BACKGROUND: Pores are the openings of the pilosebaceous unit or the apocrine gland. Increase in pore size or in the number of dilated pores may be a cosmetic problem. To date, epidemiological studies on the numbers of dilated pores have been rarely reported. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the distribution of pores and the factors affecting pores. METHODS: We compared the number of dilated facial pores on the face according to site, age group, and sex. The relations of pore counts to wrinkle severity and to the amount of hydration were also analyzed. Dermavision(TM), a device that can take cross-polarization, parallel polarization, and ultraviolet light images, was used. Parameters were measured at three points: the forehead, cheek, and nose. RESULTS: The results revealed that dilated pores were more common on the nose and forehead. The pore counts were increased with age, and the increment was significant between participants in their 30s and 40s. Moreover, dilated pore counts were affected by wrinkle severity. The amount of hydration did not affect the counts of dilated pores. CONCLUSION: In this study, the number of dilated pores differed depending on the location. Moreover, it was confirmed that pore counts were higher in older persons. The pore counts showed a correlation with wrinkle severity.
Aging ; Apocrine Glands ; Cheek ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Forehead ; Humans ; Nose ; Ultraviolet Rays

PURPOSE: A prosthetic graft infection is a rare but often disastrous complication during vascular surgery. Diagnosis of a prosthetic graft infection is not always easy, particularly with a low virulent bacterial infection or in a deeply placed graft in the retroperitoneal space. Recently, fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) has been proposed as a diagnostic modality for prosthetic graft infection. However, some reports have indicated that high FDG uptake occur in grafts without infections. This study analyzed FDG uptake patterns in prosthetic grafts of asymptomatic patients. METHODS: We reviewed 14,545 patients who had received PET/CT in a tertiary hospital between July 2007 and March 2010. Of them, 11 patients who had undergone previous bypass surgery with a prosthetic graft were identified. Four underwent an aortic bypass and the others received lower extremity bypass grafting. PET/CT images and patient clinical data were reviewed retrospectively. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax, A) in the graft, the mean SUV (SUVmean, B) of the blood-pool, and the target-to-background ratio (T/B, A/B) were calculated. RESULTS: The mean duration between bypass grafting and the PET/CT scan was 21 months (range, 1~80 months). No clinical evidence of graft infection was observed in any of the patients. PET/CT revealed an uneven, diffuse FDG uptake pattern on the grafts, and the mean T/B was 2.0 (range, 0.9~4.6). T/B was greater than 2.0 in six patients (55%). CONCLUSION: A prosthetic graft without an infection can result in increased FDG uptake during PET/CT. A further prospective study is necessary to evaluate the usefulness of FDG PET/CT for diagnosing a prosthetic graft infection.
Bacterial Infections ; Electrons ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Retroperitoneal Space ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Transplants

While endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) is prevailing for the treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) in modern vascular practice, PURPOSE: we conducted nationwide questionnaire survey to investigate the current status of AAA treatment and their results in Korea. METHOD: We reviewed the replies from 28 hospitals (33 departments) to the questionnaire inquiring annual number, clinical features, mode of treatment and results of AAA patients during the period from Jan. 2000 to Jul. 2004. Results: 980 AAA patients were reported including 292 ruptured AAA (29.8%) and 688 non-ruptured AAA (70.2%). For treatment of AAA, 834 (85.1%) surgical repairs (SRs) and 111 (11.3%) endovascualr aneurysm repairs (EVARs) were performed while 35 patients (3.6%) died of AAA rupture before operation. The locations of AAA were infrarenal in 889 (90.7%), juxtarenal in 62 (6.3%), and suprarenal in 29 patients (3.0%). Among 834 patients undergoing SR, 577 patients (69.2%) had non-ruptured AAAs and 257 patients (30.8%) had ruptured AAAs. Mean operative mortality rate was 4.1% after elective SRs, 30.7% after SR for ruptured AAAs, and 2.3% after EVARs. The reported brand name of stent graft devices were various including domestic custom-made in 56 (50.5%), imported brand in 18 (16.2%) while 37 (33.3%) stent grafts were not reported their brand name. The frequencies of type I and III endoleaks after EVAR were reported 5.8% and 5.8% respectively in 86 patients with an available data. CONCLUSION: SR has been used as a major treatment option in Korea for the treatment of AAA patients while EVAR is increasing. The mortality rate of SR of AAA was comparable to western multi-center trial reports but mortality or morbidity rates of EVAR were unable to know in this questionnaire survey.
Aneurysm ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal* ; Blood Vessel Prosthesis ; Endoleak ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mortality ; Questionnaires* ; Rupture ; Treatment Outcome

