BACKGROUND/AIMS: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of lamivudine treatment in patients with chronic liver disease caused by chronic infection of hepatitis B virus (HBV). METHODS: Thirty-ive patients with chronic infection of HBV were included in this study who were diagnosed at Hanyang University Hospital from January 1998 to January 1999. They received 150mg of lamivudine per oral once daily for 6 months with follow-p of liver function test, serum HBV DNA and serologic markers for hepatitis B virus every two months. Lamivudine was well tolerated. Eight patients underwent liver biopsies before entering the study and follow-p biopsies were done at 5 patients. RESULTS: Out of all 35 patients, chronic hepatitis patients histologically confirmed were 8, chronic hepatitis patients clinically diagnosed were 25 and liver cirrhosis patients clinically diagnosed were 2. The mean age was 35.7 years. Male-female ratio was 2.2:1. There was no hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) negative seroconversion. The HBeAg loss rate was 26.9%(7/26) and HBeAg seroconversion rate was 10.7%(3/28) at the end of follow-p. Ten patients were anti-Be positive prior to treatment, 3 of them became anti-Be negative at the end of follow-p. Five patients underwent follow-p liver biopsies, in which histologic improvements were shown in 4 cases. Serum replicative HBV DNA by bDNA assay was decreased in all patients and HBV DNA was undetectable in 52.9%(9/17) at the end of treatment. Out of the 15 patients with abnormal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels at baseline, ALT level in 7 patients(46.7%) was normalized at treatment completion. Pretherapy ALT level was the only predictive factor for loss of HBeAg by stepwise logistic regression analysis(odds ratio : 1.0208) (95% Confidence Interval : 1.0023 ~ 1.0396) (p value=0.0271). CONCLUSIONS: Lamivudine induced sustained suppression of HBV replication during treatment in all patients. In treating patients with lamivudine, who had chronic liver disease due to chronic infection of HBV, the improvement of liver function test and suppression of viral replication appeared early and was sustained during the 6months treatment. This, in turn, may induce histological improvement as well. Pretherapy ALT level was the only predictive determinant for HBeAg loss during lamivudine therapy, and that should be kept in mind in selecting patients for treatment.
Alanine Transaminase ; Biopsy ; Branched DNA Signal Amplification Assay ; DNA ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Lamivudine* ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Function Tests ; Logistic Models ; Prospective Studies*

No abstract available.
Radiotherapy*

It has recently been known that the temperature of the brain during a period of transient cerebral ischemia can critically influence neuropathologic outcome in experimental animals. Thus the severity of brain edema may be thought to be changed according to body temperature during acute stage of cerebral ischemia. We investigated the effects of hypothermia and hyperthermia on the acute brain edema during the transient global ischemia in Mongolian gerbils. During 20 miuntes of global ischemia, body temperatures were maintained at 35* in the hypothermic group (n=10). 37* in the normothermic group (n=10). 39* in the hyperthermic group (n=10). Respectively. During the period of reperfusion. Body temperatures were maintained at 37* in each group. Two hours after reperfusion. The animals were decapitated and the waler content of the brain was determined by oven dry method. The uater content were high in (1) the hyperthermic group (79.5+0.3%). (2) the normothermic group (79.2+0.2%). (3) the hypothermic group (79.0+0.2%) the control group (78.6+0.3%) in order of amount. Also there were significant differences of the water content among four groups according to the changes of intraischemic body temperature (p<0.05). At the same time we carried out another experiment for comparing the survival rates in each group. The survival rate of the hypothermic group was sillgificantly higher than that of the normothermic or the hyperthermic groups (p<0.005).
Animals ; Body Temperature* ; Brain Edema* ; Brain Ischemia ; Brain* ; Fever ; Gerbillinae* ; Hypothermia ; Ischemia* ; Ischemic Attack, Transient ; Reperfusion ; Survival Rate* ; Water

From January 1984 to June 1991, we studied testicular relapsed patients among 105 cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia in children who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics and Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University Severance Hospital. The results were as follows: 1) 15 out of 105 (14.4%) cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia were diagnosed as testicular relapse. According to the prevalence by the age groups, there were no patient under 2 years old, 14 out of 73 (19.4%) in 2~9 years old and 1 out of 26 (3.8%) over 10 years old groups. 2) At initial diagnosis of acute lymphocytic leukemia there were significant correlation between testicular relapse and initial lymphadenopathy (p=0.09), but not with WBC count, hemoglobin level, platelet count, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly. 3) Mean duration to testicular relapse from initial diagnosis of acute lymphocytic leukemia was 3.1+/-1.7 years. 4) Among 15 patients, 7 cases combined with bone marrow or central nervous system relapse. Their survival rate was lower than isolated testicular relapse groups. 5) The 5 years survival rate of testicular relapsed patients was 67% after the combinations of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and orchiectomy.
Bone Marrow ; Central Nervous System ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Hepatomegaly ; Humans ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Orchiectomy ; Pediatrics ; Platelet Count ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma* ; Prevalence ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence* ; Splenomegaly ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND/AIMS: As a tumor marker, alpha-etoprotein is widely used. Diagnositic cut-ff value is known as 400 ng/mL in sera. This study is aimed to determine the clinical features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with reference to serum AFP levels in Korean patients. METHODS: From May 1990 to March 1998, 367 patients diagnosed as HCC, hospitalized and followed-p at Hanyang University Hospital, have been retrospectively analyzed with special reference on serum AFP level at time of diagnosis. The differences in clinical, hematological, and radiological features of HCC, as well as the survival rate in the two groups have been compared. Group 1 (N=182) was defined as an AFP level lower than 400 ng/mL, group 2 (N=185) was defined as an AFP level greater than 400 ng/mL. Comparisons were made by student's t test or chi-quare test. Survival rate was calculated from the time of diagnosis by Kaplan-eier method. Survival curves were also compared using log-ank test. P values less than 0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: The patients with serum AFP levels above 400 ng/mL showed (1) a lower mean age; (2) a higher level of AST; (3) a higher level of AST/ALT ratio; (4) a high incidence of liver cirrhosis; (5) a high incidence of portal vein thrombosis; (6) a high incidence of positive HBsAg; (7) a low incidence of anti-CV; (8) a low incidence of small HCC but high incidence of large HCC; (9) a high incidence of more advanced TNM stage; (10) a low incidence of single nodular type and high incidence of diffuse type. CONCLUSIONS: Depending on the value of AFP, HCC has some clinical features. In hepatocellular carcinoma, high levels of AFP represent young age, HBV infection more than HCV infection and advanced disease state.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Diagnosis ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Humans ; Incidence ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Venous Thrombosis

No abstract available.
Cyclosporine* ; Drug Resistance, Multiple* ; Humans* ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Tamoxifen* ; Verapamil*

No abstract available.
Induction Chemotherapy* ; Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Gastrointestinal Tract* ; Leiomyosarcoma*

No abstract available.
Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Fluorouracil* ; Leucovorin*

No abstract available.
Cisplatin*