Heart failure is a recognized, although uncommon, cause of massive liver cell necrosis, the clinical consequence of which are intermingled with those of cardiac insufficiency in most case. But, hepatic coma is rerely caused by hepatic congestion only. We report the three cases with heart failure resulted in massive liver cell necrosis and fulminant hepatic failure. The manifestations of fulminant hepatic failure were hepatic encephalopathy, jaundice, marked increase of prothrombin time and serum transaminase and there were no evidences of viral hepatitis and toxic hepatitis as a cause of liver failure.
Drug-Induced Liver Injury ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP)* ; Heart Failure* ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; Hepatitis ; Jaundice ; Liver ; Liver Failure ; Liver Failure, Acute* ; Necrosis ; Prothrombin Time

Bowens disease is generally regarded as a premalignant dermatosis. If untreated, 3% to 5% of patients may develop squamous cell carcinoma. However, sebaciou carcinoma arising from Bowens disease is very rare. We presented a case of quarnous cell carcinoma and sebaceous circ s disease in a 68 year-old male. He had multiple bowenoid skin lesi nsties. A bean-sized nodule as developed on the bowenoid lesion of the he had a large yellow crust.ed exudative tumor on the Rt. thigh. We took a biopsy specimen of these three discrete lesions. The nu lipid stain of frozen section revealed Bowens disease, squarnous concllnoma arising from Bowen on the trunk and extremi Rt. lower abdomen. Almost of routine histology and carcinoma, and sebaceous carcinoma, respectively.
Abdomen ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Bowen's Disease ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Frozen Sections ; Humans ; Male ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Thigh

BACKGROUND: The stratum corneum presents a significant barrier to transdermal drug delivery. Approaches to improve percutaneous absorption of drugs have included iontophoresis and skin penetration enhancers. Oleic acid has been studied as a skin penetration enhancer for drugs, primarily via its action mainly on the stratum corneum lipid structure. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the interaction between oleic acid and stratum corneum lipids in vivo. METHODS: Male hairless mice were treated topically with oleic acid. Barrier function was assessed by transepidermal water loss measurement and ultrastructural observation with ruthenium tetroxide (RuO₄) staining. RESULTS: Oleic acid in propylene glycol had a profound effect on epidermal barrier function and was found to be concentration dependent. Moreover, ultrastructural examination with RuO4 post-fixation demonstrated that there were marked alterations in the stratum corneum lipid structure. CONCLUSION: This study provides direct evidence that oleic acid increases the epidermal permeability through a mechanism involving the stratum corneum lipid membrane perturbation via the lacunae formation within the stratum corneum.
Animals ; Humans ; Iontophoresis ; Male ; Membranes ; Mice ; Mice, Hairless ; Oleic Acid* ; Permeability ; Propylene Glycol* ; Ruthenium ; Skin ; Skin Absorption ; Water

No abstract available.

In pili torti, the affected Eair shaft is flattened and twisted through 180 degrees on its own axis. The involved hairs are dry, thin, brittle, and break off easily. Congenital pili torti may occur as an isolated phenomenon or may occur in association with other abnormalities. Acquired pili torti is usually associated with some sort of scarring process in the scalp itself. We present a case of congnital pili torti without any other abnormalities in a 14 year-old female. The pedigree of her fariiily was consistent with the inheritance of congenital pili torti as an autosomal dominant trait.
Adolescent ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Cicatrix ; Female ; Hair ; Humans ; Pedigree ; Scalp ; Wills

The characters of modern buildings such as higher airtightness, frequent usage of artificial materials and artificial air conditionings provide suitable conditions for flourishing of microorganisms, especially fungi. Indoor fungi could produce unacceptable musty smells and cause structural damage of building. But the more serious effects are the threatening on human health. They could provoke several allergic diseases, sick building syndrome, organic dust toxic syndrome, and could be the important causative agents of infectious diseases in the immunocompromized host. This paper review the characters, physiology, epidemiology and isolation techniques of the indoor fungi to provide the basic ideas to control the indoor fungi.
Air Conditioning ; Communicable Diseases ; Dust ; Epidemiology ; Fungi* ; Humans ; Physiology ; Sick Building Syndrome ; Smell

