BACKGROUND: Childhood myelodysplastic syndrome(MDS) is a heterogenous disease complex which has characteristics of cytopenia in one or more hemopoietic cell lines in peripheral blood and of dysmorphisms of hemopoietic precursors in bone marrow, but quite different from adult one. We experienced 22 patients with childhood myelodysplastic syndrome during 9 years from 1987 to 1995 in the Department of Pediatrics, Inje University College of Medicine, Pusan Paik Hospital, Pusan, Korea and performed a clinical study about them to analyze the clinical and hematological features and treatment outcome retrospectively. METHOD: We analyzed their clinical features including age and sex distribution, chief complaints and physical findings on first admission, distribution of subtypes, hematologic features including initial hemoglobin, total WBC and platelet count, and treatment outcome including leukmic transformation and prognostic scores. RESULTS: 1) Of the total 22 patients, 10 were in 0-4 years of age on first admission, 8 in 5-9, and 4 above 10 years of age. The male : female sex ratio was 2.1 : 1. 2) Of the 22 patients, chief complaints on first admission were bleeding tendency in 9 patients(40.9%), pallor in 8(36.4%) and fever in 3(13.6%), in order, and physical findings on first admission were purpura or ecchymoses in 17(77.3%), anemia in 15(68.2%) and hepatosplenomegaly in 8(36.4%), in order. 3) Hematologic findings on first admission were as follows : hemoglobin levels were below 3 g/dl in 1 patient(4.5%), 3-6 g/dl in 10(45.5%), and 6-9 g/dl in 11(50.0%). Initial WBC counts were below 5,000/mm3 in 13 patients(59.1%), 5,000-10,000/mm3 in 5(22.7%) and above 10,000/mm3 in 4(18.2%). Initial platelet counts were below 20,000/mm3 in 10(45.5%), 20,000-50,000/mm3 in 5(22.7%), 50,000-100,000/mm3 in 5(22.7%) and above 100,000/mm3 in 2(9.1%). 4) Of the 22 patients, 12 patients(54.6%) were RA type, 1(4.6%) RAS, and 3(13.6%) RAEB, RAEB-T and JCML types, respectively. 5) According to prognostic scores by Mufti et al(1986), none were in 'good' group, 17 patients(89.5%) in 'intermediate' group with 39.5 months of mean duration of survival(range 4-95 months) and 2(10.5%) in 'poor' group with 18 months of mean duration of surviral(range 17-19) until the last follow-up. However, the subtypes and clinical status seemed not to be related to the prognostic scores. 6) Sixteen patients were treated with low dose cytosine arabinoside(10 mg/m2/12hrs), of whom 7 patients gained long-standing event-free survival, whose treatment regimen was changed to oral 6-TG about 2 years later. All 3 of JCML were treated with A-Triple-V regimen, one of whom was died of sepsis, one was transformed into AML and died of sepsis, while the remained one gained long-standig event-free survival (62 months). 7) Leukemic transformation into AML occured in 7 patients(RA 1, RAEB 2, RAEB-T 3, JCML 1), 6 of whom were dead, while one gained long-standing event-free survival of 34 months. CONCLUSION: We concluded that RA was the most dominant type among our patients, and the frequency to transform into AML was 31,8%, and 31.9% of the patients had long-term survival, and that reliability of prognostic scoring system by Mufti et al(1986) was not high.
Adult ; Anemia ; Anemia, Refractory, with Excess of Blasts ; Bone Marrow ; Busan ; Cell Line ; Cytosine ; Disease-Free Survival ; Ecchymosis ; Female ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes* ; Pallor ; Pediatrics ; Platelet Count ; Purpura ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis ; Sex Distribution ; Sex Ratio ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to determine the self-perceived fatigue and its association with job stress and psychosocial factors among white collar male workers. METHODS: The self-administered questionnaires were given to 872 workers employed in 42 work places located in Daejeon City and Chungnam Province during the period from February 1st to April 30th, 2009. The questionnaire surveys included socio-demographic characteristics, job-related characteristics, health-related behaviors, a Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ), psychosocial factors (type A behavior pattern, locus of control, self-esteem) and the Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (MFS). RESULTS: Concerning the correlation of self-perceived fatigue with various factors, while the level of self-perceived fatigue was positively correlated with the job demands, a type A behavior pattern and self-esteem, it was negatively correlated with job autonomy and supervisor support. With the analysis of the covariance structure, JCQ (job demand, job autonomy, supervisor support and coworker support) had more of an influence on the level of self-perceived fatigue than the psychosocial factors (type A behavior pattern, locus of control, self-esteem). The inter-relational effects were that the higher the JCQ and psychosocial factors, the higher the level of self-perceived fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: The study results indicated that the level of self-perceived fatigue was more influenced by the JCQ than the psychosocial factors. Thus, an effective strategy for fatigue reduction among workers requires additional programs that will focus on innovated job specifications and managed psychosocial factors.
European Continental Ancestry Group ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Internal-External Control ; Male ; Questionnaires ; Workplace

