No abstract available.
Anemia, Aplastic* ; Hepatitis*

No abstract available.
Syphilis, Congenital*

Pancreas lipomatosis is definde as fatty replacement of pancreatic acinar cells. Of the nine cases evaluated, seven cases (77.8%) of lipomatosis were limited inbody and tail, one case (11.1%) showed total lipomatosis excluding uncinate process and the remaining one case (11.1%) only in tail. As to the severity of lipomatosis, complete fat replacement in body and tail was found in four cases (44.4%), incomplete body and complete tail involvement in two (22.2%), incomplete body and tail, complete all except uncinate process, and complete tail involvements were found in one case (11.1%) each. Associated or predisposing factors included three diabetes mellitus (33.3%) combined with pancreas divisum, pancreas lithiasis and cholelithiasis respectively, hepatitis (22.2%) in two, and pseudocyst (11.1%) in one case, but in three cases (33.3%) nothing was found. In conclusion, pancreas lipomatosis was easily diagnosed by the abdominal CT and it was associated or predisposed by several e tities but had no major clinical symptoms, such as pancreatic insufficiency.
Acinar Cells ; Causality ; Cholelithiasis ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency ; Hepatitis ; Lipomatosis* ; Lithiasis ; Pancreas* ; Tail ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: The increase of smoking prevalence in adolescents Is serious problem because of physical and psychological influences furthermore, fixation of smoking habit. This study is aimed at providing applicable basic information to setting up the education programs and strategies to prevent smoking among high school students by analysing smoking behavior and its related factors. METHODS: 835 students from one senior high school in Taegu completed a self administerd questionnaire during school hours in May, 1996. 813 questionnaires with adequate responses were analyzed using SPSS/PC program. All students were asked class years, school satisfaction, school performance score, number of their three best friends who smoke, smoking status of their fathers, religion, allowance, alcoholic drinks, addicting drug use, Zung's self-rating depression scale(SDS) and Zung's self-rating anxiety scale(SAS), Smokers were asked amount of smoking, motives for smoking, when they started smoking, Fagerstrom score. RESULTS: Of the 813 students in the sample 135(16.6%) were current smokers. About the amount of smoking, 59.3% smoked less than 5 cigarettes/day. About the motives of smoking, 34.8% started smoking through the solicitation by friends or for making friends. About when they started smoking, 52.6% started smoking before entrance into senior high school. The related factor with smoking Included class years, school satisfaction, school performance score, numbers of three best friends who smoke, allowance, alcoholic drinking, addicting drug use, SDS. Predictor of smoking were number of three best friends who smoke, number of alcoholic drinking, and allowance. The related factors of nicotine dependency were amount of smoking, allowance, when they started smoking. Predictor of nicotine dependency were amount of smoking, number of three best friends who smoke. CONCLUSIONS: The related factors with smoking included class years, school satisfaction, school performance score, number of three best friends who smoke, allowance, alcoholic drinking, addicting drug use, and SDS. Predictors of smoking were number of three best friends who smoke, number of alcoholic drinking, and allowance.
Adolescent ; Alcoholics ; Anxiety ; Daegu* ; Depression ; Drinking ; Education ; Fathers ; Friends ; Humans ; Male* ; Nicotine ; Prevalence ; Smoke* ; Smoking* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Neuroblastoma*

BACKGROUND: Anesthetic requirements are affected by the preoperative levels of some hormones. This study investigated to identify the hormonal status such as plasma level and maximal secretary capacity correlating with propofol and remifentanil requirements in pituitary adenoma patients who show various hormonal secretory states perioperatively. METHODS: From 51 adult female pituitary adenoma patients, preoperative basal values and maximal stimulated levels of various hormones related to the axis of hypothalamus-pituitary-target organs on combined pituitary function test were recorded. Total intravenous anesthesia using target controlled infusion with propofol and remifentanil was administered. The effect-site concentration (Ce) of propofol reaching anesthetic induction and the consumed dosages of propofol and remifentanil during operation were measured. Anesthetic maintenance was controlled within 30% of preanesthetic hemodynamic variables by remifentanil and within ranges of BIS 45 +/- 10 by propofol. Spearman correlations between hormonal status and anesthetic requirements such as propofol Ce for induction, total consumed doses of propofol and remifentanil were performed with a statistical significance at P of 0.05. RESULTS: The preoperative basal level of ACTH was correlated positively with propofol induction Ce and maintenance dose, and the maximal secretory capacity of prolactin also correlated positively with propofol induction Ce. Remifentanil consumption dose was not related with any hormones measured regardless of either preoperative basal levels or maximal secretory levels. CONCLUSIONS: Propofol requirements may be related with preoperative plasma level of ACTH or maximal secretory capacity of prolactin.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Adult ; Anesthesia, Intravenous ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Female ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Piperidines ; Pituitary Function Tests ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Plasma ; Prolactin ; Propofol

