We reviewed the clinical features, histrologic patterns and clinical courses of 30 children with lupus nephritis retrospectively, and the results were summerized as follows; 1) The male to female ratio was 1:2.8, and the mean age at the onset was 10 8/12 years. 2) The clinical symptoms were diverse, and malaise, weight loss, anorexia, fever and malar rash were the most frequent findings. 3) Among the immunologic tests, FANA and anti-ds-DNA test revealed the highest sensitivity with positive rates of 97% and 87%, respectively. 4) Clinically, 57% of patients had active nephrotic syndrome at the onset, and 33% showed (?) was the most common findings (70%). 5) During the follow-up period, one children with Class IV lupus nephritis expired. And 8 out of 9 cases with renal insufficiency at the onset showed improvement of renal function after treatment with corticosteroid and cytotoxic agents. In conclusion, the clinical features and histologic findings of lupus nephritis in children were diverse. Early diagnosis and proper treatment can prevent rapid deterioration of renal function and improve long-term survival rate.
Anorexia ; Child* ; Cytotoxins ; Early Diagnosis ; Exanthema ; Female ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunologic Tests ; Lupus Nephritis* ; Male ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Renal Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Weight Loss

PURPOSE: To evaluate changes in the degree of pseudomyopia and prognosis in patients with convergence spasm and acquired pseudomyopia. METHODS: The medical records of patients with convergence spasm and acquired pseudomyopia at the Korea University Medical Center from 2011 to 2014 were identified. We reviewed the patients' gender, age, onset time, visual acuity, refractive error, angle of strabismic deviation and the selected management (cycloplegics, patching, cycloplegics + patching, prism glasses). RESULTS: At the first medical examination, the mean age was 20.08 years. The mean spherical equivalent was -3.75 diopter (D) in the right eye and -4.03 D in the left eye based on manifest refraction and -2.59 D in right eye and -2.85 D in left eye using cycloplegic refraction. Eleven of 12 patients had esodeviation with a mean esodeviation of 10.42 D. The pupil size was 3.63 mm in the right eye and 3.63 mm in the left eye. No patient experienced severe miosis (pupil size <2 mm). Observation (5), patching (3), cycloplegics (2), patching + cycloplegics (1) and prism (1) management were performed in 12 patients. Outcomes included completely cured (3), improvement (7) and no change or recurrence (2). CONCLUSIONS: Active management is necessary for patients with convergence spasm and acquired pseudomyopia.
Academic Medical Centers ; Esotropia ; Humans ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Methods* ; Miosis ; Mydriatics ; Prognosis ; Pupil ; Recurrence ; Refractive Errors ; Spasm* ; Visual Acuity

Ki-1 positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma is a newly described high-grade lymphoma and is defined by histopathological and immunologic criteria. We experienced a case of systemically involving Ki-1 positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma in a 44 year- old female which initially manifested as pleural effusion. Abdominopelvic CT scan showed the evidence of marked lymphadenopathy in retroperitoneal and both external and inguinal lymph nodes. On cytologic examination of pleural fluid, tumor cells revealed pleomorphic large isolated cells with prominent nucleoli and abundant cytoplasms. The nuclei were large with irregular profiles including some deep invaginations. Also, occasional multilobed/ multinucleated and binucleated nuclei were seen. Immunohistochemical examination was performed to differentiate from the undifferentiated adenocarcinoma, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and malignant histiocytosis. The neoplastic cells were positive for leukocyte common antigen, CD3, CD30(Ki-1) but negative for cytokeratin, epithelial membrane antigen, and CD15. A histologic diagnosis of Ki-1 positive anaplastic lymphoma was made by biopsies of the inguinal lymph node, polypoid lesions of the stomach and cecum.
Adenocarcinoma ; Amyloid ; Antigens, CD45 ; Biopsy ; Cecum ; Child* ; Cytoplasm ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Histiocytic Sarcoma ; Hodgkin Disease ; Humans ; Keratins ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, Large-Cell, Anaplastic ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; Mucin-1 ; Multiple Myeloma ; Pleural Effusion ; Stomach ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Treatment of cerebellar medulloblastoma has been much improved with modern surgical technique for gross total tumor removal and adequate radiation therapy for the whole craniospinal axis. Questions have been arosen about the optimal radiation dose for the preventive treatment of whole cranium and whole spinal axis. Recently, many authors have reported their treatment results as comparable to older data, using lower than conventional dose of 3,600cGy-4,000cGy. For 50 patients treated between 1981 and 1950 at the Department of Radiation Therapy of SNUH, retrospective analysis was done for the treatment result, especially the neuraxis control, by radiation dose for the presymptomatic area of the disease. Analysis only by total spinal dose did not give any significant difference. But further analysis by following patient group: 3,600cGy/150cGy (n=S), 3,000cGy/150cGy (n=10), 2,400 cGy/150cGy (n=17) and 2,400cGy/100-120cGy (n=11) showed significant improvement of neuraxis control by decreasing order (p=0.003). There was no significant difference in overall survival between the groups. For the 19 patients who had been confirmed initially as having no neuraxis disease, TDF 30 was the cur-off value that could prevent neuraxis failure (p=0.004). We couldn't define any TDF value that give reasonable control for the patient group with positive CSF study at initial diagnosis.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Medulloblastoma* ; Retrospective Studies ; Skull

