The authors studied the plasma cholesterol levels in 39 rats (Sprague-Dawley) after 4 weeks administration of etretinate and/or fish oil. The study groups were as follows.'13 rats recieved etretinate only;13, fish oil only;13, both ertetinate and fish oil. Cholesterol levels were determined by standard enzymatic methodology. The results were as follows. Tot,al-cholesterol levels in rats following administration of ertetinate only were increased(p<0.05), but the levels in rats receiving fish oil only and both etretinate and fish oil were markedly decreased(p<0.01). HDL-cholesterol levels in rats following administration of fish oil and both etretinate and fish oil were decreased(p<0.01). The ratio of HDL-cholesterol to total-cholesterol in rats receiving fish oil only and both etretinate and fish oil were increased(p<0.05) because of markedly decreased total-cholesterol levels.
Acitretin* ; Animals ; Cholesterol* ; Etretinate* ; Plasma* ; Rats*

Etretinate is a synthetic retinoic acid which has been reported effective in hyperkeratotic disorders. Recently, it has also been tried, on a limited number, for the treatment of viral wart. A 33-year-old male patient presented with multiple, tender, confluent, verrucous lesions on the scalp, both hands and feet of 4 years duration. Before coming to us, he had been treated with intralesional injection of bleomycin and electrodesiccation with little effect. We started etretinate therapy in a daily dose of 70mg(1mg /kg). After 3 weeks treatment, most of his skin lesions were flattened and softened: but an abrupt elevation of serum aminotransferases was noticed, which was normalized soon after cessation of medication. Unfortunately, the drug stop page aggravated most of skin lesions. After two weeks of withdrawal we started again the drug in a daily dose of 30mg and observed a good response without hepatic dysfunction.
Acitretin* ; Adult ; Bleomycin ; Etretinate* ; Foot ; Hand ; Humans ; Injections, Intralesional ; Male ; Scalp ; Skin ; Transaminases ; Tretinoin ; Warts*

There are many options for the management of osteoarthritis of the knee joint. Recently, arthroscopic surgery has been added to the armamentorium of the treatment modalities in osteoarthritis of the knee which does not respond to conservative treatment. Among 74 arthroscopic pocedures(including partial menisectomy, removal of loose bodies, synovectomy, cartilage drilling and simple lavage) done for osteoarthritis of the knee, 68 patients studied at average 3.1 years after procedure and the results were as follows 1. Seventy-one percent of patients had at least 2.5 years or more relief of pain and symptoms. 2. Fifty-six percent were still good at follow-up of 3.1 years. 3. The best result were obtained after removal of loose bodies and resection of unstable flap tear of a meniscus in association with mild osteoarthritis. 4. The poor result were obtained in patients with severe degenerative changes of both femoral condyle, 5. The results were much better in the normally aligned knee compared with valgus knee.
Arthroscopy ; Cartilage ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; Knee ; Osteoarthritis ; Tears

A 51-year-old male with chronic renal failure had marked swelling and tenderness of the right arm. Venography revealed central vein occlusion involving stenosis of right proximal subclavian vein, right internal jugular vein, and left distal innominate vein, and obstruction of right brachiocephalic vein. Multiple obstruction of these veins was thought to have resulted from repeated subclavian catheterization. Right subclavian-superior vena cava was bypassed with 10 mm Gore-tex vascular graft and then left subclavian vein with 8 mm Gore-tex vascular graft was bypassed to the 10 mm Gore-tex vascular graft. The results were excellent.
Arm ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis ; Brachiocephalic Veins ; Catheterization* ; Catheters* ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Humans ; Jugular Veins ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Phlebography ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Renal Dialysis* ; Subclavian Vein ; Transplants ; Veins*

