BACKGROUND/AIMS: HBcAg is the most immunogenic HBV component and anti-Bc usually persists irrespective of ongoing liver disease or clearance of the virus in human. Therefore anti-Bc is considered as the most sensitive and occasionally the only marker of the HBV infection. Nevertheless, there are a few HBsAg carrier with persistent negative anti-Bc. The epitope which responds to HBcAg is recently defined in HLA A2 from acute viral hepatitis patient due to HBV. So we studied the clinical and laboratory features and nucleotide sequence of HBcAg corresponding to HLA A2 in the HBsAg carrier with persistent negative anti-Bc. METHODS: The subject of these study consists of eight HBsAg chronic carriers with persistent negative anti-Bc. We followed up the clinical features and serological markers of HBV infection and determined the amount of humoral immunoglobulin, HBV DNA and HBcAg when we performed the HLA class I typing and sequencing analysis of core of HBV. Control cases were selected from 3 HLA A2 heterozygote cases with chronic HBsAg carriers with anti-Bc. RESULTS: All subjects had the HBsAg persistently and good health conditions with normal ranges of aminotransferase and humoral immunoglobulin. One of them was converted to anti-Bc-ositive during follow-p period. The level of HBV DNA in serum was higher than 1.2 pg/mL in 7 of 8 chronic HBV carriers. There was a trend of differences between chronic anti-Bc negative carriers and converted one case to anti-Bc positive in the serum of HBcAg and HBV DNA(p=0.06). But strong positive correlation was observed between the amount of HBcAg and HBV DNA in sera. The core portion of HBV was amplified in 4 of 6 HLA A2 heterozygotes by single PCR. When sequenced the PCR products of the above 4 chronic anti-Bc negative HBV carriers and 3 control cases directly, there were no significant difference in the nucleotide and amino acid sequence at the HBcAg epitope which corresopond to class 1 HLA A2. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that persistent anti-Bc negative chronic HBV carriers may be caused by large amounts of HBV DNA and HBcAg in their sera and not by variants of HBV. These suggested that active viral replication was going on, but are undetectable by the available commercial tests due to binding with excessive amount of HBcAg in the HBV carriers with persistent negative anti-Bc.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Base Sequence* ; DNA ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis B Core Antigens* ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B, Chronic* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Heterozygote* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Liver Diseases ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reference Values

No abstract available.
Child* ; Heart Defects, Congenital* ; Humans

Prolapse of bladder through vesico-vaginal fistula is quite a rare urological problem. A 38-year-old woman was admitted to the Woo Sok University Hospital with a baby head sized round mass attached to the vagina. Patient had a prolapse of uterus after having her second child birth about 10 years ago and cauterization with corrosives for the treatment of prolapse of uterus was undergone for two times. About one year prior to the admission, the prolapse of uterus recurred and cauterization with corrosives was tried again, resulting vesico-vaginal fistula through which the bladder was everted and prolapsed. Under the general anesthesia, the everted and prolapsed bladder was reduced manually in normal position and vesico-vaginal fistulectomy was performed with good result.
Adult ; Anesthesia, General ; Caustics ; Cautery ; Child ; Female ; Fistula* ; Head ; Humans ; Parturition ; Prolapse* ; Urinary Bladder* ; Uterus ; Vagina ; Vesicovaginal Fistula

A new technique of nephrolithotomy was used to remove calyceal stone in seven cases. Key points of this technique are direct removal of stone through the calicopuncture by forceps without renal vascular clamping and Gelfoam Packing followed by compression with hands for control of bleeding. The results were s follow : 1. With the exception of a single small stone all the targeted calculi were removed (94% in completeness of stone removal). 2. This method did not have any significant renal parenchymal damage and there was no episode of postoperative urine leakage of delayed bleeding. 3. Postoperative complications were a case of urinary obstruction caused by slipped Gelfoam into calyx accidently, which was delivered spontaneously during the voiding on 2nd postoperative day and a case of wound infection. This new technique nephrolithotomy was seemed to be an useful and rapid surgical method of calyceal stone surgery in some situations such as in case of marked adhesion present around the pelvis, narrow infundibulum and failed stone removal during the performing pyelolithotomy.
Calculi* ; Constriction ; Gelatin Sponge, Absorbable ; Hand ; Hemorrhage ; Pelvis ; Postoperative Complications ; Surgical Instruments ; Wound Infection

No abstract available.
Balloon Valvuloplasty* ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis* ; Pulmonary Valve*

Surface ECG findings in 29 patients with left isomerism were reviewed. Among the total 46 wave axis distributions, 25(54%) were abnormal axis, not originated from sinus node. Congenital atrioventricular block was found in 2 children. 6 patients showed the bradycardia and junctional escape rhythm intermittently or persistently. 4 of them, not related with heart surgery, were much older than 2 patients who showed these ECG findings after heart surgery. These ECG findings suggested the possibility of occurrence of sinus node or subsidiary pacemaker dysfunction in the patients with left isomerism, especially in the older patients. So we thought that electrophysiologic evaluation is necessary in some patients with left isomerism.
Atrioventricular Block ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Bradycardia ; Child ; Electrocardiography* ; Humans ; Isomerism* ; Sinoatrial Node ; Thoracic Surgery ; United Nations

No abstract available.
Scimitar Syndrome*

Atrial flutter is and infrequent, but potentially unstable tachyarrythmia that occurs in pediatric ages. Transesophageal atrial pacing was used for treatment of 10 episodes of atrial flutter in 7 patients. At the time of atrial flutter conversion, patients were 6 days to 14 years old. 6 patients had associated with congenital heart disease. The atrial cycle length of atrial flutter ranged from 140 to 280 msec with variable atrioventricular conduction. Transesophageal atrial pacing was performed using a bipolar 4 F transesophageal electrode catheter. Atrial flutter conversion was accomplished with stimulation bursts using about 5 seconds of stimuli, 10 msec in duration at 20 to 27 mA. Pacing cycle length was 45 to 110 msec less than the atrial cycle length of tachycardia in 6 episodes. But in a neonate, underdrive pacing converted atrial flutter to sinus rhythm. Conversion attempts were unsuccessful on 2 occasions. Transesophageal atrial pacing is a safe and effective, minimally invasive technique for treatment of atrial flutter in infants and children.
Adolescent ; Atrial Flutter* ; Catheters ; Child* ; Electrodes ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Tachycardia

PURPOSE: We evaluated the capability of MR in the diagnosis of anomalous pulmonary venous connection (APVC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patient group consisted of 11 total APVC and 8 partial APVC diagnosed with MR. Echocardiography was performed in all cases, cardiac angiography in 12 cases and operation in 12 cases. We compared MR findings with those of operation, echocard iography and cardiac angiography. RESULTS: In surgically proven 12 cases, diagnostic accuracy of preoperative MR, echocardiography and cardiac angiography was 100%, 67% and 63%, respectively. In the remaining cases, MR findings well correlated with those of echocardiography or cardiac angiography. Stenosis of common pulmonary vein or superior vena cava was identified in 4 cases. In one patient, MR depicted associated cor triatriatum clearly. CONCLUSION: MR is an effective modallty in depicting anomalous pulmonary venous con nections.
Angiography ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Cor Triatriatum ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Humans ; Pulmonary Veins ; Vena Cava, Superior

No abstract available.
Heart Ventricles* ; Hemodynamics*