No abstract available.
Humans ; Internet* ; Patient Care*

BACKGROUND: Bullous pemphigoid is a rare autoimmune bullous disease characterized by subepidermal bulla. The serum of these patients contains detectable autoantibodies which bind to the hemidesmosome of the basement membrane zone. It is well known that there are two bullous pemphigoid antigen molecules, 230KD and 170KD protein. Serum studies in Caucasian patients show that 70-80% of the patients recognize 230KD antigen while 10-30% recognize 170KD antigen, In contrast, in herpes gestationis, which is an autommune-mediated bullous disease of pregnancy, 90% of the patients recognize 170KD and 10% recognize 230KD antigen, The autoantibody of herpes gestationis(HG factor) has a strong complement binding capacity and it may share the same epitope as the antibody of bullous pemphigoid patients which recognize 170KD antigen. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to characterize the clinical and histological manifestations of Korean patients with bullous pemphigoid and to characterize the autoantibodies of Korean bullous pemphigoid patients by immunoblotting. We also wished to compare the characteristics of the antibodies with that of American bullous pemphigoid patients, and to elucidate the hypothesis that the bullous pemphigoid autoantibody against 170KD protein has the same strong complement binding capacity as the herpes gestationis autoantibody. MEHTODS: We investigated the clinical and histological characteristics of 9 Korean patients and also performed a complement binding capacity and immunoblotting study on the sera of 9 Korean patients and 16 American patients. RESULTS: 1. Korean bullous pemphigoid patients clinically showed polymorphic skin eruption in addition to tense bullae. They frequently showed pruritic erythematous patches and urticarial plaques. Histologically, infiltration of subepidermal bullae with eosinophils, neutrophils and lymphocytes were observed in all patient's specimen, in which eosinophils were the most predominant cells, Uncommonly, eosinophilic spongiosis, vaculoar degeneration of basal cells were observed. These observations did not have any particular characteristics or racial differences compared to those patients reported in Western literature. 2. In the immunoblotting study of Korean bullous pemphigoid patients, 7 of 9 sera(785) recognized 230KD antigen and, also, 7 of 9 sera(78%)recognized 170KD antigen, In contrast, 15 of 16 American patients sera (94%) recognized 230KD antigen and 6 of 16 patients sera(38%) recognized 170KD antigen. The high incidence of the autoantibody against 170KD in Korean patients shows possible racial differences in autoantibody formation. 3. There was no relationship between the types of autoantibodies typed by immunoblotting and the complement binding capacity. In other words, autoantibodies against 170KD antigen do not carry the same potential as autoantibodies of herpes gestationis for the complement biding capacity, CONCLUSION: The above results suggest tha there may be racial difference in bullous pemphigoid autoantibodies between Korean bullous pemphigoid patients and American patients. In conclusion, We conclude that 170KD bullous pemphigoid antibodies do not always have the same strong complement binding as herpes gestationis antibody.
Antibodies ; Autoantibodies ; Basement Membrane ; Complement System Proteins* ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Hemidesmosomes ; Humans ; Immunoblotting* ; Incidence ; Lymphocytes ; Neutrophils ; Pemphigoid Gestationis ; Pemphigoid, Bullous ; Pregnancy ; Skin ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation

No abstract available.
Dermatitis, Contact*

The purpose of the study was to determine factors influencing compliance with anti-tuberculosis therapy. The study subjects were 104 tuberculosis patients who have received the initial treatment in 3 health centers of Kyongju-city, Dalseong-Gun in Teagu and Kumi-city. Data were collected between september and october 1995. The patients were classified into the improved group and the non-improved group according to outcomes of 3 month treatment with short-term therapeutic regimen. To find factors influencing compliance with anti-tuberculosis therapy, multiple logistic regression was made. There was no significant differences between the improved group and the non-improved group in sex, age, education level, occupation, family pattern, and habitual change regarding smoking and drinking. The level of knowledge about anti-tuberculosis therapy in the improved group was significantly higher than the non-improved group(p<0.01). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that family support for not forgetting medication(p<0.05) was a predictor of improvement and knowledge about anti-tuberculosis therapy (p=0.054), regularity of medication(p=0.062), and consultation to family, doctor and nurse(p=0.075)were marginal predictors of improvement. Treatment must be given to every patient confirmed as having tuberculosis and must be given free of charge to the patients. The requirements for adequate chemotherapy are prescribed in the correct dosage and taken regularly by the patient for a sufficient period to prevent relapse of the disease after cure. It is suggested that education to the patients should be reinforced and connectedness between patients and tuberculosis control workers and family should be solidated.
Compliance* ; Drinking ; Drug Therapy ; Education ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Occupations ; Recurrence ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Tuberculosis

