BACKGROUND/AIMS: Hepatitis C virus(HCV) was known to most common etiologic agent of chronic liver disease in United states and Japan. Although hepatitis B virus(HBV) was well known to be a its major etiologic agent in Korea, it has been showed that HCV and HBV are associated with liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma as major causative agent of chronic liver disease. Interferon alpha therapy is generally accepted as effective single agent for chronic hepatitis or to decrease the chronicity of acute hepatitis C. So, we evaluated the efficacy of interferon alpha in hepatitis C. METHODS: 46 patients who were positive for anti-HCV antibody and HCV RNA were included in this study. Liver biopsy was per formed on all patients and all of them were tested as negative for serum HBsAg, anti Hbe. Patients were divided into 2 groups . 30 patients received interferon therapy(treated group) and 16 patients received no therapy(untreated group). We compared the change of liver function test and HCV RNA before and after therapy between two groups. Treated group was subdivided into 5 groups according to response to interferon therapy '. Non-response, partial response, breakthrough, relapse and sustained response. RESULTS: 1) The mean age and sex distribution were 49.9 year old, male 19, female 11 in treated group and 48.7 years, male 12, female 4 in untreated group. 2) The number of patients with acute hepatitis, chronic persistent hepatitis, chronic active hepatitis and liver cirrhosis were 1, 2, 23, 4 in treated group and 0, 1, 12, 3 in untreated group, respectively. 3) The mean follow up period was 1.7 year and 2.3 years in treated and untreated group, respectively. 4) The activity of serum ALT before and after therapy were 195+ 134.6 IU/L, 87.4+ 40.5 IU/L and 186.7+ 106.4 IU/L, 157+ 87.1 IU/L in treated and untreated group, respectively. Serum ALT after therapy in treated group was significantly lower than untreated group(P<0.01). 5) The number of patients for patterns of reponse in treated group was non-response 5, partial response 8, breakthrough 1, relapse 4, sustained response 12 and there was no difference in age among them(P>0.05). 6) The case of negative conversion for HCV RNA in treated group was 12, but there was no case in untreated group. 7) Sex distribution of sustained response was 6(31% ) of 19 male, 6(54.5%) of 11 female and 12 patients(40.0%)(1 of 1 patients with acute hepatitis, 1 of 2 chronic persistent hepatitis, 10 of 23 chronic active heaptitis) included in sustained reponse, but any patients with liver cirrhosis had response. 8) Mean total dose and duration of interferon therapy was non-response 10353.6 million unit(MU)/5.8month(M), partial response 20025.06MU/6.4 M, breakthrough 36000.0MU/5.0M, relapse 11700.0MU/3.3M, sustained response 28100.0MU/6.6M, respectively. 9) 3 of 7 patients who were followed up over 1 year in sustained response and mean time to the relapse was 2.2 years. CONCLUSION: Our results showed that interferon alpha therapy is effective in patients with hepatitis C and further study and attempts should be performed to augument the efficacy of interferon alpha for the treatment of hepatitis C.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatitis B ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis C* ; Hepatitis* ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha* ; Interferons* ; Japan ; Korea ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Function Tests ; Male ; Recurrence ; RNA ; Sex Distribution ; United States

No abstract available.
Blood Platelets* ; Humans ; Platelet Aggregation* ; Plateletpheresis* ; Tissue Donors*

Neurofibrosarcoma is the most common malignant change in patients with neurofibromatosis. But the incidence of neurofibrosarcoma arising from cutaneous neurofibroma is very low. We report two cases of neurofibrosarcoma arising from cutaneous neurofibroma in patients with neurofibromatosis showing typical clinical manifestations.
Humans ; Incidence ; Neurofibroma* ; Neurofibromatoses* ; Neurofibrosarcoma*

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Regardless of any restoration, most of case, we used in screw connection between abutment and implant. For this reason, implant screw loosening has been remained problem in restorative practices. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare surface of coated/plated screw with titanium and gold alloy screw and to evaluate physical property of coated/plated material after scratch test in FESEM investigation. MATERIAL AND METHODS: GoldTite, titanium screw provided by 3i (Implant Innovation, USA) and TorqTite, titanium screw by Steri-Oss (Nobel Biocare, USA) and gold screw, titanium screw by AVANA (Osstem Implant, korea) - were selected for this study. Each abutment screw surface was observed at 100 times, and then screw crest, root, and slope were done more detailed numerical value, at 1000 times with FESEM. A micro-diamond needle was also prepared for the scratch test. Each abutment screw was fixed, micro-diamond scratch the surface of head region was made at constant load and then was observed central region and periphery of fine trace through 1000 times with FESEM. RESULTS: The surface of GoldTite was smoother than that of other kinds of screw and had abundant ductility and malleability compared with titanium and gold screw. The scratch test also showed that teflon particles were exfoliated easily in screw coated with teflon. Titanium screw had a rough surface and low ductility. CONCLUSION: It was recommended that the clinical use of gold-plated screw would prevent a screw from loosening.
Alloys ; Head ; Needles ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Titanium

Nerve conduction studies help delineate the extent and distribution of the neural lesion. The nerve conduction was studied on upper (median, ulnar and radial nerves) and lower (personal, posterior tibial and sural nerves) extremities in 83 healthy subjects 23 to 66 years of age, and normal values were established (Table 1). The mean motor terminal latency (TL): median, 3.6 (±0.6) milliseconds; ulnar, 2.9 (±0.5) milliseconds; radial nerve, 2.3 (±0.4) milliseconds. Mean motor nerve conduction velocity (MNCV) along distal and proximal segments: median, 61.2 (±9.1) (W-E) and 57.8 (±13.2) (E-Ax) meters per second; ulnar, 63.7 (±9.1) (W-E) and 50.6 (±10.0) meters per second. Mean sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV): median, 34.7 (±6.7) (F-W), 63.7 (±7.1) (W-E) and 62.8 (±12.3) (E-Ax) meters per second; ulnar, 38.0 (±6.7) (F-W), 63.4 (±7.5) (W-E) and 57.0 (±10.1) (E-Ax) meters per second; radial, 45.3 (±6.8) (F-W) and 64.2 (±11.0) (W-E) meters per second; sural nerve, 43.4 (±6.1) meters per second. The amplitudes of action potential and H-reflex were also standardized. Mean H latency was 28.4 (±3.2) milliseconds. And, the fundamental principles, several factors altering the rate of nerve conduction and clinical application of nerve stimulation techniques were reviewed.
Action Potentials ; Adult* ; Extremities ; H-Reflex ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Neural Conduction* ; Radial Nerve ; Reference Values ; Sural Nerve

Giant basal cell carcinoma(BCC) is a clinical expression of a large-sized BCC, which can cause extensive local invasion and disfigurement and have a particular capacity for metastasis. In the development of this large tumor, several risk factors including patient neglect, aggressive histological features and long duration, are identified. We have observed a very large BCC on the forehead of anlderly man for more than 4 years. He had been suffering from psychiatric disease for a long time, and patient neglect due to this problem played a crucial role in the development of this giant BCC.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Forehead ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Risk Factors

We present a patient who developed granuloma in a previous herpes zoster scar (post-zoster granuloma). The development of granuloma in healed herpes zoster lesions may represent an atypical delayed hypersensitivity reaction to viral antigens or tissue antigens altered by the virus. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in Korean literature.
Antigens, Viral ; Cicatrix ; Granuloma* ; Herpes Zoster ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity, Delayed

No abstract available.
Eosinophilia*

No abstract available.
Facies*

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*