OBJECTIVES: To estimate the weighting for the disability caused by major cancers in Korea using the Delphi method. METHODS: We selected 19 panelists to estimate the disability weighting of major cancers in Korea by using the Delphi method. To select the relevant kinds of cancers, we used National Death Certificate Data produced by the National Statistical Office in 1996. Then the stability of each delphi round was calculated by using the coefficient of variance. RESULTS: The disability weight of major cancers for males was pancreas cancer(0.36), liver cancer(0.35), esophageal cancer(0.30), stomach cancer(0.27), lung cancer(0.26), and colorectal cancer(0.30). The disability weight of major cancers for females was pancreas cancer(0.36), liver cancer(0.34), esophageal cancer(0.29), stomach cancer(0.28), lung cancer(0.26), and colorectal cancer(0.28). CONCLUSION: The results of this study will provide baseline data useful for the measurement of the burden of disease caused by cancers in Korea.
Death Certificates ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Liver ; Lung ; Male ; Pancreas ; Stomach

The cryopreservation of Red Blood Cells has many advantages of which the most important one is that it can be stored for a long period. However, in Korea, Research regarding frozen blood is still in its early stage. We evaluated the effects of transfusion of the frozen-thawed RBCs in dogs. The whole bloods were collected from 5 dogs, and the packed RBCs were obtained by centrifugation method. We made the frozen RBCs by using 40% glycerol method and stored it in -80 degrees C refrigerate for 1 month. The frozen RBCs were thawed in the 37 degrees C water bath and washed by Cell washer according to the standard protocol, and evaluated the status of them being compared with that of the unfrozen. The majorirty of the results were satisfactory to the allowable limit except high plasma hemoglobin and potassium. The frozen-thawed bloods were transfused to the two dogs and carefully observed the effects and its complications. The results were that the average value of the hemoglobin was elevated about 0.6g/dL more after transfusion than before, and there were no significant complication related to the transfusion. Thus, The frozen thawed blood transfusions in case of the experiment with dogs were proved to be safe and as effective as fresh blood, and The above method appeared to be feasible to human blood.
Animals ; Baths ; Blood Transfusion ; Centrifugation ; Cryopreservation ; Dogs* ; Erythrocytes ; Glycerol ; Humans ; Korea ; Plasma ; Potassium ; Water

No abstract available.
Cytokines* ; Mast Cells*

OBJECTIVE: Chronic subdural hematomas (CSDH) are more common on the left hemisphere than on the right. We verified this left predilection of CSDH and tried to explain the reason for this discrepancy. METHODS: We investigated the laterality of CSDH in 182 patients who were treated from January 2005 to December 2009. We examined the symmetry of the cranium and the location of the lesion. RESULTS: CSDH was more common on the left-side. The cranium was symmetric in 63 patients, asymmetric in 119 patients. The asymmetric crania were flat on the right-side in 77 patients, on the left-side in 42 patients. The density of the CSDHs was hypodense in 29 patients, isodense 132 patients, and the others in 21 patients. Bilateral hematomas were more common in the hypodense group. In the right flat crania, the hematoma was more commonly located on the opposite side of the flat side. While in the left flat crania, the hematoma was more common on the same side. CONCLUSION: CSDHs occurred more frequently on the left side. The anatomical asymmetry of the cranium influences the left predilection of CSDH.
Craniocerebral Trauma ; Hematoma ; Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic ; Humans ; Skull

A 41-year-old female complaining of easy fatigue, headache, thickened extremities and deepened facial folds was admitted to the hospital. As early as 6 years ago, she had been told by family members that her voice was changed and both hands was thickened. Cranial plain radiography indicated ballooning of sella turcica. Sella MRI disclosed 2.2cm sized pituitary tumor with suprasellar extension. The pituitary tumor with hypothalamic extension was removed via a transsphenoidal approach. The postoperative course was uneventful until hyponatremia with sudden headache and respiratory arrest was developed. The case was due to hyponatremic encephalopathy on the basis of the clinical course and symptoms, and 3% hypertonic saline was infused for 12 hours until the hyponatremia was corrected. We have experienced a mortality case of hyponatremic encephalopathy in which surgieal removal of a pituitary tumor from a female acromegalic patient in menstruant period was followed by the sudden occurrence of hyponatremia, which in turn was later associated with marked brain edema.
Adult ; Brain Edema ; Extremities ; Fatigue ; Female ; Hand ; Headache ; Humans ; Hyponatremia ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mortality ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Radiography ; Sella Turcica ; Voice

Metastatic lesions in temporal bones were rare in the past, however, nowadays, they seem to be increasing. The primary sites of metastases to the temporal bones are known to be the breasts, lungs, kidneys, gastrointestinal tract, prostate gland, larynx, and thyroid gland. We present a case with peripheral facial paralysis as the only symptom of a metastasis to the temporal bone in a 73 year-old woman, and that peripheral facial paralysis was the first and only metastatic symptom in that case. This patient was initially diagnosed with Bell's palsy. However, based on the pathologic findings, a further study revealed an adenocarcinoma of the lungs which spread to the temporal bone. Any metastatic diseases to the temporal bone should be considered as possible etiology in patients with a clinical history of malignant neoplasms presenting with common otologic or vestibular symptoms, especially with facial nerve paralysis.
Adenocarcinoma* ; Aged ; Bell Palsy ; Breast ; Facial Nerve ; Facial Paralysis* ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Kidney ; Larynx ; Lung ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Paralysis ; Prostate ; Temporal Bone* ; Thyroid Gland

