We report a case of acute graft-versus-host disease, which developed after bone marrow transplantation because of acute myelocytic leukemia in a 39-year old male, The pruritic, erythematous maculopapular eruptions began to developed on the perioral regions, and spreaded the face, the oral mucosa, both hands, and buttocks at the twenty fourth day after bone marrow transplanta.tion. The eruptions were confluent to form erythematous patches. Iistopathological findings show parakeratosis, lymphoid cell exocytosis, and papillary edema, lymphohistiocytic infiltration, and melanophage in the upper dermis, and basal vacuolation. He was treated systemically by methylprednisolone, and antilymphocytic globulin, and tapically by emollients and steroids.
Adult ; Bone Marrow ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Buttocks ; Dermis ; Edema ; Emollients ; Exocytosis ; Graft vs Host Disease* ; Hand ; Humans ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Methylprednisolone ; Mouth Mucosa ; Parakeratosis ; Steroids

Transfollicular extrusion of sebaceous gland lobules was observed in a case of actinic keratosis and 2 cases of sebaceous hyperplasia. The patient of act.inic keratosis was a 44-year-old white man and the patients of sebaceous hvperplasia were a i3-year-old Korean girl and a 28-year-old Korean man. The sebaceous gland lobules located within the dilated infundibular area and partly between separated granular layers were intact and partly surrounded by keratin materjal. No histopathologic overlapping of sebaceous gland lobules was observed. We suppose that transfollicular ext,rusion of sebaceous gland lobules may not be artifact. but one of natural phenomena. But further study will be necessary to evaluate the significance of this peculiar histopathologic findings.
Adult ; Artifacts ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Keratosis ; Keratosis, Actinic ; Sebaceous Glands*

There is an evidence for a role of apolipoprotein E (APOE) in atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease and carotid artery stenosis. Morbidity of carotid artery atherosclerosis is higher in persons carrying an epsilon4 allele, but the association of cerebrovascular disease and apoE genotype is controversial. We studied the association between APOE genotype and allele (epsilon2, epsilon3, epsilon4) frequency and stroke. We evaluated APOE genotype in 133 first -ever stroke patients and 111 healthy controls. We also estimated the risk factors of stroke such as hypertension, diabetes and lipid profiles in both groups. APOE genotypes were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction. APOE genotypes and allele distributions were not different in patients and controls. There is also no difference of APOE allele frequencies between ischemic small artery occlusive disease and hypertensive subcortical intracerebral hemorrhage. We concluded that the APOE -epsilon4 allele is not associated with stoke including ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke.
Alleles ; Apolipoproteins E ; Apolipoproteins* ; Arteries ; Atherosclerosis ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Stenosis ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Risk Factors ; Stroke*

PURPOSE: Growth and development of infants can be periodically assessed through health screening, but iron deficiency anemia, which is common in infants, is difficult to detect by conducting only infant health screening. This study evaluated the prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in infants who visited Chung-Ang university hospital between 9 and 12 months of age. The study also determined the difference of anemia between term and preterm infants. METHODS: The subjects of this study were infants aged 9 to 12 months who visited outpatient clinics of Chung-Ang University Hospital from January 2006 to August 2018 for the purpose of infant health screening and immunizations. We divided the subjects as the term group and the preterm group, and their medical records were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-two infants were included in the study. There were 51 in the preterm infant group and 101 in the term infant group. Thirteen infants were diagnosed with iron deficiency anemia, and 12 infants of these infants were in the term group and one infant was in the preterm group, which was statistically significant (P<0.001). There are significant differences in the hemoglobin (12.0±1.1 g/dL, 12.6±1.2 g/dL), hematocrit (35.8%±2.7%, 36.7%±3.2%), serum iron (60.8±25.4 µg/dL, 73.5±40.9 µg/dL), and unsaturated iron binding capacity (279.1±67.7 µg/dL, 252.0±47.5 µg/dL) between the term infant group and the preterm infant group, respectively (P<0.05). CONCLUSION Iron deficiency anemia was significantly more often diagnosed in term infants than that in preterm infants. Preterm infants may have a lower prevalence of iron deficiency anemia than do term infants because the preterm infants are taking iron supplements prophylactically. Therefore, iron deficiency anemia should be prevented in term infants, and it is important to confirm the presence of iron deficiency anemia by conducting blood tests during the first 9 to 12 months of life.

No abstract available.
Humans ; Nephritis, Interstitial* ; Nephrotic Syndrome*

PURPOSE: Gap junction intercellular communication(GJIC) is an important mechanism of the bystander effect in herpes simplex thymidine kinase/ganciclovir(HSVtk/GCV) gene therapy Therefore, we attempted to enhance the bystander effect in vitro by exogenous overexpressing connexin 37(Cx37) in cells to increase GJIC. METHODS: NIH3T3 cells were transfected with the Cx37 and HSVtk gene or the HSVtk gene alone by the calcium phosphate method, and we detected their expression from these cells by RT-PCR. GCV-mediated cytotoxicity and the bystander effect of each transfectant was then assessed and compared. RESULTS: Cells transfected with HSVtk became sensitive to low concentration of GCV. We found significantly increased cytotoxicity in HSVtk/GCV gene therapy after introduction of the HSVtk and Cx37 genes together compared with the cytotoxicity seen after introduction of the HSVtk gene in vitro. Co-expression of the HSVtk and Cx37 genes potentiates HSVtk/GCV gene therapy through the bystander effect. CONCLUSION: These results indicated that the increase of GJIC using Cx37 have potentiated the by stander effect of HSVtk/GCV therapy, and may be a new approach to improve response in suicidal cancer gene therapy.
Bystander Effect* ; Calcium ; Gap Junctions* ; Genes, Neoplasm ; Genetic Therapy* ; Herpes Simplex ; Thymidine

PURPOSE: Children with esophagitis express a variety of nonspecific symptoms and signs depending on their age, and diagnosis is limited because gastrointestinal endoscopy (GFS) and biopsy are difficult to perform. The aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of esophagitis in children with upper abdominal pain, to determine the necessity of esophageal biopsy, and to evaluate the associated risk factors. METHODS: We reviewed 266 pediatric patients with upper abdominal pain who underwent history-taking, physical examination, and GFS with esophageal and gastric biopsies between January 2006 and December 2007. Esophagitis was confirmed on biopsy. We analyzed the risk factors for histologic esophagitis and the necessity of esophageal biopsy. RESULTS: The prevalence of esophagitis was 19.9% (53/266 patients). The sensitivity and specificity of endoscopic diagnosis were 41.5% and 77%. Of 53 patients with histologic esophagitis, reflux esophagitis was seen in 50 patients, eosinophilic esophagitis was seen in 2 patients, and esophageal candidiasis was seen in 1 patient. Vomiting was a significant factor in patients under 8 yr of age (p<0.05). H. pylori infection was documented in 41.5% of patients with histologic esophagitis, compared with 58.5% of patients not infected with H. pylori (p<0.05). The possibility of histologic esophagitis was higher in patients with H. pylori infection (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.2544 to 4.8286) and in those who visited in the spring (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.2544 to 4.8286). CONCLUSION: We believe esophageal tissue biopsy should be performed in pediatric patients with upper gastrointestinal symptoms who are undergoing GFS and stomach tissue biopsy, especially preschoolers and H. pylori-infected children in the spring.
Abdominal Pain ; Biopsy ; Candidiasis ; Child ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Eosinophilic Esophagitis ; Esophagitis ; Esophagitis, Peptic ; Humans ; Physical Examination ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Stomach ; Vomiting

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Deviation of the nasal septum toward one side is often associated with an outgrowth of the inferior turbinate, which occupies the expansive space of the contralateral nasal cavity. It is assumed that this contrabalanced mechanism characterized by compensatory hypertrophy has originated to protect the more patent nasal side from excessive airflow with its drying and crusting effect. We tried to investigate histologic differences of inferior turbinate mucosa of both sides in patients with nasal septal deviation. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Specimens were taken from the anterior portion of inferior turbinates of 15 patients with deviated nasal septum and compensatory hypertrophy of the inferior turbinate. After staining by hematoxylin-eosin, the histologic differences of bilateral turbinate mucosa were examined under light microscope. RESULTS: Epithelia of both sides showed normal or epithelial exfoliation. The number of submucosal glands was significantly higher in the opposite side than in the hypertrophied side. Inflammatory cell infiltration was more severe in the hypertrophied side than in the opposite side. CONCLUSION: Above results suggest that heavy infiltration of inflammatory cells and decreased number of glands in the hypertrophied side might result from aerodynamic change originated from difference of area of airway.
Humans ; Hypertrophy* ; Mucous Membrane ; Nasal Cavity ; Nasal Septum* ; Turbinates*

PURPOSE: In this study, we analyzed a cohort of children with chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) according to the NIH consensus classification (NCC) in order to observe whether global assessment at diagnosis correlates with GvHD-specific endpoints. We then studied the clinical course of these patients, specifically with regards to episodes of GvHD exacerbation requiring treatment escalation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Recipients of either allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) from January 2006 to August 2008 at the Department of Pediatrics, The Catholic University of Korea were evaluated for chronic GvHD, which was diagnosed according to the NCC. The course of chronic GvHD in these patients was then followed. RESULTS: Of 59 evaluable patients, 23 developed chronic GvHD for a cumulative incidence of 39.3%. Upon multivariate analysis, previous acute GvHD (> or =grade II) had a significant impact on chronic GvHD incidence. With a median duration of systemic treatment for chronic GvHD of 501 days, no significant relationship was found between initial global severity of chronic GvHD and either duration of immunosuppressive treatment or final clinical response to treatment. Fifteen patients (65%) experienced at least one episode of chronic GvHD exacerbation during the period of follow-up, with a median of four exacerbations in the subgroup of patients who experienced such events. Lung GvHD resulted in the highest number of exacerbations per diagnosed patient, followed by oral GvHD. CONCLUSION: Analysis of this small cohort indicates that global assessment as proposed by the NCC may have limited correlations with GvHD-specific endpoints, possibly due to the favorable response of children to treatment.
Adolescent ; Bone Marrow Transplantation/adverse effects ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Chronic Disease ; Cohort Studies ; Consensus Development Conferences, NIH as Topic ; Female ; Graft vs Host Disease/classification/*diagnosis/drug therapy/etiology ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents/administration & dosage ; Infant ; Male ; National Institutes of Health (U.S.) ; Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplantation/adverse effects ; Prognosis ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Factors ; United States

Massive perivillous fibrin deposition (MFD) is a rare condition characterized by heavy accumulation of fibrin in intervillous or perivillous spaces encasing villi throughout the placenta. This condition may cause varying degrees of placental insufficiency, leading to a significantly increased risk of intrauterine growth retardation, intrauterine death, and pre-term delivery. However, the objective criteria for the diagnosis of MFD have not been clearly established. We report a case of MFD associated with intrauterine growth retardation and preterm premature rupture of membranes.