BACKGROUND: Although warts are known to be caused by viruses, one of their peculiarities is that they may be treated by suggestion therspy or hypnosis. This suggests that psychologic or emotional factors influence the hosts response to the virus lesions. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to analyze the role of psychologic factors in the therapeutic response of warts. METHODS: The self-concept scale test(Korean Testing Center) was done in all 61 patients with common wsrts before the cryot.herapy from September 1991 to June 1993. Clinical follow-up data were obtained on 50 patients after 2 months, and then were evaluated usir g the self-eoncept scale in treated vs untreated group. RESULTS: 1. The overall cure rate was 56.0%, being higher in females and patients with high education, 1-3 in number of lesions and no previous treatment history as well as in those with less than 1 year of duration. 2. In the comparison of self-concept scale between treated(n=18) and untreated(n=22) groups, the treated group had remarksble results in moral ethical self, personal self and family self scores (p<0.05). Only 14 items were significantly different between two groups(p<0.05 by Wilcoxon rank sum test). 3. Patients of 20 years or more showed a high cure rate(67.79%, p<0.05 by t-test) and demonstrated significance in total positive self score and its self identity, and satisfaction, self behavior, physical self, moral ethical self and family self scores(p<0.05, by t-test). CONCLUSION: The self-cancept significantly related to the positive aersonality, harmonious family, stable self-esteem and high normal ethics, may influence at least the therapy to the warts in the treated patients in contradistintion to the untreated ones.
Cryotherapy* ; Education ; Ethics ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypnosis ; Warts*

Crohn's disease is a rare inflammatory bowel disease in Korea which requires a differential diagnosis with intestinal tuberculosis. In the early stages of Crohn's diseaae, the combiation of bowel wall edema and spasm produces intermittent obstructive manifestations, so the usual subjective symptoms were appeared long standing diarrhea, low grade fever and abdominal pain and distension. We recently experienced a case of Crohn's colitis with repeated bowel obstruction in female adult who underwent surgical resection.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Colitis ; Crohn Disease* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diarrhea ; Edema ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Korea ; Spasm ; Tuberculosis

Crohn's disease is a rare inflammatory bowel disease in Korea which requires a differential diagnosis with intestinal tuberculosis. In the early stages of Crohn's diseaae, the combiation of bowel wall edema and spasm produces intermittent obstructive manifestations, so the usual subjective symptoms were appeared long standing diarrhea, low grade fever and abdominal pain and distension. We recently experienced a case of Crohn's colitis with repeated bowel obstruction in female adult who underwent surgical resection.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Colitis ; Crohn Disease* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Diarrhea ; Edema ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Korea ; Spasm ; Tuberculosis

No abstract available.
Pulmonary Aspergillosis*

It has been well known that ischemia reperfusion injury to skeletal muscle following an acute arterial occlusion causes significant morbidity and mortality. There are many causes of reperfusion injury, but the oxygen free radicals have a significant role. During ischemia the ATP is catalyzed to hypoxanthine anaerobically and hypoxanthine dehydrogenase is converted to xanthine oxidase under the presence of O2 resulting in the production of cytotoxic oxygen free radical, which are harmful to muscle. The reactivity of superoxide dismutase(SOD), one of the major antioxidant enzymes, is increased against the formation of the superoxide radical during reperfusion. SOD metabolyzes the superoxide radical to H2 O2 and O2.The severity of ischemic damage deports on the duration of muscle ischemia. The reversible changes in the muscle occur afar 2 hours of ischemia and recover within 24 hours after reperfusion. After 6 hours ischemia, irreversible damage occurs and causes necrosis of muscle. The authors performed the resent study to investigate the changes of Mn-SOD and the effects of allopurinol, the inhibitor of xanthine oxidase, by measuring the immunoreactivitiy of the ischemic reperfused rectus femoris muscle of rats after 2 hours and 6 hours ischemia and timely reperfusion. A total of 176 healthy spraque-Dawley rats weighing from 200 gm to 250 gm were used. Under urthane(3.0 gm/kg.,IP) anesthesia, a lower-abdominal incision was made and the left common iliac artery was ligated by using a vascular clamp for 2 hours and 6 hours. Rectus femoris muscle was obtained at 0 hour, 1 hour, 2 hours, 24 hours, and 48 hours after removal of the vascular clamp. The specimens were sectioned in 14micro miter thickness with a cryostat. The immunoreactivities of Mn-SOD were observed by using Mn-SOD antibodies. The result were as follows. 1. The immunoreactivies of Mn-SOD around sarcolemma were stronger than those on the sarcoplasm. 2. The immunoreactivities of Mn-S0D after 2 hours of ischemia increased to moderate or weak reactivities at 1 hour and 2 hours of reperfusion and returned to week or trace reactivities at 24 hours and 48 hours of reperfusion 3. The pretreatment of allopurinol decreased the immunoreactivies of Mn-SOD during reperfusion. The pattern of changes of SOD immunoreactivies were similar, but the range of changes significantly decreased. 4. The immunoreactivies of Mn-SOD after 6 hours of ischemia increased after 6 hours of ischemia increased after reperfusion and showed peak at 2 hours and 24 hours specimen. After 48 hours in the reperfused group, the reactivities slightly decreased. 5. After 6 hours in the ischemia-reperfused group, the pretreatment of allopurinol decreased the immunoreactivies of Mn-SOD during reperfusion, but the effects were weak. These results suggest that the immunoreactivities of the 6 hours ischemia reperfused group were higher than those of 2-hours ischemia reperfused group in the rectus femoris muscle of rats and that allopurinol pretreatment can be credited with decreasing ischemia reperfusion injury within a reversible period.
Adenosine Triphosphate ; Allopurinol ; Anesthesia ; Animals ; Antibodies ; Free Radicals ; Hypoxanthine ; Iliac Artery ; Ischemia ; Mortality ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Necrosis ; Oxygen ; Quadriceps Muscle* ; Rats* ; Reperfusion Injury* ; Reperfusion* ; Sarcolemma ; Superoxide Dismutase* ; Superoxides ; Xanthine Oxidase

