BACKGROUND: Anaerobic bacteria constitute a major part of the normal flora of the human skin, mucous membrane and intestinal tract, and can cause various infections. The incidence of anaerobic infections may differ greatly, depending on each country or hospital. METHODS: We evaluated the recent trends of anaerobic bacteria isolated from clinical specimens at Severance Hospital from 1986 to 1995. Specimens were cultured using thioglycollate medium and phenylethanol blood agar (PEBA) for 2-3 days under anaerobic condition. Identification of organism was based on conventional or commercial kit systems. RESULTS: During this period, a total of 2,664 isolates of anaerobic bacteria were obtained from 2,251 clinical specimens. The average number of anaerobes per specimen was 1.2. The frequent sources of isolation were specimens from the abdomen, followed by soft tissue, and head and neck. B. fragilis (46.3%) was the most frequently isolated gram-negative bacilli, and P. magnus (37.6%) and C. perfringens (18.8%) were the most frequently isolated gram-positive anaerobes. Abdominal, soft tissue, and head and neck infections were frequent clinical conditions. Among the anaerobe-positive specimens, only 16.8% yielded anaerobe alone while the remaining 83.2% revealed mixed infection with aerobic bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that B. fragilis is the most common species among gram-negative bacilli, and that P. magnus is the most common among gram-positive cocci. As well, the anaerobes are frequently isolated from specimens of the abdomen, head and neck, and soft tissue; and anaerobic infections are commonly mixed with aerobic bacteria.
Abdomen ; Agar ; Bacteria, Aerobic ; Bacteria, Anaerobic* ; Bacteroides fragilis ; Coinfection ; Gram-Positive Cocci ; Head ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mucous Membrane ; Neck ; Phenylethyl Alcohol ; Skin

No abstract available.
Aged* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Sturge-Weber Syndrome*

Vibrio vulnificus infection is one of the most fatal diseases in Korea. This study was undertaken to determine the cellular fatty acid (CFA) compositions of ninety-five clinical strains of V. vulnificus isolated from Korea during 1985-1995. We compared these results with the CFA profile of V. vulnificus in the Microbial Identification System (MIS) (CLIN library version 3.9; Microbial ID Inc., Newark, Del.), and also evaluated the MIS ability to identify V. vulnificus. Subgrouping of V. vulnificus by CFA analysis was performed and its results were compared with those of serotyping. Most of the CFAs in V. vulnificus strains were similar to the CFA profile of V. vulnificus in the MIS, but some distinctive differences were observed. First, means of two major CFAs, 16:0 and 16:1w7c, were 22.16% and 18.26% in this study, but 23.52% and 25.44% in the MIS respectively. Second, all isolates had 11:Oiso3OH, which was not present in the MIS. Eighty-five strains (89.5%) disclosed the first choice identification of V. vulnificus by the MIS, but only two strains (2.1%) were identified with SI values of 0.6. Remaining ten strains (10.5%) showed 'NO MATCH' results. Cluster analysis of CFA could separate V. vulnificus into nine subgroups, and predominant subgroups were subgroup VII (45 strains) and V (36 strains). There was heterogeny between subgroups by CFA and serotypes of V. vulnificus. The strains of 04 serotype which accounted for 80% (76/95) of the isolates were distributed into six different subgroups such as VII (40 strains), V (27 strains), III (4 strains), I (2 strains) and VI (1 strain). These showed that V. vulnificus strains isolated from Korea had different characteristics in the CFA composition in comparison with the MIS V. vulnificus library. Subgrouping by the CFA analysis might be a useful tool for the epidemiological study of V. vulnificus infection in Korea.
Korea* ; Serotyping ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio*

