BACKGROUND: Health illiteracy is a problem often unrecognized by health care providers. It influences medical costs and the health status of adults. The purposes of this study were to determine the level of health literacy in community-dwelling adults and to identify the factors influencing it. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Chungcheong province. A total of 420 adults aged 18 or older were interviewed by trained nursing students between November 1 to December 30, 2011. Health literacy was measured using the Short Test of Functional Health Literacy in Adults. Data were analyzed using the PASW 18.0 program. RESULTS: The mean score of health literacy was 50.64+/-19.18. In the multiple linear regression analysis, health literacy was significantly associated with education (beta=0.17, P=0.001), alcohol use (beta=-0.12, P=0.010), and perceived health status (beta=0.11, P=0.029). These factors accounted for about 7% of health literacy. CONCLUSIONS: Health literacy is a very important public health issue. Our findings showed that educational level, alcohol use and perceived health status should be considered when assessing this issue in patients. Furthermore, the development of a standardized Korean assessment tool for health literacy and specified interventions for enhancing health literacy are needed to improve health outcomes.
Adult* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Education ; Gyeonggi-do ; Health Literacy* ; Health Personnel ; Health Status ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Literacy ; Primary Prevention ; Public Health ; Seoul ; Students, Nursing

PURPOSE: All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) modulates immune responses by affecting T cells. Several studies have revealed that allergic inflammation of the lower airways is negatively associated with the vitamin A concentration. However, the role of ATRA in allergic inflammation of the upper airways is unclear. We investigated the effects of ATRA in an allergic rhinitis mouse model. METHODS: BALB/c mice except control groups (CON group) were sensitized with and challenged intra-nasally with Dermatophagoides farina (AR group). The ATRA groups were administered ATRA intraperitoneally. The steroid groups were administered steroid intranasally (ST group). Allergic symptoms and the average eosinophil number were counted. Cytokines and transcription factors were measured by Real-Time PCR and Western blotting. Der f-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) was measured. Flow cytometry results of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells were analyzed. RESULTS: The symptom scores were lower in the ATRA group than in the AR group and higher than in the CON group. The levels of IgE were lower in the ATRA group than in the AR group and higher than in the CON and ST groups. The levels of Foxp3, TGF-beta, and IL-10 mRNA, as well as the percentage of CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T cells, were higher in the ATRA group than in theAR group. In the ATRA group the levels of IFN-gamma mRNA were higher, and the levels of GATA-3 and IL-4 mRNA, and ROR-gammat were lower. In Western blotting analyses, the expression patterns of all factors, except Foxp3, showed similar to those of mRNA expression. CONCLUSIONS: ATRA has anti-allergic effects in an allergic rhinitis model, and its underlying mechanisms mainly include the induction of regulatory T cells and the inhibition of Th2 responses.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Cytokines ; Eosinophils ; Flow Cytometry ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulins ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-4 ; Mice* ; Nuclear Receptor Subfamily 1, Group F, Member 3 ; Pyroglyphidae ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rhinitis* ; RNA, Messenger ; T-Lymphocytes ; T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory ; Th17 Cells ; Th2 Cells ; Transcription Factors ; Transforming Growth Factor beta ; Tretinoin* ; Vitamin A

Primary aldosteronism is in most cases due either to a unilateral adrenal adenama or to a bilateral hyperplasia of the adrenal cortex. But, a few of bilateral adrena1 tumors in primary aldosteronism also have been reported. In these cases, it is important to differentiate the bilateral aldosterone producing adenomas from the unilateral aldosteronoma in the presence of a contralateral nonhmctioning adenoma for marking a treatment plan. We report a case of primary aldosteronism due to a unilateral aldosteronoma in the presence of a contralateral nonfunctioning adenoma. Abdominal CT sean revealed bilateral adrenal tumors, of which the functioning one was successfully localized using adrenal scintigraphy and selective adrenal venous sampling.
Adenoma ; Adrenal Cortex ; Aldosterone* ; Hyperaldosteronism* ; Hyperplasia ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Background: Coffee is the most commonly consumed beverage worldwide and has a variety of health benefits. However, the relationship between coffee consumption and bone mineral density (BMD) is still controversial. This study aimed to assess the associations between coffee consumption and BMD in Korean men aged 50 years and older. Methods: The study included 271 Korean men aged 50 years and older from the Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2011. Coffee consumption frequency was assessed using a questionnaire and categorized as follows: none, ≤1 cup/day, 2 cups/day, or 3 cups/day. The BMD of the total femur, femur neck, and lumbar spine were compared based on coffee consumption frequency. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to analyze the association between coffee consumption and impaired bone health (osteopenia or osteoporosis). Results: The BMD of the total femur and femur neck significantly increased with higher coffee consumption (P<0.001). Participants with the highest coffee consumption had the lowest odds ratio for osteopenia or osteoporosis of the total femur and femur neck (P<0.001 and P<0.05, respectively). After adjusting for all confounding factors, this trend remained consistent in the femur neck (P<0.05); drinking 2 cups of coffee per day was found to be associated with the lowest risk of osteopenia or osteoporosis of the total femur. Conclusion Coffee consumption was found to decrease the risk of osteopenia or osteoporosis of the total femur and femur neck in Korean men aged 50 years and older.

