OBJECTIVES: Colorectal cancer is one of the major cancers in South Korea. We described the time trends in colorectal cancer incidence in Daejeon, a metropolitan city, and Chungcheongnam-do (Chungnam), a rural province, South Korea. METHODS: Using the databases from the Daejeon Cancer Registry (DCR) and the Chungnam Cancer Registry (CCR), age-standardized (to world standard population) rates for incidence (ASRW) were calculated. Average annual percent change (AAPC) was assessed as a trend indicator. The completeness (such as the mortality/incidence ratio) and validity (such as the death certificate only %, microscopic verification %, primary site uncertain %, and age unknown %) were analyzed to examine the data quality of DCR and CCR. RESULTS: Incidence of colorectal cancer showed increasing trend in both sexes. Over the years 2000-2012 in Daejeon, ASRW was increased significantly from 37.2 to 51.7 per 100,000 person-years (AAPC, 3.9%) among men and from 17.1 to 28.4 (AAPC, 3.9%) among women, respectively. In Chungnam, ASRW was also increased from 29.8 to 50.1 per 100,000 person-years (AAPC, 5.1%) among men and from 15.9 to 26.6 (AAPC, 3.2%) among women, respectively. The AAPC for colon cancer was greater than rectal cancer in both Daejeon and Chungnam. The trend of rectal cancer incidence was differ by sex (AAPC in men vs women, 2.7% vs 1.7% in Daejeon; 3.5% vs 0.8% in Chungnam). Indices of completeness and validity showed that the quality control of DCR and CCR was adequate to describe the trends of ASRW. CONCLUSIONS: Both Daejeon and Chungnam have had a rapid increase in colorectal cancer incidence. Monitoring and intervention are required on the risk factors which may contribute to this trend.
Chungcheongnam-do* ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Data Accuracy ; Death Certificates ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Korea* ; Male ; Quality Control ; Rectal Neoplasms ; Registries ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the interaction between 4-hexylresorcinol (4HR) and antibody as that affects the performance of a silk-4HR combination graft for soft tissue augmentation in an animal model. METHODS: The silk graft materials consisted of four types: silk+10% tricalcium phosphate (TCP) (ST0), silk+10% TCP+1% 4HR (ST1), silk+10% TCP+3% 4HR (ST3), and silk+10% TCP+6% 4-HR (ST6). The antibody binding assay tested the 4HR effect and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) exam was done for silk grafts. The animal experiment used a subcutaneous pocket mouse model. The graft - SH0 or SH1 or SH3 or SH6 - was placed in a subcutaneous pocket. The animals were killed at one, two, and four weeks, postoperatively. The specimens were subjected to histological analysis and lysozyme assay. RESULTS: Groups with 4HR applied showed lower antibody binding affinity to antigen compared to groups without 4HR. In the SEM examination, there was no significant difference among groups. Histological examinations revealed many foreign body giant cells in ST0 and ST1 group at four weeks postoperatively. Both ST3 and ST6 groups developed significantly lower levels of giant cell values compared to ST0 and ST1 groups (P<0.001) at four weeks postoperatively. In the lysozyme assay, the ST1 and ST3 groups showed denser signals than the other groups. CONCLUSION: 4HR combined silk implants resulted in high levels of vascular and connective tissue regeneration.
Animal Experimentation ; Animals ; Composite Tissue Allografts ; Connective Tissue ; Giant Cells ; Giant Cells, Foreign-Body ; Hexylresorcinol ; Metabolism ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Muramidase ; Regeneration ; Silk* ; Transplants*

Alcoholic ketoacidosis is a serious metabolic abnormality that occurs in chronic alcoholics. We report a case of bilateral necrosis in the basal ganglia after alcoholic ketoacidosis in a 42-year-old female chronic alcoholics. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the patient suggested subacute infarction with subsequent necrosis of the basal ganglia, which matches with the patients neurological manifestations. Repeated alcoholic ketoacidosis in chronic alcoholics could be the cause of subacute infarction following necrotic changes in the basal ganglia.
Adult ; Alcoholics* ; Alcoholism ; Basal Ganglia* ; Female ; Humans ; Infarction ; Ketosis* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Necrosis ; Neurologic Manifestations

