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Background A real-life study is essential outside clinical trials. The aim is to evaluate the clinical outcomes of direct acting agents (DAA) for patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) in real practice. Methods We analyzed 590 consecutively enrolled patients with CHC-1b who received DAAs since 2015, when DAAs were introduced in Korea. The patients were checked for resistance-associated variants (RAV) against nonstructural protein 5A inhibitors and then daclatasvir/asunaprevir or sofosbuvir based regimens were chosen. Results The frequency of patients with cirrhosis and prior hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was 29.2% and 4.7%, respectively. For the RAV test, 10% were positive and in 3.6% the result was "indeterminate." Overall, 518 patients were treated with a 24-week regimen of daclatasvir/asunaprevir, 72 patients (RAV positive 75%) were treated with 12 weeks regimen of ledipasvir/sofosbuvir or daclatasvir/sofosbuvir. The SVR12 was 94.0% in the daclatasvir/asunaprevir, 98.2% in the ledipasvir/sofosbuvir, and 100% in the daclatasvir/sofosbuvir group. A total of 93.3% of SVR12 in the RAV-"indeterminate" patients was not difference 95.0% in the RAV-negative patients. Up to 1 year, de novo HCC occurrence and recurrence developed in 2.6% and 17.8%, respectively. HCC was more frequent in cirrhotic patients than in noncirrhotic patients (P = 0.000). α Fetoprotein (AFP) level at the end of treatment was a predicting factor for de novo HCC. Conclusions Optimizing the choice of DAAs according to RAV test resulted in high SVR among CHC-1b Korean patients. This real practice multicenter cohort study suggests the importance of AFP and HCC surveillance in cirrhotic patients even after successful HCV therapy.

Background/Aims The exclusion of hepatitis B core antibody (HBcAb)-positive donors from liver transplants (LTs) due to the risk of transmitting hepatitis B virus (HBV) does not appear to be practical in Korea, where hepatitis B is endemic. This study assessed the risk of de novo HBV infection in hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative LT recipients receiving a liver from HBcAb-positive donors. Methods Of 341 adult living donor LTs conducted at our institution between March 2001 and September 2008, 176 donors (51.6%) were HBcAb-positive, and 26 HBcAb-positive grafts were transplanted to HBsAg-negative recipients. The median follow-up time after LT was 41.9 months. Results Without anti-HBV prophylaxis, 2 out of 26 (7.7%) HBsAg-negative recipients who received grafts from HBcAb-positive donors developed de novo HBV infection 20 and 85 months after LT. These patients had been negative for all HBV serologic markers before transplantation. In both cases, there were no abnormalities in liver function tests upon diagnosis of de novo HBV infection. Conclusions De novo HBV infection from HBcAb-positive donors after LT does not appear to be of great concern in terms of the number of cases in Korea because high risk patients who are HBV-negative comprise only a small proportion of the recipients. However, HBV-naïve LT recipients still carry the risk of developing de novo HBV infection as in non-HBV endemic areas.

This study was conducted to evaluate the durability of clevudine-induced viral response after the withdrawal of treatment. Patients who showed a complete response [alanine aminotransferase (ALT) normalization and hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA

An 84 yr-old male with a history of nausea and vomiting for 3 weeks was admitted to our hospital. Esopahgogastroduodenoscopy showed the diffuse infiltrative type of gastric cancer encircling from the cardia to the lower body. On abdominal computerized tomography, the gastric wall was diffusely thickened with overlying mucosal enhancement without lymph node involvement. Histologic examination revealed poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. So surgical resection was planned. However, patient refused all medical care, and then he was discharged. He lived without any medical support and then he revisited our hospital and showed relieved symptoms on the follow-up exam. On esophagogastroduodenoscopy, the gastric mucosa of the body looked normal without any dysplastic change. Abdominal CT revealed a decreased thickening of the gastric wall of the body. The histology from the endoscopic forceps biopsy showed no evidence of malignancy. The patient is alive without any sign of tumor recurrence after 14 months.

Purpose: To evaluate the complications of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) in patients with hepatic and pancreatic cancer. Materials and Methods: From January 2006 to December 2008, 133 sessions of HIFU treatment were performed in 114 consecutive patients with primary hepatic tumor (n = 57), hepatic metastasis (n = 22), and pancreatic cancer (n = 35) under general anesthesia. The extracorporeal, ultrasound-guided Model-JC system (HAIFU, Chongqing, China) was used. Artificial pleural effusion was created to obtain an adequate sonographic window for ablating hepatic dome masses in 53 patients. We reviewed medical records and imaging findings before, during, and after HIFU. Results: All patients had skin redness, edema, and pain in the treatment regions. All hepatic tumor patients had necrosis of the ribs along the main ultrasound beam path that did not require further treatment. Major complications included biliary obstruction, symptomatic pleural effusion, pneumothorax and fistula formation between an abdominal wall abscess and the ablated hepatic tumor. In 35 pancreatic cancer patients, major complications included third-degree burns and fistula formation between the tumor and duodenum. Delayed complications in hepatic tumor patients included a diaphragmatic rupture and rib fractures along the ultrasound pathway. Conclusion: The complications of HIFU develop mainly around the targeted lesions or along the ultrasound beam pathway. It is essential to have awareness of the possible complications related to HIFU and its imaging features for to avoiding serious complications.

