Basta(R) is one of the Phospho-amino acid group herbicide. It consist of glufosinate ammonium (18.5%), alkylether sulfate as surfactant (30%) and some solvents. Although it's WHO classification is Bade III, the intoxicated patient appears an serious clinical findings and have a 20% mortality rate. Nowadays, in Korea the ingestion of herbicidal agents for suicidal attempts is Sequent. The literature for intoxication of bipyridilium (Gramoxon(R)) as herbicide is varied, but the information for Basta(R) is poor even though the use of it tends to increase. Recently, We experienced six cases of Basta(R) intoxication and found that the patient expressed a gradually progressed depression of mentation, recent memory disturbances, convulsions, hypotension, or bradycardia because of CNS or cardiovascular effects of Basta(R) We report these cases with literature review.
Ammonium Compounds* ; Bradycardia ; Classification ; Depression ; Eating ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Korea ; Memory ; Mortality ; Seizures ; Solvents

BACKGROUND: Community-acquired pneumonia(CAP) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Recently, the evolution of drug-resistant microorganisms has become a serious problem in CAP management. Specific antimicrobial therapy is the cornerstone of CAP management. However, obtaining an accurate etiologic diagnosis clinically is not easy and empirical antimicrobial treatment is usually administered prior to the correct microbiologic diagnosis. In this study, the clinical usefulness of empirical CAP treatment was investigated. METHODS: A total 35 cases were studied prospectively over a 16-month period in Mokpo Catholic Hospital from Dec. 1995 to Mar. 1997. The microbiologic diagnosis was made by sputum, blood culture, a specific serum antibody test and an immunologic study. RESULTS: The causative organisms were isolated in 10 (30%) out of 33 cases: 8 cases and 1 case on the sputum culture and blood culture respectively, and 1 case by an indirect hemagglutinin test. 12 cases had underlying diseases: pulmonary tuberculosis 4, alcoholism 4, diabetes mellitus 3, and liver cirrhosis 1. Antimicrobial treatment was given empirically and all cases recovered. CONCLUSION: A definite microbiologic diagnosis before commencing the appropriate treatment in CAP is not straightforward. Empirical therapy according to a clinical assessment is important and helpful. However, every effort to make the correct etiologic diagnosis should be taken.
Alcoholism ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diagnosis ; Hemagglutinins ; Jeollanam-do* ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Mortality ; Pneumonia* ; Prospective Studies ; Sputum ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

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

BACKGROUND: Nowadays, acute drug intoxication is a important section of emergency medicine. The purpose of this study was to determine what is the best-way to manage acutely intoxicated patients with drug in emergency department setting. METHODS: Clinical assessment were made on 135 cases of drug intoxication visited to emergency center of Hospital during one year from June 1997 to May 1998. RESULTS: 1. The total number of cases of acute drug intoxication was 135 which is 0.5% of total patients presented to emergency center. 2. There was no sexual difference in incidence, but the highest incidence of age group was in 3rd decade(23.7%) and the next was 7th decade(20.0%). 3. High frequency of acute intoxication was observed in autumn. October had the largest portion in monthly distribution. The largest portion of presumed time of poisoning was noon - 4 p.m. and of the time on arrival to emergency center was 8 p.m. -midnight. 4. Suicidal attempt was the most common motive of intoxication (72.6%). 5. The most common drug of intoxication was insecticides (35.7%) and the others were centrally active agents, herbicides in orders. 6. Mental change was observed in 20.7% of patients and the abnormal vital signs were hypertension, tachycardia, and hypotension in order on arrival to emergency center. 7. Mean duration of treatment was 36.1 hours. Mortality rate of the cases was 7.4%. CONCLUSION: The mortality rate was high in patients who ingested relatively fatal drugs (i.e. herbicides, antimicrovials, insecticides), showed mental change on arrival or received mechanical ventilatory care(p<0.05).
Emergencies* ; Emergency Medicine ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Herbicides ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypotension ; Incidence ; Insecticides ; Mortality ; Poisoning ; Tachycardia ; Vital Signs

We assessed about growth hormone binding proteins (GHBP) activity which was measured eluted biotin GH fraction with alkaline phosphatase-streptavidine in children with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), short stature due to growth hormone deficiency (GHD), chronic renal failure, short stature due to nutritional deficiency. hypothyroidism and normal control groups using high pressure liquid chromatography protein pak 300 sw column. The following results are observed: 1) There were 3 types of growth hormone (GH) in serum: first GH binded with type I (minor) GHBP suggesting 200K dalton of molecular weight, second GH binded with type II (major) GHBP suggesting 60~70K dalton of molecular weight, and third GH were free form GH suggesting 20~25K dalton of molecular weight. 2) Type II (major) GHBP showed considerable individual variation in all ages. Neonates had the lowest levels of GHBP activity, but by the puberty the levels had increased & remained stable from adolescent to adult periods. 3) GHBP activity of children with IDDM at diagnosis was low value as compared to the same agenormal control group (p<0.05), and difference of GHBP activity among children with IDDM was related with height velocity (r=+0.92). Follow up GHBP activity during insulin therapy was reverse correlation with HbAlc. 4) GHBP activity of children with GHD at diagnosis was a slightly low compared to aged matched control and follow-up GHBP activity after 1 dose GH therapy showed increasing tendency (r=-0.68). 5) Otherwise, children with chronic renal failure, short stature due to nutritional deficiency, and hypothyroidism were assessed lower value than normal control group. Above results, GHBP activity had the lowest levels at neonatal period and then increasing tendency until puberty period and remained steady level until adult period. Regulation of GHBP may be closely related with metabolic control state by insulin, GH, nutritional status, and thyroid hormone..
Adolescent ; Adult ; Biotin ; Carrier Proteins ; Child ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Growth Hormone ; Humans* ; Hypothyroidism ; Infant, Newborn ; Insulin ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Malnutrition ; Molecular Weight ; Nutritional Status ; Puberty ; Thyroid Gland

