No abstract available.
Animals ; Interleukin-2 ; Mice*

Regionalization of high-risk perinatal care has been advocated because intensive care for small and ill newborn infants lowers mortality and morbidity. This report is based on analysis of admissions to the Neonatal Intensive Care unit (NICU) at the Wonju christian Hospital during the 4-year period from January, 1988 to December, 1991. There were 786 inborn infants and 1155 outborn infants admitted to the NICU. The results of our study follow; 1) Mean gestational ages were 36.8 weeks in inborn infants and 39.0 weeks in outborn infants. Mean birth weight was 2.5kg in inborn and 3.0kg in outborn infants. 2) The high-risk maternal factors, such as cesarian section delivery, eclampsia, preeclampsia, multiple pregnancy and placental anomaly were significantly more frequent in inborn infants than in outborn infants. 3) Perinatal sphyxia, HMD and transient tachypnea of newborn (TTN) were more common in inborn than in outborn infants, but pneumonia, meconium aspiration syndrome, and seizure were more common in outborn infants. 4) The positivity of bacterial cultures in blood and urine was higher in outborn infants than in inborn infants. The most frequently isolated microorganism was staphylococcus species in both inborn and outborn infants. 5) Hospital days, duration of TPN, duration of mechanical ventilation, frequency of seizure, and frequency of transfusion were longer or more frequent in inborn than in outborn infants. 6) Mortality rate was higher in inborn infants than in outborn infants. 7) In outborn infants, mortality rate was higher in infants whose transporting time was longer than 2 hours than for infants within 2 hour distances. However, this difference was not statistically significant. 8) These findings suggest that many lower birth weight and severly ill infants were not transported to the NICU of Wonju Christian Hospital perhaps due to poor transport systems, distance or socio-economic status. In conclusion, the improvement of transporting systems and socio-economic conditions will be required within this region.
Birth Weight ; Eclampsia ; Female ; Gangwon-do ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Critical Care ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Meconium Aspiration Syndrome ; Mortality ; Perinatal Care ; Pneumonia ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Multiple ; Respiration, Artificial ; Seizures ; Staphylococcus ; Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn

In 1958, Jackson first reported on the use of proximal tibial osteotomy in the treatment of pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee joint. Subsequently, various osteotomy techniques have been reported. The varus deformity of the knee associated with osteoarthritis can be corrected by realigning the joint and thereby shifting the line of weight bearing to the compartment with preserved articular cartilage. This procedure has been found to relieve pain, improve function and arrest the progress of the condition. Twenty five cases of genu varum associated with osteoarthritis were treated by high tibial osteotomy at Dept. of O.S., Seoul National University Hospital, from July 1976 to June 1983. And the following results were obtained. 1. In a review of 25 high tibial osteotomies, excellent and good results were noted in 80% of the knees after average follow-up 2.9 years. 2. Postoperative valgus angles, ranging from 5° to 20°, were averaged to be 10.8°. 3. Though some authors indicate the obesity as one of risk factors, we obtained satisfactory results in 25 knees of obese patients.
Cartilage, Articular ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Follow-Up Studies ; Genu Varum ; Humans ; Joints ; Knee ; Knee Joint ; Obesity ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteotomy ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Weight-Bearing

Adult ; Connective Tissue ; Extremities ; Head ; Histiocytoma, Malignant Fibrous ; Humans ; Maxilla ; Neck ; Radiotherapy ; Sarcoma

PURPOSE: The use of a 12-week steroid regimen (long-term therapy, LT) for the first episode of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (NS) reportedly induces a more sustained remission and lower relapse rate than previous regimens, including an 8-week steroid regimen (short-term therapy, ST). Here, we assessed the potential for selective application of 2 steroid regimens (LT vs. ST) based on the days to remission (early responders [ER] vs. late responders [LR]) for the first idiopathic NS episode in children. METHODS: Patients were divided into 4 subgroups (ST+ER, ST+LR, LT+ER, and LT+LR) according to the initial steroid regimen used and rapidity of response; the baseline characteristics, relapse rates, and cumulative percentage of children with sustained remission were then compared among the 4 subgroups. RESULTS: Fifty-four children received ST, and the remaining 45 children received LT. As observed in previous studies, children receiving LT showed significantly lower relapse rates during the first year after the first NS episode than those receiving ST. The ST+ER group showed significantly lower relapse rates during the first one year and two years after the first NS episode than the the ST+LR group, whereas there were no significant differences of the relapse rates and duration to the first relapse between the ST+ER and LT+ER groups. CONCLUSION: We suggest that the initial steroid regimen in idiopathic NS patients can be shortened according to the duration to remission i.e., LT in patients achieving remission after the first week of steroid therapy, and ST in those achieving remission within the first week of steroid therapy.
Child ; Humans ; Nephrotic Syndrome* ; Recurrence ; Steroids

