Rectus sheath hematoma is an uncommon entity of the anterior abdominal wall and an unusual cause of painful abdominal mass. Rectus sheath hematoma have been in association with trauma, infections, debilitating disease, collagen vascular disease, pregnancy. and the puerperium. Sudden disruption of a deep epigastric vessel may result in an abdominal wall hematoma, which depending upon its location and size, can produce symptoms and clinical findings compatible with a variety of acute intra-abdominal conditions. Such hematoma are infrequently encountered and early accurate diagnosis could prevent surgical intervention. Unfortunately, the clinical manifestations of rectus muscle hematoma are sometimes so dramatic that laparotomy is performed under the belief that intra-abdominal pathology is present. The diagnosis was confirmed at surgery in both patient. We present two cases of rectus sheath hematoma which were diagnosed by clinical & ultrasound examination preoperatively.
Abdominal Wall ; Collagen Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Hematoma* ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Pathology ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Ultrasonography ; Vascular Diseases

Idiopathic calcinois of the scrotum which was described by Shapiro et al. in 1970 is a rare cutaneous disorder and it seems that this is tbe first case reporting in Korean literature. A 26-year old male was well until age 25 when a few, small nodule developed on the scrotal area and, thereafter, have increased in the numbers and size of the nodules progressively. The skin lessions showed multiple, yellowish, firm, round, smooth nodul ranging in size from that of the head of a pin to that of a pea. Clinica,lly they seemed to be steatoma, but histologic findings showed several islands of calcified amorphous material without: any evidence of residual cysts. He appeared to be in good general health and had an apparently normal skin except for hie scrotum.
Adult ; Calcinosis* ; Head ; Humans ; Islands ; Male ; Peas ; Scrotum* ; Skin

PURPOSE: Recently, two tests are commercially available for the identification of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI): tuberculin skin test (TST) and interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA). Due to its false positiveness, TST tends to be preferred by IGRA until now. In our study, we simultaneously performed both TST and QuantiFERON(R)-TB Gold In-Tube (QFT-GIT) and compared their results. METHODS: TST and QFT-GIT were done for the diagnosis of LTBI among children who visited pediatric out-patient clinic at St. Vincent's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea from February of 2007 to May of 2008. The study group was stratified into two groups in terms of whether there was intrafamilial contact or not. RESULTS: Out of total 35 children, 29 were tuberculosis (TB)-exposed cases and the remainders were diagnosed as clinical pulmonary TB. Among these 29 children, TST was positive 38.9% (7/18) for the intrafamilial and 45.5% (5/11) for the non-intrafamilial, and at the same time, the result for QFT-GIT was positive 5.6% (1/18) and 9.1% (1/11), respectively which implies that TST was more sensitive than QFT-GIT. Among 29 TB-exposed cases, 26 initially went through TST and QFT-GIT together on their first visit to out-patient clinic, and 15 continued the follow-up tests. Out of total 41 cases collected, the agreement (known as kappa value) was 0.063 which was relatively low. Including 6 cases with pulmonary TB who were all positive for TST and only 5 being positive for QFT-GIT, the final kappa value was 0.334. CONCLUSION: In our study, the agreement for TST and QFT-GIT was low, and the majorities were almost the cases of positive TST. In current situation with lacking a gold standard test and limited data on children to adolescents, this result is quite alarming that the recent trend tends to replace TST by QFT-GIT when diagnosing LTBI.
Adolescent ; Child ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma Release Tests ; Korea ; Latent Tuberculosis ; Outpatients ; Skin ; Skin Tests ; Tuberculin ; Tuberculosis

No abstract available.
Cisplatin* ; Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Fluorouracil* ; Stomach Neoplasms*

BACKGROUND: The morphalogy of fibroblast in culture is important in the discrimination of normal and abnormal cells as well as in recogniring general physiologic status of the cells. There have been many reports on the morphologic clialges in various skin diseases and in response to various drugs. However, we couldnt find any report on the time-sequential morphologic changes of normal fibroblasts in early subculture using light microscopy. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to describe the time-sequential morphologic changes of normal fibroblhst in early subculture. METHODS: The fibroblaats from 4 normal donors were cultured. We observed the morphologic changes of fibrolMasts in the third passage of subculture using light microscopy at 0-, 30-, 60-, 90-, 120-minutes, 3-, 5-, 24-, 72-hours and days after trypsinization, and electron microscopic exarriioation was done at 21 day-culture. RESULTS & CONCLUSION: Just after trypsinization, the cell were small and round, which divided and increased in number as time went by. At 120-minute culture, many cells had long and thin cytoplasmic elongations and they took stellae,shape at 5-hour culture. At 24-hour culture, several spindle-shaped cells were observec with cell-cell contacts. At 72-hour culture, many spindlle-shaped cells were arranged in medirection, with the appearance of parallel or whorl patterns and showed prominent cell-cell contacts. On electron microscopic examination, there were prominent RER, residial bodies and microfilaments.
Actin Cytoskeleton ; Cytoplasm ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Fibroblasts* ; Humans ; Microscopy ; Skin Diseases ; Skin* ; Tissue Donors ; Trypsin