BACKGROUND AND AIM An endoscopic forceps biopsy (EFB) carries the risk of missing the neoplastic foci within a polyp as only a small portion of the lesion is sampled using this technique. Accordingly, the histological examination of specimens obtained by an EFB is of limited accuracy and patient management based on the histological findings is controversial. The aim of this prospective study was to determine the diagnostic concordance between an EFB and resected tissues of gastric and colon polyps. METHODS Between January 2006 and October 2007, 1312 gastrointestinal polyps from 896 patients were resected in our hospital. Patients with polyps of epithelial origin of at least 8 mm in diameter and not associated with polyposis syndromes were included in the study. Polyps of nonepithelial origin were excluded. One thousand two hundred and sixty-four polyps of epithelial origin [gastric polyps (n=268) and colon polyps (n=996)] obtained from 813 patients met the inclusion criteria. All patients underwent an EFB and resection of the polyp by endoscopic mucosal resection and endoscopic submucosal dissection. RESULTS Multiple polyps existed in 31.6% of the patients. The pathological diagnoses of resected gastric polyps were as follows: adenomas with low-grade dysplasia, 46 (17.2%); adenomas with high-grade dysplasia, 42 (15.7%); hyperplastic polyps, 126 (47.0%); chronic inflammatory polyps, 29 (10.8%); and adenocarcinomas, 25 (9.3%). The discrepancy rate between an EFB and the pathology of the resected gastric polyps was 39.2% (the Kendall's tau-b and the kappa coefficient for agreement between the EFB and resected specimens of gastric polyps were 0.577 and 0.472, respectively; P value

Objective The incidence of colorectal cancer throughout the Republic of Korea has been rising over the last 25 years. The change in incidence is supposed to be due to the westernized life style. We evaluated the anatomical distribution of colorectal cancer and the properties of synchronous adenomatous polyps in the Korean population which were known to be different from those in Western countries. Materials and Methods From January 1997 to December 2006, 896 cases of colorectal cancer were reviewed retrospectively. Results A total of 25.1% were proximally located cancer with a modest female predominance (odds ratio 1.5). Synchronous adenomatous lesions were accompanied in 31.9% of all colorectal cancer cases. In the distal colorectal cancer patients, 18.8% had proximally located synchronous adenomas. In those with proximal colon cancer, only 20.5% of patients had distally located adenomas. The likelihood of a proximal colon cancer without distal sentinel lesions was higher in females (odds ratio 3.0). Conclusion There has been a steep rise in the incidence of colorectal cancer in Korea and distal colon cancer is more prevalent than in Western countries. However, as over 20% of proximal colon cancers can exist without distal colonic synchronous or sentinel lesions, a total colonoscopic examination should be considered first in surveillance.

Hepatic nerve innervation plays important roles in hepatic metabolism and hemodynamic mechanisms. We compared the distribution patterns of hepatic nerves between normal livers and two liver diseases to elucidate the effects of liver disease on the distribution of hepatic nerves.Tissue specimens were obtained by ultrasonography-guided needle biopsies from 10 normal controls, 74 patients with chronic hepatitis (CH), and 35 patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). The obtained specimens were immunohistochemically stained using antibodies for S-100 protein and alpha-smooth-muscle actin (alpha-SMA). The degree of the expression in liver tissues was quantified by manual counting of positively stained nerve fibers under light microscopy. The serum hyaluronic acid level was assayed in all subjects to evaluate hepatic fibrosis. Electron microscopy examinations were also performed.The hepatic nerve innervation was significantly lower in LC than in normal controls, as indicated by S-100 protein staining. alpha-SMA and hyaluronic acid levels were higher in LC and CH than in normal controls. Electron microscopy revealed that unmyelinated nerve fiber bundles in the intralobar connective tissue coursed in the vicinity of hepatic triads.These results suggest that hepatic nerve innervation can be decreased by hepatic inflammatory responses and/or fibrotic changes in LC patients. Further study is needed to clarify this observation.

Background : Spontaneous delayed clearance of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in patients with chronic HBV infection is a rare event. The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of delayed clearance of serum HBsAg in chronic HBV infection and to determine the characteristics and clinical outcomes of HBsAg delayed clearance in Korean patients. Methods : From April 1981 to June 2003, 4,061 patients who were positive for HBsAg were evaluated retrospectively. The following assessments were undertaken in 47 patients who had spontaneous delayed clearance: liver biochemistry, viral markers, α-fetoprotein levels, and radiographic examinations including ultrasonography every three to six months for 6-264 months (median 87.9 months). Results : Twenty-four of 47 patients were asymptomatic carriers. The others included seven patients with chronic hepatitis, seven with liver cirrhosis and nine with hepatocellular carcinoma. The estimated annual incidence of HBsAg seroclearance was 0.4%. The time span from positive HBsAg to HBsAg seroclearance in the AHC, CH, LC, and HCC was 62.9, 141, 63, and 95.3 months during follow up. Twenty-four of 24 AHC remained normal, 5 of 7 CH remained as CH and 2 patients remained normal, 1 of 7 with LC developed HCC and 6 of the LC remained as LC, and 4 of 9 HCC patients died. Conclusion : The clinical course following delayed clearance of HBsAg had diverse outcomes from AHC to HCC. Therefore, these patients require close follow up for the possible development of hepatocellular carcinoma following HBsAg clearance.

