BACKGROUND/AIMS: Liver stiffness measurement (LSM) has been proposed as a non-invasive method for estimating the severity of fibrosis and the complications of cirrhosis. Measurement of the hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) is the gold standard for assessing the presence of portal hypertension, but its invasiveness limits its clinical application. In this study we evaluated the relationship between LSM and HVPG, and the predictive value of LSM for clinically significant portal hypertension (CSPH) and severe portal hypertension in cirrhosis. METHODS: LSM was performed with transient elastography in 59 consecutive cirrhotic patients who underwent hemodynamic HVPG investigations. CSPH and severe portal hypertension were defined as HVPG > or =10 and > or =12 mmHg, respectively. Linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between LSM and HVPG. Diagnostic values were analyzed based on receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. RESULTS: A strong positive correlation between LSM and HVPG was observed in the overall population (r2=0.496, P<0.0001). The area under the ROC curve (AUROC) for the prediction of CSPH (HVPG > or =10 mmHg) was 0.851, and the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for an LSM cutoff value of 21.95 kPa were 82.5%, 73.7%, 86.8%, and 66.7%, respectively. The AUROC at prediction of severe portal hypertension (HVPG > or =12 mmHg) was 0.877, and the sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV at LSM cutoff value of 24.25 kPa were 82.9%, 70.8%, 80.6%, and 73.9%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: LSM exhibited a significant correlation with HVPG in patients with cirrhosis. LSM could be a non-invasive method for predicting CSPH and severe portal hypertension in Korean patients with liver cirrhosis.
Adult ; Aged ; Alcohol-Related Disorders/complications ; Area Under Curve ; *Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Female ; Hepatitis B/complications ; Hepatitis C/complications ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal/*complications/*diagnosis ; Linear Models ; Liver Cirrhosis/*complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; ROC Curve ; Republic of Korea ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA quantification is necessary for predicting the therapeutic response and assessing treatment results in patients with chronic HCV infection. Recently, real-time PCR technology for HCV RNA quantification displayed good linearity within the dynamic range. Thus, it is gradually replacing branched-DNA (bDNA) and PCR- hybridization assays. In this study, we evaluated the performance of the Real-QTM HCV quantification kit (biosewoom. Inc., Seoul, Korea) developed in Korea. METHODS: We evaluated the HCV quantification kit for detection limit, specificity, linearity, accuracy, and recovery rate of HCV RNA standard material. The results were analyzed for a correlation with those of Cobas Amplicor HCV Monitor 2.0. RESULTS: The HCV quantification kit showed a high recovery rate of HCV RNA standard material of various concentrations and amplication of HCV RNA equally in all genotypes. Hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus showed no cross-reactivity with HCV. Within-run and between-run coefficients of variation (CV) were 9.52~15.84% and 9.40~17.53%, respectively. Between-day coefficients of variation were 11.62~18.04%, and detection limit was 44 IU/mL. It showed a good correlation with Cobas Amplicor HCV Monitor 2.0 (R2=0.8954). CONCLUSION: The Real-Q HCV quantification kit showed a good specificity, sensitivity, linearity, and accuracy; therefore, we propose that it is fully adequate for monitoring antiviral therapy in patients with chronic HCV infection.
Chimera ; Genotype ; Hepacivirus ; Hepatitis B virus ; HIV ; Humans ; Limit of Detection ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVE: The present study examined the association between basic neurocognitive functions and emotional recognition in chronic schizophrenia. Furthermore, to Investigate cognitive variable related to emotion recognition in Schizophrenia. METHODS: Forty eight patients from the Yongin Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center were evaluated for neurocognitive function, and Emotional Recognition Test which has four subscales finding emotional clue, discriminating emotions, understanding emotional context and emotional capacity. Measures of neurocognitive functioning were selected based on hypothesized relationships to perception of emotion. These measures included:1) Letter Number Sequencing Test, a measure of working memory;2) Word Fluency and Block Design, a measure of executive function;3) Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Korean version, a measure of verbal memory;4) Digit Span, a measure of immediate memory;5) Span of Apprehension Task, a measure of early visual processing, visual scanning;6) Continuous Performance Test, a measure of sustained attention functioning. Correlation analyses between specific neurocognitive measures and emotional recognition test were made. To examine the degree to which neurocognitive performance predicting emotional recognition, hierarchical regression analyses were also made. RESULTS: Working memory, and verbal memory were closely related with emotional discrimination. Working memory, Span of Apprehension and Digit Span were closely related with contextual recognition. Among cognitive measures, Span of Apprehension, Working memory, Digit Span were most important variables in predicting emotional capacity. CONCLUSION: These results are relevant considering that emotional information processing depends, in part, on the abilities to scan the context and to use immediate working memory. These results indicated that multifaceted cognitive training program added with Emotional Recognition Task(Cognitive Behavioral Rehabilitation Therapy added with Emotional Management Program) are promising.
Automatic Data Processing ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Education ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Memory ; Memory, Short-Term ; Rehabilitation ; Rehabilitation Centers ; Schizophrenia ; Verbal Learning