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Obstructive jaundice is developed from the cholangiocarcinoma, biiliary tract stone, biliary benign stricture and pancreatic head cancer and is rapidly progress to cholangitis or sepsis. So early decompression, accurate diagnosis and treatment are very important. Percutaneous transhepatic choledocoscopy (PTCS) and endoscopic retrograde choledocoscopy (ERCS) have been used for evaluation of the obstructive jaundice. We performed, through the PTCS, electrohydraulic lithotripsy (EHL) for biliary tract stone rernoval, biopsy for diagnosis of biliary stric and self expandible metalic coil stent (EndocoilTM stent, Instent Co.) insertion on biliary stricture to evaluate the usefullness of PTCS in patients with obstructive jaundice. METHODS: Between Auguest 1994 and September 1995, PTCS was performed in 37 patients with obstructive jaundice. First, percutaneous transhepatic biliary drainage (PTBD) with 7Fr. drainage tube was done. Three days later, we exchainged the 7Fr. drainage tube with 16Fr.. Seven days later, through the PTCS, we performed EHL, biopsy and EndocoilTM stent insertion.
Biliary Tract ; Biopsy ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Cholangitis ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Decompression ; Diagnosis ; Drainage ; Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Humans ; Jaundice, Obstructive ; Lithotripsy ; Sepsis ; Stents

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: This multicenter study aims to evaluate the effect and feasibility of anti-reflux surgery compared with medical treatment for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). METHODS: Patients with GERD who were undergoing medical treatment with proton pump inhibitors for more than 8 weeks and those who were scheduled to undergo anti-reflux surgery were enrolled. Efficacy of pre-operative medical treatment was evaluated retrospectively and effect of anti-reflux surgery was prospectively evaluated at 1 week and 3 months after surgery. Quality of life (QOL) was also investigated before and after surgery. RESULTS: Between February and October 2018, 51 patients underwent laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication for treating GERD at 5 hospitals in Korea. Thirty-four patients (66.7%) showed poor proton pump inhibitor response. At 3 months after surgery, heartburn was completely resolved in 87.9% patients and partially improved in 9.1%. Acid regurgitation was completely resolved in 82.9% and partially improved in 11.4%. Atypical extraesophageal symptoms were completely controlled in 45.5% and partially controlled in 36.4%. GERD-related QOL scores at 1 week after surgery significantly improved compared with pre-operative scores. There was no difference in GERD-related QOL scores between 1 week and 3 months after surgery. General QOL measured with European QOL-5 dimensions and health-related QOL instrument with 8 items significantly improved after anti-reflux surgery. Satisfaction with treatment was significantly higher after surgery than before surgery (72.5% vs 11.8%, P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Anti-reflux surgery improved GERD symptoms and QOL in patients. Anti-reflux surgery is an effective treatment option compared with medical treatment for GERD patients selected for surgical treatment.
Fundoplication ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Heartburn ; Humans ; Korea ; Laparoscopy ; Prospective Studies ; Proton Pump Inhibitors ; Proton Pumps ; Quality of Life ; Retrospective Studies

Primary amenorrhea due to intrasella arachnoid cyst is a very rare disease and require careful and frequent evaluation because may produce intracranial hemorrhage, elevated intracranial pressure and rapid expansion. Surgical intervention is needed only when visual disturbance, hypopituitarism or enlarging lesion is shown. Thus, we present a case of primary amenorrhea due to intrasella arachnoid cyst which was resected through the transsphenoidal approach.
Amenorrhea ; Arachnoid* ; Female ; Hypogonadism* ; Hypopituitarism ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Intracranial Hypertension ; Rare Diseases

OBJECTIVES: Pyrethroid pesticides are among the most commonly using insecticides in South Korean households and have been the subject of considerable interest among public health professionals for their potential health effects. The objective of this study is to examine the level of urinary 3-phenoxybenzoic acid (3-PBA) among elementary students in South Korea. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study to evaluate pyrethroid pesticide exposure levels by measuring the urinary metabolites of 3-PBA using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method in March 2011. Study participants were 70 Asan-area and Incheon-area elementary students. RESULTS: All respondents had values above the detection limit, and the geometric means of 3-PBA in all children were 1.85 μg/L and 1.46 μg/g creatinine. Children with the top 10% urinary levels of 3-PBA were more likely to be girls, under nine years of age, living in a rural area, and living in a residential type apartment. CONCLUSIONS: South Korean children have a higher concentration of urinary 3-PBA compared with those of other countries. Further research identifying exposure pathways and intervention efforts to reduce environmental pesticide use are needed in South Korea.
Child ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Creatinine ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Environmental Exposure ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Humans ; Insecticides ; Korea* ; Limit of Detection ; Methods ; Pesticides ; Public Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires