PURPOSE: It is not clear that the development of glomerular injury and aggravation by tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) is related to intrarenal or serum concentration of TNF-alpha. So, we studied the relationship between the concentration of TNF-alpha and aggravation of glomerular damage in the Henoch-Schonlein nephritis(HSN) and idiopathic nephrotic syndrome(INS). METHODS: We collected the sera and urines of 21 patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura(HSP) and 22 patients with INS visited Chungbuk National University hospital from March 1998 to March 2001. The concentration of TNF-alpha in the sera and urines were measured by sandwich ELISA. RESULTS: Serum TNF-alpha levels in the HSP patients with renal involvement were significantly higher than those without renal involvement(P=0.009). But urine TNF-alpha levels have no correlation with renal involvement(P=0.088). In the HSN patients, proteinuria have a significant correlation with serum TNF-alpha levels(P=0.004) but less correlation with urine TNF-alpha levels(P=0.053). Otherwise, proteinuria have no correlation with serum TNF-alpha levels(P=0.763) but have a significant correlation with urine TNF-alpha levels(P=0.007) in INS. CONCLUSION: These result suggest that the serum concentration of TNF-alpha would be important to glomerular involvement in HSP. And, it is interesting that proteinuria shows a significant relation with serum TNF-alpha levels in the HSN, but with urine TNF-alpha levels in the INS. This means the major production of TNF-alpha may be originated by extrarenal inflammation in the HSN and by intrarenal tubulo-interstitial damage due to proteinuria in the INS.
Chungcheongbuk-do ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Nephritis* ; Nephrotic Syndrome* ; Proteinuria* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

Leigh's disease is a rare progressive neurological disorder that is characterized light microscopically by focal spongy necrosis in the brain and electron microscopically by mitochondriopathy. We report an autopsy case of Leigh's disease that showed abnormalities in the liver, kidney and skeletal muscle as well as the central nervous system. The patient was an 18-month-old girl who has carried a diagnosis of cerebral palsy ever since her birth to a 20-year-old mother. The baby was generally hypertonic and mentally retarded. She died of severe metabolic acidosis. Postmortem examination showed growth retardation, fatty liver, fatty kidney and soft brain. Brain section showed multifocal softenings in the brainstem, basal ganglia and periventricular areas. Microscopically increased capillaries with endothelial proliferation, vacuolar degeneration and mild gliosis were seen in the brain. The axons were relatively preserved. Liver and kidneys showed microvesicular fatty change. Myofiber degeneration of the skeletal muscle was also noted. Electron microscopic examination showed markedly increased mitochondria in the parenchymal cells of the brain, liver and kidney. The mitochondria showed round to ovoid ballooned appearance including electron-dense core-like structures and pseudoinclusions of glycogen granules.
Brain/pathology/ultrastructure ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Kidney/pathology/ultrastructure ; Leigh Disease/*pathology ; Liver/pathology/ultrastructure ; Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathies/pathology ; Muscles/pathology

To determine the distribution of rotavirus strain genotypes in Gwangju, Korea, we performed reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and nucleotide sequencing analysis using the 115 rotavirus EIA positive stool specimens collected from December 2006 through April 2007. The most predominant genotype was confirmed as G1P[8] (53.9%), followed by G3P[8] (29.6%), G4P[6] (8.7%), G2P[4] (4.3%) and G9P[8] (1.7%). A special attention is drawn to the unusual findings of the genotypes G11P[25] and G12P[9] during this study period. In order to investigate the phylogenetic relationships among the same or different genotypes, the nucleotide sequences of rotavirus circulating in Korea and the foreign countries were analyzed using MegAlign and Clustal X programme. The G11P[25] strain identified in this study showed the highest nucleic acid similarity with G11 /CUK1 /2006 /Korea (99.2%) and P[25] /Dhaka /2001 /BGD (98.7%). Meanwhile, the G12P[9] strain detected in this study shared 99.4~99.5% nucleotide homology with the reference strain G12P[9] /CP1030 /2004 /Japan. This incidence of new rotavirus genotypes in our area illustrates the large diversity of rotavirus strains found worldwide. Therefore, the epidemiological surveillance of rotavirus may need to be continued in a wide geographic area.
Base Sequence ; Genotype ; Incidence ; Korea ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rotavirus ; Sprains and Strains

