Two cases with generalized G.A. were described. The first case was 42 years, old farmer representing slightly erythematous multiple papulonodular lesions on the face, neck, scapular areas, arms and dorsal hands. Coalescence of lesions in some areas of the dorsal hands and neck produced circinate or polycyclic pattern. The second case was 4 years old girl who developed purple to brown muliple papulonodular lesions and polygonal or round plague on the arms, dorsal hands, palms, neck, iliac crests, lower legs, dorsal feet and sole. The plague lesions mimick lichen planus.
Arm ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Foot ; Granuloma Annulare* ; Granuloma* ; Hand ; Humans ; Leg ; Lichen Planus ; Neck ; Plague

Acute Achilles tendon rupture is a frequent injury during sports and recreational activities. Treatments for Achilles tendon rupture have been controversial in recent decades. Traditionally the surgical treatment had benefit over nonsurgical treatment in terms of low rerupture rate and early functional restoration. Recently, nonsurgical treatment was found to show no statistically significant inferiority in re-rupture rate, functional outcome, and calf strength. Whereas, surgical treatment had some complications including adhesion, nerve injury, and infection. Nonsurgical treatment has been increasing due to functional rehabilitation with early weight bearing and restricted early motion. It focuses more attention on the course of caring for patients with deep discussion. There are open repair and minimally invasive repair in terms of surgical treatment. There are various techniques for minimally invasive repair of Achilles tendon, which has some advantages over the open repair. However, the optimal technique for minimally invasive repair has not been established. The number of suture strands is important regardless of suture technique.
Achilles Tendon* ; Humans ; Rehabilitation ; Rupture* ; Sports ; Suture Techniques ; Sutures ; Weight-Bearing

PURPOSE: Ganglioneuroma is a relatively uncommon benign tumor and han no pathognomonic radiological findings;diagnosis is therefore difficult. In order to better diagnose this tumor we analysed its CT findings andpathologic correlation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen tumors in 16 patients(M:F=9:7) diagnosed asganglioneuroma between 1992 and 1996 were retrospectively analysed with regard to location, size, contour, longaxis of the mass, enhancement pattern, calcification, necrosis and capsulation, all as seen on CT, and comparedwith histo- pathologic findings. RESULTS: Tumors were 1.5 to 10(mean, 5.6)cm in size, and their location wasmediastinal(n=12), cervical(n=2), retroperitoneal (n=2) or adrenal(n=1). Fifteen had an oval or round contour andtwo were dumb-bell-shaped. The long axis of the lesion was craniocaudal in 14 cases and non-specific in three.Thirteen lesions showed heterogeneous enhancement, and four homogeneous. Capsule-like enhancement was noted on CTscans in eight cases;there was no definite correlation between enhancement pattern and pathologic findings.Calcification was seen in six cases and an inner low-density lesion in two. CONCLUSION: Ganglioneuroma is abenign neurogenic tumor, occurring most frequently at the the posterior mediastinum. General CT findings of thistumor are a well-defined oval shape with a variable enhancement pattern, but several cases showed focalcalcification or inner low density. For accurate diagnosis of ganglioneuroma both common and uncommon findingsmust therefore be considered.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Diagnosis ; Ganglioneuroma* ; Mediastinum ; Necrosis ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: The Korean government in January 2006 instigated an exemption policy for hospitalized children under the age of six years old. This study examines how this policy affected the utilization of medical care in Korea. METHODS: A total of 1,513,797 claim records from the Health Insurance Review Agency were analyzed by complete enumeration methods. The changes of medical utilization were compared from 2005 to 2006. In addition, the changes of medical utilization between 2004 and 2005 were compared as a pseudocontrol group. RESULTS: The admission rate increased 1.14-fold from 15.20% in 2004 to 17.32% in 2005, and this further increased 1.08-fold to 18.65% in 2006. The increase of patients with a common cold (1.2-fold) was higher than that of both the general patients (1.08-fold) and the patients with the top 10 fatal diseases (0.91-fold). The average length of stay per case for clinics showed the highest increase rates (1.06-fold). The rates of patients with the common cold showed a higher increase (1.05-fold) than that of the general patients. The average medical expense per case was increased by 1.10-fold from 2005 to 2006, which was higher than that from 2004 to 2005 (1.04-fold). The increase rate for patients with the common cold was higher at 1.18-fold than that of the general patients. CONCLUSIONS: The cost exemption policy has especially led to an increase in the utilization of clinics and the utilization by patients with a common cold.
Child, Preschool ; Cost Sharing/*legislation & jurisprudence ; *Health Policy ; Health Services/*utilization ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Insurance Claim Review ; Korea ; Length of Stay

Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1(ICAM-1) plays an important role in a variety of inflammatory and immune-mediated mechanisms, including lymphocyte recruitment and targeting, antigen presentation and recognition, and lymphocyte cytotoxicity.In order to study the changes of soluble ICAM-1 and relationship to the immune mechanism of Graves' disease, we performed the measurement of a soluble form of ICAM-1 in sera from patients with Graves' disease before and after treatment with antithyroid drugs using a highly sensitive ELISA method.Our results were as followed.1) The serum levels of soluble ICAM-1 in patients with Graves' disease before treatment were significantly elevated than normal controls(p<0.001).2) The serum levels of soluble ICAM-1 in patients with Graves' disease after treatment significantly decreased after treatment(p<0.001) but not as low as normal controls. 3) The serum levels of soluble ICAM-1 molecule in patients with ophthalmopathy were not elevated compared to patients with no ophthalmopathy(p>0.2).4) The serum levels of soluble ICAM-1 showed no significant correlation with serum titers of anti-thyroperoxidase antibody and anti-thyroglobulin antibody, serum T_3, T_4, TSH and goiter size in patients with Graves' disease.In conclusion, the soluble ICAM-1 levels reflect the activity of autoimmune reaction and might be used as a index of efficacy of antithyroid drug treatment of Graves' disease.
Antigen Presentation ; Antithyroid Agents ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Goiter ; Graves Disease ; Humans ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Lymphocytes

The lips are essential in maintaining oral competence and assist in mastication, deglutition, and articulation. The lips are also important aesthetically, contributing to appearance and facial expression. Defects of up to one third of the lower lip can be closed primarily, but larger defects require more complex techniques. Successful lip reconstruction require careful meticulous planning to achieve the optimum functional and cosmetic result. When planning a reconstruction of a large defect of the lower lip, the following points should be taken into consideration: 1) maintain the sphincter function, 2) retain the sensation, 3) acquire a large enough opening for the mouth, 4) strive for an acceptable cosmetic appearance. It is not possible to satisfy all these criteria in every instance, and careful preoperative evaluation is essential. We describe here a successful technique to reconstruct a large lower lip defect using a depressor anguli oris musculocutaneous flap and a mucosal flap for elderly patients.

BACKGROUND: Although the number of medical institutions running a smoking cessation clinic is on the rise, there remains a paucity of research on the long- and short-term success rates of smoking cessation programs, as well as on smoking relapse rates, before and after project implementation. This study assessed the general characteristics of patients visiting the smoking cessation clinic, success rate of smoking cessation in the short term, and risks of relapse. METHODS: Medical records from March 2015 to April 2017 were analyzed and telephone surveys were conducted with 151 smokers who visited a hospital smoking cessation clinic from March 2015 to April 2017. RESULTS: Of the 139 smokers who were eligible for follow-up, 22 (15.8%) failed to quit smoking initially. The clinic's 6-month success rate of smoking cessation was 64.83%. Those with higher medication compliance had a lower risk of primary failure (odds ratio, 0.056; 95% confidence interval, 0.005–0.609), whereas those with higher age (hazard ratio [HR], 0.128; P=0.0252) and a greater number of visits to the clinic (HR, 0.274; P=0.0124) had a lower risk of relapsing. CONCLUSION: The risk of primary failure to quit was higher with low medication compliance, and that of relapsing was higher with lower age and fewer number of clinic visits. Various evaluation and analysis methods can be carried out in the future based on the accumulated data for maintenance of smoking cessation and relapse prevention.
Ambulatory Care ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Medication Adherence ; Recurrence ; Running ; Secondary Prevention ; Smoke ; Smoking Cessation ; Smoking ; Telephone ; Varenicline

