While there have been not a few reports on the seroepidemiological characteristics of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in Korea, most of them, however, have had several limitations; operational definition of HBV infection, validity of detection methods of HBV serologic markers, size of the study population, and confirmation of the vaccination history against HBV, etc. In order to avoid such limitations, authors randomly selected 1,495 healthy adults among the 217,511 insured (target population) of Korean Medical Insurance Corporation, living in seoul, and tested HBV(HBsAg, anti-HBs and anti-HBc) of all the subjects were tested, 392(26.2%) of interview failure cases 742 nonvaccinee were excluded from the actual population. Finally, the serologic markers tested of 742 nonvaccinee (study population) only were analyzed for the seroepidemiologic observation of the natural infection of HBV. The seroepidemiological characteristics of HBV infection in Korea were as follows ; 1 Point prevalence of HBs antigenemia was 11.7(9.1-14.3)% in male, which was slightly higher than that of female, 9.5(3.7-15.3)%. This level was one of the highest among those of Asian-Pacific countries. Decreasing tendency of HBsAg prevalence after the age of 50 was observed, which seems to be due to selective attrition of HBV chronic carriers among the healthy adults and/or to the limited-lasting duration of the HBs antigenemia, in part. 2. Point prevalence of anti-HBc(78.8% in male, 50.9% in female) was higher than that of anti-HBs(65.2% in male, 46.6% in female), respectively. And both of them were higher in male than in female. Increasing tendency of the prevalence of both antibodies was observed by age, which seems to be largely due to recurrent infection in adults and to some cumulative effect, in part, of their relatively longer-lasting duration. 3. The level of HBV infection defined by positive for at least one of the 3 serologic markers of HBV by RIA method was 84.7(81.8-87.6)% in male and 61.2(51.9-70.5)% in female, which was also one of the highest among those of Asian-Pacific countries. The proportion of susceptible population to HBV infection among healthy adults was 15.3% in male and 38.8% in female. 4. The relative frequency of current or past infection and chronic carrier among HBV infected person was estimated. The currently or past infected was estimated 75.7% in male and 71.8% in female, and chronic carrier state, 13.8% in male and 14.1% in female. The analysis of the geometric mean of the antibody titer in anti-HBs positive sera indicated also to be compatible with the above findings, suggesting that active, even though inapparent, infection of HBV occur so frequently among healthy adults in Korea.
Adult* ; Antibodies ; Carrier State ; Female ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Insurance ; Korea ; Male ; Prevalence ; Radioimmunoassay ; Seoul* ; Vaccination

No abstract available.
Adrenalectomy*

Nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is a relatively rare, but is a well known tumor that occurs almost in male, most frequently during the adolescent stage. Its character is histologically benign but clinically malignant because of locally invasive character to the adjascent structures, massive bleeding tendency during surgical procedure and high recurrence rate after treatment. Recently many advancements diagnostic method and surgical technique has reached satisfactory result in treating this difficult tumor. The authors present a case of nasopharyngeal angiofibroma in 16 years old male patient, who was received surgical removal of the tumor through the transpalatal approach after full diagnostic evaluation and preoperative hormonal therapy.
Adolescent ; Angiofibroma* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Male ; Methods ; Recurrence

STUDY DESIGN: Thirteen patients with cervical interlocked facets dislocation in whom closed reduction by skull traction was failed were evaluated about the patterns of ruptured disc fragment. Objects : To evaluate the causes of failure at closed reduction, and the relation between ruptured discs and interlocked facets, and the treatment results through an anterior approach. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: In traumatic dislocation of the cervical facet joints, spinal cord or nerve roots injury associated with the ruptured disc fragment has been reported. However, there is few report evaluating the patterns of ruptured disc fragment as a cause of reduction failure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1988 and 1997, thirteen patients were treated by anterior fusion with plate after complete removal of the intervertebral disc through anterior approach and reduction of interlocked facets by O1iveira method. They have been followed for an average of 36 months(range : 12-96 months). The interlocking was bilateral in seven cases and unilateral in six cases. We assessed the types of ruptured disc fragment by preoperative MRI and CT and the clinical and radiological results. RESULTS: Ruptured disc fragment was found in all thirteen patients with interlocked facets dislocation. The patterns of ruptured discs were within the uncovertebral joints in 5 cases, posterioly under the posterior longitudinal ligament in 3 cases, anteriorly under intact anterior longitudinal ligament in 3 cases and combined under the anterior and posterior longitudinal ligament in 2 cases. The displacement of ruptured disc fragment were seemed to be the cause of failure in closed reduction. CONCLUSIONS: Intervertebral disc injury should be evaluated carefully with MRI and CT in the lower cervical interlocked facet dislocations before trial of reduction or decision makings of treatment.
Dislocations* ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Joints ; Longitudinal Ligaments ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Skull ; Spinal Cord ; Spine* ; Traction ; Zygapophyseal Joint

This study was undertaken to investigate the effect of UVB radiation on epidermal melanoctes of C57BIL mouse, The results are summarized as follows : l) The numerical increase of DOPA positive melanocytes following UVB irradiation was due to both of active mitosis of epidermal melanocytes and the conversion of dormant. malanocytes to DOPA-positive melsnocytes. 2) Long term effects of UVB irradiatinn on the epidermal melanocytes suggest the persistent activation of typrosinase in UVB irradiated melanocytes.
Animals ; Dihydroxyphenylalanine ; Melanocytes* ; Mice* ; Microscopy, Electron ; Mitosis

