No abstract available.
Asthma

PURPOSE: Konkuk University Hospital (KUH), which opened in September 2005, is currently categorized as a secondary hospital. Early on after its establishment, the surgical residents and nurses were relatively inexperienced in the treatment of stomach cancer. Therefore, the quality of surgery for stomach cancer at KUH may be different from that of the existing large-scale tertiary hospitals. The purpose of this study is first to investigate the clinicopathological characteristics of the gastric cancer patients at the KUH, and second to compare our morbidity & mortality rates with those of previous studies, and we also analyzed the risk factors of morbidity at the early stage of a training hospital. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study retrospectively collected the clinicopathological characteristics and the post-operative morbidity rates and mortality rates with using the electronic medical records of all the patients who went under a gastric cancer operation at KUH from September 2005 to April 2008. RESULTS: The total number of gastric cancer patients who underwent operation was 201. The morbidity rate and death rate at KUH were 10.4% and 0.5%, respectively. The morbidity has increased with an older age. The other variables had no influence on morbidity. CONCLUSION: The morbidity rate, death rate and the clinicopathological characteristics of gastric cancer patients at KUH were similar to those of the previous reports. We found that age is the main factor affecting the morbidity rate after stomach cancer surgery. For further surgical qualification of stomach cancer surgery at KUH, it is necessary to collect the survival data of patients who undergo stomach cancer surgery.
Electronic Health Records ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Tertiary Care Centers

No abstract available.
Humans

Barium carbonate is commonly used rodenticidally and industrially, but intoxication has been uncommonly reported. Muscle weakness and hypokalemia are the characteristic features of barium carbonate intoxication. Barium-induced hypokalemia is due to a rapid and large transfer of potassium from the extracellular space into the intracellular space resulting from blocking potassium channels by barium ions. We report 35 cases of barium carbonate intoxication which developed after accidental ingestion of barium poisoned noodle. All patients developed severe hypokalemic paralysis and some degree of vomiting and diarrhea. We managed these patients with aggressive potassium supplementation and all patients were discharged without any sequelae.
Barium* ; Carbon* ; Diarrhea ; Eating ; Extracellular Space ; Humans ; Hypokalemia* ; Intracellular Space ; Ions ; Muscle Weakness ; Paralysis ; Potassium ; Potassium Channels ; Vomiting

PURPOSE: Allergic disease and its comorbidities significantly influence the quality of life. Although the comorbidities of allergic diseases are well described in adult populations, little is known about them in preschool children. In the present study, we aimed to assess the prevalence and comorbidity of allergic diseases in Korean preschool children. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study comprising 615 Korean children (age, 3 to 6 years). Symptoms of allergic diseases were assessed using the Korean version of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire that was modified for preschool children. Comorbidities of allergic diseases were assessed by 'In the last 12 months, has your child had symptoms?'. RESULTS: The prevalence of symptoms of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis as recorded using the ISAAC questionnaire, within the last 12 months was 13.8%, 40.7%, and 20.8%, respectively. The symptom rates of allergic conjunctivitis, food allergy, and drug allergy were 14.8%, 10.4%, and 0.8%, respectively. The prevalence of allergic rhinitis in children with asthma was 64.3% and that of asthma in children with allergic rhinitis was 21.6%. The prevalence of rhinitis in children with conjunctivitis was 64.8% and that of conjunctivitis in children with rhinitis was 23.6%. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of current rhinitis in our preschool children is shown to be higher than that previously reported. Allergic conjunctivitis is closely associated with asthma and allergic rhinitis. However, further studies are warranted to determine the prevalence and effects of these comorbidities on health outcomes in preschool children.
Adult ; Asthma ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Comorbidity ; Conjunctivitis ; Conjunctivitis, Allergic ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Drug Hypersensitivity ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Rhinitis ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial

PURPOSE: Chlamydia pneumonia infection causes chronic recurrent infection, and is related to a broad spectrum of respiratory disease, and the specific antibody titer increases with age. As the interest in correlation between Chlamydia pneumonia infection and asthma has been recently increased, significant correlation with nonatopic asthma in adults has been proved, and in children the study results by using molecular biological techniques such as PCR and culture of patient's serum or nasal aspirate have been reported. We investigated the association between Chlamydia pneumonia infection and asthma with serum Chlamydia pneumonia specific antibody by ELISA of asthma patients who visited the hospital. METHODS: We collected the sera from patient group who visited the pediatric department of Yonsei University Medical Center to be diagnosed as asthma and from control group who had no evidence of asthma, respiratory or infectious disease. Centrifused sera were kept in -20 degrees C refregerator. To detect the serum Chlamydia pneumonia specific IgG and IgA of patient and control groups, we used ELEGANCE Chlamydia pneumonia IgG ELISA and ELEGANCE Chlamydia pneumonia IgA ELISA (Bioclone, Varrickville, Australia) kits. RESULTS: Serum Chlamydia pneumonia specific IgG and IgA ELISA were performed on patient group (55 males, 45 females) and control group (28 males, 29 females). The mean ages of patient and control groups were 6.8+/-2.8 and 6.3+/-3.4 years each and there was no significant difference. Positive rate to IgG in patient and control groups was 23.0% and 17.5% each (P=0.34). Positive rate to IgA in patient and control groups was 24.0% and 14.0% each (P=0.22). Positive rate to IgG and IgA in patient and control groups was 21.0% and 8.8% each (P=0.047). CONCLUSION: There was significant correlation between Chlamydia pneumonia infection and childhood asthma by the result of serum Chlamydia pneumonia specific IgG and IgA ELISA of patient and control groups.
Academic Medical Centers ; Adult ; Asthma* ; Child ; Chlamydia* ; Communicable Diseases ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulin G ; Male ; Pneumonia* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

PURPOSE: Gastric emptying may influence the quality of life of patients who undergo distal gastrectomy. Little is known, however, about gastric emptying after distal gastrectomy. The aim of our study was to investigate gastric emptying patterns after distal gastrectomy. METHODS: This gastric-emptying study investigated patients who underwent distal gastrectomy in the 6 months or more before May 2008 to July 2013 at Chungbuk National University Hospital with a study sample of 205 patients. We analyzed patterns of gastric emptying. RESULTS: Delayed gastric emptying was found in 109 of the 205 patients (53.2%). Food stasis was more frequent in a group with delayed gastric emptying. In multivariate analysis, risk factors for gastroparesis were laparoscopic operation (hazard ratio [HR], 2.731; P = 0.008) and duration of less than 24 months after distal gastrectomy (HR, 2.795; P = 0.001). Delayed gastric emptying tended to decrease with duration of the postoperative period. CONCLUSION: Delayed gastric emptying is common in distal gastrectomy, and is related to laparoscopic operation and duration of the postoperative period. Food stasis was more frequent in a group with delayed gastric emptying.
Chungcheongbuk-do ; Gastrectomy* ; Gastric Emptying* ; Gastroparesis ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Postoperative Period ; Quality of Life ; Risk Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms

PURPOSE: Gastric emptying may influence the quality of life of patients who undergo distal gastrectomy. Little is known, however, about gastric emptying after distal gastrectomy. The aim of our study was to investigate gastric emptying patterns after distal gastrectomy. METHODS: This gastric-emptying study investigated patients who underwent distal gastrectomy in the 6 months or more before May 2008 to July 2013 at Chungbuk National University Hospital with a study sample of 205 patients. We analyzed patterns of gastric emptying. RESULTS: Delayed gastric emptying was found in 109 of the 205 patients (53.2%). Food stasis was more frequent in a group with delayed gastric emptying. In multivariate analysis, risk factors for gastroparesis were laparoscopic operation (hazard ratio [HR], 2.731; P = 0.008) and duration of less than 24 months after distal gastrectomy (HR, 2.795; P = 0.001). Delayed gastric emptying tended to decrease with duration of the postoperative period. CONCLUSION: Delayed gastric emptying is common in distal gastrectomy, and is related to laparoscopic operation and duration of the postoperative period. Food stasis was more frequent in a group with delayed gastric emptying.
Chungcheongbuk-do ; Gastrectomy* ; Gastric Emptying* ; Gastroparesis ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Postoperative Period ; Quality of Life ; Risk Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms

We report a rare case of long-term survival in a patient who received local therapy and salvage chemotherapy for recurrent metastases, along with a literature review. A 65-year-old male patient underwent subtotal gastrectomy for advanced gastric adenocarcinoma. Six months after gastrectomy, 2 metastatic intra-abdominal lymph node enlargements were detected, which were treated with radiotherapy. At 55 months after gastrectomy, an abdominal wall mass was detected, which was treated by surgical resection. The patient received 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin/irinotecan chemotherapy for 27 months before and after radiotherapy and docetaxel chemotherapy for 6 months after surgical resection of the abdominal wall metastasis. At the last visit, 7.8 years since the initial resection of the primary gastric cancer and 6.2 years since detection of the first metastases, the patient was disease-free and required no further chemotherapy. This case suggests that repeated local therapy offers potential for long-term survival in a carefully selected subset of patients with recurrent metastases.
Abdominal Wall ; Adenocarcinoma ; Aged ; Drug Therapy* ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Radiotherapy ; Stomach Neoplasms*

Purpose: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been shown significant oncological improvements in several cancers.However, ICIs are still in their infancy in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), tumorinfiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) have been known as prognostic factors in HCC. Therefore, we have focused on identifying the molecular mechanisms between each marker to evaluate a predictive role. Methods: Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples were obtained from 166 patients with HCC who underwent surgery. The expression of PD-L1 and TILs and EMT marker were evaluated by immunohistochemical analysis. Results: The multivariate analysis showed that TIL expression (hazard ratio [HR], 0.483; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.269–0.866; P = 0.015) were independent prognostic factors for overall survival. The prognostic factors for disease-free survival were EMT marker expression (HR, 1.565; 95% CI, 1.019–2.403; P = 0.005). Patients with high expression of TILs had significantly better survival compared to patients with low expression (P = 0.023). Patients who were TIL+/EMT– showed a significantly better prognosis than those who were TIL–/EMT+ (P = 0.049). Conclusion This study demonstrates that PD-L1 expression of TILs is closely associated with EMT marker expression in HCC. Clinical investigations using anti–PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors in patients with EMT-associated PD-L1 upregulation are warranted.