Expression of Tubular Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 (ICAM-1) as a Marker of Renal Injury in Children with IgA Nephropathy

PURPOSE: In order to evaluate the value of the renal expression of ICAM-1 as a marker of renal injury, we analyzed the relationship between abnormal tubular expression of ICAM-1 and histopathological features and clinical manifestations in children with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). METHODS: The clinical data from 43 patients with IgAN were analyzed retrospectively and compared to the histopathologic subclassification proposed by Haas. ICAM-1 in tubular epithelium was assessed using the LSAB(Labeled streptavidine biotin) kit on the renal biopsy specimens. RESULTS: In 43 patients with primary IgAN, 28 males and 15 females aged 12.2+/-2.2 years were studied. There were no differences of renal tubular expression of ICAM-1 between patients with gross hematuria and without gross hematuria. But renal tubular expression of ICAM-1 in patients with proteinuria was significantly higher than that of in patients without proteinuria(78.72+/-14.19% vs. 55.80+/-32.20%, P0.05; F=0.31, P>0.05; F=0.21, P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Renal tubular expression of ICAM-1 can be a useful marker of renal injury in children with IgAN.

A Case of Canavan Disease

Canavan disease, also known as van Bogaert-Bertrand disease, is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by early an onset and a progressive spongyform degeneration of the brain, associated with an edema of the central nerve system, intramyelinic swelling and neurologic symptoms. This disorder is most prevalent in people of Ashkenazi Jewish descent but has been observed in other ethnic groups. Patients have severe mental retardation, poor head control, macrocephaly and seizures. Canavan disease is caused by the accumulation of N-acetylaspartic acid(NAA) in the brain as the result of a deficiency of aspartoacylase(ASPA) activity. Most children are reported to have the infantile form, becoming symptomatic between three and six month of age, after unremarkable prenatal and perinatal course. We experienced a case of Canavan disease in a six day old female newborn baby, associated with seizure, degeneration of brain white matter and markedly elevated urine N-acetylaspartic acid(NAA) level. So, we report the case with a brief review of the related literature.

A Clinical Study of Aseptic Meningitis in Busan and Kyoungsangnamdo from April to July, 2002

PURPOSE: There was an outbreak of aseptic meningitis in Busan and Kyoungsangnamdo area from April to July, 2002. In this study, we reported the clinical manifestations, laboratory data and causative viruses. METHODS: 184 children with aseptic meningitis who had been admitted to Department of Pediatrics, Inje Paik Hospital in Kaegum and Dongrae between April and July 2002 were assessed. Virus isolation and serotype identification were performed by cell culture and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) of cerebrospinal fluid. RESULTS: The peak incidence was noted in May. Male-to-female ratio was 2:1. The age ranged from 2 years to 16 years. Mean age was 8.7+/-7.1 years. Clinical manifestations were fever(95.1%), headache(91.8%) and vomiting(89.7%). Mean duration of fever was 2.6 days. The numbers of peripheral blood leukocytes were 1,400-20,000/mm3 and mean value was 9,829/mm3. On cerebrospinal fluid examinations, leukocyte count was in range of 10-2,000(mean 301)/mm3, protein level in range of 10-196(mean 36.7)mg/dL and glucose level from 17 to 155(mean 58.3)mg/dL. Viruses were isolated 13(8.4%) out of 154 patients and serotypes were 6 cases of echovirus 6, 3 cases of echovirus 9, 1 case of echovirus 13, 2 cases of echovirus 25 and 1 case of echovirus 30. CONCLUSION: Aseptic meningitis was prevalent in Busan and Kyoungsangnamdo area from April to July, 2002. We thought that causative viruses were echovirus 6, 9, 13, 25, 30.

Two Cases of Inflammatory Linear Verrucose Epidermal Nevus / 대한피부과학회지

Inflammatory linear verrucose epidermal nevus(ILVEN) is characterized by an early age of onset, predominance in females, pruritus, unresponsiveness to treatment, and a distinctive inflammatory and psoriasiform histologic appearance. We present two cases of typical ILVEN. One of them was a 16-year-old male, who had had a mild pruritic linear verrucose patch involving the right arm which grew slowly for about 8 years. The other case was a 14-year-old girl whose lesion appeared at the age of 13. This lesion was localized on the right posterior thigh and showed linear distribution and verrucose appearance. Histopathological findings of two cases showed hyperkeratosis with foci of parakeratosis, moderate to marked acanthosis, elongation of the rete ridges, and occasional slight spongiosis, and chronic inflammatory infiltration in the dermis.