We studied 283 patients with herpes zoster who visited to the Hangang Sacred Heart Hospital between January, 1982 and December, 1985 about the distribution of age, sex, seasonal incidence, associated diseases, camplications and the effect of systemic prednisolone on post herpetic neuralgia. And we also examined the functional states of involved sensory nerve endings by observing the axon flare response to histamine test. The results were as follows . 1. There was no significant differences in sexual and seasonal distributions. 2. There were low incidences of herpes zoster in age groups of below 20 years and over 70 years than age groups of 20 69 years. 3. Sites of involvement were thoracic(170 cases), cervical(38 cases), trigeminal(35 cases), lumbar(28 cases), sacral(11 cases) and facial(1 case) dermatomes. 4. Associated diseases were diabetes mellitus(7 cases), hypertension(7 cases). pulmonary tuberculosis(6 cases), malignant neoplasms(3 cases) and renal transplantation (1 case). 5. Complications were post herpetic neuralgia(18 cases), keratoconjunctivitis(9 cases), meningoencephalitis(1 case), Ramsay Hunt syndrome(1 case), urinary difficulty(1 case) and generalized varicelliform eruption(1 case). 6. The incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia was reduced by systemic prednisolone therapy in patients over 60 years. 7. There was no decrease of axon flare by histamine test on the affected area in 18 patients with herpes zoster.
Axons ; Heart ; Herpes Zoster* ; Histamine* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kidney Transplantation ; Neuralgia ; Prednisolone ; Seasons ; Sensory Receptor Cells

We report a case of pityriasis rotunda occurring in a patient with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The patient was a 64-year old female who had a pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The skin lesions were asymptomatic, multiple, various sized (1 to 15cm in diameter), isolated or confluent and finely scaly light brownish to grayish colored patches on the lower abdomen, back and thigh. Histopathologic findings shawed mild hyperkeratosis, atrophy, loss of granular layer, increased melanin pigments in basal layer of the epidermis and mild perivascular monocytic infiltration in the upper dermis.
Abdomen ; Adenocarcinoma* ; Atrophy ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Female ; Humans ; Melanins ; Middle Aged ; Pancreas* ; Pityriasis* ; Skin ; Thigh

We reoport a case of multiple basal cell carcinoma in a 51-year-old male who have taken a herb medication for right hemiplegia during 30 years. The patient had a 15-year history of the black colored, ulcerated nodules on left forehead and erythematous, protruded masses on back. Also, he had a 6-year history of black colored, ulcerated nodules on right temporal area of scalp and brownish, flat plaques on anterior chest, Biopsy specimens from lesions revealed typical histopathologic findings of the basal cell carcinoma. Wide excision with graft was done. One year later, he was expired due to lung carcinoma.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Forehead ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Lung ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Scalp ; Thorax ; Transplants ; Ulcer

Adenocarcinoma metastatic to the skin usually originates in the lung, breast, large intestine or ovary. Cutaneous metastatic tumors from rectum or colon tend to appear in the abdominal or perineal area, but rarely appear in the perianal and genital skin. A 53-year-old female presented multiple nodules in and near the surgical scars of inguinal, pubie, vulvar, perianal areas and normal skin of left thigh two months after surgical removal of rectal adenocarcinoma. Biopsy specimens from the nodules of the perianal area and left thigh showed adenocarcinoma of well differentiated atruetures like the primary rectal carcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Biopsy ; Breast ; Cicatrix ; Colon ; Female ; Humans ; Intestine, Large ; Lung ; Middle Aged ; Ovary ; Rectum ; Skin ; Thigh

Lateral malleolar bursitis rarely progresses to septic arthritis. In our case, the 27 year old man visited due to progressive left ankle pain, despite the antibiotics treatment of lateral malleolar bursitis. 8 years ago, modified Brostrom procedure was performed owing to chronic ankle instability. Previous surgery altered anatomical structure of lateral ankle bursa, so it may cause the infection to spread to the ankle joint. We reported rare case of secondary septic arthritis caused by lateral malleolar bursitis.
Adult ; Ankle ; Ankle Joint ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Arthritis, Infectious* ; Bursitis* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Hyperplastic neointima is one of the major mechanisms of restenosis following balloon angioplasty in selected patients with symptomatic angina pectoris. Elevation of cellular cyclic nucleotide levels such as cAMP and cGMP are known to inhibit the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) increases intracellular cAMP and cGMP by nonselective inhibition of phosphodiesterases (PDEs). We conducted this study under the hypothesis that local delivery of IBMX could inhibit neointimal hyperplasia after balloon injury of the rat carotid artery. METHODS: Left common carotid artery of 10 week old male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to arterial injury by 2F Fogarty balloon catheter. After injury, animals were allocated to the control groups (control 1: injury control and control 2: pluronic gel plus DMSO control) and IBMX group, which received pluronic polymer gel, DMSO and IBMX mixture periadventitially. After 3 weeks, the rats were killed by overdose of ketamine, and the injured left arteries were pressure-fixed with 10% formalin and subjected to histomorphological analysis. RESULTS: Mean body weight of rats was not statistically different among study groups. The mean area of neointima (control group 1:0.28+/-0.05 mm2,Control group 2:0.27+/-0.08 mm2 , IBMX group:0.18+/-0.08 mm2 : p<0.05) and the mean ratio of neointima to medial area[versus (control group 1:1.89+/-0.37, control group 2:1.95+/-0.41, IBMX group: 1.41+/-0.47: p<0.05)] were significantly less in IBMX group. The mean area of external elastic lamina was significantly larger in control group 1 than IBMX group (0.57+/-0.07 mm2 versus 0.47+/-0.10 mm2 ) and mean luminal area showed no significant difference among groups (control group1:0.14+/-0.07 mm2 , control group 2: 0.10+/-0.05 mm2 , control group 3: 0.16+/-0.06 mm2). CONCLUSION: Peri-adventitial single administration of IBMX showed its effectiveness in reducing the neointimal proliferation in rat carotid balloon injury model. Furthermore we observed the positive correlation between intimal area and EELA suggesting vascular remodeling depending on the intima volume.
1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine* ; Angina Pectoris ; Angioplasty, Balloon ; Animals ; Arteries ; Body Weight ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Catheters ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide ; Formaldehyde ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Ketamine ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Neointima ; Phenobarbital ; Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases ; Polymers ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

BACKGROUND: Hyperplastic neointima is one of the major mechanisms of restenosis following balloon angioplasty in selected patients with symptomatic angina pectoris. Elevation of cellular cyclic nucleotide levels such as cAMP and cGMP are known to inhibit the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells. 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) increases intracellular cAMP and cGMP by nonselective inhibition of phosphodiesterases (PDEs). We conducted this study under the hypothesis that local delivery of IBMX could inhibit neointimal hyperplasia after balloon injury of the rat carotid artery. METHODS: Left common carotid artery of 10 week old male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to arterial injury by 2F Fogarty balloon catheter. After injury, animals were allocated to the control groups (control 1: injury control and control 2: pluronic gel plus DMSO control) and IBMX group, which received pluronic polymer gel, DMSO and IBMX mixture periadventitially. After 3 weeks, the rats were killed by overdose of ketamine, and the injured left arteries were pressure-fixed with 10% formalin and subjected to histomorphological analysis. RESULTS: Mean body weight of rats was not statistically different among study groups. The mean area of neointima (control group 1:0.28+/-0.05 mm2,Control group 2:0.27+/-0.08 mm2 , IBMX group:0.18+/-0.08 mm2 : p<0.05) and the mean ratio of neointima to medial area[versus (control group 1:1.89+/-0.37, control group 2:1.95+/-0.41, IBMX group: 1.41+/-0.47: p<0.05)] were significantly less in IBMX group. The mean area of external elastic lamina was significantly larger in control group 1 than IBMX group (0.57+/-0.07 mm2 versus 0.47+/-0.10 mm2 ) and mean luminal area showed no significant difference among groups (control group1:0.14+/-0.07 mm2 , control group 2: 0.10+/-0.05 mm2 , control group 3: 0.16+/-0.06 mm2). CONCLUSION: Peri-adventitial single administration of IBMX showed its effectiveness in reducing the neointimal proliferation in rat carotid balloon injury model. Furthermore we observed the positive correlation between intimal area and EELA suggesting vascular remodeling depending on the intima volume.
1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine* ; Angina Pectoris ; Angioplasty, Balloon ; Animals ; Arteries ; Body Weight ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Catheters ; Dimethyl Sulfoxide ; Formaldehyde ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Ketamine ; Male ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Neointima ; Phenobarbital ; Phosphoric Diester Hydrolases ; Polymers ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

OBJECTIVES: The Korean version of the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) is the most widely used tool validated instrument for measuring and the level of disability associated with low back disorders. We wanted to validate use of the Korean version of the ODI in Korean farmers with low back pain. METHODS: The object of this study was to examine the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the ODI. The Korean version was tested on 53 farmers (62.3+/-10.3 years of age) with low back-related disorders. We investigated the Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity of the ODI. The Test-retest reliability was assessed in 30 farmers within a time interval of approximately 14 to 18 days. Differences between the Korean version of the ODI and the Short Form 12 (SF-12), which includes 8 domains (general health, physical functioning, role-physical limitation, bodily pain, role-emotional limitation, mental health, vitality, social functioning) were analyzed for construct validity. The correlation of the Korean version of the ODI with the SF-12 was analyzed, as well. RESULTS: The intra-class correlation coefficient of test-retest reliability was 0.854. Reliability estimated by the internal consistency reached a Cronbach's alpha of 0.879. The correlation between 7 domains of the SF-12 except for the mental health domain and the Korean version of the ODI was statistically significant (p<0.05). Four domains (general health, physical functioning, role-physical limitation, bodily pain) that measured physical status all showed high correlations (p<0.01), as did a domain that measured mental status (role-emotional limitation) (p<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The results showed that the Korean version of the ODI is a reliable and valid instrument to measure the level of disability in Korean farmers with low back-related disorders. The use of this instrument is recommended for future clinical trials in Korea.
Korea ; Low Back Pain ; Mental Health ; Pilot Projects ; Reproducibility of Results

PURPOSE: We analyzed the pulmonary function and risk factors of allergic rhinitis (AR) in dust mite-sensitized children with current AR and no history of asthma. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, demographic and disease-related information was obtained from 1,792 Korean children aged 9-12 years using a questionnaire, skin-prick testing, spirometric analysis, and methacholine challenge testing. RESULTS: A total of 672 children were analyzed. The control group consisted of 583 children without any allergic diseases who were not sensitized to 16 common allergens. The group with current AR and dust mite sensitization consisted of 89 children. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that helminth infection (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.88; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-6.77) and antibiotic use during infancy (aOR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.10-3.25) were the risk factors. Pet ownership (aOR, 0.32; 95% CI, 0.15-0.69) and older siblings (aOR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.35-0.96) were protective factors. Spirometry results did not differ between the control and dust mite-induced AR groups. None of the children showed a bronchodilator response. However, 8.5%, 7.1%, and 2.1% of the control-group children and 28.7%, 23.0%, and 8.0% of the dust mite-induced AR-group children showed methacholine PC20 (provocative concentration of methacholine causing a 20% fall in forced expiratory volume in 1 second) values of < or =25 mg/mL, < or =16 mg/mL, and < or =8 mg/mL, respectively (P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of current dust mite-induced AR may be reduced by controlling environmental factors. Even though the spirometry results seemed to be normal, bronchial hyperresponsiveness occurred more frequently in children with dust mite-induced AR than in normal children.
Allergens ; Asthma ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dust* ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Helminths ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Lung* ; Methacholine Chloride ; Mites ; Odds Ratio ; Ownership ; Prevalence ; Rhinitis* ; Risk Factors* ; Siblings ; Spirometry

Man is host to three distinct trichomonad species such as Trichomonas vaginalis, T. hominis, and T. tenax. Although reports of trichomonads found outside their natural habitat are rare, sporadic case reports have appeared describing trichomonads in the respiratory tract. The route of infection is unknown, but possible mechanisms include invasion from mouth, oral sex, bronchopleural or pleuroenteral fistula. Pulmonary trichomoniasis is a kind of oppotunistic infection and is usually caused by aspirated T. tenax in male adult patientis with chronic purulent or necrotic pulmonary disease. A 63-year-old male patient with alcoholic liver cirrhosis and chronic bronchiectasis was admitted due to copious sputum, dyspnea, fever and severe weight loss. On the thoracentesis from his right pleural cavity, 1 L of foul-smelling, brownish-yellow exudate was withdrawn and showed a large number of neutrophil, bacteria and numerous flagellated, actively motile organisms with typical appearance of thrichomonads in wet preparation. This patient was expired due to sepsis and insufficiency of multiple organs inspite of chemotherapy with metronidazole, cefuroxime and gentamicin on day 35 of admission. So, we report the first case of pulmonary trichomoniasis diagnosed in wet preparation of pleural fluid in Korea.
Adult ; Bacteria ; Bronchiectasis ; Cefuroxime ; Drug Therapy ; Dyspnea ; Ecosystem ; Exudates and Transudates ; Fever ; Fistula ; Gentamicins ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic ; Lung Diseases ; Male ; Metronidazole ; Middle Aged ; Mouth ; Neutrophils ; Pleural Cavity ; Respiratory System ; Sepsis ; Sexual Behavior ; Sputum ; Trichomonas vaginalis ; Weight Loss