Using the FTA-ABS complernent test, 32 skin speciruens from 27 patients with primary and secondary syphilis and a stomach specimen from a patient with suspected gastric syphilis which were confirmed by clinical history, physical examination, VDRL, FTA-ABS, and 19S(IgM)-FTA test, were tested. The following results were obtained. 1. In the darkfield examination, 7 of the 9 specimens(78%) were positive and in the FTA-ABS complernent test, 20 of the 33 specimens(61%) were positive. 2. The ratio of agreement between the darkfield examination and the FTA-ABS complement test was 89%. 3. In the chancres, macular syphilids, and condyloma lata, T. pallida were diffusely scattered in the epidermis, dermoepidermal junction, connective tiasue, and vascular walls, whereas in the papular syphilid T. pallida were mainly aggregated in the the epidermis, dermoepidermal junction, papillary dermis as well as the blood vessel walls in the papillary dermis. From these results, the FTA-ABS complement test can be considered to be a useful method for both the diagnosis and research of syphilis. It is especially helpful in cases where serological or histopathological study can not confirrn the diagnosis as when internal organs are involved.
Blood Vessels ; Chancre ; Complement System Proteins* ; Dermis ; Diagnosis ; Epidermis ; Humans ; Physical Examination ; Skin ; Stomach ; Syphilis ; Syphilis, Cutaneous ; Treponema pallidum* ; Treponema*

Fity-four patients with head and neck cancers were prospectively examined with the CT to determine its valuein staging cervical lymph nodes metastases and to compare with the clinical staging. The CT staging agreed withthe clinical staging in 61%(33/54), upgraded the clinical staging in 22%(12/54) and downgraded in 17%(9/54). Thepost-surgical confirmation was made in only 11 patients, The possible causes of disagreement between the CT andthe clinical staging, and the diagnostic value of the CT in the evaluation of the cervical nodes metastases werediscussed.
Head and Neck Neoplasms ; Head ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prospective Studies

The Graf system has supposed advantages with its flexible nature, as compared with rigid fixation. But there have been no reports about effects in the adjacent motion segment after soft stabilization. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the radiologic changes occuring in the adjacent segments of the Graf system and to assess its ability stabilizing the lumbar spine. A retrospective review of radiographs and medical records was undertaken in 32 cases who had been treated with the Graf system in degenerative lumbar spinal disorders. The average age at operation was 52.5 years and the average follow up period was 49.6 months. The results of this study were as follows: clinical assesments based on the Kirkaldy-Willis criteria revealed excellent in 13 cases (40.6%), good in 16 cases (50%), fair in 2 cases (6.3%) and poor in 1 case (3.1%). Radiologically we analysed the adjacent segments in 25 cases except the cases which did not have the correspondence between the clinical findings and the radiological findings, and the fixated segments in 32 cases. The acceleration of degenerative changes were found in the above adjacent segments in 11 cases (44%) and in the below adjacent segments in 5 cases (27.7%). Also, those changes were found in the fixated segments with discectomy in 19 cases (50%) and in the fixated segments without discectomy in 9 cases (37.5%). In conclusion, we think that the Graf system in a lumbar region may biomechanically influence the adjacent segments. The mechanical effects of the device could be changed by the polyester bands which were followed for a longer period of time in the fixated segments. Therefore, randomized prospective studies comparing the Graf system to other treatement methods could provide clear indications for lumbar spinal disorders.
Acceleration ; Diskectomy ; Equidae ; Follow-Up Studies ; Lumbosacral Region ; Medical Records ; Polyesters ; Retrospective Studies ; Spine

The 8 kDa antigenic protein of Clonorchis sinensis was partially purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation and subsequently by a column chromatographic steps. The purified protein was separated into 7 and 8 kDa protein bands through SDS-tricine gel electrophoresis, while the protein was found to migrate to a 8 kDa band in 7.5-15% SDS-PAGE. The molecular weight of the antigen was estimated to be 110 kDa by Superose 6 HR 10/30 gel filtration. The purified antigen strongly reacted with the human sera of clonorchiasis. The hyperimmune sera of BALB/c mice immunized against the 8 kDa protein were reacted with both the crude extract and the excretory-secretory product of adult worms, but not with the metacercarial extract. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated that the protein was distributed to the tegument and subtegumental cells and also to the seminal receptacle. The present findings suggest that the 8 kDa protein is a partition of the multicomplex protein originating from various organs of adult C. sinensis, and that it is composed of several 7 and 8 kDa proteins.
Animals ; Antigens, Helminth/immunology/*isolation & purification/metabolism ; Clonorchiasis/immunology ; Clonorchis sinensis/anatomy & histology/*immunology/metabolism ; Helminth Proteins/immunology/*isolation & purification/metabolism ; Human ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Molecular Weight ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

