We experienced a cose of occupational asthma induced by the tobacco leaf in 49-year old man. He has worked at the Korean Tobacco and Ginseng company for 23 years but suffered from the intermittent mild wheezing and dyspnea since 6 years ago. He has not involved in the process making the tobacco directly, but just managed it at the storage barn. He showed a whole negative reaction to 55 inhalant allergens(Bencard, UK) and the allergen extracted from the yellow Korean tobacco leaf, but showed the dual asthmatic respose to the allergen bronchial provocation test with it. His basal PC is 6.35 mg/ml with methacholine inhalation challenge. Now he changed the workplace far away from the barn at the same company and is treated with bronchodilator and anti-asthmatic inhaler.
Asthma, Occupational* ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Methacholine Chloride ; Middle Aged ; Nebulizers and Vaporizers ; Panax ; Respiratory Sounds ; Tobacco*

No abstract available.

Allopurinol is widely used for chronic tophaceous gout as a uric acid lowering agent. Hypersensitivity to allopurinol occurrs in about 10% of patients, which limits the usage of allopurinol. The successful oral and intravenous desensitization of allopurinol has been reported worldwide since 1976. We recently experienced a 51-year-old male patient with gouty arthritis and hyperuricemia, who had previously experienced skin rash after allopurinol treatment. When allopurinol was retried, erythematous and foliative skin rash developed on entire body. Because allopurinol was essential in controlling hyperuricemia, the oral desensitization of allopurinol was tried. We report successful rapid oral allopurinol desensitization in the patient with chronic tophaceous gout, who exhibited exfoliative dermatitis as allopurinol hypersensitivity.
Allopurinol* ; Arthritis, Gouty ; Dermatitis, Exfoliative* ; Exanthema ; Gout ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Hyperuricemia ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Uric Acid

OBJECTIVES: With the increase in cancer prevalence, the health behavior of cancer survivors has become an important issue. This study was conducted to examine the psychosocial correlates of behavior changes after cancer diagnosis. METHODS: 95 patients completed questionnaires assessing depression, anxiety, insomnia, posttraumatic stress symptoms, social constraints, personal beliefs about cancer cause and health-related behavior changes after cancer diagnosis. RESULTS: In the multiple logistic regression analysis, insomnia was the only significant predictor of positive change in physical behavior : normal sleep group(Odds ratio=9.462, 95% CI 1.738-51.509) and subthreshold insomnia group(Odds ratio=10.529, 95% CI 1.701-65.161) showed a larger increase compared to the insomnia group. In psychosocial behavior, low age, religion and causal belief in hormonal factors were independent factors that predicted increase in positive change. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed a difference between predictors of physical and psychosocial health behavior change after breast cancer diagnosis. Multi-faceted approaches are required to promote positive change in health behavior in cancer patients.
Anxiety ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Depression ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Prevalence ; Questionnaires ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Survivors

No abstract available.
Leiomyosarcoma*

PURPOSE: Oxaliplatin is a third-generation platinum compound, and it has no nephrotoxicity and has reduced bone marrow toxicity. Cancer cells that are resistant to cisplatin are sensitive to oxaliplatin. Oxaliplatin is used widely for the treatment of colon cancers. Recently, oxaliplatin was reported to inhibit the expression of survivin, which protects cell apoptosis. However, there are no reports on the expressions of survivin variants and the changes in intracellular localization of survivin in cancer cells. We studied the expression of survivin caused by oxaliplatin in HCT116 colon cancer cells, and we observed the localization of survivin in the mitotic phase. METHODS: We treated the HCT116 colon cancer cells with 2.0 micrometer of oxaliplatin, and we studied the expressions of survivin protein, and survivin mRNA variants, as well as the changes in intracellular localization, by using the Western blot method, RT-PCR, immunocytochemistry, and flowcytometry. RESULTS: Oxaliplatin inhibits the expression of the survivin protein and survivin mRNA in HCT116 colon cancer cells. The expression of the survivin-2B variants, which have no antiapoptotic activity but control cell mitosis by localization on a microtubule, is reduced continuously 2 days after treatment with oxaliplatin. In immunocytochemistry, expression of survivin in the cytoplasm is reduced and especially is not expressed in microtubules and contractile rings. CONCLUSION: One of the mechanisms of oxaliplatin is to inhibit the expression of and to change the localization of survivin. Based on these results, we suggest that changes in the expression of survivin variants and in their localization are two effects of oxaliplatin.
Apoptosis ; Blotting, Western ; Bone Marrow ; Cisplatin ; Colon ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Cytoplasm ; Immunohistochemistry ; Microtubules ; Mitosis ; Organoplatinum Compounds ; Platinum ; RNA, Messenger

