BACKGROUND: Although warts are known to be caused by viruses, one of their peculiarities is that they may be treated by suggestion therspy or hypnosis. This suggests that psychologic or emotional factors influence the hosts response to the virus lesions. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to analyze the role of psychologic factors in the therapeutic response of warts. METHODS: The self-concept scale test(Korean Testing Center) was done in all 61 patients with common wsrts before the cryot.herapy from September 1991 to June 1993. Clinical follow-up data were obtained on 50 patients after 2 months, and then were evaluated usir g the self-eoncept scale in treated vs untreated group. RESULTS: 1. The overall cure rate was 56.0%, being higher in females and patients with high education, 1-3 in number of lesions and no previous treatment history as well as in those with less than 1 year of duration. 2. In the comparison of self-concept scale between treated(n=18) and untreated(n=22) groups, the treated group had remarksble results in moral ethical self, personal self and family self scores (p<0.05). Only 14 items were significantly different between two groups(p<0.05 by Wilcoxon rank sum test). 3. Patients of 20 years or more showed a high cure rate(67.79%, p<0.05 by t-test) and demonstrated significance in total positive self score and its self identity, and satisfaction, self behavior, physical self, moral ethical self and family self scores(p<0.05, by t-test). CONCLUSION: The self-cancept significantly related to the positive aersonality, harmonious family, stable self-esteem and high normal ethics, may influence at least the therapy to the warts in the treated patients in contradistintion to the untreated ones.
Cryotherapy* ; Education ; Ethics ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypnosis ; Warts*

PURPOSE: Newborn infants with diarrhea, metabolic acidosis and dehydration may develop methemoglobinemia without exposure to oxidizing agents. This study was undertaken to investigate clinical features in the development of methemoglobinemia in newborn infants with diarrhea. METHOD: This study involved 16 newborn infants with diarrhea who were admitted to NICU at Dong San Medical Center between January 1995 and June 1996. We investigated the age of onset of methemoglobinemia, sex ratio, level of methemoglobin in the blood, feeding methods, clinical manifestations, arterial blood gas findings, the results of culture findings and the response to therapy. RESULT: 1) The age of onset was beyond the second week of life in most cases, no sex predilection was noted and formula feeding was used in all cases. 2) Methemoglobin level in the blood was 10.1-20.0% in 7 cases, 20.1-30.0% in 6 cases, 30.1-40.0% in 2 cases and above 40.1% in one case. 3) Clinical rnanifestations on admission: moderate to severe dehydration developed in all patients with diarrhea along with respiratory distress in 13 cases, cyanosis in 6 cases, fever was noted in 5 cases, vomiting in 5 cases, while 2 cases presented with abdominal distention. Combined diseases included metabolic acidosis in most cases (93.8%), hypokalemia in 6, failure to thrive in 3, chronic diarrhea in 2, hyponatremia in 2, necrotizing enterocolitis in 1 and hepatitis was found in one case. 4) In all cases, there were no pathogenic organisms found in either blood or urine cultures along with similar negative findings in stool cultures, and Rotazyme test results using ELISA method were negative. 5) Rehydration and correction of acidosis with sodium bicarbonate was accomplished in all patients and 11 cases with greater than 15% methemoglobin were treated with methylene blue, 2mg/kg as a 1% solution in normal saline. Response to methylene blue was indicated in 1 to 2 hours in all cases although there was a reoccurrence of methemoglobinemia after an initial response in 2 cases, they both responded favorably with retreatment with methylene blue. CONCLUSION: In all newborn infant with diarrhea, dehydration and metabolic acidosis, screening tests for early diagnosis of methemoglobinemia should be considered with prompt fluid replacement therapy.
Acidosis ; Age of Onset ; Cyanosis ; Dehydration ; Diarrhea* ; Early Diagnosis ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Failure to Thrive ; Feeding Methods ; Fever ; Fluid Therapy ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Hypokalemia ; Hyponatremia ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn* ; Mass Screening ; Methemoglobin ; Methemoglobinemia* ; Methylene Blue ; Oxidants ; Retreatment ; Sex Ratio ; Sodium Bicarbonate ; Vomiting

