From the leprosy patients hospitalized at the Korean National Leprosarium on Snrokdo Island, forty-five leprosy patients with plantar ulcers were selected randomly for microbiological studies. A total of 84 strains of bacteria, with the most common being Neieseria sicca (25 strains: 29.8%), 34 strains (40. 5%) were present as a pure growth and 50 strains (59. 5%) were present in ulcers with multiple infection. Antibiotic susceptibility tests indicated that bacterial isolates were rather highly susceptible to gentarnicin and kanamycin, but varying degree of isolates were resistant to 12 antibiotics including streptomycin, rifampicin, lincomycin, penicillin, terramycin and colimycin etc. From a total of 30 plantar ulcers, 17 ulcers produced 24 strains of fungi and 1 strain of Balanticlium coli. They consisted of 17 strains of saprophytic fungi (70. 8%) and 7 strains of yeast-like fungi (29. 2%). Of the culture media for Balantidium coli, Sabourauds glucos medium is the most specific and selective that the author found.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Balantidium ; Colistin ; Culture Media ; Foot Ulcer* ; Fungi ; Humans ; Kanamycin ; Leprosy* ; Lincomycin ; Oxytetracycline ; Penicillins ; Rifampin ; Streptomycin ; Ulcer

Vibrio vulntficus is a halophilic, gram-negative, motile, marine rod tha is capable of causing rapidly progressing, life-threatening infection in human. The illnesses associated with this organism can be categorized clinically as four groups such as wound infection, primary sept cemia, gastrointestinal illness, and other infection. The clinica1 manifestation of patients with primarys pticemia can vary from fever and chills alone to a more severe illness including secondary skin lesions, multisystem organ failure and shock. Several skin lesions are found in patients with this septicemia, including edema, blister, gangrene, localized swelling, and papura and, less comrnonly, cyanosis, maule and patch, papule, wheal, and pustule. The cutaneous lesions appear mostly on the legs. The hist pathologic findings differ according to the clinieal stage(inflammatory, bullous, and gangrenous) of the lesions. Mortality is very high. The organism is isolated mostly from skin lesion and/or blood. Vibrio vulnifices is sensitive to chloramphenicol, gentamicin, tubramycin, tetracycline, and 3rd generation cephalosporins. Most cases occur during the summer montlis, in men and in person 40 or more year of age. The illness begin with septicemia, often within 2 days of the consumption of various kinds of raw seafood such as fish, shell- fish, and brown seaweed. Patierts frequently have preexisting liver diseae and/or alcohol abuse. For prevention of Vibrio vulni ficus infections, persons with liver diseases or alcohol abuse should avoid consuming or handling raw seafood. Clinicians should start appropriate therapy promptly in patients with chronic underlying disease and a recent history of raw seafood con umption who present with unexplained febrile illness.
Alcoholism ; Blister ; Cephalosporins ; Chills ; Chloramphenicol ; Cyanosis ; Edema ; Epidemiology ; Fever ; Ficus ; Gangrene ; Gentamicins ; Humans ; Leg ; Liver ; Liver Diseases ; Male ; Mortality ; Seafood ; Seaweed ; Sepsis ; Shock ; Skin ; Tetracycline ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio* ; Wound Infection

Vibrio vulnificus is a halophilic gram-negative, marine bacterium which causes fulminating and potentially fatal human disease. A new sensitive and specific serogrouping procedure was developed for identifying V. vulnificus. Reference antis:ra(01-014) to V. vulnificus were prepared by vaccinated rabbits with heat-killed bacteria, and the antisera were examined whether erogrouping test will be available for rapid and sensitive identification method of V. vulnifiius or not. All of thirty-seven clinical strains tested were agglutinated with 5 kinds of aritisera such as 04A, 01, 013, 03, and 014. Of these serovar 04A was predominant(75.7%). The author investigated the correlation among certain serovars, consumed seafoods, and nortality rate to verify whether the serovar is of pognostic value. There was no significant orrelation among them. These results suggest theart serogrouping procedure could be of value in rapidly identifying V. vulnificus.
Bacteria ; Humans ; Immune Sera ; Rabbits ; Seafood ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio*

