BACKGROUND: Several modalities have been used for the treatment of livedo vasculitis. However, in some cases conspicious morbidity is caused by recurrent painful ulceration resistant to therapy. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness and adverse effects of the danazol in treatment of livedo vasculitis. METHODS: Nine patients with ulcerative lesions due to livedo vasculitis were included for danazol therapy. Danazol 200mg was administered daily for 4 to 8 weeks. RESULTS: Eight of the patients showed remarkable improvement and were satisfied with this therapy. Significant adverse effects were not observed. CONCLUSION: We suggest that a low dose of danazol may be considered as the first line of treatment and is worthwhile to try in cases recalcitrant to the other treatment.
Danazol* ; Humans ; Ulcer ; Vasculitis*

No abstract available.
DNA* ; Ploidies* ; Thyroid Gland*

No abstract available.
Education, Distance*

Malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney(MRTK), an uncommon renal tumor found in children, is one of the most lethal neoplasms of early life. It was first recognized during a review of the first National Wilms' Tumor Study(NWTS) as an extremely aggressive neoplasm whose appearance often mimicks those of skeletal muscle tumors, but without histological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural markers of rhabdomyogenesis. Herein we present two cases of malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney, one occurring in a 6-month-old male baby, and the other in a 123-month-old girl. They presented a huge tender mass on the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. Microscopically, each case was very cellular and composed of sheets of round or polygonal cells with ample cytoplasm often containing eosinophilic filamentous inclusions and round vesicular nuclei with prominent nucleoli. Case 1 showed lymphomatoid pattern, but case 2 showed foci of several variant patterns associated with classic appearances. The tumor cells showed a strong reactivity for vimentin in both cases. Unusually, case 2 showed focal reactivity for epithelial membrane antigen(EMA), muscle specific actin, and smooth muscle actin. Ultrastructural study confirmed the presence of whorled bundles of intermediate filaments in paranuclear position, and a prominent nucleolus.
Child ; Male ; Female ; Humans

The preeclamptic nephropathy is characterized by swelling of endothelial cells, interposition of mesangial cells and matrix, subendothelial deposits of incompletely defined material, and thickening of the capillary walls. To determine the distribution of extracellular matrix (ECM) components in preeclamptic nephropathy, the immunohistochemical study was performed in ten renal biopsy cases using antisera to human type I, III, IV, and VI collagens, fibronectin, and laminin. In preeclamptic nephropathy, the accumulation of type IV and VI collagens, fibronectin was observed in moderate amount in the mesangium and, to some extent, in the thickened capillary walls, particularly in the subendothelial layer. In segmentally sclerotic lesions seen in six cases, the amount of type IV collagen was partly decreased, whereas those of type VI collagen and fibronectin were slightly increased. Type I collagen was expressed to a mild degree in the expanded mesangium and segmentally sclerotic lesions. The results suggest that the expression of ECM in the mesangium is increased in preeclamptic nephropathy, and the deposition of ECM components may be involved in the development and the reparative process of the characteristic glomerular lesions. The formation of sclerotic lesions may be linked to the alternative accumulation of ECM components.
Biopsy ; Capillaries ; Collagen ; Collagen Type I ; Collagen Type IV ; Collagen Type VI ; Endothelial Cells ; Extracellular Matrix* ; Fibronectins ; Humans ; Immune Sera ; Laminin ; Mesangial Cells

