Between Aug. 1982 and Aug. 1983, computed tomographies of 52 patients with low back pain or low back pain with sciatica were performed at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Korea University Medical College Hospital. All scans for patients were done on the Siemens Somatom II in the supine position. The auther studied level of hemiated disc, the measurement of herniation of the nucleus pulposus and buldging of the annulus fibrous in the midsagittal line. The results obtained are as follows: 1. Of all 52 patients with low back pain, 34 patients(65.4%) are interpreted as revealing herniated nucleus pulposus or buldging of the annulus, and the others demonstrated the different abnormality of lumbar spine. 2. Among 34'patients with buldging or herniated nucleus pulposus, 16 cases are noted at L4-L5, 12 at L5-S1, 6 at L4-L5 and L5-S1, respectively. 3. Mean size of herniated nucleus pulposus or buldging annulus in patients diagnosed as HNP are 1.04±0. 600 mm at L3-L4, 2.83±1.345 mm at L4-L5, 2.32±1.207 mm at L5±S1 and in patients diagnosed as other different diseases are 0.98±0.668 mm at L4-L5 1 .04+ 0.689 mm at L4-L5,1.03±0.489 mm at L5-S1.
Humans ; Korea ; Low Back Pain ; Sciatica ; Spine ; Supine Position

No abstract available.
Fruit* ; Pregnancy*

A total of 39 malignant melanoma cases diagnosed at Chonnam National University Hospital for past 10 years from 1980 to April, 1990 were included for the clinicopathologic study. Among the 29 primary cutaneous melanomas, 18 cases(62.1 % ) occurred on the hands and the feet, especially on the heel. The average age of the patients was 54.3 years at the time of diagnosis and the male to female ratio was 1 to 1,4. Acral lentiginous melanoma was the most common (62.1% ) histopathologic type and the invasion level c)f 22 cases(78.4% ) was over 1.50mm by Rreslows thickness.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Foot ; Hand ; Heel ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do ; Male ; Melanoma

We experienced a 40-year-old female patient who had vegetating plaques, erosions and a few vesicles on the external genitalia and the oral mucasa, assoeiated with pulmonary tuberculosis. On the skin biopsy specimen of the vegetating plaque, it showed acanthoais, papillomatosis, downward proliferation of the epidermis and eosinophilic microabacess in the epidermis. Direct immunofluorescence of the perilesional skin revealed deposition of IgG, Cq, Cs and C on the intercellular substance of the epidermis. Indirect immunofluorescence disclosed IgCi auto antibody(1: 320) positive to the inter ellular substance of the normal human back skin. The skin lesion had impraved with dapsone therapy.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Dapsone ; Eosinophils ; Epidermis ; Female ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Genitalia ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Papilloma ; Pemphigus* ; Skin ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

We performed an immunohistochemical study, using bioti-navidin system to clarify the pattern of carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA)immunoreactivity in various tumors of the skin, according to its histogenetic origin. Positive reaction was observed in syringorna, eccrine spiradenoma, eccrine angiomatous hamartoma, eccrine carcinoma, syringocystadenoma papilliferum, metastatic breast carcinoma and mammary Pagets disease. But in epithelial tumors, metastatic skin cancer from maxillary sinus, tumors derived from pilar and sebaceous gland structure, mesenchymal tumors and neuroectodermal tumors, CEA was not observed. These results suggest that immunohistochemical study for CEA could be used as an adjunct for the differential diagnosis of sweat gland tumors from others, especially pilar structure and sebaceous-gland-derived tumors, for the detection of the histogenesis of metastatic tumors, and for the diagnosis of Pagets clisease.
Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Hamartoma ; Maxillary Sinus ; Neuroectodermal Tumors ; Paget's Disease, Mammary ; Sebaceous Glands ; Skin Neoplasms ; Skin* ; Sweat Glands

Endometrial cancer is the ninth common cancer in women and the third common gynecologic cancer in Korea. Although it is primarily a disease of the postmenopausal female, 3-5% of patients are 40 years old or younger. Because of the particularly good prognosis for young women with early stage endometrial cancer, the limited myometrial invasion and high tumor differentiation, and because most of the women also suffer from subfertility, many attempts have been made to treat such cases conservatively with hormonal therapy rather than with surgery. This article discusses the current, available data about conservative management of endometrial cancer in young women. A comprehensive pretreatment evaluation including dilatation and curettage, pelvic ultrasound, abdominopelvic computed tomography, and pelvic magnetic resonance imaging is critical. Detailed counseling is essential. Multiple effective protocols exist for conservative treatment of endometrial cancer, and the initial response rates are as high as 57 to 75%. When the patient finishes her fertility plans, the option of hysterectomy should be considered. Most of studies have been based on retrospective case reports, and many questions still remain unanswered regarding the optimal treatment protocol or long-term surveillance for conservative management of these patients. Larger prospective clinical studies are warranted.
Adenocarcinoma ; Clinical Protocols ; Counseling ; Dilatation and Curettage ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Female ; Fertility ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Infertility ; Korea ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

