PURPOSE: Differential diagnosis of sexual precocity is important. Sexual precocity, defined as the appearance of secondary sexual characteristics before the age of 8 years in girls and 9 years in boys, was studied to evaluate the sex incidence and etiology of sexual precocity. METHODS: We reviewed the etiology and age incidence of precocious puberty in 14 boys and 89 girls examined between 1994. 11. 1-2002. 7. 31 at Samsung Seoul Hospital. All underwent standard anthropometric measures. They were assigned to diagnostic categories on the basis of clinical assessment, endocrine evaluation, radiologic imaging, and pelvic ultrasonography. RESULTS: In 89 girls, 27 had idiopathic precocious puberty, 3 had precocious puberty with organic brain lesion, 12 had gonadotropin-independent precocious puberty, 44 had premature thelarche, 2 had premature menarche, 1 had premature adrenarche. The majority of idiopathic precocious puberty girls(78%) were aged between 7-7.9 years. In 14 boys, 2 had idiopathic precocious puberty, 3 had precocious puberty with organic brain lesion, 6 had gonadotropin-independent precocious puberty, 3 had gynecomastia. CONCLUSION: Sexual precocity occurs more frequently in girls than boys. Premature thelarche is the most common form of sexual precosity. In boys, majority of central precocious puberty had organic brain lesion, so brain imaging study should be performed. In girls, majority of idiopathic precocious puberty were aged between 7-7.9 years. Reexamination of the age limit for defining when puberty should be considered precocious in Korean girls is necessary.
Adolescent ; Adrenarche ; Brain ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Gynecomastia ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Male ; Menarche ; Neuroimaging ; Puberty ; Puberty, Precocious* ; Seoul ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Humans ; Male* ; Thyroid Diseases* ; Thyroid Gland*

PURPOSE: To understand natural course of transient hyperthyrotropinemia, so that the unnecessary treatment could be avoided. METHODS: Total 182 healthy newborns whose TSH levels in newborn screening test had been higher than 20 microIU/mL were recalled. Their serum levels of TSH, T4, free T4 were checked. RESULTS: Among 182 newborns, 10 newborns had congenital hypothyroidism. 68.1 % of healthy newborns who had high TSH levels were normalized within 2 months and all of the rests were normalized within 5 months. CONCLUSION: Transient hyperthyrotropinemia in newborns improves spontaneously. The unnecessary treatment of transient hyperthyrotropinemia should be avoided.
Congenital Hypothyroidism ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Mass Screening ; Neonatal Screening*

No abstract available.
Humans

No abstract available.
Humans

No abstract available.
Breast* ; Female ; Humans

Irradiation which acts directly and produces the reactive oxygen radicals by ionizing water molecules, causes significant morbidity and mortality. The muscle is damaged by direct action, oxygen radicals and the alterations of microcirculation and metabolism after irradiation. The changes of SOD immunoreactivities in muscles of the rats after irradiation were observed. The ultrastructural changes of the irradiated muscles with the pretreatment of SOD (superoxide dismutase) or without were also investigated. A total of 60 healthy Sprague-Dawley male rats weighing from 200g to 250g were used as experimental animals. Under urethane (1.15g/kg. IP.2 times) anesthesia,30 Gy irradiation to lower extremities by PICKER-C9 Cobalt-60 teletherapy unit was done. 15,000 unit/kg of SOD was administered intraperitoneally 1 hour before irradiation. The experimental animals were sacrificed 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 2 weeks and 4 weeks after irradiation. The superficial portions of the mid-belly of the rectus femoris muscles were obtained and sliced into portions, 2 mm in length, 1 mm in width and in thickness. The specimens were prepared by routine methods for the electron microscopic observation. All preparations were stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate and observed with a Hitachi-600 electron microscope. The other parts of mid-belly of the rictus femoris muscles were sectioned in 14 micrometer thickness with cryostat at -20 degrees C. The immunoreactivities of SOD by use of antihuman Cu, Zn-and Mn-SOD antibodies were observed. The results were obtained as follows . 1. After irradiation, the immunoreactivities of SOD in the rictus femoris muscle were decreased. 2 weeks after irradiation, the immunoreactivities of Cu, Zn-SOD were trace, which was lowest.4 weeks after irradiation, the immunoreactivities were trace or weak. 1 day after irradiation, the immunoreactivities of Mn-SOD were trace, which was lowest. The immunoreactivities of Mn-SOD were increased gradually 4 weeks after irradiation, the immunoreactivities of Mn- SOD were moderate or weak. 2. The ultrastructural changes in the rectus femoris muscles of the rats were getting severer and severer after irradiation. 2 weeks after irradiation, unclear A band and I band, myofibrillolysis, increased and dilated cistemae of sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria with dilated cristae and electron lucent matrix were seen. 4 weeks after irradiation, lysis of sarcomere and increased cisternae of sarcoplasmic reticulum were seen. 3. The ultrastructural changes in the rectus femoris muscles of the rats were getting worse and worse after 3 days of irradiation with the pretreatment of SOD. 2 weeks after irradiation with the pretreatment of SOD, myofibrillolysis, increased and dilated cisternae of sarcoplasmic reticulum and damaged mitochondria were seen. 4 weeks after irradiation with the pretreatment of SOD, the ultrastructures of rectus femoris muscles were recovered to normal. Consequently, after irradiation of 30 Gy, the immunoreactivities of SOD are decreased and SOD attenuates the reversible changes of ultrastructures in muscles.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Citric Acid ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Metabolism ; Microcirculation ; Mitochondria ; Mortality ; Muscles ; Quadriceps Muscle* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Sarcomeres ; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Urethane

