinea Capitis*

No abstract available.
Fingers*