BACKGROUND: Detection of causative allergens in respiratory allergy patients is important for diagnosis and selection of treatment modality. Allergen sensitization depends on the genetic susceptibility and environmental exposure to allergens. MATERIAL AND METHOD: In this study, we tried to find causative inhalant allergens in respiratory allergy patients who underwent skin prick test with common 55 inhalant allergens and RAST at Chungbuk National University Hospital in Chungbuk district. We also evaluated the changes of causative allergens because the environment here may be quite different, since the main population lives in the urban area and industrialization began later than in the other cities and districts. RESULTS: The major allergen was house dust mite, and its sensitivity rate did not change annually. Other indoor allergens such as cockroach, and animal dander including cat and dog showed similar trends. But the sensitization rate to tree and weed pollen except grass had significantly increased since 1995. Among pollens, the increase of sensntization to weed pollen was more marked. Ratio of sensitization rate to double or triple kinds of allergens also increased. CONCLUSION: Taken together, house dust mite is still the major allergen, but rate to pollen sensitization, especially to weed pollen has increased rapidly and significantly. It is suggested that causative allergens in repiratory allergy patients has begun to shift to pollen recently.
Allergens* ; Animals ; Cats ; Chungcheongbuk-do* ; Cockroaches ; Dander ; Diagnosis ; Dogs ; Environmental Exposure ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Poaceae ; Pollen ; Pyroglyphidae ; Skin

No abstract available.
Schizophrenia*

No abstract available.
Bender-Gestalt Test* ; Hallucinations*

Evaluation and management of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficient knee pose several problems. For acute injuries, the essential factors are diagnosis of the ACL rupture and associated injuries, and selection of the appropriate method of the management. Until recently, the frequency of complete disruption of the ACL was though to be less than that of the medial collateral ligament. However, there is little doubt that the ACL is the most frequently torn ligament in the knee. Diagnosis may be made with a combination of tests: Anterior drawer, valgus or varus stress test, Lachman, and pivot shift. If the patients is unable to relax because of pain or fear, examination under the anesthesia should be performed. Treatment can be surgical or nonsurgical. Since the ACL is vital to normal knee function, surgical intervention is advisable in the majority of cases of acute disruption. Authors analyzed the records of 58 cases of acute knee ligament injuried patients treated at the department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Kang-Nam St. Marys Hospital, Catholic Medical College and Center, from November 1982 to January 1984, with follow-up range from 6 to 20 months. 1. Among 58 cases, 41(71%) had anterior cruciate ligament injury and 39(67%) had medial collateral ligament injury. 2. The causes of injury were mostly traffic accident (77%) and majority of the patients was in their twenties and thirties of age. 3. Among 41 cases of ACL Injury, 5 had isolated anterior cruciate injury, 27 cases (66%) had associated medial collateral injury, 9 (22%) had associated lateral collateral injury, and 7 (17%) had associated posterior cruciate ligament injury. 4. Meniscal injury was found only in 6 cases (15%); 4 medial and 2 lateral menisci. 5. Majority of anterior cruciate injured patients (71%) had more than 5mm joint openning than normal side in valgus or varus stress radiogram with the knee in extension. 6. In all cases of anterior cruciate ligament injured patients, the Lachman test was positive under the general anesthesia, hut anterior drawer test was positive in 80%. 7. In about 90% of the cases, the anterolateral rotatory instability (ALRI) test was positive and this finding was accentuated when the lateral collateral ligament was torn. 8. Among 41 cases, 16 (39%) had failure at the insertion site, 7 (17%) had tibial spine avulsion, and 9 patients each (22%) had tear at the ligament substance level and had grade II sprain. 9. In twenty-three, primary repair was done, in 9, primary intra-articular recopstruction was performed and 9 were treated conservatively. The result was from fair to excellent almost in all cases.
Accidents, Traffic ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General ; Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; Clinical Study ; Collateral Ligaments ; Diagnosis ; Exercise Test ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Joints ; Knee ; Lateral Ligament, Ankle ; Ligaments ; Menisci, Tibial ; Methods ; Posterior Cruciate Ligament ; Rupture ; Spine ; Sprains and Strains ; Tears

No abstract available.
Humans

A case of Korean hemorrhagic fevery confirmed by fluorescent antibody technique in a 8years old boy was reported with a brief review of references.
Fluorescent Antibody Technique* ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome* ; Humans ; Male

