The retinoic acid and retinoid(Ro 11-1430) were alternately applied topically on forty patients with acne vulgaris. Therapeutic effects and side reactions of this regimen were compared with our previous studies of the treatment with retinoic acid alone and with retinoid alone. Compared with the treatment with retinoic acid alone, the therapsutic effect of the alternating treatment was relatively superior as indicated by the markedly reduced severity of local side reactions.
Acne Vulgaris* ; Humans ; Tretinoin

Monilethrix is a rare hereditary disorder of hair which was described by smith in 1879. The scalp hair is most frequently affected but the body or sexual hair are rarely affected. The affected hair shows periodic constrictions that break easily, so the hair could not grow more than a few millimetere long. It is thought that the node of the affected hair is normal and the thin internodal segment is deficient in hair matrix. Keratosis pilaris is generally an associated feature. We experienced a case of monilethrix with keratosis pilaris. The 4 years old male patient with monilethrix affected only scalp hair with keratosis. The family history was non-contributory.
Child, Preschool ; Constriction ; Hair ; Humans ; Keratosis* ; Male ; Monilethrix* ; Scalp

Soft denture liners or conditioners may be valuable therapeutic materials. The life of these liners is short and varies, but it can be extended by the use of a mono-poly(polymethyl methacrylate coating material). This study determined whether coating three temporary soft denture liners with mono-poly affected the resiliency of soft liners, and evaluated the ability of mono-poly to prevent water absorption and alcohol loss from the underlying soft liners. 20x12mm cylindrical specimens of Coe-Soft, Soft-Liner, Coe-Comfort soft lining materials were made and divided into two groups of mono-poly uncoated(control) and mono-poly coated specimens. Specimens were immersed in water and compressed on an instron universal testing machine and weighted at initial, 24 hours, 1 week, 2 weeks, and 4 weeks. resiliency was determined by measuring the energy absorbed by the soft liners when stressed to a specific yield point. Mono-poly coating significantly increased the resiliency of the Soft-Liner, but had no effect on the other soft liners. Among the 3 soft liners, Soft-Liner showed the hightest resiliency and modulus of elasticity. The weight loss in Soft-Liner was the least among the 3 liners, and the weight loss in Coe-Soft was decreased by monopoly coating.
Absorption ; Denture Liners* ; Dentures* ; Elastic Modulus ; Water ; Weight Loss

No abstract available.
Humans ; Inpatients*

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

The serologic tests for syphilis including VDRL and TPHA tests were performed on generaI entertainers in Jung Ku and Young Deung Po Ku, and prostitutes including general entertainers in the Pa Ju area from January 1978 to June 1978. In the same period, direct vaginal smear with Gram stain and culture in Thayer-Martin media were carried. aut for all the general entertainers in Jung Ku and Young Deung Fa Ku as well as for the prostitutes in the Pa Ju area. The results were as follows: 1. An overall VDRL reactive rate of 5, 6 A was found among the 6, 666 general entertainers and prostitutes studied. The reactive rate of VDRL test was 5.3, in 5,289 general entertainers, and 7.6% among the 837 prostitutes in the Pa Ju area. 2. With regard to the VBRL quantitative test, the reactive rate of the group with a titration of 1: 8 or higher rvas 34.8, among the general entertainers of Young Deung Po Ku and Jung Ku. 3. The overall biologic false positive rate of VDRL test was 16.8% in the Young Deung Po Ku and Pa Ju areas using the TPHA test as the standard. 4. The positive rates of culture in Thayer-Martin media were 8.6% out of 1,387 general entertainers of Young Deung Po Ku and l.3% out of 4,352 in Jung Ku respectively, and 2.5 out of 326 prostitutes in the Pa Ju area. The findings seem to be probable that no remarkable change of the incidence of syphilitic and gonococcal infection has taken place recently among the genera. entertainers and prostitutes.
Humans ; Incidence ; Serologic Tests* ; Sex Workers* ; Syphilis ; Vaginal Smears

No abstract available.
Diaphragmatic Eventration* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn*

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to assess the change of heart rate variability (HRV) at resting, upright, and psychological stress in anxiety disorder patients. METHODS: HRV was measured at resting, upright, and psychological stress states in 60 anxiety disorder patients. We used visual analogue scale (VAS) score to assess tension and stress severity. Beck depression inventory (BDI) and state trait anxiety inventories I and II (STAI-I and II) were used to assess depression and anxiety severity. Differences between HRV indices were evaluated using paired t-tests. Gender difference analysis was accomplished with ANCOVA. RESULTS: SDNN (Standard deviation of normal RR intervals) and low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) were significantly increased, while NN50, pNN50, and normalized HF (nHF) were significantly decreased in the upright position compared to resting state (p < 0.01). SDNN, root mean square of the differences of successive normal to normal intervals, and LF/HF were significantly increased, while nHF was significantly decreased in the psychological stress state compared to resting state (p < 0.01). SDNN, NN50, pNN50 were significantly lower in upright position compared to psychological stress and nVLF, nLF, nHF, and LF/HF showed no significant differences between them. CONCLUSION: The LF/HF ratio was significantly increased after both physical and psychological stress in anxiety disorder, but did not show a significant difference between these two stresses. Significant differences of SDNN, NN50, and pNN50 without any differences of nVLF, nLF, nHF, and LF/HF between two stresses might suggest that frequency domain analysis is more specific than time domain analysis.
Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders* ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Depression ; Equipment and Supplies ; Heart Rate* ; Humans ; Stress, Psychological*

Chronic sclerosing sialadenitis, Mikulicz disease or Kuttner tumor has been recently recognized as a spectrum of IgG4-related sclerosing disease. IgG4-related disease is characterized by a high serum IgG4 level and tissue infiltration of IgG4-positive plasmacytes. We report three cases of chronic sclerosing sialadenitis with variably associated systemic involvement. All patients presented with a submandibular mass or swelling, and all the resected submandibular glands showed diffuse lymphocytic infiltration, lymphoid follicles, and septal fibrosis. Two of the specimens revealed numerous IgG-positive plasma cells, most of which were IgG4-positive on immunohistochemical staining. One of them was associated with dacryoadenitis and hypophysitis. The other patient had ureterorenal lesions. Immunohistochemical study was unavailable in remaining one case, but the histologic features along with elevated IgG level and associated pancreatitis supported the diagnosis. All patients received steroid therapy postoperatively and are doing well. Salivary gland involvement in IgG4-related fibrosclerosis should be recognized in systemic medical pathology.
Dacryocystitis ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Mikulicz' Disease ; Pancreatitis ; Plasma Cells ; Salivary Glands ; Sialadenitis ; Submandibular Gland

No abstract available.
Pneumonectomy*