To knew the prevalence and nature of asymptomatic microscopic hematuria in a community. we evaluated 13,678 cases(M; 12.198 cases, F; 1,480 cases) that visited to the Department of Health Service. Kang Nam General Hospital from April to October, 1992 for annual physical examination. For the detection of hematuria urine dipstick test was done. and then urine microscopy was done in cases with positive dipstick test (262 cases). Hematuria was defined as 3 or more RBCs/HPF on microscopic examination of the urinary sediment(189 cases). Repeated urinalysis was done in cases with 3-4 RBCs/HPF (30 cases). And in cases with 5 or more RBCs/HPF on urine microscopy, excretory urography(105 cases) was primarily checked and in addition, renal ultrasonography. cystoscopy. RGP. urine culture. urine cytology. serum IgA, C3. C4 were performed for investigation ofThe results were as follows: I. Prevalence of asymptomatic microscopic hematuria was 1.38% and significantly increased with age (p<0.01). 2. Urologic abnormalities associated with hematuria were identified in 23 cases (21.9 %)-6 cases of renal stone. 4 cases of BPH. 4 cases of UPJ stricture, 3 cases or cystitis, 2 cases of ureteral stone. 1 case or ureteral stricture. nephroptosis. renal cyst. renal tuberculosis. S. In 82 cases, urologic abnormalities could not be found and then serum IgA. C3 C4 checked in 36 cases among these. IgA was increased in 21 cases (58.3%). From the above result. the causes of asymptomatic microscopic hematuria in adults could not be found in 78.1% and serious urologic diseases tumor and so on) were almost not found. We conclude that in order to obtain the detection of accurate prevalence and various urologic diseases. repeatedurine dipstick test and long-term followup in larger populations would be needed, and that screening test for the evaluation of hematuria would consist of performing excretory urography only in relative young adults and excretory urography with selective urine cytology after age 50 years.
Adult* ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Cystitis ; Cystoscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Health Services ; Hematuria* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; Mass Screening ; Microscopy ; Physical Examination ; Prevalence* ; Tuberculosis, Renal ; Ultrasonography ; Ureter ; Urinalysis ; Urography ; Urologic Diseases ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli*

Neurochemical investigation has played a major role in the search for the cause of schizophrenia. Among many hypotheses, dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia prevails despite much criticism and qualification. Recently, evidences showing the atypical antipsychotics act via serotonergic mechanism suggest serotonin system as an etiologic factor for schizophrenia. We examined the possibility of the association of enzymes critical for the synthesis of serotonin (tryptophan hydroxylase, TPH) and dopamine (tyrosine hydroxylase, TH) with schizophrenia. The regions of DNA that has been known to be polymorphic were amplified using polymerase chain reaction from the peripheral blood cells of 374 biologically unrelated schizophrenic patients and 393 healthy controls. RFLP (A218C) and VNTR polymorphism (intron 1) were examined for TPH and TH, respectively. The patterns of polymorphisms and the frequencies of each allele were not significantly different between the control and the patient groups, suggesting no possible associations of the genetic polymorphisms of TPH and TH genes and schizophrenia. However, in schizophrenics, the frequency of A type allele was significantly higher in positive group than negative group. Thess findings suggest the association of positive schizophrenia with A type allele of TH gene.
Alleles ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Blood Cells ; DNA ; Dopamine ; Genetics ; Humans ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Schizophrenia* ; Serotonin ; Tryptophan Hydroxylase* ; Tryptophan* ; Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase* ; Tyrosine*