BACKGROUND/AIMS: There is considerable variance in individual susceptibility to hepato-toxic effects of ethanol as evidenced by the finding that only about 10-20% of alcoholics develop alcoholic liver cirrhosis. The aims of this study were, 1) to get the data on the genetic polymorphisms of three major ethanol-metabolizing enzymes (ADH, CYP2E1, ALDH) in normal Korean adults, and to search for the specific genotypes influencing alcohol drinking behavior by the comparison of allele frequencies between healthy control group and heavy drinker group with or without liver disease, 2) to investigate the influence of the genetic polymorphisms of these enzymes on the susceptibility to alcoholic liver disease by the comparison of allele frequencies between heavy drinker group without liver disease and alcoholic liver cirrhosis group. METHODS: Healthy control group included 53 healthy males in military service without evidence of liver disease or alcoholism. Heavy drinker group without liver cirrhosis included 29 males who had been drinking 80g or more of alcohol daily for more than ten years but did not have any clinical evidence of liver disease. Alcoholic cirrhosis group included 43 male patients who had drunk 80g or more of alcohol daily for more than ten years and had clinical evidences of overt cirrhosis. Subjects with hepatitis B surface antigen or anti-hepatitis C antibody were excluded. Genotypes of the three enzymes were determined by PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) with genomic DNAs extracted from peripheral leukocytes. RESULTS: 1) In healthy Korean males, allele frequency of ADH22, ADH31, CYP2E1 c2 and ALDH22 was 81%, 94%, 30% and 14%, respectively. 2) The absence of ALDH22 or CYP2E1 c2 allele were significant risk factors for being a heavy drinker (odds ratio,' 0.09, 0.42, respectively). 3) Although it was not associated with the polymorphism of each ethanol-metabolizing enzymes, the susceptibility to alcoholic liver cirrhosis was significantly associated with combined genotypes of ADH2(22) & ADH3(1+1)& CYP2E1 B or C. COMCLUSION: Genetic polymorphisms of ethanol-metabolizing enzyrnes are significantly associated with the suseptability to alcoholic liver disease as well as alcohol drinking behavior.
Adult ; Alcohol Drinking ; Alcoholics* ; Alcoholism ; Alleles ; Cytochrome P-450 CYP2E1 ; DNA ; Drinking ; Ethanol ; Fibrosis ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Cirrhosis, Alcoholic* ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Diseases, Alcoholic ; Male ; Military Personnel ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic* ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length ; Risk Factors

The usual form of neurofibromatosis is characterized by cafe-au-Iait skin pigmentation and pedunculated fibrous skin tumors but in the severe form, malformations and tumors of the central nervous system may be associated with von Recklinghausen's disease. Schwannoma of the spinal sensory roots, of the vestibular part of 8th cranial nerve, and of the sensory root of the 5th cranial nerve are particularly common. Outside the central nervous system, other neuroectodermal tumors may develop including renal, pancreas, and suprarenal tumors. Recently, neurofibromatosis is subdivided into type 1 and 2, according to the site of involvement. Type 1 is classic von Recklinghausen's disease, and type 2 represents bilateral acoustic neurinomas. The authors experienced 2 cases neurofibromatosis type 1 and 1 case of neurofibromatosis type 2 in which neurofibromas involve both cerebello-pontine angles, multiple levels of spinal cord and cauda equina.
Cauda Equina ; Central Nervous System ; Cranial Nerves ; Neurilemmoma ; Neuroectodermal Tumors ; Neurofibroma ; Neurofibromatoses* ; Neurofibromatosis 1 ; Neurofibromatosis 2 ; Pancreas ; Skin ; Skin Pigmentation ; Spinal Cord

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a structured preoperative PCA education to that of the usual informal teaching provided by hospital staff in alleviating postoperative pain through more effective use of PCA therapy. METHOD: As an advanced research, the knowledge about the use of PCA therapy and the attitude about the use of the pain medicine were estimated, and then as a later research, the knowledge about the use of PCA therapy, the attitude about the use of the pain medicine, and the score of the pain were estimated. RESULT: The experimental group those who received structured preoperative PCA education had statistically significant higher knowledge regarding the use of PCA therapy(p=0.026) and more positive attitudes toward using pain medicine(p=0.004). The experimental group those who received structured preoperative PCA education reported better pain control 4(p= 0.002), 8(p=0.014) and 24 hours(p=0.018) after the operation. CONCLUSION: The structured preoperative PCA education increases the knowledge for the use of patient's PCA therapy and changes their attitude toward the use of the pain medicine positively and consequently enable the use of PCA therapy to be more effective and then finally reduced the patient's pain after the operation.
Education* ; Pain, Postoperative* ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis* ; Patient Education as Topic

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus* ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn*

