No abstract available.
Family Practice* ; Humans

Lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is considered an additional, independent and largely genetically determined risk factor for the development of premature coronary heart disease. Furthermore abnormal plasma lipoprotein patterns have been associated with increased risk for developing coronary heart disease. Among these lipoproteins, an increased concentration of serum Apo B and decreased level of Apo A are considered as major risk factors. together with elevated serum cholesterol and decreased HDL cholesterol. The aim of this study is to assess serum Lp(a) levels in newborns and to observe their evolution between brith, 7 days and 1 month in 64 healthy newborns by using ELISA method, Other lipid profiles were also measured and compared with feeding formula methods. The results obtained were as follows: 1) There were no significant changes from birth to 7 days, but was increased significantly after 7 days to 1 month of serum Lp(a) concentrations. 2) There were dramatic increases between birth and 7 days for Apo B and did not change between 7 days and 1 month, while Apo A-I was already present in significant levels at birth and was changed continuously between 7 days and 1 month. 3) There were marked increases between birth and 7 days for total cholesterol and triglycerides, while after 7 days the cholesterol levels only progressively increased until month. 4) There were continuous increases between birth and 7 days and 1 month for HDL-C, while LDL-C was markedly increased between birth and 7 days. 5) There were no significant correlations between serum Lp(a)concentrations and other lipid profiles neither age, sex and feeding formulas. In conclusion, our data suggest that the adequate timing for the screening test of Lp(a) in newborns is around 1 month after birth and there are no statistically significant correlations between Lp(a) and other lipid profiles.
Apolipoprotein A-I ; Apolipoproteins B ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Coronary Disease ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Lipoprotein(a)* ; Lipoproteins ; Mass Screening ; Parturition ; Plasma ; Risk Factors ; Triglycerides

OBJECTIVES: Perceived stress scale is a self-report inventory to estimate the degree of individual perceived stress in daily life. The aim of this study was to introduce this scale and test the reliability and validity of the Korean version of PSS. METHODS: The total of 154 female hospital workers were included in this study. The survey questionnaires were conducted for demographic information. All participants were required to complete PSS, Hamilton Anxiety scale and Beck Depression Inventory. Reliability and validity studies were conducted and internal consistency was examined. RESULTS: The mean score of the PSS reported in this sample was 20.69+/-4.56. The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.819, and the test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.66. PSS had a significant positive correlation with the HAM-A(r=0.49, p<0.01), and the BDI(r=0.55, p<0.01). Factor analysis yielded 2 factors with eigenvalues of 3.924 and 2.608, accounting for 65 percent of variance. Factor 1 represented "stress" and factor 2 represented "control of stress". CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates that the PSS is appropriate for estimating the perceived stress levels. These results support the use of PSS in large sections of the population in Korea.
Accounting ; Anxiety ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Questionnaires ; Reproducibility of Results

Plate fixation is being regarded as one of the reliahle fixation method in the management of tibial fractures. But this technique may leave many complications including infection. However, delayed local infection which developed several weeks after open reduction on the tibia has been rarely described as a complication in the literatures. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the contributing factors to the delayed locaI infection in tibial fracture treated with plate fixation. Authors reviewed and analyzed the 60 cases of tihial fracture that were treated with plate and screws from 1989 to 1996. Analyses dealt with fracture classification, laboratory and radiographic findings and the site of plate application. We defined a delayed local infection as a condition in which patient has infection signs on Jaboratory and physical examination at or over 8 week post-operation without any evidence of osteomyelitis on plain radiographs. We found 7 cases of delayed local infection out of 60 tibial fractures from 8 to 21 weeks postoperatively with an average of 14.1 weeks. All the 7 cases that had been treated with plate on medial aspect of tibia were treated by administration of antibiotics without surgery such as debridement or removal of hardwares. Authors concluded that the medial plating was the most important factor of the development of delayed local infection(Z=1.78).
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Classification ; Debridement ; Humans ; Osteomyelitis ; Physical Examination ; Tibia ; Tibial Fractures*

Background/Objectives: To analyze the clinical characteristics of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) in children and adolescents.Materials & Methods: Medical records of 31 DTC cases that were diagnosed and treated at Korea Cancer Center Hospital between 2002 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Most cases were papillary carcinoma (n=26), with female predominance (n=25). Median age was 16.4 years (range, 11.9-18.6 years). Extrathyroidal extension was present in 24 cases. Twenty cases had tumor involvement at cervical lymph nodes and three had lung metastasis. Twenty-two patients received radioactive iodide treatment with a median cumulative dose of 300 mCi (range, 100-920 mCi). During a median follow-up of 68.2 months (range, 2.3-191.4 months), serum thyroglobulin level was elevated in 15 patients. Among them, two cases had remnant thyroid tissue, 4 had recurrence at cervical lymph nodes, and the remaining 9 did not have any detectable lesion. All were alive, and 5-year event-free survival (EFS) was 45.2±10.1%. Age £15 years, tumor size, lymph node status (N1b), and distant metastasis had negative effects on EFS. On multivariate analysis, age and tumor size had prognostic significance. Conclusion For DTC of children and adolescents (£18 years old), age ≤15 years and tumor size were prognostic factor. Therefore, patients in this age group need meticulous follow-up. Further studies are necessary to answer the potential influence of age on the incidence and behavior of DTC.

Background/Objectives: To analyze the clinical characteristics of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) in children and adolescents.Materials & Methods: Medical records of 31 DTC cases that were diagnosed and treated at Korea Cancer Center Hospital between 2002 and 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. Results: Most cases were papillary carcinoma (n=26), with female predominance (n=25). Median age was 16.4 years (range, 11.9-18.6 years). Extrathyroidal extension was present in 24 cases. Twenty cases had tumor involvement at cervical lymph nodes and three had lung metastasis. Twenty-two patients received radioactive iodide treatment with a median cumulative dose of 300 mCi (range, 100-920 mCi). During a median follow-up of 68.2 months (range, 2.3-191.4 months), serum thyroglobulin level was elevated in 15 patients. Among them, two cases had remnant thyroid tissue, 4 had recurrence at cervical lymph nodes, and the remaining 9 did not have any detectable lesion. All were alive, and 5-year event-free survival (EFS) was 45.2±10.1%. Age £15 years, tumor size, lymph node status (N1b), and distant metastasis had negative effects on EFS. On multivariate analysis, age and tumor size had prognostic significance. Conclusion For DTC of children and adolescents (£18 years old), age ≤15 years and tumor size were prognostic factor. Therefore, patients in this age group need meticulous follow-up. Further studies are necessary to answer the potential influence of age on the incidence and behavior of DTC.

No abstract available.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether hydramnios occurring in pregnant women complicated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) affects maternal and neonatal outcomes. METHODS: We evaluated 277 pregnant women with singleton pregnancies and GDM diagnosed by the National Diabetes Data Group (NDDG) criteria. The study group was consisted of 23 pregnant women diagnosed as hydramnios (Amniotic fluid index; AFI>24 cm) by ultrasonography, and the control group was consisted of 254 pregnant women with normal AFI (10-24 cm). Retrospective review of maternal and neonatal outcomes in these women was performed. Student t-test, chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and logistic regression analysis were used for statistics. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the maternal age and parity between the two groups. The frequency of preterm labor was higher in the study group compared to the control group (4.3% vs. 34.8%, p<0.001). The frequencies of cesarean delivery due to cephalopelvic disproportion or failure to progress, preeclampsia, and placental abruption were not significantly different between the two groups. The study group showed significantly shorter gestational age (38.2+/-1.4 weeks vs. 36.7+/-2.5 weeks, p<0.05) and heavier neonatal birth weight at delivery (3,405.0+/-595.2 gm vs. 3,701.3+/-757.9 gm, p=0.026). The frequencies of preterm birth (5.1% vs. 39.1%, p<0.001), macrosomia (13.0% vs. 34.8%, p<0.001), admission to neonatal intensive care unit (7.1% vs. 34.8%, p=0.050), neonatal respiratory complications (3.9% vs. 21.7%, p<0.001), and hyperbilirubinemia (11.0% vs. 47.8%, p<0.001) were higher in the study group even after logistic regression analysis for controlling gestational age. CONCLUSION: Hydramnios occurring in pregnant women with GDM may be associated with increased risk of preterm birth and neonatal respiratory complications, but not associated with adverse maternal outcomes, except preterm labor.
Abruptio Placentae ; Birth Weight ; Cephalopelvic Disproportion ; Diabetes, Gestational* ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Logistic Models ; Maternal Age ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Parity ; Polyhydramnios* ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Premature Birth ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography

OBJECTIVES: We developed a Korean version of the Brief Measure of Worry Severity(BMWS), and examined its reliability, validity, and factor structures. We also explored the associations of pathological worry with depression and anxiety. METHODS: Three hundreds fifty-two subjects including community population and college students completed the BMWS, and 27 subjects repeated the scale three weeks later. Reliability was assessed by Cronbach's coefficient alpha and test-retest correlation. The external validity was examined by the correlation of the BMWS score with the scores of Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), Patient Health questionnaire-2(PHQ-2), State Anxiety Inventory(SAI), and Trait Anxiety Inventory(TAI). And principal component analysis was performed to evaluate the construct validity. The associations of pathological worry with depression and anxiety were explored using partial correlation analysis. RESULTS: Cronbach's coefficient alpha for the BMWS was 0.904 and test-retest correlation was 0.56(P<0.01). The Spearman correlation coefficients of the BMWS score with the scores of BDI, PHQ-2, SAI, and TAI were 0.60(P<0.01), 0.42(P<0.01), 0.36(P<0.01), and 0.59(P<0.01), respectively. The BMWS showed unifactorial construct. When controlling for TAI score, the correlation coefficient between the BMWS score and the BDI score was 0.357(P<0.01), and when controlling for BDI score the correlation coefficient between the BMWS score and the TAI score was 0.446(P<0.01). CONCLUSION: The Korean version of the BMWS was found to be a reliable and valid questionnaire for measuring pathological worry. And we could identify the associations of the pathological worry with depression as well as anxiety.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Humans ; Principal Component Analysis ; Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: It is known that the high fibrogenecity of particles is connected with their cytotoxicity for macrophages. Although the molecular mechanism leading to fiber-induced fiber-induced cytotoxicity is still not clear, several mechanism have been suggested. The release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) from activated alveolar macrophages (AM) by dust have been suggested as a possible mechanism of particle-induced cell damage. But the mechanism which man-made vitreous fiber (MMVF) induces the production of ROS in AM is still not clear. In this study, we evaluated the relationship between ROS production and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release from alveolar treated with refractory ceramic fiber (RF2) or rock wool (RW1) and signal transduction path-way of ROS production in RF2 or RW1 exposed AM. METHODS: We investigated LDH release from MMVF-stimulated AM for index of cytotoxicity. To determine what kind of signal transduction pathways are involved in MMVF-stimulated ROS generation, we used some drugs which have an effect on the signal transduction pathway. RESULTS: RF2 and RW1 induced increase of LDH release with dose-dependent manner with RF2 having greater effect than RW1. There was a dose-dependent increase in the production of ROS by RF2 or RW1. At all level of concentration,. RF2 induced more ROS production than RW1. Inhibitors of PKC (bisindolylmaleimide), PLC (U73122 and neomycine) and PTK (genistein and erbstatin) suppressed RF2 or RW1-induced ROS production. CONCLUSION: There was significant correlation between LDH release and ROS production from AM treated with RF2 or RW1. RF2 and RW1 induced ROS generation through protein kinase C (PKC), phospholipase C (PLC) and protein tyrosin kinase (PTK) pathways.
Ceramics* ; Dust ; L-Lactate Dehydrogenase ; Macrophages ; Macrophages, Alveolar* ; Phosphotransferases ; Protein Kinase C ; Reactive Oxygen Species* ; Signal Transduction* ; Type C Phospholipases ; Wool