Coxiella burnetii(C. burneii)was first recognized as the agent of Q fever in 1937. Q fever is an acute self-limited febrile illness. However, it manifests with several clinical symptoms depending upon the organs that are involved. The association of C. burnetii with human neoplasia has been rarely reported. We prospectively studied the 55 patients with fever of unknown origin, pneumonia, hepatosplenomegaly, lymphadenopathy, leukemia, lymphoma, and immunodeficiency and 14 persons who contacted the Q fever patients. The patient's sera were tested for antibodies specific for C. burnetii, using indirct fluorescent antibody techniques (IFA). 1) We serologically confirmed 23 C. burnetii infection. The 23 children with Q fever ranged in age from 0 to 15 years, with mean age of 4 years 11 months. Seventeen were boys and 6 were girls. 2) Characteristic symptoms and signs were fever (9/12 cases), rash (8/14 cases), hepatosplenomegaly (8/8 cases)and lymphadenopathy (14/27 cases). Five cases among 14 asymptomatic cases who contacted Q fever patients showed positive IFA test. One suffered from irregular uterine contraction, 4 weeks after contact with a Q fever patient. 3) There were no history of exposure to domestic animal carriers or contaminated dust, or drinking raw milk except one family. Three attending doctors and her father infected by a patient with Q fever. These suggested the person to person transmission of Q fever in a family and house staffs infected by a patient of Q fever. 4) Q fever (9 cases), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (2 cases), acute myelomonocytic leukemia (1 case), hairy cell leukemia (1case), Kawasaki disease (4 cases) and congenital dyserythropoietic anemia (1 case) showed positive IFA test. 5) Of 9 cases who suffered from lnly Q fever, 7 cases were confirmed hairy cell formation in their peripheral blood. One case was diagnosed as hairy cell leukemia after bone marrow study. Of 7 cases who showed hairy cells, all had hepatomegaly, 6 cases had lymphedenopathy and 5 cases showed splenomegaly. All except 1 case who was not followed cured after treatment. 6) We treated Q fever patients with rifampin and/or ciprofloxacin, and/or tetracyclin (over 8 year-old of age)for 2-4 weeks. One 25 month-old patient with hairy cell leukemia was treated with rifampin, ciprofloxacin and tetracyclin for 4 weeks, and rifampin for 8 months. A pregnant patient was administered with rifampin, and treated with rifampin and ciprofloxacin after delivery. We gave rifampin in one nweborn baby. In conclusion, we suggest that Q fever should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with FUO, hepatosplenomegaly and/or immunodeficiency.
Anemia, Dyserythropoietic, Congenital ; Animals, Domestic ; Antibodies ; Bone Marrow ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Ciprofloxacin ; Coxiella burnetii* ; Coxiella* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drinking ; Dust ; Exanthema ; Fathers ; Female ; Fever ; Fever of Unknown Origin ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Hepatomegaly ; Humans ; Internship and Residency ; Leukemia ; Leukemia, Hairy Cell ; Leukemia, Myelomonocytic, Acute ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphoma ; Milk ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; Pneumonia ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Prospective Studies ; Q Fever* ; Rifampin ; Splenomegaly ; Uterine Contraction

Molluscum contagiosum is a common, benign, viral disease of the skin and mucous membrane that generally affects children. This disease is characterized by a 2 to 7 week incubation period; the involvement of the face, trunk, and extremities; spontaneous resolution within 2 to 4 months; and common autoinoculation. Individuals are susceptibile from the age of one. Herein, we report a case of molluscum contagiosum with an unusual manifestation. The skin lesions, which occured at ten days postpartum, showed two adjacent hard papules on the posterior scalp. They remained for 8 months in the same size and number.
Child ; Extremities ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Molluscum Contagiosum* ; Mucous Membrane ; Postpartum Period ; Scalp ; Skin ; Virus Diseases

