A 43-year-old male patient visited our clinic complaining of persistent erythematous skin eruptions on the anterior chest, abdomen, and back for 10 years. Reticular erythematous mucinosis (REM) syndrome was diagnosed by the clinical and histopathologic features. Mucin deposition is much more conspicuous in papular lesions than in plaque lesions. Therefore, we suggest that the papular lesions may show the characteristic changes of REM and that a biopsy specimen should be obtained from a papular lesion for proper diagnosis of REM syndrome.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Male ; Mucinoses* ; Mucins ; Skin ; Thorax

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze trends in complementary and alternative therapy in nursing research in Korea. METHOD: The researchers examined academic theses and dissertations published from 1990 to 2002, and 151 articles were used for the analysis. RESULT: Nursing research on CAT increased rapidly from 1995. Articles with quantitative research designs made up 93.9% of the total and there were more experimental studies than non-experimental studies. Patients who had surgery, mental disorders, renal failure, hypertension, arthritis, dementia & cancer were the most frequently participants in studies on CAT. The type of CAT used in nursing research were mind-body therapy (65.8%), manual healing therapy (28.7%), phamacologic & biological therapy (3.7%), bioelectromagnetics (0.9%) and herbal therapy (0.9%). In 44 articles both psychological and physiological parameters were used as dependent variables. In 34 articles only physiological parameters were used and in 13 only psychological parameters. The most frequently used physiological parameters in CAT were pain, physiological function and vital signs, while the most used psychological parameters were anxiety, depression and stress. CONCLUSION: More studies about CAT are needed to extend the role and fields for professional nursing. There is a need to conduct qualitative studies in nursing about the experiences of patients who receive CAT and nurses who use CAT.
Animals ; Anxiety ; Arthritis ; Biological Therapy ; Cats ; Dementia ; Depression ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea* ; Mental Disorders ; Mind-Body Therapies ; Nursing Research* ; Nursing* ; Phytotherapy ; Renal Insufficiency ; Research Design ; Vital Signs

BACKGROUND: Recently, it has been suggested that autoantibodis face of melanocytes are prevent in the sera of vitiligo patients. However, these autoantibodies exist, whether they are specific for vitiligo a vitiligo patients possess them. In addition, the specificity of the iti lecular weight of the antigen are all unsolved areas demanding further. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the possible role of autoimmune microvitiligo, this study was designed to verify the presence of auto and vitiligo antigen from the surface of melanocytes, the specificity of gene specific antigens on the sunever, it is not known whether ents, and what percentage of goantigen and the exact moier research. anisms in the development of bodies in vitiligo patients, the utoantibodies and vitiligo anti. METHODS: Indirect immuvofluorescent microscopy, flow cytoriiety, and ELISA was done to compare the reactions between melanocytes and sera. SDS-PAC island immunoblotting were used for the identification of vitiligo antigen. RESULTS: Vitiligo sera showed more prominent fluorescence and higher optical density on the surface of melanocytes than normal sera. Forty-four percent of vitiligo sera was directed to melanocytic surface antigen with a molecular weight of 65kDa. The sition assay using rabbit antimelanocytic antibody showed an inhibition of the reaction betw er vitiligo sera and melanocytes in ELISA and immunoblotting. CONCLUSION: A surface antigen of 65kd was identified from melanocytes and 44.4% of the vitiligo sera showed positive reactions to this antigen.
Antigens, Surface ; Autoantibodies* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fluorescence ; Humans ; Immunoblotting ; Melanocytes* ; Microscopy ; Molecular Weight ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Vitiligo*

Heterotopic ossification in abdominal incision is a rare post-surgical sequala and a subtype of myositis ossificans traumatica. Recognition of this rare condition is important because it may be misinterpreted as a retained foreign body or incisional neoplastic recurrence. We report a case involving a 59-year-old man who presented with a palpable epigastric mass and pronounced fatigability.
Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Myositis ; Myositis Ossificans ; Ossification, Heterotopic* ; Recurrence

Distributions of angle kappa and of cycloplegic refraction and their association were studied. The subjects were 282 nonstrabismic Korean children, aged from 6 years to 11 years. who visited Ewha Women University Hospital from December 1990 to March 1991. The angle kappa was measured by major amblyoscope, and refraction was done under the cycloplegic state. The results were as follows: The frequency of angle kappa was positive. negative and 0 degree in decreasing order. The average values of refractive error and angle kappa were -1.03 +/- 2.20 degrees dipter and +1 34 +/- 1.33 degrees. The average values of angle kappa for hypermetropia, emmettopia and myopia were +2.52 +/- 0.81 degrees, +1.71 +/- 1.03 degrees and +0.90 +/- 1.37 degrees. And these values were significantly different from each other.
Child ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperopia ; Myopia ; Refractive Errors*

