A 52-years-old man had at least 6 attacks of benign recurrent aseptic meningitis in about 1 year. The clinical manifestation, progression, recurrence, and cerebrospinal fluid findings were correlated to the Mollaret's Meningitis. This meningitis is very rare in Korea.
Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Korea ; Meningitis* ; Meningitis, Aseptic* ; Recurrence

Wilson's disease is a genetically transmitted autosomal recessive disorder of copper metabolism which affects the liver. Brain and other organs. The seizure in Wilson's disease is not infrequent but. It's report is very rare in Korea. The frequency of seizure is about 10 times more than that of general population The statistical proportions of types of seizure associated with Wilson's disease do not differ significantly from that seen in the general population. And the most common seizure type is focal motor form. The issue of the mechanisms producing seizure in Wilson's disease has attracted controversy, but the cause of seizure seems to be related with copper itself. Although the seizure is well controlled by anticonvulsants, the prognosis of seizure depends on the treatment of Wilson`s disease. We report a case of Wilson's disease associated with somatomotor status epilepticus.
Anticonvulsants ; Brain ; Copper ; Hepatolenticular Degeneration* ; Korea ; Liver ; Metabolism ; Prognosis ; Seizures ; Status Epilepticus

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the biodurability of the covering material in retrievable metallic stents covered with polycarbonate polyurethane. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using a peristaltic pump at a constant rate of 1ml/min, bile was recirculated from a reservoir through a long tube containing four stents. Each of these was removed from the system every two weeks and a radial tensile strength test and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed. Each stent, removed at 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks, was compared with a control stent not exposed to bile juice. RESULTS: Gross examination showed that stents were intact at 2 weeks, but at 4, 6 and 8 weeks cracks were observed. The size of these increased gradually in accordance with the duration of exposure, and at 8 weeks several large holes in the polyurethane membrane were evident. With regard to radial tensile strength, extension and peak load at break were 84.47% and 10.030 N/mm, 54.90% and 6.769 N/mm, 16.55% and 2.452 N/mm, 11.21% and 1.373 N/mm at 0, 2, 4 and 6 weeks, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy at 2 weeks revealed intermittent pitting and cracking, and examination at 4, 6 and 8 weeks showed that the size of these defects was gradually increasing. CONCLUSION: When the polyurethane membrane was exposed to bile, biodegradation was first observed at week two and increased gradually according to the duration of exposure.
Bile Acids and Salts/physiology ; Biodegradation ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning/*instrumentation ; Phantoms, Imaging ; *Polyurethanes ; *Stents ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Tensile Strength ; Time Factors

As a partial effort of the survey in the National Plan for the Eye Health, the analysis of the visual impairment mainly refractive errors among 4,004 School Children in Seoul(1986) with the ancilliary questionnaire on various conditions was attempted. The number of the student with subnormal vision(0.7 or less) was 1,552(38.8 %), and this rate was increased with the higher school grade. Of the 2,551 eyes with subnormal vision(0.7 or less), the confirmed refractive errors consisted of myopia 2,170(78.7%), hyperopia 237(8.6%), and mixed astigmatism 144(5.2%) eyes. The number of glasses wearer among the students of vision 0.5 or below(1,129) was 770(63.2%), of which the under-corrected cases 380(49.3%) weregreater in number with the over corrected cases. The causes of not-wearing glasses in the students who belonged to the vision 0.5 or below indicated in prominence of numbers of 1) no complaints without glasses in 172(42.0%), 2) unwareness of the visual impairment in 77(20.0%), and 3) annoyance to wearing glasses in 51(13.4%), rather than economical reasons in 12(3.1%). The amblyopic components were estimated among 129 cases(3.2%) in combination of refractive errors. Further program to supply the glasses with appropriated prescription and the details on the practical aspects of related elements would be discussed.
Astigmatism ; Child ; Eyeglasses ; Glass ; Humans ; Hyperopia ; Myopia ; Prescriptions ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Refractive Errors ; Vision Disorders*

