The auther has presented recently treated 2 cases of squamous cell cancer, which are found in the lower lid in 25 years old male, and a tumd arising from the lacrimal sac in 47 years old female. It was reviewed clinically with the literature.
Adult ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasms, Squamous Cell

Although this vascular anomaly, angiomatosis retinae, was initially observed over 85 years ago, and although excellent clinical description of the lesion exist in the literature, treatments for the angiomatosis retinae is difficult and unless the condition is in its early stages, impossible but available symptomatic therapy. Two cases of the angiomatosis retinae, the first, 11 year old girl, von Hippel disease, early stage of vascular dilatation and angiomatous formation, and the second, 15 year old boy, von Hippel-Lindau disease, the final stage of glaucoma and destruction of the eye, are reported. Intravenous fluorescein angiography has been demonstrated, the retinal vascular malformations in von Hippel-Lindau disease are distributed focally and not diffusely, The retinal veins showing greater changes than the arteries are disclosed. This paper presents the fluorscein angiographic findings of von Hippel-Lindau disease and discusses the treatments and the pathologic findings of angiomatosis retinae with literatures related to von Hippel-Lindau disease.
Adolescent ; Arteries ; Child ; Dilatation ; Female ; Fluorescein Angiography ; Glaucoma ; Humans ; Male ; Retinal Vein ; Retinaldehyde ; Vascular Malformations ; von Hippel-Lindau Disease*

Authors experienced a case of acute optic neuritis, 12 years old female patient, following scarlet fever which is rare among bacterial origin in ophthalmological aspects. On the first day of admission, the visual acuities of 0.04(N.C.) in right eye and 0.2 (N.C.) in left eye, blurring of disc margins (OU), central scotoma (OD), and high antistreptolysin O titer (A.S.T.O.) were noted. After bed rest and medical treatment with corticosteroid, penicillin, and vitamin B12 for two and a half months, the visual acuities and antistreptolysin O titer were recovered completely.
Antistreptolysin ; Bed Rest ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Optic Neuritis* ; Penicillins ; Scarlet Fever* ; Scotoma ; Visual Acuity ; Vitamin B 12

Authors experienced a case of acute optic neuritis, 12 years old female patient, following scarlet fever which is rare among bacterial origin in ophthalmological aspects. On the first day of admission, the visual acuities of 0.04(N.C.) in right eye and 0.2 (N.C.) in left eye, blurring of disc margins (OU), central scotoma (OD), and high antistreptolysin O titer (A.S.T.O.) were noted. After bed rest and medical treatment with corticosteroid, penicillin, and vitamin B12 for two and a half months, the visual acuities and antistreptolysin O titer were recovered completely.
Antistreptolysin ; Bed Rest ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Optic Neuritis* ; Penicillins ; Scarlet Fever* ; Scotoma ; Visual Acuity ; Vitamin B 12

BACKGROUND: Most current reseatch using prognostic scoring systems in critically ill patients have focused o prediction using the first intensive care unit(ICU) day data or daily updated data. Usually the mean ICU length of stay in Korea is longer than in the western world. Consequently, a more cost-effective and practical prognostic parameter is required. The principal aim of this study was to assess the prognostic value of the seventh day(7th day : the average mean ICU length of stay) APACHE III score in a medical intensive care unit. METHODS: 241 medical ICU patients from July 1997 to April 1998 were enrolled. The 1st and 7th scores were measured by using the APACHE III scoring system and compared between survivors and non-survivors. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the 1st and 7th APACHE III scores and the mortality risk. RESULTS: 1) The mean length of stay in the ICU was 10.3±13.8 days. 2) The mean 1st and 7th day APACHE III scores were 59.7±30.9 and 37.9±27.7. 3) The mean 1st day APACHE III scores was significantly lower in survivors than in non- survivors(49.9±23.8 vs 86.3±32.3 P<0.0001). 4) The mean 7th day APACHE III scores was significantly lower in survivors than in non- survivors(30.1±18.5 vs 80.1±30.4, P<0.0001). 5) The odds ratios among the 1st and 7th day APACHE III scores and the mortality rate were 1.0507 and 1.0779 respectively. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the seventh day APACHE III scores is as useful in predicting the outcome as is such like the first day APACHE III score. Therefore, in comparison to the daily APACHE III score, measuring the 1st and 7th day APACHE III scores are also useful for predicting the prognosis of critically ill patients in terms of cost-effectiveness. It is suggested that the 7th day APACHE III score is useful for predicting the clinical outcome.
APACHE* ; Critical Illness ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units* ; Critical Care* ; Korea ; Length of Stay ; Logistic Models ; Mortality ; Odds Ratio ; Prognosis ; Survivors ; Western World

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of tuberculosis is slowly decreasing in Korea. However, the drug-resistance of pulmonary tuberculosis is a major risk factor of treatment failure. Moreover, the National Surveillance System has recently been discontinued. Therefore, a continuous survey is necessary for the exact detection of the rate of drug resistance. We studied the recent 4-year drug resistance rate of tuberculosis at a single University hospital in Seoul. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 239 pulmonary tuberculosis patients performed with a tuberculosis culture and a drug-sensitivity test at Hanyang University Medical Center from March 1999 to March 2003. RESULTS: Of the 239 patients included in the study during the 4-year period, 52 patients showed resistance to one or more anti-tuberculosis drug (21.8%). The rate of multi-drug resistance was 12.6%. The resistance rates to isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, streptomycin and pyrazinamide were 18.4%, 13.8%, 11.7%, 6.7% and 8.4%, respectively. Ninety patients had a history of previous anti-tuberculosis treatment, and the rates of the overall drug resistance and multi-drug resistance of these patients were 36.7% and 25.6%, respectively. The patients with drug-resistance showed a higher rate of a previous tuberculosis treatment history (63.5%) than the drug-sensitive group patients (30.5%). CONCLUSION: The rate of drug resistant tuberculosis is 21.8%, and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis is 12.6%. The rate of drug resistance is higher in those previously treated for tuberculosis.
Academic Medical Centers ; Drug Resistance ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; Ethambutol ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; Korea ; Prevalence* ; Pyrazinamide ; Rifampin ; Risk Factors* ; Seoul* ; Streptomycin ; Treatment Failure ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

BACKGROUND: Nucleic acid hybridization has become an essential technique in the development of our understanding of gene structure and function. The quantitative analysis of hybridization has been used in the measurement of genome complexity and gene copy number. The filter hybridization assay is rapid, sensitive and can be used to measure RNAs complementary to any cloned DNA sequence. METHODS: The authors assessed the accuracy, linearity, correlation coefficient and specificity of the hybridization depending on the added dose(0, 1, 5, and 10 microgram) of non-specific rat spleen RNA to hybridization of surfactant protein A mRNA. Filter hybridization assays were used to obtain the equation of standard curve and thereby to quantitate the mRNA quantitation. METHODS: 1. Standard curve equation of filter hybridization assay between counts per minute (X) and spleen RNA input (Y) was Y=0.13X-19.35. Correlation coefficient was 0.98. 2. Standard curve equation of filter hybridization assay between counts per minute (X) and surfactant protein A mRNA transcript input (Y) was Y=0.00066X-0.046. Correlation coefficient was 0.99. 3. Standard curve equation of filter hybridization assay between counts per minute (X) and surfactant protein A mRNA transcript input (Y) after the addition of 1 microgram spleen RNA was Y=0.00056X-0.051. Correlation coefficient was 0.99. 4. Standard curve equation of filter hybridization assay between counts per minute (X) and surfactant protein A mRNA transcript input (Y) after the addition of 5 microgram spleen RNA was Y=0.00065X-0.088. Correlation coefficient was 0.99. 5. Standard curve equation of filter hybridization assay between counts per minute (X) and surfactant protein A mRNA transcript input (Y) after the addition of 10 microgram spleen RNA was Y=0.00051X-0.10. Correlation coefficient was 0.99. CONCLUSIONS: Comparison of cpm/filter in a linear range allowed accurate and reproducible estimation of surfactant protein A mRNA copy number irrespective of the addition dosage of non-specific rat spleen RNA over the range 0-10 microgram.
Animals ; Base Sequence ; Clone Cells ; Gene Dosage ; Genome ; Nucleic Acid Hybridization ; Pulmonary Surfactant-Associated Protein A* ; Rats* ; RNA* ; RNA, Messenger ; Sensitivity and Specificity* ; Spleen*

BACKGROUND: Rhinovirus is an important precipitating factor in acute exacerbation of asthma and COPD. Rhinovirus has short incubation period, causing transient inflammatory process and then has spontaneous resolution. We hypothesized that alterations in anti-inflammatory cytokines are present at sites of rhinoviral infection and these alterations contribute to the transient nature of rhinovirus-induced inflammation and symptomatology. To test this hypothesis, we characterized time-sequenced alterations in anti-inflammatory cytokines elaboration from human bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC). METHODS: We compared the ability of rhinovirus-infected HBEC to produce anti-inflammatory cytokines with controls. We infected HBEC, BEAS-2B with rhinovirus 14 obtained from American Type Culture Collection. We harvested the supernatants from rhinovirus infected BEAS-2B cells and the controls at 2hr, 4hr, 8hr, 12hr, 24hr, 48hr from inoculation time. We measured the concentration of interleukin(IL)-1 Ra(receptor antagonist), IL-1 sRII(soluble receptor type II), IL-4, transforming growth factor(TGF)-beta by ELISA kits. RESULTS: Rhinovirus-infected BEAS-2B cells increased the production of IL-1 Ra, IL-1 sRII from 24hr and produced outstandingly compared with the controls at 48hrs. However, the production of IL-4 and TGF-beta was so minimal that there was no significant difference between the rhinovirus-infected BEAS-2B cells and the controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that rhinovirus elaborates the IL-1 Ra and IL-1 sRII but not TGF-beta, IL-4. At the beginning of rhinoviral infection, the elaboration of IL-1 Ra, IL-1 sRII was so minimal but notably increased at 48hrs. with slower kinetics. These results suggest the possibility of rhinovirus- induced IL-1 Ra, IL-1 sRII to contribute to the spontaneous resolution.
Asthma ; Cytokines* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epithelial Cells* ; Humans* ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-1 ; Interleukin-4 ; Kinetics ; Precipitating Factors ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Rhinovirus* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta

BACKGROUND: Rhinovirus (RV) or smoking are one of the most important precipitating factors in acute exacerbation of COPD and bronchial asthma. We hypothesized that alterations in interleukin (IL)-8 elaboration are present at sites of RV infection and cigarette smoke stimulation and also there is an additive effect if both agents are present in bronchial epithelial cells. To test this hypothesis, we characterized time-sequenced alterations in IL-8 elaboration from human bronchial epithelial cells in vitro under the stimuli of RV and cigarette smoke extract (CSE). METHODS: We compared the ability of RV-infected and/or CSE-stimulated bronchial epithelial cells, BEAS-2B (from American Type Culture Collection) cells to produce the IL-8 with controls. We stimulated BEAS-2B cells with RV 14 and/or CSE. We harvest the supernatants from RV and/or CSE- stimulated BEAS-2B cells and the controls at 2 hr, 4 hr, 6 hr, 12 hr, 24 hr, 48 hr from inoculation time. We measured the concentration of IL-8 by ELISA kits from supernatants and analysed IL-8 mRNA transcript semiquantitatively by RT-PCR. RESULTS: RV-infected and/or CSE-stimulated BEAS-2B cells increased the production of IL-8 from 24hr and produced outstandingly compared with the controls at 48 hr and there were an additive effects when both agents were present, especially in the combinations of RV and CSE stimuli. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that RV infection and components of cigarette smoke elicit inflammatory responses in bronchial epithelial cells and RV and CSE could be more harmful to respiratory tract in combination.
Asthma ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epithelial Cells* ; Humans* ; Interleukin-8* ; Interleukins ; Precipitating Factors ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Respiratory System ; Rhinovirus* ; RNA, Messenger ; Smoke* ; Smoking ; Tobacco Products*

Amyloidosis limited to the tracheobronchial respiratory tract is a relatively rare condition. Fewer than 100 cases of tracheobronchial amyloidosis are reported. It is characterized by deposits of amyloid in airway walls. Bronchoscopy, although carrying a risk of bleeding, is the procedure of choice diagnostically and therapeutically. 49-year old man suffered from cough and exertional dyspnea over 20s years and recently hemoptysis, atelectasis of right middle lobe and postobstructive pneumonia. He was diagnosed as amyloidosis and treated by bronchoscopy with Nd : YAG laser. We discussed this case with review of literatures.
Amyloid ; Amyloidosis* ; Bronchoscopy ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Hemoptysis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Laser Therapy* ; Lasers, Solid-State ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia ; Pulmonary Atelectasis ; Respiratory System