Thirty-eight patients with a musculoskeletal chest wall syndrome were evaluated for the musculoskeletal findings of chest wall. All patients had the chest wall tenderness and the typical chest pain could be reproduced by the palpation. There was no significant difference in the diagnostic features of the pain for the onset, location, characteristics, duration, radiation, and area of references for chest pain among the different groups of the patients. However, a reproduction of pain by palpation and the pressure threshold difference between the lesion and control points by using pressure algometry was a reliable and specific diagnostic tool. Pressure threshold difference was correlated with numerical rating scale by the correlation coefficient 0.96. The common causes of the chest wall syndrome were the myofascial pain syndrome, chostochondritis, sternalis syndrome, rib-tip syndrome, xiphodynia in order. Six patients had chest wall disorders in conjunction with other associated intrathoracic condition. Thirty-two patients had an isolated chest wall syndrome. Chest wall syndrome should be considered in all patients with the chest pain, as its recognition could help the patient management.
Chest Pain ; Humans ; Myofascial Pain Syndromes ; Palpation ; Reproduction ; Thoracic Wall* ; Thorax*

Iridocorneal endothelial syndrome is a disease characterized by corneal endothelial degeneration, corneal edema, peripheral anterior synechia, iris stromal change, and secondary glaucoma. This syndrome is considered to have three major variations: Chandler's syndrome, progressive (essential) iris atrophy, and Cogan-Reese syndrome. We experienced three cases of iridocorneal endothelial syndrome with transient intraocular pressure elevation.

Frey syndrome is characterized by sweating and flushing on the auriculotemporal region in respense to gustatory stimuli following surgery, trauma or irfection of the parotid areas. A 22-year-old man had received a surgery for sclerosis and hypertrophy of the left mandible. Two months after operation gustatory sweating occurred, whenever he eats, on the malar area without any detectable flushing or sensory impairment. Sweating starts in 30 seconds during food intake and is clearly visible with naked eyes within 2 minutes. This syndrome is encountered uncommonly to the dermatologic practitioners but more cases might be discovered if more attention could be given to this condition.
Acitretin* ; Administration, Oral ; Eating ; Etretinate* ; Flushing ; Humans ; Hyperkeratosis, Epidermolytic ; Hypertrophy ; Ichthyosiform Erythroderma, Congenital ; Ichthyosis* ; Mandible ; Nevus ; Porcupines* ; Sclerosis ; Sweat ; Sweating ; Sweating, Gustatory* ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: To report two cases that showed clinical findings of recurrent keratoconus following penetrating keratoplasty. METHODS: A 39 year-old male and a 34 year-old female developed clinical signs of recurrent keratoconus in his left and her right eye 3 and 8 years after keratoplasty, respectively, and he underwent successful corneal regrafting. RESULTS: We confirmed recurrence of keratoconus histopathologically through the examination of the cornea of the recipient who underwent corneal regrafting and chromosomal study showed mosaicism, 47,XXY/46,XY. CONCLUSION: We report the histopathologic feature of one case of recurrent keratoconus for the first time in Korea.
Adult ; Cornea ; Corneal Transplantation ; Female ; Humans ; Keratoconus* ; Keratoplasty, Penetrating ; Korea ; Male ; Mosaicism ; Recurrence

Numerous medications have the potential to induce acute pancreatitis. However, isoniazid-induced acute pancreatitis is extremely rare. Drug-induced acute pancreatitis can be diagnosed by improvement after stopping the drug and recurrence of pancreatitis when rechallenged. We present a case of severe acute pancreatitis accompanied by multiple large pseudocysts after isoniazid treatment for pulmonary tuberculosis. We confirmed that isoniazid induced pancreatitis by rechallenging after treatment cessation. Most previous reports of isoniazid-induced pancreatitis have been clinically mild forms, and the patient fully recovered with supportive management. However, this case presents severe and permanent pancreatic damage that developed with 5 weeks of isoniazid treatment. When a patient presents with manifestations of pancreatitis during treatment of tuberculosis that includes isoniazid, the physician should consider isoniazid-induced pancreatitis.
Humans ; Isoniazid ; Pancreatitis ; Recurrence ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; Withholding Treatment

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare with pregnant and non-pregnant women for homocysteine and vitamin B12 and to determine effecting factors on serum homocysteine and vitamin B12 level. METHODS: From March 2001 to February 2002, 202 pregnant (24-28 wks) women and 237 non- pregnant women were included in this study. Blood sample for homocysteine, vitamin B12, folate and questionaires about life style and nutrition were done. Homocysteine was measured by HPLC and vitamin B12, folate were measured by RIA. RESULT: Concentrations (mean+/-8D) of homocysteine and vitamin B12 in pregnant women were 8.2+/-3.1 micromol/L, 449.4+/-212.3 pg/ml, and in non-pregnant women were 12.5+/-6.3 micromol/L, 1017.1+/-296.8 pg/ml, respectively. Risk group of homocysteine was 6.5% in pregnant women (n=12/185), and 26.4% in non- pregnant women (n=57/216). In pregnant women, homocysteine have a negative correlation with folate, vitamin B12 (p<0.05). Non- pregnant women were divided to three groups (smoker, ever been smoker but stop smoking now, non- smoker) and concentrations of homocysteine were 13.6+/-7.0, 13.0+/-6.7, 11.9+/-7.6 micromol/L, respectively. They were divided to two groups (drinker, non-drinker) and concentrations of homocysteine were 12.9+/-7.0, 10.4+/-3.0 micromol/L respectively (p<0.05). Pregnant women who take nutrients have a higher concentration of folate than in women do not (8.8+/-5.1 vs. 7.9+/-3.9 pg/ml, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Homocysteine in women during pregnancy is decreased by about 35% compared with that of non-pregnant women. In pregnant women, as homocysteine increases, as folate and vitamin B12 decrease. Among the non-pregnant women, higher level of homocysteine demonstrated in smokers than in non-smokers and in drinkers than non-drinkers. In pregnant women who take nutrients have a significant higher level of folate than do not, but have no significant relationship in homocysteine level.
Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Female ; Folic Acid ; Homocysteine* ; Humans ; Life Style ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Vitamin B 12* ; Vitamins*