No abstract available.
Parasitology/history ; Korea ; Periodicals as Topic

Today's diagnosis related group (DRG) services system has improved medical insurance fees and subdivisions of disease compared with the past DRG system, but does not appropriately take into account the development of complications of severe disease and does not properly compensate care providers for the costs of using the newest medical devices. The Korean DRG system model needs to reflect the medical environment and the latest developments. Therefore, Cooperation with the government, medical service personnel, and citizens is necessary for the improvement of the DRG services system.
Diagnosis ; Diagnosis-Related Groups* ; Fees and Charges ; Insurance

BACKGROUND: Squamous cell caircinoma(SCC) often shows acantholysis as a result of degenerative changes of neoplastic cells. Regurding the acantholytic changes of SCC most textbooks and literature describe the acantholysis-associated tubular or alveolar structures, which are diagnostic features of adenoid SCC. But the acantholytic changes of SCC are not always assaciated with tubular or alveolar structres. The general and detailed histologic features of acantholysis of SCC have not been reported. OBJECTIVE: We analyzed the histologic features of acantholysis of SCC . MEHTODS: Twenty six biopsy specimens from 26 patients with SCC were studied for the distributions and sites of acantholysis such as lefts and tubular or alveolar structurs on routine histologic staining. RESULTS: All 26 biopsy specimens showed acantholysis in their tumors ocal acantholysis was found in 12 cases, and diffuse, widesprcad acantholysis was found in 14 cascs. The foci of acantholysis were in the surface epidermis in 9 cases, in the follicular wall in 5 cases, and in both the surface epidermis and the follicuar wall in 12 cases. The types of acantholytic cells were either dyskeratotic cells or non-dyskeratotic squamous cells. Tuthular or alveolar structures were found in 5 cases. Clefts were found in 12 cases, one in the subcomealarea, the other 11 were within tumor mases, and one of them showed Darier-like feature with papillary projections of neoplastic cells into thc lumens. CONCLUSION: The acantholytic hanges of the SCC are more comrr on y found than expected. The acantholytic changes involve not only dyskeratotic cells but also non-dysL eratotic cells and often show glandular structures and clefts.
Acantholysis* ; Adenoids ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Dronabinol ; Epidermis ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Squamous cell carcinoma(SCC) is one of the most conimon forms of skin cancer that arises from the surface epidermis. Although many authors have reported on the incidence and clinical features of SCC, we could not find any reports concerning the widerange of histopathologic features of a number of cases of SCC in Korean dermatologic literature. OBJECTIVE: We examined the histopathologic features of SCC. METHOD: Twenty six biopsy specimens from 26 patients with SCC were examined microscopically including the tumors themselves and surrounding epidermis and dermis on routine histologic staining. RESULTS: Grade 1 tumor was found in 15 cases, grade 2 in 8 casese, and grade 3 in 3 cases. Eighteen cases showed keratin pearls, and 11 cases showed squamous eddies. P cantholysis of tumor cells was found in all 26 cases, but glandular structure was found only in 5 cases. The epidermis overlying the tumor showed hyperkeratosis and parakeratosis in all 26 cases, follicular plug in 13 cases, and ulceration in 18 cases. The dermis beneath the tumor showed vessel dilataticn, hemorrhage, and infiltration of inflammatory cells in all 26 cases, and basophilic degeneration in 1.3 cases, fibrosis in 20 cases, lichenoid reaction in 6 cases, and necrosis in 6 cases. Rare dermal findings were abscess, foreign body reaction calcification and Russell body. CONCLUSION: The histopathologic findings of SCC were variable not inly those of the tumors themselves, but also those of the surrounding epidermis and dermis.
Abscess ; Basophils ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Fibrosis ; Foreign-Body Reaction ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Necrosis ; Parakeratosis ; Skin Neoplasms ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND: In anemic patients, it has been usually traditional practice to correct the anemic state with preoperative blood transfusion. But now, there is an increasing tendency of refusing blood transfusion due to the transfusional complications, especially AIDS etc. The purpose of this study is to survey the effects of anesthesia in anemic patients with normal cardiopulmonary function compared to non-anemics. METHOD: 40 patients with uterine myoma were divided into two groups, an experimental group of 20 patients with hemoglobin concentration of 8~10 gm% and a control group of 20 patients with hemoglobin concentration higher than 10 gm%, and their blood pressure, pulse rate and arterial oxygen saturation were monitored and compared. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between two groups in blood pressure, pulse rate and arterial oxygen saturation. CONCLUSION: Preoperative blood transfusion, in patients with moderate anemia, does not seem to be a mandatory practice.
Anemia ; Anesthesia ; Blood Pressure ; Blood Transfusion* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Leiomyoma* ; Oxygen