No abstract available.

No abstract available.

A 4-year-old boy has had a solitary sclerotic depressed plaque on the right anterior chest since birth. The histopathologic findings are consistent with morphea profunda: thickening, hyalinization, and homogenization of collagen bundles in the dermis and subcutaneous tissues, admixture with a prominent lymphocytic and plasma cell infiltrate, and sweat glands en-trapped between the thickened collagen bundles. We report a case of congenital solitary morphea profunda.
Child, Preschool ; Collagen ; Dermis ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Male ; Parturition ; Plasma Cells ; Scleroderma, Localized* ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Sweat Glands ; Thorax

PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the epidemiology of enterovirus (EV) infections in children at a secondary hospital during recent 5 years. METHODS: We collected the cerebrospinal fluid, stool and throat swab samples from the pediatric patients with suspected EV infections in KEPCO Medical Center, Seoul, Korea from July 2006 to September 2010. EV detection and genotype identification were performed by RT-PCR at Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. RESULTS: A total of 386 samples were collected from 277 patients during study period. Ninety-eight patients (35.4%) were diagnosed with EV infections. The RT-PCR positive rate was the highest in throat swab samples (48.3%). The median age of patient was 4.7 years (range, 0.1-12.5 years). Aseptic meningitis (50, 51.0%) was the most common clinical manifestation; herpangina (22, 22.4%) and hand-foot-mouth disease (18, 18.4%). One hundred EVs were isolated from 98 patients and 20 genotypes of EV were identified; Echovirus 30 (28 cases, 28%), Enterovirus 71 (12 cases, 12%), Echovirus 25 (10 cases, 10%), Echovirus 9 (9 cases, 9%) and Coxsackievirus A6 (8 cases, 8%). Aseptic meningitis caused by Echovirus 30 was the most common manifestation in 2008. There was no complicated case caused by Enterovirus 71. CONCLUSION: This study showed the epidemiology of confirmed EV infection in children from 2006 to 2010. There is a need for continuous surveillance of EV infections and its clinical manifestations.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Child ; Echovirus 9 ; Enterovirus ; Enterovirus B, Human ; Enterovirus Infections ; Genotype ; Herpangina ; Humans ; Korea ; Meningitis, Aseptic ; Pharynx

No abstract available.
Animals ; Brain* ; Cats* ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy*

PURPOSE:Mutations of the PROP1 (Prophet of PIT1) gene lead to combined pituitary hormone deficiency (CPHD), which is characterized by a deficiency of growth hormone (GH), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), luteinizing hormone (LH)/follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin (PRL) and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). We studied the PROP1 mutations in Korean children with hypopituitarism. METHODS:Twelve patients with congenital hypopituitarism were recruited from the Ajou University Hospital, Korea. The pituitary phenotype ranged from isolated growth hormone deficiency (IGHD) to CPHD. Clinical data, including endocrine and neuroradiological data were obtained from the medical records, and the DNA was collected and screened for mutations within PROP1 using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR products were sequenced directly. RESULTS:Nine patients had abnormal pituitary gland and three patients showed normal pituitary gland in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Endocrinologically, seven patients had IGHD and five had CPHD. Three of CPHD had GHD and hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism and the other two had GHD, central hypothyroidism, and ACTH deficiency. We identified no mutations in the PROP1 gene. However, three known polymorphisms were identified: The 27T->C (Ala9Ala) and the associated IVS1+3A->G in exon 1 were found in 25% of patient alleles sequenced. The 424G->A (Ala142Thr) in exon 3 change was identified in 4% of those sequenced. CONCLUSION:This study corresponds to the previous reports that PROP1 mutations are rare in sporadic cases of CPHD. The low mutation frequency in Korean patients may be due to ethnic-specificity or other candidate genes causing this disease. It is necessary to study PROP1 gene and the involved genes in more Korean patients.
Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Alleles ; Child ; DNA ; Exons ; Growth Hormone ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Hypopituitarism ; Hypothyroidism ; Korea ; Luteinizing Hormone ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Medical Records ; Mutation Rate ; Phenotype ; Pituitary Gland ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prolactin ; Thyrotropin

No abstract available.
Dysgerminoma* ; Teratoma*

PURPOSE: Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy(HOA) is a clinical syndrome consisting of clubbing, periostitis and synovitis. Most frequent causes of hypertrophic osteoarthropathy are intrathoracic neoplasms, among which the bronchogenic carcinoma ranks the highest. But computed tomographic evaluation of intrathoracic neoplasm associated with HOA has been seldom reported. The purpose of this study is to evaluate CT findings of intrathoracic neoplasm associated with HOA, and to infer possible mechanism. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven cases of intrathoracic neoplasm associated with HOA were included in our study. Diagnoses of HOA were made by Tc99m bone scintigraphy or plain radiography. The findings of chest CT scans were reviewed retrospectively, with main interests on their size, location and internal characteristics, ect. RESULTS: Seven cases of intrathoracic neoplasm consisted of five bronchogenic carcinomas and two thymic tumors. The size of intrathoracic tumors were relativelY, large ranging from 6cm to 13cm(average 8.0cm). All thoracic neoplasms showed wide pleural contact, and one of them invaded thoracic wall. The range of length of pleural contact was 5-18cm(average 9.9cm). All of seven patients had internal necrosis, and one of them showed cavitation in thoracic mass. CONCLUSION: lntrathoracic neoplasms associated with HOA had a tendency to be large, to contain internal necrosis, and to widely abut the thoracic pleura.
Carcinoma, Bronchogenic ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Periostitis ; Pleura ; Radiography ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Retrospective Studies ; Synovitis ; Thoracic Neoplasms ; Thoracic Wall ; Thymus Neoplasms ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The basic technique for total reconstruction of the microtia was established by Tanzer, who utilized autologous rib cartilages for constructing the auricular framework. In order to decrease the number of surgical stages and to achieve maximal convolution, we employed a surgical procedure with simultaneous three layered costal cartilage grafting for the high profiled auricle, concha formation and lobule rotation. However, we performed ear elevation as an additional procedure for some patients who had decreased helical height due to absorption of cartilage framework or postoperative trauma and who had wanted to wear the spectacles or to have more natural appearance of auriculocephalic sulcus. From August 1988 to October 1997 we had performed surgeries for the ear elevation of 58 patients in 177 patients with total ear reconstruction, using various elevation methods; skin graft, local flap, and local with costal cartilage block. When the ear elevation was performed with skin graft, postoperative contraction of the grafted skin was inevitable. In cases with two skin flaps, it was difficult to stabilize and maintain the correct projection of the constructed ear. So we elevated the reconstructed ear by utilizing a costal cartilage block, two skin flaps to cover the posterior region and skin graft. We conclude that the local flap with costal cartilage block is one of the most favorable methods in ear elevation which can maintain the adequate projection and make natural looking auriculocephalic sulcus.
Absorption ; Cartilage ; Ear* ; Eyeglasses ; Humans ; Ribs ; Skin ; Transplants

No abstract available.
Herpesvirus 3, Human* ; Korea* ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length*