In order to elucidate the possibility of diagnosis in soft tissue cysticercosis in case no parasite in it, immunohistochemical staining with antihuman IgG, IgM, and IgA and anticysticercus antibody in tissue section were carried out. Not only the differential counts of infiltrated plasma cells but also the parasite itself against to the anticysticercus antibody were observed. Materials stained immunohistochemically were consisted of 21 soft tissue cysticercosis with or without parasite. The results were as follows: 1) IgG producing plasma cells were most frequent (45.8+/-18.7) and followed by IgM (14.3+/-0.43) and (4.3+/-5.71). Number of IgG plasma cells were more frequently accompanied in the presence of cysticercus (55.9+/-17.7) than in the absence of parasite (39.7+/-17.1). 2) The mean+/-S.D. of plasma cells positive to the anticysticercus antibody were 28.2+/-18.7. And anticysticercus antibody producing plasma cells were more frequent in the presence of cysticercus (49.2+/-5.16) than in the absence of parasite (15.2+/-9.46). 3) Antigenicity of the cysticercus was strong in inner layer(#) followed by tegument(+) and fibrous layer(-). 4) Therefore, it could be suggested that antibody against to the cysticercus is mainly produced by IgG plasma cells and antigenicity of the worm is strong in the inner layer of cyst wall. In addition, there is a possibility of assisting the diagnosis of cysticercosis with anticysticercus antibody by immunohistochemically.
Cysts

The age of puberty represents a very critical time in the life history of every young woman. The menarche stands as primary indicator of the onset of sexual maturation in females. According to several studies, menarcheal age in Korean girls has dropped from about 15 years of age in 1960s to 13.5 years of age in 1980s. This findings show a pronounced secular trend to earlier maturation. The purpose of this study is to determine (1) the average age at menarche in Korea in present time, (2) the secular trend of menarcheal age, and (3) the geographic regional influence on menarche. The data sampling was obtained from the physical examination cards of women students in Yonsei University who entered from 1983 to 1991. The data which was obtained from the number of 7761 was analysed by dBase III plus and SAS program. The results are as follows: 1) The mean menarcheal age of the subjects was 13.7+/-1.2 years. 2) Age at menarche has been getting earlier by some 7.4 months during the period of recent II years. 3) Comparing to the decreasing secular trend of menarcheal age, the height and weight showed increasing trend. 4) There were significant differences in menarcheal age, height, weight among geographic regions. We conclude that the results indicate an accelerating secular trend in age of menarche in Korea.
Adolescent ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Menarche ; Physical Examination ; Puberty ; Sexual Maturation

Since the introduction of rubella vaccination in Korea in 1982, several outbreaks of rubella have occurred. In order to examine the current seroepidemiology of rubella virus infection in Korean women of child-bearing age, the healthy university women students of Yonsei University in Seoul aged 18 approximately 26 years were chosen as a model population. A survey was carried out in the time of routine annual physical check-up. Serum specimens of 242 volunteers of healthy women university students were randomly sampled for screening rubella-specific IgG/IgM antibodies by an automated enzyme immunoassay system (Vitek System VIDAS, bioMerieux Vitek, Inc., Lyon, France). A total of 177 subjects were positive for rubella-specific IgG antibody, giving a prevalence of 73.1%. The mean +/- standard deviation of rubella-specific IgG antibody was 99.3 +/- 95.3 IU/mL. In this study, the efficiency of a vaccination was about 88%. With such a relative high proportion of susceptibility (26.9%) among university women students in child-bearing age, a extensive rubella vaccination program should be enforced to prevent possible outbreaks of congenital rubella syndrome in the future.
Adult ; Antibodies, Viral/*analysis ; Antigen-Antibody Reactions ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Human ; Immunoglobulin G/analysis/immunology ; Immunoglobulin M/analysis/immunology ; Rubella/*prevention & control ; *Students ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Time Factors ; *Universities ; *Vaccination

