Several observation suggest that the antimelanocyte autoantibodies could play a role in melanocyte destruction. Some experiments indicate that melanocyte antibodies from patients with vitiligo can kill melanocyte in vitro. In these experiments, we demonstrated that vitiligo patient's sera containing antimelanocyte antibodies can lyse cultured human melanocytes by complement activation. Melanocyte cytotoxicity was measured using the ethidium bromide/ acridine orange viability assay. Significant melanocyte cytotoxicity was seen in sera from patients with both active and inactive vitiligo(p<0.01). Melanocyte cytotoxicity measured with complement-mediated cytotoxicity decreased after systemic steroid treatment(p<0.05) ; however melanocyte cytotoxicity showed no significant change with systemic PUVA therapy.
Acridine Orange ; Antibodies ; Autoantibodies* ; Complement Activation ; Ethidium ; Humans ; Melanocytes ; PUVA Therapy ; Vitiligo*

No abstract available.
Antibodies, Neutralizing* ; Feces* ; Rotavirus*

No abstract available.
Urticaria*

BACKGROUNDs: A retrospective study was performed to define objective radiologic parameters in diagnosing epiglottitis on soft-tissue lateral neck radiographic study. METHODS: Parameters of soft-tissue structures(epiglottis width, third vertebral body width, ratio of epiglottic width to third vertebral body width) in 30 adult patients compared with those of age and sex-matched controls with foreign body in throat whose radiographic reading was normal. RESULTS: Epiglottis width of more than 11mm, ratio of epiglottis width(EW) to the third vertebral body width(C3W) of more than 0.5 were, respectively, found to be 100% sensitive and specific in differentiating between patients with and without epiglottitis. CONCLUSION: These preliminary results suggest that EW/C3W ratio of more than 0.5, EW of more than 11mm, respectively, may be useful in the diagnosis of epiglottitis in adult patients.
Adult* ; Diagnosis* ; Epiglottis ; Epiglottitis* ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Neck ; Pharynx ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: To determine if birth weight greater than 4000gm can be predicted by ultrasound measurement of abdominal circumference(AC) and if shoulder dystocia in macrosomic infants can be predicted by ultrasound measurement of the difference between the abdominal diameter(AD) and biparietal diameter(BPD). METHODS: A Retrospective study was performed of births occuring from March, 1998 to August, 1999 at department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Medicine, Chung-Ang University. Among neonates of birth weight greater than 4000 gm, 50 cases in that ultrasound examination was done within 2 weeks before delivery were selected for macrosomic group and 50 cases were selected for control group during the same period, among neonate of birth weight from 3100gm to 3900gm. RESULTS: 1) Normal spontaneous vaginal delivery(NSVD) was 41 cases in control group and 30 cases in macrosomic group. Among NSVD, shoulder dystocia was 1 case in 41 cases of control group and was 7 cases in 30 cases of macrosomic group. 2) On ultrasound measurement, 6 cases had AC greater than 35 cm in control group and 45 cases in macrosomic group. Among 30 cases in NSVD was done in macrosomic group, difference between AD and BPD was 2.9 0.271 cm when shoulder dystocia was existed and was 2.1 0.409 cm when shoulder dystocia was not existed. Between the two groups, statistically significant difference was detected. 3) When AC(cutoff value of 35cm) was used for screening of macrosomia, sensitivity for macrosomia was 88.2% and specificity was 89.8% and when AD-BPD difference(cutoff value of 2.6cm) was used for prediction of shoulder dystocia, sensitivity for shoulder dystocia was 66.6% and specificity was 95.2%. CONCLUSIONS: In prenatal ultrasound measurement, AC measurement at third trimester of pregnancy will be a valuable indicator for macrosomia screening. The AD-BPD difference of shoulder dystocia group was greater than uncomplicated group in macrosomia and the AD-BPD difference cutoff value of 2.6cm was significant value statistically.
Birth Weight ; Dystocia* ; Female ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Mass Screening ; Obstetrics ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Third ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Shoulder* ; Ultrasonography*

Sunlight is one of the well-established factors which play key roles in the induction and exacerbation of lupus erythematosus. In two patients of discoid lupus erythematosus, we have experimentally reproduced skin lesions by provocative phototesting. Both UVA (100 joules/cm²) and UVB (80 millijoules/cm²) radiation induced the skin lesions. The reproduced skin lesions were clinically and histopathologically consistent with lupus erythematosus.
Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Discoid ; Reproduction* ; Skin ; Sunlight

