Pulsatilla koreana is a member of the buttercup familly(Ranuculaceae) which contains the unsaturated lactone, protoanemonin(C3H4O2), formed after injury to the plant by the breakdown of the glycoside ranunculin. It has been prescribed as a herbal medicine or a folk medicine for antipyretic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, astringent and hemostatic effects in Korea. A 20 year-old famale patient presented with confluent vesicobullae on the erythematous base with a burning sensation on her upper back. This was caused by contact with crushed Pulsatilla koreana, a folk medicine for the treatment of left facial nerve palsy, that had occurred 10 days before her visit. A provocation patch test with Pulsatilla koreana upon a heathy male volunteers upper back showed strong positive reactions with the stalk and leaf in fresh and frozen stat.e and after thaw ing resptively. However no reaction was seen when the folk medicine was used in a dried form or with the root in any state. This case indicates that misadvice and ignorant folk remedies could cause misfortunate results to innocent people.
Burns ; Dermatitis, Irritant* ; Facial Nerve ; Herbal Medicine ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Medicine, Traditional ; Paralysis ; Patch Tests ; Plants ; Pulsatilla* ; Sensation ; Volunteers ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Cytokines such as TNF-a, and IL-1, 6, 8 are thought to mediate many host responses in patients with sepsis through the release of many kinds of inflammatory mediators. Vibrio vulnificus is a virulent, halophilic, marine, and Gram-negative bacterium causing wound infections or primary sepsis with fulminant course. It has been known to produce many exocellular factors, such as cytolysin and exozymes, which are possible causes of shock and tissue damage. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate the changes of cytokines(TNF-a, Il-l p, and IL-6) after intravenous administration of V. vulnificus cytolysin which have known to be a major virulent factor for elucidating pathogenesis of septic shock. METHODS: After administration of V. vulnificus cytolysin(20 hemolytic units) and physiologic saline through a mouse tail vein, we obtained blood samples from the heart according to a time course(0, 30, 60, 90, 120, 240, and 360 minutes). We measured serum concentrations of circulating TNF- a, IL-1 p, and IL-6 using commercially available immunoassay kits. RESULTS: The serum concentration of TNF- a peaked at 60 min (1894 pg/ml, as compared with 829 pg/ml after saline administration), began to decrease at 90 min and fell to baseline at 360min. Concentration of IL-6 rose significantly at 90 min(>3,839 pg/ml) and began to decrease at 120 min, whereas the level of IL-1 0 increased slightly and the peaked around 90min(117 pg/ml) after the cytolysin injection. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the host response to cytolysin is associated with a brief pulse of circulating cytokines in the early stage of sepsis caused by V. vulnipcus infection.
Administration, Intravenous ; Animals ; Cytokines* ; Heart ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Interleukin-1 ; Interleukin-6* ; Mice* ; Perforin* ; Sepsis ; Shock ; Shock, Septic ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha* ; Veins ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio* ; Wound Infection

Measurement of various portions of the corpus callosum was performed on magnetic resonance(MR) images of 114 subjects with no known or suspected corpus callosal disorders. Midsagittal T1-weighted images used for measurements and mean diameters of various portions in each age and sex group were obtained. Measures of five portions were made : (A) the anterio-posterior length, (B) the diameter of genu portion, (C) the diameter of splenium, (D) the diameter of and mid-body portion, (E) the diameter of narrow portion at the body of corpus callosum. The mean diameter in each gender group for A, B, C, D, and E were 68.8mm, 12.1mm, 12.3mm, 6.9mm, 4.1mm in male and 69.9mm, 12.0mm, 12.1mm, 6.4mm, 4.1mm in female, respectively. The groups of 0-9 years of both genders showed the minimum mean value in each portion.
Corpus Callosum* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Sex Differentiation*

Lymphangiectasis(=acquirecl lymphangioma) ate dilated lymph caillaris and may be due to the obstruction of the lymphatic circulation from surgery, irradiation, chronic recurrent infection or trauma. The patient was a 5 years old girl who developed a straw-colcre, asymptomatic grouped vesicular mass resembling frog spawn measuring 9 cm in diameter the left axilla and arm, 2 months after the total excision of a previous lymphangiectatic mass. She had a history of previous open heart surgery at 2 years of age. Histopathologic findings showed large, irregularly shaped cysticalation lined by a single layer of endothelium in the superficial dermis. Immunohistochemical stainig showed vimentin positive and negative results in Factor VIII and HLA-DR antigen which was compatible with a lymphatic vessel.
Arm ; Axilla ; Child, Preschool ; Dermis ; Endothelium ; Factor VIII ; Female ; Heart* ; HLA-DR Antigens ; Humans ; Lymphangioma* ; Lymphatic Vessels ; Thoracic Surgery* ; Vimentin

The human papillomavirus(HPV) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of human conjunctival papilloma, becauses it has clinically viral nature and pathologically koilocytosis, typically found in other papilloma-induced tumors. To evaluate the association of HPV with conjunctival papilloma, 3 recurrent conjunctival papiloma were removed through cryo-excision and examined for the presence of human papillomavirus by polymerase chain reaction. All 3 cases were positive reactions to papillomavirus serotype 6/11, but koilocytosis was present in 2 cases.
Humans* ; Papilloma* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

BACKGROUND: Vibrio vulnificus is a pathogenic, marine, halophilic, gram-negative bacillus which causes fulminant infecticn in humans through the ingestion of raw seafood or skin wounds. V. vulnificus produces seveal kinds of virulent factors including cytolysin, endotoxin, exoenzymes, and siderphores. Among these, the lipopolysaccharide(LPS) of V. vulnificus has recently been purified, but the biological activity of this endotoxin is not well clarified as yet. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to extract LPS from Vibrio vulnificus and to test the biological activity of extracted LPS for the elucidation of the role in V. vulnificas septicemia. METHODS: V. vulnificus LPS was extracted by the Phenol Chloroform-Petroleurn ether(PCP) method. The biological activity of LPS was evaluated with a limulus amebocyte lysate assay and by assessment of lethality to ICR mice. RESULTS: Five hundreds mg of LPS were extracted from 10g of dried V. vulnificus. Lirnulus amebocyte lysate formed a hard gel in response to the extracted LPS. This LPS showed low level of protein contaminatior in SDS-PAGE electophoresis and spectrophotometry. A High dose of LPS(200 mg/ml body weight) was lethal to mice. CONCLUSION: The PCP extraction yield relatively large amounts of LPS from V. vnlnificus. with out significant protein contamination and e xtrated LPS has endotoxin activity. This extrated LPS can be used for further studies such as making antibody or characterizing pathogenic roles in the V. vulnificus infection.
Animals ; Bacillus ; Eating ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Ether* ; Horseshoe Crabs ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Perforin ; Phenol ; Seafood ; Sepsis ; Skin ; Spectrophotometry ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio* ; Wounds and Injuries

No abstract available.
Tuberculosis, Miliary*

No abstract available.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Pulmonary Embolism*

Uterine torsion is defined as the mtation of more than 45 degrees around the long axis of the uterus or a rotation which is severe enough to produce symptoms. Torsion of the human pregnant uterus is a very rare complication. The diagnosis is problematic and is often made during a cesrean section due to inhibited labor. Torsion of the human pregnant uterus can be caused by myoma or other uterine abnormalities, ovarian cysts, adhesions, abnormal fetal presentations, or fetal abnormalities ( though no cause can be found in about 20% of cases ). Uterine torsion produces symptoms of varying severity depending on the degree of rotation, and duration of the pregnancy. High mortality rates for both mother and infant have been reported. We experienced one case of the torsion of term pregnant uterus and report this case with a brief review of the concerned literature.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Fetus* ; Humans ; Infant ; Mortality ; Mothers ; Myoma ; Ovarian Cysts ; Pregnancy ; Uterus*

Juvenile granulosa cell tumor (JGCT) is one of the sex cord stromal tumors of the ovary ocurring in the first two decades of life. These tumors are different from adult granulosa cell tumor (AJCT) with regard to clinical and pathological fetures. Follicles are often irregular, Call-exner bodies are rare, and luteinization is frequent. The tumor may be solid, cystic, or both. The most common presenting symptoms are abnormal uterine bleeding and pain. Breast swelling, pain and tenderness may also be associated with unopposed estrogen secretion by granulosa cell tumors. The tumor should be removed as soon as the diagnosis is estabilished. The juvenile granulosa cell tumor has a good overall prognosis because fewer than 5% of these tumors in children are malignant.
Adult ; Breast ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Estrogens ; Female ; Granulosa Cell Tumor* ; Granulosa Cells* ; Humans ; Lutein ; Luteinization ; Ovary* ; Prognosis ; Sex Cord-Gonadal Stromal Tumors ; Uterine Hemorrhage