PURPOSE: Cerebral palsy or hearing disability of hyperbilirubinemic complication was reduced by blood exchange transfusion(BET) and phototherapy(PT). But in spite of these treatment, abnormal Auditory Brainstem evoked Response(ABR) finding after BET or PT and neurodevelopmental defect due to chronic bilirubin encephalopathy were observed. So we have studied risk factors and outcome of chronic bilirubin encephalopathy after BET, and treatment of hyperbilirubinemia. METHODS: We have analyzed clinical characteristics, the finding and change of ABR after BET in 17 hyperbilirubinemic neonates, and in 8 hyperbilirubinemic neonates who were treated by phototherapy and 15 normal control neonates. RESULTS: 1) Mean bilirubin concentraion were 27.5+/-4.1mg/dL in BET group and 22.1+/-2.3 mg/dL in PT group. There were no difference of clinical findings between BET and PT group. 2) Change of ABR (1) Wave I loss resulted in 4 neonates, wave III loss in 3 neonates, and wave V loss in 2 neonates in BET group(P<0.05). (2) Wave I peak latency and hearing threshold in BET group were significantly increased more than normal control group(P<0.01). 3) In 10 neonates(58.8%) among 17 BET group, 4 neonates(50%) in 8 PT group were observed abnormal initial ABR finding after jaundice treatment. Age at treatment and duration of jaundice(interval between onset of jaundice and treatment) in abnormal ABR group were significant prolongation compared with normal ABR group(P<0.05). 4) Chronic bilirubin encephalopathy(CBE) was observed in 3 neonates(17.6%) among 17 BET group and showed higher of bilirubin level than normalized group after BET (31.1mg/dL vs 26.6mg/dL), other clinical findings showed no significant differences. CONCLUSION: Bilirubin level was significantly elevated in CBE more than in BET group and duration of jaundice, age at treatment were longer in abnormal ABR group than in normal ABR group. So not only bilirubin level but also duration of jaundice shoud be considered at jaundice treatment, and ABR has a potential utility in detection of acute brain toxicity of bilirubin and follow up evaluation of bilirubin encephalopathy.
Bilirubin ; Brain ; Brain Stem ; Cerebral Palsy ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Hearing ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; Infant, Newborn* ; Jaundice ; Kernicterus ; Phototherapy* ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND: The Korean Journal of Dermatology and the Annals of Dermatology are representative journals of dermatology in Korea. Evaluation of their content, authors and affiliations are valuable for our understanding of the situation, trends and interests of the Korean dermatologic society. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the original contributions in the major dermatology journals of Korea, and compare these with those of renowned international dermatology journals in terms of original contribution. METHODS: A total of 318 original articles from the last 3 volumes of the Korean Journal of Dermatology (2003, vol. 41 to 2005, vol. 43) were collected and analyzed for their characteristic features, such as categories, authors, and affiliations. We also compared these characteristic features with those of 18 original articles from the last 3 volumes of Annals of Dermatology (2003, vol. 15 to 2005, vol. 17), an English dermatologic journal in Korea. RESULTS: Thirty-two percent of original articles fell into the category of drug evaluation and clinical research, followed by laboratory and experimental research. Most articles had three to six co-authors (78%), and one (55.3%) or two (31.1%) affiliations. The number of articles by a specific corresponding author ranged from one to eight, and the majority of articles by a specific corresponding author were one (43.6%) during 3 years. These situations were similar with those of the Annals of Dermatology. The evaluation of the Korean Journal of Dermatology about charateristics of original articles showed a small number of original articles by a corresponding author and cooperative researches with other afilliations. The main subjects of articles were centralized to 3 major categories in the Korean Journal of Dermatology, whereas the other famous international journals showed a relatively uniform distribution. CONCLUSION: The participation of non-dermatologists was fewer in the Korean journals than the other famous international journals. The Korean dermatologic society should make an effort to involve the specialists of other fields in submitting excellent original articles to the Korean Journal of Dermatology. And for the academic position of the Korean dermatologic society, we should make an effort to register one of our journals to the SCI (science citation index). The Korean Journal of Dermatology should deal with more varied articles from new categories for a more uniform distribution of themes. It should also make more effort to improve the Korean Journal of Dermatology.
Dermatology* ; Drug Evaluation ; Korea* ; Specialization

No abstract available.
Gastroschisis*

The antiphospholipid antibody syndrome is an acquired multisystemic disorder characterized by persistent elevated antiphospholipid antibodies and/or hypercoagulation in veins or arteries, or both. The clinical manifestations of the antiphospholipid antibody syodrome are recurrent thrombosis, fetal loss, thrcenbocytopenia, and various cutaneous lesions. Skin lesions are the first sign of this syndrome in 41% of patients and systemic thrombosis develops in 40% of them. Livedo reticularis is the most common cutaneous finding of the antiphosphotipid antibody syndrome. Although vasculitis has not been frequently noted in antiphospholipid antibody syndrome, some vasculitis such as polyarteritis nodosa, giant cell arteritis, and other nonspecific vasculitides have been found in association with antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. We present a male patient with typical manifestations of leukocytoclastic vasculitis with deep vein thrombosis and positive antiphospholipid antibodies. It suggests that a case of antiphospholipid antibody syndorme was accompanied with cutaneous leukocytoclastic vasculitis.
Antibodies, Antiphospholipid* ; Antiphospholipid Syndrome ; Arteries ; Giant Cell Arteritis ; Humans ; Livedo Reticularis ; Male ; Polyarteritis Nodosa ; Skin ; Thrombosis ; Vasculitis* ; Vasculitis, Leukocytoclastic, Cutaneous ; Veins ; Venous Thrombosis