A case of traumatic thoracolumbar epidural hemorrhage is presented in a 37-year-old man with ankylosing spondylitis. The patient complained neck and back pain right after the accident but paralegia and difficult urination followed 2 days later. Spine CT showed thoracolumbar epidural mass, which was confirmed to be hemorrhage associated with spine fracture and was solely responsible for paraplegia.
Adult ; Back Pain ; Hematoma, Epidural, Spinal* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Neck ; Paraplegia ; Spine ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing* ; Urination

A technique radiogrequency localization and coagulation of articular nerves supplying the lumbar facets is described and reported from a series of 46 patients with clinical diagnosis of facet syndrome over a 4-year period. None of them had clinical or radiologic evidence of a lumbar disc hrniation, and all had exhausted conservative treatment. The literature reviewed for anatomical accuracies in denervation of the medial branch of posterior primary(dorsal) ramus. The technique of facet denervation is simple and safe and relief of pain was achieved in 78% of the patient, the morbidity remains quite low.
Denervation* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Low Back Pain*

We report a case of polycythemia vera combined with coagulation disorder. The patient was 54 years old man who complained of continuous bleeding after incision of skin abscess 20days ago. Laboratory tests were revealed prolonged aPTT and slightly prolonged PT. Coagulation factor, I, VIII, IX, XI and fibrinogen decreased, however FDP did not increased. It appears that patient with polycythemia vera have chronic activation of coagulation system, probably initiated by activation of factor XII. Platelet aggregation test to ADP, collagen, epinephrine was also revealed poor response.
Abscess ; Adenosine Diphosphate ; Blood Coagulation Factors ; Collagen ; Epinephrine ; Factor XII ; Fibrinogen ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Platelet Aggregation ; Polycythemia Vera* ; Polycythemia* ; Skin

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the expression of E-cadherin and cathepsin-B in prostatic carcinomas and correlate with the Gleason grades. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expressions of E-cadherin and cathepsin B were examined by the immunohistochemical technic using the antibodies against the E-cadherin and cathepsin B on the paraffin block sections of 56 prostatic carcinomas with evaluation of Gleason grading. RESULTS: E-cadherin expression in normal epithelium was membranous intercellular expression and those of prostate carcinomas were aberrant expressions such as negative expression or cytoplasmic presentation. The expressivity of the E-cadherin according to the progression of the Gleason grading revealed negative membranous expression and tendency of gradual increase of aberrant expression. The normal prostate and BPH revealed expression of cathepsin B mostly in the basal layers of acini as cytoplasmic reaction and the stromal macrophages and microvessel wall also showed positive expression. The prostatic carcinoma showed cytoplasmic positivity in the cancer cells and the expression rate was increased from Gleason grade 2 to Gleason grade 4. But the Gleason grade 5 tissue revealed decreased or negative expression. The Gleason grade 4, especially in the invasive cells and invasive edges, revealed the most intense and frequent expression of cathepsin B and this findings were consistent with the nonnal function of the cathepsin B as a protease degrading the extracellular matrix proteins. CONCLUSION: E-cadherin expression was aberrant after Gleason grade 6 related with high histologic grades. It is suggested that the E-cadherin expression could tell the potential cancer progression as a tumor suppression factor. The cathepsin B was most strongly expressed in basal cells of the benign prostatic acini and the cancer nests of Gleason grade 4, which tells the possibility that cathepsin B could be a marker of basocellular differentiation and of assessing stromal invasion of prostatic carcinomas.
Antibodies ; Cadherins* ; Cathepsin B* ; Cathepsins* ; Cytoplasm ; Epithelium ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins ; Macrophages ; Microvessels ; Neoplasm Grading ; Paraffin ; Prostate

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the role of the CT scan in blunt hepatic injury and the significance of CT degree of hepatic injury in the decision making of treatment plan. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analysed the CT findings of 22 patients with hepatic injury. We graded hepatic injury on CT scan into five according to the severity. Clinical records, type of management and clinical outcome of the patients were also reviewed. RESULTS: Of the 22 patients, 17 had conservative treatment and five had surgery. The numbers of patients treated conservatively were 0, 4, 11, 2 and 0 in the grade 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, respectively and the numbers of surgically treated cases were 0, 0, 3, 2 and 0 respectively. There was no significant statistical difference between surgically and conservatively treated groups(p-value > 0.05). All patients with conservatively treated group were hemodynamically stable and had no complication during hospitalization. Hemoperitoneum was observed in 11 of 22 patients. CONCLUSION: In blunt hepatic injury, CT plays an important role in the demonstration of location and extent of the hepatic injury, size of hemoperitoneum and the post operative course. However, we believe that physiologic status of the patients may be more important than the extent of CT based hepatic injury for determining a mode of treatment.
Decision Making ; Hemoperitoneum ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed