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.
Asthma, Occupational*

No abstract available.
Azoospermia* ; Sarcoidosis*

Malakoplakia is a chronic inflammatory disease. Approximately 75% of cases are located in the genitourinary system. The etiology remains obscure but it appears related to an underlying infection. It mainly occurs in females in a 4:1 ratio, and the peak age is in the sixth decade. Apart from the symptoms associated with urinary tract infections, the clinical manifestations are usually unremarkable. Here, we report a 44-year-old woman suffering from an intraabdominal mass, with histology that was specific for a malakoplakia of the bladder. This case was difficult to differentiate from a urachal cancer.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Malacoplakia* ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Urogenital System

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Ceruloplasmin* ; Cholesterol, HDL* ; Copper* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Iron* ; Zinc*

OBJECTIVES: Copper and Zinc, the trace elements of a living body, take a part in immunologic mechanism and induce the pulmonary fibrosis which is the pathologic progress of pneumoconiosis. This study was performed to assist the identification of the pathologic process of pulmonary fibrosis in pneumoconiosis. METHODS: The subjects of this study was 200 diagnosed persons as pneumoconiosis, of whom 100 persons was the visitors in the outpatients departments of pneumoconiosis and 100 admissive pneumoconiosis patients. The serum copper and zinc are measured and com pared. RESULTS: The mean serum copper concentration of visitor group was significantly higher than that of control group, and that of stage V3 subgroup of visitor group was highest because of their advanced fibrosis. But, there was not the difference of serum copper concentration between patient and control group. We thought that the reason was poor nutritional and health status of the patient. The mean of serum zinc concentration of visitor and patient control was lower than that of control group. As the degree of pulmonary fibrosis was more severe from stage Vl, V2, V3 of visitor to stage Pl, P2, P3 of patient, the mean of serum zinc concentration was lower. The ratio of serum copper/zinc of visitor and patient was higher than that of control, and that of patient was higher than that of visitor. Those results showed that the ratio of serum copper/zinc ratio more greatly expressed the degree of progression of pneumoconiosis than only copper or zinc concentration by adjustment of nutritional and health status of the patient. CONCLUSIONS: As above study results, the degree of pulmonary fibrosis of pneumoconiosis could be estimated by means of serum copper/zinc ratio.
Copper* ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Pneumoconiosis* ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; Trace Elements ; Zinc*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Acute suppurative cholangitis is associated with significant mortality. It is best managed by drainage of biliary tree such as endoscopic, percutaneous or surgical, We evaluated the role of emergency endoscopic nasobiliary drainage(ENBD) in the acute suppurative cholangitis. METHODS: For 55 patients with acute calculous cholangitis, who did not respond to conservative management and the stone could not be removed from bile duct by endoscopic papillotomy due to poor condition or bleeding tendency, ENBD tube(7.5Fr) was inserted at proximal side of obstruction. ENBD was done at 39.4 hours (mean) after arrival to hospital. RESULTS: ENBD was successful in all patients (100%). All patients responded with striking improvement of the abdominal pain, fever and stabilized vital signs within 3 days. After patients conditions were stabilized clinically, common bile duct stones were removed successfully by endoscopic sphincterotomy or surgery. No patients died of acute suppurative cholangitis. CONCLUSION: These results show that ENBD is a simple, safe, and effective measure for the initial control of acute suppurative cholangitis due to cholelithiasis.
Abdominal Pain ; Bile Ducts ; Biliary Tract ; Cholangitis* ; Cholelithiasis ; Common Bile Duct ; Drainage* ; Emergencies* ; Fever ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Mortality ; Sphincterotomy, Endoscopic ; Strikes, Employee ; Vital Signs

We report a patient who suffered from bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia(BOOP) after Ivor Lewis operation for esophageal cancer. The patient presented low grade fever, dry cough and mild dyspnea at 4 day after operation. Chest roentgenograms and chest CT revealed bilateral patchy and infiltrative shadows. The respiratory symptoms worsened and respiratory failure developed with mild elevation of WBC count despite of conservative treatment. An open lung biopsy was done and the biopsy specimen showed bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia(BOOP). After several weeks of steroid therapy, there were marked clinical, physiological and roentgenographic improvements. Our experience suggests that BOOP may be one of the underlying pathology in a number of patients presenting with ARDS after thoracotomy. Since steroid therapy may improve survival in these patients, thoracic surgeons should heighten their index of suspicion for this entity. Early histologic diagnosis should be considered in patients with treatment-resistant ARDS after thoracotomy.
Biopsy ; Bronchiolitis Obliterans* ; Bronchiolitis* ; Cough ; Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia* ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; Fever ; Humans ; Lung ; Pathology ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Thoracotomy* ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: Rubella is a viral infection of childhood. Its clinical manifestations are not serious, but rubella infection in early pregnancy can result. in congenital rubella syndrome. In Korea, there have been several rubella outbreaks in 1996. We performed an epidemiological study about a rubella outbreak in middle and high school students in an isolated small town. METHODS: This study was carried out from March 22, 1996 to April 29, 1996. The target populations were middle and high school students(middle school-1,369, high school-966 students) in Namseonri. They were given a questionnaire containing sociodemographic characteristics, past vaccination history and rubella-like symptoms. We selected 70 clinically diagnosed patients and 233 students with rubella-like symptoms from the questionnaires. Through IgM and IgG ELISA we analyzed the serum of selected students. All of the middle and high school students except those with clinical rubella were vaccinated on March 27. RESULTS: 1) The number of IgM positive students was 65 among 303 selected students. 58 students among the IgM positive group were diagnosed clinically, and 7 patients and subclincal infection. 2) Male patients were more predominant than female, especially in high school(M : F, 2 : 1 in middle school, 7 : 1 in high school). 3) Positive rates of IgG gradually increased by grade from 58.3% to 92.9% (1st grade of middle school to 3rd grade of high school). 4) IgG titer of the booster vaccinees(2nd and 3rd tirade female, high school) was significantly higher than younger female students(p<.05). 5) After mass vaccination, 3 more patients caught rubella in high school during 1 month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Among 2335 students, IgM positive patients were 65 with incidence rate of 2.8%. Mass vaccination of the studentg an effective preventive method in a rubella outbreak.
Disease Outbreaks ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epidemiologic Studies* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Vaccination ; Pregnancy ; Rubella Syndrome, Congenital ; Rubella* ; Vaccination ; Surveys and Questionnaires