Hypereosinophilic syndrome is characterized by marked eosinohia and eosinopbilic infiltrition of various organ-systems without any identifiable underlyin sathologic conditions such as hypersensitivity, drug eruption, parasitic infestat,ion, malignant tuinc, and autoimrnune and infectious d iseases. A 31 year-old male had weight loss, abnormal peripheral cirrultiction both extremities and two distinct skin lesions. One showed rice sized, erythematous follicular popules on both extremit.ies and trunk and the other showed a walnut sized, gangrenous ulcer on the left 2nd finger tip. The patients skin lesions and circulation defect. improved after retrnent with steroid and the blood eosinophilia returned to normal.
Adult ; Blood Circulation* ; Drug Hypersensitivity ; Eosinophilia ; Extremities* ; Fingers ; Humans ; Hypereosinophilic Syndrome* ; Juglans ; Male ; Skin ; Ulcer ; Weight Loss

No abstract available.
Colon, Ascending* ; Polymyositis*

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

OBJECTIVE: Nitric oxide (NO) produced in ovary may contribute to follicle maturation, ovulation, oocyte maturation and luteinization. In this study, the effect of nitric oxide on the spontaneous maturation of mouse oocyte was observed. Method: The index of oocyte maturation was checked by the germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and appearance of polar body (PB) under microscope in the denuded oocytes and oocyte-cumulus complexes (OCCs) from mouse ovarian follicles after 24 hours pregnant-mare serum gonadotropin treatment. RESULTS: The GVBD appeared 50 %, 1 hour and 80 %, 2 hrs after changes of oocytes from dibutyryl cAMP (dbcAMP, 0.5 mM) contained media into dbcAMP-free media. dbcAMP (0.5 mM) completely blocked the GVBD until 24 hrs but dbcGMP (5 mM) delayed the GVBD by 1 hr. Sodium nitroprusside, the NO generator, inhibited the GVBD dose-dependently at 2 hr incubation in denuded and OCCs. The appearance of GVBD was not different between control and dbcGMP or SNP in denuded oocytes and OCCs at 24 hrs incubation. The guanylate cyclase activity in denuded oocyte cytosol was not detected whereas the guanylate cyclase activity in OCCs cytosol was 1.3 nmole/min/mg protein which was increased about 3 times by SNP (100 micrometer). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the NO in ovary may delay the spontaneous oocyte maturation in early stage by acting on the maturation signaling protein as well as guanylate cyclase.
Animals ; Bucladesine ; Cytosol ; Female ; Gonadotropins ; Guanylate Cyclase ; Lutein ; Luteinization ; Mice* ; Nitric Oxide* ; Nitroprusside ; Oocytes* ; Ovarian Follicle ; Ovary ; Ovulation ; Polar Bodies ; Staphylococcal Protein A

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract* ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux*

BACKGROUND: Recently preventive clinical care has been proved important to the health. A number of recommendations or programs for preventive health services have been developed. The government made laws for health promotion of the people and for medical check-up for the insured in the district medical insurance association, who had been alienated from reimbursement for periodic health examination. As a result, above 95% of Korean people could took the periodic health check-up by this legislation. According to the national data, however, about 20% of the insured participated in the health screening program which was carried for the first time by the district medical insurance association in 1995. The reason that the compliance of health screening program was much lower than expected has not been clear yet. The purpose of this study is to define the facors affecting on the compliance of the health screening program. METHODS: Two hundreds of compliers and as many non-compliers of the health screening program was selected by the stratified sampling in one district medical insurance association which consisted of one town and eight township within the National Capital region. The telephone survey was performed from June 1 to 15 in 1996. The questionnaire was framed by health belief model with other demographic data. The data was analyzed by chisquare test, wilcoxon rank sums test, and logistic regression for the comparison of the characteristics between compliers and non-compliers. RESULTS: There was no difference of demographic data and medical history of chronic disease between compliers and non-compliers. 73.3% of the subjects knew they had been the expectant examinee of the health examination, and among them, 68% took the health examination. However, 53% of non-compliers did not know that they had been the expectant examinee. The most common reason that non-compliers didnt took the health examination was they didnt know(43.5%). Among 73 families of compliers which had more than 2 expectant examinees of the health screening program, 44 families(60.3%) had more complier other than study subjects. In contrast, among 74 families of non-compliers, only 7 famiies(9.5%) had more complier other than study subjects. Compliers showed lower reliability of the health screening program than non-compliers. Non-compliers had more perception about the severity of the target disease for the examination and had more confidence about self health status than compliers. There was no difference of the answer about the benefit of the health examination, perceived susceptibility about target disease, cue to action, and perceived barriers. The odds ratio of compliance of other family member was 21.2, perceived severity, 0.70, and cue to action, 1.36. CONCLUSIONS: The main reason of low compliance of health screening program for the insured in the district mecical insurance association was lack of public information. By the fact that non-compliers had more perception about the severity of the target disease and there was no difference of perceived benefit of the health examination between two groups, public information should be focused on the benefit and efficacy of periodic health check-up than severity and susceptibility of target disease. Because the health screening program on study subjects was carried for the firt time, only compliers had experience of the examination. The fact that compliers relied on the examination less than noncompliers meant that the examinees was satisfied much less than expected. Therefore, further study of the expectation of the examinees about the health examination is expected.
Chronic Disease ; Compliance* ; Cues ; Emigrants and Immigrants ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Insurance* ; Jurisprudence ; Logistic Models ; Mass Screening* ; Odds Ratio ; Preventive Health Services ; Telephone ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Nocardia is an aerobic gram-positive, weak acid-fast, branching, filamentous bacteria causing various clinical infections such as pulmonary nocardiosis, systemic nocardiosis, extrapulmonary nocardiosis, cutaneous nocardiosis and nocardial mycetoma. They are most commonly caused by N. asteroides complex. Humans become infected by inhaling contaminated air-borne dust particles or by traumatic implantation of the bacterium into the subcutaneous tissues. We isolated Nocardia asteroides complex from the hemo-vac of trauma patient and CSFs of two hydrocephalus patients. Nocardia asteroides complex has been isolated less commonly in Korea than in other countries. We think that it is important to extend an incubation time of culture plate when we find the gram positive, branched, beaded filaments and coccoid cells.
Bacteria ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Dust ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Inhalation ; Korea ; Mycetoma ; Nocardia asteroides* ; Nocardia Infections ; Nocardia* ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Wounds and Injuries*

