PURPOSE: In this study, a comparison was done of the extent of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for preterm and fullterm children during early childhood, and factors affecting HRQoL in the early childhood of premature children were analyzed. METHODS: Eighty mothers of children born prematurely and 83 mothers of children born at fullterm listed on two Internet cafes were sampled for this study. The major instrument used for the study was the TNO-AZL Preschool Quality Of Life (TAPQOL) questionnaire. RESULTS: Total score for HRQoL in the premature group was 80.5 (+/-9.9) and for the full term group, 85.0 (+/-8.3), on a 100-point scale. A comparison of the premature group and full term group showed that the domains which scored relatively lower with respect to HRQoL included the stomach, motor function, anxiety, liveliness and communication. Among the factors that have an impact on HRQoL were 'length of stay in neonatal intensive care unit (> or =7 days)' and 'birth weight (<1,000 gm)'. The explanation power of the model was 17%, which was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that a differentiated premature infant follow-up program for children who are hospitalized over 7 days in NICU or weighed under 1,000 g at birth is urgently needed.
Anxiety ; Child* ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Internet ; Mothers ; Parturition ; Quality of Life* ; Stomach ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences in anthropometric, hematologic, and lipidologic data between normocholesterolemia and hypercholesterolemia and influencing factors in hypercholesterolemia in middle-aged men in Kwang-ju. 179 middle-aged men were involved. Anthropometric data(body weight, height, body circumferences and skinfold thickness) and hematologic data(blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, albumin and hemoglobin) were measured. Bleed lipid profile(total cholesterol, triglyceride, phospholipid, HDI-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and VLDL-cholesterol) were analyzed. To determined using questionnaire. The subjects were classified as hypercholesterolemic based on The Guideline for Korean Hyperlipidemia. body mass index, systolic blood pressure, waist and hip circumference, and triceps, subcostal, abdomen, subscapular and suprailliac skinfold thicknesses of the hypercholesterolemic group were significantly higher than in the normocholesterolemic group. The concentration of cholesterol, triglyceride, phospholipod. HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and VLDL -cholesterol of the hypercholesterolemic group were significantly higher than normocholesterolemic group. The concentration of cholesterol has a significantly positive correlation with body mass index, diastolic blood pressure, waist circumference, waist/thigh ratio and skinfold thickness(triceps, subcostal, abdomen, and supraillic skin-fold thickness). The general tendency of socioeconomec status, frequencyu of meat intake, smoking amounts and duration and duration and drinking frequencies and amount were higher in the hypercholesteolemic group but not significant. In conclusion, hypercholesterolemia in middle-aged men was closely correlated with upper body fat obesity and most of them had an accompanied high triglyceride level tendency.
Abdomen ; Adipose Tissue ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Body Height ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol ; Drinking ; Fasting ; Gwangju* ; Hip ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia* ; Hyperlipidemias ; Male ; Meat ; Obesity ; Skinfold Thickness ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Triglycerides ; Waist Circumference ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Background: Postoperative sore throat is a complaint after general anesthesia of multifactorial etiology. The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) reduces sore throat and discomfort during maintenance of the airway and make patients more comfortable. The purpose of this study was to compare effect of patient's position during operation on postoperative sore throat after the use of LMA. Methods: The fifty three patients were randomly divided into two groups. Group 1 (n=30) was underwent general anesthesia with supine position and group 2 (n=23) with prone position. After the LMA was positioned in the hypopharynx and the cuff inflated, fiberoptic laryngoscope was immediately passed down through the LMA. Number of attempts, degree of postoperative sore throat and other complications were also noted. Results: The incidence of postoperative sore throat after the use of LMA was 10% in supine position and 4% in prone position. But the difference between the groups was not statistically significant. All of the reported sore throats were rated as mild. Conclusions: Postoperative sore throat after the use of LMA is mild and the incidence is not affected by the prone position during the operation.
