No abstract available.
Complementary Therapies

No abstract available.
Complementary Therapies

Low back pain and sciatica is one of the most frequent and troublesome problem in the orthopedic field. A study of the effectivity and reliability of the anterior interbody fusion with autoiliac bone graft for the spondylogenic and Discogenic back pain was done on 166 patients who had been hospitalized from January 1978 to December 1984. The approach to the lesion was retroperitoneal with anterior approach. The anterior interbody fusion was performed by using one block or two block from autoiliac bone. The status of the spine fusion after operation was decided by the plane roentgenogram or clinical sign, and the tomogram or dynamogram in some case. We analysed 116 patients having anterior fusionto study whether fusion rate has any relation with the number of the grafted bone, preoperative diagnosis and the level of fusion. At 9 months after operation, the clinical result was assesed and was compared between the group of the preoperative diagnosis. The following results were obtained from analysis of the cases studied. 1. The fusion rate for the grafted bone was 92.2%. There was no difference in fusion rates between the group of patients operated using one block and two-block. 2. The fate of the grafted bone could be categorized into 5 different types. 3. In patients with spondylolisthesis or spondylolysis, there was high incidence of non union.Also in terms of the vertebral level, the fusin between the L5-Sl showed high incidence of non union. 4. High fusion rate was obtained by using back brace without cast immobilization. The average duration of brace wearing was 6.6 months. 5. Overall clinical results were as follows:excellent or good 64.6%, fair 31.9%, poor 3.5%,and spondylolisthesis showed better clinical results than other diseases. 6. Post sympathectomy symptoms were noticed in 12 patients after operation and there were no permanent genitourinary problem.
Arthrodesis ; Back Pain ; Braces ; Diagnosis ; Equidae ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Incidence ; Low Back Pain ; Orthopedics ; Receptors, CXCR4 ; Sciatica ; Spine ; Spondylolisthesis ; Spondylolysis ; Sympathectomy ; Transplants

Background: Reporting rate of notifiable communicable diseases has been assumed to be low in Korea. To encourage timely reporting of notifiable communicable diseases and to improve the reporting process by the Infection Control Unit, a disease code-based electronic surveillance and in-house electronic reporting system was developed and implemented in February 2003. We evaluated the reporting rates of notifiable communicable diseases before and after the implementation of the electronic reporting- system. METHODS: The electronic reporting system, which was integrated to the computerized physician order entry system, was designed to monitor KCD-4 codes at the time of every order entry. Whenever the system recognized the predetermined codes of notifiable communicable diseases, it generated an alert box to recommend reporting: and then a physician could fill up an electronic report form, which was collected and faxed to the local public health authority by the Infection Control Unit. Reporting rate of notifiable communicable diseases in 2002, when the conventional paper-based reporting system was used, was assumed comparing the number of cases reported actually and that of cases identified to be reported by reviewing the medical records and electronic database. RESULTS: From March to July 2003, 181 cases with tuberculosis and 14 with other communicable diseases were reported whereas 106 and 9 cases were reported respectively for the same 5-month period in 2002. Reporting rate using the conventional reporting system in 2002 was assumed to be 61% and 39% respectively. Conclusions: Using a disease code-based electronic reporting system, reporting of notifiable communicable diseases could be improved compared with conventional paper-based reporting system.
Communicable Diseases* ; Disease Notification ; Infection Control ; Korea ; Medical Informatics Applications ; Medical Order Entry Systems ; Medical Records ; Public Health ; Tuberculosis

