OBJECTIVES: The present study aims to investigate the effects of physical illness on depression in North Korean Defectors. METHODS: One hundred forty-four North Korean Defectors(20 males, 124 females) and 376 South Koreans 133 males, 243 females) in Incheon Metropolitan areas participated the present study. Face-to-face interview was conducted for demographic information including presence of physical illnesses. To investigate depressive symptoms, all participants were required to complete the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale (CES-D). RESULTS: After controlling gender, age, marital status, educational year, employment status and physical illness, North Korean Defectors showed higher CES-D score than South Koreans(beta=0.449, p<0.001). Within North Korean Defectors, the presence of physical illnesses independently was related to higher CES-D score(beta=0.243, p<0.001). However, within South Koreans, the presence of physical illnesses did not significantly predict CES-D score. North Korean Defectors with physical illness have higher CES-D score than North Korean Defectors without physical illness(26.8+/-13.8 versus 19.7+/-12.7). However, there was no significant differences of CES-D score between South Koreans with physical illness and South Koreans without physical illness(10.3+/-9.8 versus 9.3+/-8.8). CONCLUSION: Compared to South Koreans, North Korean Defector showed higher depressive symptoms independently from gender, age, education, employment, marriage. In addition, only North Korean Defectors showed the relationship between depression and physical illness. Our study suggests that depression should be assessed when North Korean Defectors have physical illness.
Depression ; Employment ; Humans ; Male ; Marital Status ; Marriage

We report serial change of nerve conduction tests, somatosensory evoked potentials and brainstem auditory evoked pontenials in a case of puffer fish poisoning, who recovered completely from comatous state with respiratory and generalized muscle paralysis.
Brain Stem ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory ; Neural Conduction ; Paralysis ; Poisoning* ; Tetraodontiformes*

The pleomorphic adenoma is the most common neoplasm involving both the major and minor salivary glands. It is a benign, slowgrowing tumor, but local recurrences can occur. The pleomorphic adenoma gene 1 (PLAG1), which is a novel zinc finger gene, is frequently activated by reciprocal chromosomal translocations involving 8q12 in a subset of salivary gland pleomorphic adenomas. This experimental study was preformed to observe the translocation patterns between PLAG1 gene and the three translocation partner genes. We also have analyzed the presence of PLAG1 transcripts by RT-PCR. CTNNB1/PLAG1 gene fusion was observed in three of nine pleomorphic adnomas. However, LIFR/PLAG1 and SII/PLAG1 gene fusions were not detectable. All of three gene fusions was not detectable in one Warthin's tumor and three inflammatory salivary gland tissues. PLAG1 transcripts were expressed in all inflammatory salivary gland tissues and tumors except for three pleomorphic adenomas. Of particular one pleomorphic adenoma showing CTNNB1/P AG1 gene fusion did not express PLAG1 transcipt. Our data indicate that gene fusion involving PLAG1 is a frequent event in pleomorphic adenoma, but correlation between gene fusion involving PLAG1 and PLAG1 transcription is not definite.
Adenoma, Pleomorphic* ; Gene Fusion ; Recurrence ; Salivary Glands* ; Salivary Glands, Minor ; Translocation, Genetic ; Zinc Fingers

Background: Patients with the chronic physical illness are more likely to experience depression, and the accompany of chronic physical illness and depression is particularly high in middle-aged and elderly women. Considering that depression is associated with somatization and the decline of therapeutic compliance when accompanied by chronic physical illness, middle-aged and elderly women who experience depression among chronic physical illness may increase their use of medical services. This study is to identify the effect of depression on the use of medical services, especially among middle-aged and elderly women with chronic physical illness. Methods: This study used the 2016 Korean Health Panel. For analysis, it used T-test, negative binomial regression, and multivariate regression combining propensity score matching. Results: First, depressive groups had a higher number of medical service utilization and total medical expenditure than the non-depressive group. Second, depression significantly increased medical service utilization (β=0.17, p=0.04) at the 5% significance level. Also, depression significantly increased total medical expenditure (β=0.37, p=0.08) at the 10% significance level. Conclusion For those who have chronic physical illness among middle-aged and elderly women, the experience of depression was confirmed to be a factor affecting the use of medical services. In the end, it is important to come up with policy countermeasures for middle-aged and elderly women accompanied by depression and chronic physical illness.

Background: Patients with the chronic physical illness are more likely to experience depression, and the accompany of chronic physical illness and depression is particularly high in middle-aged and elderly women. Considering that depression is associated with somatization and the decline of therapeutic compliance when accompanied by chronic physical illness, middle-aged and elderly women who experience depression among chronic physical illness may increase their use of medical services. This study is to identify the effect of depression on the use of medical services, especially among middle-aged and elderly women with chronic physical illness. Methods: This study used the 2016 Korean Health Panel. For analysis, it used T-test, negative binomial regression, and multivariate regression combining propensity score matching. Results: First, depressive groups had a higher number of medical service utilization and total medical expenditure than the non-depressive group. Second, depression significantly increased medical service utilization (β=0.17, p=0.04) at the 5% significance level. Also, depression significantly increased total medical expenditure (β=0.37, p=0.08) at the 10% significance level. Conclusion For those who have chronic physical illness among middle-aged and elderly women, the experience of depression was confirmed to be a factor affecting the use of medical services. In the end, it is important to come up with policy countermeasures for middle-aged and elderly women accompanied by depression and chronic physical illness.

