Assays for HBsAg, HBV DNA, anti-HBc and anti-HBs of 285 units of packed red blood cells supplied by Taegu Red Cross Blood Center were performed to evaluate the correlation between the prevalence of HBV DNA and the serologic markers for hepatitis B virus. None of 285 plasma samples was positive for HBsAg, however, HBV DNA were detected by polymerase chain reaction in 2 samples which both presented only with anti-HBc positivity.. Of 204 samples tested for anti-HBs, 96 samples(47.1%) were positive and among 216 samples tested for anti-HBc, 80 samples(37.0%) were positive. Of 193 samples tested for both anti-HBs and anti-HBc, 80(41.1%) were all negative and 48(24.9%) were positive on both tests. Those samples which showed positivity only to anti-HBc were 25(13.0%). Considering the above results, transfusion-transmitted hepatitis B virus infection could be prevented by discarding anti-HBc positive blood, however, that may bring insufficient supply of donor bloods in the country like Korea where the prevalence of anti-HBc is high. Anti-HBc positive blood unequivocally positive for anti-HBs should be considered noninfectious for HBV and should be allowed to be transfused. It would reduce the amount of discarding donor blood as the routine blood donor screening tests presently used at Korea Red Cross Blood Center supplemented by anti-HBs and anti-HBc testing.
Blood Donors ; Daegu ; DNA* ; Erythrocytes* ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus ; Humans ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Plasma ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence* ; Red Cross ; Tissue Donors

No abstract available.

Vanadate is a trace element in animal tissues and has been known to inhibit NA(+)-K(+) ATPase in various tissues including skeletal and cardiac muscles and smooth muscles. Vanadate shows contractile actions on various types of smooth muscles. Prolonged dietary administration of vanadate has been shown to cause arterial hypertension, increased peripheral resistance, and a marked reduction of coronary, visceral and renal blood flow.In isolated vascular smooth muscle of aorta, application of vanadate caused contraction. These studies have been conducted the preparation of vascular smooth muscles from which endothelial cell were removed. It has been reported that endothelial cell releases relaxing factor(s) (endothelium-derived relaxing factor, EDRF) in response to acetylcholine and a number of other stimuli and also produces vasoconstrictor substances (endothelium-derived contracting factor, EDCF). The aim of this present experiment is to elucidate whether vascular response of isolated rabbit aorta induced by vanadate are endothelium dependent or not. The result obtained were summarized as follows ; 1) When endothelium was intact, vanadate induced vascular relaxation of aorta precontracted with norepinephrine. But K+ induced contraction was augmented by vanadate in the aorta with or without endothelium. Whereas relaxation produced by vanadate precontracted with angiotensin II was endothelium-independent. 2) Hemoglobin, methylene blue, hydroquinone, and verapamil inhibited vanadate-induced vascular relaxation. But indomethacin and quinacrine had no effect on vanadate induced vascular relaxation. From the above results, it is speculated the vanadate act on endothelium, modifies the synthesis or release of endothelium-dependent relaxing factor and thus changes the contractile responses to norepinephrine in rabbit aorta.
Acetylcholine ; Adenosine Triphosphatases ; Angiotensin II ; Animals ; Aorta ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelium ; Endothelium-Dependent Relaxing Factors ; Hypertension ; Indomethacin ; Methylene Blue ; Muscle, Smooth ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular* ; Myocardium ; Norepinephrine ; Quinacrine ; Relaxation ; Vanadates* ; Vascular Resistance ; Verapamil