We had experienced a case of congenital lobar emphysema in a 3 months old male infant. Chief symptoms included tachypenea, respiratory difficulty, cyanosis, Chest X-ray or chest CT scan revealed extensive emphysematous changes of the right upper and middle lobes, compression of the right lower lobe and shifted of mediastinum to the left side. This condition was appeared in the absence of infection and foreign body in the bronchus and its failure to respond to conservative treatment. This patient was treated by the right upper and right middle lobes pneumonectomy. A brief review of literature was made.
Bronchi ; Cyanosis ; Emphysema* ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Mediastinum ; Pneumonectomy ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

This is a rare typical case of collodion baby. The patient is a one-day-old newborn male who has been suffering from the tightly collodion or parchment-like coverings over the entire skin surface with ectropion, eclabion, fixed semiflexion position of the limbs and fissures on the flexual area. The family history was noncontributory with no consanguinity. This patient was desquamated from collodion-like membrane and returned to normal looking skin from the seventh day of life to one month. Diagnosis of collodion baby was established by clinical features and histopathological study. A brief review of literature was made.
Collodion* ; Consanguinity ; Diagnosis ; Ectropion ; Extremities ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Membranes ; Skin

A statistical observation was performed on 13,317 cases of neonates who had been delivered at Taegu Catholic Hospital during the past 3 years from Jan, 1st 1988 to Dec. 31st 1990. The results obtained were as follows: 1) Among 13,317 neonates, the male was 7,234 and the female 6,083, with the sex ratio of male to female being 1.19:1 2) Percentage distribution by birth weight was 5.6% for 2.500gm or less, 3.3% for 4,001gm or more. The mortality rate was 8.4 per 1,000 live births and 61.1% for very low birth weight infants. 57.1% of neonatal death occured within 24 hours after birth and the most common cause of death was prematurity (53.6%). 3) The mean growth data at birth were as following: Weight: 3,253+/-484gm in male, 3,160+/-456gm in female; Height: 50.11+/-2.59cm in male, 49.57+/-2.50cm in female; Head circumference: 33.60+/-1.74cm in male, 33.12+/-1.64cm in female; Chest circumference: 32.83+/-1.83cm in male, 32.41+/-1.75cm in female. 4) Among 13,317 noenates, 352 (2.6%) were under 37 wks and 555 (4.2%) above 42 wks and 92.6% very low birth weight infants under 37 wks. 5) 44.2% of 13,317 neonates, was the highest-density distribution which was between 47.5~52.4cm by length and 3,001~3,500gm by weighing. 6) The admission rate was 13.7% and the causes of admission in order of frequency were neonatal infection (47.9%), premature or low birth weight infant (12.9%), neonatal jaundice (11.3%), asphyxia neonatorum (6.9%), respiratory disress syndrome (5.4%), etc. 7) Among all neonates, 2.2% had neonatal asphyxia (a 1-minute Apgar score of 6 or less). The highest incidence was 19.7% in the breech delivery group by delivery mode and 33.6% in the prematurity by gestational age. 8) The types of delivery in order of frequency were spontaneous vaginal delivery (72.5%), Cesarean section (21.9%), vacuum delivery (5.0%), breech delivery (0.5%) and forceps delivery (0.1%). 9) The incidence of twin babies was 182 (91 pairs), 1.37% of all neonates, 1 pair per 145 neonates. Of all twins, 50.5% were below 2,500gm of birth weight and 20.9% premature. 10) The incidence of neonatal jaundice was 63.0%. Of icteric neonates, 8.2% had pathologic jaundice treated by phototherapy or exchange transfusion. 11) Among all neonates, there were 7,705 cases (57.9%) with high risk factors; the order of frequency was Cesarean section (37.8), meconium stained (13.3%), premature rupture of membranes over 24 hours (12.7%), birth weight 2,500gm or less (9.6%), etc.
Apgar Score ; Asphyxia ; Asphyxia Neonatorum ; Birth Weight ; Cause of Death ; Cesarean Section ; Daegu ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Head ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn* ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Jaundice ; Jaundice, Neonatal ; Live Birth ; Male ; Meconium ; Membranes ; Mortality ; Parturition ; Phototherapy ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors ; Rupture ; Sex Ratio ; Surgical Instruments ; Thorax ; Twins ; Vacuum

No abstract available.
Trisomy*

No abstract available.
Membranes* ; Rupture* ; Sepsis*

No abstract available.
Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Humans ; Statistics as Topic*

No abstract available.