Curschmann's spirals morphologically similar to those seen in sputum were found in cervico-vaginal smears of six patients ranged from 28 to 40 years of age, during 18 months from January. 1985 to June, 1986. The prevalence was 1 in 2147 smears in that period. All of them had gynecologic disorders without systemic effect such as chronic cervictis in three, leiomyoma in one, pelvic inflammatory disorder in one, and primary infertility in one. The Curshmann's spirals in the smear showed varying degrees of maturation from wavy incipient ones to highly coiled mature ones, admixed with thick mucinous back- ground, suggesting of their production in the uterine cervix itself. Also the recent history of undergone cryocautery, electrocautery or parturition suggest its production in the endocervical gland due to mechanical obstruction and/or change in biochemical composition of mucus.
Cervix Uteri ; Diabetes Insipidus* ; Electrocoagulation ; Female ; Humans ; Infertility ; Leiomyoma ; Mucins ; Mucus ; Parturition ; Pedigree* ; Pilomatrixoma ; Prevalence ; Receptors, Vasopressin* ; Sputum ; Vasopressins*

The benefits of radio-chemotherapy in HIV-negative primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphomas were analyzed in 40 patients, who received radiotherapy to the brain or craniospinal axis with the total dose of 4460-5940 cGy to the primary tumor. Radiotherapy was followed by systemic chemotherapy, mainly with the cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisolone (CHOP) regimen, in 16 of the patients. Follow-up ranged from four to 95 months with a median of 15 months. The relapse rate was 72.5%, and 83% of the relapses occurred within the radiation field. Median survival was 19 months and the two-year survival rate was 41%. Survival was significantly influenced by treatment method and radiation dose when measured by univariate analysis; median survival and the two-year survival rate was 29 months and 63% after radio-chemotherapy, while 13.5 month and 29% after radiotherapy alone (p= 0.027), and 22 months and 49% with doses of 50 Gy or more, but 12.5 months and 13% with doses less than 50 Gy (p=0.009). However, statistical significance was lost in multivariate analysis. These results might suggest the short-term efficacy of radio-chemotherapy, however, cautious observation is needed to confirm long-term effects.
Adolescence ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents, Combined/therapeutic use* ; Antineoplastic Agents, Combined/adverse effects ; Bleomycin/administration & dosage ; Central Nervous System Neoplasms/therapy* ; Central Nervous System Neoplasms/mortality ; Cyclophosphamide/administration & dosage ; Disease-Free Survival ; Doxorubicin/administration & dosage ; Epirubicin/administration & dosage ; Female ; Human ; Lymphoma/therapy* ; Lymphoma/mortality ; Male ; Mechlorethamine/administration & dosage ; Methotrexate/administration & dosage ; Middle Age ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Prednisolone/administration & dosage ; Procarbazine/administration & dosage ; Radiotherapy Dosage ; Radiotherapy, Adjuvant/adverse effects ; Survival Rate ; Treatment Failure ; Vincristine/administration & dosage