There have been a few reports of occupational asthma caused by Tetranychus urticae in fruit farmers or greenhouse workers. We report a case of bronchial asthma induced by Tetranychus urticae from a pear orchard in Cheonan city. An 18-year-old female student living around a pear orchard suffered from intermittent cough, rhinorrhea, and dyspnea for the 3 years. Her PC20 -methacholine was 0.15mg/ml, and skin prick test done with 55 inhalant allergens showed negative responses except Tetranychus urticae extract which was prepared with highly parasitized pear leaves. Bronchial provocation test with Tetranychus urticae extract showed a dual asthmatic response. These findings indicate that Tetranychus urticae, which include parasites in fruit trees, herba,ceous plants, and greenhouse cultures, can cause IgE-mediated bronchoconstriction in Korea.
Adolescent ; Allergens ; Asthma* ; Asthma, Occupational ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Bronchoconstriction ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Fruit ; Humans ; Korea ; Parasites ; Pyrus* ; Skin ; Trees

Lovastatin is a potent inhibitor of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase, which catalyzes the conversion of hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A to mevalonate, anearly and rate-limiting step in the synthesis of cholesterol. We studied the therapeutic effect and safety of lovastatin in 18 patients with nonfamilial primary hypercholesterolemia. Patients received 20mg/day lovastatin therapy as a single evening dose. If the total cholesterol level exceeded 200mg/dl after 2weeks of lovastatin therapy, the dosage of lovastatin was doubled. Mean percent total cholesterol level reductions from baseline were 26.4% and 31.9% after 4, and 8 weeks of lovastatin therapy respectively. Mean percent HDL-cholesterol level increase from baseline were 12% and 13% after 4, and 8 weeks of lovastatin therapy respectively. Adverse effects attributable to lovastatin were mild and temporary and no patient was withdrawn from therapy. We concluded that lovastatin was a well tolerated and effective agent for the treatment of nonfamilial primary hypercholesterolemia. Further studies are needed to establish the long-term safety and effectiveness of this drug.
Cholesterol ; Coenzyme A ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia* ; Lovastatin ; Mevalonic Acid ; Oxidoreductases

Peptic ulcer disease in children presents an interesting and sometimes difficult problem to the clinicians. Since the incidence is quite small in children, only small collected series have been reported in the literature. With the improvement of diagnostic aids (particularly radiologic equipments and greater attention paid by clinicians, peptic ulcers have been detected with increasing frequency. However, there is a paucity of information available concerning this disease in infancy and childhood in Korea. The symptoms and signs of peptic ulcer disease in childhood are obscure and have many differences from those of tihe adult, which too often go unrecogntzed until complications set in. The authors made on clinical observation on 14 patients with peptic ulcer under the age of 15 years, who had been admitted to the department of pediatrics of National Medical Center from Aug, 1972 to July 1978. The age, sex and seasonal incidences, type and location of ulcer, symptom curation, clinical and laboratory findings, complications and prognosis were analyzed and the data are summerized as follows. 1) The incidence of peptic ulcer in childhood was 0.33% of a total 4221 admissions, and the average number of patients of peptic ulcer per year was 2.3. 2) Among 14 patients, 9 cases (68%) were between 12 and 15 years of age, 4 patients (28%) between 7 and 11, and the majority (93%) were between the ages of 7 and 15. The youngest patients wea 4 year old male. 3) Sex incidence showed that males predominated in a proportion of 13:1. 4) Seasonal incidence was relatively high (inspring) (28.6%) and autumn (42.9%). 5) Three cases (21.5%) had gastric ulcer and 11 cases (78.5%) had duodenal (ulcer, 12 cases were diagnosed as primary type and 2 cases were) thought to be secondary type due to steroid therapy. 6) Duration of symptoms were variable, with the range between 1 week and 3 years. 7) The majority have abdominal pain (100%), vomiting (85.6%) and epigstric tenderness (71.4%), Other symptoms and signs were anemia (42.9%), indigestion (38.5%), melena (38.5%), epigastric pain (28.6%), general weakness (21.5%), weight loss (14.3%) and abdominal rigidity (14.3%). 8) Gastric analysis was performed in 5 patients, 2 of these patients had slight hyperchlorhydria, but 3 cases showed normal results. 9) Complications were found in 4 patients (28.6%). These were perforation (2 cases, 14.3%) and obstruction (2 cases 14.3%). Postoperative condition during hospitalization was excellent. 10) Among the chronic primary ulcer patients (12 cases), ulcer symptoms disappeared in 10 cases with medical treatment such as antacids, tranquilizers and other conservative treatments and within one month after treatments were discharged with improvement.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Anemia ; Antacids ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Dyspepsia ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Melena ; Only Child ; Pediatrics ; Peptic Ulcer* ; Prognosis ; Seasons ; Stomach Ulcer ; Ulcer ; Vomiting ; Weight Loss