In the present study, culture conditions to secrete proteinases from C. albicans, C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis were examined. All three Candida species were found to secrete proteinases from acceleration phase to stationary phase, although the proteinase activities in culture filtrate were maximal during late exponential or early stationary phase. The proteinase activity in the culture filtrate of C. albicans cells grown at 30'C, was much higher than those grown at either 20 or 37'C. In culture of C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis, the highest activity was found in culture filtrate grown at 37C. C. albicans secreted proteinases well in medium at initial pH 4.0-7.0. The optimal initial pH of medium for proteinase secretion was 7.0 for C. tropicalis and 5.0-6.0 for C. parapsilosis. All three Candida species secreted proteinases to greater amount in aerobic state. The most effective carbon source for proteinase secretion was xylose, glucose, maltose and sucrose for C. albicans, xylose for C. tropicalis and trehalose for C. parapsilosis. The effects of proteins, hydrolyzed proteins, ammonium sulfate as a sole nitrogen source on proteinase secretion were examined. Bovine serum albumin was the most effective nitrogen source of those tested and a little proteinase activity was detected in the culture filtrates when yeast cells were incubated in the medium containing ammonium sulfate. C. parapsilosis secreted proteinases to greater amount than the other Candida species in all nitrogen sources under study, indicating that C. parapsilosis proteinase would not be a inducible but a constitutive enzyme.
Acceleration ; Ammonium Sulfate ; Candida albicans* ; Candida* ; Carbon ; Glucose ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Maltose ; Nitrogen ; Peptide Hydrolases* ; Serum Albumin, Bovine ; Sucrose ; Trehalose ; Xylose ; Yeasts

Steatocystoma multiplex, a cutaneous disorder involving the appearance cysts on the trunk and upper arms, is often inherited as an autosomal dominant trait. The authors present mammographic and US findings of steatocystoma multiplex in a 35-year-old woman with breast masses. On mammograms, multiple uniform thin walled round or oval shaped oil cysts were seen in the peripheral portion of the breasts and axilla, and on US, well-defined or smooth ill-defined round or oval shaped nodules were seen in the subcutaneous layer of the breasts and axilla ; compared with subcutaneous fat, there was iso- or slightly increased echogenicity.
Adult ; Arm ; Axilla ; Breast ; Female ; Humans ; Steatocystoma Multiplex ; Subcutaneous Fat

Adenomyoepithelioma of the female breast is a rare tumor. With rare exceptions, the tumor is uniformly solid. We describe a large grossly cystic adenomyoepithelioma in a 67-year-old female. The tumor was histologically benign. The characteristic microscopic finding was the proliferation of rounded tubules lined by both epithelial and myoepithelial cells. Immunohistochemical findings confirmed the presence of two cell population.
Adenomyoepithelioma* ; Aged ; Breast* ; Female ; Humans

Lichen striatus is an uncommon nonspecific inflammatory cutaneous disease of unknown etiology occuring as unilateral and linear distribution on extremities and healing spontaneously within a few months to a year. Clinically it is composed of small licbenoid papules which tend to be grouped and coalesced to form either a continuous or an interrupted hypopigmented band and is not usually accompanied by any subjective symptoms. The principal histologic features are an infiltrate composed of lymphocytes and histiocytes around papillary vessels and usually also around, some of the deeper vessels and skin appendages and consequent secondary changes of the epidermis. We present the results of clinical and histopathologic observation in 19 patients with lichen striatus observed at Department of Dermatology, National Medical Center and Seoul National University Hospital during 4 years period from l972 to 1976 which would be the first recorded report on this rare disease in Korea. 1. Clinieal Observation.' Among the 19 patients, 10 were female and 9 were male; 15 were under 10 years of age and 4 were over 10 years of age. Duration of the eruption varied from 1 week to 4 years and average duration was 9.6 months at the time of the first visit. It was unilateral in all cases and affected the upper extremities in 9 and the lower extremities in 8 instances. The eruption extended onto the upper part of the trunk in 2 cases. Only 3 patients had a history of mild intermittent itching sensation. Characteristically, the eruption consisted of grouped, linear, slightly scaling flat polygonal papules with varying degrees of hypopigmentation, extending at least onethird of the length of an extremity. . Histopathologic observation: Skin biopsy was performed in 13 cases. The epiderrnal changes consist of mild diffuse hyperkeratosis (13 cases), focal parakeratosis (5 cases), varying degree of atrophy of malpighian layer (7 cases), mild acanthosis (2 cases), intercellular and intracellular edema (8 cases), exocytosih of lymphocytes (7 cases), focal basal cell disruption (11 cases), and dyskeratotic cells (colloid body) (2 cases). Dermal changes include mild to moderate perivaacular lymphocytic and histiocytic infiltrate rnostly on the level of papillary dermis. Also, there was chronic infIammatory cell infiltrate around hair follicle and sweat glands and ducts in 7 cases respectively, which seems to be peculiar in this disease. Overall histologic findings in our cases are generally consistent with those of the primary phase of the so-called lichenoid tissue reaction of Pinkus, The possible pathogenetic mechanism of the linear eruption and immunobiologic interpretation of the lichenoid tissue reaction were literally reviewed.
Atrophy ; Biopsy ; Dermatology ; Dermis ; Edema ; Epidermis ; Extremities ; Female ; Hair Follicle ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Hypopigmentation ; Korea ; Lichens* ; Lower Extremity ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Parakeratosis ; Pruritus ; Rare Diseases ; Sensation ; Seoul ; Skin ; Sweat Glands ; Upper Extremity

