BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori(H. pylori) infection is known to be strongly associated with varied dermatoses such as rosacea, vasculitic purpura, and Sweet's syndrome. Also, many antibiotics including amoxicillin, clarithromycin, and tetracycline have been used to ameliorate chronic urticaria. This recent knowledge posed the plausibility that H. pylori infection might be an underlying causative factor of chronic urticaria. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to investigate the role of H. pylori infection in patients with chronic urticaria. METHODS: Sixty-five subjects with chronic urticaria were examined for H. pylori infection with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for IgG/M against H. pylori and rapid urease test(CLO test) for endoscopically biopsied gastric mucosa. Amoxicillin or clarithromycin combined with omeprazole as a therapy was administrated to the 44 patients with positive test results for 4 weeks. RESULTS: H. pylori infection was more frequently diagnosed in 44 of 65(67.7%) patients with chronic urticaria than in the control subjects(8.8%). After the completion of treatment for 4 weeks, specific IgG antibodies and a CLO test against H. pylori were negative in 28 of 38(73.7%) and 43 of 44(97.7%) patients respectively. At the post-treatment evaluation, 37 of 44(84.1%) patients with H. pylori-positive urticaria showed significant clinical remission of urticaria. CONCLUSION: Eradication of H. pylori in patients with chronic urticaria was accompanied by clinical remission of urtication. There is substantial evidence that unexplained causes of chronic urticaria may be associated with H. pylori infection.
Amoxicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Antibodies ; Clarithromycin ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Gastric Mucosa ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Korea* ; Omeprazole ; Prevalence* ; Prospective Studies* ; Purpura ; Rosacea ; Skin Diseases ; Sweet Syndrome ; Tetracycline ; Urease ; Urticaria*

BACKGROUND: Inflammatory bowel disease(IBD) such as ulcerative colitis or Croln's disease is often related with varied diseases including pyoderma gangrenosum, erythema nodosum, ankylosing arthritis and psoriasis. To date, however, a cIinical observation of IBD accompanied by psoriasis has been sparcely accomplished although an immunogenetic mechanism explaining a coexistence of IBD and psoriasis has been proposed. OBJECTIVE: We estimated the prevalence of IBD in patients with psoriasis in Korea and investigated the clinical characteristics of IBD accompanied by psoriasis. METHODS: 92 psoriatic patients and 389 non-psoriatic control subjects were enrolled in this study. Colonoscopic biopsy and barium series were performed in 47 psoriatic patients and 110 control subjects showing irritative intestinal symptoms. RESULTS: 1. The prevalence of IBD in psoriatic patients(14.1%) was significantly greater than in the control group(1.0%). 2. In the temporal relationship, psoriasis developed several years prior to the onset of IBD in 84.6% of psoriatic patients. 3. The frequency of arthropathies in the psoriatic patients possessing IBD(84.6%) was significantly higher than that of non-psariatic counterparts with IBD(25.0%) or that of psoriatics without lBD(2.5%), 4. The psoriatir. patients with IBD demonstrated much more frequently diffuse colonal extension than in non-psoriatic subjects with IBD. CONCLUSION: Our findings of an increased prevalence of IBD in the psoriatic population present further evidence of an association between IBD and psoriasis. In the psoriatic patients showing acute or chronic gastrointestinal symptoms, colonoseopic evaluation might be mandatory for the evaluation of IBD.
Arthritis ; Barium ; Biopsy ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; Colon ; Erythema Nodosum ; Humans ; Immunogenetics ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases* ; Korea ; Prevalence ; Psoriasis* ; Pyoderma Gangrenosum

Liver transplantation has been regarded as the definitive curative approach for pathologic liver conditions from the acute stage to the chronic end stage for decades. Recently, translational research has been focused on liver stem cell transplantation, using various cell therapies, due to the potential benefit of natural host liver regeneration. Many studies are ongoing utilizing and evaluating the use of either fetal-liver-derived stem cells or oval cells, however many obstacles still remain. Extensive research identifying and characterizimg stem/progenitor cells for potential application to in vitro cell therapy, whereas many questions remain concerning the isolation and identification of adult liver stem cells with adequate capacity for proliferation and the regeneration of injured liver. Recent approaches to liver regeneration include the production of hepatocyte-like cells from other stem cell sources such as mesenchymal stem cells and embryonic stems cells. Another major target for liver regeneration studies include the generation of liver stem cells from induced pluripotent stem cells (IPSC) We review the current data concerning characterization of stem cells and progenitor cells for their capacity to support their potential for re-population and regeneration of normal adult liver from liver damaged due to injury and/or disease.
Adult ; Cell Transplantation ; Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy ; Humans ; Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells ; Liver Regeneration ; Liver Transplantation ; Liver* ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Regeneration ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cells* ; Translational Medical Research

No abstract available.
Breast ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Neoplasm Metastasis

Background: Verruca vulgaris is a common cutaneous viral infectious disease caused by human papilloma virus (HPV). The main treatment modalities are cryotherapy, immunotherapy, laser therapy, intralesional injection of bleomycin, and salicylic acid therapy. However, there is no definitive tool for predicting clinical improvement or treatment response. Objective: This study was designed to evaluate clinical treatment response according to the hardness of verruca vulgaris skin lesions. We developed a new prediction tool called the “hardening sign” that divides the course of treatment into four categories based on inspection and palpation. Methods: We conducted a retrospective medical chart review of patients who visited Hanyang University Guri Hospital between January 2016 and January 2017 and were clinically diagnosed with verruca vulgaris. We divided the patients into four groups according to the grade of rigidity of their lesions. Results: Forty-seven patients (24 male and 23 female) were identified. The mean age at diagnosis was 17.2±8.5 years, and the mean duration of treatment was 28.8±27.7 weeks. The mean number of hospital visits was 16.5±12.4. Eleven patients underwent only cryotherapy, while 36 patients underwent combined cryotherapy and immunotherapy. We observed significantly shorter durations of treatment for patients with higher grades of hardening. There was no correlation between the hardening grade and the number of treatments required for patients to be completely cured. Conclusion This study suggests that the therapeutic response of verruca vulgaris warts to cryotherapy can be easily predicted by careful consideration of the “hardening sign”.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and health care costs in South Korea. The prevalence of preventable and treatable risk factors for CVD such as obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking has continued to increase, despite improvements management of hypertension. Active leadership, participation, and support of professional organizations and medical institutions in national cardiovascular registries and regional treatment network have proven to be effective models to reduce the global burden of CVD in the Europe and North America. Regional treatment network systems for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction have established to coordinate percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment centers, non-PCI treatment centers, and emergency centers especially across the Europe. The Act on the Prevention and Management of Cardio-cerebrovascular Disease was enacted in South Korea in 2017 to establish the legal frameworks and a comprehensive plan for the prevention and management CVD and risk factors. To fully achieve the goal of a NationalHealth Plan for Cardiovascular Disease, it is necessary to embark on a nationwide registry project and to promote the regional acute treatment accessibility which can therefore play a key role in achieving the objectives of the 2017 Act. In this regard, the Korean Society of Cardiology advocates a national project for health promotion and cardiovascular prevention to improve cardiovascular outcomes, which includes the expansion and establishment of regional cardiocerebrovascular centers (CCVCs) and new local CCVCs.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and health care costs in South Korea. The prevalence of preventable and treatable risk factors for CVD such as obesity, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking has continued to increase, despite improvements management of hypertension. Active leadership, participation, and support of professional organizations and medical institutions in national cardiovascular registries and regional treatment network have proven to be effective models to reduce the global burden of CVD in the Europe and North America. Regional treatment network systems for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction have established to coordinate percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) treatment centers, non-PCI treatment centers, and emergency centers especially across the Europe. The Act on the Prevention and Management of Cardio-cerebrovascular Disease was enacted in South Korea in 2017 to establish the legal frameworks and a comprehensive plan for the prevention and management CVD and risk factors. To fully achieve the goal of a NationalHealth Plan for Cardiovascular Disease, it is necessary to embark on a nationwide registry project and to promote the regional acute treatment accessibility which can therefore play a key role in achieving the objectives of the 2017 Act. In this regard, the Korean Society of Cardiology advocates a national project for health promotion and cardiovascular prevention to improve cardiovascular outcomes, which includes the expansion and establishment of regional cardiocerebrovascular centers (CCVCs) and new local CCVCs.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Human rhinovirus (HRV) infection is the primary cause of the common cold. It was often reported that the frequency of viral rhinitis is higher among patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyposis (CRS/ NP) than normal subjects. And, patients with nasal polyps often complain that they suffer from a relatively severe degree of URI. The purpose of this article was to evaluate whether the HRV infection rate and virus-induced cytokine secretion is different between the organ culture model of the nasal polyp mucosae and the sinus mcuosae. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Organ cultures of nasal polyps from sixteen CRS/NP patients and normal sphenoid sinus mucosae from nineteen patients who underwent the trans-sphenoidal pituitary surgery were tested. The successful viral infection by HRV-16 was determined by seminested reverse transcription-PCR. Immunoreactive IL-6 and IL-8 were quantitated using the ELISA. RESULTS: A PCR product indicating the successful RV infection was detected in nine of sixteen (56.3%) polyp samples and eleven of nineteen (57.9%) normal sphenoid sinus samples were tested positive for HRV-16. Rhinovirus infection increased the IL-6 and IL-8 secretion to 236% and 173% in polyp samples and to 231% and 145% in sphenoid mucosa samples respectively. However, there was no significant difference in rhinovirus infection rate and in the rhinovirus-induced IL-6 and IL-8 secretion between the groups. CONCLUSION: The results of this study may suggest that the nasal polyp mucosae, when compared with normal sinus mucosae, did not show more vulnerability to HRV infection nor more intense cytokine response by HRV infection.
Common Cold ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukin-8 ; Mucous Membrane* ; Nasal Polyps* ; Organ Culture Techniques* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polyps ; Rhinitis ; Rhinovirus* ; Sphenoid Sinus*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) is generally effective in correcting sleep-related respiratory disturbance in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS). But the failure to comply with this treatment poses a serious limitation to its use. The aim of this study is to investigate the state of compliance and the cause of noncompliance of auto-adjusting positive airway pressure (autoPAP) treatment in Korean OSAS patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study performed a survey of 45 patients who had selected the autoPAP treatment between August 2000 and May 2003. RESULTS: Twelve of the 45 patients (26.7%) refused the autoPAP treatment immediately after the first trial due to claustrophobia. Also, twenty patients (44.4%) stopped using it within 1 month. Only 13 patients (28.9%) continued to use it for more than 1 month. Twenty seven of the 33 patients (81.8%) who had used the autoPAP complained of claustrophobia after the first trial. The major factors of low compliance were claustrophobia, restricted body position while asleep, nasal symptoms, high cost, and inadequate education of patients. CONCLUSION: This study shows that claustrophobia is a major cause for the noncompliance of autoPAP. It also shows that the patients are encouraged by the effectiveness of the autoPAP to use it for a longer period. Therefore, we should focus on explaining the effects and drawbacks of autoPAP, desensitization and behavioral modification.
Compliance* ; Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ; Humans ; Patient Education as Topic ; Phobic Disorders ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive*

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous vasculitis associated with viral hepatitis seems to occur as a hypersensitivity reaction against the circulating viral antigens. Hepatitis B virus(HBV)-encoded X antigen(HBxAg) is known to participate in the carcinogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) by the inactivation of p53. However, HBxAg has been found in chronic infiammatory lesions without the overexpression of p53. Accordingly, not only EBsAg and HBcAg but also HBxAg may be involved in HCC-associated cutaneous vasculitis, regardless of the alteration of p53. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to investigate the expression of HBV-encoded antigens in cutaneous vasculitis accompanied by HBV hepatopathy. Additionally, we have compared the expression of 3 HBV antigens and p53 between vasculitic patients with HCC and in others showing HCC-non-associated vasculitis. METHODS: Immunohistochemically, we examined the expression of HBsAg, HBcAg, and HBxAg in the tissue specimens taken from the vasculitic lesions of the 33 HBsAg-positive enrolled patients with cutaneous vasculitis proven by skin biopsy. RESULTS: 1. The immunohistochemical positivity rate to HBsAg in vasculitic patients with HBV hepatopathy was 66.7% overall. It was 90% in HCC-associated vasculitic subjects and 56.5% in the vasculitic subjects without HCC, respectively. 2. We found the expression of HBxAg in 80% of the vasculitic subjects showing HCC. The vasculitic patients without HCC showed 17,3% of the positivity rate to HBxAg. 3. We could not find the overexpression of p53 in the vasculitic tissue specimens of the HCC patients without the cutaneous metastasis from primary HCC. CONCLUSION: HBsAg, HBcAg and HBxAg may participate in the pathogenesis of cutaneous vasculitis with HBV hepatopathy, regardless of tumorigenesis.
Antigens, Viral ; Biopsy ; Carcinogenesis ; Hepatitis B Core Antigens ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Skin ; Vasculitis*