BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is becoming major health problem in old age and menopausal women, and osteoarthritis is most common joint disease in both ages. The inverse relationship between osteoporosis and osteoarthritis was first noticed 20years ago. However the subject had not been studied in korea. Thus, our objectives is to examine the influence of osteoarthritis on bone density measurements. METHODS: The study group consisted of 120 women, aged over 40 years, who visited for health examination in Health Center of Poondang Jesaeng general hospital from October 1998 to April 1999. Bone mineral density(BMD) of the lumar spine was measured, using dual energy X ray absorptiometry(Lunar, Expert XL), and lateal lumbar spine radiograph was taken. Severity of osteoarthritis were scored on osteophytes, disk space narrowing and vertebral body sclerosis. RESULTS: Postmenopausal women had signifcantly lower BMD than premenopausal women(p<0.001). Age(r= 0.545, p<0.001), body mass index(r=0.264, p<0.01) and education(r=0.284, p<0.01) were significantly correlated with BMD, but smoking, exercise, radiogrphic OA variables not correlated. However, stepwise multiple regression analysis using osteoporosis related variables and OA variables is indicated that menopausal status, body mass index, age, osteophytes were significantly associated factor with BMD, and lumbar osteophytes explained 2.7% of variation in lumbar spine BMD. CONCLUSION: We conclude that, among women, lumbar BMD is highier in those with osteophytosis of the lumbar spine. The effect is largely directed by osteophytes being included in the BMD measurement.
Body Mass Index ; Bone Density* ; Female ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Joint Diseases ; Korea ; Osteoarthritis* ; Osteophyte ; Osteoporosis ; Sclerosis ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spine*

Two patients with gustatory hyperhidrosis complaining of discomfort during usual activities were relieved of sweating by using anticholinergic benztropine. Herein, we report two cases of gustatory hyperhidrosis treated with benztropine.
Benztropine* ; Humans ; Hyperhidrosis ; Sweat ; Sweating ; Sweating, Gustatory*

A 65-year-old male was admitted to our hospital complaining of painful swelling of right sternocostoclavicular area. In the past history, he had no specific disease including trauma. After admission, chest CT and neck CT showed right empyema and right cervical abscess. Empyemectomy was performed through open thoracotomy and fistulous tract was detected on right parietal pleura and right sternocostoclavicular area. Ostomyelitis was also detected on right sternocostoclavicular area and removal of right cervical abscess, partial resection of proximal clavicle, resection of chondral portion of 1st rib, and partial resection of manubrium were performed. Empyema that extends from sternocostoclavicular osteomyelits, as in this case, is rare. Herein we report a case of loculated empyema with sternocostoclavicular osteomyelitis and neck abscess.
Abscess* ; Aged ; Clavicle ; Empyema* ; Humans ; Male ; Manubrium ; Neck* ; Osteomyelitis* ; Pleura ; Ribs ; Thoracotomy ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Hand-foot syndrome is also known as palmar-plantar erythrodysesthesia, and it is a side effect that mostly occurs with chemotherapy or biologic therapy. It is characterized by a painful erythema and edema, which may be followed by dry or moist desquamation of the palms and soles. Mizoribine (MZR) is an imidazole nucleoside that blocks purine biosynthesis. It was found to inhibit both humoral and cellular immunity by selectively inhibiting proliferation of lymphocytes. MZR has been used for preventing renal transplant rejection and treating rheumatoid arthritis, nephritic syndrome and lupus nephritis. The principal adverse reactions are leukopenia, abnormal hepatic function and hyperuricemia. The cutaneous side effects are skin rash, prurigo and epilation, with an incidence of about 1.32%, 0.77% and 0.55%, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, no case of hand-foot syndrome associated with MZR has ever been published. Herein, we report that MZR, which has been widely used, may induce drug-induced hand-foot syndrome.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Biological Therapy ; Edema ; Erythema ; Exanthema ; Graft Rejection ; Hair Removal ; Hand-Foot Syndrome ; Hyperuricemia ; Imidazoles ; Immunity, Cellular ; Incidence ; Leukopenia ; Lupus Nephritis ; Lymphocytes ; Prurigo ; Purines ; Ribonucleosides

Cryoglobulinemia, first described by Wintrobe and Buell in 1933, is characterized by the presence of serum immunoglobulins that precipitate below 37degrees C and that dissolve on rewarming. Although the actual mechanism of cryoprecipitation and the etiology of cryoglobulinemia remains obscure, it is frequently associated with other systemic diseases, such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, multiple myeloma, Sjogren's syndrome, B cell lymphoma, and systemic lupus erythematosus. No cases of cryoglobulinemia associated with B cell lymphoma have ever been published in the Korean medical literature, and few such cases have been reported in other countries. Herein, we report on a rare and interesting case of cryoglobulinemia developed in a patient with gastric diffuse large B cell lymphoma.
Cryoglobulinemia ; Hepacivirus ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Multiple Myeloma ; Rewarming ; Sjogren's Syndrome

A 19-month-old boy suffered from stridor and dysphagia. He was taking asthma medication for a few months, but symptoms did not improve. After admission, a chest CT showed a posterior mediastinal mass, which compressed the trachea and esophagus. The removed mass via open thoracotomy was a bronchogenic cyst on histopathology. Postoperatively, stridor and dysphagia disappeared. In case of persistent and refractory stridor or dysphagia in children, congenital lesions including bronchogenic cyst need to be ruled out.
Asthma ; Bronchogenic Cyst ; Child ; Deglutition Disorders ; Esophagus ; Humans ; Infant ; Mediastinum ; Respiratory Sounds ; Thoracotomy ; Thorax ; Trachea

