Twelve hyperlipidemic patients taking ginseng extract 1.0 gm daily were studied for sequential changes in blood lipid levels for 16 weeks. Following results were observed. 1. HDL-C was markedly elevated from the beginning through test period while TG is conversely decreased. 2. TC and LDL-C revealed the tendency to decrease but not significant in degree. 3. No remarkable untoward reaction was observed with long term ginseng extract administration. In summary, the beneficial effect of ginseng extract on abnormal blood lipids level is unequivocal and the author recommend the use of ginseng extract to patient being on the verge of atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis* ; Humans ; Panax*

There had been total 20 patients with early onset(4 months~2 years) primary nephrotic syndrome in the Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Children's Hospital, during the period from March 1987 to February 1993. We analysed clinical courses, response to treatment, pathological findings and prognosis of the patients And the results were as follows; 1) The initial responders to steroid treatment were 10(50%), of whom 3 became late nonresponders. Of the 10 initial nonresponders, 8 revealed continuing nonresponsiveness. 2) Incidence of hypertension was significantly higher in the intial nonresponders than in the initial responders. 3) Renal biopsies were performed in 9 initial nonresponders and 2 late nonresponders. And the results were 6 with minimal change lesion, 4 with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and 1 with mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis. 4) Six continuing or late nonresponders received methylprednisolone pulse therapy or cyclophosphamide. And partial remission was induced in 4 of them. 5) The overall 3 year maintenance rate of normal renal function was 81%(100% in the initial responders and 64% in the initial nonresponders). In conclusion, the initial steroid responsiveness and prognosis were poorer in patients with early onset nephrotic syndrome than in patients with usual childhood nephrotic syndrome.
Biopsy ; Cyclophosphamide ; Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Methylprednisolone ; Nephrotic Syndrome* ; Pediatrics ; Prognosis ; Seoul

PURPOSE: To determine the significance of anomalous position of the gallbladder. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients with anomalous position of the gallbladder were evaluated for analysis. The diagnosis was confirmed by ultrasonography(15 patients) and oral cholecystography(1patient). Among those, six patients underwent CT scan and a patient had 99mTc-DISIDA scan. The images were analysed with respect to the location of the GB and configuration and associated abnormality of the liver and hepatobiliary systems. Medical records of each patient were also reviewed. RESULTS: Among 16 patients having an anomalous position of the gallbladder, nine had retrodisplaced gallbladder, four had left-sided gallbaldder, two had suprahepatic gallbladder, and one had floating gallbladder. Except for one patient, fifteen had abnormality in the liver such as focal atrophic or hypoplastic change and liver cirrhosis. Intrahepatic stones were demonstrated in 6 patients. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that anomalous position of the gallbladder was commonly associated with atrophy or hypoplasia of the liver rather than congenital in origin. The possiblity of an anomalous location of gallbladder should be kept in mind when GB is not in its normal location.
Atrophy ; Diagnosis ; Gallbladder* ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Medical Records ; Technetium Tc 99m Disofenin ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Cyclodialysis and ciliochoroidal detachment was performed in one eye of three rabbits and in one eye of another three rabbits respectively. 0.1 ml of 10% sodium fluorescein was injected intracamerally after aspiration of aqueous humor and the eyeball was enucleated between 30 minutes and one hour after sodium fluorescein injection and prepared for fluorescence microscopy. Sodium fluorescein concentration in supraciliary space was much greater in group with cyclodialysis or ciliochoroidal detachment than in normal control group. These results suggest that in the eye with cyclodialysis, aqueous humor may gain access freely to supraciliary space through the cleft between anterior chamber and supraciliary space and then is removed rapidly and in the eye with ciliochoroidal detachment, aqueous humor may pass through uveoscleral outflow pathway.
Anterior Chamber ; Aqueous Humor* ; Fluorescein ; Microscopy, Fluorescence ; Rabbits

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop a health information web site evaluation categories with items for diabetes mellitus in order to offer verified health information, and to propose directions for development of web sites. METHODS: A preliminary evaluation categories with items was developed using domestic and foreign web site evaluation standards for health information and through a review of the literature. The evaluation categories with items was composed of 'evaluation for web site attributes' and 'evaluation for content information on diabetes mellitus'. Through expert validity tests and a feasibility test of the preliminary tool, the health information Web site evaluation tool for diabetes mellitus was finalized. RESULTS: This evaluation categories with items included 'evaluation for web site attributes' and 'evaluation for content information on diabetes mellitus'. 'Evaluation for web site attributes' included 8 categories with 28 items. The 'evaluation for content information on diabetes mellitus' included 7 categories with 40 items. 'Evaluation component for content' and 'evaluation of category content' included 4 items on 'accuracy', 6 on 'harmfulness' and 3 on 'comprehensibility'. CONCLUSION: From this study guidelines are propose for providing health information for diabetes mellitus, so that health information providers will be able to offer consumers verified good quality health information themselves.
Diabetes Mellitus*

Among 157 cases operated upon, under the diagnosis of herniated intervertebral disc, we experienced 34 cases of discrepancies between myelographic and operative findings. We analysed these cases in the respect of patterns, causes and clinical significance of these discrepancies and the results were as follow; 1. Thirty four cases (21.7%) among 157 cases operated upon showed discrepancies between myelographic and operative findings. 2. These 34 cases consisted of 17 cases of level discrepancies, 9 cases of false positive and 8 cases of false negative. 3. The main cases of level discrepancies was indentation due to bony spur with/without adhesion. 4. The main cause of false positive was degenerative changes of the spine. In the detection of this false positive, plain X-ray of lumbosacral spine give important clue. In false positive, explorative paitial laminectomy and removal of bony spur or adhesiolysis was indicated because the effect of the spur or adhesion was same as that of herniated disc. 5. The causes of false negative were giant canal, congenitally narrow cul de sac, high cul de sac and far laterally seated disc herniation. In false negative, plain X-ray of lumbosacral spine afforded little diagnostic aid. In case of being compatible to disc herniation at a certain level through clinical signs, normal myelographic finding has less meanings and exploration is to be performed according to the clinical signs.
Diagnosis ; Intervertebral Disc ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; Laminectomy ; Spine

