BACKGROUND: The positive reactions of carcinoembryonic antigen(CEA) show varying degrees in the tissue of all sweat gland neoplasms by immunohistochemistry. The CEA secreted from sweat glands presents a high value, compared with that of serum. OBJECTIVE: The study was to evaluate the sweat CEA value in relation to serum CEA value by sex, smoking status and blood type in healthy subjects. METHOD: Fifty-two healthy subjects(M : 43, F :9) aged 21-30, participated in the study. 2ml sweat was collected from the face and chest after intense exercises and 3ml blood was collected from their antecubital veins. Roche Core CEA enzyme immunoassay was used for the measurement of sweat and serum CEA. RESULTS: Sweat CEA values were 102.0+4100.5ng/ml in males and 70.6+458.5ng/ml in females, with their mean valueof 96.6+/-94.9ng/ml. Sweat CEA values were 108.3+/-103.5ng/ml in 27 smokers and 83.9+/-84.8ng/ml in 25 nonsmokers(p>0.05, t-test). Sweat CEA values were higher among the males and the smokers. Serum CEA values were 2.5+/-1.7ng/ml in males and 1.6+/-0.8ng/ml in females, with its mean value of 2.4+/-1.6ng/ml. There was no difference between serum values of smokers and nonsmokers. Sweat CEA values were about 40 times higher than those of serum, with no correlation of sweat and serum CEA(correlation coefficient=-0.16, P>0.05). In the blood type study, sweat CEA values were 123.1+/-131.8ng/ml in A type and 66.1+/-55.0ng/ml in B type(P>0.05), whereas serum CEA values were higher in AB type and lower in O type(P<0.05, ANOVA). CONCLUSION: Sweat CEA values are extraordinarily high in contradistinction to serum. Sweat CEA values are not affected by sex, smoking status and blood type. There seems to be no association between CEA values of sweat and serum.
Carcinoembryonic Antigen* ; Exercise ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Sweat Gland Neoplasms ; Sweat Glands ; Sweat* ; Thorax ; Veins

Drowning is a leading cause of accidental deaths worldwide, but its pathological diagnosis remains a challenge for forensic pathologists owing to a lack of pathognomonic findings in drowning deaths and inconclusive autopsy findings caused by postmortem changes. The aim of the present study was to investigate the pathway taken by inhaled drowning medium through the airway after death in a variety of experimental conditions, including underwater pressurization. We used methylene blue dye to monitor the spread of drowning medium to the lungs. Results of theses experiments demonstrated that it is possible for a significant amount of downing medium to enter the airway during immersion after death. Our results suggest that autopsies of immersed bodies and interpretation of these findings should be performed with special care.
Animal Experimentation* ; Animals* ; Autopsy ; Diagnosis ; Drowning* ; Immersion ; Inhalation* ; Lung ; Methylene Blue* ; Postmortem Changes

There have been many epidemiological and clinical researches on chronic fatigue (CF) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) since the 1990s, but such studies have been quite limited in Korea. The aim of this study was to investigate the point prevalence of CF and CFS in patients who visited community-based eight primary care clinics in Korea. The study subjects were 1,648 patients aged 18 yr and over who visited one of eight primary care clinics in Korea between the 7th and 17th of May 2001. The physicians determined the status of the subjects through fatigue-related questionnaires, medical history, physical examination, and laboratory tests. The subjects were categorized into no fatigue, prolonged fatigue, CF and then CF were further classified to medically explained CF (Physical CF and Psychological CF) and medically unexplained CF (CFS and idiopathic chronic fatigue). The point prevalence of CF and CFS were 8.4% (95% CI 7.1-9.7%) and 0.6% (95% CI 0.2-1.0%). Medically explained CF was 80.5% of CF, of which 57.1% had psychological causes. The clinical characteristics of CFS were distinguished from explained CF. CF was common but CFS was rare in community-based primary care settings in Korea.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age Distribution ; Chronic Disease ; Community Health Services/statistics & numerical data ; Comparative Study ; Fatigue/*epidemiology ; Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic/*epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prevalence ; Sex Distribution

