No abstract available.
Cardiovascular Diseases* ; Estrogens*

Acromelanosis progressiva is a peculiar progressive pigmentary disorder characterized by intensely dark and sharply demarcated hyperpigmentation over the dorsa of fingers and toes, and the pigmentation rapidly spread proximally. A 19-year-old female had sharply demarcated symmetric dark aroarn macules on the dorsa of her hands and feet, forearms, lower legs, face and neck. These pigmentations at first appeared at the age of 5 on the dorsa of her fingers and toes, thereafter these pigmertatons spread progressively to the proximal portion of her body. Histologically, a proliferation of mela biocyte at the epidermal-dermal junction was seen, associated with mild hyperkeratosis. She was othervise normal on physical examination and had no family historv of consanguinity.
Consanguinity ; Female ; Fingers ; Foot ; Forearm ; Hand ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Leg ; Neck ; Physical Examination ; Pigmentation ; Toes ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Arthroplasty* ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip* ; Head* ; Hemiarthroplasty* ; Necrosis*

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for detection of the pathogenic Yersinia pestis from other Yersinia spp. was developed. Five Y. pestis strains, ninety-two other Yersinia species and twenty-four Enterobacteriaceae strains were collected in Korea and from other countries. Oligonucleotide primers were designed from pathogenic gene of antiphagocytic protein capsule gene (fra 1) and plasminogen activator gene (pla). The 428 bp DNA fragment was amplified from five Y. pestis which contained the fra I gene. No product was amplified from other Yersinia species and other strains of the Enterobacteriaceae. The 439 bp DNA fragment was amplified from three K pestis which contained the pla gene. No product was amplified from two Y. pestis, other Yersinia species and other strains of the Enterobacteriaceae. These showed that the designed primers were specific for detection of Y. pestis among other Yersinia species and Enterobacteriaceae strains. Amplification was successful whether the template was derived from purified DNA or from aliquots of boiled bacterial suspension. The detection limits were 100 pg of DNA and 100 colony forming units (CFU) for fra I and 100 pg DNA and 10 CFU for pla, respectively. Our results prove that the PCR method using specific primers for Y. pestis is a rapid and convenient procedure for routine clinical detection and identification of Y. pestis.
DNA ; DNA Primers ; Enterobacteriaceae ; Korea ; Limit of Detection ; Plasminogen Activators ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Stem Cells ; Yersinia pestis* ; Yersinia*

No abstract available.
Kidney Transplantation* ; Pregnancy*

No Abstract Available.
Animals ; Cats* ; Endothelium, Corneal*

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to compare the degree of anger expression, assertive behavior, and self-esteem between a nursing student group and an educational student group, and to identify factors affecting their self-esteem. METHODS: This study adopted the descriptive comparative design. Data were collected by interviewing 97 nursing students and 89 educational students from three nursing schools and one educational school in Daegu, Korea from November to December, 2008. RESULTS: Major findings of this study were as follows. 1) The educational student group had a higher self-esteem score than the nursing student group. 2) There were significant correlations among anger expression, assertive behavior, and self-esteem. 3) Self-esteem was significantly associated with Grade Point Average (GPA) and assertive behavior in the nursing student group with 17.2% variance, and with assertive behavior and anger-out in the educational student group with 24.1% variance. CONCLUSION: These results may contribute to better understanding of hurt, anger expression, assertive behavior, and self-esteem in nursing students and educational students. Based on the results, there, it is required to develop programs that prompt students' self-esteem.
Anger* ; Daegu ; Humans ; Korea ; Nursing* ; Schools, Nursing ; Students, Nursing*

