BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: Phospholipase A (PLAq) is an rate-limiting enzyme hydrolyzing arachidonic acid from the sn-2 position of membrane phospholipids. In vitro studies demonstrated that the enzyme could be secreted into extracellular mileu by pro-inflammatory cytokines and endotoxin which were reported to have important roles in chronic liver diseases. This study was performed to know whether the enzyme is involved in the pathophysiology of the diseases. METHODS: The subjects were composed of 24 patients with chronic hepatitis B, 26 patients with liver cirrhosis and 14 healthy individuals. The PLAp activities wem measured in the sera of the subjects by detecting radioactivity of "C-fatty acid hydrolyzed from "C-labeled phosphotadylethanolamine by the enzyme. RESULTS: The activities of PLA were increased in the patients with chronic liver diseases, especially in the chronic hepatitis B patients with acute exacerbation and in the decompensated cirrhosis patients. Furthermore, their activities were closely related with the levels of transaminase in hepatitis group and with the levels of serum albumin in cirrhosis group, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that extracellular PLA might be involved in the exacerbution and progression of the chronic liver diseases.
Arachidonic Acid ; Cytokines ; Fibrosis ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver* ; Membranes ; Phospholipases A2* ; Phospholipases* ; Phospholipids ; Radioactivity ; Serum Albumin

No abstract available.
Carbon Dioxide* ; Carbon* ; Critical Illness* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Oxygen*

PURPOSE: Traumatic asphyxia is a rare clinical syndrome characterized by cervicofacial cyanosis, edema, and multiple petechiae after a severe chest crush injury, and ophthalmic involvement includes violaceous discoloration of lid, lid edema, bulbar subconjunctival hemorrhage, exophthalmos and retinal hemorrhage. The authors experienced a case of traumatic asphyxia with typical ophthalmic manifestations after a crush chest injury, and we report this case with literature review. METHODS: A-54-year old man was consulted for bilateral proptosis after a crush chest injury. Ophthal-mologice valuation and intervention were performed. RESULT: Right eye was not checked due to previous corneal opacity, but visual acuity was 0.8 and IOP was 45 mmHg in left eye. There were bilateral proptosis and severe bulbar subconjunctival hemorrhage, and orbital computed tomography showed orbit fat interposed between globe and medial orbital wall. IOP was controlled with medications and other clinical signs including proptosis showed progressive improvement.
Asphyxia* ; Corneal Opacity ; Cyanosis ; Edema ; Exophthalmos ; Hemorrhage ; Orbit ; Purpura ; Retinal Hemorrhage ; Thoracic Injuries ; Thorax ; Visual Acuity

No abstract available.
Antiviral Agents/administration & dosage ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/*drug therapy ; Humans

Kaposi's sarcoma is one of the important features of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients, renal transplanted patients, young African men, and elderly Ashkenazi Jews. It is well recognized as the most common malignancy asssociated with AIDS and there is also an increased incidence among patients with iatrogenic immunosuppression secondary to renal transplantation. However, a few cases of Kaposi's sarcoma in immunosuppressed patients not related to the renal trans-plantation had been reported. In this study, we present a case of Kaposi's sarcoma involving the oropharynx and the skin of a patient who was not associated with AIDS nor treated with special immunosuppressive agents for renal transplantation.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; Aged ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Incidence ; Jews ; Kidney Transplantation ; Male ; Oropharynx* ; Sarcoma, Kaposi* ; Skin*

Intestinal tuberculosis has been known since antiquity. After about 1950's, effective antituberculous chemotherapy and an improved standard of living resulted in a steady decline in all forms of tuberculosis. However, intestinal tuberculosis has been reported with impressive frequency in developing countries including Korea. Disease affecting the duodenum is reported to be rare and isolated duodenal tuberculosis sparing the rest of the intestine is uncommon. We experienced a case of tuberculosis of duodenal bulb associated pulmonary tuberculosis. The diagnosis was made on the basis of the histological study of the endoscopic biopsy specimen. We have confirmed the healing of the duodenal lesion by the follow-up endoscopy after 9 months treatment of antituberculous medication.
Biopsy ; Developing Countries ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Duodenum* ; Endoscopy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Intestines ; Korea ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