The cystic mesothelioma is a very rare tumor which has a clinically and histologically benign nature. Here in reported is the case of a cystic mesothelioma presented as a palpable mass of the inguinal area in a 28-year-old male. Ultrasound showed a cystic tumor at the inguinal canal, and the other physical and laboratory examinations were within normal limits. Grossly, the tumor consisted of cysts containing clear serous fluid and focally solid areas. Microscopically, the tumor was encapsulated with fibrocollagenous wall, and the tumor cells were cuboidal or polygonal epithelial cells with single or multiple layers and had clear cytoplasm. Some areas showed thyroid follicle-like structures. The content of follicle-like structures showed eosinophilia in the H&E section, but positive in mucin stain. Neither cytologic atypia nor mitoses were present. Immunohistochemical staining revealed positive reaction for keratins of low molecular weight, while negative for the thyroglobulin and CEA. These findings suggested mesothelial in origin. We concluded that this tumor was primary rather than metastatic, because he had no evidence of a tumor in gastrointestinal, genitourinary tracts and scrotum.
Adult ; Cytoplasm ; Eosinophilia ; Epithelial Cells ; Humans ; Inguinal Canal ; Male ; Mesothelioma, Cystic* ; Mitosis ; Molecular Weight ; Mucins ; Scrotum ; Thyroglobulin ; Thyroid Gland ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: For the past two decades, there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of both asthma and obesity. Obesity may be associated with increasing childhood asthma and atopy. So, we performed this study to know the effects of body mass on bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) and atopy in childhood asthma. METHODS: The subjects were, 340 children aged 6-15 years with asthma, visited the Pediatric Outpatient Clinic. There, their heights and, weights were measured and they underwent, pulmonary function tests (PFT), BHR to methacholine and skin prick tests. After determining body mass index (BMI), they were divided into four groups by BMI percentile curve based on gender and age (underweight < or =15th percentile, normal weight 15.1-85th percentile, overweight 85.1th-95th percentile, obesity > or =95.1th percentile). Atopy, allergen sensitization, BHR, respiratory symptoms, PFT were compared between each group. RESULTS: In all subjects, there were 70 (20.6%) and 73 (21.5%) cases in the overweight and obese groups, respectively. Increasing BMI was significantly associated with a higher prevalence of snoring,(P=0.004) wheezing in the perceding three months (P=0.002) and BHR- positive,(P=0.003) but not atopy.(P=0.075) Among the groups classified by BMI percentile, there were significant differences in FEV1 and FEV1/FVC.(P=0.027, P=0.033) Being overweight and/or, obese were significant risk factor for BHR, though only among females (OR 5.1; 95% CI 1.6-16.5, 4.9; 1.8-13.4) not male (OR 1.1; 95% CI 0.5-2.1, OR 1.7; 95% CI 0.7-2.0). CONCLUSION: Among girls, a higher BMI might be a risk factor for BHR. Higher BMI is not associated with atopy on either boys or girls.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Asthma* ; Body Mass Index ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Male ; Methacholine Chloride ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Prevalence ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Respiratory Sounds ; Risk Factors ; Skin ; Weights and Measures

No abstract available.
Down Syndrome*

BACKGROUND: The effects of chimerism on outcomes following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are unclear and may differ between diseases. We retrospectively evaluated the association between chimerism and transplant outcomes in children with nonmalignant diseases. METHODS: Chimerism was evaluated using short-tandem repeat polymerase chain reaction (STR-PCR) in 48 patients, with mixed chimerism (MC) defined as greater than 1% recipient cells. RESULTS: The only variable exerting a significant influence on patients' chimerism status was the number of infused CD34+ cells. MC was detected in 23 transplants (9 showing transient MC; 10 with sustained low levels [< or =30%] of autologous cells; and 4 with high-level MC [>30%]). The degree of STR-PCR at 28 days after HSCT was significantly higher in patients with high-level MC than those with transient or low-level MC. All patients with transient or low-level MC successfully maintained engraftment and showed a clinical response to HSCT, whereas 2 of the 4 patients with high-level MC experienced graft failure. The incidences of grades II-IV acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) were significantly higher in patients with complete donor chimerism (CC) than MC. We observed no significant survival differences between CC and MC groups. However, the survival rate was lower in patients with high MC than those with low-level or transient MC (P=0.03). CONCLUSION: In non-malignant diseases, MC may indicate a tolerant state with a decreased incidence of GVHD. However, high-level MC may signify an increased risk of graft failure and a lower survival rate.
Child ; Chimerism ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Humans ; Incidence ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants

Rhizome of Alisma orientale has been used as a traditional medicine for treating kidney diseases in East Asian countries. Its inhibitory effects on hypersensitivity responses have been reported for methanol extracts, with alisol B 23-acetate (AB23Ac) being the most active constituent among six terpenes in inhibiting the direct passive Arthus reaction. However, whether AB23Ac has efficacy against allergic asthma has not been tested to date. The in vivo efficacy of AB23Ac in an ovalbumin (OVA)-induced allergic asthma mouse model was evaluated by administrating AB23Ac before OVA sensitization or OVA challenge in BALB/c mice. AB23Ac suppressed antigen-induced degranulation of RBL-2H3 mast cells in a concentration-dependent manner. The administration of AB23Ac both before OVA sensitization and OVA challenge greatly lowered pulmonary resistance and the increase in immune cell counts and inflammatory responses around the peribronchial and perivascular regions. In addition, the inflammatory cytokine levels of Th1/Th2/Th17 cells in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid decreased in the AB23Ac-treated groups. AB23Ac reduced the number of PAS-stained cells in the lungs. Furthermore, a computer modeling study indicated that AB23Ac can bind tightly to spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk). These results suggest that AB23Ac may ameliorate allergic asthma by suppressing immune responses in dendritic cells during sensitization and in mast cells during challenge periods.