Bacteriological index(BI) was calculated by slit-skin smears taken from the earlobe and the dorsal surfaces of the proximal phalanges of the index finger and of the great toe in 110 lepromatous leprosy patients who have been treated regularly by antileprosy chemotherapy. The bacteriaI indices from the three sites were compared, and the results were as follows. 1) Sixteen patients whose BI of the earlobe smear was 4. 0 in average shawed the highest degree of positivity of M. leprae in the smears taken from the finger and the great toe. 2) ln seventy-four patients whose BI of the earlobe smear was l. 0 or higher, eight (10.8%) showed higher BI in smears taken from both the finger and the great toe, fifteen (20. 3%) and twenty-seven(36. 5%) showed approximately the same BI in smears taken from the finger and the great toe, respectively, 3) In thirty-six patients whose BI of the earlobe smear was negative, twelve (33. 3%) showed higher BI in smears taken from both the finger and the great toe. 4) The mean value of BI of the three sites was 3.7 in the earlobe, 3. 2 in the finger and 3. 0 in the great toe. Comparing the BI of the three sites, the finger and the great toe were found to have comparable BI with the earlobe, although the BI of the earlobe was highest. The authors concluded that it was quite reasonable to include the finger and the great toe in slit-skin smears for M. leprae identification, particularly when the BI of the earlobe was negative. A follow-up investigation seems mandatory.
Drug Therapy ; Fingers* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Leprosy, Lepromatous ; Mycobacterium leprae* ; Mycobacterium* ; Skin* ; Toes*

We have experienced a 50-year-old male patient, who died of multiple metastatic nodular melanoma which had the primary lesions on the right hallux and forefoot with eventual involvement of skin and internal organs. An autopsy was performed for the evidence of metastatic features of the internal organs and their spreading routes, with concurrent histopathologic findings. The autopsy findings revealed diffuse metastases to the ipsilateral femoral and inguinal lymph nodes via ascending vascular channels and to the internal organs: 1. The heart had multiple metastatic lesions on the pericardium and right ventricular wall. And the mediastinal, periaortic and periesophageal lymph nodes were also involved. 2. The both lungs were moderately indurated and focally discolored, and showed metastatic lesions in the right lower lobe and hilar areas, Melanoma cells were diffusely invaded to the interstitia and alveoli. 3. The right 5th and 6th ribs showed the invsion of melanoma cells on their bone marrows, periostia, and Haversians canals. 4. The liver was enlarged and showed multiple various sized nodules on the surface with adesion to the parts of peritoneum, omentum and diaphragm. Melanoma cells were seen mostly on and around the sinusoidal spaces and parenchyma. 5. The stomach wall had an ulcerated metastatic lesion and the melanoma cells invaded deeply into the muscle layer. 6. The pancreas was normal in its size and shape but had multiple metastatic lesions on the head and body with melanoma celi infiltration. 7. The both kidneys were grar ular surfaced and showed two metastatic lesions on the right renal cortex and two on the left. Renal tubules and parenchyma were widely invaded by melanoma cells but the glomerular tufts were intact. 8. The adreral and thyroid glands showed four and two metastatic lesions respectively and diffuse invasion of melanoma cells into the parenchyma. 9. The brain was normal in gross appearance, but the cortex was edematous and showed settered melanoma cell infiltration.
Autopsy* ; Bone Marrow ; Brain ; Diaphragm ; Hallux ; Head ; Heart ; Humans ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Melanoma* ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Omentum ; Pancreas ; Pericardium ; Peritoneum ; Ribs ; Skin ; Stomach ; Thyroid Gland ; Ulcer

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to assess the association between the stress or depression and oral health status of Korean adolescents. METHODS: The subjects were 1,180 participants of the Sixth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), aged 12 to 18 years. All the collected data were analyzed by using the chi-square test, t test, analysis of variance, and multiple regression analysis with the SAS version 9.3 software. Multiple regression analysis was performed to analyze the relationship of stress or depression to oral health status, and 95% confidence intervals were computed. RESULTS: Cognitive stress and depression levels for >2 weeks correlated with permanent teeth caries index. In terms of cognitive status, oral health of "a little feeling" was poorer than that of "almost no feeling," with significant statistical difference (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present study provides further evidence to support the establishment of a school oral health clinic for adolescents and hopefully provide guidance in the planning for oral health education.
Adolescent* ; Depression* ; Education ; Humans ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Oral Health* ; Tooth

OBJECTIVES: Adolescence is a time during which health behaviors and attitudes that significantly affect the quality of life are formed. The aim of this study was to analyze data from a large national survey to determine the effect of health behaviors and the DMFT index as well as oral and general health behavior patterns on oral health in adolescents. METHODS: Data from the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used to analyze the association between health behaviors and the DMFT index in Korean adolescents. The data were analyzed using SAS version 19.3. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the relationship between the variables, and 95% confidence intervals were computed. RESULTS: Sex, age, private medical insurance coverage, usage of oral-hygiene-assistance products, lack of dental treatment, and the status of self-recognition of oral health were the factors that had a significant influence on oral health among adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings provided further evidence supporting the promotion of school-based oral health programs and highlighting the need of oral health education for adolescents.
Adolescent* ; Education ; Health Behavior* ; Humans ; Insurance Coverage ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Oral Health* ; Quality of Life

