No abstract available.
Arthritis* ; Open Bite*

No abstract available.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Nifedipine* ; Plasma* ; Renin*

Inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver is a rare benign tumor with microscopic finding of fibrous stroma and chronic inflammatory cell infiltration. Predominance of plasma cells, histiocytes, lymphocytes, some eosinophils and whorled pattern of fibrosis is often characteristic. Due to similar radiologic appearance of hepatocellular carcinoma, inflammatory pseudotumor of the liver was often misdiagnosed and hepatic resection is often performed before preoperative tissue diagnosis. We report a case of inflammatory pseudotumor, which was a 47-year-old woman with fever, upper aMominal pain and weight loss, diagnosed by sonoguided liver biopsy and treated with antibiotic therapy only without surgery. After two weeks of treatment, the radiologic image of the mass was almost disappeared with improvement of previous symptoms. This opportunity and the possible effectiveness of antibiotic treatment should keep in mind in the differential diagnosis of the hepatic mass with similar radiologic appearance of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Fever ; Fibrosis ; Granuloma, Plasma Cell* ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Liver* ; Lymphocytes ; Middle Aged ; Plasma Cells ; Weight Loss

PURPOSE: Pseudohypoparathyroidism(PHP) is caused by a defect of G protein and receptor despite of normal parathyroid hormone(PTH) secretion. It is a rare disorder characterized by hypocalcemia, hyperphophatemia, elevated PTH levels and albright hereditory osteodystrophy(AHO). We retrospectively reviewed the clinical characteristics of PHP. METHODS: We reviewed clinical features, laboratory findings, and outcome to treatment of 8 PHP patients, diagnosed at Seoul National University Hospital from 1988 to rool. RESULTS: Male to Female ratio was 1.7:1 and mean age at diagnosis was 11.8 years old. The initial average height SDS was 0.13+/-.08 and the average weight SDS was 0.43+/-.31. The most common symptom was seizure. Only one patient had typical AHO, three patients had mental retardation. Brain MRI or CT showed basal ganglia calcification in 3 patients. All patients treated with vitamin D and calcium supplementation could maintained normal serum levels of calcium and phophorus. CONCLUSION: PHP should be suspected in patient with seizure of unknown origin, aged above 5 year-old. AHO and mental retardation could be adjuvant signs to the diagnosis of PHP. But definite diagnosis could be made by laboratory work up.
Basal Ganglia ; Brain ; Calcium ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis ; Female ; GTP-Binding Proteins ; Humans ; Hypocalcemia ; Intellectual Disability ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Pseudohypoparathyroidism* ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures ; Seoul ; Vitamin D

Agar-gel diffusion test (AGD), counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIEP) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) were examined with the sera of skin test positives for paragonimiasis. The crude antigen(Paragonimus whole worm extracts: protein concentration, 7.56mg/ml) and human sera were used in AGD and CIEP. And in ELISA test, diluted antigen with 1:40,000 of crude antigen and diluted sera with 1:100, 1:200 were used in the test. The positive identical ratio between AGD and CIEP reactions is 98 percent and negative identical ratio is 100 percent. One or three precipitin bands are observed in AGD. One to seven precipitin bands are also revealed in CIEP. Especially, deeply stained bands are observed in CIEP than those of AGD. The positive identical ratios between AGD and ELISA tests are 96 percent in 1:100 diluted sera, and 94 percent in 1:200 diluted sera. But the negative identical ratios between AGD and ELISA tests are 97 percent and 99 percent respectively in 1:100 and 1:200 diluted sera. The positive identical ratios between CIEP and ELISA tests are 98 percent and 96 percent respectively in 1:100 and 1:200 diluted sera, but also 97 percent and 99 percent in 1:100 and 1:200. Control sera, such as clonorchiasis, amoebiasis and toxoplasmosis, revealed all negatives with Paragonimus antigen in AGD, CIEP and ELISA tests. By above results, ELISA was most sensitive, next CIEP and AGD. But AGD test appears to be more useful when used to crude antigen without cross reaction with other parasitic infections. CIEP test is basically equal in terms of precipitin reaction, but CIEP is able to be detected more sensitively and rapidly though less simple in handiwork than AGD. Consequently, three methods for immunological tests of paragonimiasis have good correlations with one another. Also, each of these has both merits and demerits in immunological test for paragonimiasis. But the ELISA test was proved to be the most sensitive and convenient tool for mass screening test, especially in case of using purified antigen.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Clonorchis sinensis ; clonorchiasis ; ELISA ; immunology ; diagnosis ; paragonimiasis ; Paragonimus westermani ; agar-gel diffusion ; counterimmunoelectrophoresis

