Using the FTA-ABS complernent test, 32 skin speciruens from 27 patients with primary and secondary syphilis and a stomach specimen from a patient with suspected gastric syphilis which were confirmed by clinical history, physical examination, VDRL, FTA-ABS, and 19S(IgM)-FTA test, were tested. The following results were obtained. 1. In the darkfield examination, 7 of the 9 specimens(78%) were positive and in the FTA-ABS complernent test, 20 of the 33 specimens(61%) were positive. 2. The ratio of agreement between the darkfield examination and the FTA-ABS complement test was 89%. 3. In the chancres, macular syphilids, and condyloma lata, T. pallida were diffusely scattered in the epidermis, dermoepidermal junction, connective tiasue, and vascular walls, whereas in the papular syphilid T. pallida were mainly aggregated in the the epidermis, dermoepidermal junction, papillary dermis as well as the blood vessel walls in the papillary dermis. From these results, the FTA-ABS complement test can be considered to be a useful method for both the diagnosis and research of syphilis. It is especially helpful in cases where serological or histopathological study can not confirrn the diagnosis as when internal organs are involved.
Blood Vessels ; Chancre ; Complement System Proteins* ; Dermis ; Diagnosis ; Epidermis ; Humans ; Physical Examination ; Skin ; Stomach ; Syphilis ; Syphilis, Cutaneous ; Treponema pallidum* ; Treponema*

Since 1856, Mayer13) coined the term “osteotomy” for a tibial resection for an angular deformity, various shapes and designs of osteotomies in long bone or pelvis have been popularized to treat the malunion, osteoarthritis of hip and knee, bow leg, L.C.P., or C.D.H. etc. The purpose of corrective osteotomy for tibia is so different from that of upper extremity because it must be restored the weight bearing alignment, and equalize or minimize the leg length discrepancy. We respectively reviewed 14 cases with various angular deformities on tibia who were treated at Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, Catholic Medical College from Jan. 1976 to Dec. 1984. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Causes of angular or rotational deformities of tibia were malunion in 11, bow leg in 2 and partial closure of distal tibial epiphysis in l. 2. Ten cases of tibial deformities exceeded over the 10° of medial or lateral angulation and 15° of anterior or posterior bowing were corrected for normal weight-bearing alignment in lower leg. And a rotational deformity may be so disabling to walk as to require surgery. So four cases of tibial angular deformities combined with more than 20° of external rotation and 5° of internal rotation were corrected for normal good looking walks. 3. The maximum length that can be gained by an opening wedge osteotomy was near the point of maximum angluation, but it could be changed by the cause of deformity and patient's age. We've done 4 cases of opening and 10 cases of closing wedge osteotomy. 4. Angular deformity in one plane due to fracture in children under 10 years of age may be corrected spontaneously by growth, but deformities due to bow leg or epiphyseal injury cann't be expected any spontaneous correction of deformity by growth. So three cases of tibial deformities due to bow leg or epiphyseal injury in children were corrected in earlier after recognition of that deformities because of possible damage to articular cartilage and the combined rotational deformities. 5. A slight deformity if the angulation involves near a joint, knee or ankle could be seriously disabling and so must be correctcd earlier. 6. Functional results of the corrective wedge osteotomy in angular and rotational deformities of tibia were excellent, good, fair in 4, 7 and 3, respectively.
Ankle ; Cartilage, Articular ; Child ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Epiphyses ; Genu Varum ; Humans ; Knee ; Knee Joint ; Leg ; Numismatics ; Osteoarthritis, Hip ; Osteotomy ; Pelvis ; Tibia ; Upper Extremity ; Weight-Bearing

