BACKGROUND: Fibrostenosis of large airway due to tuberculosis is one of the most perplexing clinical problems not only because it can lead to respiratory failure but also because of difficulty in the management. No one technique, such as balloon dilatation or insertion of self expandable metallic steno, has proved totally satisfactory in the management of fibrostenosis. We evaluated the effect of laser therapy in patient with severe fibrostenosis due to tuberculosis. METHOD: We classified the fibrostenosis to three types by bronchoscopic finding - the diaphragm type: stenosed by fibrous diaphragm, sparing the tracheobronchial wall, the collapse type: stenosed by collapse of the wall due. to destruction of the cartilage, and the combined type: stenosed by nonspecific inflammatory scar tissue within internal lumen with collapse of the wall. We have treated 10 patients complaining dyspnea due to with severe fibrostenosis of the diaphargm or the combined type using a neodymiumyttrium aluminum garnet(Nd-YAG) laser through a flexible bronchoscopy. RESULTS: Eight of the 10 cases improved after laser therapy and maintained during a follow up period of average 31.9 months. All of the cases undergoing laser therapy showed no serious complication to need the therapy. CONCLUSION: The results of our present study indicate that the Nd-YAG laser therapy is an effective and safe method for the management of selective tuberculous fibrostenosis.
Aluminum ; Bronchoscopy ; Cartilage ; Cicatrix ; Diaphragm ; Dilatation ; Dyspnea ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Laser Therapy ; Lasers, Solid-State* ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Tuberculosis

No Abstract Available.
Knee* ; Synovitis, Pigmented Villonodular*

No abstract available.
Reticulocytes*

Sebaceous carcinoma is an uncommon neoplasm usually associated with ocular adnexa. This malignancy may occur at any anatomic site that contains sebaceous glands. Despite the widespread anatomic distribution of sebaceous glands, extraocular sebaceous carcinoma occurs with far less frequency. We report a case of an 87-year-old Korean woman with extraocular sebaceous carcinoma treated with total excision.
Aged, 80 and over ; Female ; Humans ; Sebaceous Glands

BACKGROUND: Human hair usually emerges from the scalp in groups of 2 or 3-hair units. Hair densities and grouping patterns in androgenetic alopecia (AGA) patients are known to be different from those in normal adults, but no comparative study has ever before been made in Korea. Therefore we have developed some technical improvements on phototrichogram methodology to evaluate the differences between these two groups. BACKGROUND: Objectives: This study was performed to quantify Koreans' hair characteristics at each site (vertex, occipital, temporal) of the scalp according to the age and to compare the differences of hair characteristics of AGA and normal adults using phototrichogram. METHODS: Hairs in the precisely defined circle at each (vertex, temporal, occipital) site of the scalp in 37 AGA male patients and 15 healthy male volunteers were evaluated according to age. Each circumscribed area of the scalp, centered with a dot tattoo to ensure reproducibility, was photographed just after shaving, and named 'primary image'. Two days later, the same area was again photographed, and named 'secondary image', from which the hair density and the grouping pattern of hair follicular units were determined by the image analyzer program. RESULTS: The results can be summarized as follows: 1. In normal adult males, the range of hair density was 117~13/cm2~140~16/cm2, with the hair density of the occiput being significantly higher than that of the temple. No significant differences in hair density were shown between vertex and occiput. 2. In AGA male patients, the range of hair density was 102~23/cm2-137~17/cm2, and the differences of the hair density between vertex and occiput were statistically significant. 3. The numbers of grouped hair units per square centimeter in the non-bald adult male group ranged from 59~11/cm2 to 73~14/cm2. The most common grouped hair unit was a 2-hair unit, followed by a 1-hair unit and a 3-hair unit group. 4. In the AGA group, the numbers of grouped hair units per square centimeter ranged from 57~6/cm2 to 72~12/cm2, showing no significance with the control group. The most common grouped hair unit was a 1-hair unit, followed by a 2-hair unit and a 3-hair unit group. CONCLUSIONS: The AGA group compared remarkably with the normal adult male group, showing a lower hair density with a larger proportion of 1-grouped hair units. Based on the data about hair density and hair grouping patterns in AGA patients, surgeons can estimate the area of donor scalp with the most probable number of follicular units in hair trans-plantation procedures.
Adult ; Alopecia* ; Hair* ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Scalp* ; Tissue Donors ; Volunteers

No abstract available.
Holoprosencephaly*

No abstract available.
Arteries* ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome* ; Pregnancy* ; Umbilical Arteries*

No abstract available.
Bronchiectasis*

PURPOSE: To evaluate ultrasonographic findings and usefulness in the diagnosis of breast diseases during pregnancy and lactati ng period. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The authors evaluated the ultrasonographic findings of 18 breast diseases during pregnancy and lactation retrospectively. The ultrasonographic examinations were performed with linear-array 5 MHz transducer (ATL). Final diagnoses were obtained by the excisional biopsy, fine needle aspiration and clinical follow-up. RESULTS: Total 18 cases of breast diseases were consisted of 8 cases of galactocele, 4 cases of fibroadenoma, 3 cases of axillary accessory breast, 2 cases of lactating adenoma, and I case of phylloides tumor. The ultrasonographic findings of the above breast diseases were valuable in the diagnosis and therapeutic planning. CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography is the initial and useful method of diagnosing breast diseases during pregnancy and lactating period.
Adenoma ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Breast Diseases* ; Breast* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Fibroadenoma ; Follow-Up Studies ; Lactation ; Pregnancy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Transducers ; Ultrasonography

Metformin is widely marketed medication for the treatment of diabetes, but its pharmacological effect on diabetic peripheral neuropathy remains unclear. In this study, the effect of metformin on peripheral nerves in diabetic rats was investigated using diverse neuronal parameters of nerve fibers.