OBJECTIVE: In Gunsan, Jeollabuk-do, Korea, we wanted to determine if the sluggish local economy could affect citizens' health behaviors, especially mental health. METHODS: We divided Gunsan-si into 5 living areas and conducted Small-Area Estimations and confirmed the modified compound estimation value using the 2013-2017 Community Health Survey data and population data from Gunsan-si. RESULTS: The health behaviors and mental health of the residents of the western living area(Soryong-dong, Misung-dong), which is an industrial hub of Gunsan, had deteriorated or decreased compared to those of other regions. CONCLUSIONS Although there are limitations in analyzing the community health survey data using the small-area estimation method, it could be useful data for evaluating regional gaps and health level.

The simultaneous occurrence of primary glomerulonephritis in identical twins has been rarely reported previously. It has suggested that genetic factors may play an important role in the pathogenesis of primary glomerulonephritis. We describe a pair of 17-year-old identical twin brothers with asymptomatic proteinuria, one with histologically proven minimal change disease and the other with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. HLA typing in twin brothers revealed an identical phenotype consisting of A25, A33, B44, B54, Cwl, Cw7, DR7 and DRB1. To our knowledge, this is the first case of glomerulonephritis in identical twins in Korea.
Adolescent ; Glomerulonephritis ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental* ; Histocompatibility Testing ; Humans ; Korea ; Nephrosis, Lipoid* ; Phenotype ; Proteinuria ; Siblings* ; Twins, Monozygotic*

STUDY DESIGN: Six patients with the lumbar kyphosis who underwent the circumferential fusion by posterior-anterior-posterior method were reviewed retrospectively from January 1998 to June 1999. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether patients with lumbar kyphosis can be successfully treated by circumferential fusion by posterior-anterior-posterior method. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: In the lumbar kyphosis, many procedures have been reported to correct the deformity, including multiple osteotomy, transpedicular vertebral resection, posterior interbody fusion, etc. Circumferential fusion by posterior-anterior-posterior method is suggested in this report as a valuable technique for excellent deformity correction and maintenance. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The surgery consists of posterior structural release with decompression followed by anterior structural release with interbody fusion by use of bone graft and posterior fixation. Clinical and radiologic results of the lumbar lordosis, sacral inclination and C7 plumb-line were assessed. RESULT: The mean segments of anterior and posterior fusion were 2.8 and 3.5 respectively. All clinical symptoms of patients had been improved in more than good. The average angle of lumbar lordosis was corrected from kyphosis 2.8degree preoperatively to lordosis 31.2degree postoperatively. At the last follow-up, the average loss of correction was 2.3degree . The average angle of sacral inclination was corrected from 6.7degree to 50.8degree . The distance from supero-posterior corner of S1 to C7 plumb line was reduced from 11.0 cm to 2.75 cm. CONCLUSION: The circumferential fusion by posterior-anterior-posterior method offer an effective surgical treatment, which produce excellent deformity correction, fusion rate, maintenance of the correction and good clinical outcome.
Animals ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Decompression ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Kyphosis* ; Lordosis ; Osteotomy ; Retrospective Studies ; Transplants

The other generalized type of epidermolysis bullosa simplex (EBS) is a genetic blistering skin disease, caused by a mutation of the genes encoding keratin 5 and 14. EBS starts at birth and is characterized by generalized blisters following a minor trauma that heals with hyperpigmentation. A 19-year-old man presented with 19-year history of multiple erythematous vesicles in a herpetiform arrangement on the trunk, axilla, and thigh with post-inflammatory hyper-pigmentations. On light and electron microscopy, the biopsy specimen showed intraepidermal blisters that formed within the basal keratinocyte. The serum from a patient with bullous pemphigoid antibody and laminin 5 antibody showed the linear deposition at the floor of the blister on immunofluorescence mapping study. On the basis of our clinical, microscopic, and immunofluorescence findings, we diagnosed the patient as having a generalized type of EBS. Herein, we report on an interesting case of the other generalized type of EBS.
Axilla ; Biopsy ; Blister ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; Epidermolysis Bullosa ; Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex ; Floors and Floorcoverings ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Keratin-5 ; Keratinocytes ; Laminin ; Light ; Methylmethacrylates ; Microscopy, Electron ; Parturition ; Pemphigoid, Bullous ; Polystyrenes ; Skin Diseases ; Thigh

