The hepatitis C vims(HCV) is now known to be the chief cause of transfusion-associated non-A, non-B hepatitis. The ultimate goal of blood donor screening for anti-HCV antibodies is the specific exclusion of vital carriers from the blood donor population. Recently, a third generation anti-HCV screening(Green Cross Center Innotest HCV 3.0 Genedia HCV 3.0 ) and immunoblot assay, Inno-Lia HCV Ab III (Innogenetics) using antigens derived from the core and different nonstructural regions(NS3, NS4 and Ns5) of the HCV viral genome were developed. To evaluate the usefulness of these assays, anti-HCV reaction patterns of the Inno-Lia HCV Ab III or presence of HCV-RNA detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR) were examined samples in which were repeatedly positive or discrepant with Abbott EIA-2, Innotest HCV 3.0 Genedia HCV 3.0 The reaction intensity of Innotest HCV 3.0 Genedia HCV 3.0 was higher than that of Abbott EIA-2. The sensitivity and specificity of Innotest HCV 3.0 and Genedia HCV 3.0 were 92.9% and 86.8%, respectively, and the positive and negative predictive values were 72.2% and 97.1%. both. The sensitivity and specificity of Abbott EIA-2 were 100% and 78.9%, respectively, and the positive and negative predictive values were 63.6% and 100%, respectively. We concluded that the new third generation HCV EIA reagents can decrease a false positivity of second generation EIA reagents and correlate well with detection of HCV-RNA by RT-PCR.
Blood Donors ; Genome, Viral ; Hepacivirus* ; Hepatitis C Antibodies ; Hepatitis C* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques* ; Indicators and Reagents* ; Mass Screening ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Motor evoked potentials (MEP) were elicited with transcranial cortical stimulation using a magnetic coil in 33 normal subjects and 12 ischemic stroke patients with variable degree of motor weakness. Significant side effects or pain were not encountered. Normal thenar and tibialis anterior (TA) MEP latency measured 20.9+1.4msec and 29.3+1.9msec respectively. Thenar latency correlated with arm length more than height and TA latency correlated with height. The variability of MEP amplitude was great but thenar MEP amplitude exceeded 11% of the maximum thenar M wave. Thenar and TA MEP were evoked in all uninvolved site of ischemic stroke patients to contralateral cortical stimulation. No potentials were noted in involved site of 6 among 12 patients studied thenar MEP and 5 among 7 patients studied TA MEP and their motor powers were lower than those with elicited MEP. All involved site with motor power grade 2 or less in arm and grade 3 or less in leg elicited no potential. These findings suggest that the MEP is very sensitive to ischemic injury.
Arm ; Evoked Potentials, Motor* ; Humans ; Leg ; Stroke*

This study was undertaken to make current fetal growth curve throughout later part of pregnancy. 5,110 normal singleton deliveries at Il Shin Christian Hospital were included. The 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th percentiles of birth weight were calculated from 21 to 42 weeks' gestation and the 10th, 50th, 90th percentiles of birth weight compared by fetal sex, maternal parity and height were graphed to know the potency of factors. There was a linear growth pattern between 28 and 38 weeks' gestation. During last month of prgnancy, three factors have significant effect on median birth weight but no significant differences in 10th percentiles. Maternal height & parity significantly affeect on 90th percentiles. So, these factors must be considered when diagnosing large for date.
Birth Weight* ; Female ; Fetal Development ; Gestational Age* ; Parity ; Parturition* ; Pregnancy

Since the first description of the trisomy 9p in 1970, over one hundred cases have been described with the advanced chromosomal banding technique. Clinical findings include growth and mental retardation and facial dysmorphism. Crucial determinants of the classical features of this syndrome lie within the distal half of the chromosome 9 short arm. But this syndrome has not been reported in Korea, we are reporting a boy diagnosed by clinical features and chromosomal study that is trisomic for a partial short arm of a chromosome 9. A brief review of the literature is included.
Arm ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9 ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Korea ; Male ; Trisomy

OBJECTIVES: This study was for analyzing the research about international marriage immigrant women and a trial to find the right direction for future research. METHODS: Sixty articles published from June, 2004 to June, 2009 were reviewed and analyzed according to the general characteristics, major of author, and theme of health domains. RESULTS: Most of them were master's thesis(71.7%) and journals(21.7%) and doctoral dissertation(6.7%) have been published mostly after thesis. Among 83.3% for quantitative research, descriptive(33.3%) and descriptive correlation(41.7%) methods were the most used and there were some qualitative researches(16.7%). The most frequently used data gathering method was questionnaire(81.7%) and the next was interview(16.7%). The major rates of the author were 61.7% for social welfare and 2.1% for nursing. The investigated variables in social health domain were adaptation(28.3%), and communication(1.7%). In psychological health domain, marriage satisfaction(16.7%), life satisfaction(11.7%), and depression(10.0%) were most researched. Utilization of medical center(5.0%) and health promotion behavior(1.7%) were investigated in physical health domain. CONCLUSIONS: Above this, most articles were researched about the adaptation of international marriage immigrant women. But the life in foreign countries can cause physical and psychosocial unhealthy conditions, so many-sided health related researches are supposed to be conducted for adaptation and prevention health problems of international marriage immigrant women.
Emigrants and Immigrants ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Marriage ; Social Welfare

