BACKGROUND: The cardiovascular diseases are a major cause of the mortality in Korean. The homocysteine(HCY) was accepted as a risk factor of the cardiovascular disease, recently. We estimate the normal reference range of the plasma HCY according to the age and sex, and the clinical significance in the cardiovascular disease. METHODS: Blood from the 57 healthy people who are 34 women and 23 men(39-72 years old) and 26 patients(25-75 years old) who are diagnosed 8 stable angina, 10 unstable angina, 7 acute myocardial infarction and 1 old myocardial infarction was drawn into EDTA vacutainer tube. The HCY concentration was measured by the automated fluorescence polarizing immunoassay(FPIA, IMx, Abbott, USA). RESULTS: Inter- and intra-assay coefficient of variations(CVs) ranged from 0.7% to 2.8% and from 1.1% to 1.6%, respectively. Low detection limits showed 0.05+/-0.08 micromol/L. The recovery rates were 98.6-99.9%. The mean plasma HCY concentration(M+/-SD) of the healthy people was 7.9+/-2.11 micromol/L and was increased with aging. The mean plasma HCY concentration in men was significantly higher than that in women(7.2 vs. 8.8 micromol/L, P=0.008). In the coronary artery disease group(CAD), the mean values were 13.1+/-13.18 micromol/L and the median value 8.0micromol/L. After excluding 3SD outliers, the mean values were 9.0+/-2.83 micromol/L(P=0.08 to the healthy group). In CAD, the ratio over the cut-off value of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglyceride were 42.3%, 34.6%, and 26.9%, respectively, the ratio above the HCY 15 micromol/L was 15.4% which was the same positivity in LDL-cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: The plasma HCY in the normal control group was significantly increased with aging and was shown higher in men than in women. In CAD, the value was also increased more than normal control. Now multicenter study is needed in order to get the normal range of Korean to diagnosis, treatment and management of the cardiovascular disease.
Aging ; Angina, Stable ; Angina, Unstable ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Diagnosis ; Edetic Acid ; Female ; Fluorescence ; Homocysteine* ; Humans ; Limit of Detection ; Male ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction ; Plasma* ; Reference Values* ; Risk Factors ; Triglycerides

The accuracy of Kato's self smear Kit was studied in screening a relatively unselected population group for cervical cancer. Routine cervicovaginal smears taken periodically would be the ideal method but would be unrealistic in view of the physician's time involved when considered on a large population scale. Three hundred patients were randomly selected at the Out Patient Clinic of Yonsei Medical Center and 26 cases grossly of cervical cancer were included in this group. We have here summarized the results briefly as follows. 1. Among 300 women examined in our OPD, 256 (85.3%) were classified as Pap. Class I or II, 9(0.3%) as a 'Defferred' group (Class II, Repeat), 18(6%) as Class III and 17(5.7%) as Class IV or V. 2. Fifteen of the total cases had insufficient material for evaluation (poor quality) and the major causes of the poor smears were vaginal douche within 24 hours, technical problems and cell degeneration. 3. The rate of agreement between the Self Smear Kit and cervicovaginal smear was as follows: a. The rate of complete agreement was 93.2% (280/300) b. The rate of complete or partial agreement was 96.7% (290/300). 4. The diagnostic accuracy of the Self Smear Kit was as follows: a. If we assumed the 'Deferred' group to be detection failures for uterine cancer, the diagnostic accuracy would be 82.4%. b. If we assumed the 'Deferred' group to be detection successes, the diagnostic accuracy would be 94.1%. 5. The quality of self smears was superior when taken by an aid nurse rather than by the patient herself. 6. Optimal time for good preservation with the Self Smear Kit prior to pap. stain under the following temperatures was proven experimentally to be as follows; a. At 5 degrees C: 3 days after smear b. At 15 degrees C: 3 days after smear c. At 30 degrees C: 2 days after smear
Adult ; Cervix Neoplasms/prevention & control* ; Female ; Human ; Mass Screening/methods* ; Middle Age ; Vaginal Smears/instrumentation ; Vaginal Smears/methods*

Thirty percutaneous liver biopsy and one liver necropsy were reviewed in Severance Hospital, Yonsei University from June 1979 to September 1980. This procedure is the safe and accurate means of diagnosing and studying liver diseases in the pediatric patients especially persistent conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, chronic liver disease, and some rare diseases (eg. Histiocytosis-X, Storage disease disease, Gilbert syndrome), The significance of the technique and following results were obtained. 1. Among 31 cases, 14 cases were under 1 year of age 21 cases were male. 2. Evaluation of persistent neonatal conjugated hyperbilirubinemia, chronic hepatitis, Gaucher's disease, gilbert syndrome, congenital hepatic fibrosis, portal hypertension, and Histiocytosis-X were possible by the pathologic findings of percutaneous liver biopsy speciments. 3. Pathologic findings of 10 cases of neonatal conjugated hyperbilirubinemia are Giant cell hepatitis (4), acute hepatitis (1), acute fulminant hepatitis (1), extrahepatic biliary atresia (2), intra hepatic biliary hypoplasia (2), and hepatic fibrosis (1), Causative agents are hepatitis virus B (4), toxoplasma gondii (2), herpes simplex (1), syphilis (1), unknown (2). 4. One case of acute fullminent hepatitis due to herpes simplex was confirmed by electronmicroscopic study of the specimen. 5. One case of tuberculous empyema of the liver was confirmed by the discovery of tuberculi bacilus on the direct smear of the biopsy speciments, although the pathologic findings showed non specific findings of reactive hepatitis. 6. There was nonspecific information in systemic disease and hepatomegaly with fever of unko\nown origine. 7. There was no complication in 30 cases of percutaneous liver biopsy.
Biliary Atresia ; Biopsy* ; Empyema, Tuberculous ; Fever ; Fibrosis ; Gaucher Disease ; Giant Cells ; Gilbert Disease ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis Viruses ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Hepatomegaly ; Herpes Simplex ; Histiocytosis, Langerhans-Cell ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; Hypertension, Portal ; Liver Diseases ; Liver* ; Male ; Needles* ; Rare Diseases ; Syphilis ; Toxoplasma