PURPOSE: The objective of this case report was to present tube erosion of Ahmed valve implantation using a synthetic dura substitute (Neuro-Patch®, B. Braun, Boulogne, France). CASE SUMMARY: Tube erosion was caused by dissolution of the conjunctiva and partial-thickness scleral tunnel in 5 patients who received Ahmed valve implantation using a synthetic dura substitute for glaucoma treatment 2 to 4 months after the operation. Furthermore, the patients required re-operation for preventing secondary complications such as endophthalmitis. CONCLUSIONS: This case series using a synthetic dura substitute in Ahmed valve implantation demonstrated the risk of tube erosion with scleral tunnel melting and following secondary complications even with a partial-thickness scleral tunnel method.
Conjunctiva ; Endophthalmitis ; Freezing* ; Glaucoma ; Humans ; Methods

PURPOSE: To evaluate the short-term efficacy of intravitreal triamcinolone (IVTA) injection for the treatment of macular edema secondary to branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) refractory to intravitreal bevacizumab injections. METHODS: This retrospective, observational study included 23 eyes of 23 patients with macular edema secondary to BRVO. The patients with macular edema unresponsive to 2 or more consecutive monthly intravitreal bevacizumab injections were treated with IVTA. Best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) and central foveal thickness (CFT) based on optical coherence tomography were evaluated before IVTA and 1 month and 3 months after IVTA injections. RESULTS: All patients were previously treated with 3.4 ± 1.2 intravitreal bevacizumab injections. The IVTA injection was performed at 4.3 ± 1.7 weeks after the last bevacizumab injection. The logarithm of the minimal angle of resolution (log MAR) BCVA was also decreased from 0.61 ± 0.45 to 0.52 ± 0.35 after 1 month and to 0.58 ± 0.37 after 3 months of IVTA, although without statistical significance (p = 0.114 and 0.412, respectively). Eight eyes (34.8%) showed more than 3 lines improvement of BCVA and 4 eyes (17.4%) showed stable BCVA increasing 2 lines or less. CFT was significantly improved from 512 ± 166 µm to 310 ± 139 µm after 1 month and to 324 ± 159 µm after 3 months of IVTA injections (p = 0.014 and 0.031, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: IVTA was beneficial in some patients with macular edema secondary to BRVO refractory to intravitreal bevacizumab therapy. This study indicates that IVTA could be considered as a treatment option for refractory macular edema associated with BRVO.
Bevacizumab ; Humans ; Macular Edema* ; Observational Study ; Retinal Vein Occlusion* ; Retinal Vein* ; Retinaldehyde* ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, Optical Coherence ; Triamcinolone* ; Visual Acuity

This experiment was focused on the characterization of anti-Toxoplasma monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and the effect of mAbs on the parasite invasion of mouse peritoneal macrophages. Twenty eight mAbs including M110, M556, R7A6 and M621 were characterized by Ab titer, immunoglobulin isotyping and western blot pattern. Antibody titer (optical density) of 4 mAbs, M110, M556, R7A6 and M621, were 0.53, 0.67, 0.45 and 0.39 (normal mouse serum; 0.19) with the same IgG1 isotypes shown by Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Western blot analysis showed that M110, M556, R7A6 and M621 reacted with the 33 kDa (p30), 31 kDa (p28), 43 kDa and 36 kDa protein. Immunogold labelling of mAbs M110, M556, R7A6 and M621 reacted with the surface membrane, dense granules and parasitophorous vacuolar membrane (PVM), rhoptries and cytoplasm of tachyzoite, respectively. For in vitro assay, preincubation of tachyzoites with four mAbs, M110, M556, R7A6 and M621 resulted in the decrease of the number of infected macrophages (P < 0.05) and the suppression of parasite multiplication at 18 h post-infection. Four monoclonal antibodies including M110 (SAG1) were found to have an important role in the inhibition of macrophage invasion and T. gondii multiplication in vitro, and these mAbs may be suitable for vaccine candidates, diagnostic kit and for chemotherapy.
Animals ; *Antibodies, Monoclonal/pharmacology ; *Antibodies, Protozoan/pharmacology ; Antigens, Protozoan/*analysis/immunology ; Cells, Cultured ; Depression, Chemical ; Macrophages, Peritoneal/parasitology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Toxoplasma/growth & development/*immunology

BACKGROUND: Using c-fos expression one of the immediate early gene, as a marker of altered neuronal response, we investigated the effect of superior cervical ganglion block (SCGB) exhibiting the same effect of SGB of human on the activity of several brain regions which are considered as located on autonomic neural pathway and neuroendocrine axis in rat. METHOD: The 48 Sprague-Dawley strain rats were divided into 4 groups, as saline/stress (control) group, SCGB/stress (tested) group, saline group, SCGB group. Superior cervical ganglion block was conducted in the SCGB/stress group and SCGB group while saline/stress and saline group were sham operated. After then restraint stress was imposed on the animals of SCGB/stress group and saline/stress group. And 2 hour after injection (saline, SCGB group) or restraint stress (saline/stress, SCGB/stress group), c-fos protein (Fos) was localized by immunocytochemistry. RESULTS: Much stronger Fos immunoreactivity was induced in the several brain region of control group rats compared to other three groups and the numbers of Fos positive cell count of tested group were significantly decreased in paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus (p<0.01), A5 (p<0.01), raphe pallidus (p<0.05), nucleus tractus solitaius (p<0.01) compared to control group. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrate that superior cervical ganglion block attenuates stress induced neuronal activities of paraventricular hypothalamic nucleus, A5, raphe pallidus, nucleus tractus solitarius.
Animals ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Brain* ; Cell Count ; Genes, vif ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neural Pathways ; Neurons ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Solitary Nucleus ; Superior Cervical Ganglion*

No abstract available.
Gastroschisis* ; Hernia, Umbilical*