BACKGROUND: Pharmacological stress tests for the diagnosis of GH deficiency are unpleasant, labor intensive and potentially dangerous. Reports on urinary GH measurement for the assessment of GH have been published after highly sensitive immunoassaies were developed. The aim of this study was to determine whether a 24- hour urine GH as an alternative method for GH assessment were reliable in predicting GH deficiency defined by L-dopa stimulation test. METHODS: Thirty women, ages 45 to 67, were studied. L-dopa stimulation tests were performed with an ingestion of 500 mg of L-dopa. Serum GH and IGF-1 were measured by a radioimmunoassay using commercially available reagents and uGH was estimated from the 24-hour urine. Then, the mean and its distribution of uGH values were compared according to the GH status defined by L-dopa stimulation test. RESULTS: The correlation between the uGH and the peak values after L-dopa stimulation test was significant (r=0.46; p<0.01). The mean value of uGH in the GH deficiency group was significantly lower than that of the normal group P<0.05). But because of the broad overlap of uGH in the two groups uGH showed no good separation GH deficiency from normal group although uGH reflects GH status significantly. CONCLUSION: uGH reflects GH status significantly, but because of broad overalp uGH couldn't separate GH deficiency form normal group defined by L-dopa stimulation test.
Diagnosis ; Eating ; Exercise Test ; Female ; Growth Hormone* ; Humans ; Indicators and Reagents ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Levodopa ; Radioimmunoassay

The distribution of pemphigus subclass autoantibodies in a patient with pemphigus vulgaris (PV) has been investigated by semiquantitative indirect immunofluorescence (IIF), using the HP series monoclonal antibodies specific for four human IgG subclasses on human foreskins. IgG1 and IgG4 intercellular substance-specific autoantibodies were detected in the serum of the patient, whereas IgG2 and IgG3 autoantibodies were absent. In addition to foreskins, human tonsillar epithelia were used as substrates of IIF for detecting the PV autoantibodies and it was one of satisfactory substitutes for monkey esophagus.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Autoantibodies* ; Esophagus ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect ; Foreskin ; Haplorhini ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G* ; Pemphigus*

Ganglioneruroblastoma and neuroblastoma are among commonest types of childhood malignancy and a number of unique paraneoplastic syndromes have associated with both localized and disseminated neuroblastoma. The coincidence of neuroblastoma and myoclonic encephalopathy or other paraneoplastic syndromes occurs relatively rare, and therefore, failure to recognize this association could result in delays in both diagnosis and treatment, and the result could prove to be unfortunately fatal. The mechanism which underlies the remote damaging effect of neural crest tumor, especially neuroblastoma, on the nervous system resulting in myoclonic encephalopathy is by no means clear. In addition the nature and the extent of the pathologic lesion are inconsistent. We experienced a case of myoclonic encephalopathy associated with an occult mediastinal ganglioneuroblastoma in a 22-month-old girl who was hospitalized for inability to walk without support and tilting of the head to the left side. She became increasingly ataxic, and during the hospitalization myoclonic jerks of upper extremities and head along with chaotic, rapidly flickering, multidirectional spontaneous eye movements, were noted. Laboratory data included normal complete blood count, urinalysis, BUN and creatinine, electrolytes and bone marrow. Chest X-ray and chest CT revealed a relatively well marginated right posterior mediastinal mass. In a 24 hours urine excretion test, VMA and catecholamines were increased. Over the next 2 weeks, a surgical exploration revealed a right posterior mediastinal mass. Microscopically the mass proved to be a ganglioneuroblastoma, extending to right innominate artery and right axillary lymph nodes. Within 2 weeks after the surgery, radiotherapy (2,400 rads) and chemotherapy (CTX, DTIC, VCR) were started, but corticosteroid was not used. She has been free of tumor and abnormal neurological systemic symptoms and signs for 1 1/2 year since the completion of chemotherapy. In the 3 1/2 years follow-up period, her neurologic symptoms has completely resolved by the completion of 2 years chemotherapy. We report a case of mycoclonic encephalopathy associated with hidden ganglioneuroblastoma in 22-month-old girl.
Blood Cell Count ; Bone Marrow ; Brachiocephalic Trunk ; Catecholamines ; Creatinine ; Dacarbazine ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Electrolytes ; Epilepsies, Myoclonic* ; Eye Movements ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Ganglioneuroblastoma* ; Head ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Infant ; Lymph Nodes ; Myoclonus ; Nervous System ; Neural Crest ; Neuroblastoma ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Paraneoplastic Syndromes* ; Radiotherapy ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Upper Extremity ; Urinalysis