The crystalline surface layer protein (SLP) and a 28-32 kDa antigen of Rickettsia typhi were known as strong immunogens. We previously reported a cloning and sequence analysis of the SLP gene of R. typhi (slpT) and showed that the open reading frame of this gene encodes both the SLP and a 32-kDa protein. Our study also showed that a 48-kDa protein reacted strongly with polyclonal antiserum of a patient with murine typhus. In this study, we produced three recombinant proteins (SLP, 32-kDa, and 48-kDa protein) in E. coli as fusion proteins with maltose binding proteins. The reactivity of these proteins with patients' sera was investigated.
Clone Cells* ; Cloning, Organism* ; Crystallins ; Humans ; Maltose-Binding Proteins ; Open Reading Frames ; Recombinant Proteins ; Rickettsia typhi* ; Rickettsia* ; Sequence Analysis ; Typhus, Endemic Flea-Borne

PURPOSE: We evaluated the structure, innervation of the extraocular pulley smooth muscle in the rabbit. METHODS: A rabbit was transcardially perfused with physiological saline followed by 4% formalin. The rabbit orbit was dissected en bloc, paraffin processed, and serially sectioned for Hematoxylin-Eosin and Masson's trichrome stain. The distribution of the extraocular pulley smooth muscle was confirmed by immunohistochemistry with human smooth muscle(SM) alpha-actin. RESULTS: We found that the pulley structure consisted of focal condensations of eleastin and collagenous connective tissue in relationship to the rectus muscle in the equatorial Tenon's fascia. The pulley smooth muscle in relation to medial rectus muscle was immunostained with TH and nNOS. CONCLUSIONS: The data support the presence of the extraocular pulley smooth muscle in the rabbit orbit having both parasympathetic and sympathetic innervation.
Actins ; Collagen ; Connective Tissue ; Fascia ; Formaldehyde ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Muscle, Smooth* ; Orbit ; Paraffin

PURPOSE: To report a case of a Comamonas acidovarans corneal ulcer treated with antibiotics in Korea. Comamonas acidovarans corneal ulcer has not been previously reported to our knowledge. METHODS: A 70-year-old woman visited our clinic complaining of left ocular pain and decreased visual acuity for six days. We performed a smear and culture on the corneal lesion and treated it with topical and systemic antibiotics. RESULTS: Comamonas acidovorans was cultured from ulcer lesion. Corneal ulcer improved with the administration of ciprofloxacin and tobramycin.
Aged ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Ciprofloxacin ; Comamonas* ; Corneal Ulcer* ; Delftia acidovorans* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Tobramycin ; Ulcer ; Visual Acuity

Inflammatory linear verrucose epidermal nevus(ILVEN) is characterized by an early age of onset, predominance in females, pruritus, unresponsiveness to treatment, and a distinctive inflammatory and psoriasiform histologic appearance. We present two cases of typical ILVEN. One of them was a 16-year-old male, who had had a mild pruritic linear verrucose patch involving the right arm which grew slowly for about 8 years. The other case was a 14-year-old girl whose lesion appeared at the age of 13. This lesion was localized on the right posterior thigh and showed linear distribution and verrucose appearance. Histopathological findings of two cases showed hyperkeratosis with foci of parakeratosis, moderate to marked acanthosis, elongation of the rete ridges, and occasional slight spongiosis, and chronic inflammatory infiltration in the dermis.
Adolescent ; Age of Onset ; Arm ; Dermis ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Nevus, Sebaceous of Jadassohn* ; Parakeratosis ; Pruritus ; Thigh

