Hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrom is an acute febrile disease which is caused by Hantanvirus and several other viruses that belong to the genus Hantavirus. Gl and G2 glycoproteins of Hantanvirus have been thought to be involved in protective immunity against Hantanvirus infection. In this study, the antigenicity of G1 and G2 glycoproteins in cell mediated immune response was investigated. When peripheral blood mononuclear cell fraction from recovered hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome patient was cultivated with a recombinant protein containing amino-terminal 78 amino acids of G2 glycoprotein, these cells were activated to proliferate and secreted significant amount of interleukin-2 and interferon-r. These results suggest that T cell epitope exists in the amino-terminal region of G2 glycoprotein.
Amino Acids ; Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte ; Fever ; Glycoproteins* ; Hantavirus ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; Humans ; Interleukin-2

Most vascular disorders tend to affect both the brain and heart, and among them, a clinical syndrome constituting cerebral aneurysm and aortic coarctation(AC) has been well recognized. Persistent hypertensive impact to the cerebral vasculature with developmental anomaly of the neural crest, precursor of ectomenchymal, would be closely associated with development of the cerebral aneurysm in AC. Gonadal steroid hormone, a guardian of the cardiovascular system, has been known for its protective effects on the vascular wall. Gonadal steroid hormone (androgen) insensitivity such as 46, XY female syndrome may increase the risk of hypertention and subsequent vascular anomalies. The authors report on a 46-year-old 46, XY female patient with AC who underwent surgical clipping of the ruptured cerebral aneurysm. Clinical implications and proposed pathogenetic mechanisms of aneurysm in this intersex syndrome are presented and discussed.
Aneurysm ; Aortic Coarctation* ; Brain ; Cardiovascular System ; Female* ; Gonads ; Heart ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Intracranial Aneurysm* ; Middle Aged ; Neural Crest ; Surgical Instruments

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyse researches on nursing intervention for elderly health promotion. METHOD: A literature review of 38 researches was carried out using guidelines developed by the present researchers. RESULT: The research papers studied in this research were theses written for doctoral or master's degree and published between 1994 to 2004. These researches applied nursing intervention for health promotion of elders and used experimental study design. The average period of nursing intervention was about 9 weeks and the average frequency was three times per week. As for major characteristics of subject groups, most of them were over 65 years old (76.3%) and resided in community (65.8%), and each group consisted of 10 to 29 elders. The dependent variables used in these studies included physiological variables (blood pressure, blood cholesterol level, pulmonary function, fasting blood sugar, blood cortisol level, body mass etc.), psychologic variables (depression, quality of life, life satisfaction, loneliness, anxiety etc.), cognitive variables (perceived benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, self-concept, subjective health status etc.), activities of daily livings, health promotion behavior, pain, risks of fall, and variables related to Trans Theoretical Model. The majority of these studies (78.9%) applied exercise programs for health promotion including exercise motivating programs (15.8%). CONCLUSION: We suggest that more various nursing interventions must be applied to promote elders' health and to take care of their chronic diseases.
Aged* ; Anxiety ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Chronic Disease ; Fasting ; Health Promotion* ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Loneliness ; Models, Theoretical ; Nursing* ; Quality of Life