PURPOSE: Prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart disease has been made by fetal echocardiography and its clinical impact on the outcome of CHD cases has been analysed. METHODS: A prospective study was performed for the fetal diagnosis of CHD for the standard risk pregnancy, confirmed postnatally or at second study and/or at autopsy and/or follow up at CHA hospital in 2001. Incidence of CHD has been calculated and compared to the incidence of CHD of the prescreening period(1992.3-1995.2). RESULTS: There were 66 cases of CHD prenatally during the study period. CHD consisted of 7 cases of ventricular septal defects(VSD), 7 cases of tetralogy of Fallot(TOF), 5 cases of heterotaxy, 5 cases of double outlet right ventricle(DORV), 5 cases of severe pulmonary stenosis(PS), 3 cases of hypoplastic left heart syndrome(HLHS), 3 cases of coarctation, 3 cases of critical aortic stenosis(AS), 3 cases of pulmonary atresia with intact ventricular septum(PA IVS). Among 66 fetal CHD cases, 30 cases of CHD has been terminated, 1 case died in utero and 23 cases has been delivered at cardiac center through planned delivery. The most common factors of termination were extracardiac and chromosomal anomaly. 17 cases of false negative diagnosis were small VSD and mild PS that couldn't be diagnosed in fetal stage. There was no false positive diagnosis. There were 30 cases of CHDs born in 2001 at CHA hospital. 28 cases were diagnosed postnatally. Among 30 cases of CHDs, there were 18 cases of VSD(17 small VSD), 6 cases of mild PS, 4 ASD, 1 PDA. Incidence rate of CHD in 2001 and period 1992.3-1995.2 were 5.95 and 10.15/1,000 livebirth respectively. CONCLUSION: The data suggested that all of the significant CHDs could be diagnosed prenatally accurately by fetal echocardiography. And the incidence rate of CHD has been decreased by 41.4%. And the most of the complex CHD has been transferred to the cardiac center for planned delivery or has been terminated. The rate of termination was 45.5%.
Autopsy ; Diagnosis* ; Echocardiography* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart ; Heart Defects, Congenital* ; Incidence ; Pregnancy ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Prospective Studies ; Pulmonary Atresia

The frequency and the correlation to leukoariosis were evaluated in the l00 cases of hypertension, in the 46 cases of diabetes mellitus and in 50 controls. The results were as follows: 1. The frequencies of leukoaraiosis were 35% in hypertension, 15% in diabetes mellitus and 4% in control. And there is significant difference in the frequency of leukoaraiosis between hypertension and control 2. The severity of leukoaraiosis significantly correlated with the level of diastolic blood poressure( p<0.05).
Diabetes Mellitus* ; Hypertension* ; Leukoaraiosis* ; Risk Factors*

We report clinical and electrophysiological findings in the four patients of anterior tarsal tunnel syndrome. All four patients, there was decreased pinprick sensation at the 1st interdigital space and limitation of digital dorsiflexion with atrophy of extensor digitorum brevis. Nerve conduction tests in the superficial peroneal, tibial and sural nerve were normal, but in the common peroneal nerve, the compound muscle action potential was decreased, while nerve conduction velocity between the knee and the ankle was normal with prolonged or upper normal limited terminal latency. Denervation potentials or giant MUPs had been found in the extensor digitonn brevis muscle, but absent in the tibialis anterior, extensor hallucis longus muscles.
Action Potentials ; Ankle ; Atrophy ; Denervation ; Humans ; Knee ; Muscles ; Neural Conduction ; Peroneal Nerve ; Sensation ; Sural Nerve ; Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome*

rcinoma (SCC) is the second most common skin cancer. In particular, invasive SCC has a high risk of metastasis and sometimes, this can be fatal. At present, the treatment of choice for invasive SCC is complete excision with a proper surgical margin, but most cases of SCC develop on cosmetically-sensitive areas, so sometimes significant scarring or deformities can lead to an unhappy result. An 80 year-old female presented with a 4x1.5cm sized SCC on her lower lip. Although surgery was the first line therapy for this invasive SCC, a cosmetically poor outcome was expected. Thus the patient did not want to undergo a surgical operation, so we had to explore other treatment options. Recently there have been many reports that show imiquimod 5% cream is effective in the treatment of invasive SCC. Therefore we started topical therapy with imiquimod 5% cream five times a week. After 6 months, the lesion size was reduced to 2x1.5cm and we could remove the remnant tumor by wedge resection with cosmetically acceptable result. We suggest this neo-adjuvant immunotherapy can be an alternative for the treatment of cosmetically-critical SCC and present this case as a good example that has shown successful size-reductive neoadjuvant immunotherapy using imiquimod in invasive SCC.
Aged, 80 and over ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cicatrix ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Female ; Humans ; Immunotherapy* ; Lip* ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Skin Neoplasms