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.
Antibodies* ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome* ; Humans* ; Immunization*

No abstract available.
Heart Diseases* ; Heart*

The clinical symptom complex characterized by syncopal attacks and sudden death in patients with electrocardiographic anomalies, especially a prolonged Q-T interval is known as the Romano-Ward syndrome. When a similar symptom complex is accompanied by congenital deafness, it is called Jervell and Lange-Nieisen syndrome. This study was undertaken to investigate the investigate the incidence of the latter syndrome in the Seoul area. A total of 1,013 children with congenital deafness who attend schools for the deaf were studied by analyzing their electrocardiograms. A corrected Q-T interval of> or =0.44 seconds was defined as a prolonged Q-T interval. The overall incidence of long Q-T syndrome observed in the deaf in the Seoul area was 0.49% as compared to 0.25% reported from elsewhere in the world. The mean age of patients with long Q-T syndrome was 11.3+/-5.9 years and the first syncopal attacks was 4.6+/-1.1 per patient. A valsalva maneuver and exercise tests in the test group were associated with significant changes in T wave configuration and prolonged Q-T intervals while similar changes were not observed in the control group. A larger survey is needed to derive more statistically significant conclusions.
Child* ; Deafness* ; Death, Sudden ; Electrocardiography ; Exercise Test ; Humans ; Incidence ; Romano-Ward Syndrome ; Seoul ; Valsalva Maneuver

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Lipoma*

Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus is a recently recognized distinct subset of lupus erythematosus, having characteristics of clinical, pathologic, serologic, irnrnunologic features. We present a case of subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus in a 29-year-old woman with symmetric, superficial, nonscarring papulosquamous lesion on the face, scalp, and the extensor surface of the upper extremities. She has a mild systemic illness of musculoskeletal complaints. Serologic abnormalities of the patients are positive rheumatoid factor and anti-Ro antibody test, but fluorescent antinuclear antibody test is negative, which is done by the conventional methods uaing rodent tissue for the substrate. The histopathologic finding of the lesion show the sarne general pattern of the cutaneous lupus erythematosus, and lupus band test is positive.
Adult ; Female ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous* ; Rheumatoid Factor ; Rodentia ; Scalp ; Upper Extremity

No abstract available.
Primary Myelofibrosis*

Scar sarcoidosis is a rarely encountering variant of cutaneous sarcoidosis and its pathogenesis is still unknown. When inactive scars that have been quiescent for years develop a red or purple hue with induration, we should doubt whether they become infiltrated with sarcoid granuloma or not. We report herein a 45-year-old patient with recurrent scar sarcoid, who shows indurated plaques on the right chin and raised serum level of angiotensin converting enzyme, although there was no evidence of systemic involvement. She was treated with oral doxycycline of moderate doses and skin lesions were cleared after 9 months of treatment.
Chin ; Cicatrix* ; Doxycycline ; Granuloma ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A ; Sarcoidosis* ; Skin