No abstract available.
Humans ; Methacholine Chloride* ; Rhinitis*

No abstract available.
Spinal Fractures*

From January to December of 1990, we have evaluated VDRL reactivity among 17,142 apparently normal Korean adults which consisted of 9,151 blood donors in Seoul area, 2,682 pregnant woman delivered at Severance Hospital, Yonsei University and 5,309 physical examinees. The VDRL-positive rates were 0.3% in the blood donors, 0.1% in the pregnant women and 0.8% in the physical examinees but the rates were higher in the age group of 50 years or older. The VDRL titers were below 1:2 in 94% of the VDRL-positive pregnant women and physical examinees. From the comparison of the results obtained by the present author group since 1977, i.e., 2.5 % in 1977, 1.1 % in 1981, 0.6 % in 1986 and 0.4 % in 1990, it is evident that the prevalence of syphilis in Korea is continually decreasing.
Adult ; Blood Donors ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Pregnant Women ; Prevalence* ; Seoul ; Syphilis*

Cutaneous focal mucinosis is a rare disease which usually manifests itself as a single asymptomatic papule or nodule, but vesicular presentati:on has only rarely been reported. This condition is one of many mucinoses, including localized lichen myxedematosus, acral persistent papular mucinosis, alopecia mucinosa, follieular mucinosis, and myxoid cysts which present with localized cutaneous lesions. We report a rare vesicular form of cutaneous focal mucinosis in a 42-year-old caucasian male who showed a slowly growing, 0.5 cm-sized, asymptomatic vesicle of one-week duration on his right knee. A histopathological examination revealed a localized accumulation of amorphous basophilic material which was positive on colloidal iron staining at pH 2.5. However, it was negative at pH 0.4 in an alcian blue stain, and negative on colloidal iron staining after treatment with hyaluronidase. The amorphous material was judged to be hyaluronic acid from the results of the above special stains. Proliferation of fibroblasts was also observed. Electron microscopy showed well-develuped endoplasmic reticulum and secretory vesicles in the fibroblasts. The lesion could not be completely removed even after two succesive wide excisions.
Adult ; Alcian Blue ; Basophils ; Colloids ; Coloring Agents ; Endoplasmic Reticulum ; Fibroblasts ; Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid ; Hyaluronoglucosaminidase ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Iron ; Knee ; Male ; Microscopy, Electron ; Mucinoses* ; Mucinosis, Follicular ; Rare Diseases ; Scleromyxedema ; Secretory Vesicles

No abstract available.
Bacillus anthracis* ; Bacillus*

BACKGROUND: The infection rate of syphilis in married couples has been reported by a few investigators during the 1940s. However, studies on recent trends of that particular aspect of syphilis in married couples have not yet been done. OBJECTIVE: We therefore studied the infectivity of T. pallidum and recent trends of conjugal syphilis by observing the spouses of patients with untreated syphilis. METHODS: Couples married for more than 1 year who visited Yonsei Medical Center from 1983 to 1990 for syphilis were entered into this study. We observed the infection rate among spouses of 224 index patients (defined as, between husband and wife, the one who was the first to be diagnosed to have syphilis) who were not treated for syphilis. Syphilis was diagnosed on the basis of physical examination, history of extramarital sexual contacts, and the results of VDRL, TPHA, FTA-ABS, and 19S(IgM)-FTA tests. RESULTS: Fifty-six wives(48%) of 117 male index patients and 50 husbands (47%) of 107 female index patients had been infected at the time of examination. Among the 224 couples, 106(47%) were both infected and in 118(53%), only either husbands(27%) or wives(26%) were infected. Two spouses(50%) of the 4 first incident patients with primary syphilis, 9(53%) of 17 with secondary syphilis and 23(72%) of 32 with early latent syphilis were infected at the time of examination. CONCLUSION: From our results showing the low infection rates among married couples, even in early syphilis when the infectivity is high, it can be deduced that T. pallidum has only a low infectivity.
Family Characteristics ; Female ; Globus Pallidus ; Humans ; Male ; Physical Examination ; Research Personnel ; Spouses ; Syphilis* ; Syphilis, Latent