Hypernephroma comprises about 85-90% of renal malignancy in adults. The natural course of hypernephroma isvery diverse and unpredictable from abrupt explosive growth with wide spread metastasis to asymptomatic slowgrowth for several years. Reports from aliens indicated that hypernephroma with histopathological papillary growthpattern has better prognosis and more frequently hypovascular on renal angiography and less echogenic onultrasonography than non-papillary hypernephroma. Reviewed here retrospectively all the patients who were admittedand diagnosed as hypernephroma histopathologically at the Severance Hospital from March, 1973 through September,1984, in respective of angiographic vascularity, ultrasonographic echogenicity, histopathologic cell type andgrowth pattern, and following results were obtained. 1. The incidence of calcification in hypernephroma was 7cases out of 53 cases(13%). The incidence of hypernephroma according to cell type was clear cell type 20 cases(56%), mixed cell type 11 cases (31%), granular cell type 4 cases (11%), sarcomatous cell type 1 case(2%). Theincidence of hypernephroma according to growth pattern was papillary growth pattern 14 cases(45%) andnon-papillary growth pattern 17 cases(55%). 2. Renal angiographically, hypervascular hypernephroma was 19cases(73%), hypovascular hypernephromas was 6 cases(23%), all of which showed abnormal marginal vessels. 3.Angiographically hypervascular hypernephroma had high incidence of predominantly high echogenicity andangiographically hypervascular hypernephroma had high incidence of predominantly low echogenicity. 4. Clear celltype hypernephroma had high incidence of predominantly low echogenicity on ultrasonography. 5. Predominantly lowechogneic hypernephroma had high incidence of papillary growth pattern and predominantly high echogenichypernephroma had high incidence of non-papillary growth pattern. In summary, clear cell type hypernephroma hadhigh incidence of hypovascularity angiographically and hypovascularity on angiography was correlated withpredominantly low echogenicity on ultrasonography, and predominantly low echognicity had high incidence ofpapillary hypernephroma which was reported to have more good prognosis than non-papillary hypernephroma. So, itcan be suggested that if a hypernephroma show hypovascularity on angiography or predominantly low echogenicity onultrasonography, it has a good prognosis than hypervascular or predominantly high echogenic hypernephroma.
Adult ; Angiography ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell ; Emigrants and Immigrants ; Humans ; Incidence ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Arthroplasty* ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip*

The soleal line in 115 (left; 61, right; 54) cases of tibiae was studied morphometrically by the method of Mysorekar and Nandedkar. 1. The soleal line showed a uniform character throughout in 26 cases and a mixed characters in 89 cases. The bones showing uniform character were seen generally as a lineal line or wide line. 2. The soleal line having mixed characters divided into three parts. In the upper and middle thirds, the major type of line was wide line. In the lower third, the line was commonly seen as a lineal line. In about 12% of the bones examined the line was seen as a groove, particularly in the middle and lower thirds. 3. The soleal line commenced 1-2cm below the fibular facet In about 61% of cases. 4. The length of the soleal line was 10.5cm, and the ratio to that of the tibia was about 30%. The results of this study provide the characters of the soleal tne of the tibia in Korean. The soleal line, unlike the textbook description, generally shows mixed characters of a line.
Methods ; Tibia*

This study was designed to investigate the effects on count, size, and morphology of human corneocytes when the skin is irritated with a rough towel. The desquamating portion of the stratum corneum was sampled with the detergent scrub technique every other day for 12 days. The following parameters were measured; numerical count, size (surface (mu)2), and shape (regular, irregular). Corneocytes from skin irritated with a rough towel differed from those of normal skin in that they were diminished by about 60% in count and were 14% smaller in size on the first experimental day. These parameters became normalized in count after 10 days and in size after 5 days respectively. On the morphological classification of the cell outlines, there were no significant differences from the control groupts except that there were slightly increased numbers of irregular cells in the experimental groups.
Adult ; Baths* ; Bedding and Linens* ; Epidermis/cytology* ; Human ; Male

BACKGROUND: Long-term phototherapy can induce the changes of photoaging and it is reported that there is an increased chance of cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas in patients exposed to large amounts of UV radiation. OBJECTIVE: The main objective was to investigate the degree of photoaging and the presence of p53 mutations in normal skin in patients undergoing long-term phototherapy. METHOD: We performed hematoxylin-eosin and special stains, p53 and p21 immunohistochemical stains and polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) on the normal skin of patients subject to long-term UV therapy. RESULT: 1. The typical features of photoaging were not observed in patients undergoing long-term UV therapy. 2. In p53 immunohistochemical staining performed at 1 week after cessation of long-term PUVA treatment, the patient group with a culmulated UV dosage of more than 1,000J/cm2 demonstrated an increased number of p53 positive epidermal cells compared to exposed as well as unexposed normal skins. 3. The patterns of p21 immunohistochemical staining performed at 1 week after cessation of long-term PUVA and UVB treatments were similar to that of p53 immunohistochemical staining performed at 1 week after cessation of phototherapy. 4. In p53 immunohistochemical staining performed at 4 months after cessation of UV treatment, the number of p53 positive epidermal cells decreased significantly compared to that of p53 positive epidermal cells found at 1 week after cessation of UV treatment. 5. The mutation of p53 genes was not found in PCR-SSCP analysis of biopsied skins done at 1 week after cessation of long-term PUVA and UVB treatment. CONCLUSION: Long-term phototherapy did not induce the typical changes of photoaging and p53 overexpression in the epidermis of UV treated skin was a reactive process. Therefore, UV therapy can be a relatively safe treatment modality, although a closer observation for cutaneous malignancy is warrented in the patients whose cumulated UV dosage is much higher than 1,000J/cm2.
Aging* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Coloring Agents ; Epidermis ; Genes, p53 ; Humans* ; Phototherapy ; Skin*