The purpose of this study was to get some basic data for health care for working women, especially for hospital nurses. the number of subjects was 796 nurses from one general hospital and four private educational hospitals. The data were collected from February to April, 1988 using the questionnaire "Symptom Table on fatigue Perception" designed by the Research Committee of Industrial Fatigue in Hygienic Association of Japan Industry. The collected data were analyzed using means and standard deviations for the subjective symptoms of fatigue and each item as an independent variable was analyzed by T-test and ANOVA test. The results are as follows: 1) The mean score for degree of fatigue was 1.89 and the degree of fatigue for physical symptoms had highest score of 2.04, the next was psychological symptoms at 1.89, and euro-sensory symptoms were the lowest ar 1.74. Among the fatigue symptoms, the item scored most frequently was "Legs feel heavy" with a mean score of 2.40 and the least frequent item was "My hand and foot trembled" with a mean score of 1.40/. 2) With the respect to the general characteristics of subjects, there were statistically significant difference according to age(F=17.039, p=.000), state of marriage(t=5.381, p=.000) presence of children(t=5.134, p=.000), clinical experience(F=16.663, p=.000), present position(F=12.598, p=.000), duty time(F=9.068, p=.000), monthly wages(F=7.361, p=.000), satisfaction about the pay and treatment at work(t=-5.511, p=.000), relation the doctors(t=-4.593, p=.000)
Delivery of Health Care ; Fatigue* ; Female ; Foot ; Hand ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Japan ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Women, Working

PURPOSE: A comparison analysis of the clinical characteristics and treatment results of congenital NLD obstruction. METHODS: The present study involved 216 pediatric patients (258 eyes) diagnosed with and treated for congenital NLD obstruction. Treatment was applied step by step starting with conservative massaging, lacrimal probing, and silicone tube intubation. RESULTS: The treatment results of congenital NLD obstruction in pediatric patients under 12 months of age showed an 87.3% success rate after an average of 4.3 months of treatment in the group using lacrimal sac massage and antibiotic eye drops (conservative treatment). The group treated by correct massaging techniques showed a 93.6% success rate after an average of 3.8 months of treatment. The success rate of lacrimal probing, applied to patients not showing improvement after massage therapy was 77.8%. Pediatric patients not showing improvement after lacrimal probing underwent silicone tube intubation. All patients showed improvement except in 1 case that had an early silicone tube dislocation. DISCUSSION: A step-by-step approach is effective in treating congenital NLD obstruction patients, and correct lacrimal massage techniques improve the success rate during conservative therapy. The period of conservative treatment and number of probing times did not have a statistically significant correlation with the success rate of lacrimal silicone tube intubation. Silicone tube intubation showed a high success rate in patients sustaining the silicone tube for a minimum of 2.1 months.
Dislocations ; Humans ; Intubation ; Massage ; Nasolacrimal Duct ; Ophthalmic Solutions ; Silicones