BACKGROUND: In recent years gonorrhea has been pandemic and remains one of the most common sexually transmitted diseases(STD) in the world, especially in developing countries. OBJECTIVE & METHOD: For the detection of a more effective therapeutic regimen and to assess the prevalence of penicillinase-producing Neisseria gonorrhoeae (PPNG), we have been studying patients who have visited the VD Clinic of Choong-ku Public Health Center in Seoul since 1980 by means of the chromogenic cephalosporin method. RESULTS: In 1995, 97 strains of N. gonorrhoeae were isolated, among which 41(42.3%) were PPNG. CONCLUSION: Since the prevalence of PPNG was reported as 21.9% in 1981, the rate fluctuated. However, in 1993, there was an increase up to 74.3%. Thereafter, the prevalence rate decreased to 64.3% in 1994 and 42.3% in 1995. These changes will therefore need continuous observation.
Developing Countries ; Gonorrhea ; Humans ; Methods ; Neisseria gonorrhoeae* ; Neisseria* ; Pandemics ; Prevalence* ; Public Health ; Seoul*

Aconitine is a main component of Aconitum carmichaeli, a Chinese herb known to be effective for arthritis and neuralgia. Many senior citizens consume the herb as a folk remedy. Aconitine-associated cardiogenic toxicity has been observed but aconitine-induced cerebrovascular event has not been reported so far. We report two elderly patients who became unconscious and showed neurological dysfunction soon after ingesting aconitine for pain control. We speculate that the aconitine induced cardiac arrhythmia. This resulted in cardiogenic emboli formation with subsequent large territory cerebral infarction.
Aconitine

This dealt with the 23 cases of giant cell tumor of femur and tibia who were treated with curettage and cementation of the lesion, over 14 year period. Cement by virtue of it's heat of polymerization may “sterilize” the wall upto 3-5mm in depth. Authors adoped cement treatment as an effective adjuvant after intra-lesional surgery(curettage). Curettage was indicated in all stage I lesions; most stage 2 and some stage 3 lesions, provided the residual bone stock were sufficient to make it oncologically and mechanically effective. The follow-up period ranged from 3 to 14 years(oaverage 8 years and 6 months). The sites of the lesions were proximal tibia in 8, dital femur in 13, proximal femur in one, and distal tibia in one. Among these cases, 3(13.0%) cases(two grade 1 and one grade 2) of stage II(To: active), and 2(8.7%) of stage III(grade 2) (Tl or T2: aggressive). Utmost attention was paid to nulify or to reduce the local seeding of the tumor cell during aggressive curettage, which was followed by electrical cautery of the cavitey wall, and lastly by the cavity obliteration with bone cement. None of the cases had lung metastasis. Only in a stage III GCT case(4.3%) of local recurrence after curettage and bone and artificial bone graft, recurettage and cementation brought the successful outcome. Through this study, it was reconfirmed that with correct indications the use of cement as a local adjuvant in conjuction with curettage was effective method in treating GCT without any side effects.
Cautery ; Cementation ; Curettage ; Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Giant Cell Tumors ; Hot Temperature ; Lung ; Methods ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Polymerization ; Polymers ; Recurrence ; Tibia ; Transplants ; Virtues

No abstract available.
Synostosis*

Lung cancer is the most common fatal malignant lesion in both sexes. Detection of the solitary pulmonary nodule is important because surgical series up to a third of solitary pulmonary nodules are bronchogenic carcinoma. Bronchioloalveolar cell carcinoma is a rare primary lung cancer and surgery is treatment of choice in brochioloalveolar cell carcinoma. We experienced a case of broschioloalveolar cell carcinoma in solitary pulmonary nodule with cavitary lesion in chest CT scan, which is an uncommon finding in brochioloalveolar cell carcinoma.
Carcinoma, Bronchogenic ; Lung Neoplasms ; Solitary Pulmonary Nodule ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Diabetes is accompanied by delayed wound healing and insufficient granulation tissue formation, possibly because of a defect in fibroblast function. Maintaining glucose level at acceptable low level is considered to be an important part of the clinical treatment of diabetes, but the exact mechanism by which diabetes delays wound repair is not yet known. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of glucose on proliferation([3H]-thymidine uptake) and collagen synthesis([3H]-proline uptake) in dermal fibroblasts from non-lesional skins and chronic wounds. The subjects were divided into 3 groups: non-diabetic control(n = 5), glucose controlled(glycated Hb < 7%) diabetics(n = 5), and glucose uncontrolled(glycosylated Hb > 8%) diabetics(n = 5). The fibroblasts were cultured in two conditions, low glucose(5 mM) and high glucose(20 mM) medium. The data were compared using Mann-Whitney test. The results are as follows: 1. There were no significant differences in the proliferation and collagen synthesis of non-lesional skin fibroblasts in all groups. 2. In high glucose medium culture, the proliferation of the fibroblasts from the wound of the glucose uncontrolled diabetic group was significantly lower than those of the other 2 groups(p< 0.05), and the collagen synthesis of the wound fibroblasts of the control group was significantly higher than those of 2 diabetic groups(p< 0.05). 3. The proliferation and collagen synthesis of the wound fibroblasts in all groups were significantly lower than those of the non-lesional skin fibroblasts(p< 0.05). 4. In the control group and the glucose controlled diabetic group, the proliferation of the wound fibroblasts in the high glucose culture media were lower than those in the low glucose culture media(p< 0.05). Also, in the glucose controlled diabetic group, the collagen synthesis of the wound fibroblasts in the high glucose culture medium was lower than that in the low glucose culture medium(p< 0.05). These results demonstrate that the glucose level may affect the proliferation and collagen synthesis of fibroblasts, and the strict blood glucose control is beneficial to the prevention and treatment of diabetic chronic wounds.
Blood Glucose ; Collagen* ; Culture Media ; DNA* ; Fibroblasts* ; Glucose* ; Granulation Tissue ; Skin ; Wound Healing ; Wounds and Injuries*

