BACKGROUND: The HLA system is known to be the most polymorphic genetic system in human and there are characteristic racial differences in the distribution of HLA antigens, alleles, and haplotypes. This study was performed to examine the frequency of HLA antigens, alleles and haplotypes in Koreans. METHODS: Two thousand healthy Koreans registered for unrelated bone marrow donors were subject to the study. HLA-A, B and C antigens were typed by the serological method, and HLA-DR DNA typing (low resolution) was done by PCR and reverse hybridization. HLA allele and haplotype frequencies and linkage disequilibrium values were calculated by the maximun likelihood method using the computer program of the 11th International Histocompatibility Workshop. RESULTS: HLA antigens identified in 2000 Koreans were 14 in A locus, 33 in B locus, 8 in C locus and 12 in DR locus. Alleles showing frequencies of more than 10% in decreasing order of frequency In each HLA locus were A2, A24, A33, All, B44, B62; CBL, Cw3, Cwl, Cw7, DR4, DR2, DRl3, DR8, and DR9. Among A-B, C-B, B-DR 2-locus haplotypes, A33-B44, A30-B13, Al-B37, Cwl-B54, Cw4-B62, B7-DR1, B37-DR10 showed strong positive linkage disequilibrium (Chi-square > 1000). The most common A-B-DR haplotypes in Koreans occurring at frequency of more than 2% were A33-B44-DRl3 (4.8%), A33-B58-DRl3 (3.2%), A33-B44-DR7 (2.6%), All-B62-DR4 (2.3%), A24-B7-DR1 (2.3%), and A30-Bl3-DR7 (2.1%) Comparison of the distribution of A-B-DR haplotypes among east Asian populations reveals that Koreans are most close to Japanese, but show higher degree of polymorphism in the distribution of HLA haplotypes compared to Japanese. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained in this study can be used as basic data for Koreans in the fields of organ transplantation, disease association studies and anthropologic studies.
Alleles ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Bone Marrow ; DNA Fingerprinting ; Education ; Haplotypes* ; Histocompatibility ; HLA Antigens* ; HLA-A Antigens ; HLA-DR Antigens ; Humans ; Linkage Disequilibrium ; Organ Transplantation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants

Osteoblastoma is a rare benign bone tumor and is characterized hitologically by an abundant number of osteoblasts and by the presence of s large amount of osteoid tissue in a highly vascular matrix. The lesion is frequently encountered in children and adolescents with most of the cases occuring between the ages of 10 and 25 years. There is significant sex prevalence (M.: F.=2: 1). Up to now there has been few reports of a benign osteoblastoma occuring in the cervical spine. This report describes a boy of a benign osteoblastoma which involved the cervical vertebral arch and spinous process, presenting with pain and limitation of motion. He was given en-bloc resection of tumor mass and confirmed by histological examination. Postoperation result was good and he goes school without any problem in about 12 months of follow up.
Adolescent ; Child ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Osteoblastoma ; Osteoblasts ; Prevalence ; Spine

No abstract available.
Aneurysm* ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Spinal Cord Vascular Diseases*

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate changes in the plasma level of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) after Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) for the treatment of meningioma. METHODS: Fourteen patients with meningiomas had peripheral venous blood collected at the time of GKRS and at 1 week, 1 month, 3 month and 6 month visits. Plasma VEGF levels were measured using commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. For controls, peripheral blood samples were obtained from 20 healthy volunteers. RESULTS: The mean plasma VEGF level (29.6 pg/mL) in patients with meningiomas before GKRS was significantly lower than that of the control group (62.4 pg/mL, p=0.019). At 1 week after GKRS, the mean plasma VEGF levels decreased to 23.4 pg/mL, and dropped to 13.9 pg/mL at 1 month, 14.8 pg/mL at 3 months, then increased to 27.7 pg/mL at 6 months. Two patients (14.3%) with peritumoral edema (PTE) showed a level of VEGF 6 months after GKRS higher than their preradiosurgical level. There was no significant association found in an analysis of correlation between PTE and tumor size, marginal dose, age, and sex. CONCLUSION: Our study is first in demonstrating changes of plasma VEGF after stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) for meningioma. This study may provide a stimulus for more work related to whether measurement of plasma level has a correlation with tumor response after SRS for meningioma.
Edema ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Meningioma* ; Plasma* ; Radiosurgery* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

No abstract available.
Femur Neck* ; Fractures, Stress*

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) can be used to assess the therapeutic response of brain abscess. METHODS: A study was conducted on 10 consecutive patients with brain abscess. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with diffuse-weighted imaging (DWI) was performed at 3 and 6 weeks after surgical treatment and intravenous antibiotics therapy and FDG-PET at 6 weeks after treatment. The extent of the abscess, signal changes on MRI, and FDG-PET standardized uptake values were analyzed and correlated with the response to therapy. RESULTS: Aspiration or craniotomy with excision of the abscess followed by intravenous antibiotics for 6-8 weeks resulted in good recovery with no recurrence. In 10 patients, two had low signal intensity on the DWI; one had no uptake on FDG-PET imaging after 6 weeks antibiotics and discontinued intravenous treatment, but the other patient had diffuse, increased uptake on FDG-PET imaging after 6 weeks antibiotics and underwent an additional 2 weeks of intravenous antibiotics. The remaining eight patients had high signals on the DWI. Four had no uptake on FDG-PET imaging and the treatment period varied from 6 to 8 weeks (mean, 6.75 weeks). Among the other four patients, FDG was accumulated in a diffuse or local area corresponding to a high signal area within the DWI and 2 weeks of intravenous antibiotics was added. CONCLUSION: MRI plus FDG-PET improved the accuracy of assessing therapeutic responses to antibiotics treatment of brain abscess and aided in optimizing therapy.
Abscess ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Brain ; Brain Abscess ; Craniotomy ; Electrons ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Recurrence

No abstract available.
Humans