This study examines the factors that are associated with accidents from riding on inline skates and/or kick boards among students in the elementary schools. Data were collected from 902 students in 3 elementary schools in Seoul. Data were analyzed based on descriptive statistics and chi-square test. The results were as follows: 1.Thirty-eight percent of the students investigated were found to have kick boards while sixty-one percent of the students had inline skates. 2.The age of mothers who answered the questionnaires showed a statistically significant association with injuries of their children on inline skates and/or kick boards. Children whose mothers are younger had a lower percentage of injuries on inline skates and/or kick boards. 3. Children with a lower score on K-CBCL had a higher chance of having an accident from riding on inline skates and/or kick boards. That is, children with lack of attention were more likely to be involved in an accident. First-born children were less likely to have an accident. 4. While mothers' attitudes toward the safety of inline skates and kick boards appeared not to be associated with accidents of their children, their preventive actions for the safety related to riding on inline skates and kick boards reduced the chance to be involved in an accident of their children. In conclusion, this study shows that mothers with children going to the elementary schools should be more action-oriented to prevent their children's accidents from riding on inline skates and/or kick boards than merely recognizing the safety of inline skates and/or kick boards on their own. Implication of these findings and major findings of this study were discussed.
Chi-Square Distribution ; Child ; Humans ; Mothers ; Seoul ; Child Health

PURPOSE: Intimal hyperplasia is an exaggerated proliferating response to arterial injury and can lead to occlusion and thromboses of arteries and bypass graft following arterial surgery or angioplasty. Medial smooth muscle cell activation has been implicated as the final common pathway leading to the development of intimal hyperplasia. Therefore, therapeutic agents that inhibit vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation should be selected to prevent restenosis. Recent laboratory data suggest that heparin and glucocorticosteroid have antiproliferative effects on smooth cells. We studied the effect of dexamethasone and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH: fragmin) on the suppression of intimal hyperplasia after balloon induced arterial injury in a rat model. METHOD: Twenty five rats were underwent aortic intimal denuation with 2F balloon catheter. The rats were divided into four groups: normal control group (sham operation), control group (experimental group without medication), dexamethasone treatment group (experimental group with intramuscular injection of dexamethasone) and fragmin treatment group (experimental group with subcutaneous injection of 60 IU/kg of LMWH (fragmin(R)). The dexamethasone treatment group was divided into 3 subgroups by graded doses of dexamethasone: subgroup 1, 2 and 3 were injected 0.05 mg/kg, 0.10 mg/kg and 0.15 mg/kg of dexamethasone respectively. Injection of drugs were started 1 days before the intimal injury and continued for 4 weeks, dexamethasone were injected six times a week and fragmin injected daily. The aorta were harvested at 6 weeks after injury. Microscopic examination and cross sectional intima to media height ratio (IMHR) were evaluated. RESULT: All treatment groups showed significant suppression of intimal hyperplasia compare to the control group (P<0.05). Mean IMHR were 0.69+/-0.15 in the control group, 0.39+/-0.11, 0.31+/-0.15 and 0.29+/-0.09 in dexamethasone treatment subgroup 1, 2 and 3 respectively, and 0.39+/-0.14 in fragmin treatment group. There were no statistical difference in dexamethasone treatment subgroups. CONCLUSION: Dexamethasone and LMWH were effective in suppression of the intimal hyperplasia to an intimal injury in a rat model. In addition, the minimal effective dose of dexamethasone that required to achieve the suppression of intimal hyperplasia is 0.05 mg/kg in this study.
Angioplasty ; Animals ; Aorta ; Arteries ; Catheters ; Cell Proliferation ; Dalteparin ; Dexamethasone ; Heparin ; Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight ; Hyperplasia* ; Injections, Intramuscular ; Injections, Subcutaneous ; Models, Animal* ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Rats* ; Thrombosis ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: Since the bioavailability of itraconazole capsule is influenced by patients gastric acidity, it results in treatment failure due to its low dissolution and subsequent low absorption when administered in fasting. Itraconazole Melt-Extrusion tablet has been lately developed in order to improve its dissolution profile. It is the first clinical study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of itraconazole Melt-Extrusion tablet in Korea. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of itraconazole melt-extrusion tablet 400mg daily for 1 week(pulse therapy) for hyperkeratotic type of tinea pedis and manus. METHODS: A clinical and mycological investigation was made of 812 outpatients with hyperkeratotic type of tinea pedis and/or tinea manus who had visited at 52 general hospitals under the lead of the Korean Dermatological Association from June to December, 1998. Patients confirmed by clinically and microscopically as hyperkeratotic type of tinea pedis and/or tinea manus were administered 2 tablets twice a day for one week and followed up for 8 weeks from the start of the medication. RESULTS: The results were summarized as follows; 1. Clinical symptoms of hyperkeratotic type of tinea pedis and/or tinea mauns were significantly improved at the end of study, week 8(p<0.001). 2. Clinical response rate, defined as more than 50% decrease of the sum of the clinical symptom scores, was 79.3%(512/646). 3. Mycological cure rate, dafined as both culture and KOH negative at week 8, was 78.2%(244 /312). 4. 40(5.5%) patients, of the 727 patients evaluable for drug safety evaluation, were reported to have adverse event. CONCLUSION: Itraconazole Melt-Extrusion tablet 400mg/day for 1 week (pulse therapy) is effective and safe in the treatment of hyperkeratotic type of tinea pedis and/or tinea manus.
Absorption ; Biological Availability ; Fasting ; Gastric Acid ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Itraconazole* ; Korea ; Outpatients ; Tablets ; Tinea Pedis* ; Tinea* ; Treatment Failure

BACKGROUND: There is experimental evidence that overexpression of cyclin D1 accelerates the entry of cells into the S-phase, but that p16 inhibits the CDK4 and CDK6 by binding in competition with the cyclin D1. Previous attempts to correlate cyclin D1 amplification with prognoses have frequently drawn associations with adverse outcome or a more aggressive phenotype. Recently, overexpression of cyclin D1 has been associated with improved relapse-free survival and overall survival rates. To elucidate whether the expressions of the cyclin D1 and the p16 protein might be of clinical value as prognostic factors, we used the chi-square test to compare the immunoreactivities of the cyclin D1 and the p16 proteins with the histopathologic findings and with such known prognostic factors as the estrogen receptor, progesteron receptor, c-erbB-2, p53 and Ki-67. METHODS: The expressions of the cyclin D1 and the p16 proteins were analysed using immunohistochemical methods in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue samples of 340 invasive breast carcinomas accumulated between 1990 to 1997 at Yeungnam University Hospital. Disease-free survival and overall survival were compared to cyclin D1 and p16 status by using the Kaplan-Meier method. RESULTS: Nuclear immunoreactivities of the cyclin D1 and the p16 proteins were detected in 75.6% (257/340) and 70.5% (208/295) cases, respectively. Cyclin D1 was found to have a strong correlation with lower histologic grade, lower nuclear grade, lower mitotic index, and lower Scarff-Bloom-Richardson (SBR) and Modified-Scarff-Bloom-Richardson (MSBR) grade (p<0.05). Cyclin D1 was more common in non-ductal carcinomas than ductal carcinomas, though this difference did not reach statistical significance. Cyclin D1 was also correlated with positive estrogen receptor, negative c-erbB-2, and positive p16 protein. P16 protein expression was found to have a correlation with positive estrogen receptor and progesterone receptor. The expressions of the cyclin D1 and the p16 proteins were not significantly correlated with overall survival and disease-free survival. CONCLUSIONS: These results show that the expressions of the cyclin D1 and the p16 proteins can not be used as prognostic indicators in primary breast carcinomas.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Cyclin D1* ; Cyclins* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Estrogens ; Mitotic Index ; Phenotype ; Prognosis ; Receptors, Progesterone ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Congenital middle ear cholesteatoma (CMEC) is a keratinous mass behind an intact tympanic membrane. CMEC does not have a history of instrumentation and is less common than acquired one. Many theories have been put forward to explain the pathophysiology of CMEC, however, none of these so far have been convincingly proven. This clinical study was performed to investigate the characteristic features of CMEC and to evaluate the correlation between pathophysiology and CMEC by retrospectivly reviewing the cases. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The medical records of patients who underwent otologic procedures at the hospitals of the Catholic university from January 1993 to September 1998 have been reviewed. They were ten males and four females, ranging in age from 4 to 59 (mean age 18). RESULTS: Three of the 14 patients had the lesions isolated to the anterosuperior quadrant of the mesotympanum which were cystic, easily removed and did not affect hearing. The others had more serious condition with extension into the posterior mesotympanum, which were large, often too extensive to indicate a formative site, and causing ossicular damage. CONCLUSION: CMEC presents in two distinctive forms according to the site of formation: the anterosuperior and posterior mesotympanum. The review suggest that the pathophysiology of posterior lesions may be different from anterior ones. For early diagnosis of CMEC, screening program should be carried out in children to prevent the more extensive diseases.
Child ; Cholesteatoma, Middle Ear* ; CME-Carbodiimide ; Ear, Middle* ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Hearing ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Medical Records ; Tympanic Membrane

