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.
Azoospermia* ; Sarcoidosis*

No abstract available.
Asthma, Occupational*

No abstract available.

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.
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*

Non-acetylated salicylates have been recommended for use as alternatives to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in aspirin and/or tartrazine-sensitive patients. We experienced a case of an aspirin-sensitive asthmatic patient who developed a broncho-obstructive reaction after taking 100 mg of sodium salicylate. The result of this study suggests that sodium salicylate may cross-react with aspirin in aspirin-and tartrazine-sensitive patients.
Aspirin/*adverse effects/immunology ; Asthma/*complications/diagnosis/etiology ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Cross Reactions ; Drug Hypersensitivity/*complications/diagnosis/etiology ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Sodium Salicylate/*adverse effects/immunology ; Tartrazine/adverse effects

PURPOSE: The outcome after operations for intermittent exotropia were frequently unsatisfactory because of high incidence of postoperative undercorrection, overcorrection or recurrence. The author studied surgical outcome of each operation method in intermittent exotropia. METHODS: The results of surgical treatment in 90 patients with intermittent exotropia were reviewed. The operative procedure were devided into 3 groups-bilateral rectus muscle recessions, unilateral lateral rectus muscle recession and medial rectus muscle resection and medial rectus muscle resection of dominant eye and lateral rectus muscle recession of non-dominant eye. The success of operation was defined as a final alignment of orthotropia, esotropia less than 5 prism diopter or exotropia less than 10 prism diopter in primary position at postoperative 6 months. RESULTS: The method of of operation in medial rectus muscle resection of dominant eye and lateral rectus muscle recession of non-dominant eye lead to higher success rate than other surgical method (96.7%) and the difference with statistically significant (p=0.03). The success rate of bilateral rectus muscle recessions group was 76.6%, and that of unilateral lateral rectus muscle recession and medial rectus muscle resection group was 80.0%. CONCLUSIONS: This result suggested that medial rectus muscle resection of dominant eye and lateral rectus muscle recession of non-dominant eye might be a most effective surgical method for intermittent exotropia.
Esotropia ; Exotropia* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Recurrence ; Surgical Procedures, Operative

Holoprosencephaly is a rare malformation complex or development defect including different degrees of incomplete cleavages of the embryonic prosencephalon and varying degrees of the midface defects, resulting from the defect of prechordal mesoderm, migrating forward into the area anterior to the notochord during the third week of fetal development. Early antenatal diagnosis of holoprosencephaly is important to find out its severity, to predict its prognosis, and to determine proper management according to its prognosis and severity. The possibility of early antenatal diagnosis of holoprosencephaly by ultrasound has been suggested, but occasionally missed and rarely confirmed. We present one case of lobar holoprosencephaly, diagnosed postnatally and one case of alobar holoprosencephaly, diagnosed antenatally in our hospitals.
Fetal Development ; Holoprosencephaly* ; Mesoderm ; Notochord ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Prognosis ; Prosencephalon ; Ultrasonography