Serum samples from 123 males and 123 females collected by age in 1996 were analyzed for antibodies against surface antigen of Hepatitis B virus and C22-3, C200 antigens of Hepatitis C virus. Sera from the children under the age of 10 showed 30% seropositivity to the surface antigen of Hepatitis B virus, 33.3% in 10~19 year group, 20% in 20~29 year group, 17.6% in 30~39 year group, 3.3% in 40~49 year group, 5.9% in 50~59 year group, 8,3% in 60~69 year group, 2.9% in 70~79 year group, but antibody could not found in 80~86 year group. 12 out of 123 male sera were positive, 19 out of 123 female sera were positive and overall rate of positivity of antibody against surface antigen of Hepatitis B virus was 12.6%. Serum samples from peoples under the age of 30 had not antibody against C22-3, C200 antigens of Hepatitis C virus. The positivity rate was 2.9% in 30~39 year group. 5 out of 30 sera from 40~49 year age group were positive, and 3 positive sera showed extremely high titer (1:524,288) but the titers of two remaining sera were 1:32, 1:8,192 respectively. 5.9% was positive in 50~59 year group, 8.3% in 60~69 year group, 11.8% in 70~79 year group but all negative in 80~86 yea. group. 6 out of 123 male sera were positive (4.9%), 9 out of 123 female sera were positive (7.3%). Overall .ate of positivity of antibody against C22-3, C200 antigen of Hepatitis C virus was 6.1%. None out of 246 sera had both antibodies against Hepatitis B virus and Hepatitis C virus.
Antibodies* ; Antigens, Surface ; Child ; Female ; Hepacivirus* ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis C* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans* ; Male

The parathyroid cyst is a relatively uncommon disease and usually identified during the operation for a presumed thyroid mass. Thirteen cases of parathyroid cyst (2 males, 11 females) treated from 1981 to 1993 were reviewed. Ages ranged from 17 to 59 years(mean, 41 years). Gross measurement of the tumor size varied from 1.0 to 10.0 cm in diameter with a mean of 4.8cm. All of the 13 patients presented with a chief complaint of painless anterior cervical mass. Only one complained of mild symptom of dyspnea and voice change due to huge cyst in paratracheal space. No functional cyst was identified. Diagnostic studies included ^99mTc thyroid scan (n=11), ultrasonography (n=10), computerized tomography (n=4) and fine needle aspiration(FNA) (preoperative, n=4; intraoperative, n=3). All diagnostic precedures but needle aspiration were nonspecific. Cysts were found in right inferior parathyroid(n=4), left inferior parathyroid (n=7), or anterior superior mediastinum (n=2). The FNA of the cyst contents revealed watery clear fluid with elevated parathyroid hormone level and was diagnostic in each cases. Four patients were treated initially with needle aspiration, of which only one patient was successful, and 3 patients who were unsuccessful to needle aspiration and the remaining 9 were effectively treated with surgical extirpation. Our experience suggested that needle aspiration may be of significant help in diagnosis and treatment of parathyroid cyst, but most of the patient could be treated successfully by surgical extirpation with an excellent chance for curability.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Humans ; Male ; Mediastinum ; Needles ; Parathyroid Hormone ; Thyroid Gland ; Ultrasonography ; Voice

The emergency arteriography have been performed in a total of 13 patiens with extermity trauma, including 9fractures, 3 blunting traumas, and 1 penetrating injury. over 17 months period. The indications were as follows:absent or diminishe pulse, swelling, sensory or motor deficit , and hypotension. Patients with an absent pulse,the most reliable indication of arterial injury, should have immediate arteriography. The superficial femoralartery was commonly injured especially with distal femoral shaft fracture. The most common arteriographic findingswas arterial occlusion.
Angiography ; Emergencies ; Extremities ; Humans ; Hypotension

