BACKGROUND: CO laser emiis energy in the mid portion of the infrared spectrum at a wavelengt,h of 10,600nm. The CO laser is the workhorse laser in the treatment of cuianeous disease. With water as the chromophore(light-absorbing compound), CO laser light is highy absorbed in biologic tissue. Human body tissue comprises between 75% to 90% of water. The CO laser is superficially absorbed by tissue water, with little scatter, limiting penetration into the skin to less than 0.1 mm. The beam can be delivered with a large spot size and low power density(defocus mode) or focused tightly with great power density(focused mode). AS A RESULT: the CO laser may be used both to vaporize and to cut tissue while coagulating blood vessels, providing a relatively bloodless su gical field. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutie effect of the CO laser on benign cutaneous tumors. MEHTODS: 114 cases of benign cutaneous tumors treated with the CO laser between October 1987 and September 1992 were subjected to detailed analysis, The CO later is Pizer Laser system(U.S.A., Ca) Model 20-C CO. The laser produces power output that ranges from 0 to 25 W of continuous wave. Spot size is variable, between 0.3mm and 2mm. RESULTS: 1. Angiofibromas and seborcheic keratoses showed very good response(95.3%, 92.8% ). 2. Syringomas showed a good esponse(82.8%). 3. Epidermal nevus and trichovpitheliomas showed a fair response(58.5%, 60%). 4. There were hypertrophic scars(10.5%) and transient hypopigmentation. CONCLUSION: The Co laser was a very effective modality for the treatment of benign cutaneous tumors such as angiofibromas, seborrheic keratosis and syringomas.
Angiofibroma ; Blood Vessels ; Carbon Dioxide* ; Carbon* ; Human Body ; Hypopigmentation ; Keratosis ; Keratosis, Seborrheic ; Lasers, Gas* ; Nevus ; Skin ; Syringoma ; Water

Granuloma pyogenicum is a benign vascular tumor, usually about 0.5 to 2cm in diameter. It occurs as a single lesion with few exceptions and consists of pedunulated nodule with a dull red or slightly purplish color. We observed a 29-year old man who had multiple satellite recurrences in the scapular region which developed after excision of a single lesion of granuloma pyogenicum. Histapathologic findings showed many newly formed capillaries that had prominant endothelial cells and showed varying degrees of dilation without appearance of epiderrnal collarette sign. The lesions were much improved by X-ray irradiation.
Adult ; Capillaries ; Endothelial Cells ; Granuloma* ; Granuloma, Pyogenic* ; Humans ; Recurrence ; Shoulder*

The brachial plexus block by interscalene approach is useful for any procedure on upper extremity, including the shoulder. Complications such as high epidural block, total spinal anesthesia, permanent neurologic damage, phrenic nerve block, cardiac arrest, pneumothorax and Horner's syndrome etc. were reported. Ipsilateral Horner' syndrome can be used for confirmation of the accompanying sympathetic block. We experienced a case of 35-year old male patient who developed ipsilateral Horner's syndrome following the injection of 40ml of 1% lidocaine with 1 : 200,000 epinephrine to brachial plexus by interscalene approach. This compication lasted for 10days after interscalene brachial plexus block.
Adult ; Anesthesia, Spinal ; Brachial Plexus* ; Epinephrine ; Heart Arrest ; Horner Syndrome* ; Humans ; Lidocaine ; Male ; Phrenic Nerve ; Pneumothorax ; Shoulder ; Upper Extremity

BACKGROUND: The diagnosis of tuberculosis has been based on the detection of tubercle bacilli by acid-fast stain of smear or cultures, and recently the serologic diagnosis of tuberculosis has been provided a means of sensitive and specific detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. We evaluated the utility of enzyme immunoassay using determiner Tuberculosis Glicolipids(TBGL) antibody kit(Kyowa Medex Co. Ltd, Japan) to detect anti-TBGL antibody for diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis. METHODS: Anti-TBGL antibody assay was performed to the form 44 patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis(17 patients with smear positive, 7 patients with only culture positive, 20 patients with clinically active tuberculosis) and 80 controls (30 healthy controls, 24 patients with non-tuberculous respiratory diseases, 26 patients with inactive tuberculosis). We compared the sensitivity and specificity of anti-TBGL antibody with culture and AFB stain. RESULTS: Anti-TBGL antibodies were detected in 16 of 17(94%) smear positive patients, 4 of 7 patients with only culture positive and 16 of 20(80%) smear negative patients who had been clinically diagnosed as active pulmonary tuberculosis. Nine(35%) out of 26 patients with inactive tuberculosis, one(4%) out of 24 patients with non-tuberculous respiratory diseases and no one of healthy control had a positive antibody response. Overall sensitivity, specificity of the anti-TBGL antibody assay were 82%, 88%, respectively and sensitivities and specificities of culture and AFB smear 64%, 97%, and 49%, 100%, respectively. Anti-TBGL antibody titers in patients with active tuberculosis were significantly higher than control grup(P<0.05). Conclusions : The anti-TBGL antibody assay was sensitive, rapid and convenient. This assay will be useful as a tool for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in combination with other conventional methods.
Antibodies ; Antibody Formation ; Diagnosis* ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