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the role of CT and MR imagings in the diagnosis aortic dissection and differentiation between the true and false lumen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively studied forty patients with aortic dissection(AD) diagnosed imagings or surgery. Of the forty patients, 19 were examined with only CT, 14 with CT and MR, and 7 with MI~: Our points of view were(1) the classification of AD according to configuration of intimal flap by cross-sectional imaging, (2) differentiation between the true and false lumens, (3) the course of the false lumen, and (4)! detectability of the origin of major branch vessels of the abdominal aorta. RESULTS: The classification by corss-sectional imaging were crescentic(65%), circumferential(15%), flat(12%), and irregular(8%) type, in which false negative diagnosis was made in 1 case of crescentic and circumferential type, respectively. In 2 case of flat type and 1 case of irregular type, the differentiation between the true and false lumen was impossible with CT. The course of the false lumen in descending thoracic aorta revealed countrclock wise rotation(66%), clockwise rotation(5%) or fixed(29%) apperance. MR imaging was superior to CT in the detection of the origin of major branch vessels of the abdominal aorta. The determination of the origin of major branches of abdominal aorta arising from the true and false lumen were impossible in 2 cases in which only CT was done. CONCLUSION: Diagnosis of crescentic and circumferential types of AD with narrow and thrombosed false lumen was problematic in both CT and MR with no difference of diagnostic accuracy between the two modalities. The differentiation between the true and false lumen was difficult in flat and irregular types with only CT. Therefore, when surgical treatment is considered as in type B aortic dissection, MR imaging is recommended in order to determine the origin of major branch vessels.
Aorta, Abdominal ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Classification ; Diagnosis* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Fallopian Tubes* ; Female ; Mucous Membrane* ; Sterilization*

Clinical and pathological studies were carried out on 78 patients of ovarian cancer from January 1985 to March 1991. The results are as follows : l. Among 78 patients of ovarian cancer, the age group from 51 to 60 years old was most common which was 18 cases(23.1%). 2. When classified according to the cell type, epithelial cell origin cancers were 59 cases (75.6%), ovarian cancers from germ cell origin 9 cases(11.5%), sex cord stromal cancers 3 cases(3.8%), and metastatic cancers 7 cases(8.9%) respectively. 3. When classified according to the FIGO staging, stage I were 34 cases(43.5%), stage II 8 cases(10.3%), stage III 23 cases(29.5%) and stage IV 13 cases(16,7%), respectively. 4. Preoperative mean CA 125 value of stage I ovarian cancer was 130.2+/-57.3U/ml, stage II 74.2+/-144.4U/ml, stage III 376.9+/-296.8U/ml and stage IV 433.9+/-148.2U/ml respectively. and Also preoperative mean CEA value of stage I ovarian cancer was 3.4+/-3.2ng/ ml, stage II 6.9+/-4.3ng/ml, stage III 4.7+/-4.4ng/ml and stage IV 4.6+/-6.3ng/ml respectively. 5. When classified according to the physical examination, the most common finding was palpable mass which were 38 cases(43.7%), the second, abdominal pain 30 cases(38.4%) and the third, abdominal distension 21 cases(26.9%) 6. When classified according to the operation, ipsilateral oophorectomy was 15 cases(25.5%), ipsilateral oophorectomy and contralateral ovary wedge resection 6 cases(10.2%), total abdominal hysterectomy 17 cases(28.8%), total abdominal hysterctomy and omentectomy 14 cases(23.7%), total abdominal hysterectomy and omentectomy and debulking tumor resetion 4 cases(6.7%) and biopsy only 3 cases(5.1%) respetctively. 7. When calssifide according to the postoterative endometrial finding, atrophic pattern was 28 cases(65.7%), proliferative pattern 10 cases(28.6%) and secretory pattern 2 cases(5.7%) respectively.
Abdominal Pain ; Biopsy ; Epithelial Cells ; Female ; Germ Cells ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Middle Aged ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Ovariectomy ; Ovary ; Physical Examination ; Statistics as Topic*

The case of a patient with acute onset of flank pain is presented. Initial therapy was directed toward relief of pain believed to be caused by renal calculi. The flank pain did not responded to analgesics. An abdominal ultrasonogram showed that multiple hyperechogenic masses were in the parenchyma of both kidney, and an abdominal CT showed that multiple high-density masses, presumed to be angiomyolipomas, were located in both kidneys and in the perirenal hematoma around the left kidney. Vital signs were stable, and there was no evidence of anemia. On the seventh hospital day, angiographic tumor embolization was performed. Cases such as this should remind emergency physicians to carefully consider alternate diagnoses to renal calculi in patients with flank pain who have atypical clinical features or an atypical course.
Analgesics ; Anemia ; Angiomyolipoma* ; Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Flank Pain ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Kidney ; Kidney Calculi ; Rupture, Spontaneous* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography ; Vital Signs