The postoperative levels of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and the actual half life (T1/2) of CEA were evaluated to ascertain their potency in predicting the recurrence of colorectal cancer after curative surgery in patients who had an abnormally high level of preoperative carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA, > or = 5 ng/ml). Ninety-four patients who underwent curative surgery were enrolled and 24 patients (25.5%) had recurrence during the follow-up period (median: 30 months, range: 2-69 months). T1/2 of CEA for all patients ranged from 1.2 days to 88.1 days, with a median of 4.4 days. T1/2 of CEA (mean +/- standard deviation) was 11.7 +/- 17.9 days in recurrent patients, whereas it was 6.2 +/- 4.9 days in patients without recurrence (p = 0.0224). The patients' age, gender, size of the tumor, location of the tumor, pre-, and postoperative CEA level, pathologic type of the tumor and Dukes stage had no significance in recurrence. The 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year disease-free survival rates were 95.1%, 81.1%, and 73.8% in patients with postoperative CEA levels less than 5 ng/ml (n = 62), respectively, and 71.4%, 64.8%, and 64.8% in patients with postoperative CEA levels higher than or equal to 5 ng/ml (n = 32), respectively (p = 0.04). Patients were divided into Group S (T1/2 of CEA < 4.4 days, n = 43) and Group L (T1/2 of CEA > or = 4.4 days, n = 51). The 1-year, 2-year, and 5-year disease-free survival rates were 95.3%, 85.1%, and 77.7% in Group S, respectively, and 80%, 67.5%, and 64.1% in Group L, respectively (p = 0.0261). In conclusion, the disease-free survival of colorectal cancer patients was prolonged in patients who had a short T1/2 of CEA or a low level of postoperative CEA. In high-risk colorectal cancer patients with an abnormally high level of preoperative CEA, recurrence may be predicted by checking an early postoperative CEA level and/or by a simple calculation of the actual half life of CEA.
Adolescence ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen/blood* ; Colorectal Neoplasms/surgery* ; Colorectal Neoplasms/blood* ; Female ; Half-Life ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local ; Postoperative Period ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Animals ; Gonadal Steroid Hormones* ; Rats*

BACKGROUND: Due to its high diagnostic accuracy, preoperative sonographic evaluation of gallbladder disease is accepted as the most reliable and effective procedure. However we have encountered, though not so often, cases in which the sonographic tumor revealed only sludge material in reality. METHODS: A retrospective review of 11 cases that had been preoperatively diagnosed as a gallbladder mass or stone focused on the features of the patients and the characteristics of the sonographic findings. RESULTS: Of the cholecystectomized 2486 cases in which gallstones or gallbladder polyps had been preoperatively diagnosed, 0.4% had only sludge in reality. Symptomatic patients were 7 (64%). Pseudo- tumorous lesions of the gallbladder resembled the shapes of the stones, as well as the shapes of polyps, in their echogenic characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: Gallbladder sludge alone can make the sonographic image of a stone or a polyp. The application of more advanced sonography, such as contrast-enhanced Doppler sonography, may contribute to the differential diagnosis of pseudo-tumorous lesions of the gallbladder; however, an indefinite lesion on sonography always deserves operative intervention.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Gallbladder Diseases ; Gallbladder* ; Gallstones ; Humans ; Polyps ; Retrospective Studies ; Sewage* ; Ultrasonography*

No abstract available.
Asthma* ; Asthma, Exercise-Induced ; Bronchoconstriction* ; Child* ; Humans

PURPOSE: We observed the actual half life of the alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) had clinical meaning in that it reflected the long term prognosis more individually at a certain level of preoperative alpha-fetoprotein. METHODS: From preoperative and postoperative measurements of alpha-fetoprotein in 96 hepatocellular carcinomas the actual half lives were calculated with the formula: AHL T1/2 (days) = -0.3x(T/log(C1/C0)), where T was the time interval between C1 and C0, in which C1 meant the level of AFP at postoperative 7 day, C0 the original AFP level. We investigated overall survival and disease free survival rate between delayed AHL group and non-delayed AHL group under various definitions of delay. RESULTS: The average actual half life of all cases was 5.1+/-13.6 days. One, three and five year overall survival rates of the group with actual half life less than 4 days were 82.1%, 66.7%, 61.1% respectively, whereas those of the group with actual half life more than 4 days showed 83.0%, 36.5%, 18.2% respectively. The significance of different survival rates was much higher, when only the patients with preoperative alpha-fetoprotein above 100 ng/ml were taken into account (n=53, P=0.0019). The disease free five year survival rates were also significantly different. CONCLUSION: We can predict the elevated postoperative survival rate in the patients with actual half life of alpha-fetoprotein less than 4 days. And this has also relevant clinical meaning in the prognostication of disease free survival, if the preoperative alpha-fetoprotein of patients has elevated up to over 100 ng/ml. The measurement of actual half life of postoperative hepatocellular carcinoma patientscan be a clinical useful parameter for the prognosis of long term survival.
alpha-Fetoproteins* ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Half-Life* ; Humans ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate

The potential for sebaceous nevi to evolve into secondary benign or malignant EuIror is well recognized. In general, malignant transformation does not occur until postpubertal life. We experienced a case of basal cell epithelioma arising in a nevus sebaceous on a 12-year-old boy´s parietal scalp. We recommended that surgical excision should be undertaken as early as possible to detect the malignant transformation of nevus sebaceous.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Child ; Humans ; Nevus* ; Rabeprazole ; Scalp

A case of Korean hemorrhagic fevery confirmed by fluorescent antibody technique in a 8years old boy was reported with a brief review of references.
Fluorescent Antibody Technique* ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome* ; Humans ; Male