PURPOSE: We analyzed the survival and failure patterns of cervix cancer patients treated with irradiation alone to evaluate our treatment method and to compare with the others. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Two hundred and twenty cervical cancer patients, Stage IB, IIA, and IIB who completed the planned treatment between May 1987 and December 1991 were analyzed retrospectively. The Stage IB patients were restaged to the Stage IB1 and IB2 by the recently revised FIGO classification. Patients were treated with a combination of external irradiation and the intracavitary brachytherapy. Determination of the tumor control was done at the time of 6 months postirradiation. The follow-up time was ranged from 3 to 115 months and the mean was 62 months and the follow-up rate was 93.6%(206/220). RESULTS: The overall 5-year survival rate of Stage IB1(N=50), IB2(N=15), IIA(N=58), and IIB(N=97) was 94%, 87%, 69%, and 56%, respectively. In the univariate analysis of prognostic factors,stage(0.00), initial Hg level (p=0.00), initial TA-4(tumor-associated) antigen level(p=0.02), initial CEA level(p=0.02), barrel-shaped tumor(p=0.02), whole cervical involvement (0.00), pelvic lymphadenopathy(LAP) in CT(p=0.04), and post-irradiation adjuvant chemotherapy(p=0.00) were statistically significant in survival analysis. In a while, multivariate analysis showed that the stage was the most powerful prognostic indicator and the post-irradiation chemotherapy factor also showed the statistical significance. The overall local control rate was 81% and by the stage, 100% in Stage IB1, 86.7% in Stage IB2, 84.5% in Stage IIA, and 68.1% in Stage IIB, respectively. The overall tumor recurrence rate was 15.5%(27/174) and by the stage, 8%(4/50) in Stage IB1, 0%(0/13) in Stage IB2, 22.4%(11/49) in Stage IIA, and 19.4%(12/62) in Stage IIB, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We obtained the similar treatment results to the other's ones in early stage cervical cancer patients. But in Stage IIB, the local control rate was lower than that of the other institutes and also the survival was poorer. So it seems to be necessary to reevaluate the treatment method in advanced cervical cancer patients.
Academies and Institutes ; Brachytherapy ; Cervix Uteri* ; Classification ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

Carcinoembriogenic antigen (CEA) was widely used as a marker for staging and detection of recurrence and metastases, and evaluation of response of radical opertion or chemotherapy in colorectal cancer patients. METHODS: We examined 50 patients with sigmoid colon and rectal cancer patients who had a radical operation between 1994 May and 1995 April. We checked the level of CEA of peripheral blood preoperatively and postoperatively, and inferior mesenteric vein, bile of gall bladder and peritoneal fluid during surgery. We review clinical characters of the patients, and analyzed the importance of CEA level. RESULTS: The mean CEA levels of peripheral blood (postoperation), inferior mesenteric vein, bile, peritoneal fluid were 5.35+/-2.65, 13.23+/-2.13, 9.23+/-1.65, 7.42+/-2.34 ng/ml respectlively. The mean CEA level of inferior mesentiric vein (13.23+/-2.13 ng/ml) was significantly higher than that of preoperative peripheral blood (8.13+/-2.34 ng/ml) (p<0.05). Falling of postoperative peripheral blood CEA level was also significantly lower than that of preoperative level (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Level of postoperative peripheral blood was related to recurrence rate and survival rate, but tumor size, tumor location, tumor differentiation, Dukes' stage were not related to the CEA level. Bile and peritoneal fluid CEA levels were related with the liver metastasis or local recurrence respectively. We suggest that CEA was useful indicator for evaluation, management, and prognosis of colorectal cancer not only preoperatively but also postoperatively.
Ascitic Fluid* ; Bile* ; Colon, Sigmoid* ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Liver ; Mesenteric Veins* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate ; Urinary Bladder ; Veins*