Allergic contact dermatitis to topical agents mostly results from vehicles and preservatives and rarely from the active ingredients. Ribavirin, an active ingredient of Viramid® cream, is a synthetic nucleoside derivative with broad spectrum activity against a wide variety of DNA and RNA viruses. We report an 18-year-old woman, who had a perioral edematous patch with exudative crusts after topical application of Viramid® cream (nsung pharmaceutical Co., Korea) for the treatment of herpes labiahs. A patch test showed that the sensitizer was ribavirin, the active ingredient of the antiviral agent, Viramid® cream.
Adolescent ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact* ; DNA ; Female ; Humans ; Patch Tests ; Ribavirin* ; RNA Viruses

Allergic contact dermatitis to topical agents mostly results from vehicles and preservatives and rarely from the active ingredients. Ribavirin, an active ingredient of Viramid® cream, is a synthetic nucleoside derivative with broad spectrum activity against a wide variety of DNA and RNA viruses. We report an 18-year-old woman, who had a perioral edematous patch with exudative crusts after topical application of Viramid® cream (nsung pharmaceutical Co., Korea) for the treatment of herpes labiahs. A patch test showed that the sensitizer was ribavirin, the active ingredient of the antiviral agent, Viramid® cream.
Adolescent ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact* ; DNA ; Female ; Humans ; Patch Tests ; Ribavirin* ; RNA Viruses

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: Tuberculosis continues to be a major threat to health throughout the world, with an estimated 8 to 10 million new cases and 3 million deaths annually. And control of the disease is further threatened by the emergence of drug resistance. Recent major advances have been made in unravelling the molecular basis of M. tuberculosis resistance to isoniazid, streptomycin, quinolones and rifampin. And rifampin resistance is the useful indicator for the occurance of the multi-drug resistance. Hence, the rapid detection of rifampin resistant strain of M. tuberculosis is the key to have successful anti-tuberculosis therapy. Here we present our experience using PCR and line probe assay (INNO-LiPA) for easy and rapid detection of rifampin resistance of M. tuberculosis. METHODS: Thirty rifampin resistant and twenty susceptible strains of M. tuberculosis were collected from the routine culture and analyzed with INNO-LiPA. And results were compared with conventional antibiotic susceptibility testing. After amplification of the region of the RNA polymerase(rpoB), the amplified product is hybridized with a set of 10 oligonucleotides immobilized onto a membrane strip. From the pattern obtained the presence or not of rifampin resistance M. tuberculosis can be assessed. RESULTS: Ninety three percent of patients who had rifampin resistant strain revealed the multidrug resistance while only two showed resistance to rifampin only. The INNO-LiPA test results were generally agreeable with that of the conventional susceptibility testing(90%). The mutations in codon 531 (absence of 55 probe) were most commonly observed. In 55.2% of the 31 rifampin resistance M. tuberculosis confirmed on mutation by R-probes on the INNO-LiPA strips. CONCLUSIONS: The line probe assay after polymerase chain reaction is a fast and convenient method to detect both presence of M. tuberculosis complex strains and its resistance to rifampin in clinical specimens. We have suggested that detection of rifampin resistance may play a key role in monitoring multi-drug resistance. Consequently, the INNO-LiPA test may constitute an important tool for the control of tuberculosis.
Codon ; Drug Resistance ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; Humans ; Isoniazid ; Membranes ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Oligonucleotides ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Quinolones ; Rifampin* ; RNA ; Streptomycin ; Tuberculosis

We report a case of drug eruption and liver damage due to diaminodiphenyl suIfone(DDS) ingestion in a 17-year-old female. This patient had taken DDS for 20 days, 100mg-200mg daily to treat an unknown skin disease. Thereafter, she had generalized erythematous eruption on whole body, icteric sclera and fever. Liver function test showed abnormality (SGOT 514 unit, SGPT 710 unit, alkarine phosphotase 4. 3 B.U., total biIirubin 7. Oml/dl, direct bilirubin 4. 8mg/dl). The adverse reactiions to DDS are gastrointestinal intolerance, hemolytic, anemia, methemoglobinemia, agranulocytoais, hepatitis, neuritis, psychosis and a skin rash described as a fixed drug eruption, erythema multiforme, exfoliative dermatitis and toxic epidermal necrolysis. In Korea, DDS has been used for the treatment of skin diseases of various types for a long time without prescription, especially in rural areas. This trend is a significant sociomediical problem in Korea.
Adolescent ; Alanine Transaminase ; Anemia ; Bilirubin ; Dermatitis, Exfoliative ; Drug Eruptions* ; Eating ; Erythema Multiforme ; Exanthema ; Female ; Fever ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Function Tests ; Liver* ; Methemoglobinemia ; Neuritis ; Prescriptions ; Psychotic Disorders ; Sclera ; Skin Diseases ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant* ; Paralysis* ; Risk Factors*