No abstract available.
Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Vaccination*

BACKGROUND: The high concentration of plasma total homocysteine is recently considered an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to provide reference ranges for plasma homocysteine levels and to investigate the relationship between plasma homocysteine and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy Korean men. METHODS: Anthropometric parameters, alcohol intake, cigarette use and nutrient intake were determined in 166 healthy men within a wide age range(30-69 yr). Serum levels of lipids, glucose and insulin levels during oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT), plasma amino acid concentrations and levels of antioxidant nutrients and enzymes were also measured. Hyperhomocysteinemia was defined as plasma homocysteine levels above the 90th percentile(> or =15micromol/L) of respective plasma homocysteine distribution in study subjects. Characteristics of hyperhomocysteinemic men(n=16) were compared to normohomocys- teinemic men(n=16) matched for age and body mass index. RESULTS: Plasma total homocysteine values ranged from 2.4 to 38.1micromol/L, a skewed, right-tailed distribution. The homocysteine levels of 25th, 50th and 75th percentile were 7.02, 9.61 and 12.4micromol/L, respectively. The mean concentration of plasma total homocysteine was 10.7micromol/L. Plasma total homocysteine level was positively correlated to body mass index, serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels and alcohol intake, but negatively correlated to serum bata-carotene concentration. In multivariate analysis, serum triglyceride level was the strongest determinant of plasma total homocysteine concentration. There were no significant differences between two groups in waist to hip ratio, alcohol intake, cigarette use, blood pressure and serum levels of glucose and insulin during OGTT. Hyperhomocysteinemic men had significantly higher mean values of serum triglyceride(258mg/dl), total cholesterol(226mg/dl), and LDL-cholesterol(140mg/dl) than normohomocysteinemic men. Hyperhomocysteinemic men showed a decrease in lipid corrected values of serum bata-carotene and alpha-tocopherol and plasma concentrations of serine and taurine, when compared to normohomocysteinemic men. The mean intakes of vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12 and bata-carotene tended to decline by 25-30% in hyper- homocysteinemic group, when compared to normohomocysteinemic group. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that healthy Korean men with hyperhomocys- teinemia show signs of hyperlipidemia and decreased antioxidants nutrients and these factors increase risk for coronary artery disease. In addition, hyperhomocysteinemia may affect amino acid metabolism related to homocysteine.
alpha-Tocopherol ; Antioxidants ; Atherosclerosis ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Folic Acid ; Glucose ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Homocysteine* ; Humans ; Hyperhomocysteinemia ; Hyperlipidemias ; Insulin ; Male ; Metabolism ; Multivariate Analysis ; Plasma* ; Reference Values ; Risk Factors* ; Serine ; Taurine ; Tobacco Products ; Triglycerides ; Vitamin B 12 ; Vitamin B 6 ; Waist-Hip Ratio

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy of women in industrialized countries and the third in Korean women. There have been a lot of studies on biologic behaviors as well as on the prognostic factors of the breast cancer. In this study, the expression of hormone receptors (estrogen receptor ; ER, progesterone receptor ; PR, and androgen receptor ; AR), bcl-2 and Rb proteins were immunostained on 60 infiltrating ductal carcinomas of the breast. The results were evaluated in relation with the age, histologic grade, tumor size, and status of lymph node metastasis. The expression of ER and PR had a significant inverse correlation with the histologic grade (p<0.001). The expression of AR was significantly correlated with the expression of ER (p=0.039) and PR (p=0.009), but not with other factors such as age, histologic grade, tumor size, and status of lymph node metastasis. There was no relationship between bcl-2 protein expresssion and other prognostic factors, except with the expression of ER. Rb protein expression had a significant positive relationship with PR (p=0.05) and the degree of positivity was correlated with histologic grade (p=0.002). In conclusion, this result suggests that expression of AR is well correlated with ER and PR. bcl-2 has no prognostic value. The significance of Rb protein expression remained to be studied.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Developed Countries ; Female ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Receptors, Androgen* ; Receptors, Progesterone ; Retinoblastoma Protein*

No abstract available.
Specialization*

We report s case of angiokeratoma of the vulva occuring in a 36-year-old woman. Numerous grayish dark purple papulovesicular lesions, ranging from 0.2 to 2.0mm in size, were observed on the right labium majus. All lesions were excised under local snesthesia after the diagnosis of angio keratoma was made histopathologically. No new lesions appeared during the follow-up period of one year.
Adult ; Angiokeratoma* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Keratosis ; Research Report ; Vulva*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Young Adult*

Spondylolisthesis has been become of considerable causative disease for low back pain in orthopedic field recently. Twenty-seven patients with spondylolisthesis, who were taken operation during a 7-year period from Jan. 1978 to Dec. 1984 at Department of Orthopedic Surgery of Presbyterian Medical Center, were studied and analized on clinical and radiological aspects and the results of obtained were as follows: 1. The averake age was 41.7 years with a range of 20 to 63 years, and the incidence was more common in female than male in all types. 2. By Wiltse's classification, isthmic type was most common and 19 patients were included and level of spondylolisthesis was common at fourth lumbar vertebra in degenerative type and fifth lumbar vertebra in isthmic type. 3. By Meyerding's grading, 14 patients (52%) were Grade 1, which was most common and the slipping measured by Taillard's method was most common with a range 10% to 19%, which included 13 patients (48%) and average slipping was 21.4%. 4. Meschan's angle was ranged from 5° to 19° with an average of 13.3°. 5. Myelogram was done in 13 patients and 9 of them showed positive findings. 6. Spina bifida was most common developmental abnormal finding and 11 patients (41%) were included. 7. Posterolateral fusion was done in 24 patients and anterior interbody fusion was done in 3 patients. 8. 24 patients who had taken posterolateral fusion were permitted to ambulate early at 2 weeks with Norton-Brown back brace. 9. After over a year follow-up, 23(85%) of 27 patients had satisfactory result. 10. After follow-up, 21(88%) of 24 patients who had taken posterolateral fusion had successful fusion.
Braces ; Classification ; Clinical Study ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Low Back Pain ; Male ; Methods ; Orthopedics ; Protestantism ; Spinal Dysraphism ; Spine ; Spondylolisthesis

Poland's syndrome is congenital anomaly which was described first by Alfred Poland in 1841. The clinical features are variable but always include congenital aplasia of fingers and syndactyly. We have experienced a case of Poland's syndrome. This case was male children and revealed thoracic anomaly of right side (absence of pectoral muscles and anterior axillary fold), atrophy of forearm muscles, ipsilateral syndactyly with aplasia of thumb and middle phalanges of 2, 3, 4, 5,th fingers, and ipsilateral congenital radio-ulnar synostosis.
Atrophy ; Child ; Fingers ; Forearm ; Humans ; Male ; Muscles ; Poland ; Syndactyly ; Synostosis ; Thumb

The Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is a familial disorder of connective tissue, and seven distinct clinical forms are reported. Author experienced two cases of the type 3 Ehlers-Danlos syndrome which present hypermobility of the joints, asymmetry of the thorax, anomalies of the thoracic spine, and flatfoot. So, we report these patients with references.
Connective Tissue ; Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome ; Flatfoot ; Humans ; Joints ; Spine ; Thorax

A papillary adeno-carcinoma of the renal pelvis is very rare tumor and mostly diagnosed by histopathologic findings. A 10-years-old female was admitted to Fatima Hospital with Rt. flank pain and intermittent gross hematuria.Herein, we report a case of papillary adeno-carcinoma of the renal pelvis.
Adenocarcinoma ; Female ; Flank Pain ; Humans ; Kidney Pelvis*