Sparganosis is a parasitic disease which involves various parts of the body including subcutaneous tissues. The breast is a well-known site, though case reports are uncommon. We experienced a case of breast sparganosis which shows serpiginous mixed density lesions on mammography and nonspecific hypoechoic lesions partly connected with each other without surrounding inflammoatory change on ultrasonography.
Breast* ; Mammography ; Parasitic Diseases ; Sparganosis* ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: To determine the molecular structure of type II collagen-specific T-cell receptors associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: We generated CII-specific T-cell lines of 8 RA patient s by prolonged in vitro culture with bovine CII (bCII) and the immunogenic peptide (256-270) of human CII. The proliferation response towards CII stimulation was measured from the uptake of 3 H-thymidine. Changes in the secretion of Th 1 and Th2 cytokines in the culture supernatent were measured by ELISA. The TCR clonotypes of these T-cells were examined by RT-PCR/ SSCP analyses of all 22 V beta chains. RESULTS: T-cells from patients' tissue exhibited strong proliferation index upon CII stimulation, which was maintained up to 6 months in the culture. The secretion of INF-gamma from these T-cells increased along with the duration of culture time, while the amount of IL-4 production did not show significant changes. The SSCP band patterns of patients' T-cells appear as discrete bands unlike the smeary streak produced from normal samples. Some SSCP bands, each representing selected expansion of a TCR containing certain subtype of V beta peptides, appeared to be identical in more than one patients. Among these, the expansion of SSCP band representing the V beta 14 CDR3 region persisted after switching the antigen to the immunogenic human peptide (256-270). CONCLUSION: CII-reactive T-cells expressing distinct CDR3 motifs are selectively expanded in the peripheral blood and synovial fluid of RA patients, and their persistent proliferation upon CII stimulation, as well as the production Th 1-type cytokines, may play pivotal roles in RA pathogenesis.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Cytokines ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Interleukin-4 ; Molecular Structure ; Peptides ; Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; Synovial Fluid ; T-Lymphocytes*

PURPOSE: The goal of our study was to identify the incidence and clinical, neurophysiological and neuroradiological variables with predictive value for posttraumatic seizure(PTS). METHODS: The medical records of 625 children with head traumas under 15-year-old who were admitted to the Wonju Christian Hospital, from January, 1993 to January, 2002 were retrospectively reviewed. Among them, 472 patients were included in this study. The PTS patients were divided into early PTS, in whom seizure occurred within one week after head trauma and late PTS, in whom seizure occurred beyond the first week after head trauma. The injuries were classified into mild(Glasgow Coma Scale, GCS 13 to 15 or no brain CT abnormality and a brief hospital stay), moderate(GCS, 9 to 12, or a GCS above 12 and longer than 48-hour hospital stay, or brain CT abnormalites) and severe(GCS, below 9). The variables such as age, sex, duration of unconsciousness, GCS, brain CT scan finding, initial neurologic finding and anticonvulsant therapy were analyzed for risk factors of PTS. RESULTS: Early PTS was developed in 41(8.7%) patients, 35(77.8%) patients among them had a seizure within 24 hours after head trauma. Late PTS was developed in 17(3.6%) patients. The frequency and duration of PTS were not correlated with the latency of PTS. And there was correlation between the frequency and duration of PTS. The 82.9% of early PTS and the 76.5% of late PTS were generalized tonic-clonic seizure. There was a significant difference in the incidence of PTS by severity of head trauma. The incidence of PTS after mild head trauma(5.8%) was lower than after severe head trauma(29.9%). The risk factors of early PTS were unilateral hemorrhage, neurologic finding(hemiparesis and coma), GCS(under 12 score), and diffuse contusion. And the late PTS were the same as early PTS, except for diffuse contusion, and age factor(under 2 years was also significant). CONCLUSION: The incidence and risk factors of PTS were correlated with severity of head trauma.
Adolescent ; Brain ; Child* ; Coma ; Contusions ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Gangwon-do ; Head ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Length of Stay ; Medical Records ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Seizures* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Unconsciousness

While performing a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, a surgeon may occasionally drop a patient's gall stones into the intraperitoneal cavity or perforate a patient's gallbladder. However, most of the time, the dropped stones are spontaneously absorbed by the body. In some instances, the dropped gallstones may cause late complications in the patient, such as abscesses, the formation of fistulae, or adhesion in the intra-abdominal or extra-abdomial region. We report two cases of recurrent abdominal wall and perihepatic abscesses caused by dropped gall stones during a laparoscopic cholecystectomy with late diagnosis.
Abdominal Wall ; Abscess ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Fistula ; Gallbladder ; Gallstones ; Humans ; Postoperative Complications ; Recurrence

Splenosis is defined as the autotransplantation of splenic tissue after a traumatic splenic injury or a splenectomy. It has often been mistaken as an endometriosis, an intraperitoneal carcinoma, a hemangioma and an accessory spleen. It is clinically significant in that it requires no treatment if it is asymptomatic. Here we report a case of 34 year-old woman who had a pelvic splenosis with cyclic abdominal pain for several years, which was initially misdiagnosed as ovarian dermoid cyst. At the time of exploration, a splenosis was observed in the pelvic cavity. After surgery, a multiple splenosis in the abdominal cavity was found through a Tc-99m heat denatured red blood cell scan. The removal of the splenosis in the pelvic cavity resulted in an improvement in her symptoms.
Abdominal Cavity ; Abdominal Pain* ; Adult ; Autografts ; Dermoid Cyst* ; Endometriosis ; Erythrocytes ; Female ; Hemangioma ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Spleen ; Splenectomy ; Splenosis*