No abstract available.
Endoscopy, Digestive System*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: In order to determine the relationship between the HBV precore mutant and the severity of liver disease in Korea, we performed liver biopsies in patients with HBV related chronic liver disease and compared the types of mutations and histologic findings in the same liver tissue simultaneously. METHODS: HBV DNA in liver tissues was amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The precore mutants were detected by PCR-SSCP(single strand conformation polymorphism), cloning the amplified PCR products and direct sequencing for them. RESULTS: 1. HBV DNA was detected in liver tissues of 28 cases among 30 patients with PCR. And with SSCP, the most cases were mixed type infections. 2. The HBV precore mutants were found in 12 cases among the total number of 28 cases(42.9%) and all mutations were G to A change at nucleotide 1896, creating a stop codon at codon 28. However, 10 cases among 12 mutants were associated with simultaneous another mutation at different positions or regions;9 cases at core gene region, 2 cases at nucleotide 1856(C to T change at codon 15), one case at core promoter, and one case with double mutations at nucleotide 1837 and 1846 respectively. Also, all HBV precore mutants were combined with wild type HBV sequence. 3. The relationship between HBV precore mutants and HBeAg status revealed that 4 cases from 13 HBeAg positive(30.8%) and 8 from 15 HBeAg negative or Anti-Hbe positive(53.3 %) were mutants. 4. In analysis of the types of mutants and histopathological findings of liver diseases, 6 among 15 chronic active hepatitis(40.0%), all 3 cases with hepatocellular carcinoma(100,0 %), 2 among 4 asymptomatic carriers with minimal histopathologic changes(50.0%) and a case with chronic lobular heaptitis(100.0%) showed precore region mutation. CONCLUSION: The patterns of HBV precore mutants in Korea could be summarized as followings. Firstly, most of the mutations are composed of G to A change at nucleotide 1896. Secondly, the most of the mutants at nuclmtide 1896 have been associated with simultaneous mutations at core promoter, core gene, and rarely at other positions, and manifested usua'ly mixed type viremic conditions. Thirdly, although precore mutation could be occurred in asymptomatic carrier, this type of mutation might be closely related with chronic or severe liver disease. However, it needs further investigations hereafter.
Biopsy ; Clone Cells ; Cloning, Organism ; Codon ; Codon, Terminator ; DNA ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Hepatitis B, Chronic* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Diseases ; Liver* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Humans ; Tuberous Sclerosis*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Brain* ; Glutamic Acid* ; Glycine* ; Rats*

Just as hyperbetalipoproteinemia is the most common kind of familiar hyperlipoproteinemia, hyperprebetalipoproteinemia or increased very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) and its associated hypertriglyceridemia is an abnormality frequently found in association with several metabolic and nutritional disorders. This VLDL abnormality is demonstrable in high percentage of insulin dependent diabetic children before they receive treatment. It is also observed in many older, overweight, insulin resistant diabetic, with poor control of diabetes. An elevation of VLDL was also observed after ethanol intake. A mild to moderate degree of VLDL elevation is the most frequently observed from of clinical hyperlipidemia. Many investigators reported that hyperprebetalipoproteinemia (hypertriglyceridemia) is associated with an increasing incidence of coronary artery disease. As opposed to hyperbetalipoproteinemia, hyperprebetalipoproteinemia is prone to influence on the development of atherosclerosis in the middle and older aged persons which indicates the importance of triglyceride determination in these aged groups. There has been relatively rare study reported on the triglyceride metabolism in patients with congestive heart failure, essential hypertension and liver disease in Korea. This study was designed to determine serum triglyceride, free fatty acid and glycerol in the disease mentioned in Busan University Hospital between jan. 1975 and December 1976 and analized the change of lipid profile in each different condition. The results were as follows; 1. The mean of serum FFA, triglyceride and glycerol in the 37 normal were as follows 502.32+/-146.54microEq/L, 111.84+/-40.53mg% and 432.00+/-212.13microM/ml. 2. 23 patients with congestive heart failure showed a significant reduction in serum triglycerides (91.96+/-27.80mg%) and a significant increase in serum free fatty acid (576.77+/-129.67microEqL) and glycerol (432.50+/-212.13microM/ml). 3. In 15 patients with essential hypertension a significant elevation of serum triglycerides (149.38+/-42.28mg%) was noted. 4. In 13 patients with liver cirrhosis, a reduction in serum triglycerides (80.50+/-34.27mg%) was noted.
Atherosclerosis ; Busan ; Child ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP)* ; Ethanol ; Glycerol* ; Heart Failure* ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type II ; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type IV ; Hyperlipoproteinemias ; Hypertension* ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Incidence ; Insulin ; Korea ; Lipoproteins ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver Diseases ; Liver* ; Metabolism ; Nutrition Disorders ; Overweight ; Research Personnel ; Triglycerides*

The present study was performed to investigate the role catecholamine in the genesis of reperfusion injury of ischemic heart. The possible involvement of catecholamine in the xanthine oxidase-linked production of oxygen free radicals was studied. langendorff preparations of rat hearts were made ischemic for 60 min followed by reperfusion. Upon reperfusion norepinephrine(NE) was significantly released into the coronary effluent regardless of oxygenation of the perfusion solution. Both the increased releases of creatine phosphokinase(CPK) and malondialdehyde(MDA) and the production of superoxide anion in the ischemic-reperfused hearts were significantly reduced by the treatment with either reserpine, a catecholamine depletor, or propranolol, a beta-adrenergic receptor blocker. In the reserpinized hearts, infusion of exogenous NE reversed the releases of CPK and MDA and the superoxide anion production to the original higher levels. The releases of CPK and MDA as well as the production of superoxide anion induced by NE in the reserpinized hearts were significantly depressed either by allopurinol, a specific competitive inhibior of xanthine oxidase(XOD), or by the calcium removal from the perfusion solution. Compared with the XOD activity of control ischemic hearts, that of the hearts treated with reserpine or propranolol showed lower activity in the oxygen radical producing 0-form and higher activity in D/0-form. In the reserpinized ischemic hearts, infusion of exogenous NE increased 0-form, but decreased D/0-form of XOD. The changes in XOD activities induced by exogenous NE was prevented by phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride(a serine protease inhibitor) and pimoxide(a calmodulin inhibitor) as well as by calcium removal from the perfusion solution. It is suggested from the results that in the inchemic-reperfused heart of rat catecholamine participates in D/0 to 0-form conversion of XOD by promoting the calcium-calmodulin-dependent proteolysis and plays a contributing role in the production of oxygen free radical.
Allopurinol ; Animals ; Calcium ; Calmodulin ; Creatine ; Free Radicals ; Heart* ; Oxygen ; Perfusion ; Propranolol ; Proteolysis ; Rats* ; Reperfusion Injury* ; Reperfusion* ; Reserpine ; Serine Proteases ; Superoxides ; Xanthine Oxidase* ; Xanthine*

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of the arterial phase of dynamic spiral CT in the detection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma compared with the late phase. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two phase spiral CT images of seventeen patients with pathologically proven pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas were compared retrospectively. CT scans were performed with 5mm collimation at 1:1 pitch table speed. Images of arterial and late phases were obtained at 35 seconds and 180 seconds after initiation of administration of 100mL of contrast material(3mL/sec), respectively. Images of the arterial phase were compared with those of the late phase. RESULTS: Images of the arterial phase showed sufficient contrast between the tumor and adjacent pancreatic parenchyma in 12 cases, insufficient in four cases, and no significant contrast in one case. Images of the late phase showed sufficient contrast in five cases, insufficient in five cases, and no significant contrast in seven cases. Images of the arterial phase was superior to that of the late phase in 12 patients(70.6%). In six of the 12 patients, only the images of the arterial phase showed contrast between the tumor and the adjacent parenchyma. The images of late phase showed only one case of three metastasis detected on the images of the arterial phase. CONCLUSION: The arterial phase of spiral CT is superior to the late phase that is comparable with conventional CT in the detection of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pancreatic Ducts ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, Spiral Computed* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Serum lipids and lipoproteins were determined in 70 patients with hypertension, 40 patients with cerebral infarctions, and 41 patients with cerebral hemorrhage. The results were compared with findings in 64 healthy controls. The results are as follows; 1) Total cholesterol, VLDL-cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio were significantly higher in patients with hypertension or cerebral infarction than in control group, but HDL-cholesterol showed no significant difference. 2) In Patients with cerebral hemorrhage, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol were higher than in normal controls. Total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol ratio was within the limits of normal. It is possible that the susceptibility to cerebral infarction is the result of high total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio rather than low HDL cholesterol. But our study suggests that hyperlipoproteinemia plays a minor role in the development of cerebral hemorrhage.
Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Cerebral Infarction ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Humans ; Hyperlipoproteinemias ; Hypertension* ; Lipoproteins