Anesthesia, General ; Humans ; Hypopharynx ; Incidence ; Laryngeal Masks* ; Laryngoscopes ; Pharyngitis* ; Prone Position* ; Supine Position

Objective: Vascular calcification requires the differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) into osteoblast-like cells. This phenomenon can be enhanced by inflammation and oxidative stress. Zingerone is one of the active ingredients present in the ginger plant that has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Other functions include anti-obesity, antinausea effects. However, the functions of zingerone on vascular calcification has not yet been elucidated. This study investigated the effect of zingerone on vascular calcification and its molecular mechanism. Methods: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR and Western blot analysis was used to measure expression levels of osteogenic marker genes and to investigate whether calcification was regulated by the expression of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 4 (TIMP4). Alizarin red S staining was used to measure calcium deposition. Studies were carried out in VSMCs. Results: Zingerone induced the expression of 2 markers of VSMCs differentiation (α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and smooth muscle 22α (SM22α)) and decreased the expression of corebinding factor α-1 (CBFA1). Additionally, zingerone decreased inorganic phosphate (Pi)-induced expression of distal-less homeobox 5 and CBFA1. AMPK phosphorylation and TIMP4 expression were increased by zingerone. Importantly, zingerone protected VSMCs from calcification, and this protective effect was confirmed by increased TIMP4 via overexpression of AMPK, and inhibition of TIMP4 by Compound C. Zingerone upregulated AMPK/TIMP4 expression and recovered Pi-induced inhibition of TIMP4. Conclusions Taken together, our results show that zingerone inhibits Pi-induced vascular calcification by regulating the AMPK/TIMP4 signaling cascade in VSMCs. These results suggest that the natural product zingerone could be useful for treating vascular and metabolic diseases.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the predictive validity of pressure injury risk assessment, Braden, Braden Q and Braden QD for pediatric patients. Methods: Prospective observational study included patients under the age of 19 who were hospitalized to general wards, intensive care units of a children’s hospital.Characteristics related to pressure injury were collected, and predicted validity was compared by calculating the areas under the curve (AUC) of the Braden, Braden Q, and Braden QD scales. Results: A total of 689 patients were included in the study. A total of 13 (1.9%) patients had pressure injuries, and the number of pressure injuries was 17. Factors related to the occurrence of pressure injuries were 9 (52.9%) immobility-related and 8 (47.1%) medical device-related. The AUC for each scale was .91 (95% CI .89~.94) for Braden, .92 (95% CI .90~.95) for Braden Q, and .94(95% CI .92~.96) for Braden QD. The optimal cut-off points were identified as 16 for Braden (sensitivity=88.8%, specificity=86.4%), 17 for Braden Q(sensitivity=63.6%, specificity=94.9%), and 12 for Braden QD (sensitivity=94.4%, specificity=88.7%). Conclusion The Braden QD scale demonstrated the highest predictive validity for pressure injuries in pediatric patients and is expected to be valuable tool in preventing pediatrics pressure injuries.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of left ventricular function with conventional 2-dimensional echocardiography (2D echo) remains largely qualitative and subjective because the manual tracing of endocardial borders is laborious and tedious. An automatic border detection (ABD) echo has been recently developed that permits real-time measurements of chamber areas and cardiac function. METHODS: To determine usefulness of ABD echo, left ventricular cross-sectional areas were automatically measured from the parasternal short-axis image in 25 cases including 9 cardiac patients, and compared with those by off-line analysis of the conventional 2D echo image. RESULTS: In on-line ABD analysis, short axis end-diastolic area averaged 13.1+/-2.2cm2, end-systolic area 5.3+/-1.3cm2 and fractional area change 59.4+/-9.0% and off-line manual analysis yielded corresponding values of 14.7+/-2.5cm2, 6.2+/-1.3cm2, and 57.1+/-7.1%. The end-diastolic and end-systolic areas by both methods were significantly different, respectively. Left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic area and fractional area change obtained from ABD echo correlated significantly with those of off-line measurements(r=0.897, p<0.001 ; r=0.505, p<0.01 ; r=0.427, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Thus, these facts suggest that ABD echo is useful for on-line continuous measurement of chamber areas and cardiac function.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Echocardiography* ; Humans ; Ventricular Function, Left

BACKGROUND: Pre-existing non-neoplastic renal diseases or lesions may influence patient renal function after tumor removal. However, its description is often neglected or omitted in pathologic reports. To determine the incidence and clinical significance of non-neoplastic lesions, we retrospectively examined renal tissues obtained during 85 radical nephrectomies for renal cell carcinoma. METHODS: One paraffin-embedded tissue block from each case containing a sufficient amount of non-tumorous renal parenchyma was cut and processed with hematoxylin and eosin and periodic acid-Schiff methods. Non-neoplastic lesions of each histological compartment were semi-quantitatively and quantitatively evaluated. RESULTS: Among the various histologic lesions found, tubular atrophy, arterial intimal thickening, and glomerulosclerosis were the most common (94.1%, 91.8%, and 88.2%, respectively). Glomerulosclerosis correlated with estimated glomerular filtration rate at the time of surgery, as well as at 1- and 5-years post-surgery (p=.0071), but tubulointerstitial fibrosis or arterial fibrous intimal thickening did not. Post-hoc analysis revealed that glomerulosclerosis of more than 20% predicted post-operative renal function. However, its significance disappeared when gender and age were considered. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, non-neoplastic lesions, especially with regard to glomerulosclerosis percentage, should be described in pathology reports to provide additional information on renal function decline.