We report herein a human sparganosis that presented confusing features in aspect of its correct identification, The patient was 35-year-old man who had a past history of eating fried frogs since 3 years prior to his first admission in 198I. Three mature Sparganum mansoni and 69 encapsulated spargana pieces were excised from his left inguinal area, left thigh and scrotum by three consecutive operations in 19 months. The encapsulated spargana were irregular in shape and size and mummified. They were identified histopathologically as degenerated spargana by no sexual organs and many calcareous bodies in the parenchyma. Differentiation of our case from proliferating sparganosis caused by Spargarrum proliferum was discussed.
Adult ; Eating ; Humans ; Scrotum ; Sparganosis* ; Sparganum ; Thigh

No abstract availalbe.
Liver, Artificial*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) is often developed in the patients with alcoholic liver disease, the studies about which clinical factors are associated with the development of AWS have been rarely studied. The aim of this study was to reveal clinical factors indicating a higher risk for the development of AWS at admission. METHODS: The retrospective case-controlled study was conducted among patients with alcoholic liver disease. The cases were divided into two groups according to whether AWS was developed or not. We compared their past medical history, physical examination and laboratory data at admission. RESULTS: AWS was significantly developed in patients who had experienced AWS in the past, increased serum chloride concentration at admission. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to predict the patients who are more likely develop to AWS by means of past medical history and a serum biochemical test at admission. We suggest more intensive therapy will be required to prevent the development of AWS in these patients. These results are preliminary and need further prospective development and validation, particularly regarding the variety of variables.
Alcoholics* ; Case-Control Studies ; Humans ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic* ; Physical Examination ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVES: Bee venom contains a potent antiinflammatory peptide 401 as well as mellitin. The purpose of this study was to see the efficacy and safety of purified bee venom injection therapy for knee or spinal osteoarthritis patients. METHODS: One hundred and one osteoarthritis patients were randomly assigned to bee venom injection therapy or oral nabumetone medication group. Bee venom injection group was subdivided into 3 groups according to different dosing schedule(group A: gradual increase up to 0.7mg, group B: up to 1.5mg and group C: up to 2.0mg). Control group patients(group D) were given 1000mg nabumetone daily for 6 weeks. There were 25, 26, 25, and 26 patients assigned to A, B, C, or D group. The efficacy of treatment was evaluated by measuring instruments developed by authors, and the safety of bee venom injection was evaluated by hematology and chemistry laboratory examination. RESULTS: Among 101 patients, eighty-one patients completed the study, but twenty patients were dropped out and two of these patients were dropped out due to adverse drug reaction. The efficacy in bee venom group showed better improvement than nabumetone group(p<0.01). Within bee venom group, group B and C showed better improvement than group A(p<0.01). Itching around injection site occurred in most patients, and bodyache occurred in 49 patients (81.7%). Hemoglobin was decreased(0.3g/dl) in group C, but no significant changes were observed in other laboratory values. CONCLUSION: The efficacy of bee venom injection in the control of knee or back pain in osteoarthritis patients was better than nabumetone medication. No severe allergic or adverse reaction was observed in bee venom treatment patients, but problems related with bee venom injection, such as pruritis, bodyache, and the possibility of anaphylaxis, should be considered for the use of bee venom injection.
Anaphylaxis ; Back Pain ; Bee Venoms* ; Bees* ; Chemistry ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Hematology ; Humans ; Knee ; Melitten ; Osteoarthritis* ; Osteoarthritis, Spine ; Pruritus

We present a family of FSP with review of literatures. Seeligmuller (1876) and Strumpell (1880) were the first to describe familial case of spastic paraplegia characterized by progressive weakness and spasticity of the lower limbs with little or no involvement of the upper extremities. This syndrome is heterogenous in inheritance, age of onset, severity and associated signs. A pure type without complications has been named "Strumpell's FSP". We have recently experienced a case of 17 years old male who had bilateral weakness and stiffness of lower extremities, and gait disturbance with family history. Differential diagnosis, particularly with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is discussed.
Adolescent ; Age of Onset ; Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Gait ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Muscle Spasticity* ; Paraplegia* ; Upper Extremity ; Wills