No abstract available.
Central Nervous System Infections* ; Central Nervous System*

Poor R-Wave Progression(PRWP) of precordial leads is frequently encountered electrocardiographic findings of uncertain significance and has simply been deemed as suggestion of anterior myocardial infarction without concrete ground. 217 cases with poor R-Wave Progression have been analyzed on clinical records and results are as follows. 1) PRWP was most frequently found in fifties and sixities, comprising 63.9% of the subjects. 2) Co-existent disease entities with PRWP were classified into three categories, cardiovascular diseases, chronic lung diseases and normal variants. 3) The cardiovascular diseases related with PRWP were mainly hypertensive diseases, comprising 59.8% of cardiovascular diseases, followed by ischemic heart disease, valvular heart disease and cardiomyopathies. 4) PRWP may be an early sign of acute myocardial infarction in a certain part of cases, which was endorsed by typical clinical symptoms and enzyme studies. 5) As the criterion of PRWP, V3R equal to or less than 3 mm was thought more adequate for higher specificity rather than 4 mm.
Cardiomyopathies ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Electrocardiography ; Heart Valve Diseases ; Lung Diseases ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Sensitivity and Specificity

No abstract available.
Autografts* ; Cartilage* ; Transplantation, Autologous*

BACKGROUND: Although good clinical effects have been reported, immunotherapy with house dust mite ( HDM ) antigen - autologous specific antibody complex ( IC - IT ) is not yet accepted as an effective immunomodulating tool in HDM allergic diseases. We aimed to prove the clinical effect of IC - IT in HDM sensitized respiratory allergic subjects. Method : Six HDM sensitized respiratory allergic subjects were enrolled. Autologous D. farinae specific IgG was purified with DEAE ion exchange and affinity chromatography. After one year of IC - IT treatment the clinical effects were analyzed with symptom scores, methacholine PC20, ELISA assay of D. farinae specific antibodies and intradermal skin reactivity. Result : The rhinitis symptom score significantly improved after a one - year administration of IC - IT ( 1.23 +/- 0.30 vs. 0.37 +/- 0.15, p< 0.05), but no significant differences were found in asthma symptom score, intradermal skin reactivity to D. farinae and ELISA optic absorbances of D. farinae specific IgE, IgG, and IgG subclasses. Methacholine PC20 values improved in all 6 patients who were administered with IC - IT ( 0.35 vs. 1.66 mg/ml, p< 0.05 ). CONCLUSION: IC - IT may be efficient for management of HDM atopic asthma. Further studies are needed before clinical application of IC - IT in house dust mite atopic subjects.
Antibodies ; Asthma ; Chromatography, Affinity ; Dermatophagoides farinae* ; Dust* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunotherapy* ; Ion Exchange ; Methacholine Chloride ; Pyroglyphidae* ; Rhinitis ; Skin

No abstract available.
Classification* ; Humans ; Spinal Cord* ; Urodynamics*

PURPOSE: Resistance to anticancer chemotherapeutic drug remains a major obstacle in cancer chemotherapy. Multidrug-resistance(MDR) gene overexpression and detoxification by glutathione are believed to be involved in adriamycin and cisplatin resistance. We investigated change of p-glycoprotein(MDR gene product) expression, cellular glutathione content and glutathione peroxidase and glutathione transferase activities by hyperthermia to elucidate the synergistic mechanism of hyperthermia with chemotherapeutic agent. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human renal cell carcinoma cell lines, Caki-1 and A-498 were used. Control temperature was 37OC and hyperthermia of 43OC was applied in 2 and 4 hours durations. P-glycoprotein expression was measured by flowcytometric examination using monoclonal antibody to p-glycoprotein. Glutathione content and activities of glutathione peroxidase and transferase were measured by biochemical methods. RESULTS: Glutathione content and activities of glutathione peroxidase and transferase were not changed by hyperthermia. However, p-glycoprotein expression was reduced by hyperthermia of 43OC. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that reduced p-glycoprotein expression by hyperthermia causes increased intracellular accumulation of chemotherapeutic agent by decreasing drug efflux mechanism and plays an important role in synergistic effect with adriamycin and cisplatin cytotoxicities.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Cell Line ; Cisplatin ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy ; Fever* ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Glutathione Transferase ; Glutathione* ; Humans* ; P-Glycoprotein* ; Transferases

Allopurinol is widely used for chronic tophaceous gout as a uric acid lowering agent. Hypersensitivity to allopurinol occurrs in about 10% of patients, which limits the usage of allopurinol. The successful oral and intravenous desensitization of allopurinol has been reported worldwide since 1976. We recently experienced a 51-year-old male patient with gouty arthritis and hyperuricemia, who had previously experienced skin rash after allopurinol treatment. When allopurinol was retried, erythematous and foliative skin rash developed on entire body. Because allopurinol was essential in controlling hyperuricemia, the oral desensitization of allopurinol was tried. We report successful rapid oral allopurinol desensitization in the patient with chronic tophaceous gout, who exhibited exfoliative dermatitis as allopurinol hypersensitivity.
Allopurinol* ; Arthritis, Gouty ; Dermatitis, Exfoliative* ; Exanthema ; Gout ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Hyperuricemia ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Uric Acid