Gangliogliomas are rare benign tumors of the central nervous system consisting of neoplastic ganglion and low grade glial cells. The purpose of our investigation was to evaluate the clinical, radiological, surgical, and pathological features and outcome of ten patients with intracranial ganglioglioma who underwent surgery between June 1989 and December 1996. The mean follow-up period was about 24 months(range, 6-66 months) after their initial operation. The series consisted of six males and four females, and their mean age was 29.7 years. The mean length of symptoms was 9.1 years. Seizure was the most common presenting symptom and occurred in eight of ten patients. MRI findings were variable, and showed no characteristic patterns. The temporal lobe was the most common site of involvement(6/10). During surgery, a sharp demarcation between tumor and normal brain tissue was seen in seven of ten cases. Five of ten cases were solid, and the remaining cases were cystic in two, cystic with mural nodule in two, and soft, suckable in one. Total resection was possible in seven of ten patients. Diagnosis was established by identifying a mixture of abnormal astrocytic and neuronal components. Two patients showed astrocytic predominance; four, a neuronal predominance; and four, an equal admixture of cell types. All cases were benign. Other histopathological findings included microcystic change, desmoplasia, eosinophilic granular body, microcalcification, and lymphocytic infiltration. At the time of writing, all seven patients who underwent total resection were alive without recurrence; of the three who underwent subtotal resection, two were alive and in a stable condition, while in the other, the tumor had progressed within 12 months of surgery and adjuvant radiation therapy had thus been required. The patients was, though, still alive. In seven of eight patients, the frequency of seizure had markedly decreased. Our study confirms that this tumor is a distinct clinical and histological entity with a predilection for the temporal lobe. Although the number of patients and follow-up period are limited, this study also shows that epilepsy is extremely well controlled and that survival after surgical resection is good.
Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Diagnosis ; Eosinophils ; Epilepsy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Ganglioglioma* ; Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Neuroglia ; Neurons ; Recurrence ; Seizures ; Temporal Lobe ; Writing

Meningiomas are primarily benign, mesenchymal tumors which in most cases can be surgically removed. Some tumors, however, are inoperable or invasive, and histology alone may be insufficient to characterize their biologic behavior. Thus, there is a need for a more effective means of differentiation between benign and atypical/malignant meningiomas. To determine whether abnormal gene expression correlates with the histologic grade of meningiomas, we immunohistochemically analyzed the expression of multiple oncogenes and p53 protein in 47 meningioma tissue specimens; six were malignant, 14 were atypical, and 27 we randomly sampled were benign. The specimens were on paraffin-embedded tissue sections and monoclonal antibody was used. The results are summarized as follows: 1) among multiple oncogene factors, erb B-2 and bFGF expression was associated with malignancy, 2) p53 protein expression did not correlate with histologic grade. We believe that not only for a better understanding of the mechanism of oncogenesis, but also to justify the prognostic significance of aggressiveness or potential for recurrence, further investigation of the molecular genetics of meningiomas is required.
Carcinogenesis ; Gene Expression ; Meningioma* ; Molecular Biology ; Oncogenes* ; Recurrence