Background: Integrated management of general, mental, and oral health is necessary to improve an individual’s quality of life. This study aimed to identify the effects of mental and oral health behaviors on metabolic syndrome. Methods: A total of 4,227 Korean adults aged 20 years or older were selected as study subjects using raw data from the first year (2019) of the 8th period of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). A complex sample chi-square test and a complex sample logistic regression analysis were performed using the PASW Statistics ver. 18.0 program. Results: The effect on metabolic syndrome was significantly higher in male than in 1.833 times in male, 2.914 times in 30∼49 years old, and 3.855 times in 50∼64 years old, and 3.929 times in people over 65 years old compared to 20∼29 years old, and compared to those with a college degree or higher, those with a middle school degree or lower are 2.116 times, those with lower income levels are 1.507 times higher, those with middle-lower are 1.359 times higher, those with middle-high are 1.401 times. Compared to non-smokers, smokers were 1.570 times higher than non-smokers and compared to those without speech problem and chewing difficulty, they were 1.717 times and 1.397 times higher, respectively and 1.973 times higher in those with 0∼1 brushing times per day. Mental health did not affect prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Conclusion It is necessary to improve maintain a healthy lifestyle to lower the risk of metabolic syndrome. It is necessary to establish effective dental hygiene customized education and an efficient health management system at the national level that can induce improvement of oral health behavior for the prevention and management of metabolic syndrome.

BACKGROUND: There has been no systematic investigation of the necessary core procedures in primary care in Korea. The purpose of this study is to examine the core procedures necessary in primary care and to have the results reflected in residency programs. METHODS: A mail survey was conducted fram May 2, to August 20, 1997 among 478 physicians who qualified as a family physician specialist since 1989. The contents of the questionnaire included 1) sex, age, locatian and size of the hospital 2) of the 93 procedures that should be taught during residency pragrams as suggested by the [American Academy of Family Physicians] and the [Korean Academy of Family Physicians a) procedures taught in residency programs, b) procedures performed by practicing family physicians, and, c) procedures considered as necessary in primary care. RESULTS: 1) Of the 93 procedures, 78 were taught in residency programs, 35 were performed by practicing family physicians, and 77 were considered necessary in primary care. 2) All of the 35 procedures performed by family physicians were taught in the residency programs. Of the 77 procedures considered necessary in primary care, 71 were taught but the remaining 6 were infrequently taught. 3) 7 procedures were taught but was considered unnecessary ; Procedures taught but not actually performed amounted to a total of 43. 4) 42 procedures were considered necessary but not performed. 5) More procedures were performed by male doctors(p<0.05). Surgical procedures were performed more often in regional hospitals than those in Seoul and in the larger cities(p<0.05), and more were performed in private practice(p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Although almost all of the procedures considered necessary in primary care were taught in residency programs, many procedure's were not being performed in current medical practice. We suggest that it would be more effective to intensively train the core procedures than to provide exposure to a wide array of procedures. As the procedures performed were found to vary in relat
Humans ; Internship and Residency* ; Korea ; Male ; Physicians, Family ; Postal Service ; Primary Health Care ; Seoul ; Specialization ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: C-reactive protein is an acute phase reactant, which can be increased by either (both) infectious or (and) non-infectious and non-specific reaction of cells and tissue metabolism. Also C-reactive protein is known to have a relationship between changes in lipid and glucose metabolism. In recent studies, the possibility of being a prognostic factor of cardiovascular risk factors and serum C-reactive protein concentration within conventional reference ranges in otherwise normal people has also received little attention. Therefore, in this study, we tried to look for the relationship between C-reactive protein and cardiovascular risk factors of a healthy adult. METHODS: We analyzed the results of the surveys and chemistries given to 3,548 healthy men and women who have visited the heath promotion center in a certain university hospital. We assayed the C-reactive protein by means of rate nephelometry. We omitted the case of 123 people who went over 1mg/dL. We compared C-reactive protein of normal and abnormal range of each risk factor and went through the multiple regression analysis for the factors with significant differences. RESULTS: When C-reactive protein concentration of normal and abnormal of cardiovascular risk factors were compared by t-test, there were differences according to age (p<0.001), sex (p<0.001), body mass index (p<0.001), WBC (p<0.001), systolic blood pressure (p<0.001), diastolic pressure (p<0.001), total cholesterol (p<0.00), HDL-cholesterol (p<0.05) and smoking (p<0.01). We could not find any significant difference of triglycerides. After going through multiple regression analysis for the risk factors, which showed a significant difference by t-test, we found out that the C-reactive protein increased as cholesterol (p<0.01), body mass index (p<0.01) and WBC (p<0.001) increased. As for HDL-cholesterol (p<0.001), the C-reactive protein increased as it decreased. Age, sex, smoking history, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure did not show significant relationship we were looking for. CONCLUSION: C-reactive protein was not related to age, smoking history ,blood pressure, and triglycerides among cardiovascular risk factors, but was related to body mass index, cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and WBC. This relationship indicated that even if the C-reactive protein was in normal range a person with C-reactive protein should be aware of the risk involved for cardiovascular diseases.
Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; C-Reactive Protein* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cholesterol ; Female ; Glucose ; Humans ; Male ; Metabolism ; Nephelometry and Turbidimetry ; Reference Values ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Triglycerides