Multiple gastric caner, now considered to be a sort of multiple primary cancer by Moertel's classification, is a special type of cancer in which two or more tumor lesions arise independently from the stomach. Although its incidence is rare and it has never been reported in Korea yet, the report of multiple gastric cancer is increasing with lengthened life survival and improved diagnostic method. We recently experienced two cases of triple gastric cancer, the one in 53-years-old male who had well differentiated adenocarcinoma(EGC IIb+c) on antrum, poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma on cardia and moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma on mid-body, and the other in 65-years-old female who had two poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma on cardia and anterior wall of low body and moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma (EGCIIc) on posterior wall of low body. Triple gastric cancer is rare, so we reported 2 cases of triple gastric cancer.
Adenocarcinoma ; Cardia ; Classification ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms*

A 25-year-old woman complaining of dyspnea on exertion, coughing, fever and chills was admitted in January, 1998. Her clinical, radiological, and pathological findings were compatible with hypersensitivity pneumonitis and precipitin antibody to Trichosporon cutaneum was detected in her serum. Although some cases of T. cutaneum-induced hypersensitivity pneumonitis developed during the winter season were reported in Japan, there had been no report of such a case in Korea. This case suggests that T. cutaneum-induced hypersensitivity pneumonitis can develop beyond the summer season in certain environments.
Adult ; Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic* ; Chills ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity* ; Japan ; Korea ; Seasons ; Trichosporon*

PURPOSE: There were a lot of reports regarding associations of polymorphisms in the estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1). with many disorders. But, those with constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP) are not known. Our aim is to find out any association between CDGP and ESR1. METHODS: In a total of 27 subjects, we compared 7 CDGP patients with 20 healthy controls with their heights and sexual maturity rates were within normal range. We selected three single nucleotide polymorphisms from intron 1 of ESR1 (rs3778609, rs12665044, and rs827421) as candidates, respectively. RESULTS: In genotype analyses, the frequency of G/G genotype at rs827421 in intron 1 of ESR1 was increased in CDGP boys (P=0.03). CONCLUSION: The genetic variation of ESR1 can be a contributing factor of tempo of growth and puberty.
Cyclic N-Oxides ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; Estrogens ; Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; Humans ; Introns ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Puberty ; Reference Values

PURPOSE: There were a lot of reports regarding associations of polymorphisms in the estrogen receptor alpha (ESR1). with many disorders. But, those with constitutional delay of growth and puberty (CDGP) are not known. Our aim is to find out any association between CDGP and ESR1. METHODS: In a total of 27 subjects, we compared 7 CDGP patients with 20 healthy controls with their heights and sexual maturity rates were within normal range. We selected three single nucleotide polymorphisms from intron 1 of ESR1 (rs3778609, rs12665044, and rs827421) as candidates, respectively. RESULTS: In genotype analyses, the frequency of G/G genotype at rs827421 in intron 1 of ESR1 was increased in CDGP boys (P=0.03). CONCLUSION: The genetic variation of ESR1 can be a contributing factor of tempo of growth and puberty.
Cyclic N-Oxides ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; Estrogens ; Genetic Variation ; Genotype ; Humans ; Introns ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Puberty ; Reference Values