BACKGROUND/AIMS: In order to determine the relationship between the HBV precore mutant and the severity of liver disease in Korea, we performed liver biopsies in patients with HBV related chronic liver disease and compared the types of mutations and histologic findings in the same liver tissue simultaneously. METHODS: HBV DNA in liver tissues was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The precore mutants were detected by PCR-SSCP(single strand conformation polymorphism), cloning the amplified PCR products and direct sequencing for them. RESULTS: 1. HBV DNA was detected in liver tissues of 28 cases among 30 patients with PCR. And with SSCP, the most cases were mixed type infections. 2. The HBV precore mutants were found in 12 cases among the total number of 28 cases(42.9%) and all mutations were G to A change at nucleotide 1896, creating a stop codon at codon 28. However, 10 cases among 12 mutants were associated with simultaneous another mutation at different positions or regions;9 cases at core gene region, 2 cases at nucleotide 1856(C to T change at codon 15), one case at core promoter, and one case with double mutations at nucleotide 1837 and 1846 respectively. Also, all HBV precore mutants were combined with wild type HBV sequence. 3. The relationship between HBV precore mutants and HBeAg status revealed that 4 cases from 13 HBeAg positive(30.8%) and 8 from 15 HBeAg negative or Anti-Hbe positive(53.3 %) were mutants. 4. In analysis of the types of mutants and histopathological findings of liver diseases, 6 among 15 chronic active hepatitis(40.0%), all 3 cases with hepatocellular carcinoma(100,0 %), 2 among 4 asymptomatic carriers with minimal histopathologic changes(50.0%) and a case with chronic lobular heaptitis(100.0%) showed precore region mutation. CONCLUSION: The patterns of HBV precore mutants in Korea could be summarized as followings. Firstly, most of the mutations are composed of G to A change at nucleotide 1896. Secondly, the most of the mutants at nuclmtide 1896 have been associated with simultaneous mutations at core promoter, core gene, and rarely at other positions, and manifested usua'ly mixed type viremic conditions. Thirdly, although precore mutation could be occurred in asymptomatic carrier, this type of mutation might be closely related with chronic or severe liver disease. However, it needs further investigations hereafter.
Biopsy ; Clone Cells ; Cloning, Organism ; Codon ; Codon, Terminator ; DNA ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Hepatitis B, Chronic* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Diseases ; Liver* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational

This descriptive study measured the quality of life and the sexual satisfaction for ostomates as an attempt to give nurses basic data to improve life satisfaction of ostomates. The research design was a descriptive study and the data were obtained by Quality of Life questionnaire, and Sexual Satisfaction questionnaire. These data were collected from 21 ostomates undergoing treatment in four university hospitals and one hospital and 36 ostomates depending on one medical agency by direct obtaining method and mailing method from March. 3, to March 24,1997. Data analysis was cone by the SAS computer program and Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation Coefficient, and Cronbach-alpha were used. The results of this study were as follows : 1. The item mean score for quality of life for the ostomates was 3.03. For six subscales in the quality of life scale, the mean scores of subscales were in order of the highest 3.46 for family relationship, and the second scored subscales were economic life(2.84) and physical state(2.96). 2. The item mean score of sexual satisfaction for the ostomate was 2.86. 3. The result of analysis of relationship between quality of life and sexual satisfaction was significant(r=0.21, p=0.05). The relationship between sexual satisfaction and each subscale of quality of life were significant with the self-esteem (r=0.34, p=0.01), physical state(r=0.21, p=0.01). In conclusion, it was found that the quality of life and sexual satisfaction of ostomates were low. The quality of life and sexual satisfaction was correlated. Although chronic disease affect to quality of life and sexual satisfaction, an adequate nursing intervention will improve the life satisfaction.
Chronic Disease ; Family Relations ; Hospitals, University ; Nursing ; Postal Service ; Quality of Life* ; Research Design ; Statistics as Topic ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans

PURPOSE: This research was carried out to examine if music therapy is effective in decreasing elderly people's depression level and in increasing their life satisfaction level. METHODS: This study used the quasi-experimental design with nonequivalent control group and the pre-test and post-test design, and was conducted from the 26th of July to the 26th of September in 2004. Data were collected using a questionnaire developed by Y.esavage et al. (1983) to measure depression level and one developed by Yoon (1982) to measure life satisfaction level. The subjects were 80 elderly people who were the members of an elderly welfare center in G city. The subjects were divided into an experimental group (n=40) and a control group (n=40). RESULTS: The first hypothesis' The depression level will be lowered in the experimental group who received music therapy' was supported (t=3.856, p=.000). The second hypothesis' The life satisfaction level will be raised in the experimental group who received music therapy' was supported (t=2.040, p=.045). The results above suggest that music therapy can be an effective nursing intervention for reducing the depression level and increasing the life satisfaction level of elderly people.
Aged* ; Depression* ; Humans ; Music ; Music Therapy* ; Nursing ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Schizophrenia*

