No abstract available.
Benzalkonium Compounds* ; Dermatitis, Contact*

PURPOSE: We studied to evaluate the effect of percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) in liver abscess. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data (presence of fever, WBC count), radiological findings (computed tomography, ultrasonography and abscessogram) and correlated them with treatment period. Percutaneous drainage of liver abscess were performed in 19 patients under fluoroscopy guide during recent three years. RESULTS: Eighteen patients (95%) were cured, and one patient underwent surgery because of peritonitis caused by PCD procedure. Average treatment period was 17 days. CONCLUSION: In the treatment of liver abscess, PCD is thought to be safe and effective.
Catheters* ; Drainage* ; Fever ; Fluoroscopy ; Humans ; Liver Abscess* ; Liver* ; Peritonitis ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography

Fungi have been recognized as a significant cause of external otitis and it may be the primary pathogen or be part of a mixed infection. In the immunocompromised host, fungus is capable of producing infection in inner ear or middle ear. Otomycoses are most frequently caused by Aspergillus spp. and Candida sap. There are few reports that Aspergillus species other than A. fumigatus, A. niger and f. flavus have caused chronic otitis media. We report two cases of chronic otitis media caused by Aspergillus ferrous in Korea. One case is a 7-year-old girl who had recurrent serous otorrhea and otalgia for 4 years, was reattended otolaryngology clinics with otorrhea of 3 days durations and another is a 6-year-old girl who had serous otorrhea for 2 months and 3 day fever, was attended otolaryngology clinics with them. Microscopic appearance and colony morphology from ear discharge cultures revealed A. ferrous. The infection responded well to topical ketoconazole therapy. This report should help to raise medical personnel's awareness of such human opportunistic fungal ear infections.
Aspergillus* ; Candida ; Child ; Coinfection ; Ear ; Ear, Inner ; Ear, Middle ; Earache ; Female ; Fever ; Fungi ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Ketoconazole ; Korea ; Niger ; Otitis Externa ; Otitis Media* ; Otitis* ; Otolaryngology ; Otomycosis

Two hundred twenty premature infants who were inhalated 02 and under 2500mg birth weight or under 37 weeks of gestational age were examined from January 1990 to June 1991. We performed clinical analysis and results were as follows. 1. Thirty one infants (14.1 %) were diagnosed as retinopathy of prematurity. 2. Male patients were 17 (54.8%) and female patients were 14 (46.2%). There was no significant difference in incidence between male and female (X2=0.01, p>0.05). 3. The first examination was performed at 2.4 weeks cf life in average, and the retinopathy of prematurity was diagnosed at 4.8 weeks in average. 4. Stage 2 was detected in 10 patients (32.3%) and stage 3 was detected in 6 patients (19.4%). 5. Plus sign was found in 2 patients (19%) with stage 2 and 6 patients (100%) with stage 3. 6. The incidence of retinopathy of prematurity was highly associated with low birth weight (<1200gm), small gestational age (<30 weeks), and oxygen concentration (>or=60%). 7. Other associated possible risk factors were hyperbilirubinemia, idiopathic respiratoty distress syndrome, anemia, apnea and transfusion.
Anemia ; Apnea ; Birth Weight ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Male ; Oxygen ; Retinopathy of Prematurity* ; Risk Factors

Dihydropyridine (DHP) calcium channel blockers (CCBs) have been widely used to treat of several cardiovascular diseases. An excessive shortening of action potential duration (APD) due to the reduction of Ca2+ channel current (I(Ca)) might increase the risk of arrhythmia. In this study we investigated the electrophysiological effects of nicardipine (NIC), isradipine (ISR), and amlodipine (AML) on the cardiac APD in rabbit Purkinje fibers, voltage-gated K+ channel currents (I(Kr), I(Ks)) and voltage-gated Na+ channel current (I(Na)). The concentration-dependent inhibition of Ca2+ channel currents (I(Ca)) was examined in rat cardiomyocytes; these CCBs have similar potency on I(Ca) channel blocking with IC50 (the half-maximum inhibiting concentration) values of 0.142, 0.229, and 0.227 nM on NIC, ISR, and AML, respectively. However, ISR shortened both APD50 and APD90 already at 1 microM whereas NIC and AML shortened APD50 but not APD90 up to 30 microM. According to ion channel studies, NIC and AML concentration-dependently inhibited I(Kr) and I(Ks) while ISR had only partial inhibitory effects (<50% at 30 microM). Inhibition of I(Na) was similarly observed in the three CCBs. Since the I(Kr) and I(Ks) mainly contribute to cardiac repolarization, their inhibition by NIC and AML could compensate for the AP shortening effects due to the block of I(Ca).
Action Potentials ; Amlodipine ; Animals ; Antihypertensive Agents ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Calcium Channel Blockers* ; Calcium Channels* ; Calcium* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Inhibitory Concentration 50 ; Ion Channels ; Isradipine ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; Nicardipine ; Purkinje Fibers ; Rats