Double primary cancer means that more than two cancers with different origin exist independently in an individual. The diagnosis of double primary cancer was determined by following criteria. Each of the tumors must present a definite picture of malignancy, and each must be distinct, and the probability of one being a metastasis of the other must be excluded. Small cell carcinoma has a distinct biological behavior such as, early invasion and metastasis, a rapid clinical course, and significant sensitivity to chemotherapy. Small cell carcinoma in the esophagus is relatively rare, and rarer when it is combined with other malignant disease. We have experienced a case of double primary cancer, a 70-year-old man with esophageal small cell carcinoma and gastric adenocarcinoma, which were diagnosed by gastrointestinal endoscopic biopsy. A review of the Korean medical literature failed to reveal any previously described case of esophageal small cell carcinoma with gastric adenocareinoma. We report this case with review of literatures.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Small Cell* ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Esophagus ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Lamivudine is a potent inhibitor of hepatitis B virus replication, but an increased incidence of YMDD mutation may be associated with its long term use. Thus, the decision to initiate therapy should be based on variables that are predictive of lamivudine-induced HBeAg loss. The objective of this analysis was to determine patient-dependent or laboratory variables that predict HBeAg loss. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 99 HBeAg-positive patients with chronic hepatitis B who were treated with lamivudine and followed up for more than 52 weeks. All patients had a liver biopsy before starting lamivudine therapy. HBeAg loss and HBeAg seroconversion after 52 weeks of treatment were defined as endpoints. RESULTS: The overall rates of HBeAg loss and HBeAg seroconversion were 41.4% (41/99) and 37.4% (37/99), respectively. The rates of HBeAg loss increased as pretreatment ALT levels increased (P=0.013) and were highest among patients with pretreatment ALT levels greater than 5 times the upper limit of normal, occurring in 56.8% of those patients. The rate of HBeAg loss was higher in patients with more active histologic disease on pretreatment liver biopsy (Grade 1 and 2 vs. Grade 3 and 4, 28.3% vs 56.5%, P=0.004). Similar results were seen with HBeAg seroconversion, though seroconversion occurred less frequently than HBeAg loss. Multivariate analysis showed that elevated baseline ALT levels (P<0.05) and histologic activity (P<0.05) were the best independent predictors of HBeAg loss and seroconversion in response to lamivudine. CONCLUSIONS: Pretreatment ALT levels and histologic activity were the most important predictors for response to lamivudine.
Adult ; Alanine Transaminase/*blood ; Antiviral Agents/*therapeutic use ; English Abstract ; Female ; Hepatitis B e Antigens/*blood ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/diagnosis/*drug therapy ; Humans ; Lamivudine/*therapeutic use ; Liver/*pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged

Actinomyces ; Actinomycosis ; Actinomycosis, Cervicofacial ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Calculi ; Dental Caries ; Dental Plaque ; Humans ; Male ; Molar, Third ; Mucous Membrane ; Root Canal Therapy ; Tooth Fractures ; Young Adult

Gastrocelic fistula of malignant origin is a rare complication, usually due to gastric or colon cancer. Possible other etiologic factors resulting in gastrocolic fistula are peptic ulcer, trauma, carcinoid tumor, intestinal tuberculosis, Crohn's disease, lymphoma, intraabdominal abscess, diverticulitis and etc. At the present, earlier diagnosis and treatment of gastric and colon cancer may explain the low frequency of malignant gastrocolic fistula than the past but the review of Korean literatures revealed only two reports of gastrocolic fistula secondary to gastric cancer and another from benign gastric ulcer. Yet, there has been no report of fistula due to colon cancer. We experienced a case of colon cancer with postural dizziness, fecal eructation who was diagnosed as gastrocolic fistula by endoscopy, barium enema, UGI series and finally underwent operation. Therefore, we report this case with the review of literatures.
Abscess ; Barium ; Carcinoid Tumor ; Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Crohn Disease ; Diagnosis ; Diverticulitis ; Dizziness ; Endoscopy ; Enema ; Eructation ; Fistula* ; Lymphoma ; Peptic Ulcer ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Stomach Ulcer ; Tuberculosis