Clevudine is a pyrimidine analogue with potent and sustained antiviral activity against HBV. The present study evaluated the safety and efficacy of 30 mg clevudine once daily for 24 weeks and assessed the durable antiviral response for 24 weeks after cessation of dosing. A total of 243 hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-positive chronic hepatitis B patients were randomized (3:1) to receive clevudine 30 mg once daily (n = 182) or placebo (n = 61) for 24 weeks. Patients were followed for a further 24 weeks off therapy. Median serum HBV DNA reductions from baseline at week 24 were 5.10 and 0.27 log10 copies/mL in the clevudine and placebo groups, respectively (P < 0.0001). Viral suppression in the clevudine group was sustained off therapy, with 3.73 log10 reduction at week 34 and 2.02 log10 reduction at week 48. At week 24, 59.0% of patients in the clevudine group had undetectable serum HBV DNA levels by Amplicor PCR assay (less than 300 copies/mL). The proportion of patients who achieved normalization of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels was 68.2% in the clevudine group and 17.5% in the placebo group at week 24 (P < 0.0001). ALT normalization in the clevudine group was well maintained during post-treatment follow-up period. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) was similar between the clevudine group and the placebo group. No resistance to clevudine was detected with 24 weeks of administration of drug. Conclusion: A 24-week clevudine therapy was well tolerated and showed potent and sustained antiviral effect without evidence of viral resistance during treatment period in HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B. (HEPATOLOGY 2007;45:1172–1178.)

Spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a rare phenomenon. This case of a 65-year-old Korean man with HCC and metastatic frontal bone mass that regressed after radiotherapy for frontal bone mass without any other therapeutic modalities is described. The clinical diagnosis of HCC was made because of the presence of a liver mass on abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan, high serum alpha-fetoprotein value and tissue diagnosis on frontal bone biopsy. The patient refused any other recommended treatments, but accepted the radiation therapy due to a painful frontal bone mass, and ingested mushroom called Phellinus linteus for one and a half years. Ten months after radiation therapy, he experienced a reduction in size of the frontal bone mass and improvement of lesions in the liver, sternum and ribs. The patient is alive and in good condition without any symptoms or tumor aggravation in August 2002. It was concluded that a rare case of spontaneous regression of HCC had occurred.

Inflammatory fibroid polyp (IFP) is a rare, localized, nonneoplastic lesion originating from the submucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. Microscopically, these lesions are made up of a complex network of variable-size blood vessels and diffuse inflammatory cells contained in the edematous stroma. They are most often found in the stomach, followed by the small intestine, and rarely in the esophagus or the large intestine. We report a case of sigmoid colonic IFP presenting bloody stool treated with endoscopic resection.

The aim of this study was to evaluate safety and efficacy of high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) for advanced pancreatic cancer (PC).Patients with PC TNM stage III or IV were included. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed 2 weeks before and after the HIFU. The ablating tumor volume was calculated by ratio of the nonperfused necrotic area of the planned area on contrast-enhanced T1-weighted image on post-HIFU magnetic resonance imaging. The ablation results were stratified into 4 ranges: 100% to 90% unenhanced area of targeting area, 90% to 50%, within 50%, and no change.High-intensity focused ultrasound treatment was performed without severe adverse event in 46 patients, 49 times (male-female = 25:21; mean age, 60.7 ± 10.0; TNM stage 3-stage 4 = 18:28). Average size of the PC lesion was 4.2 ± 1.4 cm (1.6-9.3 cm). After HIFU treatment, ablating tumor volume was as follows: 90% to 100% in 38 lesions, 90% to 50% in 8, and within 50% in 3. Overall median survival (S1) from initial PC diagnosis was 12.4 months. Overall survival (S2) rates at 6, 12, and 18 months from HIFU were 52.2%, 30.4%, and 21.79%, respectively, with a median survival of 7.0 monthsHigh-intensity focused ultrasound is safe and effective, which induced excellent local tumor control in most patients with advanced PC.

Objectives Oltipraz, a cancer chemopreventive agent, has an anticirrhotic effect in animals. A phase II trial was designed to investigate the preliminary efficacy of oltipraz therapy in liver fibrosis or cirrhosis. Methods Of 83 patients who were randomized to receive placebo, oltipraz 60 mg bid or oltipraz 90 mg qd for 24 weeks, 68 completed the study without any major protocol violation. Pre- and post-treatment liver biopsies, and blood fibrosis markers were assessed. Key findings Twenty-four weeks of oltipraz treatment showed no significant differences in the proportions of patients showing an improvement in histological outcomes, including Ishak fibrosis score. In the oltipraz 60 mg bid group, there was a trend of decreases in hepatic collagen area and plasma transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1, a blood fibrosis marker) levels from baseline to week 24. In the per-protocol population (n = 68), decreases in plasma TGF-β1 correlated with those in the Ishak fibrosis score, suggesting that circulating TGF-β1 serves a possible indicator for fibrosis treatment. Conclusions No significant differences in liver histological outcomes were seen among the three treatment groups in this 24-week pilot study. Our finding indicates an association between TGF-β1 repression and improvement in the histological index of fibrosis.

The inverse correlation of appendectomy and ulcerative colitis is well known, but the effect of appendectomy on the clinical course of ulcerative colitis remains unclear. Although the majority of opinions were negative for the therapeutic advantage of appendectomy in patients with ulcerative colitis, advocates for positive effect of appendectomy have been proposed in a few case reports and a prospective study from Western countries. We herein report a case of ulcerative colitis who experienced clinical remission after appendectomy for acute appendicitis. The patient was 35 year old male and had been managed with immunosuppressant before appendectomy. The very acute change in clinical course and a long period of remission after appendectomy highly suggest the therapeutic effect of appendectomy for ulcerative colitis.

