BACKGROUND: Recently doubts have been raised regarding the diagnostic significance of some of the minor clinical features of atopic dermatitis (AD) proposed by Hanifin and Rajka. Some of them may be nonspecific and racial difference was suggested. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic significance of 14 minor clinical features out of Hanifin and Rajka's 23 minor features of AD in the Korean pediatric population. The significance of 5 more items was evaluated as additional minor features. METHODS: The difference in frequency of the total 19 features of AD was compared between 100 patients with AD and 76 controls. RESULTS: Fourteen of these were shown to be significantly more frequent in patients than in controls including our 5 additional clues such as scalp scaling, postauricular fissure, infraauricular fissure, forehead lichenification, and infragluteal eczema. CONCLUSION: Our study about the minor features may be a valuable guideline for the diagnosis of AD in the Korean pediatric population.
Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Diagnosis ; Eczema ; Forehead ; Humans ; Scalp

BACKGROUND: Recently doubts have been raised regarding the diagnostic significance of some of the minor clinical features of atopic dermatitis (AD) proposed by Hanifin and Rajka. Some of them may be nonspecific and racial difference was suggested. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic significance of 14 minor clinical features out of Hanifin and Rajka's 23 minor features of AD in the Korean pediatric population. The significance of 5 more items was evaluated as additional minor features. METHODS: The difference in frequency of the total 19 features of AD was compared between 100 patients with AD and 76 controls. RESULTS: Fourteen of these were shown to be significantly more frequent in patients than in controls including our 5 additional clues such as scalp scaling, postauricular fissure, infraauricular fissure, forehead lichenification, and infragluteal eczema. CONCLUSION: Our study about the minor features may be a valuable guideline for the diagnosis of AD in the Korean pediatric population.
Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Diagnosis ; Eczema ; Forehead ; Humans ; Scalp

BACKGROUND: House dust mites have been reported to play an aportant role in the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis(AD). In fact a high positive rate for house dust mites in the skin prick test was observed in patients of AD. However, it is quite difficult to determine the clinical relevance of positive immediate hypersensitivity to mite antigen by clarical history alone because AD patients are nearly always exposed to these antigens in their daily lives. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to elucidate the clinical. singficance of a positive immediate hypersensitivity reaction by observing the proliferative respons of peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMC) to mite antigen in the AD. METHODS: The proliferative response of PBMC separated from Dermatopkagoides farinae(Df) positive AD patients to Df antigen was compared with that from Df negative normal controls, Df positive normal controls and Df negative AD patients. RESULTS: PBMC from Df positive AD patients showed signinc not proliferation in response to Df antigen evaluated by comparing stimulation indices(SI) among different experiment groups. CONCLUSION: Significant correlation between responses of PBMC and immediate hypersensitivity of skin to Df antigen in AD was found, and it was suggested the Df may be a real aggravating factor in the Df positiv AD patients. SI may be used as ar objective criteria to select patients for hyposensitization therapy after doing a skin test.
Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Desensitization, Immunologic ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity, Immediate* ; Mites* ; Pyroglyphidae ; Skin Tests ; Skin*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the specific findings of angiography for various causes of gastrointestinal bleeding. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 35 patients of gastrointestinal bleeding detected by angiography, between April 1987 and July 1993. There were 28 men and 7 women, 19 to 83 years old (mean, 47 years). Of these 35 cases of gastrointestinal bleedings, there were 12 gastric bleedings, 4 duodenal bleedings, 9 small intestinal bleeings, 6 ileocecal bleedings, and 4 large intestinal bleedings. RESULTS: Of 35 cases, we could diagnose the specific cause of bleeing in 13 patients (37%) by angiography. Of these 13 cases, there were 4 cases of gastric ulcers showing contrast pooling in ulcer crater, 5 cases of vascular malformations showing anomalous vascular mass with early dilated venous drainage, 2 cases of direct invasion of hepatocellular carcinoma showing invasion of hypervascular mass into small bowel, one case of pseudoaneurysm at gastroduodenal artery in a patient of acute pancreatitis, and one case of small intestinal lymphoma showing contrast pooling in a irregular dilated small intestinal lumen. CONCLUSION: in gastrointestinal bleeding, angiography is useful not only in detecting the bleeding site, but also for evaluating the specific causes such as gastric ulcers or vascular malformations.
Aged, 80 and over ; Aneurysm, False ; Angiography ; Arteries ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Diagnosis* ; Drainage ; Female ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Lymphoma ; Male ; Pancreatitis ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Ulcer ; Ulcer ; Vascular Malformations

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare the cardiovascular changes followed by laryngoscopy with the McCoy laryngoscope blade with those followed by laryngoscopy with the Macintosh laryngoscope blade. METHODS: Forty eight patients were randomly divided into two groups. Following induction with fentanyl 2 mcg/kg and thiopental 5 mg/kg, and muscle relaxation with vecuronium 0.1 mg/kg, the vocal cords were visualized with either the McCoy or the Macintosh laryngoscope blade, then tracheal intubation was performed. Heart rate and arterial blood pressure were measured just before and after laryngoscopy, and 1, 3 and 5 min later. RESULTS: There was a significant increase in both heart rate and arterial blood pressure after tracheal intubation using the Macintosh laryngoscope. Also, use of the McCoy blade resulted in a significant increase in both heart rate and arterial blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS: There was no significant difference on arterial pressure and heart rate to laryngoscopy and tracheal intubation with either the McCoy blade or the Macintosh.
Arterial Pressure ; Blood Pressure* ; Fentanyl ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Intubation* ; Laryngoscopes* ; Laryngoscopy ; Muscle Relaxation ; Thiopental ; Vecuronium Bromide ; Vocal Cords

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Unlike screw-retention type, fixture-abutment retention in Locking taper connection depends on frictional force so it has possibility of abutment to sink. PURPOSE: In this study, Bicon(R) Implant System, one of the conical internal connection implant system, was used with applying loading force to the abutments connected to the fixture. Then the amount of sinking was measured. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 10 Bicon(R) implant fixtures were used. First, the abutment was connected to the fixture with finger force. Then it was tapped with a mallet for 3 times and loads of 20 kg corresponding to masticatory force using loading application instrument were applied successively. The abutment state, slightly connected to the fixture without pressure was considered as a reference length, and every new abutment length was measured after each load's step was added. The amount of abutment sinking (mm) was gained by subtracting the length of abutment-fixture under each loading condition from reference length. RESULTS: It was evident, that the amount of abutment sinking in Bicon(R) Implant System increased as loads were added. When loads of 20 kg were applied more than 5 - 7 times, sinking stopped at 0.45 +/- 0.09 mm. CONCLUSION: Even though locking taper connection type implant shows good adaption to occlusal force, it has potential for abutment sinking as loads are given. When locking taper connection type implant is used, satisfactory loads are recommended for precise abutment location.
Bite Force ; Fingers ; Friction ; Retention (Psychology)

Morphometry of nuclei of the benign and malignant prostatic lesions was performed to study the relationship between nuclear size and shape and the prognosis of prostatic adenocarcinoma. Fifty one cases of prostatic adenocarcinoma and 13 cases of benign prostatic hyperplasia were included to evaluate area, perimeter, Dmax, Dmin, and 5 form factors of the nuclei by image analyzer (Zeiss Ibas 2000) using hematoxylin-eosin stained slides. All analytic factors of nuclear size and shape were significantly different between benign lesions and adenocarcinomas. Increased nuclear size was associated with nu- clear irregularity, presence of metastasis, advanced clinical stage, and high Gleason's grade and score of prostatic adenocarcinoma. On Kaplan-Meier method, survival was decreased with older age, no hormonal treatment, stage D, high Gleason's grade and stage as well as with larger size and irregular shape of the nuclei. In conclusion, morphometry of nuclei of the prostate can be a helpful tool to differentiate between benign and malignant lesions. Nuclear morphology is thought to be associated with prognosis of prostatic adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma ; Breast ; Fibroadenoma ; Hepatitis B e Antigens* ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Prostate ; Prostatic Hyperplasia

PURPOSE: The authors evaluated the possibility of protein C and protein S as risk factors for retinal vein occlusion (RVO). METHODS: We evaluated the medical histories and performed laboratory tests, including protein C and protein S, in patients who were diagnosed with RVO by fundus examination and fluorescein angiography. The same data were obtained from a healthy control group. We analyzed mean activity and the ratio of patients with decreased levels of protein C or protein S. RESULTS: Forty-seven patients with RVO in this study consisted of 14 with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and 33 with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). Sixteen normal subjects were also enrolled in this study as controls. There are no cases that presented decreased protein C activity. However, there was a statistically significant difference in the number of cases with protein S deficiency between the patients and the control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Deficiency of anticoagulant proteins, especially protein S, may be a risk factor of retinal vein occlusion. Examination of the coagulation system may be useful in the systemic evaluation of RVO patients.
Fluorescein Angiography ; Humans ; Protein C* ; Protein S Deficiency ; Protein S* ; Retinal Vein Occlusion* ; Retinal Vein* ; Retinaldehyde* ; Risk Factors*

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; DNA* ; Ichthyosis* ; Xeroderma Pigmentosum*

The case is presented a 49-year-old man had several year history with chronic renal failure with hyperlipidemia due to diabetes mellitus. Treatment of hyperlipidemia was started by oral bezafibrate intake 600 mg per day. Several days later, patient noticed muscle weakness and myalgia. The serum CK, LDH, AST levels were remarkably elevated, myoglobulinuria was also noticed The symptoms of the patient were resolved after the drug was discontinued, thus the diagnosis was established as having bezafibrate induced rhabdomyolysis. On the basis of the above description, bezafibrate may induce muscle damage if dose is excess over the renal capacity. Extreme caution is warranted when the patient is placed on bezafibrate and has renal dysfunction.Strict dose adjustment is necessary in taking account of renal function to avoid muscle damage including rhabdomyolysis.
Bezafibrate ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Middle Aged ; Muscle Weakness ; Myalgia ; Rhabdomyolysis