In the past, irritant or radiation therapy have been used to treat discoid lupus erythematosus, therefore malignant and proriferative change in the lesion of discoid lupus erythematosus were not uncommon. In recent year, however, because the preferred treatment of discoid lups erythematosus consisted of steroids and antimalarials, the association with squamous cell carcinoma has been extremely rare. We present a case of giant squamous cell carcinoma arising in the discoid lupus erythematosus in 39 year-old women. She had had a 20 year history of facial discoid lupus erythematoseus. In September of 1976, a thumb tip-sized tumor mass found on the right cheek and the maas grew into the adult palm size rapidly. The tumor show ulceration, serosanguinous discharge, easy bleeding, and foul oder. Histopathologically, the specimen obtained from plaques of the left cheek showed hyperkeratosis with plugging, atrophy of the stratum malpighii, a patchy, chiefly lymphoid cell infiltrate with a tendency to arrangement about the cutaneous appendages, hydropic degeneration of the basal cells, edema and vasodilatation in the dermis. The specimen obtained from tumor mass of the right cheek showed many nests consisted of well differentiated squamous cells, keratin pearls.
Adult ; Antimalarials ; Atrophy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cheek ; Dermis ; Edema ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid* ; Lymphocytes ; Steroids ; Thumb ; Ulcer ; Vasodilation

Subcutaneous fat necrosis of the newborn is an uncommon disorder which is characterized by multiple erythematous subcutaneous nodules and plaques appearing in the first week to a month of life. The chief precipitating factors presumably concerned in this disease are obstetric trauma, anoxia and cold exposure. We observed a case of subcutaneous fat necrosis of the newborn in which intrauterine asphyxia and preeclampsia had occured.
Anoxia ; Asphyxia ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Necrosis* ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Precipitating Factors ; Subcutaneous Fat*

Shy-Drager syndrome is a multisystem degenerative disorder of the central nervous system in which progressive autonomic failure such as orthostatic hypotension, urinary or fecal incontinence, impotence and anhidrosis is a main feature. The nonautonomic neurological abnormalities include parkinsonia, cerebellar and pyramidal signs. In 1984 we met 3 such cases at Seoul National University Hospital and present them here with a brief review of literatures.
Central Nervous System ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Fecal Incontinence ; Hypohidrosis ; Hypotension, Orthostatic ; Male ; Seoul ; Shy-Drager Syndrome*

The organization of the ribosomal genes is unique in Borrelia burgdorferi in that the rrl (23S) and rrf (SS) genes are duplicated in tandem. Twelve Korean Borrelia isolates were classified by the method of rRNA gene restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and Southern hybridization. One of the isolates, KW-3, as well as the representative of ribotype group IV Ip89 appeared to have evolved within B. garinii. The size of the restriction bands of the 11 isolates showed different patterns from the USA and European isolates. The result by RFLP of rrf-rrl intergenic spacer region amplified by PCR showed a good correlation with that of Southern hybridization of rRNA gene. Therefore, the eleven Korean isolates could be classified as members of a new Borrelia group.
Borrelia burgdorferi Group* ; Borrelia burgdorferi* ; Borrelia* ; Classification* ; Genes, rRNA ; Korea* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length* ; Ribotyping

No abstract available.
Bone Marrow* ; Microwaves* ; Plastics*

PURPOSE: Idiopathic hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis (IHCP) is a rare disase, which causes chronic progressive inflammation and thickening of the basal dura mater. We report a case of IHCP associated with superior oblique paralysis and present a review of the literature. METHODS: An 8-year-old boy presented with binocular diplopia and left side head tilting. Suspecting right superior oblique muscle paralysis, an alternating prism test, head tilt test, fundus examinations, neurologic examination, and brain MRI were performed. RESULTS: The brain MRI revealed abnormal enhancement of the right tentorium in the course of the right fourth cranial nerve, leading to a diagnosis of IHCP with paralytic strabismus and the patient was treated with systemic steroid therapy. CONCLUSIONS: We report a case of IHCP with right superior oblique paralysis. Patients with recent onset paralytic strabismus require appropriate neurolgic and neuroimaging examinations.
Brain ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Diplopia ; Dura Mater ; Head ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Meningitis* ; Neuroimaging ; Neurologic Examination ; Paralysis* ; Strabismus ; Telescopes ; Trochlear Nerve