OBJECTIVES: Bee venom contains a potent antiinflammatory peptide 401 as well as mellitin. The purpose of this study was to see the efficacy and safety of purified bee venom injection therapy for knee or spinal osteoarthritis patients. METHODS: One hundred and one osteoarthritis patients were randomly assigned to bee venom injection therapy or oral nabumetone medication group. Bee venom injection group was subdivided into 3 groups according to different dosing schedule(group A: gradual increase up to 0.7mg, group B: up to 1.5mg and group C: up to 2.0mg). Control group patients(group D) were given 1000mg nabumetone daily for 6 weeks. There were 25, 26, 25, and 26 patients assigned to A, B, C, or D group. The efficacy of treatment was evaluated by measuring instruments developed by authors, and the safety of bee venom injection was evaluated by hematology and chemistry laboratory examination. RESULTS: Among 101 patients, eighty-one patients completed the study, but twenty patients were dropped out and two of these patients were dropped out due to adverse drug reaction. The efficacy in bee venom group showed better improvement than nabumetone group(p<0.01). Within bee venom group, group B and C showed better improvement than group A(p<0.01). Itching around injection site occurred in most patients, and bodyache occurred in 49 patients (81.7%). Hemoglobin was decreased(0.3g/dl) in group C, but no significant changes were observed in other laboratory values. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of bee venom injection in the control of knee or back pain in osteoarthritis patients was better than nabumetone medication. No severe allergic or adverse reaction was observed in bee venom treatment patients, but problems related with bee venom injection, such as pruritis, bodyache, and the possibility of anaphylaxis, should be considered for the use of bee venom injection.
Anaphylaxis ; Back Pain ; Bee Venoms* ; Bees* ; Chemistry ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Hematology ; Humans ; Knee ; Melitten ; Osteoarthritis* ; Osteoarthritis, Spine ; Pruritus

As one of many cell-many cell-based cartilage repairing methods, transplantation of chondrocyte-embedded-collagen gels in cartilage defect was performed for more satisfactory regeneration of cartilage. The authors performed this study to investigate whether the TGF-beta1 treatment of chondrocytes can do some additional synergistic effect on the transplantation of chondrocyte-embedded-collagen gels for crtilage repair. Chondrocytes were isolated from the articular cartilage of newborn Sprague-Dawley rats. Chondrocytes cultured for 10 days in monolayer were embedded in the 0.45% type I collagen gel. Full-thickness cartilage defect was made in the patellar groove of adult Sprague-Dawley rats. Chondrocytes culdefect was made in the patellar groove of adult Sprague-Dawley rats. The cartilage defects were treated with the following methods in a total of 200 animals, which were assigned to 5 different groups of 40 rats. In the control group, the deffect was left without any treatment, in group I, the defect was filled with collagen gel only, in group II, with collagen gel coontaining 10 ng/ml concentration of TGF-beta1, in group III, with collagen gel containing chondrocytes, and in group IV, with collagen gel containing chondrocytes and TGF-beta1. At 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 weeks after the operation, eight rats of each group were sacrificed, and their distal femurs were harvested for the histologic and biomechanical tests. The section s were stained with hematoxilin and eosin. Alcian-blue, and Safranin-O. Regenerated cartilage was analyzed by the semiquantitative histological grading system. Point indentation test was performed as a biomechanical evaluation, and the stiffness was calculated. The results of the histological grading system revealed that the scores gradually increased with time in all groups, and the scores of group III and IV were higher than those of control, group I and II. The biomechanical study showed that the stiffness gradually increased to reach a plateau level in each group. In control, group I and II, the stiffness increased up to the eighth week and remained around the increased level at the twelfth week, and did not show any statistically significant difference between the groups. In group III and IV, the stiffness was higher than in control group, and increased markedly at the fourth week and the increased level was maintained onwards. The results of this study showed that the transplantation of chondrocyte-embedded-collagen gels enhanced the healing process, and the treatment of TGF-beta1 demonstrated at least partially significant improvement.
Adult ; Animals ; Cartilage ; Cartilage, Articular* ; Chondrocytes ; Collagen ; Collagen Type I ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Femur ; Gels ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Regeneration ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1