Nineteen patients with lichen striatus were investigated by clinical data, clinical photographs and histopathologic study by the pattern analysis method of Ackermsn. Results were as follows '. 1. The male to female ratio was 1: 1.1, and average age was 7.8 years. Seven- teen patients (about 90%) visited hospitals during summer season. 2. Nine cases showed superficial perivascular dermatitis, 9 cases interface dermatitis (vacuolar type : 7, lichenoid type, 2), 1 case nodular dermatitis and 2 rases interface dermatitis with nodular dermatitis. 3. In the epidermis, 9 cases showed variable nurnber of dyskeratotic cells. One case showed finding of perforating lichen striatus. 4. Two cases showed inflammation around acrosyringium, 4 cases around hair follicle, 6 cases around eccrine sweat gland and 1 case showed perineural inflamrnation. Summarizing above results, histopathology of lichen striatus characteristically shows superficial perivascular dermatitis, interface dermatitis, and infiltration of inflammatory cells around the sweat gland, which helps to diagnose the disease.
Adolescent ; Dermatitis ; Epidermis ; Female ; Hair Follicle ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lichens* ; Male ; Seasons ; Sweat Glands

A study was made on 657 cases of skin tumors, which were obtained mainly as surgical pathology specimens during the period of 12 years and 4 months from January, 1960 to April, 1972, at Departments of Dermatology and Clinical Pethology, Catholic Medical Center in Seoul, and the results were as follow; 1) Of the 657 cases of skin tumors, 470 cases (71. 5%) were benign tumors, 26 casea (4.0%) premalignant lesions and 161 cases (24. 5%) malignant tumors. 2) The ratio of male vs. female was 1: 1 for benign tumor, 1: 1.9 for premalignant lesion and 1. 9: 1 for malignant tumor. 3) Among the benign tumors were 144 cases of cysticercosis, 68 cases of epidermal inclusion cyst, 46 cases of hemangioma and 45 cases of lipoma. 4) Arnong the premalignant lesions were 13 cases of leukoplakia, 5 cases of Nevus sebaceous (Jadassohn) and 4 cases of Bowen's disease. 5) The average age of malignant tumor was 53. 2 years for squamous cell carcinoma, 57. 2 years for basal cell carcinoma, and 35. 6 years for malignant melanoma. 6) The sites of predilection of the squamous cell carcinomas were penis (30. 6%), face (27. 4%) and upper and lower extremities (12.9%). The site of predilection of the basal cell carcinomas was face (88. 5%)., 7) The ratio of squamous cell carcinoma vs. basal cell carcinoma was 2. 4: 1. 8) Among the metastatic cancers of the skin the more frequent primary sites were stomach (3 cases), lung (2 cases) and liver (2 cases).
Bowen's Disease ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cysticercosis ; Dermatology ; Female ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Leukoplakia ; Lipoma ; Liver ; Lower Extremity ; Lung ; Male ; Melanoma ; Nevus ; Pathology, Surgical ; Penis ; Seoul ; Skin* ; Stomach

Postoperative endophthalmitis is one of the devastating complications following cataract surgery. Ocular flora has been presumed to be a major source of infectious organisms in postoperative endophthalmitis. We compared the efficacies of various chemical preparation methods that decrease or eradicate ocular flora effectively before surgery. 355 eyes undergoing cataract surgery were randomly divided into 4 groups according to chemical preparation methods. 0.3% gentamicin eyedrop was used in group 1, 0.3% ciprofloxacin eyedrop in group 2, 0.3% gentamicin eyedrop and 5.0% povidone-iodine solution in group 3, and 0.3% ciprofloxacin eyedrop and 5.0% povidone-iodine solution were used in group 4 to prepare eye before surgery. Cultures of eyelid-conjunctival swab and aqueous humor were performed just before operation and at the time of wound closure, respectively, and then compared among 4 groups. The culturepositive rate was the lowest in group 4 and increased in group 3, group 2, and group 1 in a order. The culture-positive rate from the eyelid-conjunctiva in group 2 was significantly lower than that in group 1(p<0.05). The culture positive rates in the groups(group 3, 4) using the combination of antibiotics eyedrop and povidone-iodine solution for chemical preparation were significantly lower than those in the groups(group 1, 2) using antibiotics eyedrop only(p<0.05). The culture results of aqueous humor showed similar pattern as those from the eyelid-conjunctival swab. This study suggests that combined use of 0.3% ciprofloxacin eyedrop and 5.0% povidone-iodine solution is an effective and recommendable preoperative chemical preparation.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Aqueous Humor ; Cataract* ; Ciprofloxacin ; Endophthalmitis ; Gentamicins ; Povidone-Iodine ; Wounds and Injuries