We reviewed the clinical features, histrologic patterns and clinical courses of 30 children with lupus nephritis retrospectively, and the results were summerized as follows; 1) The male to female ratio was 1:2.8, and the mean age at the onset was 10 8/12 years. 2) The clinical symptoms were diverse, and malaise, weight loss, anorexia, fever and malar rash were the most frequent findings. 3) Among the immunologic tests, FANA and anti-ds-DNA test revealed the highest sensitivity with positive rates of 97% and 87%, respectively. 4) Clinically, 57% of patients had active nephrotic syndrome at the onset, and 33% showed (?) was the most common findings (70%). 5) During the follow-up period, one children with Class IV lupus nephritis expired. And 8 out of 9 cases with renal insufficiency at the onset showed improvement of renal function after treatment with corticosteroid and cytotoxic agents. In conclusion, the clinical features and histologic findings of lupus nephritis in children were diverse. Early diagnosis and proper treatment can prevent rapid deterioration of renal function and improve long-term survival rate.
Anorexia ; Child* ; Cytotoxins ; Early Diagnosis ; Exanthema ; Female ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Immunologic Tests ; Lupus Nephritis* ; Male ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Renal Insufficiency ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Weight Loss

No abstract available.
Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome*

Thanatophoric dysplasia (TD) is a sporadic lethal type of skeletal dysplasia featuring micromelia, decreased thoracic dimension and macrocephaly. To date, several kinds of mutation in fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3) has been identified in TD. We experienced a case of TD type I and underwent sequencing of the exon 7, 10 and the stop codon of FGFR3 to identify the type of mutation. TDI was diagnosed by the prenatal ultrasound at 25 weeks of gestation. The pregnancy was terminated and the diagnosis was confirmed by radiological and histologic examinations. The genomic DNA was extracted and the sequences of the exon 7, 10 and the stop codon of FGFR3 were amplified by PCR. The sequencing was performed for the each PCR products by dideoxyterminator method. The nucleotide transition from G to T was found in the nucleotide 1108, which is a part of the transmembrane domain, exon 10. To date, only one type of mutation (nucleotide 742) in the FGFR3 was identified in TD1 among Asian. This case firstly reveals the mutation of FGFR3 other than mutation at nucleotide 742 in TD1.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Codon, Terminator ; Diagnosis ; DNA ; Exons* ; Fibroblast Growth Factors* ; Fibroblasts* ; Humans ; Macrocephaly ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pregnancy ; Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 3* ; Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor* ; Thanatophoric Dysplasia* ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: High-resolution carotid ultrasonography is considered a fundamental technique for the investigation of the vascular system. However, it is still very unclear whether ultrasonographic studies of carotid arteries are useful for the prediction of cardiovascular events in patients with coronary heart disease. We have tried to assess the usefulness of carotid ultrasonography to predict the severity of coronary artery stenosis in the patients with ischemic heart disease. METHODS: We studied in 80 patients(53 men, 27 women) with acute chest pain, mean ages 63.1 10.8 yr(35 to 84 yrs), who underwent both coronary angiography and carotid ultrasonography with 10 MHz transducer. The patients who had received revascularization procedure were excluded. We classified the patients into two groups, the control group without significant coronary stenosis(23 patients) and the coronary artery disease(CAD) group(57 patients) with significant stenosis(>50%). The intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured in the far wall of CCA at 10 mm proximal to carotid bulb and the abnormal IMT was defined when the measurement was greater than mean IMT+2 SD of control group(>0.99 mm). Serum total cholesterolQlC), low density lipoprotein(LDL), high density lipoprotein(HDL), triglyceride(TG) and lipoprotein (a) (LP(a)) were measured and history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and smoking were investigated. RESULTS: A significant difference in IMT of the CCA was found between control and CAD group(0.75+/-0.12mm vs. 1.02+/-0.34 mm; p<0.001). Also a significant difference in the existence of plaque(control; 26.1% vs. CAD; 73.7%, p<0.00l) and the number of plaque(control; 0.39+/-0.94 vs. CAD; 2.20+/-1.87 p<0.001) was found. The existence and number of carotid plaque were more conelated with coronary artery stenosis severity than carotid IMT. The sensitivity of IMT for prediction of significant CAD was 42.1%, the specificity 95.7%, the positive predictive value 96%, and the negative predictive value 40%. The sensitivity of plaque presence on the carotid artery for prediction of CAD was 73.7%, the specificity 73.9%, the positive predictive value 87.5% and the negative predictive value 53.1%. Among the risk factors, age and LP(a) were correlated with IMT of CCA, and diabetes, hypertension, age were correlated with the presence of plaque. Smoking and hypertension were correlated with coronary artery disease. CONCLUSION: Carotid atherosclerosis was significantly correlated with severity of coronary atherosclerosis. We therefore suggest that carotid ultrasonography is useful to predict the severity of coronary artery stenosis and that the best index of coronary artery stenosis severity may be carotid plaque rather than carotid intima-media thickness.
Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery Diseases ; Carotid Intima-Media Thickness ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Disease ; Coronary Stenosis* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Lipoprotein(a) ; Male ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Risk Factors ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Transducers ; Ultrasonography*