OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to get help in order to diagnose orthopaedic disease, measure its activity and determine treatment plan by measuring the beta-glucuronidase activity in urine, serum and joint fluid. METHODS: The beta-glucuronidase activity was determined in the serum, urine and joint fluid of the patients with degenerative arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteomyelitis and osteogenic sarcoma, and some other disease to study the change of the enzyme activity. These values of each specimen were calculated by standard curve and treated by statistical analysis. RESULTS: The results obtained were summarized as follows. 1. The beta-glucuronidase activity in the serum, urine and joint fluid was increased in patients with degenerative arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteomyelitis and osteogenic sarcoma etc. 2. The increased beta-glucuronidase activity in the serum and joint fluid of each disease does not show a specific finding about respective disease, but the increased beta-glucuronidase activity was statistically significant in the urine of all disease groups(male:p=0. 0041, female:p=0. 0001). CONCLUSIONS: On the basis of these results, it was suggested that beta-glucuronidase activity was affected by the orthopaedic disease and differed according to each specimen.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Glucuronidase* ; Humans ; Joints ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteomyelitis ; Osteosarcoma

No abstract available.
Humans ; Microsporum* ; Siblings* ; Tinea Capitis* ; Tinea*

PURPOSE: Parenchymal iron deposition occurs in hemochromatosis, while iron is deposited in reticuloendothelial cells after blood transfusions(Hemosiderosis). We stuided correlation between MR finding and clinical findings(serum ferritin, TSI, LFT, disease duration) of hemosiderosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 12 patients with chronic renal failure and one patient with aplastic anemia, who have received multiple transfusion, were performed MRI with a 2.0 Tesla unit. RESULTS: In All of 13 patients(17 cases), the liver revealed low signal intensity equal to background noise. In 4 of 17 cases whose serum ferritin level was below 1000 ng/ml, pancreas, gastric wall, adrenal gland were involved in 1 case. In 4 cases with serum ferritin level between 1000 and 1500, pancreas was involved in 2 cases, and other organ was involved in 1 case. In 9 cases with serum ferritin level above 1500ng/ml, pancreas involved in 9 cases, and other organ in 4 cases. CONCLUSIONS: The MR findings are well correlated with serum ferritin level whereas the TSI, LFT, disease duration are not correlated with involved organ on MR.
Adrenal Glands ; Anemia, Aplastic ; Ferritins ; Hemochromatosis ; Hemosiderosis* ; Humans ; Iron ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Liver ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Noise ; Pancreas

In vitro ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) dependent satellitism and phagocytosis of platelets by neutrophils have been considered to be rare phenomena. It is associated with pseudothrombocytopenia, abnormal histogram of platelets and pseudoleukocytosis on complete blood cell count (CBC) by automated blood cell counter, but these findings are not found in heparinized or sodium citrated blood. It has no clinical significance such as bleeding tendency or abnormal platelet function. EDTA dependent platelet satellitosis and phagocytosis must be differentiated from true thrombocytopenia. We report a case of EDTA dependent platelet phagocytosis by neutrophils in a 68 year-old male patient who was diagnosed as mycosis fungoides. His EDTA blood smear showed frequent phagocytosis of platelets by neutrophils and occasional platelet satellitism. The bood cell counts were within normal limits without pseudothrombocytopenia. Phagocytized platelets were confirmed by immunohistochemistry using GpIIb/IIIa antibody and transmission electron micrographs.
Aged ; Blood Cell Count ; Blood Platelets* ; Cell Count ; Edetic Acid* ; Hemorrhage ; Heparin ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Mycosis Fungoides* ; Neutrophils* ; Phagocytosis* ; Sodium ; Thrombocytopenia

Traumatic or sponataneous arterial dissections have been well recognized at the cervical portion of the internal carotid artery and extracranial vertebral artery as an important cause of stroke, especially in young and middle-aged patients. Multiple arterial dissections following craniocervical injury are exceedingly rare. We describe a patient with brain stem infarction caused by basilar occlusion secondary to basilar artery dissection, associated with left ICA dissecting aneurysm after following minor craniocervical trauma without known underlying arteriopathy.
Aneurysm, Dissecting ; Basilar Artery ; Brain Stem Infarctions ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Humans ; Stroke ; Trauma, Nervous System ; Vertebral Artery