To determine the efficacy and safety from our preliminary results of using high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) to treat liver metastasis from colon and stomach cancer.Ten patients with liver metastasis from colon cancer and three from stomach cancer underwent HIFU under general anesthesia. HIFU was performed using an extracorporeal, ultrasound-guided focused system. Complications during the study, extent of coagulative necrosis at two-week follow up, and evidence of tumor on further follow up were analyzed. Patients were divided into four categories: (I) complete ablation with no evidence of recurrence on follow up; (II) apparent complete ablation of target mass with new foci of disease in the target organ or distant malignancy and no local tumor progression; (III) local tumor progression after apparent complete ablation; (IV) partial ablation.Mean follow-up period was 22 weeks in the colon cancer group and 58 weeks in the stomach cancer group. The sum of total lesion size was between 1.8 cm and 21.4 cm (mean: 8.4 cm +/- 6.7 cm) for the colon cancer group and between 1.7 and 16.3 cm (mean: 8.8 cm +/- 7.3 cm) for the stomach cancer group. In the colon cancer group, one patient was categorized as category I, one as category II, three as category III, and the remaining five as category IV. The stomach cancer group showed two patients as category I, and one as category II.For treating liver metastasis from colon and stomach cancer HIFU seems safe but its efficacy is questionable. Further research is warranted.

Different therapeutic strategies have been tried when liver metastasis develops after a gastrectomy for gastric cancer, but the disease still has a poor prognosis. We present a 35-year-old woman who achieved complete radiological remission of liver metastases from advanced gastric cancer after a single therapeutic high intensity focused ultrasound session. Our observations suggest that high intensity focused ultrasound combined with chemotherapy may be an additional treatment option for patients with liver metastases from advanced gastric cancer.

AIM: To evaluate the efficacy of short-term overlap lamivudine therapy with adefovir in patients with lamivudine-resistant and naive chronic hepatitis B, we compared patients receiving overlap therapy with those receiving adefovir alone. METHODS: Eighty patients who had received lamivudine treatment for various periods and had a lamivudine-resistant liver function abnormality were enrolled. Forty of these patients received adefovir treatment combined with lamivudine treatment for ≥ 2 mo, while the other 40 received adefovir alone. We assessed the levels of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA at 0, 12 and 48 wk and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels after 0, 12, 24 and 48 wk of adefovir treatment in each group. RESULTS: We found serum ALT became normalized in 72 (87.5%) of the 80 patients, and HBV DNA decreased by ≥ 2 log10 copies/mL in 60 (75%) of the 80 patients at the end of a 48-wk treatment. HBV DNA levels were not significantly different between the groups. The improvements in serum ALT were also not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest short-term overlap lamivudine treatment results in no better virological and biological outcomes than non-overlap adefovir monotherapy.

The gastrointestinal (GI) tract is the major target site of the graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Whether endoscopic findings can predict the histological diagnosis and degree of severity in GVHD remains controversial. We investigated the degree of correlation between endoscopic and histological findings, and evaluated the impact of endoscopic examination on clinical decision in GVHD management. This study was conducted as a retrospective single-center study. One hundred and one patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and at the risk of GI GVHD were referred for endoscopic evaluation. Endoscopic images and histology were reviewed to diagnose and grade in a blind fashion, and the histological findings were used as the “gold standard” for diagnosis. Endoscopic findings revealed a significantly positive association with histological abnormalities of GVHD (odds ratio [OR] = 33.6, 95% CI 4.3–261.1), and the sensitivity and specificity were 98 and 44%, respectively. The kappa coefficient for agreement between the endoscopic and histological grading was 0.423 (p-value

The papilla of Vater emptying into the duodenal bulb site is extremely rare and considered an aberrant condition. We report here a case with recurrent duodenal ulcer bleeding associated with this anomaly. A 42-year-old man was admitted to St. Mary Hospital because of tarry stool for three days. Despite no documented etiology to explain recurrent ulceration, the patient had about ten episodes of ulcer bleeding since 1995. On duodenoscopy, 1.0 x 0.6 cm sized active stage duodenal ulcer with oozing was observed at the posterior wall side below the pylorus. The papilla of Vater was bulging just below the pylorus. Bile juice was excreted from its opening. Pancreatic duct and common bile duct, which drained into the bulb site, were observed on ERCP. In this report, we show that recurrent duodenal ulcer can be associated with the papilla of Vater just below the pylorus.

We describe a case of esophageal perforation that resulted from a fishbone. A 71-year-old man had had a fishbone impacted in the lower esophagus for 2 days. At presentation, the bone was dislodged at endoscopy; one round opening in a deep ulceration was detected when the fishbone was removed. The perforation was closed by endoscopic hemoclipping, after the removal of the fishbone. A thoracic computed tomography revealed air around the esophagus, aorta and bronchus and the presence of a pleural effusion. These findings suggested mediastinal emphysema and mediastinitis due to the esophageal perforation after the removal of the fishbone. Esophagography revealed a focal esophageal defect and linear contrast leakage at the distal esophagus. The mediastinal emphysema and pleural effusion successfully resolved after the endoscopic hemoclip application and conservative management of the perforation.

Clevudine is a pyrimidine analog with potent and sustained antiviral activity against HBV. In the present study, we evaluated the safety and efficacy of clevudine 30 mg daily for 24 weeks and assessed the durability of antiviral response for 24 weeks after cessation of dosing in hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative chronic hepatitis B (e-CHB). We randomized a total of 86 patients (3:1) to receive clevudine 30 mg (n = 63) or placebo (n = 23) daily for 24 weeks. We followed patients for an additional 24 weeks after withdrawal of treatment. The median changes in HBV DNA from baseline were −4.25 and −0.48 log10 copies/mL at week 24 in the clevudine and placebo groups, respectively (P < 0.0001). Viral suppression in the clevudine group was sustained after withdrawal of therapy, with 3.11 log10 reduction at week 48. At week 24 and week 48, 92.1% and 16.4% of patients in the clevudine group had undetectable serum HBV DNA levels by Amplicor PCR assay (

