The skin lesions of leprosy have a great similarity to various other lesions. Fasal has called it the great imitator. Sometimes these skin lesions can b misdiagnosed because the physician does not consider leprosy. We reported a case of early lepromatous leprosy in 42 year old male. His skin lesions were similar to secondary syphilid. There were no sensory changes on the skin lesions and no enlargement of the peripheral nerves. Numerous AFB(+) bacilli from the skin smear confirmed our diagnosis of leprosy.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Leprosy ; Leprosy, Lepromatous* ; Male ; Peripheral Nerves ; Skin Manifestations* ; Skin* ; Syphilis, Cutaneous

No abstract available.
Ascorbic Acid* ; Child* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Rotavirus activity in Korea has been reported beginning in October, peak in November, continuing in winter and ending in spring. But the peak month and the incidence of rotavirus seems to be changed recently. So we investigated the trends of rotavirus activity for the last 10 years in Hanyang University Hospital (HUH). Also latex agglutination test was compared with automated enzyme-linked fluorescent immunoassay for the detection of rotavirus in stool specimens. METHODS: Stool specimens (3,636 from HUH, 1989-1998; 1,171 from Hanyang University Kuri hospital, HUKH, 1996-1998) from pediatric patients with acute diarrhea were tested for rotavirus,. Sixty specimens were tested by latex agglutination test (Sliders Rota-kit 2, bioMerieux Vitek, France) and enzyme-linked fluorescent immunoassay (VIDAS Rotavirus, bioMerieux Vitek, France) according to the instructions from the manufacturer. RESULTS: The annual incidence of rotavirus diarrhea from 1989 to 1998 was 47%, 32%, 33%, 25%, 26%, 24%, 24%, 17%, 17%, 14%, respectively. Positive rate of rotavirus was 25% for the 10year period in HUH, 20% for the recent 3 years in HUKH. Peak month was November (46%) in the first 5 year, but November incidence decreased to 17% in the last 5 year, and the peak moved to January, February, and March (34%, 35%, 33%, respectively). Epidemic period was from October to February during the first 5 year, but from December to April during the last 5 year period. The agreement rate of the two methods was 90% and VIDAS Rotavirus showed significantly higher sensitivity compared to Sliders Rota-kit 2. CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of rotavirus diarrhea decreased gradually for the last 10 years and the peak month of rotavirus activity was changed from November to January, February, and March. The VIDAS Rotavirus was more sensitive than the Sliders Rota-kit 2 for the detection of rotavirus in stool.
Diarrhea ; Epidemiology ; Gastroenteritis* ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Incidence ; Korea* ; Latex Fixation Tests ; Rotavirus*

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic active gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. All patients with ulcers who are infected with H. pylori receive antimicrobial therapy. Therefore diagnosis of H. pylori infection is imperative for the treatment gastritis or ulcer patients. We evaluated the four diagnostic methods and three culture media for the isolation of H. pylori. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rapid urease test(CLO test), modified Gram stain, culture, and nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were performed with 108 gastroscopic biopsy specimens from patients with peptic ulcer or chronic gastritis. Among them 40 specimens were inoculated onto each of 5% sheep blood agar, e99 Yolk emulsion (EYE) agar, and 7% horse blood agar containing antibiotics. RESULTS: The positive rates were the highest by the PCR(72%), 67% by modified Gram stain, 64% by CLO test, and 57% by culture. Among the three media the horse blood agar (selective medial) gave the highest isolation rate (48%), followed by sheep blood agar (45%), and EYE agar (38%). CONCLUSION: Though PCR was the most sensitive method for the detection H. pylori modified Gram stain was sensitive enough, simple, rapid, and economical as the routine diagnostic method of H. pylori. For the culture of H. pylori combination of sheep blood agar as nonselective media and horse blood agar as selective media would show the highest isolation rate.
Agar ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biopsy* ; Culture Media* ; Diagnosis ; Gastritis ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Horses ; Humans ; Peptic Ulcer ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sheep ; Ulcer ; Urease

No abstract available.
Immunoglobulins* ; Tetanus Toxoid* ; Tetanus* ; Vaccination*

BACKGROUND: Vibrio parahaemolyticus belonged to the new 03:K6 serotype was demonstrated an unusual potential to spread and an enhanced propensity to cause infection in the worldwide. Recently, increased numbers of V. parahaemolyticus 03:K6 had been isolated in Korea, and we analyzed the prevalence and molecular genetic characteristics of V. parahaemolyticus 03:K6 isolates. METHODS: V. parahaemolyticus were isolated from clinical specimens of patients with diarrhea in Hanyang University Hospital, Seoul, Korea, from 1998 to 2005. The serovars of isolates were determined by slide agglutination test with specific antisera. All isolates were examined for the presence of tdh/trh genes. AGS-PCR method detecting the new 03:K6 clone was used in this study. We analyzed clonality of these isolates by infrequent restriction site-polymerase chain reaction (IRS-PCR). RESULTS: Thirty-six strains were isolated from 1998 to 2005. The main serotype of isolates were 03:K6 (24/36: 67%), All of them have tdh gene but not trh gene and an unique toxRS gene of the new 03:K6. The morphotypes of 03:K6 isolates show a same pattern of IRS-PCR, but can easily be differentiated from non-03:K6 and 04:K68 isolates. CONCLUSION: The 03:K6 was a main serotype of V. parahaemolyticus isolated from 1998 to 2005 and they show same molecular characteristics.
Agglutination Tests ; Clone Cells ; Diarrhea ; Humans ; Immune Sera ; Korea ; Molecular Biology* ; Prevalence* ; Seoul ; Vibrio parahaemolyticus* ; Vibrio*

