This study was designed to validate the usefulness of the near point of convergence(NPC)test in determination of dominant & non-domnant eyes in intermittent exotropia patients. We performed NPC test in 36 intermittent exotrpic patients, and then, determined the non-dominant eye which deviated outward beyond the NPC. The dominant eyes determined by the NPC were compared to those that were determined by amblyopia, sensory fusion and photophobia. Best corrected visual acuity was used to divide patients into two groups : 26 patients without amblyopia, and 10 with amblyopia. Among the amblyopia group, if the eyes with better visual acuity were taken as dominant eyes, then eight(80%)cases were identical with the NPC test and two(20%)cases were different. Ten patients had sensory anomaly, and among then, nine(90%)cases were identical with the NPC test and one(10%)case was different. Twenty six(64%)patients had photophobia in one eye and all(100%)cases were identical with the NPC test. In intermittent exotropia, determination of dominant eye by the NPC test showed high coincidence with other tests. Therefore, we suggest that the NPC test is an easy and accurate method in determining either the dominant or non-dominant eye for surgery.
Amblyopia ; Dominance, Ocular* ; Exotropia* ; Humans ; Photophobia ; Visual Acuity

Intestinal metaplasia (IM) have long been thought to play a role in the pathogenesis of gastric intestinal adenocarcinoma, but not in that of diffuse cancer. We studied 20 normal gastric mucosa, 90 IM, 39 atypia (dysplasia or adenoma), and 51 adenocarcinoma to evaluate the expression of p53, erb B2, and H-ras p21 proteins and to assess the correlation with IM (esp. type III IM, revealing positive HID-AB/PAS for sulfomucin). Positive rate of HID-AB staining revealed an increased trend in comparison between IM, atypia and adenocarcinoma. It was the highest in mucinous carcinoma, but it was not correlated with positive oncoprotein expressions. Positive rates of oncoproteins revealed increased trends in comparison between IM, dysplasia or adenoma and adenocarcinoma in c-erb B2 and p53 (P<0.01). The positive rates were highest in intestinal adenocarcinoma (50.0% and 54.2%, respectively). Rates were lowest in biopsy tissue of IM (4.4% and 8.7%, respectively). The expression of H-ras p21 was not significant in gastric carcinogenesis. There was no significant correlation between oncoproteins and other clinical parameters, such as depth of invasion, differentiation, size and nodal metastasis of the tumors. Therefore, we suggest that p53 and erb B2 may play a role in the carcinogenesis of gastric intestinal adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma ; Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous ; Adenoma ; Biopsy ; Carcinogenesis ; Gastric Mucosa ; Metaplasia* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Oncogene Proteins

Neurilemoma is benign never-sheath tumor which has been described as painless mass and is usually discovered incidentally. It is the most common tumor of peripheral nerve origin and may arise in any nerve where Schwann cells occur. There are few domestic reports which were clinically evaluated in tens of cases of neurilemoma so far. We evaluated on the 56 cases of neurilemoma confined to the trunk and extremities, in the aspect of clinical characteristics, radiology, pathology, EMG, surgical treatment and postoperative results, who were surgically treated at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery of Seoul National University from 1984 to 1994. Among 56 patients, male were 29 and female were 27, and there was no sexual difference. The average age at surgical intervention was 46.4 years (16–83yrs) and 46.4% of patients were in the age of fourties and fifties. The anatomical locations of the tumors were as followed: upper extremities in 22(39%) cases, neck and supraclavicular area in 15(27%) cases, sacrum and lower extremities in 14(25%) cases and trunk in 5(9%) cases. Symptoms were palpable mass in 55 cases, local tenderness in 14, radiating pain in 11, pain in 10, paresthesia in 11, motor weakness in 2 cases. The average follow up period was 19.1 months(13–56 month). Median nerve was involved most frequently(14%), then ulnar nerve(11%). There was no cases which occurred in multiplicity or associated with neurofibromatosis. Marginal excision was done in 51 cases(91%), incisional biopsy only in 4 cases(7%), wide excision in 1 case. The size of the tumors in the longest axis was smaller than 2cm in 9 cases, between 2 and 4cm in 31 cases, between 4 and 6cm in 13 cases and more than 6cm in 3 cases. Malignant change or recurrence was not found in all cases.
Biopsy ; Extremities ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Median Nerve ; Neck ; Neurilemmoma ; Neurofibromatoses ; Orthopedics ; Paresthesia ; Pathology ; Peripheral Nerves ; Recurrence ; Sacrum ; Schwann Cells ; Seoul ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation ; Upper Extremity

No abstract available.

It has been widely accepted that complete surgical resection of hepatoblastoma is essential for long-term survival. But unfortunately less that 50% of hepatic tumors in children can be totally removed at the time of diagnosis. This report is to present the experience of successful resection of hepatoblastoma after concurrent radiotherapy with transarterial chemoinfusion in a child. We believe this modality of treatment enables complete resection of unresectable hepatoblastoma, which is resistant to the systemic chemotherapy.
Child ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Hepatoblastoma* ; Humans ; Radiotherapy*

Albinism is a hereditary disease caused by the defect of tyrosinase that converts tyrosine to dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA). `Oculocutaneous albinism' is classified as hypopigmentation of skin, hair and eyes, but incidences of `ocular albinism' where hypopigmentation is limited to eyes are found rarely. Biochemically, albinism is caused by the tyrosinase activity. Typical findings in oculocutaneous albinism include not only ophthalmologic problems such as hypopigmentation of skin, foveal hypoplasia, photophobia and decreased visual acuity but also congenital nystagmus. We cannot determine distinctive characteristics of nystagmus of albinism because domestically, there are only a few reports that have been recorded correctly about nystagmus of albinism. Merely, we present our experience of two cases of albinism with congenital nystagmus because we think that these two cases, showing different types of nystagmus and electronystagmography, stand for the two representative types of nystagmus found in the literature up to date.
Albinism ; Albinism, Oculocutaneous* ; Dihydroxyphenylalanine ; Electronystagmography ; Genetic Diseases, Inborn ; Hair ; Hypopigmentation ; Incidence ; Monophenol Monooxygenase ; Nystagmus, Congenital* ; Photophobia ; Skin ; Tyrosine ; Visual Acuity

BACKGROUND: The incidence and prevalence of gait disturbance increases as age increases. The importance of cognitive aspects of gait disturbances has been studied in various types of dementia and MCI. This study was performed to identify relationship between cognitive impairment and change in gait, and investigate specific domains of cognitive function that may have affects in gait disturbance. METHODS: Three hundred eighty three participants over 60 years old volunteered for the study. Three stages evaluation were performed, dementia screening and timed up and go test (TUG), work up for cognitive impairment and dementia, and classifying cognitive impairment and dementia into subcategories by evaluating cause of the disease. To evaluate cognitive impairment, MMSE-KC (MMSE in the Korean version of the CERAD assessment packet) and Korean version of Consortium to Establish a Registry of Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD-K) assessment were used. One hundred forty one people were excluded from study and 242 people were analyzed. Timed Up and Go test (TUG) was performed for evaluation of gait disturbance. Relationship in every subcategory of CERAD-K and TUG was studied by correlation and multiple logistic analysis. RESULTS: Of the 242 participants, 122 were without cognitive impairment, 51 had mild cognitive impairment, 56 had Alzheimer's disease and 13 had vascular dementia. These four groups showed different results in TUG. Normal group had the lowest values in TUG compare to other groups significantly. MMSE score also correlated with the value of TUG (r=-0.528, p<0.001). Every subcategory of CERAD-K score had significant correlation with the value of TUG. But there were no specific subcategory that had predominant effect in TUG. Only age was an independently significant factor influencing TUG (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that increase in age and impairment in cognitive function has an association with gait disturbance. Therefore clinician should be concerned about cognitive factors for evaluation of a patient who has gait disturbance.
Alzheimer Disease ; Dementia ; Dementia, Vascular ; Gait* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mass Screening ; Methods ; Mild Cognitive Impairment ; Prevalence

No abstract available.
HLA-DR Antigens* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction*

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for detection of the pathogenic Yersinia pestis from other Yersinia spp. was developed. Five Y. pestis strains, ninety-two other Yersinia species and twenty-four Enterobacteriaceae strains were collected in Korea and from other countries. Oligonucleotide primers were designed from pathogenic gene of antiphagocytic protein capsule gene (fra 1) and plasminogen activator gene (pla). The 428 bp DNA fragment was amplified from five Y. pestis which contained the fra I gene. No product was amplified from other Yersinia species and other strains of the Enterobacteriaceae. The 439 bp DNA fragment was amplified from three K pestis which contained the pla gene. No product was amplified from two Y. pestis, other Yersinia species and other strains of the Enterobacteriaceae. These showed that the designed primers were specific for detection of Y. pestis among other Yersinia species and Enterobacteriaceae strains. Amplification was successful whether the template was derived from purified DNA or from aliquots of boiled bacterial suspension. The detection limits were 100 pg of DNA and 100 colony forming units (CFU) for fra I and 100 pg DNA and 10 CFU for pla, respectively. Our results prove that the PCR method using specific primers for Y. pestis is a rapid and convenient procedure for routine clinical detection and identification of Y. pestis.
DNA ; DNA Primers ; Enterobacteriaceae ; Korea ; Limit of Detection ; Plasminogen Activators ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Stem Cells ; Yersinia pestis* ; Yersinia*

The penetrating atherosclerotic ulcer of the aorta resulting from the atherosclerosis of the aortic wall can clinically mimic type III aortic dissection, since both diseases produce the ulceration and dissection of aortic wall. However, their imaging features and pathophsiologies are distinctly different from each other. Familial hypercholesterolemia(FH) menifests overt hyperlipidemia that can results in premature atherosclerosis of the aorta as well as the coronary artery. We report a clinically and radiologically evident case of perntrating atherosclerotic ulcer of the descending thoracic aorta which was developed in a 36-year-oldd heterozygote FH male.
Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic* ; Atherosclerosis ; Coronary Vessels ; Heterozygote* ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II* ; Male ; Ulcer*