This study was undertaken to observe the effect of the preirradiation of UVA on the eryt,hematous reaction by UVB. Twenty-five healthy Korean adult male volunteers were taken as subjects. The results were as follows: 1)Preirradiation of 10J/cm and 20j/cm of UVA had no influence on the erythematous reaction induced by UVB. Preirradiation of 30 J/cm of UVA decreased the minimal erythemal dose(MED) of UVB significantly (p<0,05), and 4pJ/cm of UVA dicl very significantly(p<0. 001). 2) Preirradiation dose of UVA(x) and MED of UVB(y) had statistically significant relationship (y=33. 23 - 33 x, r= -0.39, p<0. 05). So preirradiation of UVA decreased MED of UVR in relation with the preirradiation dose. 3) For the objective criteria of skin erythematous reaction induced by the UV irradiation, MED was considered more accurate and efficient than minimal perceptible dose (MPI).
Adult ; Erythema* ; Humans ; Male ; Skin ; Volunteers

BACKGROUND: CO laser emiis energy in the mid portion of the infrared spectrum at a wavelengt,h of 10,600nm. The CO laser is the workhorse laser in the treatment of cuianeous disease. With water as the chromophore(light-absorbing compound), CO laser light is highy absorbed in biologic tissue. Human body tissue comprises between 75% to 90% of water. The CO laser is superficially absorbed by tissue water, with little scatter, limiting penetration into the skin to less than 0.1 mm. The beam can be delivered with a large spot size and low power density(defocus mode) or focused tightly with great power density(focused mode). AS A RESULT: the CO laser may be used both to vaporize and to cut tissue while coagulating blood vessels, providing a relatively bloodless su gical field. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutie effect of the CO laser on benign cutaneous tumors. MEHTODS: 114 cases of benign cutaneous tumors treated with the CO laser between October 1987 and September 1992 were subjected to detailed analysis, The CO later is Pizer Laser system(U.S.A., Ca) Model 20-C CO. The laser produces power output that ranges from 0 to 25 W of continuous wave. Spot size is variable, between 0.3mm and 2mm. RESULTS: 1. Angiofibromas and seborcheic keratoses showed very good response(95.3%, 92.8% ). 2. Syringomas showed a good esponse(82.8%). 3. Epidermal nevus and trichovpitheliomas showed a fair response(58.5%, 60%). 4. There were hypertrophic scars(10.5%) and transient hypopigmentation. CONCLUSION: The Co laser was a very effective modality for the treatment of benign cutaneous tumors such as angiofibromas, seborrheic keratosis and syringomas.
Angiofibroma ; Blood Vessels ; Carbon Dioxide* ; Carbon* ; Human Body ; Hypopigmentation ; Keratosis ; Keratosis, Seborrheic ; Lasers, Gas* ; Nevus ; Skin ; Syringoma ; Water

Drowning is one of the most common causes accidental death worldwide, but its diagnosis remains a challenging task in forensic pathology. Several authors have suggested that diatom analysis be conducted via an enzymatic digestion method that uses proteinase K to provide objective evidence for drowning; we employed this method in our study because of its superior applicability as compared to the conventional disorganization methods. The purpose of this study was to examine the reclaiming ratio of diatoms from experimentally drowned animal organs, which could be influenced by diatom morphology. The authors injected 3 diatoms species (Cyclotella striata, Navicula incerta, and Pleurosigma angulatum) into a rat's airway and compared the detection rate to investigate the factors that influence the sensitivity of diatom analysis. The results are as follows: (1) Average reclaiming ratio in the lungs was 81.07 for Navicula incerta, 48.26 for Cyclotella striata, and 5.35 for Pleurosigma angulatum. (2) The detection rates from the closed organs in 15 experimental animals were highest in the kidney (73%, 11/15), followed by the heart (67%, 10/15), brain (60%, 9/15), and liver (53%, 8/15). (3) Two Cyclotella striata was detected in the kidney of postmortem control group which suggest the possibility of contamination during laboratory procedure. In conclusion, the authors propose that diatom size could be a significant influencing factor for diatom extraction from the organs of drowned bodies; therefore, the results of diatom analysis must be interpreted after considering the diatom population of the drowning medium at the scene and the possibility of contamination during the laboratory procedure.
Animal Structures ; Animals ; Brain ; Diatoms ; Digestion ; Drowning ; Endopeptidase K ; Forensic Pathology ; Heart ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lung

BACKGROUND: Rapid and accurate identification of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus (MRSA) is very important for patients because they are one of the most common etiologic agents of hospital infection. Conventional identification methods for MRSA are influenced by various factors such as pH, concentration of salt, conditions of media. METHODS: 53 methicillin resistant staphylococcus strains identified by ATB plus system (Biomerieux, France) were preformed the polymerase chain reaction (PCR), Southern blot hybridization fort the detection of mec A gene, and subcultured in Meuller-Hinton media containing 4 microgram/mL oxacillin for the comparison. RESULTS: The correlation of detection rate of mec A gene PCR and ATB plus systems was 81.6%. The correlation of mec A gene PCR and MRSA on Mueller-Hinton media containing 4 microgram/mL oxacillin was 80%. We confirmed by Southern blot hybridization the amplified mer A gene originated from chromosome of MRSA. As the results of oxacillin sensitivity test, minimal inhibitory concentrations of MRSA were distributed between 40 microgram/mL and 320 microgram/mL. When compared with executing time, ATB plus system took 24 hours, but PCR took 5 hours for identification. CONCLUSION: We concluded that mec A gone PCR techniques were simple and rapid for detection of MRSA comparative to conventional methods.
Blotting, Southern ; Cross Infection ; Genes, vif ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Methicillin Resistance* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus* ; Oxacillin ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Staphylococcus