BACKGROUND: Chlamydia pneumoniae is a recently recognized species consisting of the strains commonly referred to as TWAR. These strains are associated with acute respiratory infections in humans, especially atypical pneumonia. So we tried to make a monoclonal antibody to Chlamydia pneumoniae. METHODS: C. pneumoniae were adapted to grow in HeLa-229 cells. The organisms were harvested and purified in a linear gradient of renograffin. BALB/c mice (female, 10weeks) were intravenously immunized with purified C. pneumoniae(TW-183).The spleen cells and SP 2/0 myeloma cells were fused with 40% polyethylene glycol (Mol.Wt.:1,450). Antibodies against C. pneumoniae were screened by an enzyme- linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The proteins of purified chlamydial elementary bodies were separated by discontinuous sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), and Western blots were performed with these monoclonal antibodies. RESULTS: Two monoclonal antibodies (HYMD10, HYMG12) reacted specifically with C. pneumoniae, as measured by an ELISA and indirect immunofluorecent stain. One of the monoclonal antibody (HYMD10) reacted with 75- and 39-KDa proteins in Western blot. The other monoclonal antibody (HYMG12) reacted with 98- and 39-KDa proteins of C. pneumoniae. CONCLUSIONS: These species-specific monoclonal antibodies (HYMD10, HYMG12) to C. pneumoniae could be used for diagnosis of C. pneumoniae infections.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Blotting, Western ; Chlamydia* ; Chlamydophila pneumoniae* ; Diagnosis ; Diatrizoate Meglumine ; Electrophoresis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Mice ; Pneumonia ; Polyethylene Glycols ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Sodium ; Spleen

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical characteristics of primary open-angle glaucoma (HTG), normal-tension glaucoma (NTG) and primary angle-closure glaucoma (ACG) patients. METHODS: We investigated the clinical characteristics of HTG (n=75), NTG (n=58), and ACG (n=150) patients from March 2000 to November 2002. We compared the age at initial glaucoma diagnosis, sex, family history, systemic diseases, refractive errors, and corneal curvature among the three groups. RESULTS: HTG was younger than the others at initial glaucoma diagnosis. In ACG, the incidence rate was higher in women, but it was in HTG, higher in men. Family history of glaucoma was significantly more prevalent in HTG than in the others. NTG showed higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease and hypotension than the others. In refractive errors, there was statistically significant difference among the three groups and HTG had more severe myopia than the others. ACG had the steepest cornea curvature. CONCLUSIONS: Three types of primary glaucoma (HTG, NTG and ACG) differed somewhat in clinical feature. This finding will be helpful in the early diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cornea ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Glaucoma* ; Glaucoma, Angle-Closure ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Incidence ; Male ; Myopia ; Prevalence ; Refractive Errors

PURPOSE: To evaluate the surgical results and the amount of correction per millimeter after unilateral lateral rectus recession for moderate-angle exotropia in a pediatric population. METHODS: This study included 30 subjects who underwent 9-mm unilateral lateral rectus recession for basic type intermittent exotropia with deviation of 23 to 28 prism diopters (PD) and were followed-up for 6 months or more after surgery. RESULTS: Seventeen subjects were male and 13 were female. The mean age of subjects was 9.7 years. Defining satisfactory postoperative ocular alignment as 8PD or less, 25 of 30 subjects (83.3%) were satisfactorily aligned at 2 months postoperatively. The success rates at 4, and 6 months postoperatively were 76.7% respectively. No overcorrected subjects were found after 2 months postoperatively. A postoperative limitation of abduction was not found in all subjects after 2 months postoperatively. The average amount of correction per millimeter of recession at 2, 4, and 6 months was 2.83+/-0.26PD, 2.75+/-0.37PD, and 2.72+/-0.44PD respectively (range, 1.56 to 3.18PD). There was no statistically significant difference in the amount of correction per millimeter throughout the follow-up period (ANOVA, p=0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Unilateral lateral rectus recession appears to be an effective surgical procedure for the treatment of moderate-angle exotropia. However to reduce the rate of undercorrection, which is one of disadvantages of this procedure, proper patient selection is required.
Exotropia* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Patient Selection

PURPOSE: To report a case of cryptococcal chorioretinitis in the renal transplant patient. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A 31-year old male patient was admitted with visual disturbance, high fever and general weakness. On initial evaluation, visual acuity was 0.9 in the right eye and 0.3 in the left. On fundus exam, right eye showed the lesions which were expanded into posterior pole and equator and left eye showed several yellow white lesions which were larger than optic disc, and some of them were near the fovea. RESULT: Cryptococcus grew in CSF. The ocular diagnosis was cryptococcal chorioretinitis and intra-venous amphotericin B and oral flucytosine were given. In spite of 2-month treatment, the visual acuity of left eye was 0.04 due to the expansion of the lesion toward fovea. The patient refused the treatment after 4 months of treament, and he expired 1 month later.
Adult ; Amphotericin B ; Chorioretinitis* ; Cryptococcus ; Diagnosis ; Fever ; Flucytosine ; Humans ; Male ; Visual Acuity