Background: Pulsed dye laser treatment is a proven effective treatment for capillary malformation. Previous studies have shown different responses to pulsed dye laser depending on the anatomical location of the capillary malformation. Objective: This retrospective study assessed the potential differences in treatment response depending on anatomical location and the factors affecting pulsed dye laser treatment response. Methods: We retrospectively investigated 88 patients with capillary malformation (nevus flammeus or port-wine stain) in the head and neck area treated with pulsed dye laser between November 2005 and January 2019. Dermatologists evaluated the effect of treatment from photographs taken before and after treatment. The anatomical location in the head and neck, lesion size, number of treatments, and the presence of proliferative lesion were analyzed from medical records and photographs. Results: The analyzed 88 patients included 121 lesions. The lesion size and the presence of proliferative lesions significantly affected the treatment effect; however, the location of the lesion in the head and neck did not. Conclusion Smaller lesion size and the absence of proliferative lesion showed better effects of pulsed dye laser treatment. Unlike previous studies, the lesion location did not significantly affect the treatment effect.

BACKGROUND: Dry eye is a common disease, and coffee is a popular beverage that is heavily consumed in Korea and worldwide. We examined the correlation between coffee consumption and dry eye.METHODS: This study was performed using data from the 5th Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which was a cross-sectional study of the Korean population conducted from 24 months. We included adults aged ≥19 years who underwent ophthalmologic examination and excluded those who had comorbid conditions with dry eye. The subjects were divided into dry eye and control groups. The dry eye group consisted of those who had been clinically diagnosed with dry eye. A multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine the correlation between coffee consumption and dry eye.RESULTS: An inverse correlation was found between coffee consumption and dry eye in the group that consumed 3 cups of coffee a day (P=0.001). However, after multivariate adjustment, the statistical significance of the correlation disappeared (P=0.283).CONCLUSION: Consumption of 3 cups of coffee a day in comparison to non-consumption group was negatively correlated with dry eye in an univariate analysis model, but the correlation was not statistically significant after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, binge drinking, sun exposure time and history of eye surgery.
Adult ; Beverages ; Binge Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Coffee ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dry Eye Syndromes ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Nutrition Surveys ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Solar System

PURPOSE: The study aims to classify schools based on traffic pollutants and their complex sources, to assess the environment, to determine the state of allergic diseases among students using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in children (ISAAC) questionnaire, and to assess their connection to air pollutants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of seven schools were divided into three categories according to the characteristics of their surrounding environments: three schools in traffic-related zones, two schools in complex source zones I (urban), and two schools in complex source zones II (industrial complex). ISAAC questionnaires were administered and the 4404 completed questionnaires were analyzed. RESULTS: The frequency of asthma treatment during the past 12 months showed a significant increase (p<0.05) with exposure to NO2 [1.67, 95% confidence intervals (CIs) 1.03-2.71] in the complex source zones. The frequency of allergic rhinitis treatment during the past 12 months increased significantly with exposure to Black Carbon (1.60, 95% CIs 1.36-1.90) (p<0.001), SO2 (1.09, 95% CIs 1.01-1.17) (p<0.05), NO2 (1.18, 95% CIs 1.07-1.30) (p<0.01) for all subjects. CONCLUSION: In terms of supporting children's health, care, and prevention related to major spaces for children, such as school zones, spaces used in coming to and leaving school, playgrounds, and classrooms are essential to ensuring not only the safety of children from traffic accidents but also their protection from local traffic pollutants and various hazardous environmental factors.
Adolescent ; Air Pollutants/*adverse effects ; Air Pollution/*adverse effects ; Asthma/chemically induced/*epidemiology/*etiology ; Child ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; *Environmental Exposure ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial/chemically induced/*epidemiology ; Schools ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Vehicle Emissions/analysis/toxicity