Death by drowning is a major cause of unnatural death worldwide. It is therefore important to conduct forensic examination of immersed bodies following drowning, in order to determine the diagnosis of drowning, because no specific methods have been established thus far. Therefore, we performed a series of rat experiments to compare autopsy findings between seawater and fresh water drowning cases, which included the presence of pleural effusion and histologic findings of the lung. The results showed that the volume of pleural effusion increased in the seawater drowning group compared to the fresh water drowning group, and the total weight of lung was affected by the type of drowning medium and postmortem interval. However, histologic findings of the lung showed no significant difference between the 2 types of drowning mediums.
Animals ; Autopsy ; Drowning ; Fresh Water ; Lung ; Pleural Effusion ; Rats ; Seawater

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to analyse clinical manifestations and laboratory findings in childhood patients with polyarticularonset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA). METHODS: Eleven cases of polyarticular JRA who were diagnosed and treated in the Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Children's Hospital from June 1988 to May 1995 were investigated for clinical manifestations and laboratory findings. RESULTS: 1) There were 6 males and 5 females and their ages of onset were 4 years to 15.1 years(mean 10.9 years). 2) Systemic manifestations were not observed, but low-grade fever was noted in 5 patients. 3) The involvement of joints was symmetric in 9 patients and asymmetric in 2 patients. 4) The most commonly affected joints were knees and ankles, followed by proximal interphalangeal joints of hand, shoulder, elbow, temporomandibular joint, and other joints. 5) Roentgenographic changes of joints were detected in 6 patients and bone scan in 7 patients showed increased uptake in the involved joints. 6) The main laboratory findings observed were microcytic and hypochromic anemia (64%), thrombocytosis (82%), elevated eryhtrocyte sedimentation rate (100%), positive or increased C-reactive protein(100%), positive rheumatoid factor(RF) (18%), positive antinuclear antibody(ANA) (27%). RF was positive in 2 girls with later age of onset and the pattern of immunofluorescent ANA were all homogeneous. 7) Nonsteroid antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) were used most frequently and steroid with or without sulfasalazine was tried in 4 patients unresponsive to NSAIDs. 8) At last follow-up, 6 cases(55%) were classified as functional class I, 4 cases(36%) as class II, and 1 case(9%) as class III. CONCLUSION: These data showed the clinical manifestations and laboratory findings of polyarticularonset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in Korean children.
Age of Onset ; Anemia, Hypochromic ; Ankle ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal ; Arthritis, Juvenile* ; Child ; Elbow ; Female ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hand ; Humans ; Joints ; Knee ; Male ; Pediatrics ; Seoul ; Shoulder ; Sulfasalazine ; Temporomandibular Joint ; Thrombocytosis

Drowning is a leading cause of accidental deaths worldwide, but its pathological diagnosis remains a challenge for forensic pathologists owing to a lack of pathognomonic findings in drowning deaths and inconclusive autopsy findings caused by postmortem changes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the pathway taken by inhaled drowning medium through the airway after death in a variety of experimental conditions, including underwater pressurization. We used methylene blue dye to monitor the spread of drowning medium to the lungs. Results of theses experiments demonstrated that it is possible for a significant amount of downing medium to enter the airway during immersion after death. Our results suggest that autopsies of immersed bodies and interpretation of these findings should be performed with special care.
Animal Experimentation* ; Animals* ; Autopsy ; Diagnosis ; Drowning* ; Immersion ; Inhalation* ; Lung ; Methylene Blue* ; Postmortem Changes

No abstract available.
Cell Proliferation* ; Cytomegalovirus* ; Humans*

Allergic contact dermatitis to topical agents mostly results from vehicles and preservatives and rarely from the active ingredients. Ribavirin, an active ingredient of Viramid® cream, is a synthetic nucleoside derivative with broad spectrum activity against a wide variety of DNA and RNA viruses. We report an 18-year-old woman, who had a perioral edematous patch with exudative crusts after topical application of Viramid® cream (nsung pharmaceutical Co., Korea) for the treatment of herpes labiahs. A patch test showed that the sensitizer was ribavirin, the active ingredient of the antiviral agent, Viramid® cream.
Adolescent ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact* ; DNA ; Female ; Humans ; Patch Tests ; Ribavirin* ; RNA Viruses

Allergic contact dermatitis to topical agents mostly results from vehicles and preservatives and rarely from the active ingredients. Ribavirin, an active ingredient of Viramid® cream, is a synthetic nucleoside derivative with broad spectrum activity against a wide variety of DNA and RNA viruses. We report an 18-year-old woman, who had a perioral edematous patch with exudative crusts after topical application of Viramid® cream (nsung pharmaceutical Co., Korea) for the treatment of herpes labiahs. A patch test showed that the sensitizer was ribavirin, the active ingredient of the antiviral agent, Viramid® cream.
Adolescent ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact* ; DNA ; Female ; Humans ; Patch Tests ; Ribavirin* ; RNA Viruses