Background/Aims: Hypertension (HT) has a significant impact on public health and medical expenses. However, HT is a chronic disease that requires the long-term follow-up of a large number of patients. Methods: The Korean Hypertension Cohort (KHC) study aimed to develop a model for calculating cardiovascular risk in HT patients by linking and utilizing the detailed clinical and longitudinal data from hospitals and the national health insurance claim database, respectively. This cohort had a planned sample size of over 11,000 HT patients and 100,000 non-HT controls. Eligible patients were hypertensive patients, who were presenting for the first time and were diagnosed with HT as a main disease from 2006 to 2011. Long-term survival data over a period of approximately 9 years were obtained from the national health insurance claim and national health examination data. Results: This cohort enrolled 11,083 patients with HT. The mean age was 58.87 ± 11.5 years, 50.5% were male, and 31.4% were never-treated HT. Of the enrolled patients, 32.9% and 37.7% belonged to the high and moderate cardiovascular risk groups, respectively. Initial blood pressures were 149.4 ± 18.5/88.5 ± 12.5 mmHg. During the 2 years hospital data follow-up period, blood pressures lowered to 130.8 ± 14.1/78.0 ± 9.7 mmHg with 1.9 ± 1.0 tablet doses of antihypertensive medication. Cardiovascular events occurred in 7.5% of the overall patients; 8.5%, 8.8%, and 4.7% in the high, moderate, and low risk patients, respectively. Conclusions The KHC study has provided important information on the long-term outcomes of HT patients according to the blood pressure, comorbid diseases, medication, and adherence, as well as health behaviors and health resource use.

Background/Aims: Hypertension (HT) has a significant impact on public health and medical expenses. However, HT is a chronic disease that requires the long-term follow-up of a large number of patients. Methods: The Korean Hypertension Cohort (KHC) study aimed to develop a model for calculating cardiovascular risk in HT patients by linking and utilizing the detailed clinical and longitudinal data from hospitals and the national health insurance claim database, respectively. This cohort had a planned sample size of over 11,000 HT patients and 100,000 non-HT controls. Eligible patients were hypertensive patients, who were presenting for the first time and were diagnosed with HT as a main disease from 2006 to 2011. Long-term survival data over a period of approximately 9 years were obtained from the national health insurance claim and national health examination data. Results: This cohort enrolled 11,083 patients with HT. The mean age was 58.87 ± 11.5 years, 50.5% were male, and 31.4% were never-treated HT. Of the enrolled patients, 32.9% and 37.7% belonged to the high and moderate cardiovascular risk groups, respectively. Initial blood pressures were 149.4 ± 18.5/88.5 ± 12.5 mmHg. During the 2 years hospital data follow-up period, blood pressures lowered to 130.8 ± 14.1/78.0 ± 9.7 mmHg with 1.9 ± 1.0 tablet doses of antihypertensive medication. Cardiovascular events occurred in 7.5% of the overall patients; 8.5%, 8.8%, and 4.7% in the high, moderate, and low risk patients, respectively. Conclusions The KHC study has provided important information on the long-term outcomes of HT patients according to the blood pressure, comorbid diseases, medication, and adherence, as well as health behaviors and health resource use.