Atrophy ; Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Fibrosis ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Hematoxylin ; Humans ; Incidence ; Methods ; Nephrectomy ; Pathology ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: The frequency of bloodstream infection by Candida species has dramatically increased in recent years. Many of bloodstream infections caused by candida arise from an endogenous source of mucosal colonization, as well as exogenously from the hospital environment. We analyzed the prevalence of Candida species isolated from blood cultures, and compared it to those of all other clinical specimens, and those of the hospital environment. METHODS: Identification of Candida species was performed on isolates from blood cultures (159 strains), from cultures of clinical specimens other than bloods (1,609 strains) and from cultures of the hospital environment (30 strains). All candida isolates were recovered between January 1997 and June 1998 at Chonnam University Hospital. Candida surveillance cultures of the hands and nares of 77 medical personnel were performed using CHROMagar Candida. RESULTS: Among the Candida species isolated from the blood cultures, C. parapsilosis was the most frequently isolated (35.2%), followed by C. albicans (29.6%), C. glabrata (9.4%), and C. tropicalis (8.8%). The Candida species frequently isolated from clinical specimens other than bloods were C. albicans (52.6%), C. glabrata (19.1%), and C. tropicalis (15.3%). While C. parapsilosis was not frequently isolated from clinical specimens other than blood (3.4%), it was the most frequent Candida species isolated from the hands of medical personnel. Sixteen (20.8%) out of 77 medical personnel were found to harbor C. parapsilosis on their hands. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that it is possible that most of the Candida species causing bloodstream infections are from mucosal colonized strains, but that C. parapsilosis may be acquired from exogenous sources.
Candida* ; Candidemia ; Colon ; Hand ; Jeollanam-do ; Prevalence

BACKGROUND: The histological subtypes of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) have different significance and influence clinical presentations and outcomes in patients with FSGS. However, no such data has been reported in Korea. METHODS: We reviewed renal biopsy specimens of 69 adult patients who were diagnosed with idiopathic FSGS between 2000 and 2008, subclassified them according to the Columbia classification and correlated the results with clinical findings. RESULTS: The frequencies of the FSGS subtypes were not otherwise specified (NOS) (n = 28), tip (n = 21), perihilar (n = 11), collapsing (n = 5) and cellular types (n = 4) in descending order. Nephrotic syndrome was more common in patients with the tip and collapsing types than the perihilar type. The prevalence of chronic kidney disease stage 4/5 at the time of renal biopsy was significantly higher in patients with the cellular type than the NOS or the tip type. The remission rate after treatment tended to be higher in patients with the NOS type (22.0%) and the tip type (15.2%) than the perihilar (6.8%) and collapsing types (3.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Classifying FSGS subtypes may be helpful to predict of clinical features and renal outcomes.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental ; Humans ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Prevalence ; Prognosis ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic

BACKGROUND: Examination of urine for decoy cells (DCs) is a useful screening test for polyomavirus (PV) activation. We explored the significance of the amount of DCs in persistent shedding, PV nephropathy and acute rejection. METHODS: A case-controlled study was performed in 88 renal allograft patients who had DCs detected at least once in four or more urine samples. RESULTS: Fifty one patients were classified into the high-grade shedding group (HG) and 37 patients into the low-grade shedding group (LG) according to DC shedding (> or =10 or <10 DCs/10 high power field [HPF]). DC shedding of more than three consecutive months was significantly more prevalent in the HG as compared with their LG counterparts (p<0.0001). Urinary DCs were present for more than one year in 29.4% of the HG and 8.1% of the LG. Real-time polymerase chain reaction for PV was higher in both urine (51.4% vs. 11.1%) and plasma (9.1% vs. 0%) of the HG than the LG. The prevalence of PV nephropathy was higher in the HG than the LG (p=0.019). However, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of acute rejection. CONCLUSIONS: Shedding of > or =10 DCs/10 HPF is associated with sustained shedding, polymerase chain reaction positivity and PV nephropathy, but not a predictor of acute rejection.