In this study, the feasibility of identification and genotypic differentiation of enteroviruses was investigated by using nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (nested RT-PCR), single-stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP), and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) techniques. Two hundred seventy-four clinical samples were assayed by both nested RT-PCR and tube culture method using MRC-5 and MK cells; 58 (86.6%) out of 67 enterovirus culture-positive samples contained enteroviral RNA. In addition, 114 (55.1%) of 207 samples from patients with suspected enteroviral CNS disease with negative viral cultures were positive by the nested RT-PCR. The nested RT-PCR products were genotyped by the SSCP method and the results were compared with serotypes. We could differentiate 6 subtypes, 3 of which are similar to coxsackievirus B3, B5, echovirus 11, plus 3 other subtypes. RFLP cleaved with Sty I, Bgl I, and Xmn I yielded characteristic patterns for each laboratory strains. This study demonstrates the usefulness of the RT-PCR for the rapid diagnosis of enterovirus infection and the potentials of the SSCP method for differentiation of enterovirus strains.
Central Nervous System Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Enterovirus B, Human ; Enterovirus Infections ; Enterovirus* ; Genotype* ; Humans ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; RNA

Staphylococcus aureus is one of many causative agents of the fu uncles. As the S. aureus strains resistant to penicillinase-repsistant penicillins (methicillin-resistant S. aureus, MRSA) are more frequently isolated, their accuiate identification became a very important step in selection of an appropriate therapeutic regimen. We report herein a case of multiple furunculosis caused by metkicillin-resistant S. aureus in a 11-year-old male patient, who was successfully treated with sulbactam/ampicillin and amikacin.
Amikacin ; Child ; Furunculosis* ; Humans ; Male ; Methicillin Resistance* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Penicillins ; Staphylococcus aureus

This is a report of attempts to compare the growth yields of various species of fastidious mycobacterium inch1ding human pathogens and non-pathogens in the conventional Dubos liquid medium and two simple media formulated recently; one is a medium containing 0.1% hyaluronic acid and 6.0% bovine serum albumin and the other is a semisyntheic medium made of umbilical cord extract supplemented with 10% sheep serum as a final concentration. All mycobacterial strains employed in experiments gave the heaviest growth yields in the hyaluronic acid-bovine serum albumin medium (HAS medium), among the three media. Dubos liquid medium seemed to be inferior to a medium made of umbilical cord extract (UCE medium) in supporting mycobacterial growth. There were three-to seven-fold increases in dry weight of the bacteria grown in the HAS medium as compared with those in the Dubos liquid medium. We also looked for the possible effect of bovine serum albumin (BSA)in the HAS medium on mycobacterial growth. As a result, we found that the amount of BSA in the HAS medium, ranging from zero to 6.0% in the medium, showed no substantial effect on the mycobacteria1 growth.
Comparative Study ; Culture Media/standards* ; Female ; Human ; Hyaluronic Acid/isolation & purification ; Hyaluronic Acid/pharmacology* ; Mycobacterium/growth & development* ; Pregnancy ; Tissue Extracts* ; Umbilical Cord*

Annular atrophic lichen planus(AALP) is the most unusual variant of lichen planus that results from elastolytic activity of inflammatory cells. We report a case of AALP in 22-year-old man who had two annular pruritic plaques on the axilla. He had a two year history of skin lesions. Each lesion had elevated erythematous annular border with hyperpigmented atrophic macular center. Histopathologically, it showed typical features of lichen planus in the border of the lesion while a pattern of resolved lichen planus in its center. Elastic fibers was not found in the papillary dermis either at the border or at the center of the lesion.
Axilla ; Dermis ; Elastic Tissue ; Humans ; Lichen Planus* ; Lichens* ; Skin ; Young Adult

Electrical burn is thought to be similar to crushing injury in that it usually involves skin, muscle and neurovascular structure simultaneously. Especially in extremity, there are many occasions that amputations are inevitable. Since the demarcation between viable and non-viable tissue tends to be obscure, electrical burn greatly differs from other types of injury in detailed methods of treatment, such as the level, the timing and the technique of amputation. During the past 10 years from January, 1978 to December, 1987, authors experienced 285 amputations in 181 cases of electrical burn at Orthopedic Department of Hanil Hospital. The clinical data of our experience were reviewed and analysed. The results were as follows ;l. Amputation rate in electrical burn was 22.4%. 2. Out of total 285 amputations, the number of upper extremity was 187 (65.6%) and it was 1.9 times more than that of lower extremity. Right forearm was 1.8 times more than left forearm. 3. Multiple limbs amputation were performed in 83 cases (45.9%). 4. Among 285 stumps, more than one operation were done in 74 stumps because of infection (50%), necrosis of stump end (35.1%), bony overgrowth at stump end (8.1%) and neuroma(6.8%).
Amputation ; Amputees ; Burns ; Extremities ; Forearm ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Necrosis ; Orthopedics ; Skin ; Upper Extremity