Twenty-three bacteriologically positive leprosy patients were randomly selected from a leprosarium, randomly divided into four treatment groups, and given vaying dosages of Isoprodian, the tablet contained INAH 175mg, Prothionamide 175mg and DDS 50 mg, for five months. Group I: Initial 1/2 tablet dose per week with 1/2 tablet increment every weeks until 12 tablets were being consumed w.
Humans ; Leprosy* ; Prothionamide ; Tablets

BACKGROUND: The extracellular matrix constitutes the dermis supporting an overlying epidermal lining. A small portion of the cell component includes fibroblasts and mast cells, a large amount of fibrous tissue as struct ural proteins, intra-and extracellular adhesive molecules, and extracellular macromolecules, glyccsarninoglycan(GAG) and proteoglycan make up the dermal connective tissue. GAGs, polysacchavide chains secreted by fibroblasts, are the main macromolecules of the extracellular matrix. GAG chains occupy large amounts of extracellular space and form hydrated gels. The various manifestations observed during the cutaneous intrinsic aging process reflect the age-related changes of dermal connective tissue. OBJECTIVE: This study was directed to observe the age-related changes of GAG in human abdominal skin without the influences of photoaeging. MaTERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects involved in this study were grouped according to the age span of 10 years. A minimum of 3 skin samples were included in each age group. After permission, three to five grams of skin samples without known underlying skin diseases were obtained from the pat,ients who were subjected to open abdominal surgery under general anesthesia. GAGs were extracted and purified by repeated cetylpyridium chloride-ethanol precipitation from each skin sample. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of GAGs was carried out with the action of specific GAG degradirig enzymes. RESULTS: The amount of GAGs per gram skin tissue decreased slowly until the 4th decade and thereafter. A statistically- significant reduction in the amount of GAGs was noted between the age groups of under 10 and that of 51-60. This pattern of decline was similar with tte change of the hyaluronic acid content in gram skin tissue. The content of chondroitin sulfate and heparan sulfate also decreased as a function of ageing. The compositional ratio of GAGs showed no age related changes. The water content measured by acetone dehydration was reduced to a significant level up to the age group of over 30 years. CONCLUSION: These results imply that the wrinkling and laxity of skin during the chronological ageing process reflect the age-related reduction of GAGs and the water content of the skin.
Acetone ; Adhesives ; Aging ; Anesthesia, General ; Cellular Structures ; Cetylpyridinium ; Chondroitin Sulfates ; Connective Tissue ; Dehydration ; Dermis ; Extracellular Matrix ; Extracellular Space ; Fibroblasts ; Gels ; Heparitin Sulfate ; Humans* ; Hyaluronic Acid ; Mast Cells ; Proteoglycans ; Skin Diseases ; Skin* ; Water

BACKGROUND: Vibrio vulnificus(V. vulnificus) is a pathogenic, marine, halophilic, Gram negative bacillus which causes fulminant infection in humans through skin wounds. or the ingestion of raw seafoods or Most cases are reported sporadically in summer in the south-western coastal area of Korea. OBJECTIVE: We studied the distribution of V. vulnificus in sea water, fishes, shellfish and sea mud from May to October in 1996 and the relationship between regional distribution and environmental factors. METHODS: We collected the sea water, sea mud, fishes and seafoods from May to October in Kunsan, Daechun, Moochangpo, Puan, Youngkwang and cultured it in Thiosulfate-Citrate-Bile salt-Sucrose(TCBS) agar, Cellobiose-Polymyxin B-Colistin(CPC) agar, and Sodium dodecyl sulfate- Polymyxin B-Sucrose(SPS) agar. At the same time we investigated environmental factors such as temperature, pH, salinity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen(DO), NO3 of sea water. RESULTS: Twelve strains(2.17%) of V. vulnificus were isolated from a total of 552 specimens. The V. vulnificas isolation rate from sea mud was higher than in sea water and shellfish. Areas where V. vulnipcus was isolated were Kunsan and Daechun. It was isolated during June, July and August. The Isolation rate was higher with CPC agar than TCBS, SPS agar. When V.vulnificus was isolated at Kunsan, the environmental factors of sea water noted were as follows: temperature, 25.3C; turbidity, 121Formazine turbidity units; salinity, 12.2%; DO, 7.3mg/L; pH, 7.37 and NO3, 1.18mg/L. CONCLUSION: CPC agar is the best medium of the three above used for the isolation of V. vulnificus from environmental samples. V. vulnificus was highly isolated in the Kunsan area because of the high water temperature and turbidity, low salinity and weak alkali state of the sea water in comparision with other areas. We suggest that high temperature and turbidity, low salinity and weak alkalinity of sea water are very important environmental factors for the growth of V. vulnificus.
Agar ; Alkalies ; Bacillus ; Eating ; Fishes ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Jeollabuk-do ; Korea* ; Polymyxins ; Salinity ; Seafood ; Seawater* ; Shellfish ; Skin ; Sodium ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio* ; Water ; Wounds and Injuries