During 3 years surveillance (January 2001 through December 2003) for acute gastroenteritis in human in Daejeon region, 432 out of 4,869 stool samples were selected as rotavirus-positive specimens by means of antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The P (VP4) and G (VP7) genotypes for 432 stool samples were investigated by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and nested multiplex PCR. The most prevalent P subtype was P[8] (44.9%), followed by P[4] (25.7%) and P[6] (17.1%). No cases for P[10] and P[9] subtypes were found through the study. In G subtyping, G1 (53.2%) was the most frequently found G type, followed by G2 (23.1%), G3 (9.5%), G4 (6.7%), and G9 (0.9%). The order of detection rates for G2, G3 and G4 was variable by years. The most common G- and P- type combination found in this study was G1P[8] (33.1%), followed by G2P[4] (20.4%), G1P[6] (10.0%), G3P[8] (7.2%) and G4P[6] (4.2%). The mixed types of G and P were observed most frequently in P[8] (1.4%) and G1 (3.2%), respectively. This is the first molecular epidemiological study for Group A rotavirus in Daejeon region. The results might be useful data for evaluating the epidemiological status of rotaviral diarrhea in the region.
Diarrhea ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Gastroenteritis ; Genotype* ; Humans ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reverse Transcription ; Rotavirus*

OBJECTIVE: To assess the diagnostic value of various ultrasound (US) findings and to make a decision-tree model for US diagnosis of biliary atresia (BA). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From March 2008 to January 2014, the following US findings were retrospectively evaluated in 100 infants with cholestatic jaundice (BA, n = 46; non-BA, n = 54): length and morphology of the gallbladder, triangular cord thickness, hepatic artery and portal vein diameters, and visualization of the common bile duct. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the features that would be useful in predicting BA. Conditional inference tree analysis was used to generate a decision-making tree for classifying patients into the BA or non-BA groups. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that abnormal gallbladder morphology and greater triangular cord thickness were significant predictors of BA (p = 0.003 and 0.001; adjusted odds ratio: 345.6 and 65.6, respectively). In the decision-making tree using conditional inference tree analysis, gallbladder morphology and triangular cord thickness (optimal cutoff value of triangular cord thickness, 3.4 mm) were also selected as significant discriminators for differential diagnosis of BA, and gallbladder morphology was the first discriminator. The diagnostic performance of the decision-making tree was excellent, with sensitivity of 100% (46/46), specificity of 94.4% (51/54), and overall accuracy of 97% (97/100). CONCLUSION: Abnormal gallbladder morphology and greater triangular cord thickness (> 3.4 mm) were the most useful predictors of BA on US. We suggest that the gallbladder morphology should be evaluated first and that triangular cord thickness should be evaluated subsequently in cases with normal gallbladder morphology.
Area Under Curve ; Biliary Atresia/*diagnosis/ultrasonography ; Common Bile Duct/ultrasonography ; Decision Making ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Gallbladder/ultrasonography ; Hepatic Artery/ultrasonography ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Jaundice, Obstructive/complications/diagnosis ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Portal Vein/ultrasonography ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) fluctuate considerably over time. However, it has not been determined whether these symptoms are affected by the menstrual cycle in female IBD patients. This study analyzed the effects of the menstrual cycle on IBD symptom variation. METHODS: This was a prospective study of 91 study subjects (47 IBD patients and 44 healthy controls) who reported daily symptoms and signs throughout their menstrual cycles. RESULTS: IBD patients had significantly more frequent gastrointestinal symptoms, such as nausea (30% vs 7%, p=0.006), flatulence (53% vs 22%, p=0.003), and abdominal pain as compared to controls (68% vs 38%, p=0.006). The IBD patients also experienced more frequent systemic premenstrual symptoms than the controls (79% vs 50%, p=0.003). More severe abdominal pain (p=0.002) and lower mean general condition scores (p=0.001) were noted during the menstrual phase as compared to the pre- or post-menstrual phase in both groups. IBD patients experienced more frequent premenstrual gastrointestinal symptoms than controls, but their IBD symptoms did not change significantly during the menstrual cycle. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of the cyclic alterations in gastrointestinal and systemic symptoms may be helpful in determining the true exacerbation of disease in female IBD patients.
Abdominal Pain ; Female ; Flatulence ; Humans ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Menstrual Cycle ; Nausea ; Prospective Studies

Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) of Salmonella is useful method for replacing serotyping using antisera but is limited by difficulties associated with in polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We optimized the PCR reaction, especially annealing temperature and extension time (94degrees C for 2 min; 40 cycles at 94degrees C for 30 sec, 56.8degrees C for 1 min, 72degrees C for 2 min; and 72degrees C for 10 min). The degradation of PCR product by thermostable nucleases was inhibited by using template DNAs treated proteinase K or purified by a commercialized preparation kit. The resulting modified MLST was used as accurate and fast typing method.
DNA ; Endopeptidase K ; Immune Sera ; Multilocus Sequence Typing* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Salmonella* ; Serotyping*