Helicobacter pylori infection is now recognized as a cause of chronic gastritis, peptic ulcer disease and is also a major risk factor for development of gastric carcinoma and gastric lymphoma. Several diagnostic methods of H. pylori infection, such as histopathology, Giemsa stain, culture, rapid urease test, urea breath test and serologic test have been used. Recently, the polymerase chain reaction(PCR) assay has provided a means of rapid and sensitive detection of H. pylori. This study aimed to evaluate PCR assay for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection.

I compared the PCR assay using the ureC gene specific for H. pylori with culture in gastric biospy specimens from 30 chronic gastritis, 10 gastric ulcer and 41 duodenal ulcer patients and evaluated the positive rates of H. pylori according to the gastroduodenal diseases.

Fifty-seven out of 81(70%) patients were culture positive and 64 out of 81(79%) patients were PCR positive. In seventy-two out of 81 patients, PCR was concordant with culture, but 8 patients had only positive-PCR and one patient had only positive-culture. Diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic efficiency of culture were 85%, 100%, 100%, 58% and 88%, respectively and those of PCR were 96%, 100%, 100%, 82% and 96%, respectively. The positive rates of H. pylori using PCR were 73%, 90% and 80% and those using culture were 63%, 90% and 71% in chronic gastitis, gastric ulcer and duodenal ulcer patients, respectively.

These findings suggest that the PCR assay using the ureC gene in gastric biopsy is more sensitive and rapid than culture and an effective test for the diagnosis of H. pylori infection.

Subacute necrotizing lymphadenitis is a self-limiting disorder that typically affects cervical lymph nodes of young women. Although autoimmune reaction and a viral etiology have been suggested, the definite cause has been uncertain. We evaluated the association of M. tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacterium with this disorder.

From 1994 to 2002, Clinicopathological findings of 38 cases were reviewed. Multiplex nested PCR was done using DNA extracted from paraffin-embedded tissue. Sequencing analysis was done to the cases showing positive band.

3 cases among 38(7.89%) showed amplified non-tuberculous mycobacterium DNA. Two cases are M. gordonae and one is M. fortuitum by sequencing analysis. All cases revealed no positive band for M. tuberculosis. Negative control cases showed no bands for both mycobacteriums.

Although 7.89% of cases showed amplified non-tuberculous mycobacterium DNA, more study is needed to confirm the association of non-tuberculous mycobacterium with subacute necrotizing lymphadenitis.

The molecular pathogenesis of the schizophrenia has been extensively studied. The dopamine hypothesis is well-known possible mechanism in the etiology of schizophrenia and dopamine D2 receptor gene(DRD2 gene), one of the dopamine receptor genes, is believed to be a candidate gene for schizophrenia because D2 receptor has high affinity for the antipsychotic drugs. Some researchers have been studied for the variant of the DRD2 gene(Ser311→Cys) and suggest positive association of this polymorphism and schizophrenia in Japanese schizophrenic patients. However, following studies did not support that results. So the author investigated polymorphism of the dopamine D2 receptor gene(Ser3l1→Cys311) in a total of 42 schizophrenic patients and 50 controls.

To compare the Cys variant status between the schizophrenic patients and control group and to investigate the allelic pattern of DRD2 gene, PCR(polymerase chain reaction) and MASA((Mutated Allele Specific Amplification) were performed in 42 cases of schizophrenic patients' and 50 normal controls' whole blood. Schizophrenic patients clinical characteristics, family history of mental illness and response to therapy were examined.

The following results were summarized. 1) The detection of homozygote for Cys allele and heterozygote of Ser/Cys was one and one case in 42 schizophrenic patients, respectively. 2) None with Cys allele or any heterozygote was detected among 50 control groups. 3) So frequencies of Cys311 among 42 schizophrenics were three(3.6%). but there is no statistical significance. 4) There is no correlations between clinical characteristics of schizophrenic patients and Cys alleles.

There is no statistical difference in allele frequency of DRD2 Cys311 variant between schizophrenia and control groups. So this result was in line with the previous studies which did not show evidence of association between schizophrenia and D_2 receptor polymorphism(Ser311→Cys 311).

On previous reports about the relationship between herpes simplex virus(HSV) & erythema multiforme(EM), subjective specimens were taken from target lesions and papules of herpes-associated EM or recurrent EM of unknown etiology. PCR-positive specimen were found in target lesion of idiopathic EM and even drug induced EM. But biopsy was actually performed when the clinical finding is atypical and so diagnosis is not certain with only clinical finding. In non-classic type of erythema multiforme without herpes associated history or recurrent episode, we try to evaluate the clinical and histopathologic findings and to detect the DNA of herpes simplex virus.

We clinically and histopathologically observed the 29 cases of non-classic type of erythema multiforme through the clinical photographics, clinical charts and telephone visiting. And we also tested 29 paraffin-embedded tissues from non-classic type of erythema multiforme by PCR with two nested primer pairs.

The results are as follows :

1) There are not specific difference according to age and sex.

2) The most frequent clinical type was the diffuse type(55.2%), followed by the acral type(24.1%) and central type(20.7%).

3) The major cause was idiopathic(72.4%), followed by the drug(27.6%).

4) There were various findings in clinical manifestation, including maculopatch, palulopla-que, wheal-like papule, vesicle-bullae, purpuric macule and papule and urticaria.

5) Histologically, we observed necrotic keratinocyte(48.3%) and spongiosis, exocytosis and vacuolization of basal cell in most cases. Eosinophilic infiltration, pigmentary incontinence and RBC extravasation were also seen.

6) The HSV positive specimens were fund in 2 cases(6.9%).

Although herpes simplex virus infection is a major contributing factor to most cases of erythema multiforme, our data supports the finding that it is not so important in non-classic type of erythema multiforme.