It has long been known that Vasopressin could increase the urinary sodium and chloride excretion. The exact mechanism and site of action, however, have not yet been explained. Experiments were performed whether the renal effects were the same in both cortical and juxtamedullary nephron in decorticated kiddney model. Heat-decortication was car ried out in the left kidney immersed in water kept at 52oC for 5 minutes. In 90% of cases, outer 2/3 of the cortex was necrotized as revealedd at the time of experiment on 8th day. The right kidney underwent the same procedure except that the temperature of water was kept at 39oC, and served as control. Urine flow and fractional excretion of urine were increased by the arginine vasopressin infusion in both kidney, but the diffferences were not significant. There were no signifficant changes in glomerular filtration rate and rrenal plasma flow in doses of 5 and 10 mu/kg/minute. Responsiveness of decorticated kidney was less than the control kidney. Increments of fractional excretion of potassium were not significantly different. From thhese results, it is suggested that the responsiveness of the cortical and juxtamedullarry nephron to the arginine vasopressin may not be the same. The mechanisms of the differences were discussed.
Arginine Vasopressin* ; Arginine* ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Kidney ; Nephrons ; Plasma ; Potassium ; Sodium ; Vasopressins ; Water

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Portal hypertension in cirrhosis is associated with a hyperdynamic circulation, which is characterized by hypervolemia, high cardiac output, arterial hypotension and low peripheral vascular resistance. These circulatory abnormalities are thought to be secondary to a splanchnic arteriolar vasodilation related to the increase in portal pressure. Studies assessing regional hemodynamics in patients of cirrhosis with ascites have shown vasoconstriction in the renal circulation and in peripheral vascular territory. This study was designed to assess the cerebral vascular resistance in cirrhotic patients with ascites. METHODS: The resistive index in the middle cerebral artery and in a renal interlobar artery were measured by Doppler ultrasonography in 12 cirrhotic subjects without ascites, 23 cirrhotic subjects with ascites, and 8 healthy subjects. The arterial blood pressure and plasma renin and norepinephrine concentration, which reflect the activity of the renin-ngiotensin and sympathetic nervous systems respectively, were also measured. RESULTS: The resistive index in the middle cerebral artery were significantly higher in cirrhotic patients with ascites (0.58 +/- 0.04, mean +/- standard deviation) than in cirrhotic patients without ascites (0.53 +/- 0.02, p<0.01) and in control subjects (0.50 +/- 0.05, p<0.01). The resistive index in the middle cerebral artery showed direct correlation with renal resistive index (r = 0.52, p<0.01), plasma renin activity (r = 0.44, p<0.01) and norepinephrine (r = 0.33, p<0.05). The resistive index in the middle cerebral artery showed an inverse correlation with mean arterial pressure (r = -.59, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that in patients of cirrhosis with ascites, independent of the amount of ascites, there is a cerebral vasoconstriction which is related with the arterial hypotension and the overactivity of vasoconstrictor systems.
Arterial Pressure ; Arteries ; Ascites* ; Cardiac Output, High ; Fibrosis ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; Hypotension ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver* ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Norepinephrine ; Plasma ; Portal Pressure ; Renal Circulation ; Renin ; Sympathetic Nervous System ; Ultrasonography, Doppler ; Vascular Resistance ; Vasoconstriction ; Vasodilation

Gefitinib (Iressa(R), AstraZeneca) is an oral form of an anticancer drug called epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitor. It is widely used for various solid cancers, including lung cancer. Cutaneous adverse reactions induced by gefitinib have recently been reported with an incidence ranging from 49% to 100%, and they include acneiform skin rash, hyperpigmentation, xerotic skin, pruritus, skin fissures, nail change and disorders of the mucous membranes, eyes and hair. To the best of our knowledge, no cases of leukocytoclastic vasculitis associated with gefitinib have ever been published in the Korean medical literature, and there have been only four such reported cases in other countries. Herein, we report on a case of leukocytoclastic vasulitis induced by gefitinib in a patient with lung cancer.
Epidermal Growth Factor ; Exanthema ; Eye ; Hair ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Incidence ; Lung Neoplasms ; Mucous Membrane ; Nails ; Phosphotransferases ; Pruritus ; Quinazolines ; Skin ; Vasculitis ; Vasculitis, Leukocytoclastic, Cutaneous

The Nuss procedure has good cosmetic effects, but it could be cause of bleeding and organ injury during dissection of the anterior mediastinum. We have made an effort to overcome the defects of the traditional method through the anterior mediastinum, thus we developed a transilluminated introducer that made it safer and simpler to operate within a 1 cm incision only. A total of 67 patients underwent the Nuss procedure using the transilluminated introducer. Thirty-six patients underwent the procedure with the transilluminated introducer only (age<14 years). Thirty-one patients had an additional thoracoscopy (age> or =14 years). There were no major complications, such as massive bleeding or organ injury in the thoracic cavity during or after the Nuss procedure. Our findings demonstrated that the anterior mediastium could be dissected simply and safely by the use of a transilluminated introducer during the Nuss procedure without fatal major complications, such as bleeding and organ injury.
Cosmetics ; Funnel Chest ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mediastinum ; Thoracic Cavity ; Thoracic Wall ; Thoracoscopy