Fibrous histiocytomas are characterized by a variable combination of cells with fibroblastic and histiocytic features. They exhibit a distinctive but inconstant cellular arrangement referred to as a storiform or cartwheel pattern. Considerable corfusion has enveloped these tumors as a result of their various terminology-fibrous histiocytoma, dermatofibroma, sclerosing hemangioma, fibroxanthoma, subepidermal nodular fibrosis, xanthogranuloma, giant cell tumor of tendon sheath. A histologically benign but locally infiltrating, 15 * 20cm sized, fibrous histiocytoma was found in the posterior aspect of left thigh of a 17-year-old man. The tumor was incompletely excised due to adhesion of the tumor mass to sciatic nerve and then radiation therpy was combined, Histogenesis and prognostic aspects of the tumor are discussed.
Adolescent ; Fibroblasts ; Fibrosis ; Giant Cell Tumors ; Histiocytoma ; Histiocytoma, Benign Fibrous* ; Humans ; Sciatic Nerve ; Tendons ; Thigh

PURPOSE: This study was designed to investigate whether vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from the neointima showed any different response to antiproliferative agents, such as rapamycin or imatinib mesylate, compared to VSMCs from normal artery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Intimal hyperplasia was made by carotid balloon in jury in male rats. Neointimal cells at 4 weeks after injury and normal VSMCs were extracted by enzymatic isolation method and cultured. Cell viability and proliferation were tested in VSMCs from injured left carotid artery and uninjured right carotid artery. Tests were repeated with rapamycin, imatinib mesylate or both in various concentrations. RESULTS: Rapamycin decreased cell viability only at a high concentration of 10(-5) M in uninjured VSMCs. Combined drugs decreased cell viability at a lower concentration of 10(-7) M in uninjured VSMCs, and at a higher concentration of 10(-5) M in neointimal cells. Overall, rapamycin showed cytocidal effects at a high concentration of 10(-5) M, whereas imatinib did not. Cell proliferation of neointima was significantly decreased along with the drug concentration. Cell proliferation of uninjured VSMCs was significantly decreased at higher drug concentrations. Combined drug therapy showed synergistic effects. Overall, neointimal cells are more susceptible to the antiproliferative effects of the drugs. CONCLUSION: Neointimal cells from the injured carotid artery are more susceptible to the antiproliferative effect of imatinib and rapamycin. Both drugs can be a used for the prevention of intimal hyperplasia, which could be investigated through further in vivo studies.
Animals ; Arteries ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery Injuries ; Cell Proliferation ; Cell Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Male ; Mesylates* ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular* ; Neointima ; Rats ; Sirolimus* ; Imatinib Mesylate

Syphilis is a communicahble disease caused by the motile microaerophilic spirochete Treponema pallidum, which is only a netural pathogen for human. Prevalence of syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases has traditioially fluctuated with changes in sccia, conditions and sexual behavior. Although sexual contact is the main route of transmission, T. pallidum may also be infected through direct contact with syphilitic lesions, blood transfusion, ingestion of menstrual blood or vaginal secretions, or trsnsplacental transemission. Fomites as the means of transfer is only hypothetical and account for very few, if any, infection. Prosectors, blood handlers and laboratory technicians are at risk for accidental inoculation with infected materials. In extremely unusual circumstances, infection by means of contact with a skin lesion and human bite have been reported. We report two cases of eyphilis following the abnormal imposition of hands, which caused unnecessary erosive trauma with fingernails,
Bites, Human ; Blood Transfusion ; Eating ; Fomites ; Hand* ; Humans ; Laboratory Personnel ; Nails ; Prevalence ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases ; Skin ; Spirochaetales ; Syphilis* ; Treponema pallidum

Cutaneous focal mucinosis is a rare disease which usually manifests itself as a single asymptomatic papule or nodule, but vesicular presentati:on has only rarely been reported. This condition is one of many mucinoses, including localized lichen myxedematosus, acral persistent papular mucinosis, alopecia mucinosa, follieular mucinosis, and myxoid cysts which present with localized cutaneous lesions. We report a rare vesicular form of cutaneous focal mucinosis in a 42-year-old caucasian male who showed a slowly growing, 0.5 cm-sized, asymptomatic vesicle of one-week duration on his right knee. A histopathological examination revealed a localized accumulation of amorphous basophilic material which was positive on colloidal iron staining at pH 2.5. However, it was negative at pH 0.4 in an alcian blue stain, and negative on colloidal iron staining after treatment with hyaluronidase. The amorphous material was judged to be hyaluronic acid from the results of the above special stains. Proliferation of fibroblasts was also observed. Electron microscopy showed well-develuped endoplasmic reticulum and secretory vesicles in the fibroblasts. The lesion could not be completely removed even after two succesive wide excisions.
Adult ; Alcian Blue ; Basophils ; Colloids ; Coloring Agents ; Endoplasmic Reticulum ; Fibroblasts ; Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid ; Hyaluronoglucosaminidase ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Iron ; Knee ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron ; Mucinoses* ; Mucinosis, Follicular ; Rare Diseases ; Scleromyxedema ; Secretory Vesicles