No abstract available.
Electroencephalography*

Ovulation induction in hypothalamic amenorrhea using gonadotropin- releasing hormone(GnRH) pulse therapy is complicated by widely variant patient responses ranging from anovulation to multiple pregnancy. Route of administration(intravenous vs subcutaneous), pulse therapy, GnRH dose, infusion interval, or hormone preparation may contribute. We evaluated the bioactivity of 4 GnRH preparations(Relisorm,Serono; Lutrelef,Ferring; Factrel,Ayerst; GnRH,Sigma) in a rat anterior cell bioassay. Dispersed rat anterior pituitary cells were placed for 48 hrs at 5x105 cells/well, washed and incubated with GnRH. The GnRH was diluted according to the manufacturer's culture medium(10(-12) to 10(-5)M). GnRH stimulated immunoreactive luteinizing hormone(LH) production was assested in culture medium after 4 hrs by radioimmunoassay(RIA). A linear dose-response relationship was exhibited by all preparations from 10(-10) to 10(-7)M. Msximal LH production was 249+/-24 ng/ml/4hrs(mean+/-SEM) and was not different among the preparations tested(ANOVA, p>0.05). The minimal effective dose of GnRH was 10-10M for all preparations(basa1=27+/-4ng/ml/4hrs:mean+/-SEM). No significant differences were noted for MED, or dose-response slope(p<0.05, ANOVA and slope test for parallelism, respectively). In addition, bioactive LH and immuno and bioactive follicular stimulating hormone(FSH) dose responses were confirmed. We concluded that the principal variability of patient response seen with GnRH pulse therapy cannot be attributed to the bioactivity of these commercial GnRH preparations. But rather, most of the variability is due to the inherent individualism in patient response or other factors of the treatment protocol.
Amenorrhea ; Animals ; Anovulation ; Biological Assay ; Clinical Protocols ; Female ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Humans ; Lutein ; Ovulation Induction ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Multiple ; Rats

No abstract available.
Calcium* ; Diet* ; Hypercalciuria* ; Osteocalcin*

This is an analysia of 126 cases(14.1%) of segmental vitiligo among 892 vitiligo patient who had visited vitiligo special clinie in Severance Hospital. The results are summarized as follow : 1. There were 53 males(42.1%) and 73 females(57.9%). 2. The mean age of onset was 15.4 years, the mean age on the first visit was 19.3 years, and mean duration of the disease was 4.8 years. 3. Mode of onset was single in 86.5% and the disease was table in 57.1% of patients at the visit. 4. The mean percentage of depigmented lesions was 3.3% and less than 5% of body surface area was involved in 86.5% of patients. 5. The most common site of involvement was head and necl(59.6%), especially face(43.7%) and the trigerminal dermatome was most commonly involved. 6. Poliosis was observed in 39.7%. 7. Family history of vitiligo was obtained in 11.1% of patients. There was no precipitating factors in 126 cases prior to development of vitiligo. 8. Koebner phenomenon was found in 4% of patients. 9. Association with diseases of a proven or suggested allergic or immunologic etiology including atopic dermatitis, halo nevus, uveitis, thyroid disease, lopecia areata and premature graying of hair was found in 10.3% of patients.
Age of Onset ; Body Surface Area ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Hair ; Head ; Humans ; Nevus, Halo ; Precipitating Factors ; Thyroid Diseases ; Uveitis ; Vitiligo*

OBJECTIVES: The TGF-Beta1 (transforming growth factor-Beta1 ), which has been shown to inhibit cellular proliferation in vitro as a growth regulator, has been demonstrated to enhance tumori-genicity in vivo. The proteolytic processes of cancer are thought to be the crucial point in tumor invasion and metastasis, mainly by matrix metalloproteinases.(MMPs) We investigated the serum TGF-Beta1 and MMP-2 levels in patients with cervical cancer in contrast to those of normal, patients with benign myoma, and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). And we questioned whether these serum levels are different according to the therapy of cancer or not. METHODS: We measured serum TGF-Beta1, MMP-2 concentrations by ELISA in 34 patients with cervical cancer, as well as 5 normal volunteers, 14 patients with benign myoma and 23 patients with CIN. Especially in 7 patients with cervical cancer, we measured serum TGF-Beta1, MMP-2 levels before and after therapy. RESULTS: The serum TGF-Beta1 levels in patients with cervical lancer(37.8 +/-15.4pg/ml) were significantly lower than those of the patients with CIN(46.2+/-9.2pg/ml)(p<0.05). But there is no differences among the serum MMP-2 levels in the patients with cervical cancers(680.30+/-116.6pg/ml), CIN(715.2+/-150.0pg/ml), and benign myoma(682.4+/-112.5pg/ml)(p>0.05). Patients undergoing cancer therapy did not have different values of serum TCF-Beta1 and MMP-2 levels as those without cancer therapy.(p>0.05) CONCLUSION: So we suggest that serum TGF-Beta1 may be helpful in differential diagnosing cervical cancers from CIN.
Cell Proliferation ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Myoma ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*