No abstract available.
Eating* ; Foreign Bodies*

The ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is known to be a potent modulator of many host immune functions and the exposure of experimental animals to the inflammatory effects of UVR induces depressions in their ability to initiate and effectuate various types of cellular immune responses. In this study, the effects of UV-B (280 320 nm) radiation on resistance to a facultative intracellular bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes (LM), were examined at the cellular level. The numbers of cultivable LM recovered from the spleens of UV-B-irradiated mice were decreased at 2 days postinfection compared with those of untreated control mice. However, the acquired immunity, developed 7 days after immunization with streptomycin (SM)-sensitive LM, in either UV-irradiated, LPS- or IL-1-pretreated mice was less stronger than that developed in untreated, control mice. To elucidate the possible mechanisms underlying the observation that UVR did increase innate immunity but decreased acquired immunity of mice to the infection with LM, the effects of UVR of mice on the production of IFN-r by activated splenocytes and TNF-a by peritoneal macrophages were assessed. Activated splenocytes from UV-irradiated mice exhibited a reduced capacity to produce IFN-r and cultured peritoneal macrophages produced more TNF-a in the presence of LPS during 24 hours after UV radiation. Though TNF-r activity was not detected in the sera of LM-infected mice, intravenous LPS injection induced TNF-r production and UVR decreased TNF activity in sera obtained from LM-infected mice with LPS induction 9 days after irradiation. Although Ia-negative macrophages were predominant in the peritoneal macrophages from untreated control mice, the infection of mice with LM caused a marked increase in Ia expression on peritoneal macrophages. However, UVR resulted in decreased expression of Ia molecule on the peritoneal macrophages during the LM infection. These findings suggest that the dual effects of UVR on the innate and acquired immunity of mice to the LM infection may be associated with altered capacities of splenocytes and peritoneal macrophages of the mice to produce cytokines, in addition to decrease of la molecule expression on the macrophages.
Adaptive Immunity ; Animals ; Cytokines ; Depression ; Immunity, Cellular ; Immunity, Innate ; Immunization ; Listeria monocytogenes* ; Listeria* ; Macrophages ; Macrophages, Peritoneal ; Mice* ; Spleen ; Streptomycin ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

Facial nerve schwannomas are uncommon tumors that involve the facial nerve. They are frequently misdiagnosed due to subtle and variable clinical presentations. The aim of management of facial nerve schwannoma is the complete removal of tumor, combined with preservation or restoration of facial nerve continuity. The site, size of the tumor, age, preoperative hearing level and facial nerve function are consider as decision making factors. But, it is management dilemma to decompress or resect the tumor. The purpose of this paper is to discuss to surgical management of complete removal of tumor and successful facial nerve reconstruction. Recently, we experienced three patients with facial nerve schwannoma with relatively good surgical result.
Decision Making ; Facial Nerve* ; Hearing ; Humans ; Neurilemmoma*

Objectives: Endoscopic variceal ligation is well established metbod of treatment for esophageal varices whereas for gastric varices there has not been any systematic report of its use as a method of treatment. To evaluated its possible clinical application, the band ligation(banding) and the method of band ligation in conjuction with submucosal ethanolamine injection(banding with sclero) were tested on canine stomach, and results were assessed.
Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Ethanolamine ; Ligation* ; Rubber* ; Stomach

No abstract available.
Fever ; Humans ; Still's Disease, Adult-Onset* ; Urticaria*

Three cases of giant pituitray adenoma are reported. Two cases were operated by transsphenoidal approach and a case by transcranial approach. Transsphenoidal approach showed satisfactory results despite of marked suprasellar extension of tumors. We report rare giant pituitary adenomas with review of relevant literatures.
Adenoma ; Pituitary Neoplasms*

The inhibitory component of the skin against given electrical current, also called as the electrical skin resistance, is subject to change in response to many factors, especially pain. In order to find out more definite relationship between pain and skin resistance, one should make measurement in the state devoid of any external disturbing stimuli to get the "basal skin resistance (BSR)", which is known to be different from point to point on body surface. Also, the "active points" have more consistent BSR characters than other points and most of them share same locations with "acupuncture points" which is easy to localize accurately and repeatedly in normal subject. Therefore, the comparison of BSR of certain acupuncture points of normal subject and pain-suffering subjects is expected to be able to figure out any pain-induced BSR changes. Our measurement at 16 acupuncture points (asymmetrical 8 pairs) of 10 normal subjects showed inconsistently asymmetrical distribution of the BSR values with significant order among themselves including left SP (spleen)-6 at their lowest position, but neither the measuring system itself nor any of the 16 points was statistically reliable enough for diagnostic purposes. So the measuring device needs to be improved with after evolution, and more acupuncture points need to be explored to complete our pain-related BSR map. In addition, the meaning of the above BSR distribution pattern is waiting to be explained through such efforts.
*Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; *Galvanic Skin Response ; Human ; Male ; Reproducibility of Results ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted ; *Skin Physiology

No abstract available.
Dipyridamole* ; Heart Ventricles*