No abstract available.
Child* ; Drug Therapy* ; Graves Disease* ; Humans ; Receptors, Thyrotropin* ; Thyroid Function Tests* ; Thyroid Gland*

Pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE) is an uncommon heritable disorder of elastin characterized by cutaneous, ocular and vascular abnormalities. Typical skin lesion shows yellowish papules and redundant skin folds on the neck, axilla and groin due to degeneration and calcification of elastic fibers in deep dermis. As in all heritable disorders of connective tissue, no curative therapy is presently know. Redundant and unsightly skin folds about the neck can be improved by surgery, but irregular papular lesion on skin does not improved by surgery. A-44-year-old female who had a skin lesion and angioid streak was treated as follows: Skin folds on the neck were excised successfully without any significant problem such as intraoperative bleeding, wound dehiscence or hypertrophic scar formation. To evaluate whether we could smooth the irregular skin surface due to multiple papules, laserbrasion with a SLT contack Nd:YAG laser system was performed experimentally on a limited area which was located on the right supracla-vicular area about 2 x 3cm in size. An acceptable aesthetic appearance was achieved with surgical excision 12 months after the operation. Biopsy of the laserbrasion site revealed disappearance of the calcium deposit. This study emphasizes the possibility of using laserbrasion in solving troblesome skin lesion of the PXE.
Angioid Streaks ; Axilla ; Biopsy ; Calcium ; Cicatrix, Hypertrophic ; Connective Tissue ; Dermis ; Elastic Tissue ; Elastin ; Female ; Groin ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Neck* ; Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum ; Skin ; Wounds and Injuries

In the case of a soft tissue defect which requires thin & pliable tissues, the choice of donor site is limited due to flap bulkiness and donor site morbidity. To overcome these problems, a variety of perforator-based flaps such as paraspinous and parasacral perforator flap, deep inferior epigastric perforator flap, gluteal perforator flap, and thoracodorsal artery perforator flap have recently been introduced. We experienced 8 cases of soft tissue defects from December 1996 to March 1999 using the thoracodorsal artery perforator flap for reconstruction. We could elevate the cutaneous flap with preservation of the latissimus dorsi muscle flap only when it was based on one cutaneous perforator. Defatting procedure was possible for further thinning of skin flap. In one case, axillary defect after release of postburn scar contracture was repaired with island perforator flap and the other seven cases were repaired with free flap. The results were satisfactory. We believe the thoracodorsal artery perforator flap is useful for reconstruction of soft tissue defects which are large or under conditions requiring thin flap.
Arteries* ; Cicatrix ; Contracture ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Humans ; Perforator Flap ; Skin* ; Superficial Back Muscles ; Tissue Donors

A possible therapeutic effect of acetyl-L carnitine (ALCAR) on peripheral nerve injuries and the expression of Jun, the protein products of immediate-early genes(IEGs), in the spinal cord were investigated after sciatic nerve injury in Sprague-Dawley rats. Experimental animals were divided into 3 groups: intact sciatic nerve as a control group, surgical repair alone, and surgical repair with ALCAR treatment. Toe-spreading response, pinprick response, and compound action potential were measured to evaluate the recovery of sciatic nerve injury. Recovery of behavioral function and electrophysiological function both improved in the surgical repair with ALCAR treatment group. Weak basal expression of Jun was shown in the ventral horn the of spinal cord in the control group. In the surgical repair alone group or the surgical repair with ALCAR treatment group, Jun expression persisted until 28 days after injury in the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Moreover, the surgical repair with ALCAR treatment group showed more increased expression of Jun than the surgical repair alone group. These results suggest that ALCAR facilitates the functional recovery after peripheral nerve injury.
Acetylcarnitine ; Action Potentials ; Animals ; Carnitine* ; Horns ; Peripheral Nerve Injuries ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sciatic Nerve* ; Spinal Cord

To investigate the imbalance of the cytokine production profile of T cells from atopic asthmatics, we measured concentrations of IL-4, IL-5 and IFN-y by ELISA method in the culture supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) and Derrnato-phagoides pteronyssinus(Der p) J-stimulated PBMCs from Der p-sensitized atopic asthmatics, Der p-sensitized healthy atopits, non-atopic asthmatics and healthy non-atopics. The suppressive effect of IFN-y on cytokine production of Der p J-stimulated PBMCs was also examined. The PBMCs from atopics showed higher IL-4 and IL-5 production in response to PHA +TPA and higher IFN-gamma production in response to Der p Jq compared with non-atopits. The Der p J-stimulated PBMCs from atopics showed a tendency of increased IL-5 production in response to Der p J and higher IL-4 and IL-5 production in response to PHA+TPA compared with non-atopics. IL-5 production of Der p J-stimulated PBMCs from atopics was suppressed by IFN It is suggested that an imbalance in IL-4, IL-5 and IFN-y production is a feature of the atopic state. The TH2 characteristics of allergen-stimulated PBMCs could be regulated by IFN-y.
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Interleukin-4 ; Interleukin-5 ; T-Lymphocytes

Repairing of lacrimal canalicular laceration has some controversies on the golden time of surgery, the suture method, and the materials for stent. Recently, intubation of silicone tubes has become popular for repair of lacrimal canalicular injuries. Thirty-two cases of injured lacrimal canaliculi were repaired with use of silicone tube stents. The surgery can be done with monocanalicular(10 patients) or bicanalicular(22 patient) methods. The follow-up period was from two to eighteen months(mean ten months). Seven cases using the monocanalicular method and nineteen cases using the bicanalicular method were successful. Three cases of monocanalicular method had epiphora with canalicular obstruction due to early loss of the silicone tube. In monocanalicular method, postoperative complications were punctal granuloma(1 case), punctal slits(2 cases), and early loss of the silicone tube(3 cases). In bicanalicular method, postoperative complications were persistent epiphora during the period of intubaion(4 cases), conjunctival irritation sign(3 cases) and loop retraction(1 case). In conclusion, the success rate of bicanalicular stents were higher than that of monocanalicular stents for canalicular laceration. But the bicanalicular stent had some complications including cosmetic problem, possibility of injuries to the normal canaliculus during intubation, conjuntival irritation sign, and loop retraction.
Follow-Up Studies ; Intubation* ; Lacerations ; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases ; Postoperative Complications ; Silicones* ; Stents ; Sutures

We report a case of 64-year-old female patient who has had factitious skin lesions for 20 years. She complained formification sense and severe itching on her face. These symptoms were improved with squeezing and bleeding. There were scuare shaped ulcerated nodule on the right cheek and white depressed scar on the left cheek. She was treated with wet dressing and occlussive dressing, and skin lesions were nearly cleared within 3 weeks, but new lesion appeared. Pimozide 2mg #1 p.o were given under the diagnosis of delusion of parasitosis from June, 1984. Her symptoms were improved without recurrence till now. Treatment with pimozide in monosymptomatic hypochondriacal syndrome is discussed.
Bandages ; Cheek ; Cicatrix ; Delusions ; Dermatitis* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Pimozide* ; Pruritus ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Ulcer

No abstract available.
Herpesvirus 4, Human*

No abstract available.
Antibodies, Monoclonal* ; Herpesvirus 4, Human* ; Humans* ; Tetanus Toxoid* ; Tetanus*

No abstract available.
Adaptive Immunity ; Animals ; Cell Line* ; Rats*