Sequence Analysis of 'a' Determinant in Two Patients with De Novo HBV Infection after Renal Transplantation / 대한간학회지

BACKGROUND/AIMS: HBV infection can be seen after organ transplantation. The presence of anti-Bs in serum means protection from HBV infection. If amino acids were mutated in 'a' determinant which was a common antigenic epitope of HBsAg, escape from humoral immunity can occur. Recently, in chronic HBV infected patients who received liver transplantation but reinfected by HBV, many authors reported mutations in 'a' determinant sequence. However, in renal transplantation, there were few reports about HBV infection and 'a' determinant mutation after transplantation. Therefore, we studied the incidence of HBV reinfection after renal transplantation and also tried to analyze 'a' determinant sequence in those patients. METHODS: We reviewed HBsAg-egative patients who received renal transplantation in our hospital, but turned HBsAg positive after transplantation. We selected two patients who were anti-Bs positive before transplantation but turned HBsAg positive after transplantation, and analyzed 'a' determinant of amino acid sequence of these patients. RESULTS: Among 1682 patients who were HBsAg negative before transplantation, 21 patients were turned HBsAg positive after transplantation. Among them, 6 patients were anti-Bs positive before transplantation. Sequence analysis of the 'a' determinant amino acid in two patients whose HBsAg turned positive after transplantation revealed no evidence of mutation in comparison with previously reported subtype 'a' determinant sequences. CONCLUSION: In renal transplantation, HBV could be reinfected in patients who had been anti-Bs positive before transplantation even without mutation in 'a' determinant region.

A Case of Left Coronary Osteal Stenosis Combined with Moyamoya Disease

We report a case of a 36 year old female with coronary artery obstructive disease(Left coronary osteal stenosis), who had been admitted due to severe headache and vomitting. In admission, she was diagnosed as moyamoya disease on cerebral angiogram. She had no history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, smoking. She had experienced angina for 2 years, and 1 year ago she ws diagnosed as bypass surgery with left main coronary artery angioplasty. In moyamoya disease, several portions of extracranial arteries have been found to be involved, but so far, only one case has been reported the coronary involvement on coronary angiogram in the world. And, there has not been a report about moyamoya disease combined with left main osteal lesion yet. This present case indicates that we need to exam for extracranial vascular system including the heart in moyamoya disease.