BACKGROUND: Although the culture of urethral discharge using a cutton swab is regarded as one of the most sensitive and reliable diagnostic methods of gonorrhea, it may give pain or diagnostic methods of gonorrhea, it may give pain or discomfort to patients, and its detection rate may be influenced by the examiner's technical ability. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to compare the positive culture rates between ure4thral discharge and urinary sediment for the diagnosing of Neisseria gonorrheae. METHODS: We compared this technique with the culture of urethral discharge using the specimens from 357 male patients with gonococcal infection at VD clinic of Jungku Pvblic Health center in Seoul from Jan 1991 to Jun 1993. RESULTS: The culture of urinary sediment was positive in 339 of 357(94.95), whereas the culture of urethral discharge was positive in 346 of 357(96.95). However, these data have no statistical significance(P<0.05). The obe observed sensitivity and specificity of culture of urinary sediment comjpared to culture of urethral discharge were 97.75 and 90.9%, respectively. The predictive value of positive and negative test compared to the culture of urethral discharge were 99.7% and 55.65, respectively. As our data showed low negative predictive value, a negative culture result of urinary sediment does not always imply a negative culture result of urethral discharge. CONCLUSION: Therefore, at present, the previous method of the culture of urethral discharge is more highly recommended and further studies for this diagnostic and/or new method of gonorrhea based on larger group of patients is encouraged.
Gonorrhea ; Humans ; Male ; Neisseria gonorrhoeae* ; Neisseria* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Seoul

Bleomycin, a tumoricidal antibiotic agent, may produce unusual cutaneous manifestations such as pigmentation scleroderma, and gangrene. We report a case of the development of linear streaky pigmentation and cutaneous scleroderma in a patient treated with bleomycin for choriocarcinoma of undescented testis. The patient was 45-year-old male presented with linear brown and slate gray streaking over the trunk and extremities after three cycles of chemotherapy(bleomycin, etoposide, cisplatine). After the fourth cycle of the same chemotherapy, 18 weeks after initiation of bleomycin, the development of cutaneous scleroderma-like conditions was observed involving the same sites. Histopathologic examination showed increased basal pigmentation and thick collagen bundles through the entire dermis, extending to the subcutis. Herein, we describe a case of streaky pigmentation and scleroderma in association with bleomycin anticancer chemotherapy simultaneously in a patient.
Bleomycin* ; Choriocarcinoma ; Collagen ; Dermis ; Drug Therapy ; Etoposide ; Extremities ; Female ; Gangrene ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pigmentation* ; Pregnancy ; Testis

No abstract available.
Acanthoma*

No abstract available.
Alopecia* ; Dutasteride* ; Finasteride*

No abstract available.
Hypopigmentation* ; Mosaicism ; Turner Syndrome*

Henoch-Schoenlein purpura is a syndrome of acute systemic allergic vasculitis involving the small vessels of skin and multiple organs, characterized by a symmetrical, non-thrombocytopenic, painless purpura, nephritis and gastrointestinal manifestations. Although GI involvement is about 70%, endoscopic and histopathological finding of the GI tract in Henoch-Schoenlein purpura is rarely reported and necrotizing vasculitis in GI tract biopsy has not been reported yet. We report a case of a 16-year-old male patient, who complained of palpable purpura, vomiting and epigastric pain with necrotizing vasculitis of the duodenum on histopathological examination.
Adolescent ; Biopsy ; Duodenum ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Male ; Nephritis ; Purpura ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch* ; Skin ; Vasculitis* ; Vomiting

Cutaneous absorption of ultraviolet B(UVB) in the skin occurs primarily in keratinocyte, causing DNA and protein damage. p53 tumor suppressor gene appeared in the epidermis after UVB irradiation, and the wild type has been known to be responsible for apoptosis and plays an important role in excluding abnormal cells with significant DNA damage. While p53 has been implicated in both DNA repair and apoptosis, it is unclear whether the p53 protein is involved in both of these processes within the same cell. Therefore, UVB-induced apoptosis and changes in p53 expression were studied in cultured normal human keratinocyte to determine that the cellular response to UVB induced DNA damage(DNA repair or apoptosis) correlated with p53 expression. The cultured normal human keratinocytes were irradiated with the doses of UVB(25-150 mJ/cm2) and incubated for various times(3, 6, 12, 24 hour) after radiation. At UVB doses of 100 and 150 mJ/cm2, acridine orange/ethidium bromide(Ao/Eb) staining-positive cells and TUNEL (TdT mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling) staining-positive cells increased significantly after 3 hours and 6 hours postirradiation respectively. Twelve hour postirradiation, staining-positive cells increased at each level of UVB-radiation exposure. These results suggest that there were significant influences of UVB doses and time course after irradiation to the number of Ao/Eb and TUNEL staining-positive cells. To determine whether all Ao/Eb and TUNEL-positive cells were actually undergoing apoptosis, cellular DNA was extracted from keratinocytes at 12 hours after UVB irradiation and seperated by electrophoresis on an 2.5% agarose gel to detect the internucleosomal DNA fragmentation(DNA ladder). 'DNA ladder' occurred at every dose of UVB 12 hour after irradiation, but did not appear early after irradiation, suggesting that whether Ao/Eb and TUNEL-positive cells observed early after irradiation were not undergoing apoptosis. Activation of p53 and the response to DNA damage is not observed universally, but is dependent on tissue specificity, species specificity and type of genotoxic damage. To correlate p53 level with UVB-induced apoptosis at the dose of 100mJ/cm2 UVB, p53 levels were determined by western blot analysis. The accumulation of p53 protein was apparent after 6 hours postirradiation, and UVB irradiation caused a dramatic increase in p53 levels at 12 and 24 hours. These results demonstrate that p53 is required for UVB-induced apoptosis in cultured normal human keratinocyte and p53 has a time-dependent effect in the initiation of apoptosis. In this study, the results indicated that a low dose(25mJ/cm2) of UVB irradiation could induce apoptosis in human keratinocyte in vitro and UVB exerts a time-dependent effect on inducing apoptosis. And the results also give support to increasing evidence that p53 may play a role in UVB-induced DNA damage and the induction of apoptosis in cultured normal human keratinocyte and that p53 is involved in the decision process which determines the fate of keratinocyte after UVB -induced DNA damage.
Absorption ; Apoptosis* ; Blotting, Western ; DNA ; DNA Damage ; DNA Repair ; Electrophoresis ; Epidermis ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Humans* ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Keratinocytes* ; Organ Specificity ; Sepharose ; Skin ; Species Specificity

Acquired digital fibrokeratomas are unusual benign solitary tumors of fibrous tissue that usually occur on the fingers and toes. We report a case of acquired digital fibrokeratoma with unusual involvement of the sole, a previously traumatic site, in a 57-year-old male. We treated it with a total surgical excision.
Fingers ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Toes

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of Hickman catheter placement via the subclavian vein under fluoroscopic guidance with intravenous contrast injection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: During an eleven-month period, 187 Hickman catheters were percutaneously placed in 167 consecutive patients in an interventional radiology suite. Subclavian venous puncture was made with injection of contrast medium into the peripheral venous line. After subclavian venous access had been obtained, a subcutaneous tunnel was created using a peel-away sheath or a tunneler. The Hickman catheters were inserted through a peel-away sheath, the distal tip of which was at the junction of the right atrium and the superior vena cava. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-six Hickman catheters were successfully placed; the one failure was due to an atomical tortuosity of the vein(0.53%). Complications included one case of subclavian vein occlusion (0.53%); three of line occlusion by thrombus (1.6%); one of oozing at the suture site (0.53%); six of infection or inflammation (3.2%); eight of natural removal (4.2%); one case of air embolism (0.53%) and two of malposition (0.1%). Major complications such as pneumothorax or arterial puncture leading to mediastinal hemorrhage did not, however, occur. CONCLUSION: The authors concluded that radiologic Hickman catheter placement offers advantages over traditional approaches in terms of safety, convenience, and time and cost savings.
Catheters ; Cost Savings ; Embolism, Air ; Heart Atria ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Pneumothorax ; Punctures ; Radiology, Interventional ; Subclavian Vein* ; Sutures ; Thrombosis ; Vena Cava, Superior