No effective therapy has yet developed for liver fibrosis/cirrhosis by directly inhibiting the accumulation of extracellular matrix. This study was undertaken to determine the effect of tetrandrine in rat model of liver fibrosis induced by carborn tetrachloride (CCl4) administration intraorally. Tetrandrine, a calcium channel blocker, is anti-inflammatory constituent of the families Menispermaceae and Ranunculaceae, which have been used as folk remedies in China. Repeated administration of CCl4 for 14 weeks to rats induced liver fibrosis with steatosis. Rats were killed after 4, 8 or 14 weeks of treatment with CCl4, CCl4 tetrandrine (30 mg/kg) or CCl4 tetrandrine (50 mg/kg). The histopathological findings of liver were observed semi-quantitatively by light microscopy and volume percentage of the collagen deposition was determined by image analyzer. Tetrandrine inhibited collagen deposition induced by CCl4 administration, as shown by less severe steatosis and fibrosis and significantly decreased volume percentage of collagen fibers in CCl4 tetrandrine treated animals compared with CCl4 only group. Thus, the administration of tetrandrine holds great promise for treating subjects with liver fibrosis/cirrhosis as a result of chronic hepatic injury.
Animals ; Calcium Channels ; Carbon Tetrachloride ; China ; Collagen ; Extracellular Matrix* ; Fibrosis* ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Medicine, Traditional ; Menispermaceae ; Microscopy ; Models, Animal ; Ranunculaceae ; Rats*

Authors analysed the corpus callosum of Korean(27 male & 14 female) anthrolopologically by the method of Kappers and Ban, and obtained the following results ; 1. The mean height of corpus callosum of the Korean male was about 25.9mm and that of the female was about 25.6mm. 2. The mean length of corpus callosum of the Korean male was about 69.1mm and that of the female was about 69.9mm. 3. According to the callosum horizontal index, the length of the cerebral hemisphere of the Korean male was about 2.22 times longer than that of the corpus callosum, and that of the female was about 2.27 times longer. 4. According to the callosum parietal index, the height of parietal lobe of the Korean male and female was about 2.8 times higher than that of corpus callosum. 5. The mean value of the callosum index of Korean was about 0.374, which was greater than that of the Japanese and Chinese, but lesser than that of Battak. 6. The most common type of corpus callosum of the Korean was the type III and VI, but the type I and X were not appeared. 7. According to the type distribution in relation to the callosum horizontal index, the type VI at callosum horizontal index 0.44 was the most common types.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cerebrum ; Corpus Callosum* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Methods ; Parietal Lobe ; Rabeprazole

Mesenchymal Chondrcsarcoma is a rare malignant tumor originally described by Lichtenstein and Bernstein in 1959. Since the original description, several other reports of this tumor have been published, bringing the total numbers of cases in the literature to about Sixty-five. We report a case of Mesenchymal Chondrosarcoma in an 11-year-old boy who complained of a palpable mass in the region of the left iliac crest.
Child ; Chondrosarcoma, Mesenchymal ; Humans ; Male

PURPOSE: To evaluate diagnostic usefulness of ultrasonography(US) in pediatric patient with urinary tract infection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-five children with urinary tract infection underwent renal ultrasonography and voiding cystourethrography(VCUG). The imaging findings were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Renal sonograms were normal in 34 of 55 children(62%). Five of 34 patients with normal sonogram had vesicoureteral reflux of grade I to III on VCUG. Renal sonograms were abnormal in 21 of 55 children(38%). Sonographic findings included hydronephrosis, hyperechoic kidney, nephromegaly, atrophic kidney, renal abscess, and duplex ureter. Eleven of 21 patient with abnormal SOhogram had vesicoureteral reflux of grade I to IV on VCUG. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography is an useful and reliable initial screening examination in the investigation of children with UTI. Unfortunately US is neither sufficiently sensitive nor specific for detecting VUR. VCUG provides confirmative and valuable information about vesicoureteral reflux, and VCUG should be considered as a next modality for UTI. The combined use of sonography and VCUG provides more valuable information in urinary tract infection.
Abscess ; Child* ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Kidney ; Mass Screening ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography* ; Ureter ; Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract* ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux

BACKGROUND: As a result of exposure to human leukocyte antigen(HLA) by pregnancy, blood transfusion and previous organ transplantation, many patients awaiting renal transplantation can develop HLA antibodies. The level of HLA sensitization is determined by PRA(panel reactive antibody) test using a lymphocyte panel from HLA phenotyped selected donors. In Korea, PRA tests have not been performed routinely for organ transplantations. and there is no available data about HLA sensitization in renal transplantation. METHODS: PRA test was done in 136 sera of chronic renal failure(CRF) patients receiving dialysis (hemodialysis 108, peritoneal dialysis 28) by NIH standard microlymphocytotoxicity method with a frozen lymphocytes panel from 36 HLA-typed donors. PRA positive sera were re-tested after dithiothreitol(DTT) treatment and analyzed for HLA antibody specificities. RESULTS: Thirty five out of 136 sera(25.7%) showed positive PRA values in HLA antibody screening test. The PRA(%) values of the 35 positive sera were distributed into 1-10%(n=8), 10-20%(n=7), 20-50%(n=12) and 50%-100%(n=8). respectively. After DTT treatment, the change of PRA reactivity was divided into three groups. The PRA values of Group A(22 sera: 63%) showed no change, Group B(7 sera: 20%) declined, and Group C(6 sera. 17%) completely disappeared after DTT treatment. The specificities of HLA antibodies were identified in 19 out of 35 sera(54%). The success rate in defining antibody specificities was 0 at PRA values of 1-10% and 70-100%, and high at PRA values of 20-70%. CONCLUSION: We observed that about a quarter of CRF patients have developed HLA antibodies of immunoglobulin class-IgG, mixed IgG and IgM, and IgM HLA antibody in decreasing order of frequency.
Antibodies ; Antibody Specificity ; Blood Transfusion ; Dialysis ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins ; Isoantibodies* ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Kidney Transplantation ; Korea ; Leukocytes ; Lymphocytes ; Mass Screening ; Organ Transplantation ; Peritoneal Dialysis ; Pregnancy ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants

No abstract available.
Child* ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic* ; Humans

Since Pare's first report on Achilles tendon rupture in 1575, many authors have presented numerous operative and nonoperative methods for its treatment. Numerous controversies following its treatment have been concerned with the selection of its treatment method, which could minimizing the complications and enable early ambulation. We analysed 98 cases of Achilles tendon rupture in adults which were treated by direct repair, three-tissue bundle technique, or Plantaris/Peroneus augmentation repair for 3(1)/4 years from Oct. 1986 to Dec. 1989. We compared with types of cast after operation, periods for immobilization, and ankle motion of dorsiflexion at postoperative 6 weeks & long-term follow up. The results obtained from this study were as follows; l. After repair by three-tissue bundle technique, a short leg cast was applied, and then a weight bearing was started at postoperative 3 weeks. It can be demonstrated to shorten hospitalization and early ambulation when compared to other surgical techinques. 2. The patients who were repaired with the three-tissue bundle techinque averaged 12.5° dorsiflexion at the time of cast removal at postoperative 6 weeks, compared to 0°, 1° plantar flexion, and 4.4° plantar flexion with other techniques. The former group was significantly better than that of the latter group, and these differences were not present at long-term follow up. 3. On follow up period, discoverd complications were rerupture of Achilles tendon in 8 cases and mild wound infection in 3 cases, but the patients who were repaired by the three-tissne bundle technique showed no complications except mild wound infection in one case.
Achilles Tendon ; Adult ; Ankle ; Early Ambulation ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Leg ; Methods ; Rupture ; Weight-Bearing ; Wound Infection

No abstract available.
Humans ; Korea* ; Prognosis*