No abstract available.
Ivermectin ; Larva Migrans

PURPOSE: It is not easy to determine the cause of pulmonary consolidative lesion. Even without any definite mass, malignancy cannot be ruled out. And sometimes, it is difficult to differentiate tuberculosis from pneumonia. To differentiate malignant consolidative lesion from benign one, we studied patterns of air bronchogram, mucoid impaction, and computed tomographic anglogram etc. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty seven cases of pulmonary consolidative lesions(23 cases of malignancy,34 cases of benign lesion) were retrospectively reviewed by three radiologists. RESULTS: Among the 28 cases which showed a little air bronchogram(less than 1/3 of the whole lesion in volumetric measure with the eye) 19 cases were malignancy and nine cases were benign lesions. All of the 12 cases which showed profound air bronchogram over 2/3 of the whole lesion were benign lesions. Bronchiectasis was detected in 31 cases(four of malignancy and 27 of benign lesions). Among the 20 cases which didn't show the mucoid impaction five cases were malignancy and 15 cases were benign lesions. Out of eight cases with mucoid impaction filling the long segments(branching tree shape), seven cases were malignancy and one case was benign lesion. So called CT anglogram was detected in nine cases of malignancy and two cases of benign lesions. All of nine cases of malignancy showed CT anglogram which was like arborizing tree. CONCLUSION: Scanty air bronchogram, profound arborizing mucoid impaction and/or CT angoigram within consolidative lesion could suggest malignancy.
Bronchiectasis ; Pneumonia ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed* ; Tuberculosis

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract*

We report a case of embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma with palpable right inguinal lymph node in a 6-year-old girl which developed rapidly on the right labia minora over a period of 2 montha. Histopathological study showed characteristic findings of spindle shaped rhabdomyoblast with hyperchromatic nuclei and cytoplasmicprocesses. After a preoperative chemotherapy with vincristine, actinomycin D, and cytoxan, the size of the mass was reduced, and lymph nodes were not palpable. And then, simple vulvectomy. postoperhtive cheirnatherapy and radiotherapy were done.
Child ; Cyclophosphamide ; Dactinomycin ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Female* ; Genitalia, Female* ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Radiotherapy ; Rhabdomyosarcoma, Embryonal* ; Vincristine

No abstract available.

Malposition of the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) venous cannula in the azygos vein is not frequently reported. We hereby present such a case, which occurred in a neonate with right-sided congenital diaphragmatic hernia. Despite ECMO application, neither adequate flow nor sufficient oxygenation was achieved. On the cross-table lateral chest radiograph, the cannula tip was identified posterior to the heart silhouette, which implied malposition of the cannula in the azygos vein. After repositioning the cannula, the target flow and oxygenation were successfully achieved. When sufficient venous flow is not achieved, as in our case, clinicians should be alerted so they can identify the cannula tip location on lateral chest radiograph and confirm whether malposition in the azygos vein is the cause of the ineffective ECMO.
Azygos Vein* ; Catheters* ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation* ; Heart ; Hernias, Diaphragmatic, Congenital* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Oxygen ; Radiography, Thoracic

Few cases of ichthyosis bullosa of Siemens(IBS) have been reported since 1939, as a distinct entity from bullous congenital ichthyosiform erythroderma(BCIE). IBS can be differentiated from BCIE by the absence of congenital erythroderma and a different distribution of involved skin area. It's characteristic features include blistering, superficial erosion or moulting of the outer skin. Histological features are tonofilaments aggregation confined to the granular and upper spinous layer of the epidermis. However, in BCIE these findings are present in the whole suprabasal compartment. The original reports of Siemens and cases from other authors showed an autosomal dominant inheritance. Our patient developed IBS sporadically without a familial background.
Blister ; Dermatitis, Exfoliative ; Epidermis ; Humans ; Ichthyosis Bullosa of Siemens* ; Ichthyosis* ; Intermediate Filaments ; Molting ; Skin ; Wills

Targetoid hemosiderotic hemangioma is a benign vascular tumor with a peculiar clinical presentation and histologic features sometimes difficult to differentiate from the patch stage of Kaposi's sarcoma, progressive lymphangioma, eosinophilic hemangioma, retiform hemangioendothelioma. We report a case of targetoid hemosiderotic hemangioma on upper back and right upper arm of a 28-year-old male. He has a 5mm × 5mm sized slightly raised violaceous papule surrounded by an ecchymotic halo on upper back and right upper arm. We took a biopsy of the lesion and identified it as targetoid hemosiderotic hemangioma. This is a case of targetoid hemosiderotic hemangioma with typical clinical and histopathological findings.
Adult ; Arm ; Biopsy ; Eosinophils ; Hemangioendothelioma ; Hemangioma* ; Humans ; Lymphangioma ; Male ; Sarcoma, Kaposi