Apoptosis via Fas/FasL system is thought to be involved in the development of hepatocyte death in viral hepatitis B. In chronic hepatitis C, sFas/sFasL system was reported to control liver injury induced by Fas/FasL mediated apoptosis. To determine the role of sFas/sFasL system in chronic hepatitis B, we analyzed serum sFas/sFasL in 58 HBV patients and 29 healthy controls.HBV patients were categorized into two groups; normal ALT (or =40 IU/L) and elevated ALT (40 IU/L). Serum sFas/sFasL levels in HBV patients were measured by ELISA and was compared with those in 29 healthy controls. Serum ALT levels, histological activity, and Fas/FasL expression of liver were compared.Chronic hepatitis B patients with elevated ALT had significantly higher serum sFas levels than those in healthy controls (P0.01). Serum sFasL levels, however, were significantly lower than those in healthy controls (P0.01). Patients with moderate to marked degree of inflammation and fibrosis had significantly higher serum sFas levels than those in healthy controls (P0.05). Serum sFasL levels had no correlation with the hepatic histological activity. Serum sFas/sFasL levels also had no significant correlation with the Fas/FasL expression of liver.Serum sFas/sFasL levels play a possible role in the pathogenesis of chronic hepatitis B. These results suggest that serum sFas levels might serve as a marker for estimating the degree of hepatic histological activity.

Objectives: The objectives of the study were to evaluate the safety and antiviral activity of 24-week treatment with clevudine 30 mg in HBeAg(+) chronic hepatitis B patients. Biochemical and serological responses were also assessed. Method: Twenty-one patients received clevudine 30 mg for 24 weeks and were followed up for another 24 weeks off therapy. Results: Median decreases from baseline in HBV DNA were 4.65 and 1.96 log10 copies/ml at week 24 (end of treatment) and week 48 (24 weeks off therapy), respectively. Analysis of individual data showed that HBV DNA levels were below the lower limit of detection (300 copies/ml) by Amplicor PCR assay in 19, 57, 19 and 0% at week 12, 24, 34 and 48, respectively. The proportion of patients with normal ALT were 67, 81 and 75% at week 24 (end of treatment), 34 and 48 (24 weeks off therapy), respectively. The rates of HBeAg loss were 24 and 20% at week 24 and 48, respectively. No viral breakthrough during treatment was observed. Conclusion: Clevudine 30 mg treatment for 24 weeks was well tolerated and exhibited more potent antiviral activity and a higher ALT normalization rate than 12-week treatment with durable efficacy at week 24 off therapy.

Internal hernia is defined as the herniation of viscera through an anatomic or pathologic opening within the boundaries of peritoneal cavity. Transmesocolic hernia, a subtype of internal hernia, has a herniated sac through the transverse mesocolon. Transmesocolic hernia has been rarely described in the literature, and most of reported cases were associated with a history of operation or congenital anormaly. A 72-year-old female with chronic intermittent abdominal pain and bloating was admitted. Small bowel series showed multiple jejunal loops confined to the left upper quadrant of abdomen. Abdomen spiral computed tomography (CT) showed a cluster of mildly dilated small bowel loops with mesenteries on the same area. On the three-dimensional reconstruction CT scan, a herniated sac through the transverse mesocolon was identified. She was diagnosed as transmesocolic hernia by using the three-dimensional reconstruction CT and small bowel series, without surgical exploration. The symptoms were managed with conservative measures.

Portal and mesenteric venous thrombosis is an uncommon disease, but clinically important, because it accounts for 5% to 15% of acute mesenteric ischemia. The diagnosis is often delayed because the conditions are nonspecific abdominal symptoms. In addition, when this occurs in young individual without any known predisposing factor, the diagnosis may become even more difficult. The treatment of mesenteric venous thrombosis involves anticoagulation therapy alone or in combination with surgery. The addition of thrombolytic therapy to the treatment of portal and mesenteric venous thrombosis may enhance the clearance of thrombus and hasten the clinical improvements. We present a case of mesenteric venous thrombosis treated with catheter-directed infusion of urokinase via the superior mesenteric artery and systemic anticoagulation.

Hepatoid carcinoma is a primary extrahepatic neoplasm exhibiting features of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in terms of morphology, immunohistochemistry, and behavior. In many cases, tumor cytoplasm is positive for alpha- fetoprotein (alpha-FP) with elevated serum alpha-FP level. Because not all hepatoid carcinomas are associated with alpha- FP overproduction, diagnosis should be made essentially by histological features of the tumor. We present a case of hepatoid carcinoma of the pancreas in a 21-year-old male patient. Abdominal computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging revealed an inhomogeneously enhanced pancreatic head mass. Serum alpha-FP level was markedly elevated. He underwent pylorus-preserving Whipple's operation. The tumor showed hepatoid and neuroendocrine components simultaneously. The histopathological diagnosis was hepatoid carcinoma associated with neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas. Seven months after the surgery, the patient is healthy without evidence of recurrence. To date, only 7 cases of hepatoid carcinoma of the pancreas have been reported in the literature, and this is the first case report in Korea.

In managing patients with bleeding peptic ulcers, it has been reported that pharmacologic treatment can be an alternative to endoscopic treatment. We compared the hemostasis rates of the endoscopic treatment, hemoclipping, and the phamacologic treatment, oral proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), in bleeding peptic ulcer. A randomized prospective study was performed on 129 bleeding peptic ulcer patients with hematemesis or melena. Sixty-two patients were treated by endoscopic hemoclipping and subsequently H2 receptor antagonists were injected intravenously (hemoclipping group), and 67 patients were treated with an oral PPI without endoscopic treatment (PPI group). The 24-hr gastric pH test was performed sequentially following the treatment. The initial hemostasis rate of the hemoclipping group was 93.5% (58/62) and the rebleeding rate was 6.9% (4/58), and the hemostasis rate of the PPI group was 92.5% (62/67) and the rebleeding rate was 7.5% (5/67), which were not different. The 24-hr gastric pH was 4.54 ± 2.56 in the hemoclipping group and 5.97 ± 1.30 in the PPI group (P

Clevudine is a nucleoside analog with an unnatural beta-L configuration. In a phase I/II clinical trial, once daily doses ranging from 10 to 200 mg for 28 days were well tolerated, and produced significant antiviral activity. The present study was conducted to assess the degree and durability of the antiviral response to 12 weeks of clevudine treatment, and to investigate its safety and tolerability. A total of 98 patients with HBeAg-positive chronic hepatitis B were randomized to placebo (n=32), 30-mg clevudine (n=32), and 50-mg clevudine (n=34) groups. Patients were followed up after 12 weeks of treatment for a further 24 weeks off-therapy. Median serum hepatitis B virus DNA reductions from baseline at week 12 were 0.20, 4.49, and 4.45 log10 copies/mL in the placebo, 30-mg clevudine, and 50-mg clevudine groups, respectively (P.0001). Posttreatment antiviral activities were sustained, with 3.32 and 2.99 log10 reductions at week 12 off-therapy and 2.28 and 1.40 log10 reductions at week 24 off-therapies in the 30- and 50-mg clevudine groups, respectively. Median serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels decreased markedly from baseline during clevudine treatment and were maintained below the upper limit of normal throughout the 24 weeks off-therapy in the two clevudine-treated groups. The incidences of adverse events and treatment-emergent grade 3 or 4 laboratory abnormalities were similar for the three groups. In conclusion, clevudine showed potent antiviral activity during therapy and induced a sustained posttreatment antiviral effect for 6 months after a 12-week treatment period, and this was associated with a sustained normalization of ALT levels.

The precise mechanisms of acute damage and the role of gastric mucosal blood flow in gastric mucosal injury induced by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) remain uncertain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the preventive effect of rebamipide on gastric mucosal injury and reduction of gastric mucosal blood flow (GMBF) after ibuprofen administration. Twenty healthy volunteers were randomized two groups. The rebamipide group took ibuprofen, 1800 mg/day, and rebamipide, 100 mg t.i.d., for 7 days. The placebo group took ibuprofen, 1800 mg/day. The numbers of gastric ulcer subjects were three in the placebo group and zero in the rebamipide group. The mean modified Lanza score after ibuprofen administration was significantly higher in the placebo group than the rebamipide group (2.9+/-1.7 vs. 1.3+/-1.0, respectively; P=0.032). The GMBF of the placebo group was significantly decreased at antrum from baseline, from 2.8+/-0.5 to 2.0+/-0.5 tissue perfusion units (P=0.005). There was no difference in GMBF change in the rebamipide group. Gastric mucosal injury was correlated with GMBF reduction in antrum (r=-0.677, P=0.001). In conclusion, it is suggested that the decrease in GMBF may have been associated with NSAID-induced gastric mucosal injury, and rebamipide may have prevented NSIAD-induced gastric mucosal injury by maintaining GMBF in healthy subjects.

A 28-year-old female with a pregnant state of 29th gestational week was admitted because of nausea and vomiting. MRI showed a huge hepatocellular carcinoma. At the 36th gestational week, a normal delivery was done. Surgery of hepatocellular carcinoma was done at 20 days after delivery. After 22 months from the operation, pulmonary metastasis was found and resection of lung mass was done. About 3 years after resection, a low attenuating nodule was detected in the left atrial chamber of heart. We report a case of hepatocellular carcinoma with metastatic lesions to lung and heart in a pregnant woman.

Background/Aim: Recent data have shown that the clinical outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection may be influenced by the host genetic factor. The aim of this study was to investigate whether particular human leukocytes antigen (HLA) molecules are associated with the susceptibility to HCV infection in the Korean population. Methods: One hundred and thirty- seven patients with chronic HCV infection and 206 normal individuals were examined for HLA class I and II molecules. Results: In class I antigens, the frequencies of HLA-A3 (relative risk (RR) 5 3.5, Po0.04), HLA-B35 (RR 5 2.0, Po0.03), and HLA-B46 (RR 5 2.5, Po0.02) significantly increased in chronic HCV carriers compared with the controls. The frequencies of DRB1 n 0803, DQB1 n 0601 and DQB1 n 0604 were significantly higher in chronic HCV carriers than in controls (RR 5 2.5, Po0.005; RR 5 1.8, Po0.05; RR 5 1.9, Po0.04, respectively). On the other hand, the frequencies of DRB1 n 0301, DQA1 n 0501 and DQB1 n 0201 were significantly lower in chronic HCV carriers than in normal controls (RR 5 0.2, Po0.03; RR 5 0.4, Po0.004; RR 5 0.5, Po0.02, respectively). The haplotype DRB1 n 0803 DQB1 n 0601 significantly increased (RR 5 2.5, Po0.02) while the DQA1 n 0501 DQB1 n 0201 significantly decreased (RR 5 0.2, Po0.03) in chronic HCV carriers compared with normal controls. In stratification analysis to investigate the interrelationships among the associated alleles, DRB1 n 0803 and DQB1 n 0601 were associated with HLA-B46, particularly in patients with chronic HCV carriers. Conclusions: These results suggest that particular HLA alleles may have an influence on chronic HCV infection as a host genetic factor in the Korean population.

Breast cancer is a common malignancy in women and frequently metastasizes to various organs such as liver, lung, brain, bone and so on. But metastasis to gastrointestinal tract is rare. We describe a 73-year-old woman with small intestinal metastasis of breast cancer. She was diagnosed as right breast cancer in stage I, received modified radical mastectomy 6 years ago and had been followed up without any evidence of residual disease. During investigation for lower abdominal pain and weight loss of 9 kg, we found a small bowel mass. The histology of the tissue taken from small bowel mass was adenocarcinoma, poorly differentiated. The immunohistochemical stain of this specimen showed 75% positivity of estrogen receptor and 90% positivity of progesterone receptor. This is a case of small bowel metastasis from breast cancer and we report this case with a review of literatures.