Brain metastasis from primary uterine cervical carcinoma have been described but are extremely rare and usually occur in the presence of widely disseminated diseases. The authors report a case of solitary cerebellar metastasis from uterine cervical carcinoma, which was confirmed by histopathological examination. The patient has shown no evidence of metastatic lesions elsewhere, thus far, but had undergone a radical hysterectomy under the diagnosis of uterine cervical carcinoma 52 months prior to the surgical excision of the cerebellar metastasis.
Brain ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Neoplasm Metastasis*

A case of survivor who showed alpha coma after an attempted suicide by hanging was reported. A 44 years old women was admitted to the hospital because of respiratory arrest following a hanging attempt on July 3, 1996. She was found pendant completely. On admission she was comatose and the pupils were not reactive to light. The systolic pressure was 100 mmHg, and diastolic pressure was 80mmHg and she had no self respiration and immediately an endotracheal intubation was instituted. After three hours from the onset, the weak spontaneous respiration was restored and the pupils reacted briskly to light. On the 1st day the brain computed tomography (CT) revealed no abnormal findings. An electroencephalogram (EEG) showed widespread alpha activity without occipital dominance a moderate amount of regular, 8 approximately 10 Hz, 10 approximately 30 microvolt potentials. This alpha rhythm had persisted until 24 hours from the onset. At 36 hours later she was still comatose, presenting flaccid quadriplegia with no responses to stimulations. On the 2nd hospital day she was drowsy and on the 3rd day she had become conscious. She showed gradual progress towards complete nerologic recovery. This is the first presentation of a survivor from alpha coma caused by anoxic encephalopathy following a hanging attempt in Korea.
Adult ; Alpha Rhythm ; Anoxia ; Blood Pressure ; Brain ; Coma* ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Humans ; Hypoxia, Brain ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Korea ; Pupil ; Quadriplegia ; Respiration ; Suicide ; Suicide, Attempted* ; Survivors*

OBJECTIVES: Despite increasing use of antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP), few studies have investigated APP for Korean patients with schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to identify the sociodemographic and clinical correlates and recent prescription profiles of APP in schizophrenia patients. METHODS: A total of 297 schizophrenia patients were recruited and interviewed using standardized assessment instruments in Seoul National Hospital. Differences in demographic and clinical characteristics between APP and antipsychotic monopharmacy (APM) groups were analyzed. The prescriptions of psychotropic drugs were collected by a review of medical records. RESULTS: In comparison with the APM group, the APP group showed association with earlier onset, lower employment rate, and higher scores for Clinical Global Impression-Severity and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) (p<0.001). In particular, the BPRS positive (p<0.001) and affective symptom scores (p<0.001) of the APP group were higher those of the APM group. The most frequent combination pattern of APP was second generation antipsychotics (SGA)+SGA, followed by SGA+first generation antipsychotics (FGA), and SGA+SGA+FGA. For antipsychotics, it was risperidone+quetiapine, followed by clozapine+risperidone, risperidone+sulpiride, and risperidone+haloperidol. CONCLUSION: The current study suggests that the usage of APP for schizophrenia could be related to symptom severity affected by positive and affective symptoms. The prescription profile reflects that the proportion of atypical antipsychotics on APP has increased.
Affective Symptoms ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale ; Employment ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Polypharmacy* ; Prescriptions ; Psychotropic Drugs ; Schizophrenia* ; Seoul

BACKGROUND: Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is characterized by slowly progressive early onset dementia with cortical visual dysfunction and disproportionate atrophy of the posterior cortex. CASE REPORT: A 55-year-old right-handed woman developed visuo-spatial impairments that progressed rapidly into cortical blindness over the following 3 months. Neuro-psychological evaluation revealed Gerstmann syndrome and severe constructional impairments with all components of Balint syndrome. However, her memory, insight, and judgment were preserved. Her brain MRI was normal. However, 18F fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography revealed a marked hypometabolism in the bilateral parieto-occipital region. CONCLUSIONS: Although rapid progression of visuo-spatial dysfunction without memory impairment occurred, we considered PCA as well.
Atrophy* ; Blindness, Cortical ; Brain ; Dementia ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Gerstmann Syndrome ; Humans ; Judgment ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Memory ; Middle Aged ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis ; Positron-Emission Tomography