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Tuberculosis*

From January to December of 1990, we have evaluated VDRL reactivity among 17,142 apparently normal Korean adults which consisted of 9,151 blood donors in Seoul area, 2,682 pregnant woman delivered at Severance Hospital, Yonsei University and 5,309 physical examinees. The VDRL-positive rates were 0.3% in the blood donors, 0.1% in the pregnant women and 0.8% in the physical examinees but the rates were higher in the age group of 50 years or older. The VDRL titers were below 1:2 in 94% of the VDRL-positive pregnant women and physical examinees. From the comparison of the results obtained by the present author group since 1977, i.e., 2.5 % in 1977, 1.1 % in 1981, 0.6 % in 1986 and 0.4 % in 1990, it is evident that the prevalence of syphilis in Korea is continually decreasing.
Adult ; Blood Donors ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Pregnant Women ; Prevalence* ; Seoul ; Syphilis*

Several observation suggest that the antimelanocyte autoantibodies could play a role in melanocyte destruction. Some experiments indicate that melanocyte antibodies from patients with vitiligo can kill melanocyte in vitro. In these experiments, we demonstrated that vitiligo patient's sera containing antimelanocyte antibodies can lyse cultured human melanocytes by complement activation. Melanocyte cytotoxicity was measured using the ethidium bromide/ acridine orange viability assay. Significant melanocyte cytotoxicity was seen in sera from patients with both active and inactive vitiligo(p<0.01). Melanocyte cytotoxicity measured with complement-mediated cytotoxicity decreased after systemic steroid treatment(p<0.05) ; however melanocyte cytotoxicity showed no significant change with systemic PUVA therapy.
Acridine Orange ; Antibodies ; Autoantibodies* ; Complement Activation ; Ethidium ; Humans ; Melanocytes ; PUVA Therapy ; Vitiligo*

Serial changes of serum IgE, IgG, eosinophils were observed in 25 patients with acute myocaridial infarction and 20 ischemic heart disease without evidence of acute myocardial infarction and evaluated in terms of several parameters and its clinical significance. The results observed were as follows : 1) Serum IgE levels were propgressively elevated from the first hospital day(259+/-3IU/ml) up to peak level of the fifth hospital day(415+/-2IU/ml) and progressively lowered and returned to almost same level as the first hospital day on the twenty first hospital day. On the other hand control group showed significantly lower IgE levels throughout all hospital day and also did not showed serial change. 2) In the patient group with the initial serum IgE level above 200IU/m; showed significantly lower level of serum SGOT, CPK level than the group of below 200IU/ml group. This suggests the initial serum IgE level might have some correlation of the extent of myocardial necrosis. 3) In patients of acute myocardial infarction, ejection fraction was checked at discharge. Initial serum IgE level above 200IU/ml group showed significantly higher ejection fraction than below 200IU/ml group(59.4+/-13.5% vs 38.4+/-13.7%). 4) Serum IgE was checked concomittantly with serum IgE. It showed slightly decreasing tendency at third hospital day but not statistically significant. Eosinophil changed similar pattern as serum IgE but it was also not statistically significant. In conclusion, serial checking of serum IgE level in patient of acute myocardial infarction may give some help in prediction the clinical course and prognosis.
Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Eosinophils ; Hand ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E* ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulins* ; Infarction ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Necrosis ; Prognosis