Portal vein thrombosis is a rare complication accompanied with acute pancreatitis or cholangitis/cholecystitis. The main pathogenesis of portal vein thrombosis in pancreatitis or cholangitis/cholecystitis are suggested to be venous compression by pseudocyst and an imbalance between the blood coagulation and fibrinolysis. In this case report, we experienced a 63 year old male who developed portal vein thrombosis later in the course of the treatment of acute gallstone pancreatitis with cholangitis/cholecystitis without any symptom or sign. The diagnosis of portal vein thrombosis was given on follow up CT scan and serum protein S activity was decreased to 27% in laboratory study. Immediate anticoagulation therapy with heparin and thrombolytic therapy with urokinase and balloon dilatation were performed. Despite the aggressive treatment, complete reperfusion could not be obtained. With oral warfarin anticoagulation, the patient showed no disease progression and was discharged. We report a case of portal vein thrombosis as a complication of acute pancreatitis and cholangitis/cholecystitis with a review of literatures.

Purpose: The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the effectiveness of preconditioning molecular adsorbent recirculating system (MARS) treatment on patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (AoCLF), who were awaiting living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Patients and methods: Between January and December 2001, 10 consecutive AoCLF patients (with progressive hyperbilirubinemia (>20 mg/dl) and hepatic encephalopathy grade ≥2) were studied. MARS was used in eight of these patients who were evaluated for LDLT during 2001. Three AoCLF patients who received LDLT before clinical use of MARS were used as historical controls. Results: Because of a shortage of donors, only five out of 10 patients considered for LDLT could receive transplants. Three patients were treated with MARS for 8 h the day before receiving LDLT, and all three survived. The remaining two patients who received transplants, and who were not pretreated with MARS, died from sepsis and multi-organ failure within 2 weeks. Four of the patients who did not receive transplants because of donor shortage died despite 1 or 3 MARS treatments, however bilirubin levels and grade of encephalopathy were significantly reduced in these patients. Conclusions: Results of this small pilot study suggest that MARS, by reducing the severity of jaundice and encephalopathy, might be effective as a bridging option in AoCLF patients awaiting LDLT.

Liver transplantation is the only curative therapy for patients with end-stage liver disease. The high success rate and the increasing demand for the transplantation sometimes calls for ABO-compatible but nonidentical blood group orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), which affords the opportunity to the production of antibody to red blood cells. Hemolytic anemia usually occurs 1 to 2 weeks after transplantation. Although mild in most patients, it can be life-threatening. Until now, a few cases showing hemolytic anemia due to donor ABO antibody formation after ABO-nonidentical OLT have been reported. In the reported cases of hemolytic anemia, most ABO-nonidentical OLT cases were O-to-A, but few reports are available on this subject with O-to-B ABO-nonidentical OLT. Herein, we report the experience with hemolysis after ABO-nonidentical OLT in a group O donor into a group B recipient and the successful treatment with transfusion of washed group O red blood cells and 60 mg dose of prednisolone for 3 days.

As a preliminary study to test the possibility of oral transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV), many investigations in order to detect the extrahepatic localization of HCV have been performed. In this study, we examined the presence of HCV viral proteins in gastric mucosa.Immunohistochemical staining to NS3 protein were done to detect the HCV virus in gastric mucosa. The results were compared with NS5a protein staining to confirm the NS3 protein staining.Total of 164 patient were included. 58 patients with anti-HCV (+) were designated to case group and 70 with anti-HCV (-) to control group. 36 were excluded in this study due to concomitant illness. Anti-HCV (+) group showed 50.0% (29/58) of positivity to NS3 protein staining and anti-HCV (-) group showed 12.6% (9/70) of positivity (p0.001). Immunohistochemical staining to NS5a protein were done to validate the result of NS3 (+) staining in the anti-HCV (+) group (n=58). NS5a (+) staining were observed in 58.6% (34/58). The results of NS5a staining were consistent with that of NS3 in 70.7%. The reliability coefficients by Chronbach's Alpha for NS3 and NS5a stain test was 0.59.HCV can exist in gastric mucosal cell as an extrahepatic presence. In the future, this study may provide some fundamental data for the research of possible oral transmission route of HCV.

The aim of the study was to correlate neuropsychological test results with regional cerebral biochemistry determined by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in patients with minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE).The patients with liver disease were divided into 4 groups; group 1 chronic hepatitis; group 2, liver cirrhosis (LC) without a history of HE; group 3, LC with a history of HE of no manifestation, and group 4, LC with overt HE. All patients were examined using neuropsychological tests and brain MRS.Trail making, Digit span, Digit symbol, and Peg board test in groups 2 and 3 were significantly different compared with control. These neuropsychological tests were regarded more available test for diagnosis of MHE. In the LC patients, compared with control, MRS results showed a typical pattern with decrease of myoinositol/Cr (0.24+/-0.24 vs. 0.68+/-0.10, p0.05) and increased glutamine-glutamate/Cr (2.97+/-0.80 vs. 1.94+/-0.47, p0.05). The difference of myoinositol/Cr and glutamine-glutamate/Cr between patients with MHE and control was statistically significant (0.16+/-0.15 vs. 0.68+/-0.10, 3.11+/-0.72 vs. 1.94+/-0.47, p0.05).Neuropsychological tests and MRS maybe useful for diagnosing MHE.

