Four subtypes of hepatitis B surface antigen are useful in the epidemiologic studies of the route of virus transmission and clinical significance of simultaneous occurance of hepatitis B surface antigen and antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen in the same serum as well as useful marker for population migration. The sera were obtained from 214 HBs Ag positive patients who are diagnosed as chronic liver disease and following up in the Yeungnam university hospital. The subtypes were determined by solid-phase sandwich EM using monoclonal antibodies. Among 214 specimens, the subtype adr was 93.9%, adw was 2.8%, ayr was 0.9%, ar was 0.9%, adwr was 1.4% and ayw was not detected. There were no correlation between subtype pattern and disease. In summary, the subtype adr was prominent in our study and the difference of subtype pattern by severity of disease was not significant. However, to determine the prognostic value of HBs Ag subtype and relationship between subtype and disease progression, long-term follow up will be needed.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Disease Progression ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver*

Chemotherapy-induced acral erythema (CIAE) is an uncommon, self-limited local skin reaction that usually occurs after high-dose chemotherapy. There is no specific treatment for this disease and it disappears within three to five weeks. In this case report, we present a 16-year-old female with acute lymphoblastic leukemia who developed severe CIAE. The lesions appeared as a well-defined erythema of the hands, feet, and back with symmetrically well-defined borders 5 days after low-dose MTX treatment. The erythema progressed to bullae formation and desquamation. It resolved spontaneously within 2 weeks. CIAE is very uncommon in children; however we should consider acral erythema as a differential diagnosis when bullous skin reaction occurs in a patient who receives chemotherapy.
Adolescent ; Child ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Drug Therapy ; Erythema ; Female ; Foot ; Hand ; Hand-Foot Syndrome ; Humans ; Methotrexate ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Skin

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a group coaching program (GCP) on depression, anxiety, and hope in women breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. METHODS: A total of 152 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to an experimental group receiving the GCP (N=76) and an untreated control group (N=76). Data collection consisted of three measurements of depression, anxiety, and hope (pre, post, and 3weeks later). The intervention was a one-time GCP consisting of 5 subparts for 30~40 minutes for a group of 3~4 people, conducted by a single nurse. RESULTS: The scores of depression, anxiety, and hope changed significantly over time (p<.001, p<.001, p<.001). Depression, anxiety, and hope changes were significantly different between the experimental and control groups (p<.001, p<.001, p<.001). There was a difference in depression, anxiety, and hope among the groups according to the implementation of the GCP (p<.001, p<.001, p<.001). In the experimental group, depression, anxiety, and hope level were significantly different between the pre- and post-test (p<.001), pre- and 3weeks later-test (p<.001), but not in the control group. CONCLUSION: The GCP for women breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy was effective in reducing depression and anxiety, and increasing hope.
Anxiety* ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Data Collection ; Depression* ; Drug Therapy* ; Female ; Hope* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: We performed competitive nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to evaluate the clinical utility of quantitative measurement of HBV DNA by PCR and it's correlation with other serologic hepatits B markers. Because hepatitis markers such as HBsAg, HBeAg, anti-HBe can not accurately reflect the replication of hepatitis B virus (HBV). METHODS: The internal standard was generated from the HBV core gene by point mutation, which would result in restriction site for the restriction enzyme Eco RI and performed competitive nested PCR followed by densitometric scanning of the amplified products of agarose gel. RESULTS: The sensitivity of nested PCR was 5 molecules in direct observation of agarose gel, but because of the background effect as taking polaroid photo graph it was 50 molecules by using densitometer. When DNA pellets for original 250 microL serum were diluted with 40 microL distilled water the low detection limit was 5.0 x10(3) molecules/microL, however it could be lowered when less diluted. Lower detection limit of densitometer was 6.25 pg by twofold serial dilution of 100 pg of purified HBV DNA PCR products, and regression showed y=0.93x-0.33 (y : density, x : concentration, 6.25 pg considered as 6.25 density). The reproducibility of the densitometer from high concentration was 4.3 +/-0.6 x10(6) molecules/microL(mean +/-SD, CV 14%), and low concentration was 3.7 +/-0.7 x10(4) molecules/microL(mean +/-SD, CV : 20%) Higher concentration of HBV DNA in HBeAg positive cases comparing with HBeAg negative cases was statistically significant (p<0.01). There was no correlation between HBV DNA concentration and serum value of alanine aminotransferase. CONCLUSION: Quantification of HBV DNA should be very useful in clinical follow-up of Post-therapy Patients and in anticipating Prognosis and infectivity of the disease, especially in cases of atypical hepatitis B and hepatitis B without seroconversion of routine hepatitis B markers. The shortcoming of the method seemed to be a rough estimate of HBV concentration as measuring the ratio of specimen/internal standard of two consecutive concentration among 10 folds serially diluted internal standard.
Alanine Transaminase ; Deoxyribonuclease EcoRI ; DNA ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Limit of Detection ; Point Mutation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Prognosis ; Sepharose ; Water

