54-year-old male patient with acute lymphocytic leukemia was consulted to our department. He had had a few painful erythematous necrotic plaques on the chest, which suggested initslly vasculitis or pyoderma. On histological examination, characterisitic histological findings of non-septated large hyphae were observed in the dermis and subcutaneoustissue, Although organism was not isolated on Sabouraud agar media containing cycloheximide, the diagnosis of cutaneous mucormycosis was made by the characteristic histological nattlre. He died after 2 weeks with amphotericin B intravenous injections so that additional fungus culture was not performed.
Agar ; Amphotericin B ; Cycloheximide ; Dermis ; Diagnosis ; Fungi ; Humans ; Hyphae ; Injections, Intravenous ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mucormycosis* ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma* ; Pyoderma ; Thorax ; Vasculitis

PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between MR changes of the nucleus pulposus and the time interval after traumatic disc herniation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: T2-weighted MR images of 132 patients with back pain and/or sciatica were reviewed. The changes of signal intensity, central cleft and height of the nucleus pulposus were used as criteria of disc degeneration and they were graded as normal, mild, moderate and severe degrees of degeneration. Putting these criteria together we provided integrated grade of degeneration of the nucleus pulposus(grade 0-3). To get the preliminary data for normal and age-related disc degeneration, we measured the disc height by age groups and disc levels and analyzed the realtionship between the age of the patients and the signal intensity, cleft and height in normal disc levels of the 132 patients. In 68 patients of 88 levels disc herniation, we analyzed the relationship between symptom duration and the degree of degeneration. Among these 68 patients we selected 14 patients(16 levels) who were under 30 years of age and had history of recent trauma to minimize data distortion from age related degeneration and ambiguity of initiation point of degeneration. In this group we analyzed the relationship between the time period after traumatic disc herniation and the degree of degeneration. RESULTS: The age of the patient had close relationship with the grade of signal intensity, central cleft, and disc height and grade of degeneration of the nucleus pulposus in normal discs. in 88 levels of herniated discs, the duration of symptom and degree of degeneration showed moderate correlation. In 14 patients of disc herniation who were under 30 years old and had trauma history in recent 2 years, grade 1 disc degeneration occured in average 3.7 months after trauma. CONCLUSION: Although it was difficult to proceed statistical analysis in the last group because of small patients number, the degree of degeneration of nucleus pulposus had close relationship with the duration after traumas or duration of symtoms.
Adult ; Back Pain ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; Sciatica

No abstract available.
Abdomen, Acute* ; Child* ; Humans

Wet cement can cause caustic ulcers due to its alkalinity. Besides caustic ulcers frequently called cement burn, allergic and irritant contact dermatitides are common in cement workers. Alkalinity of calcium hydroxide in wet cement combined with the effect of pressure and occlusion against skin may result in cement burn. We report two cases of cement burn due to their occupational exposures.
Burns* ; Calcium Hydroxide ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Occupational Exposure ; Occupations ; Skin ; Ulcer

Povidone-iodine(PVP-I) is a widely used antiseptic for the skin because of its low toxicity and high germieidal efficacy, Allergic contact dermatitis to PVP-I is known to be rare. Two patients who recently underwent surgical operations were referred to us due to pruritic well-demarcated eczematous skin lesions around the wounds. Their operation wounds had persisted in spite of the treatments using systemic antibiotics and topical antiseptics. Patch tests were performed with antiseptics including PVP-I, hydrogen peroxide, and benzalkonium chloride which had been used to dress their wounds. The patch tests resulted in positive reactions to PVP-I at the concentrations of 1% in one patient and 0.01% in another.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Anti-Infective Agents, Local ; Benzalkonium Compounds ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact* ; Humans ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Patch Tests ; Povidone-Iodine* ; Skin ; Wounds and Injuries

Nonpigmenting fixed drug eruption is a form of fixed drug eruption which heals without pigmentation. To leave no traces makes the diagnosis difficult. A 37-year-old man pressented the erythematous patches on both wrists and the left thigh. Several hours before the eruption, he had taken oral drugs for the treatment of osteomyelitis. He had had the same eruptions which were diagnosed as an allergic contact dermatitis, 8 months ago. The patch tests with medicated drugs were negative, but oral provocation with etodolac brought the same eruptions.
Adult ; Dermatitis, Allergic Contact ; Diagnosis ; Drug Eruptions* ; Etodolac* ; Humans ; Osteomyelitis ; Patch Tests ; Pigmentation ; Thigh ; Wrist

No abstract available.
Skin Manifestations* ; Skin*

OBJECTIVES: On the basis of the relationship between positron emission tomography and symptom profiles in schizophrenia by Liddle et al, the authors attempted to investigate the related brain regions associated with clinical symptoms by studying the correlations between the performance of neuro-psychological tests likely to reflect functioning of dorsolateral preftontal, orbitofiontal or cingulate, parietal, and temporal cortices and 3 dimensions (psychotic or reality distortion, negative, and disorganization) of symptoms. METHODS: 41 subjects with a confirmed diagnosis of schizophrenia were scored for each of the three dimensions by Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Subjects performed 12 neuropsychological tests designed to measure impairment in specific areas of the brain. RESULTS: According to partial co-rrelations to remove possible confounding variables, the neuropsychological correlates of psychotic(reality distortion) and disorganization dimensions were some tests considered to be related to dorsolateral prefrontal and parietal lobes, and cingulate and dorsolateral preliontal cortices, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results support a part of hypotheses, a specific relation between disorganization and cingulate cortex. In addition our results suggest the possibile relations between a psychotic dimension and functions of dorsolateral prefrontal and parietal lobes, and between a disorganization one and functions of cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices. The authors believe that our study supports different neural circuits associated with each of dimensions of symptoms, particularly psychotic and disorganization, in schizophrenia.
Brain ; Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Diagnosis ; Gyrus Cinguli ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Parietal Lobe ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Rabeprazole ; Schizophrenia*

No abstract available.
Humans

BACKGROUND: Korea is, known to be an endemic area of viral hepatitis B, and 5-6% of population are carriers. Immunization can reduce the spread of hepatitis B infection. Hower, not all people respond to hepatitis B immunsation. 5-15% of primary vaccinees fail to be immunized. After revaccination, only 37.5 44% of the primary failures elicit antibody response. Recent studies have reported that it is effective to inject a double dose vaccination in immunocompromsed patients. In some country, they recommend that neonate whode mother is HBV carrier shoud receive double dose vaccination. This study documented the results of double dose vaccintion only once to nonrsponders toward the HBV immunzation. METHODS: Healthy nonresponders to Hepatitis B immunization were recuited from Sep. 1995 to Aug. 1996. Subjects with their AST/ALT level over 40, or over 65 years old were excluded. They were received 2ml of plasma-derived vaccine(Hepavax-B) intramuscularly in the deltoid muscle. Anti-HBs antibody testing were performed at 1 to 3 months after vaccintion. RESULTS: 17 healthy nanreponders to Hepatitis B immunization(male 10, female 7) were included. Their mean ages were 47(32 to64), AST/ALT level 20/19(16 to 28/11 to 35), smoking 4.3pys(1 to 7). Seroconversion occured in 13 of them(76.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Nonresponders to Hepatitis B vaccintion respond well to double dose vaccination once.
Aged ; Antibody Formation ; Deltoid Muscle ; Female ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Immunization ; Immunization, Secondary ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Mothers ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Vaccination*