The recent introduction of chemotherapy in the treatment of the gynecologic malignancies has gained wide acceptance along with preoperative and postoperative adjuvant therapy and with preradiation and concurrent chemoradiaton therapy. But, the side effects of chemotherapy including bleeding and infection due to bone marrow suppression have resulted in increased morbidity and mortality of the patients and delayed treatment and a reduction in the chemotherapeutic agents used. In spite of the development of antibiotics and the supportive care of infection, sustained leukopenia in the patients during chemotherapy accounts for the high mortality rate due to sepsis. The early detection of the leukopenia during chemotherapy may enable clinicians to overcome infection problems by timely use of prophylactic broad spectrum antibiotics and G-CSF or GM-CSF. The author investigated the grade, duration, time of onset and other clinical features of the leukopenia and the effects of the age (> or =60 years vs <60 years), the number of the cycle of chemotherapy (> or =3 cycles vs < 3 cycles), fever and performance scale on the leukopenia. 79 cases (32 patients) of the leukopenia during chemotherapy of various gynecologic malignancies at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hanyang University between January, 1996 and December, 1998 entered to this study. The results were as follows; 1. Leukopenia occurred at 14.2+/-6.1 day from the first day of chemotherapy, 2. The duration of leukopenia was 2.5+/-1.6 days 3. No significant difference was found between eldely patients ( > or =60 years, n=13) and younger patients ( <60 years, n=66) about the severity, duration and time of onset of leukopenia. 4. No significant difference was found between the patients with more than 3 cycles of chemotherapy (n=40) and less than 3 cycles (n=39) about the severity, duration and time of onset of leukopenia. 5. Febrile leukopenic cases (n=6) had significantly lower granulocyte count, longer leukopenic period and earlier onset of leukopenia than afebrile (n=73). 6. It is thought that performance status scale does not affect the grade of leukopenia, onset of leukopenia and the leukopenic period.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bone Marrow ; Drug Therapy* ; Fever ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor ; Granulocytes ; Gynecology ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Leukopenia* ; Mortality ; Obstetrics ; Sepsis

Liver has a dual blood supply from portal vein and hepatic artery. Hepatocellular carcinoma receive their blood supply almost exclusively from hepatic artery. Thus, the concept of treating hepatocellular carcinoma by chemoembolization through these arteries is very effective. However, there may be several collateral or parasitic vessels feeding them in case of huge tumor or previous chemoembolization. We experierced a case of huge tumor involving right upper posterior portion of liver fed by 9th, 10th, 11th right posterior intercostal arteries and an anomalous hepatic artery. We tried chemoembolization with Adriamycin-Lipiodol suspension and Gelfoam material through the right posterior intercostal arteries to treat the lesion. After the procedure, the patient(55 years old female) became paraplegic with voiding and defecation difficulty which could be due to spinal cord infarction .by anterior spinal arteri. al occlusion caused by embolic material through the artery of Adamkiewicz from a posterior intercostal artery. She recovered completely after 20 days of treatment.
Arteries* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Defecation ; Gelatin Sponge, Absorbable ; Hepatic Artery ; Infarction ; Liver ; Portal Vein ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord*

Congenital melanocytic nevi are considered to be precursors of malignant melanoma. Although the risk of malignant melanoma with medium and small congenital melanocytic nevi is uncertain, it is important to notice the possibility of malignant transformation in those lesions. We describe a 62-year-old woman who had had a brown soft verrucous tumor on her right lower back since birth. She first noticed a black nodule in the center of the tumor 5 years before which had ulcerated 3 months prior to presentation without healing. A biopsy specimen revealed malignant melanoma arising from a congenital melanocytic nevus.
Biopsy ; Female ; Humans ; Melanoma* ; Middle Aged ; Nevus, Pigmented* ; Parturition ; Ulcer

A study was made on the two cases of Klinefelter's Syndrome with review of literatures Two cases revealed findings characteristic of Klinefelter's Syndrome suck as small testes, hyalinization of seminiferous tubules. azoospermia, increased urinary gonadotropin, decreased urinary 17-ketosteroid, positive sex chromatin, gynecomastia and impotence.
Azoospermia ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Gonadotropins ; Gynecomastia ; Hyalin ; Klinefelter Syndrome* ; Male ; Seminiferous Tubules ; Sex Chromatin ; Testis

Rett syndrome is progressive neurodegenerative disorder in female patients, characterized by autistic behavior, mental retardation, loss of purposeful hand skills, stereotypic hand movement, breathing dysfunction, severely impaired language, ataxia, and seizure. The diagnosis of Rett syndrome is based on its characteristic clinical manifestation and course. The electroencephalographic (EEG) findings of Rett syndrome are nonspecific, but a progressive deterioration in the EEG, characterized by a slowing of background activity and spike sharp wave discharges, may be observed. We experienced one case of Rett syndrome in a 5 year old girl having mental retardation, loss of purposeful hand skills, stereotypic hand movements (clapping, washing, hand-to-mouth), breathing dysfunction (hyperventilation/apnea). Her EEG findings on Video-EEG monitoring are excessive slowing waves during awake state and frequent spike discharges from left or centrotemporal area during sleeping. We report a case of Rett syndrome with brief review of related literatures.
Ataxia ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis ; Electroencephalography ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Respiration ; Rett Syndrome* ; Seizures

