Original Articles: The Detection of Hepatitis G Virus RNA by RT - PCR in Various Liver Diseases / 대한간학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Recently, nucleotide sequences from a novel virus, termed hepatitis G virus (HGV), were identified in serum from a patient with cryptogenic hepatitis and suggested as agent of non A-E hepatitis. HGV has been isolated from patients with various liver diseases but clinical implications of this new agent remain largely unresolved. In Korea, the etiology of substantial fraction of hepatitis has remained undefined and there has been no report concerning HGV. METHODS: To determine the infection rate of HGV, RT-PCR of 5 UTR of HGV was performed, and to understand the clinical implication of HGV, medical records of 115 patients with various liver diseases were reviewed. Of 115 patients, 63 were male and 52 were female. Their mean age was 44 years (19-74) and their mean AST and ALT were 121.3+278.7 IU/L and 172.2+253.3 IU/L, respectively. Of 115 patients, 58 (50.4%) had no specific cause of liver diseases, 37 (32.2%) were infected with hepatitis B and/or C virus and 20 (17.4%) had non-viral identifiable liver diseases. RESULTS: 1. HGV RNA was detected in 15 (13.0%) patients of 115 patients. 2, Among the 15 HGV RNA positive cases, 7 were male and 8 were female. Their mean age was 48 years (19-72) and their mean AST and ALT were 71.9+45.2 IU/L, 97.4+66.8 IU/I respectively. 3. HGV RNA was detected in 8(13.8%) of 58 patients without obvious causes of their liver diseases and in 7 (18.9%) of 37 patients infected with HBV and/or HCV. However, HGV RNA was not detected fram 20 patients with non-viral liver diseases such as alcoholic liver diseases, autoimmune hepatitis, PBC, or fatty liver. 4. HGV RNA was detected in 5 (19.2%) of 26 patients with acute hep- atitis, in 6 (9.4%) of 64 patients with chronic hepatitis, in 1 (14.3%) of 7 patients with liver cirrhasis, and iB 3 (27.3%) Of 11 pafients with hepatocellular caIcinoma. 5. These was no slatistically significant difference in sex, age, history of transfusion, serum ALT level, etiologies and status of liver diseases between HGV RNA positve and negative group. CONCLUSIONS: the prevalence of HGV infection is quite high among the patients who have no specific cause of acute or chronic liver diseases and HGV can be coinfected with HBV and/ar HCV infection in Korea.

A Operated Case of Primary Melanoma of the Esophagus / 대한소화기내시경학회지

Malignant melanoma is a malignant neoplasm originated from melanocyte. Primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus is a very rare disease comprising 0.1% of all primary neoplasms of the esophagus. As with other primary mucosal malignant melanoma, primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus has poor prognosis because of the tendency to present as an advanced neoplasm with aggressive biological behavior. We present an operated case of primary malignant melanoma of the esophagus confirmed by the adjacent squamous mucosa contained junctional nests of tumor cells showing focal pagetoid spread consistent with melanoma in situ, with a clinicopoathological review of the literatures.

A case of allergic bronchopulmonary asperogillosis with atypical asthma / 알레르기

The tests for sputum acid fast bacilli and sputum cytology for malignancy were negative. The PC20 of bronchial methacholine challenge test was 20.2 mg/ml. Transbronchial lung biopsy showed bronchial inflammatory change with infiltration of eosinophils and the existence of fungal hypae. Antibody index for serum IgE-Af and IgG-Af was 10.2 and 2.1 respectively, comparing with Af-sensitive asthma patients. Recently we experienced an allergic bron-chopulmonary aspergillosis with atypical respiratory symptoms. Forty-seven years old female was admitted to our hospital because of cough, sputum, right pleuritic pain for 2 weeks. She had experienced pneumonia several times, but had been not confirmed any causative organism. On physical examination, breathing sound was decreased over right upper lung, but wheezing and crackle were not heard over both lungs. The chest X-ray showed segmental consolidation in right upper lobe, and HRCT showed tubular bronchiectasis and obstruction of right upper lobal bronchus due to mucoid impaction. Allergic skin prick test against Aspergillus fumigatus(Af) and serum preeipitin were negative, but intrader mal skin test was positive for Af. Specific IgE for Af was positive with class I. Total eosinophil count was 650/mm3, total IgE level was more than 3000 IU/ml, ESR was 62mm/hr, and eosinophils in induced sputum was 35%. The test for sputum acid fast bacilli and spu-Tum cytology for malignancy were negative. The PC20 of bronchial methacholine challenge-Test was 20.2 mg/ml. Transbronchial lung bi-Opsy showed bronchial inflammatory change With infiltration of eosinophils and the exis-Serum lgE-Af and lgG-Af was 10.2 and 2.1 Respectively, comparing with Af-sensitive Asthma patients.

Efficacy of the Troponin T Rapid Assay Kit in Early Diagnosis of Acute Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND: In the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction, measurement of CK-MB is widely used as an enzyme test, but it needs special instruments, lacks specificity in the presence of concomitant skeletal muscle injuries, and has narrow diagnostic time window. Cardiac specific troponin T-a new marker for the diagnosis of myocardial injury-is now available. Besides the quantitative assay, rapid qualitative asay is also possible with the development of rapid assay Kit. We studied about the efficacy of the Troponin T rapid assay Kit in early doagnosis of actue myocardial infarction in the emergency room. METHODS: Total Ck, Ck-MB, LDH and serum troponin T activities were determined when the patients arrived at the emergency room and at the same time Troponin T rapid assay kit test was done. Final diagnosis was made through the serial measurement of CK, CK-MB and LDH. Diagnostic efficacy of each rest was evaluated. RESULTS: Overall diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of Troponin T rapid assay kit were 0.97 and 0.91. When evaluated only with the initial results, Troponin T rapid assay kit showed sensitivity 0.87, specificity 0.97, serum troponin T 0.75, 0.92, and Ck-Mb 0.81,0.95. In one patient who was finally diagnosed as a septic shock, Ck-MB was elevated but serum troponin T was not and Troponin T rapid assay kit test showed negative result. CONCLUSION: Troponin T rapid assay kit test seems to show nearly the same sensitivity and specificity in diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction compared to CK-MB. This test can be done simply and easily in a short time. Thus, with the use of this test, morbidity, mortality and economic loss due to misdiagnosis and delay of diagnosis of myocardial infarction might be reduced.