Previously, we have reported that p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA), a serotonin depletor, profoundly increased pancreatic fluid and bicarbonate secretion but remarkably inhibited pancreatic amylase secretion in anesthetized rats. The present study was performed to verify the detailed effects of PCPA on pancreatic amylase synthesis that is directly related to amylase exocrine secretion. PCPA significantly decreased pancreatic RNA and protein contents as well as the amylase activity. However, pancreatic DNA content, trypsin and chymotrypsin activities were not influenced by the treatment of PCPA. The rate of pancreatic amylase synthesis, which was assessed by the amount of incorporated (35S)-methionine into amylase for 1 h, was also significantly decreased by 44% in PCPA-treated rats. In order to determine whether the PCPA-induced decrease of amylase synthesis resulted from change in the level of amylase mRNA, Northern blot analysis was performed. The mRNA expression level of amylase was also decreased by 48% in the PCPA-treated rats, indicating that the inhibitory effect of PCPA on the synthesis of pancreatic amylase was mainly regulated at a step prior to translation. It was also revealed in SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis that the qualitative change of amylase was induced by PCPA. The 54 KDa amylase band seems to be degraded into small molecular weight protein bands in PCPA-treated rats, suggesting that the PCPA-induced decrease of amylase may be partly attributed to the degradation of synthesized amylase.
Amylases* ; Animals ; Blotting, Northern ; Chymotrypsin ; DNA ; Electrophoresis ; Fenclonine* ; Molecular Weight ; Pancreas ; Rats* ; RNA ; RNA, Messenger ; Serotonin ; Trypsin

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study is to find out the therapeutic effectiveness, reproductive outcome, and the diagnostic pathologic findings of the patients treated with resectoscopy. METHODS: We examined 110 patients who complained infertility, abnormal uterine bleeding and menorrhagia from May. 1995 to Dec. 2000 via office. Among the infertility and abnormal uterine bleeding patients with abnormal endometrial lesion, resectoscopy was performed and then the resected tissues was sended for pathologic examination, except IUA, uterine septum, and double uterus. After resectoscopy, we inserted Lippes loop and medicated premarin 2.5 mg, 54 days and medroxyprogesterone acetate 10 mg, 10 days to the IUA patients. In AUB patients, we only injected methergin for bleeding control. They visited office after 1 month, and the follow up for endometrial state was done through TVS, HSG, or hysteroscopy. RESULTS: Among the 44 infertility, 41 (93%) had normal endometrium findings. Of twenty pregnancy (48.8%), seven (35%) ended in a second trimester abortion, thirteen (65%) in a full-term infant. Among the 66 with abnormal uterine bleeding, the 62 (93%) had normal endometrial finding and normal menstruation pattern. But 2 patients recurred their symptom, then hysterectomy was done 3, 5 years later respectively. Most of the patients who performed histopathologic study were diagnosed as leiomyoma (59.4%), and then endometrial or endocervical polyp (25.3%) and residual placenta tissue (3.8%) respectively. CONCLUSION: The 101 patients (91.8%) improved their symptoms and intrauterine lesion. we suggest this technique which of diagnostic accuracy, cost safety, convenience, operation time, and patient's satisfaction.
Endometrium ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gynecology* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Hysteroscopy ; Infant ; Infertility ; Leiomyoma ; Medroxyprogesterone Acetate ; Menorrhagia ; Menstruation ; Methylergonovine ; Placenta ; Polyps ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second ; Uterine Hemorrhage ; Uterus

Cutaneous polyarteritis nodosa (CPAN) is an uncommon form of vasculitis involving small and medium sized arteries of unknown etiology. The disease can be differentiated from polyarteritis nodosa by its limitation to the skin and lack of progression to visceral involvement. The characteristic manifestations are subcutaneous nodule, livedo reticularis, and ulceration, mostly localized on the lower extremity. Arthralgia, myalgia, peripheral neuropathy, and constitutional symptoms such as fever and malaise may also be present. We describe a 34-yr-old woman presented with severe ischemic change of the fingertip and subcutaneous nodules without systemic manifestations as an unusual initial manifestation of CPAN. Therapy with corticosteroid and alprostadil induce a moderate improvement of skin lesions. However, necrosis of the finger got worse and the finger was amputated.
Vasodilator Agents/therapeutic use ; Skin Diseases, Vascular/*complications/drug therapy/pathology ; Polyarteritis Nodosa/*complications/drug therapy/pathology ; Humans ; Gangrene/*etiology/surgery ; Fingers ; Female ; Amputation ; Alprostadil/therapeutic use ; Adult ; Adrenal Cortex Hormones/therapeutic use

Carcinoma of the cystic duct remnant is a rare disease. We report a case of a remnant cystic duct carcinoma in a male patient who had undergone cholecystectomy for cholecystolithiasis 20 years previously. A 53-yr-old man visited our hospital for the evaluation of a submucosal tumor on the duodenum. During the evaluation, we detected a mass in the cystic duct remnant by the use of endoscopic ultrasonography. Based on the pathology, the mass was confirmed as a carcinoma of the cystic duct remnant by intraductal ultrasonography and an intraductal biopsy.
Biopsy ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystolithiasis ; Cystic Duct ; Duodenum ; Endosonography ; Humans ; Male ; Rare Diseases