Tuberculosis of the breast is an extremely rare disease. That needs to be differentiated from inflammatory breast cancer, acute or subacute breast abscess and actinomycosis of the breast in order for it to be treated effectively. However, tuberculosis of the breast is difficult to diagnose because of the diagnostic methods used. In addition, significant time is needed to identify tuberculosis by culture. We experienced a case of tuberculosis of the breast that developed during the anti-tuberculous medication. The patient was diagnosed quickly using tuberculosis PCR and treated with a combination of a surgical excision and anti-tuberculous medication.
Abscess ; Actinomycosis ; Breast* ; Humans ; Inflammatory Breast Neoplasms ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rare Diseases ; Tuberculosis*

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to determine that the assessment of serum neuron specific enolase(NSE) could provide a reliable early predictor of neurologic outcome after cardiac arrest. METHODS: Prospective, observational study was performed from April 1996 to March 1998 at a university teaching hospital ED. Serum NSE concentrations were analysed twice at 24 and 48 hours after return of spontaneous circulation(ROSC). Neurologic outcome was categorized using cerebral performance category(CPC). RESULTS: Twenty-nine patients(16 were men) were enrolled during the study period. The mean age was 50.8 years. Nine(31%) of them showed good outcome defied as CPC 1-3, and 20(69%) patients showed bad outcome defied as CPC 4-5. In the good outcome group, the serum NSE was revealed 33.8+/-9.3 ng/ml at 24 hours, 34.0+/-4.73 ng/ml at 48 hours. While in the bad outcome group, it was 99.5+/-11.7 ng/ml and 114.6+/-15.8 ng/ml. The NSE at 48hr after ROSC was more prescise than that of 24hr. When the cutoff value of 50 ng/ml at 48 hr, the sensitivity was 82%, and specificity was 93%. CONCLUSION: This study suggest that the serum NSE may represent a valuable, noninvasive, and useful clinical tool for prediction of neurologic outcome after cardiac arrest.
Heart Arrest* ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Neurons* ; Observational Study ; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase* ; Prospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a treatment modality involving the use of a photosensitizer, oxygen and a light source to induce selective targeted cell death. It is used for various skin conditions, including actinic keratosis (AK). Both 5-aminolevulinic acid and methyl aminolevulinic acid (MAL) are currently available as photosensitizers. Although there are several studies on the treatment of AK using 5-aminolevulinic acid-PDT in Korea, there are few studies on using MAL-PDT for the treatment of AK. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of MAL-PDT for the treatment of AK. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study and reviewed 64 AK lesions from 28 patients who were treated by MAL-PDT between January 2008 and April 2010. The data was collected through the medical records, the clinical photographs and the biopsy specimens. RESULTS: The patients were treated with either a single treatment or double treatments 1 week apart. The treatment results were assessed after 12 weeks. Overall, complete remission was achieved in 42/64 lesions (65.6%). Although a single treatment was effective for thin lesions, the complete response rates were significantly lower for the moderately thick and severely thick lesions (100% vs 71.3% vs 22.2%, respectively). Repeated treatment tended to improve the complete response rate of the severely thick lesions. A favorable cosmetic outcome was achieved and only tolerable local side effects were reported after MAL-PDT. The patients were followed up for an average period of 6 months and 4 lesions recurred. CONCLUSION: MAL-PDT is an effective and well-tolerated treatment option for thin and moderately thick AK. However, further study is required for determining the optimal regimen for thicker lesions and the long-term treatment results of MAL-PDT.
Actins ; Aminolevulinic Acid ; Biopsy ; Cell Death ; Cosmetics ; Humans ; Keratosis, Actinic ; Korea ; Light ; Medical Records ; Oxygen ; Photochemotherapy ; Photosensitizing Agents ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin

No abstract available.
Humans ; Pregnancy, Twin*

No abstract available.
Abscess* ; Drainage*

No abstract available.
Melanoma ; Nevus ; Nevus, Pigmented ; Warts

PURPOSE: The biocompatibility and bio-adhesive property of a dental implant abutment are important for proper soft tissue healing and maintenance of osseointegration of implant. However, studies of soft tissue healing and mucosal attachment of various materials of implant abutment other than titanium are still needed. In this study, cell attachment, proliferation, cytotoxicity of human gingival fibroblast for ceramic, gold alloy, Ni-Cr alloy and, commercially available pure titanium as a control were evaluated, using MTS and scanning electron microscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Specimen was designed to disc, 4mm diameter and 1mm thickness, made of ceramic, gold alloy, Ni-Cr alloy and commercially available pure titanium. Primary culture of human gingival fibroblasts were grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium with 10% fetal bovine serum and 1% antibiotics. Cells were inoculated in the multiwell plates placed the specimen disc. Cell Titer 96 AQucous One Solution Cell Proliferation Assay were done after 1hour, 3hours, 24hours, 3days, 5days of incubation. The discs were processed for scanning electron micrography to evaluate cell attachment and morphologic change. RESULTS: The results were obtained as follows. 1. The ceramic showed high cell attachment and proliferation and low cytotoxicity, which is as much bioadhesive and biocompatible as titanium. 2. The gold alloy represented limited proliferation of human gingival fibroblast and the highest cytotoxicity among tested materials (p<0.05). 3. The Ni-Cr alloy limited the proliferaion of the human gingival fibroblast compared to titanium(p<0.05), but cytotoxicity on the bottom of well was not so considerable, compared to titanium. 4. On the scanning electron micrographs, the ceramic showed good attachment and proliferation of human gingival fibroblast, which was similar to titanium. But gold alloy and Ni-Cr alloy showed the shrinkage of gingival fibroblast both after 24 hours and 3 days. On 5th day, small amount of the human gingival fibroblast proliferation was observed on the Ni-Cr alloy, while the shrinkage of gingival fibroblast was still observed on the gold alloy. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the ceramic abutment is as biocompatible as titanium to make proper mucosal seal. The gold alloy has a high cytotoxicity to limit proliferation of gingival fibroblast, which suggest limited use on the anterior tooth where soft tissue healing is recommeded.
Alloys ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Cell Proliferation ; Ceramics ; Dental Implants ; Fibroblasts* ; Humans* ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Osseointegration ; Titanium ; Tooth

PURPOSE: The biocompatibility and bio-adhesive property of a dental implant abutment are important for proper soft tissue healing and maintenance of osseointegration of implant. However, studies of soft tissue healing and mucosal attachment of various materials of implant abutment other than titanium are still needed. In this study, cell attachment, proliferation, cytotoxicity of human gingival fibroblast for ceramic, gold alloy, Ni-Cr alloy and, commercially available pure titanium as a control were evaluated, using MTS and scanning electron microscopy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Specimen was designed to disc, 4mm diameter and 1mm thickness, made of ceramic, gold alloy, Ni-Cr alloy and commercially available pure titanium. Primary culture of human gingival fibroblasts were grown in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium with 10% fetal bovine serum and 1% antibiotics. Cells were inoculated in the multiwell plates placed the specimen disc. Cell Titer 96 AQucous One Solution Cell Proliferation Assay were done after 1hour, 3hours, 24hours, 3days, 5days of incubation. The discs were processed for scanning electron micrography to evaluate cell attachment and morphologic change. RESULTS: The results were obtained as follows. 1. The ceramic showed high cell attachment and proliferation and low cytotoxicity, which is as much bioadhesive and biocompatible as titanium. 2. The gold alloy represented limited proliferation of human gingival fibroblast and the highest cytotoxicity among tested materials (p<0.05). 3. The Ni-Cr alloy limited the proliferaion of the human gingival fibroblast compared to titanium(p<0.05), but cytotoxicity on the bottom of well was not so considerable, compared to titanium. 4. On the scanning electron micrographs, the ceramic showed good attachment and proliferation of human gingival fibroblast, which was similar to titanium. But gold alloy and Ni-Cr alloy showed the shrinkage of gingival fibroblast both after 24 hours and 3 days. On 5th day, small amount of the human gingival fibroblast proliferation was observed on the Ni-Cr alloy, while the shrinkage of gingival fibroblast was still observed on the gold alloy. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the ceramic abutment is as biocompatible as titanium to make proper mucosal seal. The gold alloy has a high cytotoxicity to limit proliferation of gingival fibroblast, which suggest limited use on the anterior tooth where soft tissue healing is recommeded.
Alloys ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Cell Proliferation ; Ceramics ; Dental Implants ; Fibroblasts* ; Humans* ; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning ; Osseointegration ; Titanium ; Tooth