Background: TSH binding inhibiting imunoglobulins(TBII) are autoimmune antibody causing autoimmune thyroid diseases such as Graves disease or Hashimoto's thyroiditis, while intercellular adhesion molecule-1(ICAM-1) is known as a substance expressed at the site of autoimmune reaction in relation with lymphocyte infiltration. The serum TBII activity is used as an index of the disease course and prognosis of Graves disease treated with antithyroid drugs, propylthiouracil or methimazole. The aim of this study is to understand the change of serum ICAM-1 level according to the change of the degree of autoimmunity and clinical course of Graves disease. Methods: In order to study the change of soluble ICAM-1 and relationship to the immune mechanism of Graves' disease, we measured serum levels of TBII and ICAM-1 in patients(n 35) with Graves disease before and after treatment with antithyroid drugs and in relapsed patients using a highly sensitive ELISA method. Results: The serum levels of TBII and ICAM-1 were markedly elevated in patients with Graves disease before treatment than normal controls and there were good correlation between TBII and ICAM-1 level. In patients with normalized TBII levels after 22 months antithyroid drug treatment, the ICAM-1 levels became normal but in the patients with high serum TBII level showed high serum level of ICAM-1 even with clinical remission with same treatment. The serum levels of TBII and ICAM-1 in relapsed patients were elevated as those of patients before treatment. Conclusion: With the above results, we can conclude that not only the TBII level but seru ICAM-1 level also reflect the degree of autoimmune activity of Graves disease and may be used as an index of the disease course and prognosis of Graves disease treated with antithyroid drugs.
Antithyroid Agents ; Autoimmunity ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Graves Disease ; Humans ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Lymphocytes ; Methimazole ; Methods ; Prognosis ; Propylthiouracil ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroiditis

Objective: People vaccinated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 [SARS-CoV-2]) mRNA vaccine have reported experiencing various adverse effects. For instance, reproductive-age women have presented with complaints of abnormal uterine bleeding or menstrual cycle changes. We speculated that differences in basal sex hormone levels before and after vaccination may be present in women who experienced irregular bleeding or menstrual cycle changes; thus, this study aimed to investigate the differences in basal sex hormone levels of women before and after two doses of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination. Methods: This retrospective study included patients who received SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccines between January 2021 and February 2022 at a single center. In an outpatient setting, patients were queried regarding their menstrual cycle, the date of SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination, vaccination type, and vaccination side effects. Differences in basal hormone levels (menstrual cycle days 2–3, follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH], luteinizing hormone [LH], and estradiol) before and after vaccination were compared. Results: Among the 326 patients, patients with no laboratory records of the hormones were excluded. The median time interval between SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination and the laboratory test day was 79 days (interquartile range, 44 to 127). A comparative analysis of these hormones before and after vaccination revealed no significant differences. Subgroup analyses based on age and reported adverse events also found no statistically significant differences. Conclusion This study showed no significant differences in basal hormone levels (FSH, LH, and estradiol) before and after SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccination.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of hypertension reaches 29% in adults over 30 years of age in the Korean population; however, the control rate is merely 44%. The aim of this study was to investigate the associated factors for target blood pressure achievement after triple combination therapy in hypertensive patients. METHODS: From February 2016 to May 2018, 10 family physicians recruited 348 patients, who newly started a triple combination antihypertensive medication. Target blood pressure was defined as a systolic blood pressure (SBP) <140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) <90 mmHg after 6 months of triple combination therapy. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to analyze the associated factors for target blood pressure achievement. RESULTS: Among the 348 study participants, 317 completed 6 months of treatment. The target achievement rate was 76.3% (242/317). The mean absolute difference and 95% confidence interval (CI) for the SBP and DBP were 10.8 mmHg (8.8 to 12.7) and 6.4 mmHg (5.1 to 7.8), respectively (P<0.05). The odds ratio (OR) for the target blood pressure achievement increased in those with college education or higher (OR, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.22–5.92), those with dyslipidemia (OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.01–2.99), and those who were satisfied with the medication (OR, 29.91; 95% CI, 3.70–241.92). CONCLUSIONS The presence of dyslipidemia and patient's satisfaction with the medication were associated with target blood pressure achievement in our analyses. Our findings suggest the importance of patient's factor in the control of blood pressure.