Decreased sensitivity of N. gonorrhoeae to many existing antibiotics and the emergence and increase of penicillinase producing and of spectinomycin resistant N. gonorrhoeae necessitate intensive efforts to study on resistance. Male patients with uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis treated during the year 1990 at the VD clinic of Choong-ku Public Health Center in Seoul were included in this study. A total of 85 strains, 44 strains of non-PPNG and 41 strains of PPNG isolated from the patients were studied to evaluate their sensitivities to ampicillin, penicillin, cefoxitin, kanamycin, tetracycline, erythromycin, spectinomycin and cotrimazole. The results are summerized as follw: In non-PPNG strains, the range of MICs. MIC50 and MIC90 for both ampicillin and penicillin were 0.125-32, 2 and 16 mcg/ml respectively. For cefoxitin, they were 0.125-8, s and 16 mcg/ml respectively, and for kanamycin, 8--<64, 32 and 64 mcg/ml, respectively. For tetracycline, they were 1-64, 8 and 32 mcg/ml, while for erythromycin, 0.06-16, 2 and 8 mcg/ml respectively. For spectinomycin, they were 4--<64, 32 and 64 mcg/ml and for cotrimazole, 5--<160, 40 and 160 mcg/ml respectively. In the case of PPNG, the range of MICS, MIC50 and MIC90 for ampicillin were 8--<128, 32 and 128 mcg/ml respectively but for penicillin, 8--<128, 64 and 128 mcg/ml respectively. And for cefoxitin, they were 0.5-32, 4 and 16 mcg/ml while for kanamycin, 16--<64, 64 and >64 mcg/ml respectively. For tetracycline, the values were 2-64, 16 and 32 mcg/ml, and for erythromycin, they were 0.5-16, 4 and 8 mcg/ml respectively. for spectinomycin, they were 8--<64, 32, and 64 mcg/ml and finally for cotrimazole, 5--<160, 80 and 160 mcg/ml respectively. From these results, it is concluded that the MICs of both PPNG and non-PPNG were about 2 folds higher than the results of sensitivity tests at the same instituition in 1985. 2) The prevalence of PPNG among 35 gonorrhoeae patients who received treatment before the visit was 60% (21/35), while that among the patients without previous treatment was 40% (20/50). 3) In the cases of ampicillin, penicillin and cotrimazole, their MIC values were found to be significantly higher for the strains isolated from the patients with previous treatment history than those without previous treatment (p<0.05). 4) In non-PPNG strains, a significant positive correlation is found between the sensitivities to most pairs of ampicillin, penicillin, cefoxitin, kanamycin, tetracycline, erythromycin and spectinomycin. However this excludes some pairs such as : tetracycline-cefoxitin, erythromycin-penicillin, erythromycin-cefoxitin, spectinomycin-penicillin, and spectinomycincefoxitin (p<0.05). 5) In PPNG strains, a significant positive correlation is also found between the sensitivities to most pairs of ampicillin, penicillin, cefoxitin, tetracycline, erythromycin and spectinomycin. However, the exceptional cases include tetracycline-cefoxitin, erythromyoinpenicillin, erythromycin-cefoxitin, spectinomycin-penicillin, and spectinomycin-cefoxitin pairs. In addition, the sensitivity to kanamycin was found to be strongly correlated with that to tetracycline, erytheromycin and spectinomycin (p<0.05). Therefore it is essential for the management fo gonorrhoeae, together with a correct diagnosis, to use currently most effective treatment regimens which would also prevent the emergence of resistant strains. It is also suggested that when a treatment is failed, to use the durg which do not show correlation in sensitivities on re-treatment.
Ampicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Antibodies* ; Cefoxitin ; Diagnosis ; Erythromycin ; Humans ; Kanamycin ; Male ; Penicillinase ; Penicillins ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Seoul ; Spectinomycin ; Tetracycline ; Urethritis

