The mechanism of development of pulmonary edema associated with -sympathomimetic agent is still not fully understood. 2-sympathomimetic drugs such as ritodrine, terbutaline, and fenoterol are widely used for the treatment of premature uterine contraction. We describe a case of pulmonary edema that occurred suddenly during Cesarean section in a previously healthy parturient, associated with ritodrine pretreatment for 5 days in an attempt to arrest preterm labor. Pulmonary edema was completely treated with mechanical ventilation and diuretic therapy.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Fenoterol ; Humans ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Pregnancy ; Pulmonary Edema* ; Respiration, Artificial ; Ritodrine* ; Terbutaline ; Uterine Contraction

The study comprises 13 cases of phenytoin induced drug eruption admitted and treated at Seoul National University Hospital during a 6-year period (1981-1986). The summaries are as follows : 1. The skin lesions were usually pruritic morbilliform maculopapular eruptions on face, trunk, extremites, including palms and soles. However, erythema multiform was observed in one case. 2. Hiistopathologically, the dermis showed perivascular accumulation of mononuclear cells with occasional eosinophils. In some cases, the epidermis showed vacuolar alteration of basaI layer, necrotic keratinocyte with dermal perivascular mononuclear cell infiltrations. 3. The frequencies of the associated features were as follows : fever(61.5%), lymphadenopathy(23.1%), leukocytosis(45.5%), esinophilia(72.7%), and liver function abnormalities(63.6%)
Dermis ; Drug Eruptions* ; Eosinophils ; Epidermis ; Erythema ; Keratinocytes ; Liver ; Phenytoin* ; Seoul ; Skin

No abstract available.

Recently, people living in a rapidly industrializing country such as Korea seems to have less opportunity to be exposed to Rhus and Ginkgo trees than before, which may cause a lower prevalence of sensitivity to such allergens than those reported in the past. To prove the prevalence of sensitivity in Koreans, we have tested 0. 002g and 0.0l%, Urushiols and 10% Ginkgo leaves produced by Torii company to 72 atients with or suggesting contact dermatitis. The results were as follows: 1) Twelve of 72 patients(13, 9%) showed positive reactions and two patients(2. 8 %) showed active sensitization to both 0. 002% and 0. 0l% Urushiols. Only one patient(]. 4%) reacted to 10g Ginkgo leaves, and she was also reacted to the Urushiols. 2) Age and sex distribution of the positive reactors were none under thirty, 2 in thirties, 3 in forties, 4 in fifties, one over sixty, and seven female patients outnumber three male patients. 3) Out of 5 patients having past history cf contact dermatitis to Rhus tree, only patients showed positive reactions. Out of 67 patients without past history of allergy to Rhus, 8(ll, 9%) showed positive reactions and 59(88. 1%) showed negative reactions.
Allergens ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Female ; Ginkgo biloba* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Korea ; Male ; Prevalence* ; Rhus* ; Sex Distribution ; Trees

This study was undertaken to observe the difference of patch test and prick test positive reactions in three groups, 20 atopic dermatitis patients, 20 chronic urticaria patients, and 20 normal controls, Twenty commercial antigens (ToriiCo.) and twenty three frozen and boiled antigens of fishes and shellfishes were used as test materials. The results were as follows: 1. No positive reaction was observed in all sixty subjects in patch test. 2 In prick test, difference in reactivity was observed among atopic dermatitis (14. 7%), chronic urticaria (8.7%), and normal control(1. 5%) 3. There was significant difference in reactivity between Torii and frozen antigens in atopic dermatitis group, but no significance in chronic urticaria and control groups. 4. Boiling altered the reactivity in tested materials in all three groups of subjects singificantly. 5. Patients with past or family history of allergic diseases showed double fold higher reactivity tban patients without any history.
Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Fishes ; Humans ; Patch Tests ; Shellfish* ; Urticaria*

