Isoimmune hemolytic disease of the newborn due to anti-E is a disease characterized by the progressive neonatal hyperbilimbinemia and anemia which is caused by the IgG antibody transmitted from the mother to the ferns. Authors have experienced two cases of isoimmune hemolytic disease due to anti-E, who presented with jaundice on the first and the second day of life, respectively. The ABO and Rh blood types of their mother and father were B, CcDee and O, ccDEE, respectively. Both babies showed positive direct Coombs test and the mother showed strong positive indirect Coombs test. Antibody identification tests were made only in the first case and the mother, both of which revealed anti-E antibody. The first case was treated with phototherapy for 3 days and two blood transfusions. The second case was treated with phototherapy for 6 days and two exchange transfusions.
Anemia ; Blood Transfusion ; Coombs Test ; Fathers ; Ferns ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Infant, Newborn ; Jaundice ; Mothers ; Phototherapy ; Siblings*

Median raphe canal is an uncommon disease and represents a defect abnormality of the male genitalia. It occurs along the ventral median raphe from the glans penis to the anus. Histologically the canal is lined by stratified squamous epithelium which dose not communicate with the urethra. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice. Recently we observed a 25-year-old male patient who had had a median raphe canal located in the ventral aspect of penis.
Adult ; Anal Canal ; Epithelium ; Genitalia, Male ; Humans ; Male ; Penis* ; Urethra

The lymphoepitheliomalike carcinoma of the cervix is histologically similar to lymphoepithelioma of the nasopharyngeal region or medullary carcinoma of the breast which has grossly circumscribed, histologically poorly differentiated nonkeratinized squamous cell carcinoma with prominent stromal inflammation. Although the entity has been rarely reported in the united states, it has been reported relatively common in Japan. The Japanese literature suggests that patient with this varient may have a more favorable prognosis when compared with the usual squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix A patient with a squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix with marked lymphocyte and plasma cell infiltration is reported and the literature reviewed.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Breast ; Carcinoma, Medullary ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cervix Uteri* ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Japan ; Lymphocytes ; Plasma Cells ; Prognosis ; United States ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of age at beginning of treatment on the results of anisometropic amblyopia in twenty-two consecutive children. The children who had strabismus or any other ocular disease affecting visual acuity was excluded. Two age groups were defined, according to the age at which treatment was started : 7 years or less(group I. N=10), 8 years or more(group II. N=12). Mean age of group I was 5.3 years old(4.1-7.9), while group II was 10.2 years old(8.0-13.2). Six patients were treated with occlusion therapy, 11 patients with atropine penalization, 1 patient with occlusion therapy and atropine penalization alternatively and 4 patients with spectacle correction only. All children had cycloplegic refraction before treatment and at each visit the corrected visual acuity was assessed. The difference in refractive errors between two eyes before treatment was 2.58D(1-9D) in group I and 2.75D in group II. The mean initial corrected visual acuity of amblyopic eyes was 0.43 in group I and 0.46 in group II. There was no significant difference in initial visual acuity between the two groups. The range of follow up times was from 5 to 60 months, with an average of 18 months. There was no significant difference in final visual outcome of amblyopic eye between the two groups. For patients aged 7 years or less, 80%(8/10) of patients achieved a final visual acuity of 0.8 or better and 90%(9/10) achieved the same final visual acuity as in the sound eye. For patients aged 8 years or more, 83%(11/12) of patients achieved a final visual acuity of 0.8 or better and 83%(10/12) achieved the same final visual acuity as in the sound eye. The initial visual acuity, the methods of therapy did not affect the final visual outcome. In pure anisometropic amblyopia, the patients older than 8 years of age have been treated as effectively as the patients 7 years or less.
Age Factors ; Amblyopia* ; Anisometropia ; Atropine ; Child ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Refractive Errors ; Strabismus ; Treatment Outcome ; Visual Acuity

No abstract available.
Female ; Fetal Heart* ; Hearing* ; Heart Rate, Fetal* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy*

No abstract available.
Cervix Uteri* ; Embryo Transfer* ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro* ; Follicular Fluid* ; Humans* ; Spermatozoa* ; Spouses*

BACKGROUND: In recent years, lung cancer has been one of most common cause of death in Korea. Despite many physician's high degree of pessimism about the gains made in treatments progressive improvement in the survival of lung cancer by treatment has occurred, particulary in the early stages of the disease. However, a lot of patients refuse treatment or give up in the fight against the disease. This study was done to evaluate factors ifluencing the compliance to therapy and to lead in the establishment of special programs to enhance compliance in patients with lung cancer. METHODS: The medical records of 903 patients, whose ECOG(Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group) performance status was 3 or less and whose medical record was relatively satisfactory, among 1141 patients diagnosed with lung cancer between January 1989 and December 1996 were reviewed retrospectively. Compliance was classified into three groups based on the degree of compliance with physicians practice guideline : (a) complaints ; (b) patients who initially complied but gave up of themselves midway during the course of treatment ; (c) noncompliants who refused the treatment. RESULTS: The overall compliance rats was 63.9%, which was progressively increased from 57.3-61.3% in 1989 and 1990 to 64.2-67.5% in 1995 and 1996. Age, education level and occupation of patients bore statistically significant relationship with the compliance but sell marital status and smoking history did not. The compliance was significantly higher in patients without symptoms than with, and was also significantly higher in patients with good performance status. The compliance was significantly high in patients with NSCLC(non-small cell lung cancer) compared to SCLC(small cell lung cancer), but after exclusion of stage l and ll, among NSCLC, which had higher compliance to surgery there was no significant difference of compliance by histology. The compliance was significantly lower in advanced stage. CONCLUSION: To enhance the compliance, special care including education programs about therapy including complicantion and prognosis are necessary, especially for educationally and economically disadvantaged patients.
Animals ; Cause of Death ; Compliance* ; Education ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Marital Status ; Medical Records ; Occupations ; Prognosis ; Rats ; Retrospective Studies ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Vulnerable Populations

The tuberculous aortic aneurysm is exceedingly rare. Kamen L. first described tuberculous aortic aneurysm in 1899. Since then, only about 40 cases have been reported in the literature 1945 to 2001, and among them only 19 cases have affected the thoracic aorta. The incidence and prevalence of tuberculosis is still reported to be far too high, and the demographic and geographic disease distribution has changed rapidly because of immigration and traveling from endemic areas, and also this is due to the increasing use of immunosuppression or because of HIV cases. Multi-resistant strains and comorbidities impair the effects of medical therapy and so this might result in surgical complications. The tuberculous aortic aneurysm generally occurs in the setting of disseminated tuberculosis, and it has a high mortality rate. This report describes a 35-year-old woman who had miliary pulmonary tuberculosis, and she underwent a surgical operation for tuberculous pseudoaneurysm of the thoracic aorta. Early detection and the proper surgical and medical combination therapy are essential for the optimal treatment of thoracic aortic pseudoaneurysm, as was done in this successful case.
Adult ; Aneurysm ; Aneurysm, False* ; Aorta, Thoracic* ; Aortic Aneurysm ; Comorbidity ; Emigration and Immigration ; Female ; HIV ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Incidence ; Mortality ; Prevalence ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

We experienced a case of Ebstein's anomaly prenatally by fetal sonography. Ebstein's anomaly is a rare congenital heart defect characterized by abnormally downward displacement of the septal and posterior leaflets of the tricuspid valve. In the absence of tricuspid regurgitation, this condition may be completely asymptomatic. On the other hand, symptomatic newborns often develop life-threatening congestive heart failure. A 30-year-old multiparous woman was referred for the evaluation of fetal cardiac defect at 26th gestational week from a private clinic. Fetal ultrasonography showed markedly enlarged right atrium and downward displacement of tricuspid valve into the right ventricle. After discussion with the patient, the pregnancy was terminated and Ebstein's anomaly was confirmed by autopsy.
Adult ; Autopsy ; Ebstein Anomaly* ; Female ; Hand ; Heart Atria ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Failure ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Pregnancy ; Tricuspid Valve ; Tricuspid Valve Insufficiency ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal

OBJECTIVES: The most frequently cited health related slogan in North Korea is that socialistic medicine is preventive medicine. It implies that North Korea puts preventive medicine at the operational center of its national health care system. This study aimed at examining and comparing preventive medicine practices in North Korea with those of South Korea. METHODS: Efforts have been made to obtain a textbook for analysis its contents. Many people have iassisted in the study by joining the interview. Some of these people are as follows: a former professor of PyongYang Medical School, NK physicians living in South Korea, WHO staffs, diplomatic officials, etc. The major items of analysis consisted of industrial medicine and hygiene, nutrition, school health, epidemiology, health statistics and heath policy & management. RESULTS: Public health philosophy is finely rooted and well integrated in the operation of the North Korean national health care system, particularly in the area of industrial medicine and hygiene. Preventive medicine with a strong health surveillance system spanning a number of broad social organizations is a major tool to improve the health of the people in North Korea. The emphasis on preventive medicine has a close relationship with the 'Juche Philosophy' and the shortage of pharmaceuticals and medical equipment. To cope with the shortage problem, North Korean health workers are encouraged to grow medicinal herbs. We have found that they put little effort into teaching newly emerging diseases, such as AIDS, VDT syndrome, hazards of EMF, and agricultural chemical poisonings. Of the subjects of the preventive medicine text, 78.9% coincide with those of South Korean industrial health manuals and 34.2% with South Korean epidemiology texts. However, an absolute difference was found to exist between the heath policies and management systems. CONCLUSION: In North Korea, the concept of preventive medicine functions as the basic philosophic strategy of the national health care system. It differs greatly from the South Korean system in both practice and educational content. Its contribution to society is simply incomparable to that of South Korea. More communication and further study is called for in order to improve the preventive medicine practices in the future.
Delivery of Health Care ; Democratic People's Republic of Korea* ; Epidemiology ; Hygiene ; Korea ; Occupational Health ; Occupational Medicine ; Philosophy ; Plants, Medicinal ; Poisoning ; Preventive Medicine* ; Public Health ; School Health Services ; Schools, Medical