Lichen nitidus is a rare, usually asymptomatic chronic inflammatory dermatosis composed of numerous, tiny, discrete, flesh colored, shiny papules. Since the disease is asymptomatic and self-limiting, the specific treatment is not required in most cases. But when the lesion is generalized, symptomatic, persistent, interfering with outlook, the treatment is required. Diphenylcyclopropene (DPCP), a potent contact sensitizing agent has been used for refractory wart and alopecia areata based on its ability to induce delayed hypersensitivity reaction or nonspecific cell-mediated immunity. We report two cases of lichen nitidus improved after topical DPCP application.
Alopecia Areata ; Hypersensitivity, Delayed ; Immunity, Cellular ; Immunotherapy* ; Lichen Nitidus* ; Lichens* ; Skin Diseases ; Warts

OBJECTIVE: Methotrexate is the first-line drug in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) exhibiting higher efficacy and better tolerability than most other DMARDs. To have a better understanding of the anti-arthritic mechanism of methotrexate, we investigated the effect of methotrexate on suppressing the autoimmune inflammatory and destructive arthritis in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) mice. METHODS: The effects of methotrexate on joint inflammation were assessed by clinical scoring and histologic analysis. Levels of cytokines and autoreactive antibodies were analyzed by immunohistochemistry and ELISA. The population of TH17 and Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells and phosphorylation of their critical transcription activators, STAT3 and STAT5, were examined by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry, respectively. RESULTS: Treatment with methotrexate significantly alleviated joint inflammation and cartilage destruction in CIA. Serum levels of total immunoglobulins G, G1, G2a specific to type II collagen were also reduced considerably in methotrexate-treated mice. The drug inhibited the expression of proinflammatory cytokines such as IL-1beta, TNF-alpha, IL-6 and IL-17 in arthritic joints ex vivo as well as by splenocytes in vitro. Moreover, methotrexate treatment resulted in reciprocal modulation of TH17 cells and Foxp3+ regulatory T (Treg) cells in spleen tissues, in which TH17 cells were decreased and Treg cells in number were increased. Subsequent analysis of CD4+T cells showed that phosphorylation of STAT3 was decreased whereas phosphorylation of STAT5 was increased in methotrexate-treated mice. CONCLUSION: Methotrexate treatment effectively suppressed autoimmune arthritis and restored homeostasis of the immune system by reciprocal regulation of TH17 and Treg cells in a mouse model of collagen-induced arthritis.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Antirheumatic Agents ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Experimental ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Cartilage ; Collagen Type II ; Cytokines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; Homeostasis ; Immune System ; Immunoglobulins ; Immunohistochemistry ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-17 ; Interleukin-6 ; Joints ; Methotrexate ; Mice ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Phosphorylation ; Spleen ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; Th17 Cells ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

Tsukamurella pulmonis is an aerobic actinomycete. We report a catheter-related bacteremia of T. pulmonis. A 39 yr-old male with ALL was hospitalized to receive bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Although the patient developed a high fever at the 7th hospital day (HD), it subsided with vancomycin treatment, and he received BMT at 9th HD. Fever resurged at 16th HD despite sustained treatment with vancomycin, meropenem, and amphotericin B, but subsided with removal of Hickman catheter (HC) at 19th HD. Three sets of blood cultures comprising one from the HC and two from venipunctures were taken at 7th, 16th, and 19th HD, and the distal tip of the HC was also cultured. The aerobic vials of all 3 HC-withdrawn blood cultures and one peripheral blood culture taken at 19HD and the HC tip culture grew long, straight, thin gram-positive rods that were positive on modified Kinyoun stain. This organism showed tiny, rough, grey colonies after 3-day incubation and grew to large flat colonies when incubation was extended. It was catalase-positive, urease-positive, and alkaline-slant/alkaline-deep on triple sugar iron agar, and hydrolyzed hypoxanthine. The sequence of 1,296 base pairs of 16S rRNA of this organism showed a 100.0% homology with the published sequence of T. pulmonis DSM 44142T. To our knowledge, this is the first report of T. pulmonis bacteremia in Korea.
Actinomycetales/classification/genetics/isolation & purification ; Actinomycetales Infections/diagnosis/*microbiology/therapy ; Adult ; Bacteremia/*diagnosis/microbiology/therapy ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Catheter-Related Infections/*microbiology ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/therapy ; Male ; Phylogeny ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S/genetics

A primary sarcoma of the pulmonary artery is a rare disease. The symptoms of the disease are nonspecific, so it is very difficult to get an exact diagnosis in an emegency situation. A 48-year-old man was admitted to our emergency center with the history of syncope. The patient had no symptoms of a chest problem. During the diagnostic work up, we found an increased density in the left upper lung field on the chest PA, which was the only diagnostic clue to the patient 's illness. A chest CT, a chest MRI, and other studies were done to diagnose the undelying cause of syncope. We found a large intraluminal mass in the pulmonary artery and anterior mediastinal lymph node enlargement. A firm tumor, which arose from the main pulmonary artery and caused a near total obstruction of the left main pulmonary artery, was found during operation, and a partial resection of the tumor mass was done. Histologic and immunohistochemical staining revealed the tumor to be poorly differentiated spindle cell sarcoma. We report the case of a pulmonary artery sarcoma patient, along with a brief review of related literature.
Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Hemangiosarcoma* ; Humans ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Middle Aged ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Rare Diseases ; Sarcoma ; Syncope ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed