OBJECTIVES: Psychiatry in North Korea is believed to seem very different from psychiatry in South Korea. However, there is nearly no information regarding psychiatry in North Korea until now. Our study aimed to get information about North Korean psychiatry. METHODS: Three North Korean defectors in South Korea, whose clinical experience as medical doctors in North Korea was over 10 years, were recruited. They underwent the semi-structured interview, content of which included the clinical experience with psychiatric patients, the details of psychiatry, the treatment of psychiatric patients, the stigma of mental illness, and the suicide, in North Korea. RESULTS: In North Korea, psychiatric department was called as 49th(pronounced as Sahsip-gu-ho in Korean). Only patients with vivid psychotic symptoms came to psychiatric department. Non-psychotic depression or anxiety disorders usually were not dealt in psychiatry. The etiology of mental illness seemed to be confined to biological factors including genetic predisposition. Psychosocial or psychodynamic factors as etiology of mental illness appeared to be ignored. Psychiatry was apparently separated from political or ideological issues. The mainstay of psychiatric treatment is the inpatient admission and out-of-date therapy such as insulin coma therapy. Stigma over mental illness was common in North Korea. Suicide is considered as a betrayal to his/her nation, and has been reported to be very rare. CONCLUSION: The situation of psychiatry in North Korea is largely different from that of South Korea. Although some aspects of North Korean psychiatry are similar to psychiatry in former socialist countries, North Korean psychiatry is considered to have also its unique characteristics.
Anxiety Disorders ; Biological Factors ; Convulsive Therapy ; Democratic People's Republic of Korea ; Depression ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Porphyrins ; Republic of Korea ; Suicide

We described a case of diffuse biphasic cutaneous amyloidosis, a unique form of localized cutaneous amyloidosis. A 41-year-old man has gradually developed a lichenoid papular and a grouped spotted pigmented macular eruption on the trunk and upper extremities over the past 15 years. Histopathologic examination revealed that amyloid deposits were present in the papillary dermis. It was confirmed by Congo red staining, immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy. There was no evidence of systemic amyloidosis.
Adult ; Amyloidosis* ; Congo Red ; Dermis ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Microscopy, Electron ; Plaque, Amyloid ; Upper Extremity

Although many approaches have been attempted in the evaluation of liver size such as measurement of length,area and volume, the linear measurements have been used most frequently because of simplicity. We measured theliver size using 4 linear measurements for evaluation of hepatic pliability on plain abdominal film in the erectand the supine position. Our cases consisted of 125 persons who have no symptom or signs clinically and havenormal liver function test. The results were as follows: 1. The measurements of the liver size using diagonaldiameter(DD), oblique diameter of right lobe(OD), midline vertical diameter(MD) and height of right dome of theliver(HD) were ; 19.6+-1.8cm, 13.7+-1.6cm, 2.03+-0.4cm in the supine position; and 20.5+-2.1cm, 21.9+-2.1cm,15.4+-2.1cm, 1.87+-0.4cm in the erect position, respectively. 2. The differences of each diameter between erectand supine position were 0.9+-1.0cm in DD, 0.9+-1.0cm in OD and 1.7+-1.4cm in MD, and they were longer in thesupine position (p<0.001). 3. The HD was slinghtly longer in the supine position than in the erect position(p<0.001). 4. Among the 4 measurements, the largest difference of linear diameter between the erect and the supineposition was by MD. 5. We found the change or size and shape of the normal liver in the different position.
Humans ; Liver ; Liver Function Tests ; Pliability ; Supine Position

Skeletal Class III malocclusions are growth-related discrepancies, and the problems are more severe until growth is complete. Causes of skeletal Class III malocclusion are classified into mandibular overgrowth, maxillary deficiency, and combination of the two. Face mask has been recommended for treatment of Class M malocclusion with maxillary deficiency in the early time of growth. Numerous experiments were performed and clinical studies have been reported on face mask ; nevertheless, studies on profile changes and stability after treatment of face mask are considered to be somewhat insufficient. The author selected 50 patients who can be checked for follow-up. They had been diagnosed as skeletal Class III malocclusion with maxillary deficiency and then treated with face mask ; the sample group was divided according to sex, treatment beginning age, palatal suture opening(intraoral appliance). For each group, changing pattern of facial profile and stability of treatment observed, and comparison with 20 Korean normal children(Angle's Class I ). The following results were obtained. 1. Skeletal, dental, and soft tissue measurements indicated more changes in the amounts of maxillary forward movement during face mask treatment. 2. R.P.E. group showed more significant maxillofacial changes and La-Li group showed more dental changes. 3. Growth changes of maxilla induced in the treatment group during wearing face mask were much more than those of normal group. 4. Growth changes of maxilla in the treatment group after treatment of face mask were less than those of normal group. From the obtained data, it can be concluded that. there was a stimulative effect on forward growth of maxilla during the use of face mask however, on removal of face mask, the stimulative effect was eliminated and undergrowth tendency of maxilla resumed.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Malocclusion ; Masks* ; Maxilla ; Sutures

PURPOSE: To evaluate the ability of percutaneous ethanol ablation in the treatment of benign cysts of the liver and kidney, and to decide the need and the time of retreatment when the cysts remain on the follow-up ultrasonogram. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty benign cysts(8 hepatic and 12 renal cysts) in 18 patients diagnosed or confirmed either by ultrasound, CT or cytology were treated with percutaneous ethanol injection(PEI). After evacuation of cystic fluid, 15-900ml(amount corresponding to 40-50% of the volume of aspirated fluid) of absolute ethanol(99.9%) was injected into the cysts through the aspiration catheter. rln large cysts, two or more PEIs were done in one session. Follow-up ultrasonographic studies during the period of 12 months with 1-2 months interval after PEI were performed for evaluation of the therapeutic effect. RESULTS: Nine cysts(45%) disappeared completely within 2 months after initial PEI. Although 11 cysts(55.5%) recurred 2 months after initial PEI, 8 of them disappeared within 6 months and one within 8 months after inital PEI without additional PEI. As a result, 18 of 20 cysts(90%) disappeared within 8 months after initial PEI and most of the recurrent cysts disappeared within 6 months without additional PEI. No major complications were encountered concerning PEI, although transient abdominal pain, elevation of body temperature, and drowsiness were noted in 8 patients. CONCLUSION: PEI is an effective and safe modality for the treatment of benign hepatic or renal cysts and the apparent recurrence within 6 months after initial PEI might be mostly a transient, reactive or inflammatory fluid collection rather than real recurrence.
Abdominal Pain ; Ameloblastoma* ; Ameloblasts ; Body Temperature ; Catheters ; Dentigerous Cyst ; Ethanol* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lung ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Recurrence ; Retreatment ; Retrospective Studies ; Sleep Stages ; Tooth, Unerupted ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Thrombosis*

No abstract available.
Pneumothorax* ; Thoracotomy*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Cattle* ; Yersinia enterocolitica* ; Yersinia*

Acrokeratoelastoidosis of Costa is a rare palmoplantar keratoderma with autosomal dominant inheritance. It is clinically charaeterized by small, firm, yellowish, shiny, translucent papules occumng over the dorsal hands, the knuckles, and the lateral margine of the palms and soles. Histologically, the characteristic features are hyperkeratosis, aeanthosis, and most strikingly, fragmentation of coarse elastic fibers within the dermis. The lesions usually begin in early childhood and progress slowly. We herein report two familial cases of acrokeratoelastoidosis of Costa showing typical clinic1 and histopathological features.
Dermis ; Elastic Tissue ; Hand ; Keratoderma, Palmoplantar ; Wills*

Terbinafine is now widely used for the treatment of dermatophytic infections of the skin and nails. Cutaneous side effects of terbinafine are rare and mild. They includes erythema, pruritus, urticaria, desqumation, and macular exanthem. In addition, fixed drug eruption, erythema multiforme, Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and erythema annulare centrifugum-like psoriatic drug eruption were recently described in the literatures. Herein, we reported a case of acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis induced by terbinafine.
Acute Generalized Exanthematous Pustulosis* ; Drug Eruptions ; Erythema ; Erythema Multiforme ; Exanthema ; Pruritus ; Skin ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome ; Urticaria