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the impact of executive function on the performance of two different affective tasks, the Facial Affect Identification Task (FAIT) and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT), in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Thirty-nine patients with schizophrenia and 33 healthy controls completed the FAIT and the IGT, followed by the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the intelligence quotient (IQ) test. In addition to correlation analysis, regression analysis was used to determine the extent to which the performance of the WCST, in particular, perseverative error (PE), accounted for the variation in both the FAIT and the IGT. RESULTS: Relative to normal controls, patients with schizophrenia showed significant impairments in the IGT, the FAIT and the WCST even after controlling for IQ. While normal controls did not show any relationships between the WCST and two affective tasks, patients with schizophrenia showed that variables in the WCST correlated not only with the FAIT total correct score (r=-0.503, p=0.001 for PE) but also with the IGT net score (r=0.385, p=0.016 for PE). The PE score was a better predictor of the performance on the FAIT (R2=0.25) than that of the performance on the IGT (R2=0.15). CONCLUSION: Our findings imply that deficits in executive function in schizophrenia can affect performance on facial emotion recognition task more than performance on task based on emotion experience, that is, the feedback from the body. Therefore, more consideration is needed of the impact of executive function when interpreting the result of "conventional" facial affect recognition tests as opposed to interpreting the IGT.
Executive Function ; Gambling ; Humans ; Intelligence ; Iowa ; Schizophrenia ; Wisconsin

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether elderly and young adults differ in their recognition of facial expressions of emotion. METHODS: A total of 120 (elderly group 53, young group 67) subjects participated in this study. Korean facial expressions of emotion including happiness, sadness, fear, anger, disgust, surprise and neutral were used as stimuli for facial affect recognition test. Computerized facial affect recognition test that consists of facial affect discrimination test and facial affect intensity test was performed. RESULTS: For facial affect discrimination test, there was a significant difference between two groups (F=3.986, p<.01) after controlling the effect of education. Elderly participants showed significantly less correct recognition rate with sadness, anger and disgust (p<.05). For facial affect intensity test, there was no significant difference between the groups in recognition of emotional intensity. Chi-square test or t-test was done according to the clinical variables. Multivariate analysis of covariance was done to test group differences of correct recognition rate and emotional intensity. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of differential decrease of facial affect recognition in elderly using Korean facial expressions. This study suggests that the decrement of facial affect recognition maye be a part of normal aging process.
Aged* ; Aging ; Anger ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Education ; Facial Expression ; Happiness ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Young Adult

Overactive bladder (OAB) is defined as urgency, usually with frequency and nocturia, and with or without urge incontinence. Duloxetine, an antidepressant that inhibits reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine, is indicated for the treatment of stress urinary incontinence in Europe. In this paper, we present a case of a 17-year-old female patient with OAB and depressive symptoms who was successfully treated with duloxetine. This case suggests duloxetine can be an option for patient with OAB, and it also highlights the need for further studies of duloxetine's use in the treatment of OAB.
Adolescent* ; Depression ; Europe ; Female* ; Humans ; Nocturia ; Norepinephrine ; Serotonin ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive* ; Urinary Incontinence ; Urinary Incontinence, Urge ; Duloxetine Hydrochloride

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the deficit in the recognition of facial emotions in a sample of medicated, stable Korean patients with schizophrenia using Korean facial emotion pictures and examined whether the possible impairments would corroborate previous findings. METHODS: Fifty-five patients with schizophrenia and 62 healthy control subjects completed the Facial Affect Identification Test with a new set of 44 colored photographs of Korean faces including the six universal emotions as well as neutral faces. RESULTS: Korean patients with schizophrenia showed impairments in the recognition of sad, fearful, and angry faces [F(1,114)=6.26, p=0.014; F(1,114)=6.18, p=0.014; F(1,114)=9.28, p=0.003, respectively], but their accuracy was no different from that of controls in the recognition of happy emotions. Higher total and three subscale scores of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) correlated with worse performance on both angry and neutral faces. Correct responses on happy stimuli were negatively correlated with negative symptom scores of the PANSS. Patients with schizophrenia also exhibited different patterns of misidentification relative to normal controls. CONCLUSION: These findings were consistent with previous studies carried out with different ethnic groups, suggesting cross-cultural similarities in facial recognition impairment in schizophrenia.
Collodion ; Ethnic Groups ; Humans ; Schizophrenia

PURPOSE: Benign anastomotic stricture after an esophagojejunostomy using EEA stapler following a radical total gastrectomy is one of the most serious complications. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the incidence, risk factors, and treatment associated with benign stricture. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 1998 to February 2001, 436 patients underwent an esophagojejunostomy with Roux-en-Y anastomosis using an EEA stapler followed by an endoscopy. Thirty three of the 436 patients (5.5%) developed an anastomotic stricture; included 24 of the 33 patients had a benign stricture. Nine patients with a malignant stricture were excluded. RESULTS: The median age of the 436 patients was 57 years (23~85 years). Two hundred ninety two patients were male, and 144 patients were female. The median time to diagnosing the stricture was 1.5 months (0.5~6 months). There was no statistical significance in any of the risk factors, including the diameter of the stapling device, the status of adjuvant treatment, the status of reflux esophagitis, and a clinical history of diabetes and hypertension. The strictured patients were treated with balloon dilatation, one to three times, with symptom relief. CONCLUSION: There were no statistically significant risk factors. However, further study of the vascularity of anastomoses and benign strictures needs to be considered. In the anastomotic strictured patients, endoscopic balloon dilatation appeared to be the first line of treatment.
Anastomosis, Roux-en-Y ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Dilatation ; Endoscopy ; Esophagitis, Peptic ; Female ; Gastrectomy* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Male ; Risk Factors

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Epidermal growth factors (EGF) is known to activate mitogen activated protein kinase (MAP kinase) in hepatocytes by the route of both Raf-dependent and Raf-indefendent pathways. And this is likely to play important role in normal liver cell growth and regeneration. EGF is also reported as a potent mitogen and one of the angiogenic factors. To elucidate the dynamic changes of the serum concentration of epidermal growth factor in chronic liver disease and its correlation with role of EGF and mechanism of tumor development, this study is intended to employ an ELISA in 38 biopsy-proven cases. METHODS: Sera taken out of 5 patients with chronic persistent hepatitis. 4 patients with chronic active hepatitis, 19 patients with liver cirrhosis, 10 patients with hepato-cellular carcinoma that pathological diagnosis was proven later were tested for EGF employing Quantikine ELISA Kits (R & D Systems Inc. Minneapolis, MN). The statistical analysis was evaluated by student's t-test. RESULTS: EGF concentration was 253.33+ 69.5pg/ml(Mean+ SE) in hepatocellular carcinoma, 246.60+ 91.19pg/ml(Mean+ SE) in chronic active hepatitis, 222.71+ 115.97pg/ml (Mean+ SE) in chronic persistent hepatitis, 141.15+ 23.12pg/ml(Mean+ SE) in liver cirrhosis in orders. Serum EGF concentration in hepatocellular carcinoma was significantly higher than that in liver cirrhosis(p value=0.021695). However, comparing to the remaining other groups, no significant difference was found. CONCLUSION: These results support that the reconstruction of the capillary networks in liver cirrhosis resplts in down-regulation of the EGF in comparison to chronic hepatitis. But it is suggested that revaluation of EGF stimulates MAP kinase activity eventually playing in tumorigenesis of the liver with neoangiogenesis.
Angiogenesis Inducing Agents ; Capillaries ; Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Diagnosis ; Down-Regulation ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epidermal Growth Factor* ; Fibrosis* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Hepatocytes ; Humans ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases ; Liver Regeneration ; Phosphotransferases ; Protein Kinases ; Regeneration

Benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis (BRIC) is a rare desease, which usually manifests between the age of 10 and 20. Its main clinical feature is multiple recurrent episodes of cholestasis without extrahepatic bile duct obstruction. We report here a case of nonfamilial benign recurrent intrahepatic cholestasis. The patient has experienced recurrent jaundice with pruritus since childhood. Main bile duct obstrution was excluded by abdominal CT and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. Other causes of cholestasis were not found. Hepatic histology revealed bile plug which were mainly concentrated in the centrilobular region, and increased number of mononuclear cells in the portal triad, but hepatic parenchyma showed no inflammation and necrosis. In the last anicteric period, she was healthy and the liver function test and biopsy specimen were normal.
Bile ; Bile Ducts ; Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic ; Biopsy ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholestasis ; Cholestasis, Intrahepatic* ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Jaundice ; Liver Function Tests ; Necrosis ; Pruritus ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed