BACKGROUND: Alopecia areata is replete with data from studies using variuos therapeutic approaches, none of which is clearly superior to another. OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of cryotherapy in alopecia areata. METHODS: Thirty three patents with AA(M:13, F:20) well conduted in this study, precluding 3 patients with the moderate and extensive lesions. Cryotherapy using a cotton swab dipped with liquid nitrogen was applied to the involved areas, repeated with 2 times of freeze thaw cycle of two seconds. In 13 cases of AA multiplex, the lesions were divided into two groups, each of which was undertaken cryotherapy and intralesional injection of triamcinolone(3mg/ml) for evaluation of their respeetive effects. The treatment was done weekly method of 1 to 11 times, Th therapeutic response was determined as the regrowth of terminal hairs on the treated area(s) at 12 Weeks. RESULTS: Of the 33 patients with AA, the overall responders were 22(66.7%). There seemed good response rates of 70.0 % in females, 71.4 % in AA multiplex and 72.2 % in third decade as well as 72.4 % in those with lower than 1 year of duration. The remarkable resionse had 3-4 times in treatment numbers. There were no untoward side effects in patients except mild erythema. In the 13 patients treated with both modalities, cryotherapy had a slightly higher esaonse than triamcinolone therapy (69.2% vs 61.5%, p>0.05 by x-test). CONCLUSION: The effect of cryotherapy therapy in AA patients is not less than the intralesional therapy of triamcinolone. In addition, cryotherapy may be recommendec as the new, safe therapeutic modality.
Alopecia Areata* ; Alopecia* ; Cryotherapy* ; Erythema ; Female ; Hair ; Humans ; Injections, Intralesional ; Nitrogen* ; Triamcinolone

Polyamines are closely related to cell growth and differentiation and increased levels of urine polyamines (UPs) has been reported in various human cancers. However, there were few reports on changes of UPs in patients with cervical carcinoma. We investigated the clinical utility of UPs as well as serum squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen in cervical carcinoma. The association of pretreatment SCC antigen and UPs with clinicopathologic parameters was assessed in 478 patients with cervical carcinoma. SCC antigen was measured by radioimmunoassay and UPs by enzymatic assay method. The prognostic significance of pretreatment SCC antigen and UPs, and the relationship between pretreatment and posttreatment SCC antigen and UPs according to treatment modalities were analyzed. There was a trend of increased level of UPs with cancer progression, whereas significant difference of SCC antigen value was found with cancer progression. Among various clinicopathologic parameters, tumor size and macroscopic lymph node metastasis were associated with pretreatment SCC antigen and UPs level as well. Increased pretreatment SCC antigen level (>2.0ng/ml) and UPs level (>45 micromol/g creatinine) had significant impact on survival. Multivariate analysis revealed that pretreatment SCC antigen, lymph node metastasis and tumor size were independent prognostic factors on survival in the same stage patients. SCC antigen levels decreased after radiotherapy and neoadjuvant chemotherapy. In patients treated by radiation, response status was associated with postradiation SCC antigen, which showed a good correlation with survivals. UPs positivity and SCC antigen positivity in 42 recurrent cervical cancers were 64.7% and 57.9%, respectively. Pretreatment SCC antigen, combination of SCC antigen and UPs, tumor size, macroscopic lymph node metastasis and invasion depth were correlated with recurrent or residual cervical carcinoma. In conclusion, UPs together with SCC antigen may be used to assess the extent of disease status and to define the prognosis in cervical carcinoma.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Drug Therapy ; Enzyme Assays ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Polyamines* ; Prognosis ; Radioimmunoassay ; Radiotherapy

About 40% of patients with diabetes mellitus develops to diabetic nephropathy, and these patients show increment of glomerular filtration rate and renal volume at early phase. 99mTc-DMSA SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) can measure a functional renal volume because 99mTc- DMSA it is taken up by the viable proximal tubular cells located in the renal cortex. To evaluate the renal volume in early diabetic nephropathy, we compared functional renal volume between diabetic patients and control, renal transplantation donor. 99mTc-DMSA was injected intravenously and SPECT was done after 2 hours in 15 diabetic patients, 18 renal transplantation donors, and 2 patients with end stage renal disease due to chronic glomerulonephritis. In diabetic patients with creatinine clearance more than 30ml/min and proteinuria, right and left renal volume were 247+/-22ml/BSA(m2), 256+/-37ml/BSA (m2), which were greater than those of diabetic patients with normal renal function and without proteinuria, or renal transplantation donors(P<0.05). In conclusion, we measured the functional renal volume by 99mTc-DMSA SPECT. Renal volume of diabetic patients with proteinuria were larger than the volume of control group or diabetic patients with normal renal function and without proteinuria. 99mTc-DMSA SPECT was thought to be useful test a for the measurement of functioning renal volume.
Creatinine ; Diabetes Mellitus* ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Glomerulonephritis ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Kidney Transplantation ; Proteinuria ; Succimer ; Technetium Tc 99m Dimercaptosuccinic Acid* ; Tissue Donors ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

No abstract available.
Humans

No abstract available.
Meningitis*

BACKGROUND: Donor safety is critical issue in living donor renal transplantation (LDRT). Conventional angiography, gold standard for evaluation of renal vasculature, is invasive and painful and can result serious complications; catheter related or contrast agent related complications. Magnetic resonance angiography has much less complications, related with the procedure. OBJECTIVE: To test feasibility of MR angiography as preoperative work up in LDRT. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Conventional renal angiogram and gadolinium-enhanced MR angiogram (Gd-MRA) was obtained from 20 kidneys of 10 donors. Each images were interpreted by 2 radiologist, separately. Operative findings of 10 grafts were compared with those images. RESULTS: There were 22 main renal arteries, 4 accessory renal arteries and 2 early bifurcation on both Gd-MRA and conventional angiogram. But both images missed one main branch, which was hidden by ventrally located larger branch and was identified on operative finding. There was no test related complication on both studies, except one hematoma formation after conventional angiography. CONCLUSION: MR angiography is as accurate as conventional angiography in preoperative work up for LDRT and associated with no test related complications.
Angiography* ; Catheters ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Kidney ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Living Donors* ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Renal Artery ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants

No Abstract Available.
Retinal Detachment* ; Retinaldehyde*

We analysed the ultrasonographic findings in 46 cases of PID, examined atYyonsei Universtiy Severance Yondong Hospital from June 1983 to Dec. 1984. Among them, 29 cases of PID were well correlated with pathologic findings bysurgery or laparascopy. The results were as follows; 1. The age was ranged from 14 years to 57 years of age andthe majority was between 21 years and 50 years of age. 2. We evaluated the ultrasonographic findings of 46 casesunder the criteria of Swayne's classification. They are 67% in type II, 17% in type III and 4% in type I. Theremained is 11% in normal finding. 3. Among 29 cases pathologically proven,the ultrasonographic findings areclassifed to be 66% in type II, 21% in type III, 3% in type I and the remained is normal. Among type II PIDcases, tubo-ovarian abscess is 32%, pelvic abscess is 26% and pyosalphinx is 16%. The pelvic-peritoneal adhesionis demonstrated in 83% of 6 cases of type II lesion. 4. In 36 cases of PID, uterine mass formation is demonstrated and located unilaterally in 64%, associated fluid collection in 47% and bladder indentation in 36% was noted. The diameter of mass shadow is about 4.4cm of average, ranged between 2-9cm. The echogenecity was mixed in 64%, cysticin 31% and solid in 5% of mass lesion.
Abscess ; Classification ; Female ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease ; Urinary Bladder

No abstract available.
Endocarditis* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Fetal Weight* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Low Birth Weight* ; Infant, Newborn ; Parturition* ; Weight Gain*