It has been recognized for a long time that human malignant diseases are associated with immune deficiency states. Impaired phagocytic function, low levels of plasma opsonins, impaired bactericidal activity of granulocytes and macrophages, deficiency of myeloperoxydase, reduced migration of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and granulocytopenia have all been found in malignant condition primarily or secondarily.

Especially neutrophils are crucial to the body's defenses against infection. Defects in phagocytes can contribute to the local establishment and systemic spread of serious bacterial infection.

The authors studied neutrophil function in 40 control and 15 patients with acute myelogenous leukemia, 10 with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, 40 with stomach cancer, 10 with hepatoma, 10 with pancreas cancer and 25 with other organ tumor to prove the mechanism of increased risk and the severity of infection using a battery of simple and reproducible neutrophil function tests as adherence to nylon wool fiber, migration under agarose method and nitrobule tetrazolium reduction test.

The results obtained are as follows;

1) On adherence to nylon wool fiber, the adherence was significantly decreased in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia, but increased in patients with lymphoma. In patients with other solid tumors, there were no significant differences from those of controls. After chemotherapy with Cisplatin and 5-FU, the adherence was significantly decreased than that of prior to therapy.

2) On migration under agarose, the chemotactic differential was significantly decreased in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia but increased in patients with hepatoma and pancreas cancer. Presence of factors of those increment was suspected. After infusion of Cisplatin, chemotactic differential was decreased significantly but after infusion of 5-FU, it was decreased but there was no significance.

3) On NBT reduction test, NBT reduction was diminished in patients with acute myelogenous leukemia but increased in patients with hepatoma and pancreas cancer. It is assumed that some unidentified factors would be present to enhance chemotaxis and NBT reduction in patients with hepatoma and pancreas cancer. After infusion of Cisplatin, NBT reduction was significantly decreased, but after infusion of 5-FU it was decreased but not significantly.

In patients with acute myelogenous leukemia, neutrophil functions were much impaired but in patients with solid tumors, there were no neutrophil function defects.

After chemotheraphy with Cisplatin and 5-FU, neutrophil functions were much compromised and this would predispose to increased risk of infection.

A Clinical study on 94 cases of primary liver cancer who were confirmed at Ewha Womans University Hospital from January 1984 to December 1986 was carried out. The result obtained are as follows: 1) The ratio of male to female is 3.9 : 1, and highest incidence rate is 42.6% in 6th decade. 2) The chief complaints are RUQ abdominal pain, epigastric discomfort, dyspepsia, weight loss in the decreasing order. Physical examination shows hepatomegaly, ascites and jaundice. 3) Clonorchis sinensis infestation reveals 8.5% of cases. 4) Liver function tests shows serum globulin elevation in 96.8%, AST(aspartate aminotransferase, SGOT) elevation in 91.5%, alkaline phoaphatese elevation in 86.2%, in order of frequency. 5) Alpha-fetoprotein is positive (>400ng/ml) in 72.3% of cases. 6) Serum HBsAg is positive in 75.0% of cases. 7) Alpha-fetoprotein is apt to be positive in the HBsAg positive cases. 8) Space occupying lesions are demonatrated by liver scanning in 93.6% of cases: 73.9% in the right lobe, 11.4% in the left lobe and 14.7% in the both lobes. 9) Twelve (70.6%) of cases are assoiated with cirrhosis of liver. Of cases 75.0% is macronodular.

Myxoma of the left atrium is known to mimic the clinical and hemodynamic features of mitral valvular disease. The tumor was diagnosed by using the Echophonocardiography, CAT-scanning, and hemodynamic studies including left heart catheterization and angiography. The diagnosis was confirmed at operation. An electrocardiographic timing signal permitted correlation of heart sounds and pressure waves with movement of the tumor between the left atrium and the left ventricle. In early systole, the tumor suddenly moved from left ventricle to the left atrium, and a notch in the rising left ventricular pressure, a prominant c-wave, and loud, late element of the first heart sound were noted. In early diastole, the tumor moved rapidly through the mitral valve, causing an abrupt diminution in the left atrial volume, thus-causing rapid y-descent despite severe obstruction of the mitral valve. An early diastolic sound, thought to be an opening snap, appeared to be related to the checking of the tumor in the left ventricle.(Tumor plop). The unusual left atrial pressure pulse permits accurate preoperative diagnosis in left atrial myxoma. In this respect we evaluated the accuracy of the preoperative noninvasive studies for the diagnosis of intra-cardiac myxoma.

Vial serologic markers for hepatitis B virus infection are known as HBsAg, anti-HBs, anti-HBc and anti-HBe, and also recently IgM class antibodies are measurable for both hepatitis A and B. Five serologic markers for hepatitis B virus infection were measured routinely in patients with acute and chronic liver diseases and IgM class antibodies were evaluated in patients with acute viral hepatitis. The results were as follows: 1) Men are more frequently affected than women in chronic liver diseases and as the disease progressed to chronic diseases, the mean ages of patients increased. 2) Positivities of HBsAg were 79.7% in acute viral hepatitis, 88.9% in chronic hepatitis, 47.2% in cirrhosis and 72.0% in primary liver cancer respectively. 3) In forty cases of acute viral hepatitis, IgM anti-HBe was positive in two HBsAg negative cases and negative in three HBsAg positive cases. 4) Anti-HBc was positive in majority of various liver diseases and appeared usually with HBsAg or anti-HBs,but sigly positive in minority of patients. 5) Positivities of HBeAg in HBsAg positive liver diseases were 68.1% in acute viral hepatitis, 75.0% in chronic hepatitis, 41.2% in cirrhosis and 61.1% in primary liver cancer respectively.

A case of hypokalemic familial periodic paralysis is presented and the litures are reviewed. A 15-year-old boy was admitted to Ewha Womans University Hospital with chief complaints of paralysis of both extremities and trunk on awaking in the morning. He had a history of quadriplegia, 8 months ago. Laboratory study revealed a hypokalemia(1.6mEq/L) and biopsy specimen taken from the gastrocnemius muscle showed mild vacuolization. After treatment with potassium chloride, paralysis was completely recovered.

The authors studied 50 controls(25 male and 25 female) and 79 diabetes mellitus patients(38 male and 41 female) who were admitted to Ewha Womans University Hospital from June, 1983 to May, 1984 to investigate the disorders of lipid metabolism, hemoglobin A_1c and their correlaton. The results were as follows: 1) Age incidence was highest in the 6th decades. 2) Mean fasting blood sugar was 191.9±82.29mg% and postprandial 2hour blood sugar was 278.81±118.19mg% in male diabetes mellitus patients, and 196.48±68.94mg% and 261.16±85.84mg% in female diabetes mellitus patients. After control diabetes mellitus blood sugar levels were decreased significantly. 3) Hemoglobin A_1clevels at fasting and postprandial 2 hour were significantly higher than those of controls. And Hemoglobin A_1c level were progressivly decreased after 3 months' controlling of diabetes mellitus. 4) Pre-β and β-lipoprotein, triglycerides and cholesterol were significantly higher than those of controls but α-lipoprotein was lower than that of controls. After 6 months of diabetic control, pre β-lipoprotein, triglycerides and cholesterol were decreased. 5) Between Hemoglobin A_1c and fasting blodo sugar had positive correlation, an cholesterol and hemoglobin A_1c also had positive correlation, but those were not statistically significant.