Serologic tests for syphilis, including the qualitative and quantitative VDRL test and TPHA test, were carried out on 18, 151 healthy young men, who took a medical check-up for the overseas employment at Kyunghee University Hospital from April, 1978 to February, 1979. The syphilitics who revealed TPHA reactive, were given a questionare that dealt with three items. The results are summarized as follows. 1) The reactive rate of VDRL test was 3. 1% among 18, 151 healthy young men, 2) The biologic false positive rate of VDRL test was 7. 7% among the 520 men in whom TPHA test was carried out, using TPHA as standard. 3) The reactive rate of TPHA test was 2. 7% among 18, 109 men. On 42 men the TPHA test was not carried out. 4) With regard to the VDRL quantitative test, the reactive rate of the group with a titration of 1: 4 or lower was 85,2% out of 480 syphilitics. 5) In 480 syphilitics, 45. 8% (220) had a history of venereal 72.3%(347) had no general knowledge of syphilis, and 86. 2% (414) was unaware of his syphilitic infection.
Employment* ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence* ; Serologic Tests ; Syphilis*

The authors experienced a case of typical pellagra in 45-year old male. He has been a heavy alcoholic history about 30 years duratian. Well-marginated erythematous created scaly patches, hyperpigmentation and fissures developed on both forearms and both ear lobes, both periorbicular areas, and Casals and klace on the aa0erior neck repeatedly. The skin leaions were aggravated in summers, improving a little in winters from 3 years ago. The psychoneurotic symptoms, neurologic disturbances, and GI troubles accompanied the skin lesions. Diagnosis was made by the characteristic clinical findings. He was treated with nicotinamide and vitamin B complex, and most of symptoms improved much. Authors reported the case and reviewed the literatures.
Alcoholics ; Diagnosis ; Ear ; Forearm ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neck ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Niacinamide ; Pellagra* ; Skin ; Vitamin B Complex

We examined cerebrospinal fluids of 338 patients with syphilis who underwent the routine physical examinations or visited out-patient skin clinic at Kyunghee University hospital from January, 1978 to December, 1979. They were diagnosed as syphilis only with serological tests such as VDRL and TPHA tests. The patients did not have any neurologic symptoms associated with syphilis or any other clinical syphilitic syrnptoms. They did not have any history of receiving antisyphilitic treatment. The VDRL test, cell count, protein value, sugar and chloride levels in cerebr-ospinal fluid were tested in these patients. The results were as follows. 1) CSF VDRL reactive rate was 2. 1% among 388 patients with syphilis. 2) CSF celI count was not less than 5/mm in 2 patients (28. 6%) among the 7 patients with syphilis, who showed the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL, and in 13 patients (3. 9%) among the 331 patients with syphilis who did not show the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL. 3) CSF protein level was more thnn 45ml/dl in 3 patients (42. 9%) among the 7 patients with syphilis who showed the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL anct ig, 65 patients (19. 6%) among the 331 patients with syphilis who did not show the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL. 4) Both CSF sugar and chloride levels were within norrnal limits in all of the 7 patients who showed the positive reactivity of CSF VDRL.
Cell Count ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Humans ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Outpatients ; Physical Examination ; Serologic Tests ; Skin ; Syphilis*

Vitiligo is an acquired, disfiguring skin disease characterized by the loss of melanin, which results in depigmented areas of the skin. It affects at least 1% of the world's population. In countries where people are dark skinned, vitiligo is a major health problem. The pathogenesis of vitiligo has not been fully elucidated, but three possible origins, autoimmune, neurohumoral and self destruction of melanocyte, have been described. The clinical manifestations of vitiligo are well described in many reports. However in Korea, a few studies on the clinical features of vitiligo have been performed. Authors studied 217 Korean cases of vitiligo who had been visited at the Department of Dermatology, Kyung Hee University Hospital during the last 1 year (1978.4.1~1979.3.31). (countinued..)
Dermatology ; Korea ; Melanins ; Melanocytes ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Vitiligo*

This experiment was aimed to investigate the contractile responses of the fermoral artery to the electrical stimulation and the inhibitory effects of verapamil and papaverine on the electrical stimulation of the fermoral artery in the control (n=46) and the diabetic rabbits(n=40). Diabetic rabbits were made by and administration of alloxan (100 mg/kg) intravenously and sacrified 8 weeks later. Femoral arterial rings 3 mm in length were taken and mounted on the force-displacement transducer for the measurements of isometric tension. All experiments were done in the aerated (95% O2 with 5% CO2)biological chamber filled with Kreb's solution and the initial tension of 1.5g was applied to the rings. After 1 hour of equilibrium of the rings, the contractile responses of the electrical stimulation on the femoral arterial rings were taken without vasoactive drugs and then, under verapamil and papaverine solution. And we compared the morphologic findings of the vessels in the two groups in relation to the functional changes by transmission electron miroscopy. The results are as follows: 1. The contractile responses in the presence of verapamil or papaverine solutions to the electrical stimulation were lowed significantly in the fermoral arterial rings of the diabetic rabbits compared with that of the control rabbits (verapamil; 10M~10M: p<0.01, papaverine; 10M & 10M: p<0.01). 2. Transmission electron microphotographs showed many morphological differences of the femoral arteries between the control and the diabetic rabbits. These were irregularities of the internal elastic lamina and the hypertrophy of the cytoplasms of the smooth muscle cells. And also, there were many vacuoles in the cytoplasm of the endothelial cells, lateral to the internal elastic laminaes, and between the smooth muscle cells in the diabetic rabbit femoral artery. By this study, we found that the contractile responses of the femoral arterial rings to the electrical stimulation were decreased in the diabetic rabbits, and the vasodiatory effects of verapamil and papaverine on the electrically stimulated femoral arterial rings were also lowered in the diabetic rabbits compared with the control rabbits. These changes of the vasular responses of the diabetic vessel may be associated with morphological changes manifested by transmission electron microscopy or any other functional derangement of the vessels.
Alloxan ; Arteries ; Cytoplasm ; Electric Stimulation* ; Endothelial Cells ; Femoral Artery ; Hypertrophy ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Papaverine ; Rabbits ; Transducers ; Vacuoles ; Vasodilator Agents* ; Verapamil

The basic pathophysiology of vitiligo is still obscure. Most researchers emphasized that poasible immunologic role is very important in pathophysiology of vitiligo. Also the type of vitiligo is classified by various type baaed on clinical manifestations. These facts promoted us to analyse the immunologic state in each type of vitiligo in order to verify whether there is present any immunologic alteration in this permatosis or any differences of immune state in each type of vitiligo. The following immune cells were analysed, T cell, B cell, and T cell subsets such as helper T cell and suppresaor T cell. Vitiligo vulgaris in our study showed alteration of immune cell such as low level of T cell and helper T cell.
B-Lymphocytes* ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets* ; Vitiligo*

BACKGROUND: In the most of emergency department, the diagnosis of appendicitis has been carried by clinical history, physical examination and plain X-ray. But the diagnostic accuracy by these methods was so low that unnecessary operation was common performed, and sometimes the operation was delayed till the physicians could confirm the acute appendicitis clinically. Although many kinds of diagnostic tools such as CT scan, laparoscope, and etc, we believe that ultrasonography(US) would be a quick and sensitive diagnostic method for the evaluation of acute appendicitis in the Emergency Department. METHODS: Forty-seven patients who were clinically suspected as acute appendicitis were evaluated with the grayscaled US by emergency physician. The probe of US was placed on maximal tender point of abdomen, and the appendix image was evaluated while probe was pressed deeply and gentry. When the blind loop was fecund at maximal tender point of abdomen, we evaluated the diameter of appendix, the presence of compressibility, peri-aspen-diceal fluid collection and other mass effect. As soon as the ultrasonographic evidences of the appendicitis were noticed, the operations were done and pathologic report were reviewed later. RESULTS: Among the forty-seven patients, forty patients were diagnosed as a appendicitis by US, and most common ultrasonic findings were as follows; 1) non-compressible blind loop larger than 5 mm in diameter, 2) wall thickening more than 3 mm, 3) peri-appendiceal fluid collection, 4) periappendiceal mass. Among remaining 7 patients in whom we could not get any positive findings of appendicitis, abdominal CT scan was carried in 2 cases who had direct and rebound tenderness on right lower abdomen, and CT scan showed the evidences of the appendicitis. The other 5 cases without rebound tenderness were observed far 2 hours, and abdominal pain was disappeared lately. Finally forty-two patients were operated and confirmed as acute appendicitis by pathologic reports; 24 were reported as suppurative appendicitis, and 12 cases of gangrenous appendicitis, 3 cases of perforated appendicitis, and 3 cases were peri-appendiceal abscess. The specificity of US in the diagnosis of acute appendicitis was 71.4%, and the sensitivity was 95.2%. CONCLUSIONS : In some patients suspected appendicitis, emergency physicians could diagnosis acute appendicitis accurately and rapidly by use of ultrasonography. Although the US was an actuate imaging modality to diagnosis acute appendicitis and evaluate its complications, we recommend a laparotomy or abdominal Cf scan in the patients with negative US findings in spite of presence of peritoneal irritation signs such as rebound tenderness and/or muscle guarding on right lower abdomen.
Abdomen ; Abdominal Pain ; Abscess ; Appendicitis* ; Appendix ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis* ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Humans ; Laparoscopes ; Laparotomy ; Physical Examination ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonics ; Ultrasonography*

Dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria is one of the pigmentary disorders of the skin which has been reported mainly from Japan. It appeara to be determined by an autosomal dominant gene. Clinical characteristics of the disease are reticulate or mottled pigmentation with areas of depigmentation on the backs of the hands and feet and sometimes on the arms and legs without any subjective symptoms which develop during infancy or early childhood. We described five individual members with dyschromatosis symmetrica hereditaria in two families, one family had three individuals in three generations and the other family had two individuals in two generations. Literatures were briefly reviewed.
Arm ; Family Characteristics ; Foot ; Genes, Dominant ; Hand ; Humans ; Japan ; Leg ; Pigmentation ; Skin

A typical case of gelinerazed cutalineous lichen amyloidosus is reported. A 62-year-old female had had brownish papular lesions on the lower legs, hands, and shoulders for about 8 years. Three years later, the papular lesions extended through the whole body surface. She complained of severe itching and tingling sensation. Physical findings were confined to the skin. The skin lesions were diffusely distributed. The size of the lesion was from pin-head to rice, The color was dark brownish. The papules were over generalized skin except for the face, palms, and sole.. Diagnosis was made by the characteristic clinical manifestations and histopathologic findings of the skin. However, the specimens of the liver and rectal biopsies did not show amyloid deposits. Based on these findings, authors concluded that this is a case of generalized cutaneous lichen amvloidosus and this is the second case in the literature in Korea. Even though the subjective symptom such as itching is getting decrease, the clinical course of this disease could not be aliernated by classical and conventional therapeutic regimens.
Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Korea ; Leg ; Lichens* ; Liver ; Middle Aged ; Plaque, Amyloid ; Pruritus ; Sensation ; Shoulder ; Skin

Neurilemmoma reprsents a benign nerve sheath tumor derived from Schwann cells. Lesions almost always are solitary, although multiple lesions may occur in association with multiple neurofibromatosis. We report a case of multiple neurilemmomas not in asaociation with neurofibromatosis. The patient was a 28-year-old male who had multiple tender nodules along the course of peripheral nerves on the palmar aspect of the right hand. A local excision of all lesions was performed and the microscopic diagnosis of neurilernmoma was established.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Hand ; Humans ; Male ; Neurilemmoma* ; Neurofibromatoses ; Peripheral Nerves ; Schwann Cells