PURPOSE: To identify factors that influence serum zinc concentrations in children with acute gastroenteritis. METHODS: Thirty-two children under 5 years of age (15 boys and 17 girls) were selected randomly among those who visited to an pediatric emergency room of Ehwa Womans University Mokdong Hospital with acute gastroenteritis from May to August 2005. This study estimated the association between serum zinc concentrations and clinical, biochemical variables in patients with acute gastroenteritis. RESULTS: Serum zinc concentration was lower in febrile patients than afebrile patients with acute gastroenteritis (67.0+/-25.3 vs 85.5+/-14.2, p<0.05). It also was lower in patients with positive C-reactive protein (CRP) than those with negative CRP (63.9+/-25.4 vs 86.7+/-13.8, p<0.05). Serum zinc concentration was negatively correlated (r=-0.494, p<0.05) with CRP concentration, whereas positively correlated with hematocrit (r=0.370, p<0.05), total protein (r=0.474, p<0.05), and albumin (r=0.636, p<0.05). Twelve patients (37.5%) showed very low serum zinc concentration (<70 microgram/dL) without clinical symptoms of deficiency or growth retardation. Frequency of febrile illness or positive CRP is significantly greater in group with zinc <70 microgram/dL than the group with zinc > or =70 microgram/dL (91.7% vs 55%, p<0.05; 91.7% vs 40%, p<0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: In patients with acute gastroenteritis, serum zinc concentration was influenced by various factors such as fever, CRP, and biochemical factors. For evaluating zinc status in the body. factors.
C-Reactive Protein ; Child* ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Fever ; Gastroenteritis ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Zinc*

No abstract available.
Skin Neoplasms* ; Skin*

No abstract available.
Folliculitis ; Herpes Zoster ; Herpesvirus 3, Human

We report a case of epidermolysis bullosa simplex occurred in a 12-year-old girl, who presented with intractable bullous lesions of the hands and feet after minor traumas ever since her early neonatal period. The bullous lesions were noted on the 2nd and 4th webs of the fingers and dorsum of the hands as well as on the skin of the ankle. The lesions were healed without scar formation. Family history was not contributary and seasonal pattern was not noted. Histologic sections revealed intraepidermal bullae just above the well preserved basement membrane. Electron microscopic findings revealed cytolysis of basal cells with preservation of the basement membrane, indicating the epidermal type of epidermolysis bullosa simplex.
Infant, Newborn ; Humans

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to examine the relations among depression, life satisfaction and health promoting behavior, and to find factors related with health promoting behavior. METHODS: The subjects were 198 elderly people of over 65 living in K City and S City. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analyzed by SPSS/WIN 13.0. RESULTS: Health promoting behavior was significantly different according to religion, education level, living with family, previous job, pocket money, subjectively economic level, and leisure activities. Depression was significantly different according to education level, living with family, pocket money, economic level, and leisure activities. And life satisfaction was significantly different according to religion, living with family, and pocket money. The variables that affected the degree of health promoting behavior were depression, life satisfaction and living with family, and they represented 29.7% of health promoting behavior. CONCLUSION: The health promoting behavior of the subjects was better than average and, at the same time, the lower depression in the health promoting behavior was the higher life satisfaction was. Therefore, in order to decrease depression and to increase life satisfaction, the development of advanced health promoting programs will be helpful to lead health life for the elderly people.
Aged* ; Depression* ; Education ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Leisure Activities ; Personal Satisfaction ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was done to examine the relation of self-esteem, stress, social support, and quality of life on fishermen's and to identify factor influencing quality of life. METHODS: Data were collected from 120 the fishermen's who trained at the sailors educational institution located in Busan, Korea. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: The quality of life shows a positive correlation with self-esteem and social support, and a negative correlation with stress. The results of multiple regression analysis show that significant variables influencing the quality of life are stress, self-esteem, social support, and job satisfaction. And these variables explained 62.7% of the varience in quality of life. CONCLUSION: The study results suggest that stress is the main factor influencing fishermen's quality of life and therefore a variety of interventions designed to lower stress levels are needed. In addition, comprehensive programs that can increase the levels of fishermen's self-esteem, social support, and job satisfaction need to be implemented.
Busan ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Korea ; Military Personnel ; Quality of Life*

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Oxidative stress is a major effector of various diseases; accordingly, antioxidants are frequently ingested in order to prevent or alleviate disease symptoms. Kimchi contains various natural antioxidants, and it is known that the functional activity varies depending on the ingredients and fermentation state. Black raspberries (BR) contain various bioactive compounds with antioxidant effects. This study investigated the antioxidant and liver-protection effects of kimchi supplemented with black raspberry juice powder (BJP). MATERIALS/METHODS: BJP-added kimchi (BAK; at 0.5%, 1%, and 2% concentrations of BJP) and control (without BJP) were prepared and fermented at 4℃ for 4 weeks. Changes in the antioxidant effects of BAK during fermentation were investigated. In addition, the protective activity of BAK against oxidative stress was investigated in a liver cirrhosis-induced animal model in vivo. RESULTS: BAK groups showed the acidity and pH of optimally ripened (OR) kimchi at 2 weeks of fermentation along with the highest lactic acid bacterial counts. Additionally, BAK groups displayed a higher content of phenolic compounds and elevated antioxidant activities relative to the control, with the highest antioxidant effect observed at 2 weeks of fermentation of OR 1% BAK. After feeding the OR 1% BAK to thioacetamide-induced liver cirrhosis rats, we observed decreased glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase and glutamate pyruvate transaminase activities and elevated superoxide dismutase activity. CONCLUSIONS: These findings showed that the antioxidant effects of OR BAK and feeding of OR 1% BAK resulted in liver-protective effects against oxidative stress.
Animals ; Antioxidants ; Bacterial Load ; Fermentation ; Glutamic Acid ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Lactic Acid ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver ; Models, Animal ; Oxaloacetic Acid ; Oxidative Stress ; Phenol ; Pyruvic Acid ; Rats ; Rubus ; Superoxide Dismutase

Purpose: The current study provides national cancer statistics and their secular trends in Korea, including incidence, mortality, survival, and prevalence in 2020. Materials and Methods: Incidence, survival, and prevalence rates of cancer were calculated using the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database, from 1999 to 2020, with survival follow-up until December 31, 2021. Deaths from cancer were assessed using causes-of-death data obtained from Statistics Korea. Results: The number of new cancer diagnoses in 2020 decreased by 9,218 cases (3.6%) compared to 2019. In 2020, newly diagnosed cancer cases and deaths from cancer were reported as 247,952 (age-standardized rate [ASR], 262.2 per 100,000) and 82,204 (ASR, 69.9 per 100,000), respectively. The overall cancer incidence rates increased by 3.3% annually from 1999 to 2012, and decreased by 5.0% annually from 2012 to 2015, thereafter, followed by nonsignificant changes. Cancer mortality rates have been decreasing since 2002, with more rapid decline in recent years. The 5-year relative survival between 2016 and 2020 was 71.5%, which contributed to prevalent cases reaching over 2.2 million in 2020. Conclusion In 2020, the number of newly diagnosed cancer patients decreased due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, but the overall trend is on the rise. Cancer survival rates have improved over the past decades. As the number of cancer survivors increases, a comprehensive cancer control strategy should be implemented in line with the changing aspects of cancer statistics. The long-term impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on cancer statistics needs to be investigated in the future.

Primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the brain is a rare malignancy and there are known to occur almost exclusively in brain parenchyme. Recent immunological advances and immunohistochemical techniques have provided new insights into the pathogenesis and diagnosis of the malignant lymphoma even in the small biopsied tissue and the majority of these CNS tumors is thought to be derived from B lymphocytes. A 22-year old man was admitted due to headack, dizziness and walking difficulty for 2 months. On the initial CT scan, there were two enhancing lesion in the suprasellar area and pineal gland which were completely disappeared with steroid therapy and three new lesions appeared on the follow-up CT and MRI studies in corpus callosum, third ventricle and left cerebral peduncle. The serial cytologic smears of cerebrospinal fluid and a stereotaxic biopsy tissue from the corpus callosum mass showed diffusely homogenous infiltration of neoplastic large noncleaved lymphocytes with focal perivascular arrangement. On the immunocytochemical stains, the reaction was negative for GFAP, positive for LCA and MB2, and negative for MT1. After radiation therapy, the masses completely disappeared on the follow-up CT scan and the patient was discharged free of all the clinical symptoms.
Male ; Humans ; Biopsy

PURPOSE: Pure laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (LRP) and robot-assisted laparoscopic radical prostatectomy (RALP) are less invasive alternative techniques for localized prostate cancer. We report our initial surgical experience of LRP and RALP performed by a single surgeon. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between October 2007 and August 2008, 31 and 21 patients were treated with LRP and RALP by the same surgeon, respectively, and both groups were similar in preoperative clinical parameters, including serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, Gleason score (GS), and clinical stage. We analyzed the perioperative parameters and early short-term surgical outcome of LRP and RLRP by retrospective chart review. RESULTS: The mean surgical times for LRP and RALP were 279 and 337 min, respectively, and other perioperative data showed no significant differences between the 2 groups (all p>0.05) with the exception of the preservation rate of neurovascular bundles (58% LRP and 95% RALP, p=0.008). The pathologic parameters including the positive surgical margin rate of the 2 groups were comparable (29% LRP and 29% RALP, p>0.05). Immediately and at 1 month after catheter removal, the RALP group showed a better continence rate than did the LRP group (all p<0.05), but the overall continence rate was similar (80.6% LRP and 81% RALP, p=1.00). Operative charges for RALP were almost 9.4 times as high as those for LRP (p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: We found comparable efficacy and safety of LRP and RALP for localized prostate cancer in this study. Although RALP showed a better short-term continence rate, LRP was analyzed as being the more cost-effective procedure.
Catheters ; Fees and Charges ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Neoplasm Grading ; Operative Time ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatectomy ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies ; Robotics