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the association between nicotine dependence and depressive mood in patients who visited a secondary hospital for smoking cessation treatment.METHODS: From March 2016 to February 2017, a total of 48 patients who visited the smoking cessation clinic of a secondary hospital in Seoul were surveyed through questionnaires. Nicotine dependence was assessed by the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) was used to assess depressive mood.RESULTS: The mean BDI score was positively associated with nicotine dependence (P=0.01). In multivariable logistic regression analysis, increasing BDI was associated with higher odds (1.21, 95% confidence interval; 1.02–1.44) of high nicotine dependence after adjusting for all confounding variables.CONCLUSION: Depressive mood was positively associated with nicotine dependence among patients who visited a smoking cessation clinic. Consideration of depressive mood in smoking cessation treatment may be helpful for smoking cessation among patients with a willingness to quit smoking.
Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Depression ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Nicotine ; Seoul ; Smoke ; Smoking Cessation ; Smoking ; Tobacco Use Disorder

BACKGROUND: Eating breakfast is important for optimal growth and development in adolescence, and is associated with academic achievement as well as nutrition and health status. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between breakfast consumption frequency and high school students' academic achievement.METHODS: We used data from the 2017 Korea Youth's Risk Behavior Web-Based Study, conducted by the Korean Center for Disease Control (64,991 students). The relationship between academic achievement and breakfast consumption frequency was examined using logistic regression.RESULTS: Students who consumed breakfast frequently exhibited higher academic achievement as compared to their counterparts. There was a significant correlation between awareness of appropriate eating habits and breakfast consumption frequency. Further, students who had not received any education about eating habits exhibited low academic achievement.CONCLUSION: To improve the academic achievement of students, they should be motivated to eat breakfast every day. Additionally, appropriate education about eating habits need to be implemented at schools and at home to increase students' breakfast consumption frequency.
Adolescent ; Breakfast ; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.) ; Eating ; Education ; Feeding Behavior ; Growth and Development ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Risk-Taking

BACKGROUND/AIMS: We aimed to evaluate survival time and prognostic factors in patients with advanced unresectable cholangiocarcinoma who have not received surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy. METHODS: A total of 1,377 patients, who were diagnosed with primary cholangiocarcinoma between 1996 and 2002, were reviewed retrospectively according to the following inclusion criteria: histologically proven primary adenocarcinoma arising from the bile-duct epithelium, advanced unresectable stages, no severe comorbidity that can affect survival time, and no history of surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy. RESULTS: Of the 1,377 cases reviewed, 330 patients complied with the inclusion criteria and were thus eligible to participate in this study; 203 had intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and 127 had hilar cholangiocarcinoma. The overall survival time of the entire cohort (n=330) was median 3.9 months (range; 0.2 to 67.1). The survival time was significantly shorter in the intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma group (3.0+/-5.3 months) than in the hilar cholangiocarcinoma group (5.9+/-10.1 months; Kaplan-Meier survival analysis). Multivariate analysis revealed that distant metastasis was a poor prognostic factor for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (p< 0.001), baseline serum albumin >3.0 g/dL was a favorable prognostic factor (p=0.02), and baseline serum carcinoembryonic antigen level >30 ng/mL was a poor prognostic factor for hilar cholangiocarcinoma (p=0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The median survival of advanced unresectable cholangiocarcinoma is dismal.
Adenocarcinoma ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Epithelium ; Humans ; Liver Neoplasms ; Multivariate Analysis ; Natural History ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Retrospective Studies ; Serum Albumin ; Cholangiocarcinoma

BACKGROUND/AIMS: With the progress of product development, single-step endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided transmural drainage can overcome some disadvantages of the blind or two-step procedures used in the treatment of pancreatic pseudocysts. We therefore evaluated the technical feasibility, efficacy, and safety of single-step EUS-guided transmural drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts. METHODS: Endoscopic drainage of pancreatic pseudocysts was performed in 47 patients (median age, 46 years; range, 38 years to 59 years; 40 men) by using interventional echoendoscopes with a single-step device suitable for ballooning, bougination, and plastic-stent insertion. RESULTS: Endoscopic stent placement was successful in 42 patients (89%; transgastric approach, 34/38; transduodenal approach, 8/9) and failed in 5 patients because of acute angulation (n=4) or small cyst (n=1). The volume of the pseudocyst was reduced by more than 90% or it disappeared completely in all of 41 patients (100%), based on a mean follow-up period of 17 months (range, 11 months to 20 months). The overall recurrence rate was 12% (5/41) after improvement by the procedure. Minor complications (one case of bleeding, three cases of pneumoperitoneum, and one case of peritonitis) occurred after the procedure in five patients (11%), but there were no major complications. CONCLUSIONS: Single-step EUS-guided transmural drainage can be used to treat pancreatic pseudocysts with acceptable feasibility, efficacy, and safety.
Drainage ; Endosonography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Pancreatic Pseudocyst ; Pneumoperitoneum ; Recurrence ; Stents

Background: Recently, single-person households have increased in Korea and this trend may have potential public health implications and affect various health behaviors. This study investigated the associations between living alone and health behaviors such as smoking and alcohol consumption among Korean adults. Methods: We used data from the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2013 and 2015 and a total of 17,088 adults were included. We performed a multivariable logistic regression analysis and calculated odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: Single-person households accounted for about 10% of the total participants. The proportions of currently smoking and heavy alcohol consumption were higher among individuals living alone than those living together among younger women and middle-aged and elderly men and women. In the multivariable logistic regression analysis, living alone was associated with increased odds of currently smoking compared to living together among middle-aged men and women (OR, 7.37; 95% CI, 2.33–23.32 in men and OR, 2.36; 95% CI, 1.04–5.36 in women) after adjusting for confounding variables. Conclusion From this nationwide, population-based study, we found that living alone is associated with increased odds of currently smoking, especially in middle-aged people. Public health concerns may be warranted for middle-aged single-person households to reduce health risks related to smoking.