BACKGROUND: The number of migrant workers, especially undocumented, has been increasing in Korea since late 1997. This study was conducted to evaluate the health status of those in Korea. METHODS: In June to November 2000, general health examinations and medical check-up were provided freely to undocumented migrant workers in Gyeonggi province. Total 580 migrant workers participated in this examination. RESULTS: 1. The number of examinee with abnormal results was 176 (30.3%), and hypertension (29.2%), abnormal liver function (13.4%) and abnormal chest X-ray finding (4.3%). 2. The prevalence rate of symptom is 77.2% and the most common symptom was back pain, followed by epigastric pain and joint pain. 3. The frequency of clinical diagnosis classified by physician was most common in hypertension (29.2%), followed by low back sprain/strain (7.4%), gastritis or peptic ulcer (7.4%), myofascial pain syndrome (6.4%). 4. The frequency of abnormal results in undocumented migrant workers was, compared with documented migrant industrial trainees significantly higher in HIV-Ab (+), hypertension and anemia, and compared with domestic workers, higher in hypertension, anemia and pulmonary disease. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that when compared with domestic workers, the number of undocumented migrant workers with abnormal results was not significantly higher, except for hypertension, anemia and pulmonary disease. But measures for infectious disease (including AIDS) transmission and development of work-related or chronic diseases by poor working condition and increased length of stay must be considered, including health management system such as periodical health examination.
Anemia ; Arthralgia ; Back Pain ; Chronic Disease ; Communicable Diseases ; Diagnosis ; Gastritis ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Length of Stay ; Liver ; Lung Diseases ; Myofascial Pain Syndromes ; Peptic Ulcer ; Prevalence ; Thorax ; Transients and Migrants*

Glomus tumors are mesenchymal neoplasms usually developing in the dermis or subcutis of the extremities. The majority of glomus tumors are entirely benign, and malignant glomus tumors are very rare, especially those arising in the visceral organs. Here, we are presenting two cases of malignant glomus tumor, initially diagnosed in the stomach by endoscopic biopsy. Case 1 was found in the stomach, right kidney, brain and humerus of a 65-year-old woman, and Case 2 in the stomach and liver of a 63-year-old man. Histologically, the tumor was composed of solid sheets and nests of round and short-spindle shaped tumor cells with vesicular nucleus and prominent nucleolus. The tumor cells were closely admixed with blood vessels of varying size. Immunohistochemically, the tumor cells showed diffuse and strong positive staining for smooth muscle actin and paranuclear, dot-like staining for synaptophysin, but negative for desmin, c-kit, CD34 and S-100 protein. These two are rare cases of a malignant glomus tumor with widespread metastases.
Actins ; Aged ; Biopsy ; Blood Vessels ; Brain ; Dermis ; Desmin ; Extremities ; Female ; Glomus Tumor ; Humans ; Humerus ; Kidney ; Liver ; Middle Aged ; Muscle, Smooth ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; S100 Proteins ; Stomach ; Synaptophysin

BACKGROUND: Overexpression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) has been observed in many types of cancer including gastric adenocarcinomas, although the exact role of HSP70 in carcinogenesis remains unclear. METHODS: The study analyzed a total of 458 radical gastrectomy specimens which were immunohistochemically stained with HSP70, p53, and Ki-67 antibodies. RESULTS: The study determined that the expression of HSP70 was significantly increased in early gastric cancer (EGC) compared to advanced gastric cancer (p<0.001). The HSP70 expression was correlated with well-differentiated tumor type, intestinal type of Lauren classification and the lower pT and pN stage. Negative expression of Ki-67 and p53 expression was associated with poor prognosis. The study did not find any correlation between HSP70 and p53 expression. The study determined that HSP70 expression in the EGC subgroup was associated with a poor prognosis (p=0.009), as well as negative Ki-67 expression (p=0.006), but was not associated with p53. Based on multivariate analysis, HSP70 expression (p=0.024), negative expression of Ki-67, invasion depth and lymph node metastasis were determined to be independent prognostic markers. CONCLUSIONS: HSP70 is expressed in the early stages of gastric adenocarcinoma. In EGC, HSP70 is a poor independent prognostic marker and is correlated with a low proliferation index.
Adenocarcinoma ; Gastrectomy ; Heat-Shock Proteins ; Hot Temperature ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins ; Ki-67 Antigen ; Lymph Nodes ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Stomach Neoplasms

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: In this study, we evaluated differences in the prevalence of allergic rhinitis, asthma, atopic dermatitis and specific immunoglobuline E (IgE) value for some respiratory antigens in Korean adults. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: The study was conducted using data from the 5th National Health and Nutrition Survey (2010-2012). All subjects who were aged 19 years or older completed questionnaires on asthma, atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis. The subjects were first divided into male and female, and then into age groups of 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, ≥70 each. The lifetime and current prevalence rates for allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis were calculated for each age group. The total and specific IgE level for Dermatophagoides farinae (DF), cockroach, and dog dander were also calculated. RESULTS: Final participants of 17542 were analyzed for the prevalence rate among the total of 25534 participants. The mean IgE level was calculated from 2028 subjects from the final participants. In asthma, the lifetime prevalence and current prevalence increased with age, but decreased with atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis. Total IgE level increased with age, but IgE level of DF reached its peak at 20-29 years, and then decreased rapidly thereafter. There was no clear trend for cockroach and dog dander. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of allergic diseases in adults varies widely by age group. Asthma has a low prevalence after age 20 and gradually increases after age 50. Atopic dermatitis and allergic rhinitis are the most prevalent in their 20s and gradually decrease thereafter.
Adult* ; Animals ; Asthma ; Cockroaches ; Dander ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dermatophagoides farinae ; Dogs ; Female ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulins ; Korea* ; Male ; Methods ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Prevalence* ; Rhinitis, Allergic

No abstract available.
Basal Ganglia* ; Dystonia* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: The therapeutic option is limited for the infections caused by organisms producing plasmid- mediated AmpC beta-lactamases, increasingly identified worldwide. Two sporadic patients with bacteremia caused by K. pneumoniae possessing an unusual inducible beta-lactam resistant phenotype were found in a university hospital. RESULTS:We conducted antibiotic susceptibility test according to NCCLS guideline. Also, we characterized beta-lactamase by isoelectric focusing. RESULTS: DHA-1 gene conferred the resistant phenotype. The patients had experienced treatment failure when treated with extended-spectrum cephalosporin. For the isolates the cephalosporin resistance was induced by clavulanic acid (and cefoxitin). CONCLUSION: Theses results suggest that the extended-spectrum cephalosporins might not provide optimal therapeutic option for inducible DHA-1-producing K. pneumoniae infection, even when the pathogens are susceptible in vitro.
Bacteremia ; beta-Lactamases* ; Cephalosporin Resistance ; Cephalosporins ; Clavulanic Acid* ; Humans ; Isoelectric Focusing ; Klebsiella pneumoniae* ; Klebsiella* ; Phenotype ; Pneumonia ; Treatment Failure

BACKGROUND: The therapeutic option is limited for the infections caused by organisms producing plasmid- mediated AmpC beta-lactamases, increasingly identified worldwide. Two sporadic patients with bacteremia caused by K. pneumoniae possessing an unusual inducible beta-lactam resistant phenotype were found in a university hospital. RESULTS:We conducted antibiotic susceptibility test according to NCCLS guideline. Also, we characterized beta-lactamase by isoelectric focusing. RESULTS: DHA-1 gene conferred the resistant phenotype. The patients had experienced treatment failure when treated with extended-spectrum cephalosporin. For the isolates the cephalosporin resistance was induced by clavulanic acid (and cefoxitin). CONCLUSION: Theses results suggest that the extended-spectrum cephalosporins might not provide optimal therapeutic option for inducible DHA-1-producing K. pneumoniae infection, even when the pathogens are susceptible in vitro.
Bacteremia ; beta-Lactamases* ; Cephalosporin Resistance ; Cephalosporins ; Clavulanic Acid* ; Humans ; Isoelectric Focusing ; Klebsiella pneumoniae* ; Klebsiella* ; Phenotype ; Pneumonia ; Treatment Failure

no abstract available.

BACKGROUND: Korean Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (KONIS) operating since July 2006 is the first nationwide monitoring system for nosocomial infections in the in the intensive care unit (lCU) with a standard protocol and web-based prompt response network in Korea. This report describes the characteristics of the KONIS hospitals compared with those of all Korean hospitals with 400 beds and over. METHODS: A survey was conducted for the 44 hospitals participating in KONIS 2006, and the data were rechecked by the KONIS hospitals through KONIS web-network. The survey form included questions about the size of the hospital, infection control personnel, nursing personnel, and the status of microbiologic laboratory. RESULTS: Compared to all Korean hospitals with 400 beds and over, the KONIS hospitals were larger in term of average number of beds (857 vs 654); the number of hospitals with 700 beds and over was over-represented in Seoul (P=0.01) and under-represented in the central/south area (P<0.001) The majority of the KONIS hospitals were major teaching university-affiliated (88,6%) and private (72.7%), but in the central/south area, public hospitals comprised up to 60%. The number of infection control professionals (ICP) averaged 1.6, hospital beds per ICP 531, and infectious disease physicians 1.3. Medical and medical combined ICUs were the major component (67,1%) of the KONIS ICUs, The lCU bed per nurse was 0.63. CONCLUSION: The KONIS 2006 hospitals were over-represented in the overall indicators in Seoul. Because no objective indicators were available regarding the patient quality, KONIS data must be interpreted in consideration of all indicators.
Communicable Diseases ; Cross Infection* ; Hospitals, Public ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea ; Nursing ; Seoul

BACKGROUND: Kinetin is a plant hormone that regulates growth and differentiation. Keratinocytes, the basic building blocks of the epidermis, function in maintaining the skin barrier. OBJECTIVE: We examined whether kinetin induces skin barrier functions in vitro and in vivo. METHODS: To evaluate the efficacy of kinetin at the cellular level, expression of keratinocyte differentiation markers was assessed. Moreover, we examined the clinical efficacy of kinetin by evaluating skin moisture, transepidermal water loss (TEWL), and skin surface roughness in patients who used kinetin-containing cream. We performed quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction to measure the expression of keratinocyte differentiation markers in HaCaT cells following treatment. A clinical trial was performed to assess skin moisture, TEWL, and evenness of skin texture in subjects who used kinetin-containing cream for 4 weeks. RESULTS: Kinetin increased involucrin, and keratin 1 mRNA in HaCaT cells. Moreover, use of a kinetin-containing cream improved skin moisture and TEWL while decreasing roughness of skin texture. CONCLUSION: Kinetin induced the expression of keratinocyte differentiation markers, suggesting that it may affect differentiation to improve skin moisture content, TEWL, and other signs of skin aging. Therefore, kinetin is a potential new component for use in cosmetics as an anti-aging agent that improves the barrier function of skin.
Antigens, Differentiation* ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Epidermis ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques ; Keratin-1 ; Keratinocytes* ; Kinetin* ; Plants ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Messenger ; Skin Aging ; Skin* ; Treatment Outcome ; Water