Involucrin is a recently recognized structural component of mature squamous epithelial cells and is considered as a marker of normal eratinocyte differentiation and ma.turation. In this study peroxidase-antiperoxidase techniques were used to assess involucrin expression in histologic sections of normal skin and a variety of epidennal tumors including squamous cell carcinomas(25 cases), keratoacanthomas(11 cases), basal cell carcinomas(20 cases), trichoepitheliomas(5 cases), Howens diseases(12 cases), arsenic keratoses(10 cases), actinic keratoses(10 cases) and Pagets diseases(2 cases). The results were as follows : l. In normal skin, the upper third of the viable epidermis showed diffuse cytoplasmic staining for involucrin. In hair follicles, the lower area of inner root sheath and inner area of the outer root sheath stained positively. The sebareous glands did not stain, but the ducts of sebaceous glands were positive. 2. Keratoacanthomas showed a relatively homogeneous staining pattern for inirolucrin ', all cells except basal cells stained with mild to moderate intensity. In contrast, squamous cell carcinomas disclosed a highly irregular involucrin staining pattern with marked variation in staining intensity from cell to cell. 3. Basal cell carcinomas were negative for involucrin except squamous horn cysts, and the epidermis overlying basal cell carcinomas showed the field effect, that is, the epidermis overlying the tumors exhibited diffuse, homogeneous positive staining of cells in all layers of the epidermis. 4. ln trichoepitheliomas, the involucrin reactivity was negative as in basal cell carcinoma.s, but the field effect was not observed. 5. In Elowens disease, actinic keratosis, arsenic keratosis and Pagets disease, the positivit.y for involucrin staining extended deeper into the stratum malpighii than was observed wit,h normal epidermis. And areas showing irregular patchy pattern of involucrin staining were considered to have the potentiality of malignant invasive change much more than the negative or homogeneous areas. Paget's cells were negative for involucrin as the adjoining keratinocytes in the lower portion af epidermis.
Actins ; Animals ; Arsenic ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cytoplasm ; Epidermis ; Epithelial Cells ; Hair Follicle ; Horns ; Keratinocytes ; Keratoacanthoma ; Keratosis ; Keratosis, Actinic ; Sebaceous Glands ; Secobarbital ; Skin

Clinical study on 62 patients (26 males and 36 females) with neurofibromatosis seen during past ten years at the Department of Dermatology, Pusan National Universitg Hospital, was made the variable clinical manifestations of the disease and Riccardis ciassification were emphasized. The results were as follows . 1) Family history was noted in 32 cases(51.6%) and exhibited autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. 2) Cutaneous neurofibromas were found in 52 cases(83.8%). 3) Cafe-au-lait spots, measuring greater than 1.5cm in its longest diameter, were found in 60 cases(96.8%) and 44 cases(71.0%) had more than 6 in number. 4) Among associated abnormalities were,' mental retardation(20,9%), skeletal abnormalities(11.2%), seizure, severe headache, etc. 5) According to Riccardis classification, 38 cases could be classified as type I, 28 cases(73.7%); type II, 0 case ; type III, 1 case(2.6%); type IV, 3 cases(7, 9%); type V, 1 case(2.6%); type VI, 4 cases(10.5%); type VII, l case(2.6%); and type VIII, 0 case.
Busan ; Cafe-au-Lait Spots ; Classification* ; Dermatology ; Headache ; Humans ; Inheritance Patterns ; Male ; Neurofibroma ; Neurofibromatoses* ; Seizures

No abstract available.
Animals ; Apoptosis* ; Collagen* ; Insulin* ; Rats* ; Streptozocin*

No abstract available.

Plummer-Vinson syndrome is a clinical entity characterized by dysphagia, iron deficiency anemia, cheilosis, glossitis, and cervical esophageal web, especially in middle aged women. Recently, the authors experienced a case of Plummer-Vinson syndrome. A 53-year-old female was admitted due to intermittent solid food dysphagia for 18 months. She had a 2 years history of iron deficiency anemia. On admission glossitis, fissures at the angle of the mouth, spoon nails, and iron deficiency anemia were noted. Esophagogram and esophagoscopic examination revealed thin walled concentric web at upper esophagus. Esophageal web was succefully teared by endoscopic balloon dilatation with subseguant improvement of dysphagia. Skin manifestations as well as anemia were markedly improved after oral iron replacement therapy.
Anemia ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency ; Deglutition Disorders ; Dilatation ; Esophagus ; Female ; Glossitis ; Humans ; Iron ; Middle Aged ; Mouth ; Plummer-Vinson Syndrome* ; Skin Manifestations ; Tears