PURPOSE: The education of the patients is an effective component of comprehensive care, especially in patients with epilepsy. We developed an epilepsy educational program designed to improve the knowledge and understanding of the natural clinical course, the treatment, and prognosis of epilepsy. We evaluated the efficacy of this educational program to epilepsy patient's knowledge of their disorder and quality of life. METHODS: We studied 224 patients with epilepsy from Dongsan Epilepsy Center. All patients completed the Knowledge and Quality of Life in Epilepsy-31 (QOLIE-31) questionnaire before a one-day educational program was completed. Six months after the educational program was given, patients completed the same questionnaire. The results of the two surveys were compared. RESULTS: In the initial questionnaire, about 60% of the patients thought that epilepsy is not related with head trauma. About 40% of the patients thought that epilepsy is a genetic disorder. Over 80% of the patients thought that behavior changes are not related to epilepsy. Over 90% of the patients had correct responses about taking antiepileptic drugs. However, only 60% of the patients had their ideas regarding proper social activity correct. After completing the educational course, the results of the follow-up questionnaires were markedly improved concerning the patients' knowledge of epilepsy. In contrast, the quality of life measures changed a little. CONCLUSION: An epilepsy educational program for patients improves their knowledge of epilepsy. This study was performed with only one education workshop, which is not sufficient to improve the quality of life measures. A well-regulated, systematic educational program is needed to efficiently improve the lives of epileptic patients.
Anticonvulsants ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Education* ; Epilepsy* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Quality of Life* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: Gene expression of nm23 has been investigated in a number of tumors, including breast cancer, colon cancer, malignant melanoma, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Its down-regulation has been shown to be associated with metastasis or disease progression in some of the tumors. This study was carried out to define the relationship between nm23 protein expression and clinicopathological variables. METHODS: nm23 protein levels were investigated in 64 surgically resected specimens of stage III gastric cancer by immunohistochemical method, and association with clinicopathological parameters and survival rates were determined. RESULTS: The overall expression rates of nm23 was 68.7 %. There was no significant difference between nm23 protein expression and clinicopathological variables such as age, sex, stage, histology, tumor depth, number of metastatic nodes, tumor size, site and method of operation. Statistically, no significant differences between nm23 protein expression and overall survival rates were found. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that nm23 protein expression is an unsatisfactory prognostic indicator in stage III gastric adenocarcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Disease Progression ; Down-Regulation ; Gene Expression ; Melanoma ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVE: We wanted to compare the efficacy of the new CT response evaluation criteria for predicting the tumor progression-free survival (PFS) with that of RECIST 1.1 in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who were treated with bevacizumab. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixteen patients (M:F = 11:5; median age, 57 years) treated with bevacizumab and combined cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents were selected for a retrospective analysis. The tumor response was assessed by four different methods, namely, by using RECIST 1.1 (RECIST), RECIST but measuring only the solid component of tumor (RECISTsolid), the alternative method reflecting tumor cavitation (the alternative method) and the combined criteria (the combined criteria) that evaluated both the changes of tumor size and attenuation. To evaluate the capabilities of the different measurement methods to predict the patient prognosis, the PFS were compared, using the log rank test, among the responder groups (complete response [CR], partial response [PR], stable disease [SD] and progressive disease [PD]) in terms of the four different methods. RESULTS: The overall (CR, PR or SD) response rates according to RECIST, RECISTsolid, the alternative method and the combined criteria were 81%, 88%, 81% and 85%, respectively. The confirmed response rates (CR or PR) were 19%, 19%, 50% and 54%, respectively. Although statistically not significant, the alternative method showed the biggest difference for predicting PFS among the three response groups (PR, SD and PD) (p = 0.07). RECIST and the alternative method showed a significant difference for predicting the prognosis between the good (PR or SD) and poor overall responders (p = 0.02). CONCLUSION: The response outcome evaluations using the three different CT response criteria that reflect tumor cavitation, the ground-glass opacity component and the attenuation changes in NSCLC patients treated with bevacizumab showed different results from that with using the traditional RECIST method.
Angiogenesis Inhibitors/*therapeutic use ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/*therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung/*drug therapy/pathology/*radiography ; Disease Progression ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/*drug therapy/pathology/*radiography ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pilot Projects ; Prognosis ; Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted ; Retrospective Studies ; Salvage Therapy ; Survival Rate ; *Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Treatment Outcome

OBJECTIVE: PCB cervical instrument is a newly introduced fusion device which comprises cervical plate, cage (spacer) and screw system. It is developed to enhance fusion rate and stability, as well as to reduce complications related to hardware failure. We investigated the efficacy of clinical and radiological results of PCB instrument and Lubboc bone. METHODS: From August, 1998 to October, 1999, authors performed 54 cases of anterior cervical interbody fusion with PCB instrument and Lubboc bone. Retrospective analysis was undertaken based on clinical and radiological findings. Clinical improvement was evaluated according to Odom's criteria. Cervical plain films and tomography were taken every 2 months to evaluate the degree of interbody fusion and disc height changes. RESULTS: Bone fusion was observed in 36 cases(90%) over 6 months after operation, and during which time there was no significant interval change. There were 3 cases of hardware dislodgement. Disc height was increased significantly and preserved in all cases. Clinical outcome over good degree was seen more than 94% of patients. CONCLUSION: Longer follow-up period and comparative studies to similar instrument appear to be necessary, but this instrumentation system has shown high fusion rate and fewer adverse effects in our series. We believe this system might be indicated for the treatment of cervical trauma and degenerative disease in selective cases.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies

Broncho-esophageal fistula(BEF) is an uncommon clinical entity which can cause severe suppurative lung disease. Acquired fistulas between the esophagus and tracheobronchial tree are relatively uncommon. They are caused by many diseases including malignancy and chronic inflammation such as tuberculosis and have favorable outcome with proper treatment. To our knowledge, there has been no description of patients with BEF due to the bronchiectasis. We report a case of broncho-esophageal fistula in association with bronchiectasis in a 35-year-old male patient with hemoptysis. Bronchoscopy revealed mild bleeding from the superior segment of the right lower lobe without specific endobronchial lesion. Barium esophagogram could not confirm the fistula. The diagnosis of a broncho-esophageal fistula was established by an esophagogastroscopy using fistulogram and subsequent bronchoscopy, in which the communication between the bronchial tree and the esophagus was demonstrated by instilling dye selectively through the fistulous opening using esophagogastroscopy and visualizing the fistula and the bronchial tree. The patient was treated with resection of the right lower lobe, extirpation of the diverticulum and surgical closure of the bronchial defect and fistula, but he suffered from pneumonia thereafter and eventually expired due to sepsis and multiple organ failure.
Adult ; Barium ; Bronchiectasis* ; Bronchoscopy ; Diagnosis ; Diverticulum ; Esophagus ; Fistula* ; Hemoptysis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lung Diseases ; Male ; Multiple Organ Failure ; Pneumonia ; Sepsis ; Tuberculosis

PURPOSE: We evaluated the prognostic significance of p53 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen(PCNA) in stage III gastric carcinoma to determine the correlation between the p53 and PCNA expression and various clinicopathological parameters. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The expression of p53 and PCNA were studied immunohistochemically in 64 cases of stage III gastric carcinomas with paraffin-embedded tissue specimens which were obtained surgically at the department of surgery, Presbyterian Medical Center from 1991 to 1992. Both expression were compared with known factors of prognosis. Survival rate and other clinicopathological parameters were analysed. RESULTS: Expression rates of p53 and high PCNA group were 40.6% and 26.6%, respectively. There was no significant correlation between the p53 and PCNA expression and various clinicopathological variables such as age, sex, stage, histology, tumor depth, number of metastatic node, tumor size, site and method of operation. To analyse survival, we evaluated overall survival according to the extent of p53 and PCNA expression. No significant correlations between the p53 and PCNA expression and overall survival were found. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the p53 and PCNA expression seems to be hard to use as a prognostic indicator in stage III gastric carcinoma.
Prognosis ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen* ; Protestantism ; Survival Rate

Anthropological study on human skeletons from Joseon tomb, for confirming Ryu Ja-Gwang, a famous historical figure of medieval Korea. Ryu Ja-Gwang was the famous figure of Joseon Dynasty who achieved great successes in royal court. According to the records in Joseon Dynasty, he tried to hide his own tomb after death under the apprehension that the political enemies might do harm to his corpse. In 1974, the descendants of Younggwang Ryu clan discovered a Joseon tomb that was lost for the past several hundred years. Since they suspected if the tomb might be their legendary ancestor's, anthropological studies were asked to be done on the skeletons collected from the tomb. In our study, the estimated stature of a male from the tomb was 160.5+/-3.8 cm. The age at death was estimated to be 58.6+/-5.2. He seems to have been suffered from diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH), the disease prevalent among the people taking high-caloric diets. Since nuclear DNA could not be amplified in this case, the personal identification of the dead person could not be successfully traced by molecular techniques. Taken together, we could not conclude that the skeletons were those of Ryu Ja-Gwang because the radiocarbon dating, age at death or height data could not be well matched with those described in historical documents. Even so, this study could be significant to the related researchers because it was one of the first trials to identify debatable historical figure using various anthropological techniques. Considering that the anthropological studies on famous historical people have been performed briskly, our study could be the basis for the similar studies in Korea, performed in near future.
Cadaver ; Diet ; DNA ; Humans ; Hyperostosis, Diffuse Idiopathic Skeletal ; Korea ; Male ; Radiometric Dating ; Skeleton ; Tooth