Letterer-Siwe disease, Hand-Schuller-Christian disease and eosinophilic granuloma of the bone are merely different clinical expressions of one disease. Lichtenstein grouped these three clinical syndromes and proposed that this disease be termed histiocytosis X. This grouping was based on the histologic similarities and the possibility of transformation of one syndrome into another. The cause of histiocytosis X remains unknown. Histiocytosis X is a condition that presents single or multiple lesions, distributed in the soft tissue, lymph nodes, various organ and bones, especially in the areas of marked reticuloendothelial activity. The authors reviewed the clinical findings, radiographs and the treatment of the twenty-six patients with histiocytosis X diagnosed on the base of pathologic findings at Severance Hospital, between January, 1971 and December, 1980. Among the twenty-six patients, twenty-one patients could be followed, ranging from one month to six years, with an average follow-up of 1.6 years. The results obtained were as follows: 1. There was a slight male predominance (61.6%). The age ranged from 2 months to 42 years (average 8.2 years). Sixty-five percents of patients were the child under 4 years of age. 2. Hand-Schuller-Christian disease (50%) was the most common form of this disease. Letterer-Siwe disease developed in the youngest (average 1.2 years) and eosinophilic granuloma in the eldest (average 20.4 years). 3. The common manifestations were hepatomegaly, skin rashes and anemia in Letterer-Siwe disease; palpable mass, pain and exophthalmos in Hand-Schuller-Christian disease; pain and mass in eosinophilic granuloma. 4. The common sites of the skeletal lesions were skull, spine and femur, etc. 5. The patients with single skeletal lesion improved regardless of the methods of treatment. 6. Vinblastine, methotrexate and/or prednisone were valuable agents for the multiply involved patients. 7. Prognosis was poor for the patients who were young at onest, or who had multiple systemic involvements, but in case only with skeletal involvement the prognosis was good. Eosinophilic granuloma is the most benign variant, while Letterer-Siwe disease is the most malignant type.
Anemia ; Child ; Clinical Study ; Eosinophilic Granuloma ; Exanthema ; Exophthalmos ; Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatomegaly ; Histiocytosis ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Methotrexate ; Prednisone ; Prognosis ; Skull ; Spine ; Vinblastine

No abstract available.

In this study, the feasibility of identification and genotypic differentiation of enteroviruses was investigated by using nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (nested RT-PCR), single-stranded conformation polymorphism (SSCP), and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) techniques. Two hundred seventy-four clinical samples were assayed by both nested RT-PCR and tube culture method using MRC-5 and MK cells; 58 (86.6%) out of 67 enterovirus culture-positive samples contained enteroviral RNA. In addition, 114 (55.1%) of 207 samples from patients with suspected enteroviral CNS disease with negative viral cultures were positive by the nested RT-PCR. The nested RT-PCR products were genotyped by the SSCP method and the results were compared with serotypes. We could differentiate 6 subtypes, 3 of which are similar to coxsackievirus B3, B5, echovirus 11, plus 3 other subtypes. RFLP cleaved with Sty I, Bgl I, and Xmn I yielded characteristic patterns for each laboratory strains. This study demonstrates the usefulness of the RT-PCR for the rapid diagnosis of enterovirus infection and the potentials of the SSCP method for differentiation of enterovirus strains.
Central Nervous System Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Enterovirus B, Human ; Enterovirus Infections ; Enterovirus* ; Genotype* ; Humans ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; RNA

We present an autopsy case of signet ring cell carcinoma of urinary bladder which underwent widespread metastsis through nearly entire organ. The patient, 45-year old male, suffered from hematuria, dysuria and flank pain for 6 months. Under the diagnosis of the signet ring cell carcinoma by the cystoscopic biopsy, radical cystectomy and ileocutaneous ureteral division were performed. But he died after 11-months after the diagnosis. The autopsy confirmed the widespread metastasis at the lung, kidney, adrenal gland, parathyroid gland, heart, stomach, ileum, spine, rib and meninges. The preveously resected urinary bladder discolosed the well defined fungating mass at the dome and anterio-lateral portion without apparent evidence of the remnant of the urachus. Histologically, the signet ring cells were predominent and focally mucinous pool floating the signet ring cells was noted. We could find several foci of the well differentiated adenocarcinoma and poorly differentiated adenocarcinomas. The above findings may reflect that the origin of carcinoma may be from the multipotential transitional cell epithelium.
Adenocarcinoma ; Neoplasm Metastasis

No abstract available.
Lithotripsy* ; Ureter*