We have recently experienced a case of mammary hamartoma in 29-year-old woman. Hamartoma of the breast is a rare benign tumor-like lesion which is characteristically well demarcated by thin layer of fibrofatty tissue and composed of essentially normal mammary tissue with mammary glandular structure and fibrous stroma containing variable amounts of fat. The lobular architecture is relatively well preserved. It can be readily recognized, but should not be confused with fibroadenoma or mammary dysplasia. It also shows characteristic mammographic picture.
Female ; Humans ; Hamartoma

BACKGROUND: This study intends to clear that the current cost reimbursement system of Korean medical insurance of health care. METHODS: By using insured medical record of Federation of Korean Medical Insurance Societies used in the demand tendency research of the type of services from feburary 1st to 28th of the year 1990, authors analyze the characterist,ic of components of charges per case in the type of health care facilities. RESULTS: The charge per case in the out-patient care of primary health care facility is 13,498 won, which is 54.6% by comparison with the secondary health care facility and 30.7 % by comparison wit,h the tertiary health care facility. Among these charges the amount of the cost for medical examinations and oral drugs are 73.9% in the primary health care facility and 71.8% in the secondary and 67.5% in the tertiary. Consequently, the services in the primary care are chiefly composed with the medical examinations and oral drugs. In addition to this point the author also finds that the charge per case is 3.5 times, the cost for oral drugs is 5.6 times larger than those of primary care, and therefore tertiary health care facility conduct various diagnostic examinations and prescript more expensive. CONCLUSIONS: There is a difference of basic medical cost ratio between primary, secondary and tertiary health care facility. These points can be lead to the presumption that the diseases under the structure of current medical insurance are overlapped irrespective of the charact.erisitcs of the type of health care facilites, and this is profitable to the tertiary health care facilities which can conduct various types of services. In conclusion, the frame a policy is needed to encourage primary care which are nothing but simple structure of charges.
Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Insurance* ; Medical Records ; Outpatients ; Primary Health Care

There have been increasing interests of diabetes in the realm of plastic surgery due to problems like foot ulcer as a complication, delayed wound healing or higher failure rates of flap surgery. Main pathology in diabetes is microvascular compromise as well as metabolic derangements. The disturbance in microvascular circulation results in ischemic environments in the body and acts as a main factor that determines the limit of reconstructive or aesthetic plastic surgery. A useful method to overcome such problems is the use of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which is known to be effective in the treatment of ischemic skin ulcer or osteoradionecrosis. However, there have been few studies on the survival of diabetic random skin flap or the effects of hyperbaric oxygenation directed to increase survival of such flap. In our study, we supposed that the survival of diabetic random skin flap was diminished owing to compromised microvascular pathology and blood rheology, and metabolic derangements, so we hypothesized that hyperbaric oxygen therapy has both reversible and irreversible effects on the survival of ischemic random skin flap in Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Increase of local transcutaneous oxygen concentration, O2 affinity in blood and dysmorphogenesis of red blood cells are reversible and relatively short-term effects and promotion of neoangiogenesis is irreversible or long-term effects. We intended to confirm that hyperbaric rats and to compare the effects between preoperative and postoperative hyperbaric oxygenation on the survival of such flap. And we expect the additional effects of hyperbaric oxygenation on metabolism in diabetic rat, such as lowering the blood glucose level and solving the arrested weight gain. We divided Streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats into three groups: the first was non-treatment diabetic group, the second was preoperative hyperbaric oxygen treated diabetic group(100% O2, 2 atm, 90min, 15sessions, twice a day), and the third was postoperative hyperbaric oxygen treated group(100% O2, 2atm, 90min, 15sessions, twice a day). After elevation of random skin flap on dorsum of diabetic rats, we evaluated the extent of flap survival by measuring the necrotic areas at 3rd, 7th, 10th, and 13th postoperative days. At that time, we intended to evaluate both effects on flap survival by preoperative and postoperative hyperbaric oxygen therapy. As a result, flap survival of non-treated diabetic group was 41% at 13th postoperative days. In diabetic groups with preoperative and postoperative hyperbaric oxygen therapy, flap survival were increased to 64.6% and 62.4% respectively. Diabetic groups with hyperbaric oxygen therapy have a tendency of meaningful decrement in blood glucose level. However, there were no meaningful differences between preoperative and postoperative hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy has no effective correlations with body weight changes. We conclude that hyperbaric oxygen therapy has some useful effects on the survival of diabetic random skin flap.
Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Body Weight Changes ; Erythrocytes ; Foot Ulcer ; Hyperbaric Oxygenation* ; Metabolism ; Osteoradionecrosis ; Oxygen ; Pathology ; Rats* ; Rheology ; Skin Ulcer ; Skin* ; Surgery, Plastic ; Weight Gain ; Wound Healing