Endometriosis is an enigmatic disease of menstruating females affecting the reproductive life. We report herein a case of perineal endometriosis in a 33-year-old woman. The patient presented two rounded, thickened plaques bilaterally on the perineum for about four year. The plaque on the right side was located mainly at the episiotomy scar. Histologic examination showed confirmative feature of glandular structures embedded in the cellular stroma and predecidual changes of late secretory phase of endometrium. Radical operation of total hysterectomy with bilateral oophorectomy and partial excision of perineal lesions were performed. There was complete resolution with no relapse by the 6-month follow-up. This is of a very rare occurrence and three cases have been reported in the Korean literatures up to date.
Adult ; Cicatrix ; Endometriosis* ; Endometrium ; Episiotomy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Ovariectomy ; Perineum ; Recurrence

No abstract available.
Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Actinomycosis*

No abstract available.
Anemia, Hemolytic* ; Cholelithiasis* ; Hepatolenticular Degeneration*

Atypical antipsychotics are the more effective and safer alternative to the common practice of maintenance adjunctive treatment as well as acute adjuvant treatment with traditional antipsychotics in patients with bipolar disorder. A few double-blind controlled studies of acute mania found olanzapine or ziprasidone monotherapy to be more effective than placebo, and the combination treatment of risperidone and mood stabilizer was also more effective than placebo. Furthermore, clozapine has antimanic and mood stabilizing effect for the treatment-refractory patients in acute manic and maintenance phase. Olanzapine and risperidone are reported that they have long-term mood stabilizing effect when they are used with mood stabilizers. At present, combination treatment of atypical antipsychotics and mood stabilizer is generally used. However, because each drug of such combinations causes sometimes bothersome and potentially dangerous events as well as their interactions, the consideration for their risk are needed.
Antipsychotic Agents* ; Bipolar Disorder* ; Clozapine ; Humans ; Risperidone

Giant cell tumor (GCT) occurs very unusually in the rib (less than 1% of GCT). We present the cytologic features of GCT of the rib. It showed multiple cellular clusters composed of characteristic, benign looking osteoclast-like multinucleated giant cells and fibroblast-like mononuclear cells. The multinucleated giant cells contained numerous nuclei (average, 30 to 40 per cell, which were closely packed. The nuclei in giant cells were remarkably uniform and round to oval. The mononuclear, neoplastic stromal cells were elongated and spindle-shaped, There was no cytologically malignant portion in the tumor.
Child* ; Giant Cell Tumors ; Giant Cells ; Humans ; Ribs ; Stromal Cells ; Urinary Tract*

Normal lymphocyte transfer (NLT) test is composed of two peaks of delaycd. hypersensitivity reaction of erythema and/or induration developed at the site of intradermal inoculatioa of allogenic lymphocyte. It has been suggested that NLT test is a px.siblc homograft raaction, how var tlv exact mecha.nism is remained to be resolved. In leprosy, there has been accumulating evidenc. indicating defective cell mediated. immunity detected by varioua immunological tests. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the immune capability of patients with leprosy using NLT test. A total of 20 hea,lthy volunteers, 20 lepromatous and 22 tuberculoid leprosy patients who were under antileprosy chemotherapy with DDS for varying periods, entered this study. Lymphocytes from hepatitis associati antigen (HAA) negative donor were isolated with Ficoll- Hypaque density gradient method and the cell concentration was adjusted by normal saline so as to give 2, 5 million cells per 0. 1 ml. Each recipient was given 0. 1 ml lymphocyte suspension on the flexor surface of th right forearm intrad.ermally using 1 ml tuberculi n syringe with a 26 gauge needle. The appearance and the size of induration was checked daily for 2 weeks. In this atudy, the NLT reaction pattem was classified as follows: a. normal pattem showing the first peak and second peak of reaction. b. first peak only showing the first peak, but no second peak, of reaction. c. flat pattem showing neitger the first peak nor the second peak of reaction The results were as follows: 1. There were normal pattem in sixteen persons(80%) and first peak only in 4 persons(20%) among twenty healthy human volunteers. 2. There were normal pattem in four patients(20%), first peak only in six patients(30%) and flat pattem in ten patients(50%) among twenty letromatous leprosy patients. 3. There were normal pattem in twelve patients(54.5%), first peak only in eight patients(36.4%) and flat pattem in two patients(9.1%) among twenty-two tuberouloid leprosy patients. These findings suggest that NLT test may be useful in evaluating the immune capability in leprosy and host factor in belived to be important in the development of both first and second peaks of NLT test.
Allografts ; Diatrizoate ; Drug Therapy ; Erythema ; Forearm ; Healthy Volunteers ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Immunologic Tests ; Leprosy* ; Leprosy, Tuberculoid ; Lymphocytes* ; Needles ; Syringes ; Tissue Donors ; Volunteers