We had experienced a case of traumatic myositis ossificans arising in right masseter muscle, inferior to zygomatic arch occurred on 25 year old male. He had some trauma on the site one year ago and visited with complaint of mouth opening limitation and swelling. Palpable mass with facial disfigurement was noted. and several ovoid radiopaque masses were revealed on C.T. examination. On histopathologic examination, multiple bone trabeculae with osteoblasts in its periphery was noted in connective tissues and invaded to neighbouring muscles, but any chondroid components were not revealed.
Adult ; Connective Tissue ; Humans ; Male ; Masseter Muscle* ; Mouth ; Muscles ; Myositis Ossificans* ; Myositis* ; Osteoblasts ; Zygoma

BACKGROUND: Since the demonstration of the fact that vascular relaxation by acetylcholine(Ach) results from the release of relaxing factor from the endothelium, the identity and physiology of this endothelium-derived relaxing factor(EDRF) has been the target for many researches. EDRF has been identified as nitric oxide(NO). With the recent evidences that EDRF is an important mediator of vascular tone, there have been increasing interests in defining the role of the EDRF as a potential mediator of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. But the role of EDRF in modulating the pulmonary circulation is not compeletely clarified. To investigate the endotbelium-dependent pulmonary vasodilation and the role of EDRF during hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, we studied the effects of N(G)-monornethyl-L-arginine(L-NMMA) and L-arginine on the precontracted pulmonary arterial rings of the rat in normoxia and hypoxia. METHODS: The pulmonary arteries of male Sprague Dawley(300~350g) were dissected free of surrounding tissue, and cut into rings. Rings were mounted over fine rigid wires, in organ chambers filled with 20ml of Krebs solution bubbled with 95 percent oxygen and 5 percent carbon dioxide and maintained at 37℃. Changes in isometric tension were recorded with a force transducer(FT. 03 Grass, Quincy, USA). RESULTS: 1) Precontraction of rat pulmonry artery with intact endothelium by phenylephrine(PE, 10(-6)M) was relaxed completely by acetylcholine(Ach, 10(-9) -10(-5)M) and sodium nitroprusside (SN, 10(-9) -10(-5)M), but relaxing response by Ach in rat pulmonary artery with denuded endothelium was significantly decreased. 2) L-NMMA(10-4M) pretreatment inhibited Ach(10(-9) -10(-5)M)-induced relaxation, but L-NMMA(10-4M) had no effect on relaxation induced by SN(10(-9) -10(-5)M). 3) Pretreatment of the L-arginine(10(-4)M) significantly reversed the inhibition of the Ach(10(-9) -10(-5)M)-induced relaxation caused by L-NMMA(10(-4)M). 4) Pulmonary arterial contraction by PE(10(-6)M) was stronger in hypoxia than normoxia but relaxing response by Ach(10(-9) -10(-5)M) was decreased. 5) With pretreatment of L-arginine(10(-4)M), pulmonary arterial relaxation by Ach(10(-9) -10(-5)M) in hypoxia was reversed to the level of relaxation in normoxia. CONCLUSION: It is concluded that rat pulmonary arterial relaxation by Ach is dependent on the intact endothelium and is largely mediated by NO. Acute hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is related to the suppression on NO formation in the vascular endothelium.
Animals ; Anoxia ; Arginine ; Arteries ; Carbon Dioxide ; Endothelium ; Endothelium, Vascular ; Humans ; Male ; Nitric Oxide* ; Nitroprusside ; omega-N-Methylarginine ; Oxygen ; Physiology ; Poaceae ; Pulmonary Artery ; Pulmonary Circulation ; Rats* ; Relaxation* ; Vasoconstriction* ; Vasodilation

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the initial lateral cephalometric characteristics in two groups of patients: those that had mandibular setback surgery only and those that had mandibular setback surgery with advancement genioplasty. METHODS: The lateral cephalograms of thirty-one patients were studied. Twenty-one Class III patients (group A) had only madibular setback surgery. Twelve Class III patients (group B) had mandibular setback surgery with advancement genioplasty. RESULTS: Differences between two groups were found in N-Me, ANS-Me, Occlusal Plane angle, Palatal Plane to U1, Mandibular Plane to L1, Mandibular Plane to L6, SN to U1, Sn-Stms, and Pog' projection. Compared to group A, group B showed more linguoversion and extrusion of upper incisors, more extrusion of lower incisors and lower first molar, and more steepness of the occlusal plane. N-Me, ANS-Me, and Sn-Stms were also longer in group B. But Pog' projection was shorter than group A. CONCLUSION: We conclude that certain initial lateral cephalometric characteristics may help indicate the inclusion of advancement genioplasty when mandibular setback surgery is planned in skeletal Class III patients.
Dental Occlusion ; Genioplasty ; Humans ; Incisor ; Molar ; Orthognathic Surgery

Although metastatic renal cell carcinoma is not uncommon, metastases to the ureteral stump and bladder are very rare. A 69-year-old woman who had undergone radical nephrectomy because of right renal cell carcinoma about 8 years ago, visited our hospital for evaluation of painless gross hematuria. Histologic examination of the removed ureteral stump and bladder specimen demonstrated metastatic renal cell carcinoma. We report a case of renal cell carcinoma with metastases to the ureteral stump 5 years after radical nephrectomy and bladder 8 years after radical nephrectomy.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Female ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Nephrectomy ; Ureter* ; Urinary Bladder*