OBJECTIVE: The overexpression of p16(INK4A) is induced by human papillomavirus (HPV) and associated with the carcinogenesis of cervical epithelia. So, immunostaining of p16(INK4A) may be useful biomarker in detecting CIN of cervix uteri in abnormal cervical lesions. The potential of p16(INK4A) as a biomarker for Atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) examined in liquid-based specimens. METHODS: We collected samples 30 cases of ASCUS in Thinprep(TM) smears between March 2003 and August 2003. 23 control Thinprep(TM) cases were included; 10 negative for intraepithelial lesions, 13 cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions. p16(INK4A) immunochemial staining was performed on 53samples. At the same time, we tested another cervical swabs of patients by the Hybrid Capture II(TM) test. The cut off value was scored positive if it contained above 5 abnormal cells with nuclear and cytoplasmic immunostaining. RESULTS: The results of p16(INK4A) immunochemial staining comparing with one of HC II(TM) showed negative results with low kappa coefficient of 0.034. The sensitivity of p16(INK4A) immunochemial staining were 30.8% and the specificity were 82.4% respectively (p<0.01). p16(INK4A) is a useful marker for the detection of the cervical intraepithelial neoplasia but is not ASCUS. CONCLUSION: Immunostaining of p16(INK4A) is not useful triage test in detecting abnormal lesion of ASCUS in liquid-based specimens.
Carcinogenesis ; Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia ; Cervix Uteri ; Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16* ; Cytoplasm ; Female ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Triage

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection appears to subvert the human iron regulatory mechanism and thus upregulates hepcidin, resulting in unexplained iron-deficiency anemia (IDA). We evaluated serum prohepcidin levels before and after eradication of H. pylori in IDA patients to assess whether it plays a role in IDA related to H. pylori infection. METHODS: Subjects diagnosed with unexplained IDA underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and colonoscopy to confirm H. pylori infection and to exclude gastrointestinal bleeding. Blood was sampled before treatment to eradicate H. pylori and again 1 month later. Serum prohepcidin levels were measured using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. RESULTS: Serum prohepcidin levels decreased significantly after oral iron replacement combined with H. pylori eradication (p = 0.011). The reduction ratio of serum prohepcidin levels after the treatment did not differ among the combined oral iron replacement and H. pylori eradication groups, the H. pylori eradication only group, and the iron replacement only group (p = 0.894). CONCLUSIONS: Serum prohepcidin levels decrease after both H. pylori eradication and oral iron administration, with improvement in IDA. Serum concentration of prohepcidin is related to the anemia status, rather than to the current status of H. pylori infection, in IDA patients.
Administration, Oral ; Adult ; Aged ; Anemia, Iron-Deficiency/*blood/drug therapy/*microbiology ; Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides/*blood ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Helicobacter Infections/*blood/*complications/pathology ; *Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Iron/administration & dosage ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prospective Studies ; Protein Precursors/*blood ; Severity of Illness Index