To identify significant prognostic factors in patients undergoing simple hysterectomy in the presence of invasive cervical cancer, the records of 45 patients who had taken such a procedure between 1993 and 1997 were reviewed. Overall relapse-free survival and 5-year survival rates were 91.1 and 92.1%, respectively. Factors found to be significantly related to survival were the retrospectively determined stage(p=0.0000), the presence of residual disease(p=0.0001), and cell type(p=0.0000). By multivariate analysis, factor emerging as significantly detrimental to survival was the cell type. The presence of residual disease was a marginally significant factor(p=0.067). The expectations for survival of patients with residual tumor mass and/or with adenocarcinoma after simple hysterectomy appear to be markedly worse than those with others, so radical reoperation should be considered in those patients.
Adenocarcinoma ; Humans ; Hysterectomy* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Reoperation ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

OBJECTIVES: Early diagnosis of intrauterine growth retardation is important to ensure optimal monitoring and delivery with the introduction of real-time and Doppler ultrasound systems, a noninvasive method of measuring human fetal blood flow has become available. The aim of this study is to compare blood flow velocity waveforms at the fetal descending aorta and umbilical artery in normal and in patients with pregnancy induced hypertension. METHODS: Using a combination of linear array real-time and pulsed Doppler ultrasound, blood flow velocity measurements were carried out at the fetal descending aorta and umbilical artery in 35 normal pregnancies and 18 cases of pregnancy induced hypertensive patients. RESULTS: The mean systolic/diastolic ratio of umbilical artery and aorta was significantly higher in PIH patients than in normal pregnancies(3.8 +/- 0.81 versus 2.97 +/- 0.52, p<0.05) and to predict perinatal morbidity, umbilical velocimetry is more sensitive than that of descending thoracic aorta. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that umbilical artery velocimetry could be used as a marker to predict adverse perinatal outcome.
Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic* ; Blood Flow Velocity ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced ; Pregnancy ; Rheology* ; Ultrasonography ; Umbilical Arteries

PURPOSE: This study was designed to find out whether protein kinase C (PKC) may affect telomerase activity in human ovarian cancers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To determine whether PKC modulators influence PKC activities, NIH: OVCAR-3 and CUMO-2, cells were treated with PKC inhibitors, G 6976 and bisindolyl maleimide I, and PKC activator, 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol 13-acetate (TPA). Telomerase acti vity was determined by telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP). Analysis of the expres sion of each telomerase subunits, human telomerase RNA (hTR) and human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), was performed by RT-PCR. We also examined the alternative splicing of hTERT. RESULTS: G 6976 and bisindolylmaleimide I inhibited PKC activity. Telomerase activities appeared to be affected in a time-dependent manner by these two PKC inhibitors. PKC activities were increased in parallel with telomerase activity by TPA at the low dose (10 nM), but their activities were down-regulated at the high dose (1 micrometer). RT-PCR demonstrated the presence of hTR and hTERT mRNA before and after the treatment of PKC modulators, respectively, and showed the presence of one alternatively spliced transcript and full-length hTERT transcripts. CONCLUSION: These results showed that telomerase activity was affected by PKC and suggested PKC modulation may serve as an useful tool in the regulation of telomerase activity.
Alternative Splicing ; Cell Line* ; Humans* ; Ovarian Neoplasms* ; Protein Kinase C* ; Protein Kinases* ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger ; Telomerase* ; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate

Paederus dermstitis (or dermatitis linearis), caused by the insect genus Paederus, is characterized by linear erythernatous, vesicopustular lesions. In 1968, we proved that causative agent is Paederus fuscipes. During the 20-year period since then (from June 1968 to September 1988), we have experienced 156 cases of the diseaes in our clinic, and the clinical features were studied with the following results. (1) They were found only during summer months from June to September. Most prevalent in June(47%), followed by August, July and September, in decreasing order. (2) People in their twenties were affected most often(10%), with females outnumbering males, by approximately 2.8 to 1. (3) The lesions were found exclusively over exposed areas, such as face, neck, and extremities (4) Experiments on a volunteer revealed that the same skin lesions as in the patients can be produced by rubbing the anal portion of the insect. (5) Spongiosis and subcorneal pustule of epidermis were the main histopathological findings. (6) The insects appear ant-like and measures 6.5 to 7mm in length. It has a black, round head with pslpuli black, rectangular, short elytra, yellowish brown pronotum and abdomen composed of 6 segments, of which two caudal ones(hypopygium) were dark brown. The meso and metathorax, and the lower ends of the femurs in meso and metapedes appear dark brown. (7) Wide use of potent pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides as well as the urbanization may have reduced the out breaks of the disease in recent years.
Abdomen ; Dermatitis* ; Epidermis ; Extremities ; Female ; Femur ; Head ; Herbicides ; Humans ; Insecticides ; Insects ; Male ; Neck ; Pesticides ; Skin ; Urbanization ; Volunteers