BACKGROUND: The measurement of nonspecific bronchial hyperreactivity is valuable for diagnosis and management of bronchial asthma. Methacholine or histamine is used for the pharmacologic provocation test. Usually a methacholine bronchial provocation test is performed by a dosing technique with counted number of breaths. A dosimeter is indispensable in the dosing technique. Recently a timed tidal breathing technique which dose not need an expensive dosimeter was introduced. We measured the degree of nonspecific bronchial hyperreactivity to histamine using a simple timed tidal breathing technique. METHOD: Forty two healthy volunteers, 12 patients with bronchial asthma(BA), 10 patients with rhinitis(RH) and 10 patients with upper respiratory infection(URI) participated in the study. The subject's nose was clipped and inhalation continued during tidal breathing for 2 minutes via a face mask. FEV1 was measured at 30 seconds, 90 seconds after inhalation and inhalation of next solution was continued until there was a fall in FEV1 of 20%. Histamine PC20 was defined as the concentration at 20% fall of FEV1 and it was obtained from the log dose-response curve by linear interpolation. RESULTS: Inhalation of serial dilution of histamine could be performed in all patients without significant side of effects. The geometric mean±standard deviation of histamine PC20 in healthy volunteers is 8.27±2.22mg/ml, BA group 0.33±3.02mg/ml, RH group 0.85 ±3.24mg/ml, and URI group 1.47±1.98mg/ml. CONCLUSION: Histamine bronchial provocation test using timed tidal breath method is a simple and suitable tool for management of patients with bronchial hyperreactivity.
Asthma ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity ; Bronchial Provocation Tests* ; Diagnosis ; Healthy Volunteers ; Histamine* ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Masks ; Methacholine Chloride ; Nose ; Respiration*

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Pneumonia* ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma*

No abstract available.
Animals ; In Situ Hybridization* ; Linoleic Acid* ; Mice*

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: We performed this study to assess the value of CT in the differential diagnosis of palpable neck masses in children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the CT scans of the palpable neck masses in 30 children. The masses were proved histopathologically and classified into cystic, solid, and inflammatory mass and their CT findings were analyzed. RESULTS: Twelve cases were cystic masses, 4 were solid masses, and 14 were inflammatory lesions. Cystic masses included cystic lymphangiomas (n=6), branchial cleft cysts (n=3), thyroglossal duct cysts (n=2), and ranula (n=l). Cystic lymphangiomas showed insinuating appearances into adjacent structures and 4 cases occurred in the posterior cervical space. All branchial cleft cysts were round cystic masses with smooth wall and displaced the submandibular gland anteriorly and the sternocleidomastoid muscle posteriorly. Two thyroglossal duct cysts occurred centrally adjacent to the hyoid bone and 1 ranula in the submental area. Solid masses were juvenile hemangioma, pleomorphic adenoma in submandibular gland, neurilemmoma, and fibromatosis colli. Juvenile hemangioma showed well-enhancing mass with indistinct margin and the other solid masses had well-defined margin with their characteristic location. Inflammatory lesions were abscess (n=4), deep neck infections with lymphadenopathy (n=4), submandibular gland inflammation (n=3), and tuberculous lymphadenitis (n=3) and they showed strand-like enhancement in adjacent subcutaneous tissues. Tuberculous lymphadenitis had multiple lymph node enlargement with internal low attenuation areas and showed less surrounding strand-like enhancement than suppurative lymphadenopathies. CONCLUSION: Most neck masses in infants and children were of congenital or inflammatory origin. CT is useful for the evaluation of the child presenting with a neck mass, because it can differentiate various forms of neck masses and is able to reveal the relationship of the masses to the adjacent structures with their characteristic location.
Abscess ; Adenoma, Pleomorphic ; Branchioma ; Child* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Fibroma ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Hyoid Bone ; Infant ; Inflammation ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphangioma, Cystic ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Neck* ; Neurilemmoma ; Ranula ; Retrospective Studies ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Submandibular Gland ; Thyroglossal Cyst ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node