This study examined the anti-diabetic effects of aqueous extracts of Dendropanax morbifera leaves (DMWEs) in streptozotocin-induced diabetic Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Thirty male SD rats (body weight [BW], 250.4 ± 19.7 g) were divided into the following six groups: normal control rats (NC), diabetic control rats (DC), diabetic rats treated with metformin HCl 100 mg/kg BW (DT), diabetic rats treated with DMWEs 50 mg/kg BW (DM-50), diabetic rats treated with DMWEs 100 mg/kg BW (DM-100), and diabetic rats treated with DMWEs 200 mg/kg BW (DM-200). From two weeks of administration of DMWEs, the BW of all groups treated with DMWEs increased significantly compared to DC (p < 0.05). At four weeks after treatment, the blood glucose levels in DT, DM-100, and DM-200 decreased below 200 mg/dL, while the glycated hemoglobin concentrations in all groups administered DMWEs were similar to those of NC and DT. Regarding the blood biochemical parameters, the levels of aspartate transaminase, alanine transaminase, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine in DM-100 and DM-200 were similar to those in NC and DT. Overall, these results highlight the effectiveness of DM-100 in the treatment of diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of smoking on utilization of and expenses in ambulatory dental care. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 5,751 men aged over 20 years selected from the Korea Health Panel data collected during 2010-2012. Pack-years of smoking were calculated based on the survey data. Dental utilization was defined as dental outpatient clinic use least once in three years. The expenses in ambulatory dental care were summed to determine total dental health care spending for three years. To detect the effect of smoking, we used multiple logistic regression analysis for dental utilization and multiple linear regression for expenses in ambulatory dental care after changing log. RESULTS: The pack-years had a significant effect on dental utilization and expenses in participants aged 40-59 years. After controlling for income level, bedtime brushing, and the presence of chronic disease, dental care utilization rates in the over 10 to less than 25 pack-year and the over 25 pack-year groups were about 1.4 (OR=1.37, (P =0.007)) and 1.6 times (OR=1.59, (P =0.001)) those in the 0 pack-year group. In comparison with the 0 pack-year group, the over 10 to less than 25 pack-year group spent 50,000 won more over dental expenses, while the corresponding number for the over 25 pack-year group was about 100,000 won. Thus, the ambulatory dental care expenses increased with the packyears of smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Smoking significantly influenced the utilization and expense in ambulatory dental care in men aged 40-59 years.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Chronic Disease ; Delivery of Health Care ; Dental Care* ; Humans ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Smoke* ; Smoking*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of nonsurgical treatment and to evaluate the usefulness of ultrasonographic assessment in postburn hypertrophic scar. METHODS: The subjects were twenty-seven burn patients with hypertrophic scar. Hypertrophic scars were treated by four different methods: triamcinolone acetonide injection (Group I), pressure garment application (Group II), combination treatment of triamcinolone acetonide and garment (Group III) and no treatment (Group IV). To assess the effectiveness of each treatment method, ultrasonographic measurement of scar thickness and punch biopsy of scar were done before and after treatment. RESULTS: After 4 weeks treatment, the scar thickness decreased by 14.9 9.4% in Group I, 4.7 8.4% in Group II and 20.5 13.2% in Group III. However the scar thickness increased by 10.0 13.5% in Group IV (no treatment). The pathologic findings didn't show significant change. CONCLUSION: The TA solution injection therapy and pressure garment therapy were effective methods for the treatment of the postburn hypertrophic scar, but the combinations of both therapies was more effective than each single therapy. The ultrasonography can be used as objective measure to assess effectiveness of therapy.
Biopsy ; Burns ; Cicatrix ; Cicatrix, Hypertrophic* ; Humans ; Triamcinolone Acetonide ; Ultrasonography

Visual Perception in stroke patients is very important in the respect of prognosis and functional recovery. Therefore understanding and knowledge of the visual perceptual dysfuction should be the base for the training in activities of daily living. The present study was designed to test the disturbance of visual perceptions, espescially for error in visual perception of verticality or horizontality of rod in hemiplegic patients. In additions, we assessed the hemiplegic and control groups, for the balance index, the duration of disease onset, and the lateralization and localization of lesions by computerized tomography or magnetic resonance image respectively with analysis of an each factor. The vertical average error angles of hemiplegic patients are greater than those of controls. The error angles of the left hemiplegic patients are greater than those of the right hemiplegia. Correlation between the vertical average error angles and the balance index has the reversed coefficient factors. Verticality recovers mostly in 2-3 months of onset.
Activities of Daily Living ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Stroke* ; Visual Perception