PURPOSE: 5-fluorouracil is one of the widely used chemotherapeutic agent whose metabolic product forms tight covalent binding complex with thymidylate synthase (TS) and thereby blocks the DNA synthesis process. Expression of TS has been studied as a mechanism of drug resistance and as a prognostic factor for various cancers. METHODS: The relation between TS expression in surgically resected specimens and clinicopathologic features was examined in 62 patients with gastric cancer. Immuno histochemical demonstration of the protein was achieved using an anti-TS monoclonal antibody. RESULTS: In Lauren's classification, TS expressions of the intestinal type and the diffuse type were 21.93% and 14.96% respectively (P=0.02). And TS expression in a group with lymphatic invasion was higher (26.15%) than that in a group without lymphatic invasion (16.15%)(P=0.0001). There were no significant differences between the TS expressions associated with other clinicopathologic features (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: For the purpose of assessing the applicability of TS expression as a prognostic factor and as a mechanism for drug resistance, assessment of TS expression must be standardized. Although direct correlations between TS expression and other clinicopathologic features were found only in Lauren's classification and lymphatic invasion, further investigations of the relation between TS expression and drug resistance of 5-FU must be continued to provide data for choosing chemotherapuetic agents for use in patients with gastric cancer.
Classification ; DNA ; Drug Resistance ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Thymidylate Synthase*

PURPOSE: The standardized patient (SP) is a person carefully trained to represent a real patient case for consistent and accurate use in student performance evaluation and/or training, has added a very important dimension in OSCE. The purpose of this study is compared a well-trained professional SP (PSP) and a amateur SP (ASP) in OSCE. METHODS: We surveyed 378 students apprentices and staffs involving OSCE of Daegu-Kyungbuk Consortium and analysed the validity between the PSP and ASP after OSCE. RESULTS: Of 92 total stations in which students were evaluated by staff evaluator, SP were used in 47 stations (48%). Of the 47 stations, professional SP 7 stations (16%). The questionnaires were made to know the effectiveness and realistics of SP. The results were different between station used PSP and ASP. Moreover, it was significantly different between the staffs and the students. The SP can offer advantages such as availability, adaptability and effectivity. If trained well, they also can provide positive effects to the students and the staffs. The PSP provides efficient and reliable opportunity to assess clinical skills in a safe situation without any harm to the real patients. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that the use of SP is stimulating and challenging way of evaluating the OSCE. Also, It appeared to be financially and availably feasible if it commonly owned in the boundary of the land such Daegu-Kyungbuk Consortium.
Clinical Competence ; Humans ; Viperidae ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVE: To study the changes in serum creatinine and correlation between gestational age or birth weight and serum creatinine in low birth weight infants in the immediate postnatal period. METHODS: Medical records of all premature infants, who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Hallym University Hospital between January 2003 and December 2007, were reviewed. 162 infants met our inclusion criteria. Medical records were reviewed for : birth weight, gestational age, length, gender, APGAR scores, use of medications, blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and serum creatinine (Scr) during the first days of life. Premature infants were separated into three groups according to their birth weight: 500 to 999 g; 1,000 to 1,499 g; and 1,500 to 2,000 g. RESULTS: Scr was found to decrease postnatally, however there was a delay in the decrease of Scr in the subgroup of infants<1,000 g BW, Scr was also found to decrease with increasing birth weight at 1 week after birth (Pearson test, p=0.01). Serum BUN was found to decrease with increasing birth weight at 1 week after birth (Pearson test, p=0.00). CONCLUSION: In low birth weight infants Scr decrease during the first days of life. However, in infants smaller than 1,000 g birth weight there is a delay in the decrease of their Scr that extends beyond the first days of life. Our findings indicate progression of renal function is directly correlated to birth weight.
Birth Weight ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Creatinine ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Medical Records ; Parturition

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate whether polymorphisms of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-1 and -2 promotor genes are associated with preterm delivery caused by preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM) in Korean pregnant women. METHODS: We conducted a case-control study of korean pregnant women admitted to our labor and delivery unit. PPROM group (n=31) was defined as women whom delivered before 37 weeks of gestation due to PPROM. Control group (n=291) included women who were delivered after 37 weeks of gestation and had no history of preterm delivery. Genomic DNA was extracted from maternal peripheral blood. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing were done to determine the genotype of MMP-1 promotor -1607 and MMP-2 promotor -1306 of each participant. Data was analyzed by 2-tailed unpaired t test, x2 test, odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI) using SPSS 10.0. RESULTS: The carrier rate of MMP-1*1G was significantly higher in the PPROM group than that in the control group (p=0.020; odds ratio 3.09, 95% CIl 1.14-8.35). The frequency of 1G allele of MMP-1 was also significantly higher in the PPROM group than that in the control group (p=0.011, odds ratio 1.97, 95% CI 1.16-3.36). There was, however, no significant difference in the carrier rate of genotype as well as in the allelic frequencies of MMP-2*T in PPROM group compared with the control group (p=0.430, odds ratio 1.48, 95% CIl 0.56-3.96; p=0.377, odds ratio 1.58, 95% CI 0.57-4.40). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that polymorphism of MMP-1 promotor -1607 might be associated with PPROM in Korean pregnant women.
Alleles ; Case-Control Studies ; DNA ; Female ; Fenofibrate ; Genotype ; Humans ; Matrix Metalloproteinase 1* ; Membranes* ; Odds Ratio ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women* ; Rupture*

BACKGROUND: Tumor invason and metastasis are the major causes of morbidity and death for cancer patients. Metastatic spread depends critically upon the invasiveness of the tumor cells, i.e., their ability to breach basement membrane by profusely secreting specific proteolytic enzymes such as MMP-2. TIMP-2 has a high affinity for progelatinase A and will form a 1:1 complex with either the latent or activated forms of the enzyme and has inhibitory activity against MMP-2. Laminin induced activation of Phospholipase D (PLD) and consequent generation of phosphatidic acid are involved in a signal propagation pathway leading to induction of MMP-2 in metastatic HT 1080 fibrosarcoma cells. We also studied a expression of PLD, MMP-2 and TIMP-2 in colorectal adenocarcinoma. METHODS: Colorectal adenocarcinomas from 13 patients in our hospital were studied for immunohistochemical expression of PLD, MMP-2, and TIMP-2 to assess their diagnostic and prognostic importance as well as relation between PLD and MMP-2. RESULTS: 1) Expression of PLD-2 was detected in 77% of the cases in colorectal adenocarcinomas. 2) MMP-2 expression was significantly associated with the presence of lymph-node metastasis, with moderated to strong expression present in 100% of the cases compared with 28.6% of the non-metastatic cases (P-value=0.017). 3) For colorectal adenocarcinomas, a strong correlation between PLD and MMP-2 expression was detected (P-value=0.008). CONCLUSION: PLD-2 can be used as a potential marker for malignant disease in colorectal adenocarcinomas. MMP-2 expression was significantly associated with the presence of lymph-nodemetastasis. A strong correlation between PLD and MMP-2 expression was also detected in colorectal carcinoma.
Adenocarcinoma ; Basement Membrane ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Fibrosarcoma ; Humans* ; Laminin ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Peptide Hydrolases ; Phosphatidic Acids ; Phospholipase D* ; Phospholipases* ; Tissue Inhibitor of Metalloproteinase-2*

No abstract available.
Nephrotic Syndrome*