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The outcome of asthma treatment has traditionally been assessed by measuring the conventional clinical parameters such as symptoms, expiratory flow rates and needs for medications. But none of them tells us whether the patients are actually able to function properly in their lives. Only assessment of the quality of life (QOL) can reflect the parts of patients lives affected by the disease. However, there is no measure to assess the quality of life of patients with any chronic diseases in Korea yet. We developed the QOL Questionnaire for Korean Asthmatics and evaluated its measurement properties. METHOD: The questionnaire was composed of 18 items in four domains : i.e. activity limitation (6 items), symptoms (5 items), emotional function (3 items) and environmental stimuli (4 items). At our out-patient clinic, 32 adults with moderate to severe persistent bronchial asthma were enrolled. The study design consisted of 4 week unblinded single cohort with visits at 0 and 4 weeks, and the patients were asked to answer the questionnaire by self administration method at the two separate visits. Forced expiratory volume for 1 second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) were recorded at each visit. According to the patients and physicians global assessment, the patients were divided into two groups, i.e. stable and changed (improved). The responsiveness, reproducibility and validity of the questionnaire were evaluated. RESULTS: The total QOL scores at the second visit in the changed group were significantly higher than those at the first visit. The score differences between the two visits in the changed group were higher than in the stable group. In the stable group, the responses to the questionnaire were reproducible. The QOL scores showed good longitudinal correlation with the expiratory flow rates, whereas FEV1 did not correlate with the QOL in cross-sectional analysis. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire proved to be reproducible, responsive and valid in the subjects. It could be recommended for the outcome evaluation of Korean asthmatics.
Adult ; Asthma ; Chronic Disease ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Korea ; Outpatients ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Quality of Life* ; Self Administration ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Polyarteritis nodosa is one of the necrotizing vasculitis inv'olving small and medium sized arteries. Polyarteritis nodosa may affect many organs such as kidney, musculoskeletal system, gastrointestinal tract, skin, heart, and nerve. In Cupps and Fauci's autopsy studies, muscle involvement was found in 39% of the patients with polyarteritis nodosa. Commonly Polyarteritis nodosa may be presented clinically by myalgia. We experienced a case of polyarteritis nodosa presenting as myositis, diagnosed by muscle biopsy and renal angiography, which appear with unusual presentation of joint contracture in lt elbow and muscle crarnping pain rather than cornmonly presented myalgla.
Angiography ; Arteries ; Autopsy ; Biopsy ; Contracture ; Elbow ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Heart ; Humans ; Joints ; Kidney ; Musculoskeletal System ; Myalgia ; Myositis* ; Polyarteritis Nodosa* ; Skin ; Vasculitis

Serum immunoglobulins from Israeli carp (I. carp) were purified using affinity chromatography. Fish were immunized with purified mouse IgG, and the specific fish antibodies purified from the immune serum on a mouse IgG-immobilized agarose gel. Rabbit anti-carp Ig (Raclg) antibodies were produced following hyperimmunization with mlgG specific I. Carp Ab. SDS-PAGE analysis under reducing condition showed that I. carp Ig (clg) were composed of two u-like heavy chains with about 82 and 50 kD, respectively and one light chain with about 25 kD. On immunoblotting analysis, however, Raclg failed to react with light chain. When both protein A and protein G purified normal clg were compared with mlgG specific clg, no significant structural differences among them were observed. To investigate if there is any homology between other fish Ig molecules, cross-reactivity of Raclg against Ig molecules from 6 different fish sera and mouse control serum was checked on immunoblotting analysis. As a result, Raclg responded to only carp and tilapia Ig molecules, indicating that both tilapia and carp are very closely associated, especially, in the genetic basis of immunoglobulin structure. In flow cytometry study, Raclg appeared to recognize 45.8% of carp Ig+, 14.5% of catfish Ig+ and <5% of tilapia Ig+ cells. The result suggest the heterogeniety between receptor immunoglobulins on B-like lymphocytes and soluble immunoglobulins in serum. It is crucial to obtain pure fish immunoglobulins to produce reagent antibodies as tools for the study of their specific immune response.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Carps* ; Catfishes ; Chromatography, Affinity ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Flow Cytometry ; Immunoblotting ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulins* ; Lymphocytes ; Mice ; Sepharose ; Staphylococcal Protein A ; Tilapia

No abstract available.
Adrenocortical Carcinoma* ; Cushing Syndrome ; Humans ; Infant* ; Male* ; Puberty, Precocious