Lymphomatoid papulosis is a chronic disease of cutaneous atypical lymphoid infiltration characterized clinically by involuting and recurring papules, plaques, and sometimes nodules. A 51-year-old man presented with a single, coin sized, nontender, erythematous nodule on the left thigh of a 2-week duration. There was a history of recurrence and spontaneous healing of similar asymptomatic eruptions five to six times over 20 years. A biopsy specimen showed a dense, wedge-shaped dermal infiltrate that was patchy and perivascular. The cellular infiltrate was polymorphous and consisted of large atypical cells, small lymphocytes, eosinophils and neutrophils. The large atypical cells were strongly CD30(Ki-1) positive. We report a case of lymphomatoid papulosis unusually presenting as a single nodular eruption, in which the differential diagnosis between lymphomatoid papulosis and CD30(Ki-1)positive large cell lymphoma is exceedingly difficult.
Biopsy ; Chronic Disease ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Lymphoma ; Lymphomatoid Papulosis* ; Middle Aged ; Neutrophils ; Numismatics ; Recurrence ; Thigh

No abstract available.
Hyperthyroidism*

Endoscopic injection sclerotherapy(EIS) is currently the most widely practiced method for treating and eradicating acutely bleeding esophageal varices in repeated sessions, but may be associated with some uadesirable local and systemic complications. Endoscopic variceal ligation(EVL), which consists of mechanical ligation and thrombosis of varices using elastic "0"- rings, has been recently developed as a non-operative alternative to EIS. We performed EVL in 16 patients who had recently bled from esophageal varices. Total 249 variceal ligations were performed during 71 separate EVL sessions. Three patients were actively bleeding at initial EVL; all of them were successfully controlled by emergency EVL. During the study period two patients died after initial EVL; one who refused te return for repeated EVL died from rebleeding, the other died from hepatic failure without any rebleeding. Rebleeding, following initiation of EVL, occured in 3 patients(l8.8%); two patients had bled from varices except previousiy ligated site and were successfully controlled by emergency EVL, remained one who refused any repeat endoscopy could not be confirmed the bleeding site. Varices were eradicated or reduced to grade I in 10(71.4%) of the 14 survivors by 14-28 ligations(mean, 19.5 ligations) in 3 -7 EVL sessions(mean, 5.4 sessions), During or after EVL, there were no complications, except transient mild dysphagia in 3 patients of 16 patients. These results indicated that EVL is a safe and effective method for treatmet of bleeding esophageal varices.
Deglutition Disorders ; Emergencies ; Endoscopy ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Ligation* ; Liver Failure ; Survivors ; Thrombosis ; Varicose Veins

BACKGROUND: Asthmatic patients frequently suffer cold-weather-associated respiratory symptoms. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and diagnostic value of isocapnic hyperventilation of cold air(IHCA) using a multistep method was investigated in patients suspected to have asthma. METHOD: One hundred and 29 adult patients who had an IHCA performed between july 1999 and December 2000, had an methacholine bronchoprovocation test because of a clinical suspicion of asthma. RESULTS: According to strict criteria, 50 were defined as asthmatics and 79 as symptomatic nonashmatics. There were no differences in age, sex and smoking state between the asthmatic and symptomatic nonasthmatic groups. There was a significant decrease in the percentage reduction in the forced expiratory volume in 1 second(FEV1) after the IHCA between the asthmatics(-10.0±6.8%) and the symptomatic nonasthmatics(-2.3±2.5%). The factors associated with a reactivity to IHCA were FEV1/FVC, FEF25-75/FVC and FEV1(% of predicted). The accuracy was highest using a 7% fall in FEV1; the sensitivity was 76% and the specificity 96%. CONCLUSION: IHCA is a specific, although not a sensitive, test for diagnosing asthma in adult patients. Furthermore, the diagnostic cut-off value of the different methods of IHCA need to be determined.
Adult* ; Asthma* ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Hyperventilation* ; Methacholine Chloride ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Smoke ; Smoking

