No abstract available.
Wound Healing* ; Wounds and Injuries*

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

Developmental venous anomalies are congenital anomalies of the intracranial venous drainage and clinically asymptomatic. Cavernous hemangiomas are vascular malformations composed of dilated vascular channels lined with a single layer of endothelial cells without any intervening normal neural tissue. Although, cavernous hemangioma may be clinically silent, but frequently cause variable neurologic manifestations; intracranial hemorrhage, seizures, and focal neurologic deficits. Frequent association of these two diseases has already been reported and it has been suggested that cavernous hemangiomas not the developmental venous anomalies that cause the acute clinical symptoms. A 4 year old girl with sudden onset of headache, vomiting, gait disturbance and signs of unilateral cerebellar dysfunction 2 days before admission showed a 2.5x2.5cm sized hematoma with heterogenous signal intensity both in CT and MRI in the left cerebellar hemisphere. Four-vessel cerebral angiography revealed characteristic findings of developmental venous anomalies. Pathologic findings of the surgically removed hematoma disclosed typical feature of cavernous hemangioma. Based on the findings in this case and review of the literatures, we concluded that the possibility of other diseases such as cavernous hemangiomas must be considered in patients who has intracranial hemorrhage due to the developmental venous anomalies.
Cerebellar Diseases ; Cerebral Angiography ; Child, Preschool ; Drainage ; Endothelial Cells ; Female ; Gait ; Headache ; Hemangioma, Cavernous* ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Seizures ; Vascular Malformations ; Vomiting

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the expression of uPA and uPAR in eutopic endometrium of advanced stage endometriosis and control patients. METHODS: The 33 endometriosis patients and 32 controls were enrolled. Endometrial samples were obtained from 65 premenopausal women aged 29~44 years, undergoing laparoscopic surgery or hysterectomy for non-malignant lesions. Sufficient samples were collected from 33 patients with endometriosis stage III and IV and 32 controls without endometriosis confirmed by laparoscopic surgery. The mRNA expression of uPA and uPAR from eutopic endometrium were analyzed by RT-QC PCR. RESULTS: The mRNAs of uPA and uPAR were expressed in eutopic endometrium from endometriosis and normal controls throughout the menstrual cycle. Uterine endometrium from women with endometriosis expresses significantly (p<0.05) higher levels of u-PA mRNA than endometrium from normal women without endometriosis in the proliferative phase. There were no significant differences in expression of uPAR in eutopic endometrium between controls and endometriosis patients. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that eutopic endometrium from endometriosis patients may be more invasive and prone to peritoneal implantation because of greater u-PA mRNA expression than endometrium from women without endometriosis. Thus, increased proteolytic activity may be one etiology for the invasive properties of the endometrium resulting in the development of endometriosis.
Endometriosis* ; Endometrium* ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Laparoscopy ; Menstrual Cycle ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Proteolysis ; RNA, Messenger* ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator

BACKGROUND: Skeletal muscle is well established as a major target organ of insulin action, and is associated with the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, we attempted to determine whether a variation in serum creatinine is related to the development of type 2 diabetes and other risk factors for diabetes. METHODS: A total of 2,676 nondiabetic subjects with stable and normal renal function (estimated glomerular filtration rate >60 mL/min/1.73 m2) were followed up for approximately 4.5 years. New onset diabetes was defined as fasting plasma glucose (FPG) > or =7.0 mmol/L, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) > or =6.5%, or subjects taking antidiabetic agents. Variation of serum creatinine (DeltaCre) was defined as a difference between follow-up and baseline creatinine. In subgroup analysis, body composition was examined by bioelectric impedance analysis method. RESULTS: A total of 106 subjects were diagnosed with new-onset diabetes during the follow-up period. Baseline serum creatinine was not different between the new-onset diabetes and no diabetes groups. Negative DeltaCre (DeltaCre <0) showed an association with increased risk of type 2 diabetes after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, FPG, HbA1c, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (odds ratio, 1.885; 95% confidence interval, 1.127 to 3.153). Serum creatinine level demonstrated positive correlation with muscle mass and negative correlation with percentage of body fat in body composition analysis. CONCLUSION: Serum creatinine reflected body muscle mass and the decrease of serum creatinine might be regarded as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
Adipose Tissue ; Blood Pressure ; Body Composition ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Creatinine ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Electric Impedance ; Fasting ; Follow-Up Studies ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Glucose ; Hemoglobins ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; Insulin ; Lipoproteins ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Muscles ; Plasma ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the expression of TSP-1 and -2 in eutopic endometrium of advanced endometriosis and control patients. METHODS: The 33 endometriosis patients and 32 controls were enrolled. Endometrial samples were obtained from 65 premenopausal women aged 29-44 years, undergoing laparoscopic surgery or hysterectomy for non-malignant lesions. Sufficient samples were collected from 33 patients with endometriosis stage III and IV and 32 controls without endometriosis confirmed by laparoscopic surgery. The mRNA expression from eutopic endometrium for TSP-1 and -2 were analyzed by RT-QC PCR. RESULTS: The mRNAs of TSP-1 and -2 were expressed in eutopic endometrium from endometriosis and normal controls throughout the menstrual cycle. There were no significant differences in expression of TSP-1 and TSP-2 in eutopic endometrium between controls and endometriosis patients. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that TSP-1 and -2 had no crucial role compared to other molecules in the regulation of angiogenesis. These findings also suggest that dysregulation of other angiogenic regulators would be concerned in pathophysiologic role in endometriosis development.
Endometriosis* ; Endometrium ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Laparoscopy ; Menstrual Cycle ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Messenger* ; Thrombospondin 1 ; Thrombospondins

BACKGROUND: Microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetes is a predictor of development of clinical nephropathy and cardiovascular disease. But, it has been reported that reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR) may occur in some normoalbuminuric diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to identify whether decreased GFR without microalbuminuria is to predict diabetic vascular complications. METHODS: Between January 1998 and February 2001, 73 patients with type 2 diabetes who visited Yeungnam university medical center were divided into 5 groups according to initial GFR ranges: group 1 (GFR < 30 mL/min), group 2 (30 < or = GFR < 60 mL/min), group 3 (60 < or = GFR < 90 mL/min), group 4 (90 < or = GFR < 125 mL/min), group 5 (125 mL/min < or = GFR). They were examined for microvascular and macrovascular complications initially and after 4 years. RESULTS: Decreased GFR had a negative correlation with age (r = -0.472, P = 0.001). Decreased GFR without microalbuminuria had a significant correlation with development of diabetic nephropathy (P = 0.016) after 4 years. There were no significant correlation with the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy, peripheral neuropathy, and macrovacular disease. But, our study showed that coronary artery disease had an increasing tendency with decreased GFR without statistical significance (P = 0.085). CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that reduced GFR, independent of albuminuria, may be an important predictor of diabetic nephropathy and coronary artery disease to some extent. So we recommend that not only the microalbuminuria, but also the decrease in GFR should be evaluated at the follow-up of patients with type 2 diabetes.
Academic Medical Centers ; Albuminuria ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: In this study, we evaluated the extent of functional and histological axonal regeneration after resection of the sciatic nerve. The nerve was repaired with silicone tubes filled with human muscle derived stem cells(MDSCs) and neuronal progenitor cells(NPCs) in nude mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The human muscle samples were obtained from the rectus abdominis muscle of 12 patients that underwent a laparotomy. The MDSCs were isolated using a modified preplate technique. Using the MDSCs, neurogenic differentiation was induced by dissociating neurospheres produced in a neurosphere culture medium containing neuronal induction agents. A part of the sciatic nerve, approximately 7 mm in length, was excised bilaterally, and a 9mm long silicone tube guide was placed at the resulting gap in 40 nude mice. The transplanted sites were divided randomly into three groups according to the type of grafting cells: silicone tube guides filled with PBS(P group, n=20), silicone tube guides filled with MDSCs(M group, n=40) and silicone tube guides filled with NPCs(N group, n=20). Histological observations and a nerve conduction study were performed 12 weeks after the graft. RESULTS: The number and diameter of the myelinated axons were significantly increased in the M and N groups(p<0.001). In a nerve conduction study, the amplitude of the compound muscle action potential(CMAP) and motor latency of response were significantly higher and shorter in the M and N groups(p<0.001). Moreover, reaction with neuronal class beta-tubulin(Tuj1, a neuronal marker) and antiglial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP, a glial marker) was observed in the regenerated nerve that originated from the M and N groups.onclusions: These results show that MDSCs can differentiate into NPCs and improve the peripheral nerve regeneration rate after transplantation into a nerve guide.
Animals ; Axons ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Muscles ; Myelin Sheath ; Nerve Regeneration ; Neural Conduction ; Neurons ; Peripheral Nerves ; Rectus Abdominis ; Regeneration ; Sciatic Nerve ; Silicones ; Stem Cells ; Transplants

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

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Myasthenia gravis(MG) is a disease of neuromuscular transmission associated with the autoimmune mechanism. The clinical and epidemiological characteristics of MG in Korea may be different from those in western countries. METHOD: Total 755 patients from the 20 general hospitals were included in this study. The type of onset was classified to ocular, bulbar, limb and generalized. The classification of clinical status was done by using the modified Osserman's method. Age of onset, sex, type of onset, associated disease, clinical course and other clinical features were studied. Resuts : Of the 755 patients, 282(37.4%) were male and 473(62.6%)were female. The mean age of onset was 32.5+/-19.4 years in male and 30.8+/-17.3 in female. The most common type of onset was ocular(60.7%). The generalized onset was observed in 27.5%, bulbar onset in 6.6%, limb onset in 5.2%. The duration from symptom onset to diagnosis varied from several days to 29 years(mean; 21.1 months). The clinical status was classified to ocular type in 29.5%, mild generalized in 19.1%, moderate generalized in 34.6%, acute fulminating in 5.0% and late severe in 11. 7%. There were 12 congenital and 2 neonatal type. Thirteen patients(1.7%) had family history of MG. The history of thyroid disease was present in 82 patients(10.9%), rheumatoid arthritis in 6(0.8%), SLE in 4(0.5%) and IDDM in 18(2.4%). Rheumatoid factor was positive in 8.0% and FANA in 21.8%. Tensilon test was positive in 92.7%, Jolly test in 78.6%. Chest CT revealed thymic abnormalities in 38.6%. I.e. thymic hyperplasia in 14.1% and thymoma in 24.5%. Anti-AChR antibodies were detected in 77.2%. Anticholinesterase therapy was tried in 76.2% and immunosuppressants were needed in 39.3%. Thymectomy was done in 175 patients(23.2%). CONCLUSION: In Korean MGs, the mean age of onset was younger and ocular type MG was more common, compared those with western MGs. We could not find any significant difference in the mean age of onset between male and female.
Age of Onset ; Antibodies ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Classification ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; Diagnosis ; Edrophonium ; Extremities ; Female ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Korea* ; Male ; Myasthenia Gravis* ; Rheumatoid Factor ; Thymectomy ; Thymoma ; Thymus Hyperplasia ; Thyroid Diseases ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed