The incidence and mortality rates for gastric cancer have decreased in the developed countries for the last several decades. On the other hand, they remain high in far Eastern countries such as Japan, China, and Korea and also in many developing countries. The risk of gastric cancer is greater among lower socioeconomic classes. The causes of this disease are still unclear. Long-term ingestion of highly concentrated nitrates in dried, smoked, and salted foods might be related with higher risk. Helicobacter pylori infection was classified as a group I definite human gastric carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organization (IARC/WHO) in1994. However, there are some debates on the association between H. pylori infection and gastric cancer. Complete surgical removal of the tumor with resection of adjacent lymph nodes offers the only chance for cure. As yet, this kind of treatment is possible in less than a half of patients. The prognosis after complete surgical resection depends on the degree of tumor penetration to the gastric wall. Cases with regional lymph node involvement, vascular invasion,and abnormal DNA content show poor prognosis. Gastric carcinoma is a relatively radio-re-sistant tumor, and the major role of radiation therapy has been the palliation of pain. Combinations of cytotoxic drugs for patients with advanced gastric cancer have shown a partial response in 20~60% of the patients, however, and complete remission was rare. In some recent studies, chemotherapy plus irradiation after surgical resection showed a better disease-free survival and overall survival. In conclusion, early detection and curative resection are very important to improve the survival of patients with gastric cancer. Newer therapeutic strategies such as preoperative chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy have the potential to benefit the high-risk patients.
Chemoradiotherapy ; China ; Developed Countries ; Developing Countries ; Disease-Free Survival ; DNA ; Drug Therapy ; Eating ; Epidemiology* ; Hand ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Incidence ; International Agencies ; Japan ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Mortality ; Nitrates ; Prognosis ; Smoke ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; World Health Organization

No abstract available.

A harmonious relationship between doctors and their patients establishes a firm foundation for good practice. Factors that affect such a relationship include communication skills and the language used. Essentially, the language should be clear and comprehensible for both parties. Doctors usually tend to use technical jargons. Since Korean doctors were educated with English textbooks, they are inclined to teach their students in English terms. Their use of old medical terms makes communication with their patients very difficult. Such language impediment complicates matters when doctors have to answer the patients' questions and ask detailed questions about their condition. And it is not only in the use of English where communication problems arise between doctors and patients. Most of these problems can also be traced to the use of old medical terminologies originating from the difficult Chinese characters. The Korean medical community has been conducting a campaign to replace existing difficult medical terms with plain Korean, Hangul terms. Particularly, members of the board of medical education are expected to make active use of the new terms in their teaching fields, in writing research papers, and in their clinical practice.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Writing

Fibronectin(FN) is a major component of the extracellular matrix and is able to bind to cells and other components of the matrix. Although the cell producing the largest amounts of fibronectin is fibroblast, the pro duct,ion on FN also has been described in cultured keratinocyt,e and epithelial tumor cells of basal cell carcinoma(BCC). Recently, functional role nf FN in relation to biologic behavior of BCC and squamous cell carcinoma(SCC) is open to speculation. The authors investigated the localization of FN in the lesional skin of 5 cases of BCC, 4 of SCC, 5 of psoriasis and 5 normal skin using direct immunofluorescence technique with antifibronectin antibody to find out the production of FN in keratinocytes and tumor cells. 1. In the skin of BCC, FN was presented in a thick, linear depositions along the margin of tumor lobules in all cases, and as fillamentous deposits or scattered points in the nest of tumor cells in 3 cases. 2. In the skin of SCC, FN was presented in a thin, coarse depositions around the margin of tumor but not presented within the tumor nest in all cases. R. In psoriasis, FN was observed in horney layer and upper part of epidermis. It was presented more abundantly in dermo-epidermal junction, papillary and reticular dermis than in normal skin. 4. In normal skin, FN was absent in the epidermis but presented in dermo-epidermal junction and blood vessel wall of upper dermis, the amount of FN was decreased from papillary to lower dermis.
Blood Vessels ; Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Extracellular Matrix ; Fibroblasts ; Fibronectins* ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct ; Keratinocytes ; Psoriasis* ; Skin*

No abstract available.
Femur Neck*

No abstract available.
Thrombectomy* ; Venous Thrombosis*

No abstract available.
Muscular Dystrophies*

No abstract available.
Hair* ; Melanocytes* ; Nevus, Halo*

BACKGROUND: As more than 80% of Korean hospital laboratories don't use glycerol blank for the triglyceride measurement, we investigated free glycerol interference on the measurement of triglyceride concentration. METHODS: We collected 237 specimens which had more than 300mg/dL of triglyceride measured by Abbott (without glycerol blank, USA) reagent from the 217 patients visiting Catholic University Hospital of Taegu Hyosung from September, 1995, to May, 1996. We retested them with Youngdong (without glycerol blank, Korea) reagent, and IRC reagent (with glycerol blank, Japan), and also measured free glycerol concentration with Youngdong reagent. Then we examined the clinical records of the patient showing increased glycerol concentration. RESULTS: Average triglyceride concentration measured by Abbott reagent was 448.0+/- 165.9 mg/dL and average glycerol interference to triglyceride concentration was 3.4+/- 6.7%, There were 8 patients (3.4%) who revealed more than 10 % of glycerol interference. Except these patients the average glycerol interference was 2.4+/- 1.4%. Among these 8 patients, 3 patients were treated with Frucenil and other 3 were with Intralipose(R), and the other 2 were diagnosed as diabetes and preeclampsia respectively. In vitro test, Frucenil mixed with serum in 1% (v/v) increased triglyceride concentration as high as 640.6% with Abbott reagent, but it did only 48.4% with IRC reagent. CONCLUSIONS: Triglyceride measurement by non glycerol blank method exceeded the recommended limit of National Cholesterol Education Program's precision, and this method extremely overestimated the triglyceride concentration for the patient with the glycerol containing fluid therapy. So all laboratories would be encouraged to use the glycerol blank method for triglyceride measurements.
Cholesterol ; Daegu ; Education ; Fluid Therapy ; Glycerol* ; Humans ; Laboratories, Hospital ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Triglycerides*

BACKGROUND: As more than 80% of Korean hospital laboratories don't use glycerol blank for the triglyceride measurement, we investigated free glycerol interference on the measurement of triglyceride concentration. METHODS: We collected 237 specimens which had more than 300mg/dL of triglyceride measured by Abbott (without glycerol blank, USA) reagent from the 217 patients visiting Catholic University Hospital of Taegu Hyosung from September, 1995, to May, 1996. We retested them with Youngdong (without glycerol blank, Korea) reagent, and IRC reagent (with glycerol blank, Japan), and also measured free glycerol concentration with Youngdong reagent. Then we examined the clinical records of the patient showing increased glycerol concentration. RESULTS: Average triglyceride concentration measured by Abbott reagent was 448.0+/- 165.9 mg/dL and average glycerol interference to triglyceride concentration was 3.4+/- 6.7%, There were 8 patients (3.4%) who revealed more than 10 % of glycerol interference. Except these patients the average glycerol interference was 2.4+/- 1.4%. Among these 8 patients, 3 patients were treated with Frucenil and other 3 were with Intralipose(R), and the other 2 were diagnosed as diabetes and preeclampsia respectively. In vitro test, Frucenil mixed with serum in 1% (v/v) increased triglyceride concentration as high as 640.6% with Abbott reagent, but it did only 48.4% with IRC reagent. CONCLUSIONS: Triglyceride measurement by non glycerol blank method exceeded the recommended limit of National Cholesterol Education Program's precision, and this method extremely overestimated the triglyceride concentration for the patient with the glycerol containing fluid therapy. So all laboratories would be encouraged to use the glycerol blank method for triglyceride measurements.
Cholesterol ; Daegu ; Education ; Fluid Therapy ; Glycerol* ; Humans ; Laboratories, Hospital ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Triglycerides*