BACKGROUND: Acute abdominal pain is one of the most common problems in the family practice but the differential diagnosis of acute abdominal pain is difficult in first encounter. When family physicians are encountered with patients with acute abdominal pain in the ambulatory care settings, t,hey have to make a decision for management of acute abdominal pain such as admission, referral, discharge or follow-up without any definite diagnosis. If it is possible to predict the course or prognosis of acute abdominal pain by using certain data about patients, it will be helpful to make a decision for the management of acute abdominal pain. So we tested the hypothesis that acute abdominal pain with intermittent pain nature and normal simple abdomen X-ray finding is not serious and shows favorable outcome. METHODS: 126 patients with acute abdorninal pain were enrolled from Feb. to Aug. in 1995 at the emergency department of Kyungju hospital, Dongkuk University. 116 patients showed normal simple abdomen X ray finding and among them 94 patients were discharged and 21 patients were admitted. 92 patients were contacted in 1 week by phone call and they reported the outcome of their acute abdominal pain. RESULTS: Among 92 study populations, 44 patients were male and 48 patients were female. 72 patients complained intermittent abdominal pain and 21 patients complained continous abdominal pain. Frequencies of tentative diagnosis at emergency department were 45 acute gastroenteritis, 26 unknown, 14 functional gastointestinal disorders, 4 acute gastritis, 2 pelvic inflammatory diseases, and 1 ureter stone. Outcomes of patients with intermittent abdominal pain were more favorable than those with continous abdominal pain. CONCLUSIONS: If the patients with acute abdominal pain have intermittent pain nature and normal simple abdomen x ray finding, they will show favorable outcome and can be managed at ambulatory care settings.
Abdomen ; Abdominal Pain ; Ambulatory Care ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Family Practice ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastritis ; Gastroenteritis ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Male ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease ; Physicians, Family ; Prognosis ; Referral and Consultation ; Ureter

We report a 27-year-old male with rnultiple pruritic papulovesicular eruptions on the whole body without any gluten-sensitive enteric syrnpoms. A skin biopsy specimen showed subepidermal vesicles and papillary microabscesses infiltrated with rnany neutrophils and a few lymphocytes and eosinophils. Direct immunofluorescent study of the perilesional skin revealed linear deposits of immunoglobulin A along the dermo-epidermal junction. The lesion responded rapidly to oral dapsone and topical steroid therapy.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Dapsone ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A* ; Linear IgA Bullous Dermatosis ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Neutrophils ; Skin ; Skin Diseases*

PURPOSE: Nutritional as well as genetic and hormonal factors play an important role in the bone mineralization during childhood and adolescence. There are several physical and metabolic changes in obese children, and these changes may influence on the mineralization of the skeleton. The studies about bone mineralization of obese children are rare and contradictory. This study was performed to evaluate the influence of childhood obesity on bone mineral density(BMD). METHODS: The BMD of 49 obese and 41 non-obese children were measured at lumbar spines(L2-L4) using dual energy X-ray bone absorptiometry. Then, the results were assessed and compared according to the degree of obesity and pubertal sex maturation. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in BMD between obese children and non-obese children(0.87+/-.19 g/cm2 vs 0.81+/-.13 g/cm2). BMD increased according to the Tanner' pubertal staging, and the most marked increment was observed at overt puberty. No sex difference in BMD was seen in both obese and non-obese children. BMD was highly correlated with age, height, weight and body mass index(BMI), but there was no significant correlation between BMD and osteocalcin. CONCLUSION: BMD of obese children was not significantly different from that of non-obese children, and BMD also was not changed according to the degree of obesity. These findings suggest that BMD is not influenced by obesity in children.
Adolescent ; Bone Density* ; Calcification, Physiologic ; Child* ; Humans ; Obesity* ; Osteocalcin ; Pediatric Obesity ; Puberty ; Sex Characteristics ; Sexual Maturation ; Skeleton

We studied the intradural variations of spinal nerve rootlets in 100 cases of Korean adults. The results of the study are as follows ; 1. The incidence of intrasegmental variations (abberrant rootlets) is high in cervical segments and decreased toward lumbosacral segments. The incidence is higher in posterior rootlets than anterior, except cervical sesments. 2. The incidence of intersegmental variations is higher in posterior rootlets than anterior, and generally high in cervical and lumbar segments. 3. We divide the intersegmental variations into supernumerary rootlets, dividing rootlets, and anastomosing rootlets, and among them the incidence of anastomosing rootlets is higher. We divide the anastomosing rootlets into parallel anastomosing rootlets, uniting anastomosing rootlets, and rearrangement anastomosing rootlets. 4. The anterior to posterior anastomosing of spinal nerve rootlet is present in 4 of cases studied.
Adult ; Humans ; Incidence ; Spinal Nerves*

Primary aldosteronism, characterized by hypertension, hypokalemia, and hyperaldosteronemia resulting from chronic oversecretion of aldosterone independent of normal renin-angiotensin regulatory system, is due mostly to aldosteronoma or to bilateral cortical nodular hyperplasia. We report two cases of primary aldosteronism due to adrenal cortical adenoma, which were diagnosed by clinical data and abdominal computed tomographic scan. Clinical symptoms and laboratory data returned to normal after surgical adrenalectomy.
Adrenalectomy ; Adrenocortical Adenoma ; Aldosterone ; Hyperaldosteronism ; Hyperplasia ; Hypertension ; Hypokalemia