To evaluate the effect of allergic parameters, such as serum IgE, eosinophil, and skin test on the bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in patients with chronic airflow obstruction, we performed methacholine bronchial provocation test, pulmonary function test, skin prick test, and measured blood eosinophil counts and serum IgE level from seventy-nine patients who showed persistent fixed airflow obstruction, less than 75% of predicted value in FEV~ and FEV1/FVC, despite of conventional treatment without steroid therapy for more than 3 months. The results were as follows 1) There were 53 patients with BHR and 26 patients without BHR. There were no statistically significant differences in sex, age, and smoking duration between positive BHR group and negative BHR group (p>0.05). 2) There was no statistically significant difference in absolute and predicted value of FVC(p>0.05). But there were significantly lower absolute, predicted value of FEV1 and FEV1/FVC% in positive group compared with negative group (p<0.05). 3) There was somewhat higher trend of serum IgE level in positive group. Skin test was not significantly different between two groups (p > 0.05 ). 4) Blood eosinophil count was significantly higher in positive group than in negative group(p<0.05). Conclusion of this study is that increased bronchial responsiveness in patients with chronic airflow obstruction is inversely related to the level of pulmonary function and significantly associated with blood eosinophilia.
Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Methacholine Chloride ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Skin ; Skin Tests ; Smoke ; Smoking

PURPOSE: Estimation of body fluid volume in hyponatremia is useful for diagnosis and therapeutic decision-making. Physical examination has been generally used to estimate body fluid volume, but it depends on the physician's abilities. Bioimpedance spectroscopy has been suggested to be a reliable method for the estimation of body fluid volume. Therefore, this study investigated whether bioimpedance spectroscopy could replace physical examination in hyponatremia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 30 patients with hyponatremia. At the time of the initial visit, body fluid volume was estimated simultaneously by both physical examination and bioimpedance spectroscopy. Estimation of body fluid status by clinical diagnosis was performed as well, which determined body fluid status corresponds with the most likely cause of hyponatremia (clinical body fluid estimation). RESULTS: The results of body fluid volume estimated by physical examination, bioimpedance spectroscopy, and clinical body fluid estimation showed that 9, 10, and 9 patients, respectively, were hypervolemic; 13, 15 and 16 patients, respectively, were euvolemic; and 8, 5, and 5 patients, respectively, were hypovolemic. Cohen's kappa analysis showed a significant agreement between physical examination and bioimpedance spectroscopy (kappa coefficient, 0.632, p<0.001). In addition, bioimpedance spectroscopy showed a higher level of agreement with clinical body fluid estimation than physical examination (kappa coefficient, 0.602 vs. 0.524). CONCLUSION: This study suggests that bioimpedance spectroscopy could replace physical examination for estimating body fluid status in hyponatremia. In addition, bioimpedance spectroscopy might correspond better with clinical diagnosis than physical examination in the estimation of body fluid status in hyponatremia.
Body Fluids* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hyponatremia* ; Hypovolemia ; Methods ; Physical Examination ; Spectrum Analysis*

The occurrences of thyrotoxicosis in patients with myasthenia gravis have been reported before the knowledge of the pathogenesis of the two disease. Thytotoxicosis is known to occur in 3 to 6 percent of patients with myasthenia gravis and myasthenia gravis occurs in only a fraction of 1 percent of the thyrotoxic populatian. Myasthenia gravis is currently considered as a systemic autoimmune disorder of acetylcholine receptor and often presented with other autoimmune diseases such as SLE, Rheumatoid arthritis. We experienced a 18-year-old woman who presented with graves disease and isolated ocular myasthenia gravis. Chest CT didnot reveal enlarged thymus. The usual treatement of myasthenia gravis associated with thymtoxicosis consists of medical control of the thyrotoxicosis, then thymectomy and later subtotal thyroidectomy. Her ptosis and thyrotoxicosis have improved after the medicatian of anticholinesterase and propylthiourecil. A case of ocular myasthenia gravis with Gravesdisease was experienced, so we reported the case with a brief review of literature.
Acetylcholine ; Adolescent ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Female ; Graves Disease ; Humans ; Myasthenia Gravis ; Thymectomy ; Thymus Gland ; Thyroidectomy ; Thyrotoxicosis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: Traumatic extrusion of the eyeball is rare. We experienced and successfully reconstructed a case of the eyeball extrusion with complete avulsion of the optic nerve, and complex, comminuted fractures of medial and inferior orbital walls. METHODS: A 27-year-old man presented with the ocular pain and eyeball extrusion of the right eye after the trauma. There were multiple lacerations of the eyelid and the conjunctiva of the right eye, the complete avulsion of the optic nerve and the avulsion of extraocular muscles except the lateral rectus muscle, and the eyeball extrusion of the right eye. We performed the enucleation with Medpor(R) sphere implantation and the reconstruction of the inferior and medial walls with Medpor(R) one channel and sheet implant. RESULTS: At one-year follow-up, there were no implant exposure and infection, and good cosmetic result was seen without enophthalmos. CONCLUSIONS: In a case of eyeball extrusion with complex, comminuted fractures after trauma, we could reconstruct these successfully with enucleation with Medpor(R) sphere implantation, and repair of fractures with Medpor(R) channel and sheet implant.
Adult ; Conjunctiva ; Enophthalmos ; Eyelids ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fractures, Comminuted* ; Humans ; Lacerations ; Muscles ; Optic Nerve ; Orbit