Chronic osteomyelitis is often considered difficult to treat and may lead to refratory condition in oral and maxillofacial region. Clinical features of chronic osteomyelitis includes pain, swelling, pus discharge, and radiographic change. There are many kinds of treatment of chronic osteomyelitis. One of the most important factors in treating osteomyelitis are removal of infectious foci and administration of massive antibiotics. Recently we reviewed 29 patients with chronic osteomyelitis who visited in our department and treated successfully with our treatment protocols, consisting of surgical intervention and intravenous antibiotics for 2 weeks, and followed by oral antibiotics for 6 weeks. It is concluded that combination of surgical intervention and antibiotic therapy are sufficient to treat the chronic osteomyelitis in oral and maxillofacial region.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Clinical Protocols ; Humans ; Osteomyelitis* ; Suppuration

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Subperiosteal abscess, the most common complication of acute mastoiditis, has traditionally been treated with mastoidectomy. We aimed in this study to investigate the effectiveness of mastoidectomy in the management of acute mastoiditis with subperiosteal abscess. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We reviewed restrospectively the charts of 19 patients who had been admitted to our hospitals with acute mastoiditis complicated with subperiosteal abscess during the years 1994-2004. RESULTS: All patients received intravenous antibiotics. While the mastoidectomy with ventilation tube insertion was done in 13 cases, 5 cases received incision and drainage of the abscess with ventilation tube insertion. In one patient who developed a subperiosteal abscess after the resolution of acute mastoiditis, only incision and drainage of the abscess was done. All cases showed complete recovery. CONCLUSION: Incision and drainage of the abscess accompanied by application of intravenous anti-biotics and ventilation tube would be an appropriate treatment for acute mastoiditis with subperiosteal abscess instead of routine mastoidectomy. or in cases with no evidence of facial nerve palsy, cholesteatoma and intracranial complications such as meningitis, cerebral abscess and sigmoid sinus thrombophlebitis etc.
Abscess ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Brain Abscess ; Cholesteatoma ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Drainage ; Facial Nerve ; Humans ; Mastoid* ; Mastoiditis* ; Meningitis ; Paralysis ; Thrombophlebitis ; Ventilation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the cause-and-effect relationship of the mastoid pneumatization and otitis media. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We assessed the volume of the mastoid pneumatization and several parameters indicating the size of the temporal bone in healthy ears and ears with chronic otitis media (COM). Forty patients with unilateral COM were used for the study, and healthy subjects were chosen as control by matched sampling of corresponding age and sex. Assessment was performed using a quantitative digital image processing computed tomography program. RESULTS: In COM patients, the mastoid volume and one variable indicating the size of the temporal bone were greater on the healthy side than on the diseased side (p<0.05). However, there was no difference in measurements between healthy controls and either healthy or the diseased ears of COM patients (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: The mastoid size may be determined genetically, and environmental factors such as infection may also affect the mastoid size. However, this study supports that environmental factors mainly determine the degree of mastoid penumatization, rather than genetic factors, as far as COM is concerned.
Ear ; Humans ; Mastoid* ; Otitis Media* ; Otitis* ; Temporal Bone

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Hyperacusis, defined as increased sound sensitivity or decreased sound tolerence, has been reported to be related to tinnitus. The purposes of this study are to investigate the audiometrical characterization of hyperacusis and to evaluate the possible effect of hyperacusis on clinical presentation in tinnitus patients. MATERIALS AND METHOD: A total of 128 tinnitus patients, who visited the Tinnitus Clinic, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital from May, 1999 to September, 2000, were included in this study. Their audiometrical study results were analyzed, and their hearing impairment was compared with those of normal controls. RESULTS: The prevalence of hyperacusis in the patients with tinnitus were as high as 37.8% according to the questionnare. Uncomfortable loudness levels to pure tone stimuli was significantly low in hyperacusis patients. In the tinnitus patients with normal hearing, the tinnitus handicap scores between hyperacusis and non-hyperacusis patients were significantly different, though the results of tinnitogram showed no difference. CONCLUSION: The hyperacusis test using pure tone stimuli may screen hyperacusic patients. It is necessary to consider the presence of hyperacusis in tinnitus patients so as to understand patient discomfort and to seek appropriate treatment modality.
Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; Hyperacusis* ; Prevalence ; Tinnitus