PURPOSE: To study the MR findings to predict the site of dural attachment in meningiomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed MR findings of 23 patients with surgically confirmed meningiomas and analysed the characteristics of dural attachment site of meningiomas and tumor growing vector against dura. RESULTS: In the 10 cases that tumor had a single dural base, the dural base was tumor bed. in the 2 cases that tumor had more than two dural bases, wider, irregular and thicker enhancing dura was tumor bed. In the 7 of the 11 cases of diffuse dural bases with tumor, we could predict tumor bed considering the degree of compression to the brain parenchyma and the tumor growing vector. CONCLUSIONS: In the case of tumor having more than two surfaces contacting the dura or with narrow attachment site, it is possible to predict the site of dural attachment if we consider the characteristrics of dural attachment site and tumor growing vector against dura.
Brain ; Humans ; Meningioma* ; Retrospective Studies

Presented a 39 year old man of cerebral malaria and pertinent literature were reviewed briefly. The patient was admitted because of fever and drowsy mental state. On admission, there were mild icteric sclerae and hepatomegaly. Brain C-T scan was normal. The cerebrospinal fluid study showed increased pressure (280 mmH20), and protein content (150 mg/dl) with mild pleocytosis. The EEG revealed diffuse delta waves throughout the head. At the 3rd hospital day, the patient was rapidly deteriorated to comatous state showing marked hyperbilirubinemia, thrombocytopenia and bleeding tendency and expired. Numerous plasmodium falciparum parasites were revealed in the peripheral blood smear.
Adult ; Brain ; Cerebrospinal Fluid ; Electroencephalography ; Fever ; Head ; Hemorrhage ; Hepatomegaly ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; Leukocytosis ; Malaria, Cerebral* ; Parasites ; Plasmodium falciparum ; Sclera ; Thrombocytopenia

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have conflicting results concerning the role of p53 protein related to the discovery that a wild-type of p53 is a nuclear protein that plays a role both as a tumor suppressor and may play roles in the control of transcription and as a negative regulator of cell growth, whereas mutant p53 supports tumor formation in experimental oncogenic settings and is overexpressed in some human tumors. The mutant p53 is abnormally stable, leading to increased expression. p53 has been most widely studied by the immunohistochemical method. p53 overexpression often found in some studies, but not always in other studies, have been shown to be an independent predictor of poor prognosis. METHODS: To evaluate a possible prognostic factor, we studied the expression of the p53 protein by an immunohistochemical method and compared these results with the established prognostic factors for breast carcinomas. RESULTS: 78 patients aged 28-69 were included in this study. The mean age was 46.3, and 53 patients out of 78 were less than 50 years old. There were 28 cases with tumor diameters of less than 2 cm, and 50 with tumor diameters of more than 2 cm. The most common pathologic type was an infiltrating duct carcinoma, 71 out of 78 cases (91.0%), and proportions of histologic grade I, II, and III tumors was 23 (29.5%), 41 (52.6%), 14 (17.9%), respectively. Cases with lymph node metastasis numbered 52 of 78 (66.7%). We observed a remarkable increase in the nuclear staining intensity at the invasive margins of some tumors, which may be linked to a higher incidence of proliferating cells. CONCLUSIONS: p53 overexpression was associated with tumor size (p<0.05), but was not associated with lymph node status, age, histologic grade, or estrogen receptor status.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Nuclear Proteins ; Prognosis

The natural killer(NK) cell activity of mononuclear cells (MNC) from peripheral blood (PB) and synovial fluid (SF) of 40 rheumatoid arthritis(RA) patients was investigated by employing 51-chromium-(51Cr) release microcytotoxicity and single cell cytotoxicity assays against K562 target cells. It has been revealed that SF-MNC from RA patients showed a significantly lower NK activity than PB-MNC from the same patients and this might be due to an impaired target binding capacity of the effector cells and not due to a deficiency of active NK cells.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/*immunology ; Chromium Radioisotopes/diagnostic use ; Comparative Study ; Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic/methods ; *Cytotoxicity, Immunologic ; Female ; Human ; In Vitro ; Killer Cells, Natural/*immunology ; Male ; Middle Age ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Synovial Fluid/immunology

The serum level of Ig G, Ig M, Ig A, Ig D and C3 were determined by a Hyland Immunodiffusion plate in 60 patients and 29 normal healthy controls. Immunoglobulin G level was increased only in patient's with herniated nucleus pulposus. We also could demonstrate high levels of Ig G in group I, the ruptured nucleus cases, but there were no differences in the levels of other immunoglobulins and C3 in other groups. In the Ochterlony gel diffusion test for the detection of humoral antibody for the nucleus pulposus, only 4 cases gave precipitation lines using antigen excised from nucleus pulposus. In 2 cases high levels of Ig G were observed. All 89 patients gave negative precipitation lines using proteoglycan as antigen.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Autoimmune Diseases/complications* ; Back Pain/etiology ; Back Pain/immunology* ; Child ; Female ; Human ; Immunoglobulins/analysis ; Intervertebral Disk* ; Male ; Middle Age ; Spinal Diseases/immunology*