BACKGROUND: For the treatment of generalized vitiligo patients with oral PUVA, we can use two different methods; one is to treat the lesions while the whole body is exposed. Another one is to treat the lesions while only the lesions are exposed. PURPOSE: This study was performed to determine whether lesional and whole body exposure in oral PUVA for generalized vitiligo show any therapeutic differences in effectiveness. METHODS: The vitiligo lesions were distributed over the whole body skin of the subjects and the lesion area was less than 6% of the whole skin area. PUVA was done to the subjects more than 20 times after oral administration of psoralen. The patients were classified into two different groups. One is the lesional exposure group in which the patient exposed only the vitiligo lesion. The other is the whole body exposure group in which the patient exposed almost their whole body. RESULTS: Our results show that there is no statistical difference of the therapeutic effectiveness between the two methods. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend lesional treatment rather than whole body treatment to prevent the oral PUVA side effects.
Administration, Oral ; Ficusin ; Humans ; Skin ; Vitiligo*

Spontaneous spinal epidural hematoma is a rare entity. Various definitions for spontaneous epidural hematoma have been reported in the literature. The expression of nontraumatic spinal epidural hematoma seems to be less ambiguous and includes idiopathic hematomas and hematomas secondary to coagulopathy, vascular malformations, and tumors. We report three cases of nontraumatic spinal epidural hematomas observed from 1991 to 2000. The causes of the spinal epidural hematomas were not clear in two cases among them, but in the another one case, the cause was determined to be an acquired coagulopathy. We reviewed 24 cases reported in the Korean Journal of Neurosurgery and our three cases with particular emphasis on the various causes such as coagulopathy, vascular malformations and tumors. Among the 27 cases, numerous causes were detected such as three cases of vascular malformation, one case of anticoagulant treatment, five cases of combined lumbar disc herniation, two cases associated with pregnancy and postpartum, one case associated with hypertension, and one case associated with ossification of ligamentum flavum. No causes were detected in the ten cases. The authors reviewed the literature.
Hematoma ; Hematoma, Epidural, Spinal* ; Hypertension ; Ligamentum Flavum ; Neurosurgery ; Postpartum Period ; Pregnancy ; Vascular Malformations

Purpose: The purpose was to compare shear bond strength (SBS) of three types of resin for temporary restoration to polyetherketoneketone (PEKK) depending on surface modification. Materials and Methods: Sixty disks made from PEKK were air-abraded with 110 μm alumina particles (Cobra, Renfert GmbH, Hilzinge, Germany) and thirty specimens were divided into two groups each:PEKK without Visio.link (Bredent, Senden, Germany)(U) and with Visio.link (P). Resins for temporary restoration (polymethylmethac-rylate; PMMA, polyethylmethacrylate; PEMA, bis-acryl composite resin) in the shape of a square with one side 3.2 mm were bonded to PEKK twenty respectively and classified into six groups (UM, UE, UC, PM, PE and PC). All specimens were stored in distilled water at 37°C for 24 hours. SBS of each group was measured at a crosshead speed of 2 mm/min in universal testing machine. SBS was compared using one-way ANOVA and a Tukey HSD test (P = 0.05). Results: Group UM and group UE showed a significant difference in SBS with group UC (P < 0.05). Group PC showed a significant increase in SBS than group UC (P < 0.05). Conclusion It is recom-mended to apply Visio.link to PEKK for adhering bis-acrylic composite resin, but not for PMMA and PEMA in clinical practice.

PURPOSE: Many studies showed that the asthmatic children mostly have psychosocial problem such as depression or anxiety. The object of this study is to help the asthmatic children and their family by knowing what is their mothers' biggest concern about their asthmatic children. METHODS: We made up a questionnaire with asked the mothers by telephone. If they though asthma had a certain effect on their asthmatic children's activity, depression, anxiety, positiveness, scholastic achievement, friendship, pleasure, concentration, anger, growth and development. We asked the mothers whose children had visited the pediatric department in st. colomban's hospital from 1990 to 1996 and had been diagnosed and treated as asthma, and whose asthmatic children were between 7 and 21. RESULTS: More than half of the mothers who got a phone-call said that their children had problems in house life, school life, social life due to asthma and frequent asthmatic attack made their children less concentrated, inactive, less scholastic achieved, but there were few who said that asthma seemed to have an effect on their children's friendship, depression, pleasure. CONCLUSIONS: In the psychological aspect, the mothers may concern more if their children cannot keep up with the competitive social tendency closely related to concentration and scholastic achievement than if their children have some emotional disorder or behavial disorder such as depression and anxiety
Anger ; Anxiety ; Asthma ; Child* ; Depression ; Friends ; Growth and Development ; Humans ; Mothers ; Pleasure ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Telephone

PURPOSE: Many studies showed that the asthmatic children mostly have psychosocial problem such as depression or anxiety. The object of this study is to help the asthmatic children and their family by knowing what is their mothers' biggest concern about their asthmatic children. METHODS: We made up a questionnaire with asked the mothers by telephone. If they though asthma had a certain effect on their asthmatic children's activity, depression, anxiety, positiveness, scholastic achievement, friendship, pleasure, concentration, anger, growth and development. We asked the mothers whose children had visited the pediatric department in st. colomban's hospital from 1990 to 1996 and had been diagnosed and treated as asthma, and whose asthmatic children were between 7 and 21. RESULTS: More than half of the mothers who got a phone-call said that their children had problems in house life, school life, social life due to asthma and frequent asthmatic attack made their children less concentrated, inactive, less scholastic achieved, but there were few who said that asthma seemed to have an effect on their children's friendship, depression, pleasure. CONCLUSIONS: In the psychological aspect, the mothers may concern more if their children cannot keep up with the competitive social tendency closely related to concentration and scholastic achievement than if their children have some emotional disorder or behavial disorder such as depression and anxiety
Anger ; Anxiety ; Asthma ; Child* ; Depression ; Friends ; Growth and Development ; Humans ; Mothers ; Pleasure ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Telephone

Treatment options for edentulous patients are complete denture and implant prosthesis. A two implant-retained overdenture can be considered the first treatment in the edentulous mandible, but there is no clear consensus of treatment for edentulous maxilla. Implant-retention/support overdenture shows better retention and stability than complete denture and is less expensive and more esthetic than implant-supported fixed prosthesis. CM LOC® Pekkton® attachment is a solitary type attachment and evaluated to have excellent abrasion resistance and retention with a female part made of poly-ether-ketone-ketone. Meanwhile, SR Ivocap system is injection molding method and discussed to show few changes in the vertical dimension of denture and have excellent fracture resistance. In this case, we restored maxillary arch with a four implant-retained overdenture using CM LOC® Pekkton® and SR Ivocap system, and mandibular arch with a removable partial denture. Through this procedure, satisfactory outcomes were achieved both in functional and esthetic aspects.
Consensus ; Denture, Complete ; Denture, Overlay ; Denture, Partial, Removable ; Dentures ; Female ; Fungi ; Humans ; Mandible ; Maxilla ; Methods ; Prostheses and Implants ; Vertical Dimension

In angiographic examinations, abnormalities of vertebral arteries are incidental findings because they are, in most of cases, clinically asymptomatic. We report a case of young woman with a fenestrated anomaly of the left vertebral artery with ischemic strokes. The patient was suffered from repeated attacks of transient ishemic attack(TIA) and cerebral infarction. Vertebral angiography demonstrated a fenestrated anomaly of the left vertebral artery and a large intraluminal thrombus was detected at just proximal of the fenestration. Proximal balloon occlusion of the involved vertebral artery was done and the patient became free from ischemic attack. Follow-up angiography showed well visualization of the posterior circulation through right vertebral artery and the ballooned vertebral artery was well occluded. The left posterior inferior cerebellar artery(PICA) was filled well via collateral circulation from the opposite side.
Angiography ; Balloon Occlusion ; Cerebral Infarction ; Collateral Circulation ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidental Findings ; Stroke* ; Thrombosis ; Vertebral Artery*

Nevus sebaceus is a congenital cutaneous hamartoma which has a potential to develop both benign and malignant neoplasm in late life. The most common benign tumor developed within the nevus is syringocystadenoma papilliferum and the most common malignant tumor basal cell epithelioma. Although two different tumors often develop simultaneously on the lesion, it is rare to see more than two different tumors developing on the lesion of nevus sebaceus. In Korean literatures only three such cases were reported. We report an additional case of nevus sebaceus developing three different tumors, syringocystadenoma papilliferum, sebaceous epithelioma, and basal cell carcinoma, in a 67-year-old female patient.
Aged ; Carcinoma* ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Female ; Hamartoma ; Humans ; Nevus*

We have successfully applied the nested PCR to detect Cylindrocarpon destructans, a major pathogen causing root rot disease from ginseng seedlings in our former study. The PCR assay, in this study, was used to detect the pathogen from soils. The nested PCR using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1, 4 primer set and Dest 1, 4 primer set maintained the specificity in soils containing various microorganisms. For a soil DNA extraction method targeting chlamydospores, when several cell wall disrupting methods were tested, the combination of lyophilization and grinding with glass beads, which broke almost all the chlamydospores, was the strongest. The DNA extraction method which was completed based on the above was simple and time-saving because of exclusion of unnecessary stages, and efficient to apply in soils. As three ginseng fields whose histories were known were analyzed, the PCR assay resulted as our expectation derived from the field information. The direct PCR method will be utilized as a reliable and rapid tool for detecting and monitoring C. destructans in ginseng fields.
Cell Wall ; DNA ; Freeze Drying ; Glass ; Panax ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Seedlings ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Soil

BACKGROUND: Nerve ligation injury may produce mechanical allodynia, but this can be reversed after an intrathecal administration of adenosine analogues. In many animal and human studies, ATP-sensitive potassium channel blockers have been known to reverse the antinociceptive effect of various drugs. This study was performed to evaluate the mechanical antiallodynic effects of spinal R-PIA (Adenosine A1 receptor agonist) and the reversal of these effects due to pretreatment with glibenclamide (ATP-sensitive potassium channel blocker). Thus, the relationship between the antiallodynic effects of R-PIA and ATP-sensitive potassium channel were investigated in a neuropathic model. METHODS: Male Sprague Dawley rats were prepared by tightly ligating the left lumbar 5th and 6th spinal nerves and implantation of a chronic lumbar intrathecal catheter for drug administration. The mechanical allodynia was measured by applying von Frey filaments ipsilateral to the lesioned hind paw. And the thresholds for paw withdrawal assessed. In study 1, either R-PIA (0.5, 1 and 2microgram) or saline were administered intrathecally for the examination of the antiallodynic effect of R-PIA. In study 2, glibenclamide (2, 5, 10 and 20 nM) was administered intrathecally 5 min prior to an R-PIA injection for investigation of the reversal of the antiallodynic effects of R-PIA. RESULTS: The antiallodynic effect of R-PIA was produced in a dose dependent manner. In study 1, the paw withdrawal threshold was significantly increased with 2microgram R-PIA (P < 0.05). In study 2, the paw withdrawal threshold with 2microgram R-PIA was significantly decreased almost dose dependently by intrathecal pretreatment of 5, 10 and 20 nM glibenclamide (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrated that an intrathecal injection of ATP-sensitive potassium channel blockers prior to an intrathecal injection of adenosine A1 receptors agonist had an antagonistic effect on R-PIA induced antiallodynia. The results suggest that the mechanism of mechanical antiallodynia, as induced by an intrathecal injection of R-PIA, may involve the ATP-sensitive potassium channel at both the spinal and supraspinal level in a rat nerve ligation injury model.
Adenosine ; Animals ; Catheters ; Glyburide ; Humans ; Hyperalgesia ; Injections, Spinal ; Ligation ; Male ; Neuralgia ; Potassium Channel Blockers ; Potassium Channels* ; Potassium* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptor, Adenosine A1 ; Receptors, Purinergic P1 ; Spinal Nerves