No abstract available.
Erythema* ; Hydroxychloroquine* ; Sjogren's Syndrome*

Behcet's disease (BD) involves multisystem vasculitis of unknown origin. Ocular manifestations of BD mostly include bilateral panuveitis and retinal vasculitis, which are very challenging to treat. Interferon alfa-2a (IFN) has been recently introduced for treating refractory Behcet uveitis, mainly in Germany and Turkey. Nonetheless, there is so far no consensus about the ideal treatment regimen of IFN for Behcet uveitis. We report our experience of IFN treatment in five Korean BD patients with refractory uveitis. All patients complained of oral ulcers; one patient had a positive pathergy test and 2 showed the presence of HLA-B51. Immunosuppressive agents used prior to IFN treatment included cyclosporine and methotrexate. The IFN treatment was commenced with a dose of 6-9 MIU/day for 7 days, adjusted according to individual ocular manifestations, tapered down to 3 MIU three times in a week, and then discontinued. All patients showed positive response to IFN treatment; 50% of them showed complete response without additional major ocular inflammation during the follow-up period. Other BD symptoms also improved after IFN treatment in most cases. After treatment, the relapse rate and the required dose of oral corticosteroid were decreased in most cases, showing a significant steroid-sparing effect. However, the visual acuity was not improved in most cases due to irreversible macular sequelae. Despite the small sample size of this study, we suggest that, in Korean patients, IFN is an effective treatment modality for BD uveitis as was observed in German and Turkish patients.
Adult ; Behcet Syndrome/complications/diagnosis/*drug therapy ; Chronic Disease ; Cyclosporine/therapeutic use ; Female ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents/administration & dosage ; Interferon-alpha/*therapeutic use ; Male ; Recombinant Proteins/therapeutic use ; Recurrence ; Remission Induction ; Treatment Outcome ; Turkey ; Uveitis/diagnosis/*drug therapy/etiology ; Visual Acuity

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke is common among cancer patients. However, risk factors and biomarkers of stroke in cancer patients are not well established. This study aimed to investigate risk factors and biomarkers as well as etiology of ischemic stroke in cancer patients. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted in cancer patients with ischemic stroke who were admitted to a general hospital in Busan, Korea, between January 2003 and December 2012. The risk factors and biomarkers for stroke and stroke subtypes in cancer patients were compared with age- and sex-matched noncancer patients with ischemic stroke who were admitted to the same hospital during the same period. RESULTS: One hundred fifty-six cancer patients with ischemic stroke were identified. Cancer patients with ischemic stroke were found to have a significantly lower proportion of hypertension, atrial fibrillation, hyperlipidemia, and ischemic heart disease than noncancer patients with ischemic stroke. However, stroke biomarkers, such as erythrocyte sedimentation rate and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, pro-brain natriuretic peptide, and D-dimer levels, were significantly increased in cancer patients with ischemic stroke than in noncancer patients. Large-artery atherosclerosis and stroke of undetermined cause were more common in cancer patients with ischemic stroke than in noncancer patients with ischemic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer patients with ischemic stroke showed different risk factors, stroke biomarkers, and stroke etiology compared with noncancer patients with ischemic stroke.
Atherosclerosis ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Biomarkers* ; Blood Sedimentation ; Busan ; C-Reactive Protein ; Fibrinogen ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Stroke*

If orthodontists and restorative dentists establish the interdisciplinary approach to esthetic dentistry, the esthetic and functional outcome of their combined efforts will be greatly enhanced. This article describes satisfying esthetic results obtained by the distribution of space for restoration by orthodontic treatment and porcelain laminate veneers in uneven space between maxillary anterior teeth. It is proposed that the use of orthodontic treatment for re-distribution of the space and the use of porcelain laminate veneers to alter crown anatomy provide maximum esthetic and functional correction for patients with irregular interdental spacing.
Crowns ; Dental Porcelain ; Dentistry ; Dentists ; Humans ; Tooth

If orthodontists and restorative dentists establish the interdisciplinary approach to esthetic dentistry, the esthetic and functional outcome of their combined efforts will be greatly enhanced. This article describes satisfying esthetic results obtained by the distribution of space for restoration by orthodontic treatment and porcelain laminate veneers in uneven space between maxillary anterior teeth. It is proposed that the use of orthodontic treatment for re-distribution of the space and the use of porcelain laminate veneers to alter crown anatomy provide maximum esthetic and functional correction for patients with irregular interdental spacing.
Crowns ; Dental Porcelain ; Dentistry ; Dentists ; Humans ; Tooth