Serum levels of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA are direct measures of viral replication in hepatocytes. We compared branched-DNA assay (Quantiplex(TM), bDNA) and Hybridization Capture II (HCII), and evaluated the clinical significance of HBV DNA quantitation in the natural course of HBV infection.We analyzed results of bDNA in 324 serum samples from 83 untreated male patients with chronic hepatitis B. Mean follow up period was 11.8 years. HCII was also performed in 157 arbitrarily selected samples.HBV DNA levels measured with two assays were very similar (r(2)=0.893, p0.0001). HBV DNA detection rate of HCII was 6.4% higher than that of bDNA in HBeAg positive samples. HBV DNA detection rate was higher in cases with higher ALT. Among 73 patients with initial diagnosis of chronic hepatitis, 38 patients (52.1%) experienced progression to cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was developed in 9 (12.3%). HCC was developed in 5 (50.0%) of 10 patients with initial diagnosis of cirrhosis. While HBeAg positive rates during chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and HCC were 57.8%, 55.0% and 14.3%, respectively (p=0.006), HBV DNA detection rates were 70.6%, 64.0% and 42.9%, respectively (p=0.08). Especially in HCC, the discrepancy between HBeAg positive rate and HBV DNA detection rate may suggest the appearance of variants which cannot produce HBeAg.Both HCII and bDNA were similar HBV DNA quantitation assays for clinical use. HBV DNA level correlated with the severity of liver disease. Screening tests for HCC should be recommended in patients whose HBeAg is negative and have detectable HBV DNA.

s of 3rd International Congress of the Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) / Sleep Medicine 10, Suppl. 2 (2009) S1–S83 S31 tocol taking into consideration age, gender, 2D-echocardiogram, and spirometry. ANOVA, p

Backgrounds/Aims: This study examined the effects of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection state and immunologic capability in both the recipients and donors of allogenic hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) on changes in HBV serologic markers in recipients. Methods: A total of 537 patients underwent allo-HSCT for the treatment of leukemia, malignant lymphoma, and solid tumor. HBV serologic markers were examined in both recipients and donors prior to and following the transplantation. The mean follow-up period was 36.6 months (range 3-80 months). Results: Of the 537 patients who underwent allo-HSCT, 45 recipients were positive for HBsAg prior to transplantation. Of these 45 patients, 21 were transplanted from antiHBs-positive donors and the remaining 24 were transplanted from anti-HBs-negative donors. In the former cases, seroconversion was noted in 4 of the 21 patients (19%). In the latter cases, however, no seroconversion was noted following the transplantation. Thirty patients who were negative for both HBsAg and anti-HBs were transplanted from anti-HBs-positive donors, and 15 out of 30 patients (50%) acquired anti-HBs. Four hundred and seven patients who were positive for anti-HBs were transplanted from anti-HBs-positive or HbsAg-negative donors; 8 of these proved HBsAg-positive following the transplantation. There were no changes in HBV serological markers following transplantation in 41 patients who were transplanted from HbsAg-positive donors. Conclusions: Due to the adoptive immunity that was transferred from anti-HBspositive donors, a seroconversion of HBsAg could occur in some HBsAg-positive recipients. HBsAg-positive donors had a lesser effect on the HBV serologic markers of recipients. However, a reactivation of HBV can occur following hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation in the cases of recipients or donors with a history of HBV, infection by an accompanying immune suppression. Therefore, prevention should be instigated. (Korean J Hepatol 2009;15:131-139)

AIM: To analyze the clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome. METHODS: The clinical courses of patients that visited St. Mary’s Hospital with abdominal pain from January 2005 to December 2006 and were diagnosed with Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome were examined. RESULTS: Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome was identified in 22 female patients of childbearing age; their mean age was 31.0 ± 8.1 years. Fourteen of these cases presented with pain in the upper right abdomen alone or together with pain in the lower abdomen, and six patients presented with pain only in the lower abdomen. The first impression at the time of visit was acute cholecystitis or cholangitis in 10 patients and acute appendicitis or pelvic inflammatory disease in eight patients. Twenty-one patients were diagnosed by abdominal computer tomography (CT), and the results of abdominal sonography were normal for 10 of these patients. Chlamydia trichomatis was isolated from 18 patients. Two patients underwent laparoscopic adhesiotomy and 20 patients were completely cured by antibiotic treatment. CONCLUSION: For women of childbearing age with acute pain in the upper right abdomen alone or together with pain in the lower abdomen, Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome should be considered during differential diagnosis. Moreover, in cases suspected to be Fitz-Hugh-Curtis syndrome, abdominal CT, rather than abdominal sonography, assists in the diagnosis.

Purpose: We wanted to evaluate the levels of effect and safety of high-intensity focused ultrasound ablation (HIFU) for treating patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Materials and Methods: Nineteen sessions of HIFU, with the patients under general anesthesia, were performed in 18 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. The change of the gray-scale of the target lesion was analyzed during HIFU, and MRI was performed before and after HIFU. We assessed the extent of coagulative necrosis, the change of pain and the complications after HIFU. The change of tumor size and the survival of patients were also evaluated. Results: The average size of tumor was 4 cm in diameter. Eighty nine percent of the target tumors showed increased echogenicity. On MRI, necrosis of the entire target tumor occurred in 79% of the patients. After treatment, effective pain relief was noted in 89% of the patients. There were no major complications. No size increase of the treated tumor was noted during 24 weeks of follow-up for 10 patients. Six patients among 12 patients who were available for follow-up are still alive and they are receiving chemotherapy. Six patients expired due to other disease or progression of metastasis. Conclusion: HIFU is a safe method without any major complications, and it is effective for inducing tumor necrosis and achieving pain control for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.