OBJECTIVE: This retrospective study aimed to compare clinical outcomes in terms of pain relief and recurrence rate between fragmentectomies and conventional microdiscectomies in patients with lumbar disc herniation (LDH). METHODS: Between January 2008 and May 2011, a total of 175 patients met the inclusion criteria of this study. The visual analogue scale (VAS) scores of back and radicular pains were recorded before surgery, 2 and 6 weeks after surgery. Recurrence was defined when a patient had the same pattern of preoperative symptoms and was confirmed with magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: Seventy-four patients (42.3%) were suitable for fragmentectomy, and 101 patients underwent conventional microdiscectomy. There were no significant differences in VAS scores between the fragmentectomy and conventional microdiscectomy groups 2 and 6 weeks after surgery. During the follow-up period, 3 patients (4.05%) in the fragmentectomy group and 7 patients (6.93%) in the conventional microdiscectomy group relapsed. CONCLUSION: If patients are selected according to well-defined criteria, fragmentectomy can be a good surgical option for LDH, in the physiological aspect of preserving healthy intervertebral disc materials.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: Capsaicin, a noxious stimulant and main component of the hot flavor of red peppers, has an analgesic effect when administered to humans. We investigated the expression of proopioimelanocortin (POMC) mRNA in the arcuate nucleus of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats after administering capsaicin, hypothesizing that administering capsaicin activates the central opioid system. METHODS: SD rats were divided randomly into two groups; one group received a saline injection and the other received a capsaicin injection. The POMC mRNA level in the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus was measured by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction at 0, 20, 40, 60, and 120 minutes after capsaicin administration. RESULTS: Capsaicin administration resulted in a significantly increased POMC mRNA level, compared to that in saline-treated rats at the 20-minute time point (t=-4.445, p=0.001). However, no significant group differences were observed at other times (t=-1.886, p=0.089; t= -0.973, p=0.353; t=-2.193, p=0.053 for 40, 60, and 120 minutes, respectively). CONCLUSION: The analgesic effect of capsaicin might be associated with increased activity of the cerebral opioid system. This finding suggests that capsaicin acted for nociception and analgesia and could affect alcohol-intake behavior, which might further imply that a food culture could affect drinking behavior.
Analgesia ; Animals ; Arcuate Nucleus ; beta-Endorphin ; Capsaicin ; Capsicum ; Drinking Behavior ; Humans ; Hypothalamus ; Nociception ; Pro-Opiomelanocortin ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; RNA, Messenger

Obviously, the administration of the prescribed amount of activity to the patient requires proper operation of the dose calibrator, which shall be verified by implementing the required quality control on the instrument. This investigation examined the accuracy and precision of dose calibrator activity measurement of the radiopharmaceutical F-18 FDG. To investigate the status of the nuclear medicine centers in Korea for the performance of dose calibrators, 10 centers providing PET/CT system services in Korea were inspected in 2008. We measured accuracy and precision in 10 equipments in consideration of PET/CT model, installation area, and installation time. According to the results of comparative analysis of 10 dose calibrators used to measure radioactivity of F-18 FDG, accuracy was -5.00~4.50% and precision was 0.05~0.45%, satisfying the international standards, which are accuracy +/-10% and precision +/-5%. This study demonstrated that, for accurate measurements, no adjustment is necessary for a dose calibrator setting when measuring different dose calibrators of F-18 FDG activity prescriptions.
Humans ; Korea ; Nuclear Medicine ; Quality Control ; Radioactivity

Obviously, the administration of the prescribed amount of activity to the patient requires proper operation of the dose calibrator, which shall be verified by implementing the required quality control on the instrument. This investigation examined the accuracy and precision of dose calibrator activity measurement of the radiopharmaceutical F-18 FDG. To investigate the status of the nuclear medicine centers in Korea for the performance of dose calibrators, 10 centers providing PET/CT system services in Korea were inspected in 2008. We measured accuracy and precision in 10 equipments in consideration of PET/CT model, installation area, and installation time. According to the results of comparative analysis of 10 dose calibrators used to measure radioactivity of F-18 FDG, accuracy was -5.00~4.50% and precision was 0.05~0.45%, satisfying the international standards, which are accuracy +/-10% and precision +/-5%. This study demonstrated that, for accurate measurements, no adjustment is necessary for a dose calibrator setting when measuring different dose calibrators of F-18 FDG activity prescriptions.
Humans ; Korea ; Nuclear Medicine ; Quality Control ; Radioactivity

PURPOSE: Exposure to indoor radon is associated with lung cancer. This study aimed to estimate the number of lung cancer deaths attributable to indoor radon exposure, its burden of disease, and the effects of radon mitigation in Korea in 2010. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Lung cancer deaths due to indoor radon exposure were estimated using exposure-response relations reported in previous studies. Years of life lost (YLLs) were calculated to quantify disease burden in relation to premature deaths. Mitigation effects were examined under scenarios in which all homes with indoor radon concentrations above a specified level were remediated below the level. RESULTS: The estimated number of lung cancer deaths attributable to indoor radon exposure ranged from 1946 to 3863, accounting for 12.5–24.7% of 15623 total lung cancer deaths in 2010. YLLs due to premature deaths were estimated at 43140–101855 years (90–212 years per 100000 population). If all homes with radon levels above 148 Bq/m3 are effectively remediated, 502–732 lung cancer deaths and 10972–18479 YLLs could be prevented. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that indoor radon exposure contributes considerably to lung cancer, and that reducing indoor radon concentration would be helpful for decreasing the disease burden from lung cancer deaths.
Korea ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Mortality, Premature ; Radon*