BACKGROUND: Psoriasis is a disease of unknown etiology. Disturbances in lipid metabolism have been suggested as a possible pathogenetic mechanism. OBJECTIVE: The study was performed to investigate the blood lipid, lipoprotein and apolipo-protein levels and their difference according to family history in Korean psoriasis patients. METHODS: Blood samples from seventy three psoriasis patients and twenty three normal persons were measured for total ciolesterol(TC), VLDL-cholesterol(VLDL-C), LDL-cholesterol(LDL-C), HDL-cholesterol(HDL-C), lipoprotein(a) (LPA), triglyceride(TG), apolipoprotein A-I(APO-AI), and apolipoprotein B(AFO-B). Psoriasis patients were divided according to their family history of psoriasis. RESULTS: Compared to ccntrols, TC, LDL-C, LPA, TG, APO-B were significantly elevated in psoriasis patients. Mean varues of LPA and APO-B in psoriasis group were above normal range. VLDL-C were significasitly elevated only in female patients. There was a tendency for psoriasis patients with family history to have higher values than those without family history. CONCLUSION: TC, LDL-C, L,PA, TG, APO-B was increased in psoriasis, especially in the patients with family history, cornpared to control. It is recommended that we must pay attention to the possible risk for the development of cardiac or cerebral vascular disease in psoriasis patients, especially in the presence of family history of psoriasis.
Apolipoproteins ; Apolipoproteins B ; Female ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipoprotein(a) ; Lipoproteins* ; Psoriasis* ; Reference Values ; Vascular Diseases

BACKGROUND: Oral etretinate treatment is associated with the changes in serum lipid concentration and the elevation of serum liver enzymes. In Korea, chronic degenerative diseases like diabetes and hypertension are increasing and the prevalences of HBsAg and chronic liver diseases are much higher than those in western countries. Therefore these changes in serum lipids and liver enzymes during etretinate treatrment are important in Korea as risk factors for atherosclerosis and aggravation of preexisting liver diseases. OBJECTIVE: We tried to observe the sequential pattern, frequency, severity, and relationship between pretreatment value and posttreatment values in the changes of serum lipids and liver enzymes in patients with psoriasis luring etretinate treatment. METHODS: Fourty-one patients with psoriasis were studied during etretinate treatment with the starting dose of 0.5-1.0mg/kg/day. The levels of serum triglyceride, serum cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and sGOT, sGPT was repeatedly determined until the 16th week of etretinate treatment. RESULTS: l. In serum triglyceride and cholesterol, the average of concentrations in each treatment period was usually higher than pretreatment value during the 16 weeks of treatment, but no sequential pattern of changes was observed 2. The number of patients with the maximum of posttreatment values higher than the normal limit were 12(29.3%) in triglyce side, 6(14.6%) in cholesterol, 0 in sGOT, and 5(12.5%) in sGPT. The number of patients with the minimum of posttreatment values lower than the normal limit were 15(36.6%) in HDL-cholesterol. 3. In serum cholesterol, patients with an abnormal pretreatment value are more prone to elevation above the normal limit duriing etretinate treatment than patients with a normal pretreatment value. CONCLUSION: In patients with psoriasis the increases in serum triglyceride, serum cholesterol, sGOT, sGPT and the decrease in HDL-cholesterol were occurred frequently during etretinate treatment. Therefore monitoring of serum lipid concentration and serum liver enzyme levels on a regular basis during etretinate treatment is essential for its safe use in patients with psoriasis, es- pecially in cases of long term etretinate treatment.
Acitretin* ; Alanine Transaminase ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Atherosclerosis ; Cholesterol ; Etretinate* ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Liver Diseases ; Liver* ; Prevalence ; Psoriasis* ; Risk Factors ; Triglycerides

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Animals ; Catfishes ; Ciguatera Poisoning ; Eggs ; adverse effects ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Morphine has a direct action on morphine receptors in the brain and spinal cord. Intrathecally administered L-NAME, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, is known to have an antinociceptive effect on formalin-induced pain in animal studies. Efficacy of intrathecally administered ketorolac, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, is somewhat controversial. The interactions of intrathecally administered morphine, ketorolac and L-NAME on formalin-induced nociception was studied. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with chronic lumbar intrathecal catheters and were tested for paw flinch by a formalin injection. Drugs were intrathecally administered 15 min before the formalin injection, and biphasic painful behaviors were observed. We obtained the ED50 for each agent (ketorolac, L-NAME and morphine). ED50 fractions (1, 1/2 and 1/4) of drug combinations of L-NAME-ketorolac, morphine-L-NAME and ketorolac-morphine were administered. The ED50 of each combined drug was established and isobolographic analysis of the drug interactions was carried out. RESULTS: Intrathecal administration of ketorolac, L-NAME and morphine produced a dose-dependent suppression of pain behaviors in phase 2. ED50 values were 297.04micro gram for ketorolac, 207.46micro gram for L-NAME and 0.17micro gram for morphine in phase 2. Isobolographic analysis showed that the combination of intrathecal morphine and L-NAME synergistically reduced pain behaviors in phase 2. CONCLUSIONS: Intrathecally administered morphine, L-NAME and ketorolac produced a dose-dependent decrease in the number of paw flinches in both phase 1 and phase 2 on the formalin test. Morphine with L-NAME showed synergistic analgesic effects on formalin-induced pain in phase 2.
Animals ; Brain ; Catheters ; Drug Combinations ; Drug Interactions ; Formaldehyde ; Humans ; Ketorolac* ; Male ; Morphine* ; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester* ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Nociception ; Pain Measurement ; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Opioid, mu ; Spinal Cord