Venous hemangioma is a vascular tumor that has been reported by such diverse names as; "cirsoid aneurysm", "arteriovenous hemangioma", "acral arteriovenous tumor" according to the author's opinions of its origin and histopathologic classification. It is benign and rarely biopsied, and it is also rarely reported in dermatology literature. We present two cases of venous hemangioma. The first case was a 64-year-old man who was presented with an elliptical dark-red plaque with overlying several grouped papules on the left periorbital area which had been present for 7 years. The second case was a 56-year-old man who was presented with a single red papule on the right postauricular area which had been present for 4 months. Histopathologically, there were a well-circumscribed proliferation of thick-walled muscle-containing blood vessels in the dermis. Intermingled with the thick-walled blood vessels, there were also thin-walled dilated blood vessels. In both cases, the thick-walled blood vessels resembled arteries, but they lacked elastic fibers on the Verhoeff van Gieson stain.
Arteries ; Blood Vessels ; Classification ; Dermatology ; Dermis ; Elastic Tissue ; Hemangioma* ; Humans ; Middle Aged

BACKGROUND: Although one hair usually arises from a single follicular opening in normal healthy subjects, we can see two or more hairs emerging from the single opening through close inspection. The latter is called "compound hair", described by Lowenthal in 1946, however, few reports on this have been made since. Histopatholoigcally two or more hairs which have an independant external root sheath arise from one follicular opening like its clinical appearance. We examined the distribution and density of compound hair in order to define its difference according to anatomical sites and aging process. OBJECTIVE AND METHOD: We counted the number of hairs in the circle(2 cm in diameter) at te frontal, temporal and occipital scalp of 24 old young men(22.5+/-2.0 years old) and 24 old men(64.4+/-12.9 years old), respectively. RESULTS: The summated number of grouped hair, which was mostly regarded at compound hair, was greater in the young group than in old group in the frontal area, but was smaller in young group than in old group in from the temporal and occipital areas. The proportion of grouped hair to total hair in the older group was lower in the frontal area, but higher in the temporal and occipital areas(p<0.05, p<0.01) according to aging process, however, no significant change was seen between the frontal area and the sum of single hair to compound hair was significantly decreased in the temporal and occipital areas(p<0.05, p<0.01) according to aging process, however, no significant change was seen between the frontal area and the sum of the three tested areas. CONCLUSION: Compound hairs are observed frequently on the scalp of normal healthy subjects and are most frequently seen on the occipital scalp in both of the young and old.
Aging ; Hair* ; Scalp* ; Tuberculosis, Cutaneous

No abstract available.
Lymphocytes* ; Macrophages* ; Nitric Oxide*

We report a case of congenital candidiasis confined to the rail plates in a 57-day-old girl whose infected nails exhibited the rough, yellow-white, thickened, opaque distal ends and pink-colored, normal healthy plates at their proximal bases. Numerous pseudohyphae and spores were demonstrated by KOH microscopic examination. Candida albicans was identified by culture on Sabourauds glucose agar and API 20C Aux system. Histopathologic findings of nail crippings also showed mutiple hyphae beneath the hyperkeratot,ic nail plate on PAS stain. Shedding of the infected distal portion of the ungual plates ws caused by growing out of the healthy nails, resulting in spontaneous healing of the disease rithin 2 months.
Agar ; Candida albicans ; Candidiasis* ; Female ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Spores

No abstract available.

We report a patient with pachydermoperiostosis accompanied by hypertrophic gastritis. A 26-year-old man showed deep folds and furrows of the face and scalp, and terminal spade-like expansion of fingers and toes. Physical examination revealed no abnormalities except a grotesque appearance. Results of routine laboratory tests were unremarkable. Mild periosteal reactoins of both femurs and humeri were noted on long bone series, and hypertrophic gastritis on fibroscopic examination drew our attention. The relationship between pachydermoperiostosis and hypertrophic gastritis is uncertain. However it is probable that hypertrophic gastritis may be the endodermal counterpart of the ectodermal manifestations of pachydermoperiostosis.
Adult ; Ectoderm ; Endoderm ; Femur ; Fingers ; Gastritis, Hypertrophic* ; Humans ; Osteoarthropathy, Primary Hypertrophic* ; Physical Examination ; Scalp ; Toes