PURPOSE: Simple and reliable animal models of human diseases contribute to the understanding of disease pathogenesis as well as the development of therapeutic interventions. Although several murine models to mimic human asthma have been established, most of them require anesthesia, resulting in variability among test individuals, and do not mimic asthmatic responses accompanied by T-helper (Th) 17 and neutrophils. As dendritic cells (DCs) are known to play an important role in initiating and maintaining asthmatic inflammation, we developed an asthma model via adoptive transfer of allergen-loaded DCs.METHODS: Ovalbumin (OVA)-loaded bone marrow-derived DCs (BMDCs) (OVA-BMDCs) were injected intravenously 3 times into non-anesthetized C57BL/6 mice after intraperitoneal OVA-sensitization.RESULTS: OVA-BMDC-transferred mice developed severe asthmatic immune responses when compared with mice receiving conventional OVA challenge intranasally. Notably, remarkable increases in systemic immunoglobulin (Ig) E and IgG1 responses, Th2/Th17-associated cytokines (interleukin [IL]-5, IL-13 and IL-17), Th2/Th17-skewed T-cell responses, and cellular components, including eosinophils, neutrophils, and goblet cells, were observed in the lungs of OVA-BMDC-transferred mice. Moreover, the asthmatic immune responses and severity of inflammation were correlated with the number of OVA-BMDCs transferred, indicating that the disease severity and asthma type may be adjusted according to the experimental purpose by this method. Furthermore, this model exhibited less variation among the test individuals than the conventional model. In addition, this DCs-based asthma model was partially resistant to steroid treatment.CONCLUSIONS: A reliable murine model of asthma by intravenous (i.v.) transfer of OVA-BMDCs was successfully established without anesthesia. This model more accurately reflects heterogeneous human asthma, exhibiting a robust Th2/Th17-skewed response and eosinophilic/neutrophilic infiltration with good reproducibility and low variation among individuals. This model will be useful for understanding the pathogenesis of asthma and would serve as an alternative tool for immunological studies on the function of DCs, T-cell responses and new drugs.
Adoptive Transfer ; Anesthesia ; Animals ; Asthma ; Cytokines ; Dendritic Cells ; Eosinophils ; Goblet Cells ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulins ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-13 ; Lung ; Methods ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Neutrophils ; Ovalbumin ; Ovum ; T-Lymphocytes

Human umbilical cord blood mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) are used in tissue repair and regeneration; however, the mechanisms involved are not well understood. We investigated the hair growth-promoting effects of hUCB-MSCs treatment to determine whether hUCB-MSCs enhance the promotion of hair growth. Furthermore, we attempted to identify the factors responsible for hair growth. The effects of hUCB-MSCs on hair growth were investigated in vivo, and hUCB-MSCs advanced anagen onset and hair follicle neogeneration. We found that hUCB-MSCs co-culture increased the viability and up-regulated hair induction-related proteins of human dermal papilla cells (hDPCs) in vitro. A growth factor antibody array revealed that secretory factors from hUCB-MSCs are related to hair growth. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were increased in co-culture medium. Finally, we found that IGFBP-1, through the co-localization of an IGF-1 and IGFBP-1, had positive effects on cell viability; VEGF secretion; expression of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), CD133, and β-catenin; and formation of hDPCs 3D spheroids. Taken together, these data suggest that hUCB-MSCs promote hair growth via a paracrine mechanism.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Alopecia ; Cell Survival ; Coculture Techniques ; Fetal Blood* ; Hair Follicle ; Hair* ; Humans* ; In Vitro Techniques ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Protein 1 ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins* ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Regeneration ; Stem Cells* ; Umbilical Cord* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

PURPOSE: Negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT) is an adjunct therapy using negative pressure to remove fluid from open wounds through a sealed dressing and a specialized tubing that is connected to a collection container. NPWT is suitable for acute and chronic wound condition because it was designed to accelerate granulation formation on deep wound. Therefore, we performed this study to assess the effectiveness of NPWT for various wound condition in burn center. METHODS: We enrolled 17 patients who were treated with NPWT from January 2014 to April 2016. We analyzed the characteristics and outcomes of the patients through retrospectively. RESULTS: Among 17 patients, there were 13 patients for contact burn, 2 patients for electrical injury, 1 patient for diabetic foot ulcer and 1 patient for Flame burn. Most of the contact burn victims were injured by the exposure of relatively low temperature for a long time and some of them were injured under the condition of sensory deterioration including spinal cord injury, diabetes or sedatives. Wound coverage was accomplished by split thickness skin graft (STSG) in 12 patients. Local flap was done in 1 patient. STSG with local flap was done in 3 patients. And there were 1 patient who got a conservative management. The duration of NPWT application was from 8 days to 101 days (average 36.2 days). CONCLUSION: NPWT showed good clinical outcomes under various wound condition. Therefore, we think that it can be a new treatment paradigm for difficult wound management in burn center.
Bandages ; Burn Units* ; Burns* ; Diabetic Foot ; Humans ; Hypnotics and Sedatives ; Negative-Pressure Wound Therapy* ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Transplants ; Ulcer ; Wound Healing ; Wounds and Injuries

BACKGROUND: Hand eczema is one of the most common skin disorders and negatively affects quality of life. However, a large-scale multicenter study investigating the clinical features of patients with hand eczema has not yet been conducted in Korea. OBJECTIVE: To identify the prevalence of various hand diseases, which is defined as all cutaneous disease occurring in hands, and to investigate the clinical features of patients with hand eczema and the awareness about hand eczema in the general population and to compare the prevalence of hand eczema between health care providers and non-health care providers. METHODS: To estimate the prevalence of hand diseases, we analyzed the medical records of patients from 24 medical centers. Patients were assessed by online and offline questionnaires. A 1,000 from general population and 913 hand eczema patients answered the questionnaire, for a total of 1,913 subjects. RESULTS: The most common hand disease was irritant contact dermatitis. In an online survey, the lifetime prevalence of hand eczema was 31.2%. Hand eczema was more likely to occur in females (66.0%) and younger (20~39 years, 53.9%). Health care providers and housewives were the occupations most frequently associated with hand eczema. Winter (33.6%) was the most common season which people experienced aggravation. The 63.0% and 67.0% answered that hand eczema hinders their personal relationship and negatively affects daily living activities, respectively. CONCLUSION: Hand eczema is a very common disease and hinders the quality of life. The appropriate identification of hand eczema is necessary to implement effective and efficient treatment.
Activities of Daily Living ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Eczema* ; Female ; Hand* ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Korea* ; Medical Records ; Occupations ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life ; Seasons ; Skin ; Surveys and Questionnaires

To determine the effect of diabetes on root resorption in periodontitis, we investigated odontoclast formation and root resorption in diabetic rats with periodontitis. Odontoclast formation was observed in three groups of F344 rats: Controls (C) were normal rats without diabetes or periodontitis; the periodontitis (P) group had mandibular first molars to be ligatured; the periodontitis with diabetes (PD) group was intravenously administered streptozotocin (50 mg/kg) to induce diabetes and had mandibular first molars to be ligatured. On days 3, 10, and 20 after ligature, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL) expression, odontoclast formation, and root resorption areas were evaluated by immunohistochemistry, tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase staining, and hematoxylin and eosin staining, respectively. The PD group showed frequent urination, weight loss, and hyperglycemia. Numbers of TNF-alpha- and RANKL-positive cells were higher in the P and PD groups than in the C group. It was more prevalent in PD group on day 3. Odontoclast formation was greater in the P and PD groups than in the C group on days 3 and 10, then decreased to same level as the C group by day 20. Root resorption in the PD and P groups showed increases on days 3 and 10, respectively, compared to the C group. These results suggest that diabetes may transiently increase root resorption on day 3 with high expression of TNF-alpha and RANKL after periodontitis induction. This study could aid the understanding of root resorption in diabetic patients with periodontitis.
Acid Phosphatase ; Animals ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Hematoxylin ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Immunohistochemistry ; Ligation ; Molar ; Osteoclasts ; Periodontitis* ; RANK Ligand ; Rats* ; Rats, Inbred F344 ; Root Resorption* ; Streptozocin ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Urination ; Weight Loss

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Many previously published articles have reported poor outcomes for young patients with colorectal cancer as compared to that of older patients with colorectal cancer. However, these studies have tended to be small and have various biases. This study was retrospectively designed to determine the clinical course and survival rate of young patient with colorectal cancer. METHODS: All the patients who underwent surgery for colorectal cancer at Hanyang University Hospital between 1995 and 2001 were identified. These patients were assigned to two age groups: the 45 years old and below 45 years old group (123 patients) and the group over the age of 45 (421 patients). RESULTS: The size of the tumor mass was significantly larger in the young group. There were no significant differences between the two groups for the stage at the time of diagnosis, the differentiation, the degree of lymph node involvement, the cancer location and the gross finding. The median cancer specific survival time was worse for the old group as compared with that of the young group. Age, differentiation, lymph node involvement and the Duke stage were the significant prognostic factors on univariate analysis. Age and the Duke stage were the independent prognostic factors that were significantly correlated with survival on the multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazard model. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to prior reports, younger patients with colorectal cancer appear to have a better survival rate than that of older patients with colorectal cancer.
Aged ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

OBJECTIVES: The research was aimed at analyzing the contents of university intranet for systematically execution of the healthy information provision and healthy consultation services from 2000 January to 2004 December. METHODS: We have analyzed 300(28.3%) the instances of accomplished health consultation cases from the whole 1,059 instances which were the replied in a university intranet. RESULTS: According to the contents of health consultation in ICPC code, a general symptom 91 cases(30.3%) was most, muscle-skeletal system 44 cases(14.7%), and digestive system 43 cases(14.3%) in order of cases of health counselling. The symptoms and complaint with 155 cases(51.7%) were most in the distribution of the health counselling contents by 17 charter of ICPC. The most common reason of counselling by 17 charter of ICPC were as follows; questions about the symptom and diagnosis(118 cases, 39.3%), the preventive and treatment methods(91 cases, 30.0%), and medical fee(20cases, 6.7%) in order. We mainly answer on the content of health counselling were as follows; make an offer of medical information and knowledge(48.3%), recommend visit clinic or hospital(23.7%), guide to treatment(12.7%), and so on. CONCLUSIONS: This research showed that the program of health counselling may not meet completely the high quality and adequate distribution of health counselling by the intranet in a university by content analysis. The finding suggests that health counselling by intranet in a university may be used to supplement of systemic improvement on the intranet Q/A format from current lack of essential health information and security for the quality of the health counselling.
Computer Communication Networks* ; Counseling* ; Digestive System

PURPOSE: We recently experienced 3 consecutive cases of bile peritonitis due to tract rupture following T-tube removal at about 6 weeks after choledocholithotomy with using a new tube (1.1% silica-filled rubber). These unexpected cases of bile peritonitis have raised questions related to the tube material factor for the rupture. The aim of this study was to compare three kinds of T-tubes [ (100% silicone (SIL), 1.1% silica-filled rubber (SFR), and 100% rubber (RUB) ] from the point of view of fistula maturation as is related to the physicochemical properties of the tube materials. METHODS: SIL, SFR and RUB tubes were implanted into the subcutaneous space in rats. Histologically, the degree of fistula maturation was estimated by an inflammation score, the thickness of inflammation and the fibrosis. The physical properties of the tube materials were estimated by their modulus and elasticity. RESULTS: SFR and RUB tube had no statistically significant difference for the thickness of the inflammation and fibrosis. Yet there were difference in their modulus and elasticity. The modulus, elasticity, thickness of the inflammation and the fibrosis were difference in the SIL versus SFR and the SIL versus RUB. CONCLUSION: There were no statistically significant differences in the degree of fistula maturation between the SFR and RUB tubes. The rubber tube tended to show a more severe inflammatory reaction and better maturation of the fistula. Moreover, the flexibleness of the RUB tube make easy to experience collapse of the tube. The degree of maturation mostly depends upon the chemical property of the tube materials. However, the tract rupture that happens is due to the physical properties rather than the chemical properties of the tube. We recommend RUB for the T-tube to prevent the tube related complication such as tract rupture.
Animals ; Bile ; Choledochostomy ; Elasticity ; Fibrosis ; Fistula* ; Inflammation ; Latex ; Peritonitis ; Rats ; Rubber ; Rupture ; Silicones