Peripartum cardiomyopathy is defined as a syndrome of cardiac failure occurring in tbe latter part of pregnancy or in the puerperium, without obvious cause and without prior evidence of heart disease. Despite its infrequency, this clinical problem may have devastating consequences upon maternal and fetal outcome. It is important to recognize the association of cardiac failure and pregnancy as a separate syndrome so that, once identified, peripartum cardiomyopathy can be treated promptly and aggressively. We experienced two cases of peripartum cardiomyopathy, and report these cases with a brief review of the literatures.
Cardiomyopathies* ; Heart Diseases ; Heart Failure ; Peripartum Period* ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy

Menetriers disease is a rare disease, characterized by a marked hypertrophy of the mucosa of the fundus and corpus of the stomach and gastrointestinal loss af protein often causing transient edema. The 16-Year-old female patient was admitted to the Seoul Adventist Hospital and she complained epigastric pain & discomfort for 20 days. Under the UGI & endoscoyy, pathologic examination was done. The diagnosis was estabilished. She wes treated medically.
Adolescent ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Female ; Gastritis, Hypertrophic* ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Mucous Membrane ; Rare Diseases ; Seoul ; Stomach

Satoyoshi syndrome(generalized Komuragaeri disease) is a rare disorder of unknown cause, characterized by progressive, painful, intermittent muscle spasms and alopecia. Endocrinopathy with amenorrhea, secondary skeletal abnormalities, and diarrhea or unusual malabsorption are frequently seen. It seems that autoimmunity may play a role in its pathogenesis. We report a 13-year-old girl with characteristic manifestations of the syndrome. She was treated with intravenous gammaglobulin and Prednisolone. Painful muscle cramps were gradually improved, but the scalp condition did not change. Satoyoshi syndrome should be considered in children with unexplained muscle spasms and alopecia.
Adolescent ; Alopecia* ; Amenorrhea ; Autoimmunity ; Child ; Diarrhea ; Female ; Humans ; Muscle Cramp ; Prednisolone ; Scalp ; Spasm*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the outcome of Ahmed valve implantation as a primary or secondary glaucoma surgery to treat refractory glaucoma patients. METHODS: A total of 101 eyes of 101 patients with refractory glaucoma, who received Ahmed valve implantation between March 1995 to September 2004 were included. We divided cases into primary surgery group, who had no trabeculectomy, and secondary surgery group, who had trabeculectomy before Ahmed valve implantation. Successful operation was defined as having the following outcomes: (1) postoperative intraocular pressure (IOP) sustained between 5 and 21mmHg and reduced 30% from the baseline IOP with or without medication, (2) no visual decline due to IOP or complications, and (3) no additional filtering surgery. Clinical records were reviewed, and IOP, antiglaucoma medications, and complications were recorded. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to calculate the overall probability of success. RESULTS: In primary surgery group, overall success rate was 57.6%, 46.7%, 39.7%, and 39.7% at 1, 3, 5, and 7 years, respectively. In secondary surgery group, overall success rate was 67.8%, 58.1%, 52.4%, and 43.5% at the same time points. There was, however, no statistical difference in success rates between two groups. The incidence of complications were as follows: 4.2% of endophthalmitis, 4.2% of valve exposure, 4.2% of hypotony was found in the primary surgery, and 3.8% of endophthalmitis, 1.9% of valve exposure, 9.4% of hypotony were found in the secondary surgery. There were no statistical differences in the incidences of complications between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Ahmed valve implantation was effective for IOP control in refractory glaucoma patients. Success rate did not show significant difference between primary and secondary Ahmed valve implantation group.
Endophthalmitis ; Filtering Surgery ; Glaucoma* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intraocular Pressure ; Trabeculectomy

To analyze the developmental changes in soma diameters of digastric motoneurons, wheat-germ agglutinin conjugated horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) was injected into the digastric muscle and visualized the retrogradely HRP-labeled motoneurons through tungstate/tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) and following diaminobenzidine (DAB) reactions. The results obtained from Sprague-Dawley rats at postnatal days 1 (P1), 10 (P10) and 30 (P30) indicated as follows: firstly, soma diameters of digastric motoneurons showed unimodal distribution in all postnatal days examined; secondly, the period of P1 to P10 (period 1) showed about 2 times faster growth rate than that of P10 to P30 (period 2); thirdly, the smallest soma examined in each postnatal day exhibited slower growth rate with that of the largest one (increase ratio in soma diameters from P1 to P30, smallest vs. largest =1.62 : 1.93); Finally, relative growth rates a day showed again that period 1 had faster growth rate than that of period 2. Consequently, developmental changes in soma diameters of digastric motoneurons resulted in very different growth rates between both periods. This implies that the growth of the soma is almost completing within P10 and thereafter growing slowly. The period 1 and 2 are corresponding to sucking and sucking/masticatory period, respectively. Therefore present study providing morphological changes in soma diameters of digastric motoneurons suggests that both periods and their different growth rates of the motoneurons in each period may closely be related with each other.
Animals ; Carisoprodol* ; Horseradish Peroxidase ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Phlebectasia is an abnormal dilatation of an isolated vein and a rare venous anomaly and is usually asymptomatic. Clinically internal jugular phlebectasia is a self limited benign condition and usually no treatment is required after initial diagnosis. So suspection of this disease and appropriate diagnostic approaches are essential to avoid unnecessary surgical intervention. We present three cases of internal jugular phlebectasia of which diagnosis was made by neck sonography and CT.
Diagnosis ; Dilatation ; Neck ; Veins