No abstract available.
Dendritic Cells*

Heterotopic pregnancy is the coexistency of intrauterine and extrauterine pregnancy. The incidence of heterotopic pregnancy is about 1 to 30,000 pregnancy in a natural cycle. However, the frequency of heterotopic pregnancy has steadily increased because of rising incidence of pelvic inflammatory disease, pelvic surgery and the development of ovulation induction and assisted reproduction. Because heterotopic pregnancy is difficult to diagnose and it has high morbidity and mortality rate, one should always take this into consideration and should conduct careful and thorough gynecologic evaluation. We have experienced a case of heterotopic pregnancy in a 29-year old woman who presented with acute abdominal pain in a natural cycle and report this case with a brief review of literature.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mortality ; Ovulation Induction ; Pelvic Inflammatory Disease ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Heterotopic* ; Reproduction

BACKGROUND: Established risk factors for coronary artery disease include smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hypercholesterolemia. However, these account for less than 50% of the actual incidence of coronary artery disease and the importance of other risk factors is being increasingly realized. It has been known that insulin resistance associated with hyperinsulinemia is a pivotal link to several risk factors of coronary artery disease, including hypertension, glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia and obesity. Recently both experimental and clinical studies have produced evidence suggesting that high plasma insulin level may promote the development of atherosclerotic vascular diseasa. Several prospective studies showed independently that high plasma insulin is associated with an increased risk of major coronary artery disease. In our study, plasma glucose, insulin and C-peptide level were determined with oral glucose tolerance test to assess the insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia as a risk factory of coronary artery disease. METHOD: From September 1993 to April 1995, after excluding patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia and obesity, 17 patients with significant coronary artery stenosis and 10 control subjects with normal coronary finding were selected among the 226 patients who undertook coronary angiography. In the 17 cases(M:F=15:2) of coronary artery disease group, the mean age was 54+/-10 years, and in the 10 cases(M:F=8:2) of control group, 51+/-9 years. All were matched for age, gender and body mass index. Blood pressure, lipid and lipoprotein were measured and smoking history was assessed. Glucose, insulin and C-peptide responses to oral glucose tolerance test were also determined. RESULT: 1) There was no significant difference in systolic and diastolic and diastolic blood pressure, total-cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, ApoA and smoking history except ApoB between the subjects with coronary artery disease and normal control subjects. 2) In oral glucose tolerance test, the plasma glucose levels were not significantly different in the two groups. plasma insulin and C-peptide levels at 60 and 120 minutes were higher in the patient group than control, but the results lack statistical significance. The area under the insulin curve and C-peptide curve were larger in patient group than control, but the result lack statistical significance also. CONCLUSION: Although our study dose not prove the hypothesis that insulin resistance or hyperinsulinemia is statistically an independent risk factor for coronary artery disease, this study showed the tendency of insulinresistance to be correlated with development of coronary artery disease. As this study has limitations due to small sample size, further study is required to confirm the role of hyperinsulinemia using a larger sample size.
Apolipoproteins A ; Apolipoproteins B ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; C-Peptide ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Stenosis ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Dyslipidemias ; Glucose ; Glucose Intolerance ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hyperinsulinism ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Insulin Resistance* ; Insulin* ; Lipoproteins ; Obesity ; Plasma ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Sample Size ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Triglycerides

No abstract available.
Cicatrix, Hypertrophic* ; Skin*

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is an uncommon association with idiopathic inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) often leading to a variety of serious complications. A total of 41 resected cases of IBD were examined to elucidate the pathologic features of intestinal CMV infection which was assessed by histologic examination and confirmed by immunohistochemistry with CMV antibody. Six cases were positve for CMV antibody; five cases in 19 ulcerative colitis (UC, 26.3%) and one case in 22 Crohn's disease (CD, 4.5%). Of 7 cases of the steroid-treated UC group, five cases were superinfected with CMV (71.4%) but none in 12 cases of the steroid-untreated UC group. All of the five CMV-positive cases in UC showed deep ulceration and transmural inflammation, while none of 10 UC cases without above features were CMV positive. Fibrinoid necrosis and thrombi were found in 83.3% of the CMV infected group, while none in the CMV-negative group of UC cases (p=0.01). We conclude that IBD, particularly UC, is susceptible to the CMV infection when steroid hormone is administered, and that deep colonic ulceration, transmural inflammation and fibrinoid necrosis of vasculature may suggest superinfection of CMV in UC patients. It seems that deep colonic ulceration may be the consequence of an ischemic change following vascular luminal occlusion or vasculitis by CMV infection.
Colitis, Ulcerative ; Colon ; Crohn Disease ; Cytomegalovirus Infections* ; Cytomegalovirus* ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Inflammation ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases* ; Necrosis ; Phenobarbital ; Superinfection ; Ulcer ; Vasculitis