No abstract available.
Cervix Uteri* ; Female ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

Recent studies of molecular biology have suggested that infection with human papillomavirus(HPV) is implicated in the pathogenesis of cervical carinoma. HPV infection alone, however, does not appear to be sufficient for the process of maliganant transformation, suggesting the requirement of additional cellular events. The mutation of p53, which is involved in negative control of cell proliferation, may play a role in the carcinogenesis of cervical carcinoma. The present study was designed to clarify the association between infection with HPV and p53 alteration in primary carcinoma of human uterine cervix. We investigated 46 prim-ary cervical carcinomas for the presence of HPV DNA by in situ hybridization(ISH) with probe specific for HPV 16/18, and examined the accumulation of p53 protein by immunohis-tochemistry(IHC) and the p53 alteration by polymerase chain reaction-single strand confor-mation polymorphism(PCR-SSCP) using formalin fixed, paraffin -embedded tissue. HPV DNA 16/18 was detected in 18 cases(39.1%) of 46 cervical carcinomas. The accumulation of p53 was identified in tumor cells: low level 43.5%(20/46) and high level 32.6% difference of positive reaction by IHC method. But there was no statistical significant between the infection of HPV and the accumulation of p53(p=0.847). Mutations in exons 4 through 9, where the vast majority of point mutations were reported in human neoplasms, were screened by PCR-SSCP analysis. Altered mobilities of the PCR product of p53 were also found in 9 cases(26.5%) of 34 cervical carcinoma: one in exon 4, four in exon 5/6, two in exon 7, and two in exon 8/9. The mutation of p53 was observed in 41.1%(19/46) respective of the result of IHC and PCR-SSCP, and there was slightly higher p53 alteration in HPV negative cases(23.8%, 11/46) than in HPV positive cases(17.4%, 8/46) without statistical significance(p=0.729). The conclusion of these observations suggests that HPV infection and alteration of p53 may play a critical role in tumorigenesis of carcinoma of the human uterine cervix independently, ant there is important difference in the tumorigenic pathway between two factors.
Ants ; Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cell Proliferation ; Cervix Uteri ; DNA ; Exons ; Female ; Formaldehyde ; Genes, p53* ; Humans ; Molecular Biology ; Paraffin ; Point Mutation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the surgical outcomes of the clavicle lateral end fracture fixed with an oblique T locking compression plate (LCP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fourteen clavicle lateral end fractures were fixed with the oblique T-LCP and followed up for at least 1 year after the surgery. Thirteen cases were unstable Neer type II fractures and one case was nonunion of the Neer type I fracture. The mean age was 46 years of age (range, 26~70). In ten cases, augmenting sutures with the absorbable suture material were placed in the coraco-clavicular ligament and around the plate and the clavicle to improve the stability of fracture fixation. Autogenous iliac bone graft was done in four cases. The clinical outcomes were evaluated by using UCLA scoring system and KSS (Korean Shoulder Score). RESULTS: The mean UCLA score was 33.5 and the mean KSS was 94.9. Average time of bone union was 11.9 weeks (range, 6~28), including 1 case with a delayed union. There was no complication such as loss of fixation or nonunion. CONCLUSION: Fixation with the oblique T-LCP is a good option providing reliable functional results in clavicle lateral end fractures.
Clavicle ; Fracture Fixation ; Ligaments ; Shoulder ; Sutures ; Transplants

Fungal corneal ulcer is well known longstanding and troublesome disorder in eye clinic. Paecilomyces, a well known saprophytic fungi, is rarely pathogenic in normal humal being. Authors experienced a case of corneal ulcer caused by Paecilomyces in diabetic patient wearing soft contact lens, that was proved by Gram stain and Sabouraud agar culture. We report this as the first case of corneal ulcer caused by Paecilomyces in Korea.
Agar ; Contact Lenses, Hydrophilic* ; Corneal Ulcer* ; Fungi ; Humans ; Korea ; Paecilomyces*