OBJECTIVES: Early intensive interventions are very important for children with autism spectrum disorder. We examined the actual conditions of hospital-based early intensive interventions for autism spectrum disorder in Seoul, in order to help develop and implement an evidence-based early intensive intervention model for use in Korea. METHODS: Nine hospital-based institutes running an early intensive intervention program for children with autism spectrum disorder responded to a questionnaire in September 2014. They provided a brief introduction to their program, explained its theoretical bases, and reported the number of children, their age, intervention time, duration and so on. RESULTS: In the majority of the institutions, the intervention was provided for over 20 hours every week, and the theoretical bases included various applied behavioral analysis (ABA) methods and other therapies (language and occupational therapy). The therapist-child ratio ranged from 1:1 to 5:3. Various types of therapists were involved, including behavioral analysts, special education teachers and (or) language pathologists. There was only one clinic where the behavioral analyst was the main therapist. Usually, the intervention was terminated just before the child entered elementary school. The main merit of the hospital-based intervention in our survey was the effectiveness of the multi-disciplinary intervention plan and its other merits were the accuracy of the diagnosis, its ability to be combined with medicine, and so on. CONCLUSION: The current hospital-based early intensive intervention programs provide interventions for over 20 hours per week and employ multidisciplinary approaches. However, there are very few institutes for children with autism and very few intervention specialists and specialist education courses in the country. We need more educational programs for intervention therapists and have to try to develop policies which encourage the implementation of an evidence-based early intensive intervention program nationwide.
Academies and Institutes ; Autism Spectrum Disorder* ; Autistic Disorder* ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Education, Special ; Humans ; Korea* ; Running ; Seoul ; Specialization

No abstract available.
Fibronectins* ; Plasma* ; Pre-Eclampsia*

In previous studies, the synergistic antiproteinuric effect of the combination therapy of ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor antagonists (ATRAs) has been inconsistent in relation to underlying renal diseases. The influence from the blood pressure (BP) - reducing effect in some studies might also contribute to this inconclusiveness. To examine the possibility of the benefit being different according to underlying renal diseases, we undertook a crossover therapeutic trial of the combination therapy in two selected homogenous groups of patients with diabetic and non-diabetic renal diseases. The BP-reducing effect was excluded during the study. Nineteen biopsy-proven IgA nephropathy, as examples of non-diabetic renal diseases, and 24 type 2 diabetic nephropathy patients were selected as the study subjects. The subjects had to meet the follow criteria: a creatinine clearance (Ccr) between 25 - 90 ml/min/1.73 m2, 24-hr urinary protein excretion rate over 1.0 g/day and a BP maintained at less than 130/80 mmHg, with more than six-month therapy of ramipril, (5.7 +/- 0.4 mg/day, 13 +/- 2 month). The baseline data between the two groups showed no significantly differences. After a 12-week stabilization period (control period), 4 mg, once daily, dose of candesartan (combination period) followed by a placebo (placebo period), or vice versa, were administered in addition to the ramipril, for 12 weeks. The combination, with candesartan, did not change the Ccr, BP, serum and urinary electrolytes or the urea. The 24 hour urinary protein excretion rate was significantly reduced by the combination therapy in the patients with IgA nephropathy (3.1 +/- 0.3 g/day in combination, 4.2 +/- 0.3 in control, and 4.3 +/- 0.2 in placebo; p < 0.05). However, the patients with diabetic nephropathy showed no reduction in their proteinuria with the combination therapy (3.8 +/- 0.2 g/day in combination, 3.9 +/- 0.3 in control, and 4.1 +/- 0.3 in placebo; p=NS). The changes in proteinuria showed no relationship with the changes in the BP in IgA nephropathy. In conclusions, the benefit of combination therapy of its antiproteinuric effect was different between IgA and diabetic nephropathy over the 12-week trial. The difference in the pathophysiological role, and the importance of the renin- angiotensin system, between the two diseases might contribute to the discrepancy in the result. We suggest the discrimination of the underlying renal diseases in the study subjects is an important prerequisite for future studies on this issue.
Adult ; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors/*therapeutic use ; Cross-Over Studies ; Diabetic Nephropathies/*urine ; Double-Blind Method ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA/*urine ; Human ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Proteinuria/*drug therapy/*etiology ; Receptors, Angiotensin/*antagonists & inhibitors ; Treatment Outcome

No abstract available.
Humans* ; Ligamentum Flavum*

We experienced 2-cases of epileptic seizures aggravated by CBZ, of one which was 15-year old frontal lobe epileptic and the other was 8-year old occipital lobe epileptic. Their seizures were disappeared by withdrawal of CBZ. In conclusion, if a child or adult is noted to have more seizures or to have a new type of seizure when CBZ is added. One should consider the possibility that the seizures are drug-induced rather than part of the natural course of a progressive epilepsy and promptly withdraw CBZ.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Carbamazepine* ; Child ; Epilepsy ; Frontal Lobe ; Humans ; Occipital Lobe ; Seizures*