Kawasaki disease is an acute vasculitis of infancy and early childhood characterized by high fever, rash, mucositis, lymphadenopathy and coronary artery damage. The failure to indentify a causative organism using convetional culture and serological techniques, and the lack of response to antibiotics indicate that the disorder is probably not due to any known bacterial or viral pathogens. During the acute phase of the disease, the alterations of T and B cell functions, changes of cytokine and immunoglobulin levels have been reported. This study was performed to investigate the changes of immunoglobulins levels in patients with Kawasaki disease. IgG, IgA, IgM and IgG subclasses were measured using immunoprecipitation and EIA in the sera of patients with Kawasaki disease. The results were as follows: 1) Acute phase reactants such as CRP and ESR were significantly increased in Kawasaki patients compared to those in control patients(p<0.01). 2) Serum IgG levels in Kawasaki disease were markedly increased than those in control patients, while serum IgA and IgM levels showed no significant changes (P: No Significance). 3) IgG1 and IgG4 were predominantly increased increased in the sera of Kawasaki patients, while IgG2 and IgG3 were not significantly increased (P: No Significance). With these results, unidentified infectious organism with abnormal immune response could be suggested as an etiologic factor of Kawasaki disease.
Acute-Phase Proteins ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Child* ; Coronary Vessels ; Exanthema ; Fever ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulin G* ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins ; Immunoprecipitation ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome* ; Mucositis ; Vasculitis

OBJECTIVES: To investigate awareness and experience of menopausal symptom and hormone therapy in Korean postmenopausal women. METHODS: A total of 570 postmenopausal women were accepted our survey. The women filled out the questionnaires composed of medical and surgical history, menopausal age and symptom, demand of treatment on menopausal symptom, and personal method for overcoming the symptom. Also, we make inquiries about experience of hormone therapy, concern about hormone therapy, improvement of menopausal symptom after therapy, adverse effect, and cause of cease the therapy. RESULTS: According to the survey, 80% (456/570) of the women experienced menopausal symptom. When they felt the symptom at first, 47% (213/570) of women was 46-50 years old. The most common menopausal symptom was hot flushes (141/570). A number of Korean women regarded that menopause was a natural process of ageing (69%). Eighty two % of women thought to need to have treatment on menopausal symptom. However, only half (43%) visited doctor. The most concerned disease after menopause they had answered was osteoporosis (60%) but only 22% of women were taken regular check-up of bone mineral density. The common causes were unwilling to do treatment were concern about adverse effect (51%) and indefinite fear of cancer (32%). Moreover, many women got diverse information about menopause from the mass media than professional advice. CONCLUSION: Only a minority of Korean postmenopausal women with menopausal symptoms had taken a hormone therapy. We should provide appropriate education and counsel to Korean peri-menopause women.
Bone Density ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Mass Media ; Menopause ; Osteoporosis ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The fear and anxiety in the biological processes of childbirth have been of clinical interest, but the studies addressing this subject are rare, particularly where the outcome of the pregnancy has been favourable. In this study, single nucleotide polymorphisms were studied for understanding the fear during childbirth in 534 Korean pregnant women. The frequencies of each SNP were 5-HTT -15375 insdel (44 bp) 0.24, -1002A>C 0.10, -922A>C 0.11, +18784A>C 0.073 in Korean pregnant women (n=534). No polymorphisms was found in 5-HTT +3746G>C The relationship between the fear during childbirth and genetic polymorphisms was investigated by multiple regression analysis adjusting for parity in 293 women who gave birth to a child vaginally and made a reply to Delivery Fear Scale (DFS) which was the measuring instrument for the fear during childbirth among 534 Korean pregnant women. There was no genetic association between the 5-HTT gene polymorphism and fear during childbirth. The results of this study show that the psychological, social, environmental factors play the major role in the fear during childbirth whereas this gene (5-HTT) most likely has only a minor effect in its etiology. And other genes and the interactions between them have been thought to make complex effects. In order to identify the fear during childbirth, further studies will have to be focused on the comprehensive research of the social, psychological, environmental factors and the interaction of the connected genes.
Anxiety ; Biological Processes ; Child ; Female ; Humans ; Parity ; Parturition* ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women

Atypical thymic carcinoid is an extremely rare tumor with a poor prognosis. In addition to its known association with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1, its hallmark characteristics include local invasion and early distant metastasis. In this report, we share our experience treating atypical thymic carcinoid in a patient with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
Carcinoid Tumor ; Humans ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 1 ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neuroendocrine Tumors ; Prognosis ; Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome

Atypical thymic carcinoid is an extremely rare tumor with a poor prognosis. In addition to its known association with multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1, its hallmark characteristics include local invasion and early distant metastasis. In this report, we share our experience treating atypical thymic carcinoid in a patient with Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.