No abstract available.
Coxiella burnetii ; Humans ; Korea*

BACKGROUND: Hyperhomocysteinemia is considered as a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). In this study, we investigated the relationship between plasma homocysteine concentration and coronary artery disease. METHODS: We measured plasma homocysteine concentration by fluorescent polarization immunoas-say (IMx, Abbott) in 58 healthy controls (39-72 years) and in 37 patients (42-84 years) who were diagnosed with stable angina (11), unstable angina (14), acute myocardial infarction (8), old myocardial infarction (1) and silent myocardial ischemia (3). RESULTS: The risk of CAD was independently associated with old age, decreased HDL cholesterol and hyperhomocysteinemia (P >or=12.8 nmol/L) and adjusted odds ratios were 2.8, 3.4, and 6.0, respec-tively. The risk for CAD in the upper two homocysteine quartiles (P >or=10.8 nmol/L and 8.1- 10.7 nmol/L) was 11.1 (95% CI, 2.5- 49.4) times and 6.3 (95% CI, 1.4- 27.7) times higher than in the lowest quar-tile (<6.9 nmol/L) (P=0.002 and 0.014, respectively). The mean plasma homocysteine values (M +/- SD) were higher in CAD patients (11.8 +/- 7.4 nmol/L) than in the control group (8.0 +/- 2.4 mol/L) (P=0.0006). In the control group, the mean plasma homocysteine concentration in men was signifi-cantly igher than in women (9.1 vs. 7.2 mol/L, P=0.002). Age and logarithmically transformed plasma homocysteine levels exhibited significant positive correlation in controls (r=0.43, P=0.001), ut no significant correlation in CAD patients (r=-0.024, P=0.9). Plasma homocysteine levels were significantly higher in the elderly, male subjects and smokers in the univariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Hyperhomocysteinemia is one of the independent risk factors for CAD.
Aged ; Angina, Stable ; Angina, Unstable ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Female ; Homocysteine ; Humans ; Hyperhomocysteinemia* ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Odds Ratio ; Plasma ; Risk Factors*

No abstract available.
Heart Diseases* ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular* ; Heart*

No abstract available.
Humans

Recently, air pollution has become more and more severe globally and has decreased the quality of life significantly in subjects with or without allergic diseases. Air pollution more severely affects patients with allergic diseases, including allergic rhinitis (AR); therefore, it could devastate quality of life. Many epidemiological studies have shown that air pollutants increased outpatient clinic visits as well as the prevalence/severity of AR and decreased quality of life in patients with AR. Traffic-related air pollution also increases the severity and occurrence rate of AR, and heavy traffic is also associated with an increased prevalence of AR. Immunologically, air pollutants increase airway inflammation and mucin production by triggering the generation of reactive oxygen species and inducing the nucleotide-binding domain, leucine-rich repeat protein 3 inflammasome and apoptosis. Since air pollution affects both the upper and lower airways and is known to be a risk factor for AR, proper diagnosis and treatment should be applied. In this review article, we will address several epidemiological and clinical studies about the effects of air pollution on AR, mechanisms by which air pollutants aggravate AR, and treatment of AR triggered by air pollutant.

A clinical study was made on 10 neonates with gastrointestinal perforation admitted to the department of pediatrics and surgery of Severance hospital from January, 1965, through Jane, 1978. The following results were obtained; 1) Males predominate (7M : 3F). 2) 7 cases of perforations occur in the first 2 days of life. 3) The most common site of perforations is stomach (3 cases) and terminal lieum (3 cases). The lesion showes inflammation, submucosal hemorrhage, atresia and muscular defect. 4) The clinical picture is abdominal distension developing repidly, cyanosis, vomiting, poor sucking, etc. 5) Abdominal X-rays are diagnostic, Massive pneumoperitoneum is visible in 5 cases. 6) Seven patients in 9 operated neonates died.
Male ; Infant, Newborn ; Humans

Two distinct hantaviruses have been isolated from Apodemus agrarius in 1976 and Rattus norvegicus in 1980 in Korea. Since our serosurveys conducted in 1994, a genetically distinct hantavirus from Apodemus peninsulae has been investigated. To isolate hantavirus from A. peninsulae captured in Korea, the lung homogenate of seropositive A. peninsulae inoculted Vero E6 cells. Viral antigen was detected in a progressively higher percentage of cells with subsequent passage after 80 days postinoculation. The new isolate from seropositive Apodemus peninsulae was designated Suchong virus after Suchong valley located in northeastern region of South Korea. Comparing with hantaan virus 76-118 strain, Suchong virus-1, 2, 3 and 4 showed the similarity of 71.0~91.8% at nucleotide and 90.9~94.8% at amino acid sequences in 231 nucleotides region of M segment, and the similarity of 75.1~81.0% at nucleotide and 97.5~100% at amino acid sequences in 237 nucleotides of S segment.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Hantaan virus ; Hantavirus* ; Korea ; Lung ; Murinae* ; Nucleotides ; Population Characteristics* ; Rats