The well-known prognostic factors for breast cancer, such as axillary lymph node status, do not always account for the exact outcome. The development of other accurate prognostic factors would help in assessing high risk for recurrence and death. Recently, much experimental evidence has accumulated showing that tumor growth and metastasis are dependent on tumor angiogenesis. To investigate the status of angiogenesis in breast cancer, we counted the microvessel density(MVD) of breast cancer tissues, which were stained with anti-CD34 antibody, as a measure of tumor angiogenesis. We classified 43 breast-cancer patients into 22 with low MVD (<47/200 PF) and 21 with high MVD (> or =47/200 PF). We estimated the correlations between the MVD and other established prognostic factors. We also calculated survivals based on MVD. The MVD was in the range between 10 and 93(mean SD=46.9 21.7). The positive rate of lymph-node metastasis in high-MVD patients was 32.6%, which was higher than the 23.3% for low- MVD patients. We found a significant correlation between MVD and histologic grade (p=0.037), but could not find any significant correlation between MVD and menopausal status, tumor size, nuclear grade, estrogen receptor, or progesterone receptor. Retrospectively, the receptor status of estrogen and of progesterone had significant impacts on survival (ER : p=0.0001, PR : p=0.0001). The 4-year disease-free survival rate of high-MVD patients was 56.6 12.5%, and that of low-MVD patients was 69.0 10.8% (p=0.449). The 4-year overall survival rate of high-MVD patients was 71.1 11.1%, and that of low-MVD patients was 74.1 12.2 (p=0.449). In conclusion, the determination of MVD in breast cancer tissue may be useful as a prognostic factor, but it is necessary to investigate the MVD in a large number of patients before this conclusion can be stated with certainty.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Microvessels ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Progesterone ; Receptors, Progesterone ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

The well-known prognostic factors for breast cancer, such as axillary lymph node status, do not always account for the exact outcome. The development of other accurate prognostic factors would help in assessing high risk for recurrence and death. Recently, much experimental evidence has accumulated showing that tumor growth and metastasis are dependent on tumor angiogenesis. To investigate the status of angiogenesis in breast cancer, we counted the microvessel density (MVD) of brest cancer tissues, which were stained with anti-CD34 antibody, as a measure of tumor angiogenesis. We classified 43 breast-cancer patients into 22 with low MVD (<47/200xPF) and 21 with high MVD (> or =47/200xPF). We estimated the correlations between the MVD and other established prognostic factors. We also calculated survivals based on MVD. The MVD was in the range between 10 and 93 (mean+/-SD=46.9+/-21.7). The positive rate of lymph-node metastasis in high MVD patients was 32.6%, which was higher than the 23.3% for low-MVD patients. We found a significant correlation between MVD and histologic grade (p=0.037), but could not fine any significant correlation between MVD and menopausal status, tumor size, nuclear grade, estrogen receptor, or progesterone receptor. Retrospectively, the receptor status of estrogen and of progesterone had significant impacts on survival (ER: p=0.0001, PR: p=0.0001). The 4-year disease-free survival rate of high-MVD patients was 56.6+/-12.5%, and that of low-MVD patients was 69.0+/-10.8% (p=0.449). The 4-years overall survival rate of high-MVD patients was 71.1+/-11.1%, and that of low-MVD patients was 74.1+/-12.2 (p=0.449). In conclusion, the determination of MVD in breast cancer tissue may be useful as a prognostic factor, but it is necessary to investigate the MVD in a large number of patients before this conclusion can be stated with certainty.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Disease-Free Survival ; Estrogens ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Microvessels ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Progesterone ; Receptors, Progesterone ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: A cell line with transfected Wilms' tumor protein 1 (WT1) is has been used for the preclinical evaluation of novel treatment strategies of WT1 immunotherapy for leukemia due to the lack of appropriate murine leukemia cell line with endogenous WT1. However, silencing of the transgene occurs. Regarding the effects of hypomethylating agents (HMAs) on reactivation of silenced genes, HMAs are considered to be immune enhancers. METHODS: We treated murine WT1- transfected C1498 (mWT1-C1498) with increasing doses of decitabine (DAC) and azacitidine (AZA) to analyze their effects on transgene reactivation. RESULTS: DAC and AZA decreased the number of viable cells in a dose- or time-dependent manner. Quantification of WT1 mRNA level was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction after mWT1-C1498 treated with increasing dose of HMA. DAC treatment for 48 h induced 1.4-, 14.6-, and 15.5-fold increment of WT1 mRNA level, compared to untreated sample, at 0.1, 1, and 10microM, respectively. Further increment of WT1 expression in the presence of 1 and 10microM DAC was evident at 72 h. AZA treatment also induced up-regulation of mRNA, but not to the same degree as with DAC treatment. The correlation between the incremental increases in WT1 mRNA by DAC was confirmed by Western blot and concomitant down-regulation of WT1 promoter methylation was revealed. CONCLUSION: The in vitro data show that HMA can induce reactivation of WT1 transgene and that DAC is more effective, at least in mWT1-C1498 cells, which suggests that the combination of DAC and mWT1-C1498 can be used for the development of the experimental model of HMA-combined WT1 immunotherapy targeting leukemia.
Azacitidine ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Line ; Down-Regulation ; Immunotherapy ; Leukemia ; Methylation ; Models, Theoretical ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Messenger ; Transgenes ; Up-Regulation ; Wilms Tumor