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: There has been little clinical data on the treatment outcome of patients with acute asthma attack in Korea. We designed a management protocol of acute asthma, and analyzed clinical p arameters obtained from this protocol. METHOD: A total of 32 cases with acute asthma were treated with oxygen, beta2 agonist, and methylprednisolone. Ipratropium was added in cases of severe attack. After 90 minutes, intravenous aminophylline was given to the patients with poor response. RESULT: Beta2 agonist and methylprednisolone were sufficient for symptom control in 17 cases. Ipratropium and aminophylline were added in 6 and 9 cases, respectively. There was no difference in improvement of PEF, heart rate, respiratory rate, PaO2, PaCO2, and SaO2 at 90 minutes and 8 hours between beta2 agonist inhalation and subcutaneous group. Serum potassium concentration levels significantly decreased in patients treated with ipratropium of aminophylline(n=15, 4.17+/-0.45 vs. 3.99+/-0.35mM/L, p<0.05), compared with patients using only beta2 agonist and methylprednisolone(n=17, 3.89+/-0.30 vs. 4.14+/-0.45mM/L, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Subcutaneous beta2 agonist may be an alternative to inhalant beta2 agonist for the emergency treatment of acute asthma, and we think a consensus regarding use of aminophylline in the emergency room should be made.
Aminophylline ; Asthma* ; Consensus ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Emergency Treatment ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Ipratropium ; Korea ; Methylprednisolone ; Oxygen ; Potassium ; Respiratory Rate ; Treatment Outcome*

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of a new air cleaning device (LG Electronics, Korea) equipped with electrostatic precipitator (EP) and photocatalytic plasma filter (PCP) in 24 respiratory allergic subjects. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Air cleaning conditioner and air cleaner were placed in living room and bedroom. Both EP and PCP (EP/PCP) filters were used for the first 4 weeks and for another 4 weeks, PCP without EP filter (PCP) was used. We measured symptom scores of asthma and rhinitis, peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR), serum eosinophil cataionic prote in? in ECP, Dermatophagoides farinae (DF) specific IgE and IgG in sera, concentrations of major allergens of DF in floor dust of living room, bedroom and in airborne dust. RESULTS: Both asthma and rhinitis symptom scores were significantly improved not only with EP/PCP filters but also with PCP filter. The morning PEFR was significantly improved with EP/PCP filters, but not with PCP filter. Frequency of salbutamol inhalation by air cleaner with EP/PCP filter tended to de crease(p=0.051), with no significant difference in serum ECP concentration. DF specific IgE significantly decreased at the 8th week with no differences in specific IgG. However, the mean Der f I levels in floor dust of bedroom (1, 128 vs. 374 ng/gm dust, p<0.01) and living room (1,516 vs 812 ng/gm dust, p<0.01) decreased, Der f1 in airborne dust measured only in 8 out of 22 subjects, and they decreased significantly with the trial of EP/PCP filter (172.2 pg/4.5m vs. 62.1 pg/4.5m, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the EP/PCP air cleaner may be an effective tool for environmental control in respiratory allergic subjects.
Albuterol ; Allergens ; Asthma ; Dermatophagoides farinae ; Dust ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulin G ; Inhalation ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Plasma* ; Rhinitis

PURPOSE: Oral UFT is known to be a safe and effective antineoplastic regimen for adjuvant chemotherapy of colorectal cancer. As it sometimes produces upper gastrointestinal symptoms such as anorexia, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, medication should be stopped transiently or dosage reduced. UFT-E, an enteric coated granule of UFT was introduced to reduce UGI toxicity. We analyzed the toxicity of UFT and UFT-E prospectively for the purpose of comparison between the two types. METHODS: The toxicity of UFT and UFT-E were evaluated in 83 patients (UFT; 45, UFT-E; 38) with colorectal cancer who underwent curative surgery according to the WHO toxicity criteria. All patients were selected consecutively with patients' approval and by the "Institutional Review Board, Asan Medical Center". RESULTS: The toxicity incidence in UFT-E group was slightly less than that in UFT group without statistical significance. The severity of toxicity seemed to be mild within grade 1 or 2 and most of them toxicity self-limiting. The regimen was completely interrupted in 9 patients (20%) in the UFT group, 3 patients (7.9%) in the UFT-E group due to severe UGI symptoms, prolonged leukopenia, derrangement of liver function and skin rash. CONCLUSIONS: Toxicity rate of UFT-E was not higher than that of UFT. But we cannot prove superiority of UFT-E on UGI toxicity. Oral UFT-E can be administered safely on an outpatient basis without lethal toxicity requiring hospitalization.
Abdominal Pain ; Anorexia ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Exanthema ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Incidence ; Leukopenia ; Liver ; Nausea ; Outpatients ; Prospective Studies ; Vomiting