BACKGROUND: Allergic diseases are characterized by immediate - and late - phase reactions to various allergens by the selective activation of a subset of CD4 + T cells. In response to allergen, T cells isolated from atopic donors are biased to low levels of IFN - y and high levels of IL - 4, and vice versa by T cells from non - atopic donor. Objective : The aim of this study was to evaluate the patterns of IL - 4 and IFN - y production after Der p I stimulation and the effect on the cytokine production from T cells by budesonide, disodium cromoglycate and cyclosporin A in atopic and non - atopic individuals. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Seven Der p I specific atopic and 7 non - atopic individuals were selected. We decided the 50% inhibiting concentration of each immunomodulator by lymphocyte proliferation assay, and measured their effects on the cytokine production in vitro by intracellular IL - 4, IFN - y staining and flow cytometry. Results and CONCLUSION: There was significant difference on stimulation index ( SI ) of production of IFN - y as well as IL-4 after Der p I stimulation between atopic and non-atopic individuals ( IL - 4 ; 1.57 +/- 0.7 : 0.98 +/- 0.2, p = 0.026, IFN - r : 1.45 +/- 0.5 : 0.95 +/- 0.2, p = 0.048 ). The synthesis of IL - 4, and IFN - r were significantly inhibited after the stimulation of every immunomodulators in atopic individuals, DSCG couldnt inhibit IL - 4 and IFN - r in nonatopic individuals. There was no significant difference in the inhibiting effect of these immunomodulators in both of them.
Allergens ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Budesonide ; Cromolyn Sodium ; Cyclosporine ; Dust* ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Immunologic Factors ; Interferons* ; Interleukin-4 ; Lymphocytes ; Pyroglyphidae* ; T-Lymphocytes* ; Tissue Donors

PURPOSE:It is important to evaluate the healing process of avascular necrosis (AVN) involving femoral head after treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of pinhole bone scintigraphy in the AVN of femoral head after surgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the changing pattern of pinhole bone scintigram in 21 femoral heads of 16 patients (14 lesions/11 male, 7 lesions/5 female, mean age: 39.4 yrs) before and after multiple drilling or vascularized bone grafting for AVN of the femoral head. In all patients, pre-operative scintigrams were obtained at 1 to 3 months before treatment and the first post-operative scintigrams were obtained at 1 to 3 months after treatment. All patients were followed for 2 to 4 years after operation. RESULTS: The findings of the pinhole scintigrams were divided into three patterns: 1) curvilinear, 2) scattered spotty and 3) undetermined. The 10 of 11 lesions with curvilinear pattern had good postoperative clinical and radiological follow-up findings. However, all 6 lesions with scattered spotty pattern showed poor postoperative findings, which necessitated total hip joint replacement. Of the 4 lesions with undetermined pattern, 2 required total hip joint replacement. There was significant difference in postoperative prognosis between the curvilinear and scattered spotty patterns (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: We conclude that the pattern of pinhole bone scintigram obtained within 1 to 3 months after multiple drilling or vascularized bone graft operation is a useful prognostic indicator in the AVN of femoral head.
Bone Transplantation ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head* ; Hip Joint ; Humans ; Male ; Necrosis* ; Prognosis* ; Radionuclide Imaging* ; Technetium Tc 99m Medronate ; Transplants*

The bleeding duodenal varices are a rare complication in patients with portal hypertension, but present a difficult diagnostic problem. If there is no bleeding esophageal, gastric fundal varices or ulcer in a patient with upper gastrointestinal bleeding and portal hypertension, the possibility of bleeding duodenal varices should be kept in mind. Thorough endoscopic examination of the entire duodenal mucosa is essential to document bleeding from duodenal varices. As an initial treatment, endoscopic sclerotherapy has had limited success in controlling active duodenal variceal bleeding. However, rebleeding rate is high, surgical treatment including shunt operation may be required for permanent control of bleeding and portal decompression. We report three cases of duodenal varices causing massive hemorrhage. All the patients had portal hypertension caused by liver cirrhosis of various etiologies and had varices in their esophagus. The second portion of the duodenum was the site of duodenal varices in all cases. The management was tailored to the condition of each patient, but only one patient among three survived.
Decompression ; Duodenum ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Esophagus ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Mucous Membrane ; Sclerotherapy ; Ulcer ; Varicose Veins*