Carcinomatous degeneration of chronic scars, known as Marjcinulcer, are relatively rare. The majority of them are quamous cell carcinoma or other skin cancers including basal cell carcinoma. But malignant melanone, especially amelanotic melanoma oveloping from a chronic burn scar is extremely rare. We have experiencedl a case of amelanotic melanoma arising ron a chronic burn scar in a patient, 53 year-old female, who had a painful erythematous ulcra edonodule on the left heel for about 20 years since she had sustained a burn there at the age of 1 year. Although there are no melanin pigments in hematoxylinsin(H & E) stain as well a Fontana Masson stain, a biopsy specimen from the skin lesion revealed cytologic atypia and junctional activity in the dermoepidermal junction arcl positive immunohistochemical staier, for S-100 protein, which is consistent with amelanotic melanoma. lesion was widely excised and a skin graft was dure She was also treated with intralesional BCG injection and recurrence or metastasis was ot detected during the follow up period of 6 months.
Biopsy ; Burns* ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Cicatrix* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heel ; Humans ; Melanins ; Melanoma, Amelanotic* ; Middle Aged ; Mycobacterium bovis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; S100 Proteins ; Skin ; Skin Neoplasms ; Transplants

Early detection of glaucoma by mass screening is the most practical approach for prevention of blindness. An epidemIOlogical study gives the most essential information on prevalence an distribution of the disease in relation to diverse background factors. But, before now, an epidemiological study for glaucoma has not been carried out in Korea. Our glaucoma survey was conducted in the health examination center of Yongdong Severance hospital during 1990 and 1991. The total numbers of subjects examined was 4424 persons aged 30 years or older. A mainstay of the screening consisted of applanation tonometry and fundus photography with a non-mydriatic camera, followed by automated perimetry as a recall examination. Overall prevalences of glaucoma obtained were primary open angle glaucoma 0.23% (10 patients), low tension glaucoma 2.04% (108 patients), and ocular hypertension 0.23% (10 patients). The mean lOP obtained with applanation tonometry was 14.04 +/- 2.99 mmHg for men and 14,07 +/- 2.67 mmHg for women. In additon, our data have pointed out that the lOP in different ages tends to be constant, whereas prevalences of glaucoma and low tension glaucoma increase with aging.
Adult* ; Aging ; Blindness ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Female ; Glaucoma ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; Humans ; Korea ; Low Tension Glaucoma ; Male ; Manometry ; Mass Screening ; Ocular Hypertension ; Photography ; Prevalence* ; Visual Field Tests

Pneumocystis carinii causes serious pulmonary infection in immunosuppressed patients. This study was undertaken to observe the cytoskeletal proteins of P. carinii by immuno-electron microscopy. P. carinii infection was experimentally induced by immunosuppression of Sprague-Dawley rats for seven weeks, and their lungs were used for the observations of this study. The gold particles localized actin, tropomyosin, and tubulin. The actin was irregularly scattered in the cytoplasm of the trophic forms but was much more concentrated in the inner space of the cell wall of the cystic forms called the inner electron-lucent layer. No significant amount of tropomyosin was observed in either trophic forms or cystic forms. The tubulin was distributed along the peripheral cytoplasm and filopodia of both the trophic and cystic forms rather than in the inner side of the cytoplasm. Particularly, in the cystic forms, the amount of tubulin was increased and located mainly in the inner electron-lucent layer of the cell wall where the actin was concentrated as well. The results of this study showed that the cell wall of P. carinii cystic forms is a structure whose inner side is rich in actin and tubulin. The location of the actin and tubulin in P. carinii suggests that the main role of these proteins is an involvement in the protection of cystic forms from the outside environment by maintaining rigidity of the cystic forms.
Actins/analysis ; Animals ; Cytoskeletal Proteins/*analysis ; Fungal Proteins/*analysis ; Histocytochemistry ; Microscopy, Immunoelectron ; Pneumocystis/*chemistry/cytology ; Rats ; Rats, Wistar ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Tropomyosin/analysis ; Tubulin/analysis