No abstract available.
Hamartoma*

BACKGROUND: Sun exposure and therapeutic irradiation have been shown to induce alterations in extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, including elastin, glycosaminoglycan and collagens. The integrity of the connective tissue mainly depends on balanced rates of matrix synthesis and degradation of the extracellular matrix. Therefore, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) may be involved in ultraviolet irradiation (UVR)-induced alterations in ECM proteins. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of UVA as well as UVB irradiations on ST-1 gene expression in cultured human skin fibroblasts. METHODS: After exposure of different doses of UVA and UVB on cultured human skin fibroblasts, we examined the expression of ST-1 gene by Northern blot analysis, chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) assay with CAT construct containing AP-1 binding site. Additionally, we carried out the gel mobility shift assay to investigate the effects of UVR on the DNA-binding activity of AP-1. RESULTS: After UVR on fibroblasts, the steady-state levels of ST-1 mRNA were in-creased in response to UVA and UVB by 2.5-fold and 4.2-fold, respectively, as compared with controls. Similar results were obtained by CAT assay showing that CAT activity increased as the UVA and UVB doses increased. Furthermore, gel mobility shift assay demonstrated that both UVA and UVB increased AP-1 DNA binding complexes. CONCLUSION: UVB as well as UVA up-regulated ST-1 gene expression at transcriptional levels in vitro. We speculate that modulation of MMPs, including ST-1, gene expression by UVR may contribute to the connective tissue damage related to photoaging and other photocutaneous disorders.
Animals ; Binding Sites ; Blotting, Northern ; Cats ; Chloramphenicol O-Acetyltransferase ; Collagen ; Connective Tissue ; DNA ; Elastin ; Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay ; Extracellular Matrix ; Fibroblasts* ; Gene Expression ; Humans* ; In Vitro Techniques ; Matrix Metalloproteinases ; RNA, Messenger ; Skin ; Solar System ; Transcription Factor AP-1

OBJECTIVE: To investigate waveform changes of compound muscle action potentials (CMAPs) related to voluntary muscle contraction and alteration of muscle length and to evaluate the effect of peripheral neuropathy on temporal and spatial summations of CMAPs. METHOD: The influence of voluntary muscle contraction and alteration of muscle length on CMAP was studied in 37 median nerves of 21 patients with median neuropathy. RESULTS: In patients with no apparent axonopathy, temporal summation was partially disturbed without significant change of spatial summation. Shortening of muscle length or voluntary contraction produced a physiologic improvement of spatial and temporal summations. There was a decrease in temporal and spatial summations, more prominent in temporal summation, with lengthening of the muscle. In axonopathy, spatial summation was markedly deteriorated with partial reduction of temporal summation. Spatial summation was not affected by the change of muscle length or voluntary contraction. Temporal summation was improved by muscle shortening or voluntary contraction and was decreased by muscle lengthening. CONCLUSION: Peripheral neuropathy has an effects on physiological spatial and temporal summations of CMAPs. Temporal summation is preferentially decreased in cases without axonopathy. When axonopathy is apparent, spatial summation is profoundly disturbed with partial reduction of temporal summation.
Action Potentials* ; Humans ; Median Nerve ; Median Neuropathy ; Muscle Contraction ; Muscle, Skeletal* ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases*

OBJECTIVES: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has the feature of excessive LH, hyperandrogenism and disturbance of folliculogenesis. Also, insulin, IGF-I and IGFBP-1 are involved in the pathogenesis of PCOS. Various surgical and medical therapies have been used and the action mechanisms are related to the endocrine effect. Laparoscopic ovarian electrocautery or laser vaporization is effective in the restoration of ovulation and normal menstrual cycle with minimal invasive procedure especially in the patients resistant to medical therapy. Clomiphen citrate (CC) is used for the ovulation induction in PCOS and the resistance is known to be related to insulin, IGF-I, IGFBP-1 levels. This study was performed to evaluate the effect of the laparoscopic laser vaporization on the levels of LH, FSH, testosterone, IGF-I and IGFBP-1 and on the ovarian response to clomiphen citrate in patients with CC-resistant PCOS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The fasting basal serum LH, FSH, testosterone, IGF-I and IGFBP-1 level were measured in 10 PCOS patients with CC-resistance and 7 normal controls with regular menstrual cycle. In PCOS, after laparoscopic CO2 laser vaporization, endocrine levels were measured in 1 week interval for 4 weeks and then compared with preoperative levels. RESULTS: In PCOS group, mean serum LH/FSH ratio, testosterone, IGF-I levels were higher and IGFBP-1 level was lower than control. LH/FSH ratio decreased from 2.51+/-0.67 to 1.7+/-0.6 (p<0.05) in 2 weeks, to 0.56+/-0.2 (p<0.01) in 3 weeks and to 1.41+/-0.3 (p<0.01) in 4 weeks after operation. Testosterone level decreased from 1.51+/-0.82 ng/ml to 0.65+/-0.34 ng/ml (p<0.05) in 2 weeks, to 0.56+/-0.67 ng/ml (p<0.01) in 3 weeks after operation. IGF-I level also decreased from 436+/-47.5 microgram/l to 187+/-38 microgram/l (p<0.01) in 1 week, to 167+/-42 microgram/l (p<0.01) in 2 weeks, 179+/-55 microgram/l (p<0.01) in 3 weeks and to 120 +/-43 microgram/l (p<0.01) in 4 weeks after operation. IGFBP-1 level showed no significant change. In 8 of 10 PCOS patients, ovulation was induced with low dose clomiphen citrate. CONCLUSION: Laparoscopic CO2 laser vaporization restores normal menstrual cycle and ovulation through endocrine effect of decreasing LH/FSH ratio, testosterone and IGF-I level and increases the response to CC. Therefore it is useful for restoration of normal menstruation and induction of ovulation in CC resistant PCOS patients.
Citric Acid ; Electrocoagulation ; Fasting ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperandrogenism ; Insulin ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1 ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Laser Therapy* ; Lasers, Gas ; Menstrual Cycle ; Menstruation ; Ovulation ; Ovulation Induction ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome* ; Testosterone ; Volatilization

Wegener's granulomatosis is a disease of unknown etiology that is characterized by the clinicopathologic complex of necrotixing granulomatous vasculitis of the upper and lower respiratory tract, glomerulonephritis, and variable degrees of small vessel vasculitis. Recently Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody (ANCA) has been reported to be a highly specific test for the diagnosis of Wegener's granulomatosis. We have experienced a patient of Wegener's granulomatosis in a 11 year old girl who was admitted with complaints f arthralgia, hematuria, convulsion and associated with otitis media and sinusitis. Serologic test of C-ANCA was positive and histologic findings of the kidney showed crescentic glomerulonephritis with sclerosis and surrounding infiltration of multinucleated giant cells. Patient was treated with pulse methylprednisolone without improvement. The clinical course progressed rapidly and expired due to the renal failure, gastrointestinal bleeding and status epilepticus. A brief review of literatures was made.
Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic* ; Arthralgia ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Giant Cells ; Glomerulonephritis ; Hematuria ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Kidney ; Methylprednisolone ; Otitis Media ; Renal Insufficiency ; Respiratory System ; Sclerosis ; Seizures ; Serologic Tests ; Sinusitis ; Status Epilepticus ; Vasculitis ; Wegener Granulomatosis*

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma(EH) is a low-grade tumor of vascular endothelial cell origin, which most commonly occur in the lower extremities of middle-aged patients with an equal gender distribution. It may occur on internal organs such as the liver or lung or bones. A 54-year-old woman who had a history of metastatic adenocarcinoma of unknown origin on the right inguinal lymph node, was presented to us because of a 1.0 x 1.0cm-sized and 2 x 2cm-sized two subcutaneous nodule on her right shin. On H & E stain, there were nests of round nucleated, polygonal, vacuolated cells, some of which contained fragmented erythrocytes. Factor VIII related antigen, CD31 was positive. A diagnosis of epithelioid hemangioendothelioma was established based on histologic, immunohistochemical studies. Wide excision was performed. There was no recurrence nor the development of new lesions so far.
Adenocarcinoma ; Diagnosis ; Endothelial Cells ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Hemangioendothelioma, Epithelioid* ; Humans ; Liver ; Lower Extremity ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Middle Aged ; Recurrence ; von Willebrand Factor

Although it is not certain when malaria began to appear in the Korean peninsula, it is believed to have had been an endemic disease until 1984. Vivax malaria reemerged in the Republic of Korea (ROK) in 1993. In the early period most of the cases occurred among soldiers stationed in the DMZ and the adjacent region. In order to cope with malaria, the soldiers at risk received chemoprophylaxis with chloroquine and primaquine. The regimen for the treatment of vivax malaria in Korea was established in 1950's. Primaquine was introduced in 1951, and the field testing during the Korean War demonstrated that the combination of three days of chloroquine administration with fourteen days of primaquine reliably prevented the recurrence of vivax malaria. The regimen has been used since then, but there were some controversies as to whether or not to start chloroquine and primaquine on the same day. Most of the current treatment guidelines recommend the use of primaquine for fourteen days to overlap with blood schizonticide agents such as chloroquine and routine tests for G-6-PD deficiency before use. Previous data showed that the G-6-PD deficiency rate has been found very low among Koreans. Thus, it is not always necessarily mandatory to test for G-6-PD deficiency among Korean patients.
Chemoprevention ; Chloroquine ; Endemic Diseases ; Glucosephosphate Dehydrogenase ; Humans ; Korea* ; Korean War ; Malaria ; Malaria, Vivax* ; Military Personnel ; Primaquine ; Recurrence ; Republic of Korea

BACKGROUNDs: A retrospective study was performed to define objective radiologic parameters in diagnosing epiglottitis on soft-tissue lateral neck radiographic study. METHODS: Parameters of soft-tissue structures(epiglottis width, third vertebral body width, ratio of epiglottic width to third vertebral body width) in 30 adult patients compared with those of age and sex-matched controls with foreign body in throat whose radiographic reading was normal. RESULTS: Epiglottis width of more than 11mm, ratio of epiglottis width(EW) to the third vertebral body width(C3W) of more than 0.5 were, respectively, found to be 100% sensitive and specific in differentiating between patients with and without epiglottitis. CONCLUSION: These preliminary results suggest that EW/C3W ratio of more than 0.5, EW of more than 11mm, respectively, may be useful in the diagnosis of epiglottitis in adult patients.
Adult* ; Diagnosis* ; Epiglottis ; Epiglottitis* ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Neck ; Pharynx ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Nevus*

We report a case of tinea corporis occurring in one family caused by Trichophyton verrucosum. Father, mother and a son in a family had well defined scaly erythematous patches on the forearm, cheek and postauricular area. Histopathologically fungal hyphae were found in the horny layer of the epidermis in PAS stained sections. In mycological study, charact,eristic feature of T. verrucosum were found. The possible source of the infections was the cattle that they raised in their house. After eight weeks administration of ketoconazole, the lesions were healed leaving slight brownish discoloration.
Animals ; Cattle ; Cheek ; Epidermis ; Fathers ; Forearm ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Ketoconazole ; Mothers ; Tinea* ; Trichophyton*