Using the 15 strains of Vibrio eulnificus isolated from the blood and tissue fluid of the patients with primary septicemia, cultural characteristics were studied on various media. The media to be used in culturing Vibrio vulnificus should contain sodium chloride, because it could not survive on the media without NaCl. The organism grew poorly or not at all on the media with eosin-y, methylene blue, crystal violet, or azide, because these substances suppress its growth. Vibrio vulnificus grew well in the enrichment media such as brain heart infusion, tryptic soy broth, and nutrient broth with 0. 5% NaCl.
Brain ; Cultural Characteristics* ; Gentian Violet ; Heart ; Humans ; Methylene Blue ; Sepsis ; Sodium Chloride ; Vibrio vulnificus* ; Vibrio*

Lymphangiectasis(=acquirecl lymphangioma) ate dilated lymph caillaris and may be due to the obstruction of the lymphatic circulation from surgery, irradiation, chronic recurrent infection or trauma. The patient was a 5 years old girl who developed a straw-colcre, asymptomatic grouped vesicular mass resembling frog spawn measuring 9 cm in diameter the left axilla and arm, 2 months after the total excision of a previous lymphangiectatic mass. She had a history of previous open heart surgery at 2 years of age. Histopathologic findings showed large, irregularly shaped cysticalation lined by a single layer of endothelium in the superficial dermis. Immunohistochemical stainig showed vimentin positive and negative results in Factor VIII and HLA-DR antigen which was compatible with a lymphatic vessel.
Arm ; Axilla ; Child, Preschool ; Dermis ; Endothelium ; Factor VIII ; Female ; Heart* ; HLA-DR Antigens ; Humans ; Lymphangioma* ; Lymphatic Vessels ; Thoracic Surgery* ; Vimentin

Infantile acute hemorrhagic edema of the skin(IAHE) is a benign disease which affects infants between 4 months and 2 years of age and is characterized by palpable ecchymotic purpura and edema on the limb and face. We report a typical case of IAHE, which was presenting a cockade, annular, reticulated, and iris-like purpura and edema on the face and extremities in a 19-month-old male infant. We consider it to be a new disease category because its characteristics different markedly from HenochSchoenlein purpura in several clinical and histopathologic findings.
Edema* ; Extremities ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Purpura ; Skin*

Reiters syndrome is classically described as the triad of urethritis, coijuctivitis, and arthritis along with the skin manifestation. of keratodermia blenorrhagica, circinate b lanitis and oral ulcetation. Since arthritis is now recognized as the only consistent component, iricr nplete forms consisting of characteristic arthritis associeited with one or more of these features and of dysentery are common, We reported a 48-year-old male who presented with a 3 years histor of significant arthralgia and psoriasiforrn skin involvemeni. He had neither an episode of dysentery not, history of sexual exposure before the onset of symptomes. Showed a correlation with the HLAB 7 tialotype. C-reactive protein levels were significantly elevated. He was treared with corticosteroid, pcycline, methotrexate and indomethacin for about 3 months resulting favorable improvement.
Arthralgia ; Arthritis ; C-Reactive Protein ; Dysentery ; HLA-B27 Antigen ; Humans ; Indomethacin ; Male ; Methotrexate ; Middle Aged ; Skin ; Skin Manifestations ; Urethritis