BACKGROUND: This study tested the efficacy of 0.12% chlorhexidine gluconate for improving oral hygiene in intubated intensive care patients. METHODS: In a group of 57 ventilated patients, 29 received normal saline (NS) for oral hygiene, and 28 were treated with chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG). Data on oral bacterial colonization was collected for 11 months from October 2005 to August 2006. Tests of oral hygiene and oral microorganism culture were performed on the day of the ventilation, and repeated on days 4, 8, and 12. RESULTS: Oral hygiene was significantly improved in the CHG group compared to that in the NS group (P<.001). Further, all patients (100%) in the NS group tested positive for Staphylococcus aureus on the 12th day after the endotracheal intubation, whereas only 42.9% (P=0.026) of the CHG group were positive. The NS group also had higher isolation rates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa at 66.7% on the 8th day after intubation and 87.5% on the 12th day. At these same intervals, the CHG group had isolation rates of 29.4% (P=.028) and 14.3% (P=.010) respectively. CONCLUSION: The longer the period of endotracheal intubation, the more effective the 0.12% CHG treatment was for improved oral hygiene and reduction of S. aureus and P. aeruginosa colonization when compared to treatment with NS.
Chlorhexidine ; Colon ; Humans ; Critical Care ; Intensive Care Units ; Intubation ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Oral Hygiene ; Pseudomonas aeruginosa ; Sodium Chloride ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Ventilation

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: In tinea pedis, the response of treatment and prognosis are different according to clinical types. Positivity in KOH mount and causative agent in culture are also different. OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and mycologic findings of tinea pedis according to the clinical type. METHODS: A clinical and mycological study was conducted with 97 cases of tinea pedis among out patients examined for 7 months from June 1994 to December 1994 at Yeungnam University Hospital and Catholic Skin Clizic, Taegu, Korea. RESULTS: 1. Age distribution showed patients in their fourth decade to be most common. The ratio of male to female was 1.2: 1. The distribution of patients by clinical type was interdigital type, interdigital combined with hyperkeratotic type, interdigital combined with vesicular type, hyperkeratotic type, and hyperkeratotic combined with vesicular type, in descending order. One to five years was the most comrrion duration of tinea pedis. Duration of tinea pedis was the shortest in the vesicular type, otherwis was longer in hyperkeratotic type. Rate of family history of tinea pedis was 54.6%. The larger the size of family was, the higher the positivity in family history. The rate of coexistent dermatiophytosis with tinea pedis was 39.1%, and tinea unguium was the most common one. 2. The isolated dermatophytis were T. rubrum, 90.7%, T. mentagrophytes, 7.2%, and T. rubrum rnixed with T. mentagrophytes, 2.1%. T. rubrum showed an even distribution in all clinical types of tinea pedis whereas T. mentanophytes was isolated only in the interdigital type, vesicular type, and interdigital combined with vesicular type. T. rubrum mixed with T. mentagrophytes was isolated in the interdigital combine with vesicular type. Distribution of dermatophytes was relatively even arnong the age groups. T. rubrum showed a relatively even distribution in duration of tinea pedis, but T. mentagrophytes was isolated in tinea pedis with shorter duration.
Age Distribution ; Arthrodermataceae ; Daegu ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Onychomycosis ; Outpatients ; Prognosis ; Skin ; Tinea Pedis* ; Tinea*

Angiosarcoma is a rare malignant vascular tumor of endothelial cell origin, Cutaneous angiosarcoma usually occurs on the scalp and face of the elderly and most frequently in the sixth and seventh decade. We presented a case of angicisarcoma in a 70 year old woman. The patient had a well-demarcated, 3 x 3cm sized, dark brownish-colored, ulcerative nodule on the vertex with hemorrhagic bulla on the right. temporal scalp. Histopathologic examination of the nodule showed a well differentiated tumor with irregular anastomosing scular channels lined by atypical endothelial cells in the dermis and subcutaneous fat. Immunohistochenlical study for factorVlll-related antigen was partially positive in tumor channels. She was treated by wide surgical excision but she expired 5 months after discharge from the hospital.
Aged ; Dermis ; Endothelial Cells ; Female ; Hemangiosarcoma* ; Humans ; Scalp ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Ulcer

No abstract available.
Hemophilia A* ; Humans