The safety of endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography(ERCP) in patients with acute pancreatitis(AP) was confirmed in the past decade. Especially in ease of acute gallstone panereatitis, early ERCP/EST(endoscopic sphincterotomy) may reduce the incidence of complications by removing gallstone which causes acute attack of pancreatitis. To assess clinical usefulness of ERCP/EST in the setting of AP, we reviewed clinical records of 58 patients with AP who had undergone ERCP /EST during the same period of admission.(continue...)
Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde* ; Gallstones ; Humans ; Incidence ; Pancreatitis*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical results of deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK) surgery in patients with bullous keratopathy. METHODS: Seven eyes of 7 patients diagnosed with bullous keratopathy were evaluated for pre- and postoperative visual acuity, refractive error, astigmatism, and corneal topographic results. Specular microscopy and corneal pachymetry was performed in order to evaluate the corneal endothelial cell status. Postoperative complications such as graft rejection, infection, glaucoma, and graft dislocation were also evaluated. RESULTS: Preoperative visual acuity improved from 0.006 (CF ~ 0.02) to 0.4 (0.1 ~ 0.5) at an average of 1.2+/-0.18 years of follow-up. Manifest refraction, topographic astigmatism, corneal endothelial cell density, and central corneal thickness at the final visit were 1.21+/-0.73D, 2.1+/-0.70D, 1304+/-682 cells/mm2, and 504+/-128 micrometer respectively. Two eyes (28.6%) developed graft rejection, one of which recovered after intensive steroid treatment. However, one patient (14.3%) underwent penetrating keratoplasty due to graft failure at 6 months postoperatively. Seven of 7 eyes were noted to have graft dislocation, all of which were repositioned and attached after air injection or suture. CONCLUSIONS: DLEK surgery is an effective alternative to conventional penetrating keratoplasty for bullous keratopathy patients because of fast visual recovery and low incidence of postoperative astigmatism.
Astigmatism ; Corneal Pachymetry ; Corneal Transplantation* ; Dislocations ; Endothelial Cells ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glaucoma ; Graft Rejection ; Humans ; Incidence ; Keratoplasty, Penetrating ; Microscopy ; Postoperative Complications ; Refractive Errors ; Sutures ; Transplants ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: The objective of this prospective study is to assess changes in body mass index(BMI, weight in kilograms/height in meters2) according to age and dosage on epileptic children treated with topiramate. METHODS: From January 2006 to December 2008, prospective studies have been performed on 63 children with epilepsy aged below 15 old who had been treated with topiramate. Patients were classified into 3 groups according to age: 2-5 years as a group 1; 6-10 years as a group 2; 11-15 years as a group 3;, and classified into 2 groups according to dosage: from 2 to 5 mg/kg/day as group A, more than 5 mg/kg/day to 8 mg/kg/day as group B. We have checked BMI of patients four times and evaluated the changes in BMI of each group. RESULTS: BMI at initial presentation and follow-up periods of 6, 12, and 24 months is as follows: 16.3+/-1.25, 14.3+/-1.8, 14.2+/-2.4, and 15.7+/-2.1 in the group 1, 18.5+/-1.23, 15.2+/-1.24, 14.8+/-2.27, and 16.8+/-2.5 in the group 2, 21.6+/-2.31, 16.5+/-2.17, 15.4+/-2.56, and 15.1+/-1.3 in the group 3. Comparing with group A and B is as follows: 19.3+/-2.35 and 18.1+/-1.89 at initial presentation, 15.5+/-2.45 and 15.1+/-1.15 at 6 months, 14.9+/-2.15 and 14.7+/-1.91 at 12 months, 15.9+/-1.28 and 16.0+/-1.12 at 24 months. CONCLUSION: The effect of topiramate on changes of BMI shows difference according to age. In groups of 2-10 years old, BMI was rebounded from lowest value after 12 months, however, in the group of 11-15 years old, BMI kept decreasing at 24 months. And dosage of topiramate does not affect to BMI significantly.
Aged ; Body Mass Index ; Child ; Epilepsy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fructose ; Humans ; Prospective Studies

The authors present a case of cervical syringomyelia associated with cerebellar mixed oligoastrocytoma in an 18-month-old boy who was normally delivered at full-term. The child presented with an increasing incidence of vomiting and irritability, and a poor truncal control. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging of the brain revealed cerebellar vermian tumor with an obstructive hydrocephalus and a small-sized syringomyelia at the 6th cervical vertebral level. The tumor was completely removed via suboccipital craniectomy. Histologically, the tumor consisted of mixed oligo-astrocytoma. The cervical syringomyelia was conservatively managed with no specific operative treatment. At two months postoperatively, magnetic resonance imaging of the cervical spine showed a remarkable reduction in size of the syringomyelic cavity.
Astrocytoma ; Brain ; Cerebellar Neoplasms ; Child ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Incidence ; Infant ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Spine ; Syringomyelia* ; Vomiting