Crypt glandular infection theory is accepted as an explanation of anal fistula's major cause. However, the pathogenesis of an anal fistula in Crohn's disease is different from that of a conventional anal fistula because a Crohn's anal fistula is caused by ulceration which, in turn, is caused by transmural inflammation of the rectal wall due to Crohn's disease. The difficulty with operating on anal fistulas in Crohn's disease lies in the fact that healing of the wound is inhibited because of continuous inflammation of the anorectal tissue due to Crohn's disease. Hence, there is a high possibility of incontinence due to sphincter muscle injury. Especially, because almost all Crohn's disease patients have frequent defecation and diarrhea, the patients will suffer more if incontinence occurs. Nowadays, even with increased understanding of the etiology of Crohn's disease, new medications, and aggressive surgical approaches, the result of treatment is still not satisfactory. Recently, since Korean eating habits have changed to include more western-style food in the diet, inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease, is expected to increase. Consequently, the number of cases of anal fistulas in Crohn's disease is also expected to increase. The authors reviewed 20 confirmed cases of anal fistulas in Crohn's disease, which were treated from January 1993 to December 1995 at Song-Do Colorectal Hospital. The results are as follows: 1) Anal fistulas in Crohn's disease were present in 20(0.6%) of the 3378 cases of anal fistulas treated during the time period considered. 2) The male to female ratio for these 20 cases was 2: 1, and the most Prevalent age group was the 3rd decade, followed by the 2nd decade, the 4th decade, and the 5th decade in that order. 3) Three cases of anal fistulas whose origins could be explained by crypt glandular infection theory and which did not involve the rectum healed, although the healing was delayed. 4) Seventeen cases of anal fistulas whose origins could not be explained by crypt glandular infection theory and which involved the rectum did not heal after the operation. he results of the study show that anal fistulas whose origins can be explanined by crypt glandular infection theory and which do not involve the rectum can be cured by conventional fistula surgery. However, perirectal fistulas whose origins can not be explained by crypt glandular infection theory and which involve the rectum do not heal. Because there is the possibility of incontinence after a conventional operation, it is suggested that, in the cases of perirectal fistulas in Crohn's disease, better results, although not completely satisfactory, can be obtained by long-term seton drainage and diversion colostomy.
Colostomy ; Crohn Disease* ; Defecation ; Diarrhea ; Diet ; Drainage ; Eating ; Female ; Fistula ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Male ; Rectal Fistula* ; Rectum ; Ulcer ; Wounds and Injuries

No abstract available.
Genetic Loci* ; Loss of Heterozygosity* ; Stomach Neoplasms*

The congenital diverticulum of ventricle is a rare cardiac malformation arising from the left or right ventricle, the former being more common. Ventricular diverticulum is usually associated with other anomalies including intracardiac, midline thoracic, diaphragmatic and abdominal wall defect. The authors experienced a case of congenital diverticulum of left ventricle in nine month-old female infant. Left Blolock-Taussig shunt operation was done and total correction will be done later. Thereafter we presented a case with brief review of the related literatures.
Abdominal Wall ; Diverticulum* ; Female ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Infant ; Pulmonary Atresia*

We report a case of cutaneous sarcoidosis which occurred in a 32-year-old female who had, in addition to some cutaneous nodules, recently developed an acute spontaneous erythematous area of induration in old scars on her forehead and lower lip. Histopathologic findings revealed well-demarcated islands of epitheloid cells with a few giant, cells. In addition, slight admixture of lyrnphoid cells with present. at the margins of the epitheloid cell granulomas. Complete regression of the skin lesions was obtained with systemic steroid therapy without recurrence for some 8 months.
Adult ; Cicatrix ; Female ; Forehead ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Islands ; Lip ; Recurrence ; Sarcoidosis* ; Skin