PURPOSE: The role of the amniotic membrane with or without radiation was investigated with regard to preventing adhesion after flexor tenorrhaphy of chicken. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine chicken were divided into three groups. The second flexor tendon of the chicken was operated on. In group A, the flexor tendon was excised and one half and the tendon was repaired. In group B, the repaired tendon was covered with an amniotic membrane. In group C, the repaired tendon was covered with a lyophilised and 25 kGy irradiated amniotic membrane. The gross and histology findings on the level of inflammation and fibrosis of the repaired tendon were evaluated at 3, 6 and 9 weeks after surgery. RESULTS: Group C had the least inflammatory cell infiltration and fibroblast proliferation at any time. CONCLUSION: The use of radiated amniotic membrane was effective in preventing inflammation and adhesion after flexor tenorrhaphy in chickens.
Amnion* ; Chickens* ; Fibroblasts ; Fibrosis ; Inflammation ; Tendons ; Tissue Adhesions*

BACKGROUND: Tumor angiogenesis plays an important role in tumor growth, maintenance and metastatic potential. Tumor tissue produces many types of angiogenic growth factors. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) have both been implicated to have roles in tumor angiogenesis. In this study, the expression of tissue VEGF and bFGF from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients were analyzed. METHODS: We retrospectively investigated 35 patients with a histologically confirmed adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, where the primary curative approach was surgery. An ELISA was employed to determine the expression of VEGF and bFGF in extracts prepared from 35 frozen tissue samples taken from the cancer patients. RESULTS: VEGF and bFGF concentrations were significantly increased in lung cancer tissue as compared with control (non-cancerous) tissue. The VEGF concentration was significantly increased in T2 and T3 cancers as compared with T1 cancer. Expression of VEGF was increased in node-positive lung cancer tissue as compared with node-negative lung cancer tissue (p=0.06). VEGF and bFGF expression were not directly related to the stage of lung cancer and patient survival. CONCLUSION: Expression of VEGF and bFGF were increased in lung cancer tissue, and the expression of VEGF concentration in lung cancer tissue was more likely related with tumor size and the presence of a lymph node metastasis than the expression of bFGF. However, in this study, expression of both VEGF and bFGF in tissue were not associated with patient prognosis.
Adenocarcinoma ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 ; Humans ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A

OBJECTIVES: We attempted to assess the accuracy of ICD codes for cerebrovascular diseases in medical insurance claims (ICMIC) and to investigate the reasons for error. This study was designed as a preliminary study to establish a nationwide surveillance system. METHODS: A total of 626 patients with medical insurance claims who indicated a diagnosis of cerebrovascular diseases during the period from 1993 to 1997 was selected from the Korea Medical Insurance Corporation cohort (KMIC cohort: 115,600 persons). The KMIC cohort was 10% of those insured who had taken health examinations in 1990 and 1992 consecutively. The registered medical record administrators were trained in the survey technique and gathered data from March to May 1999. The definition of cerebrovascular diseases in this study included cases which met one of two criteria (Minnesota, WHO) or 'definite stroke' in CT/MRI finding. We questioned the medical record administrators to explain the error if the final diagnoses were not coded as stroke. RESULTS: The accuracy rate of the ICMIC was 83.0% (425 cases). Medical records were not available for 8.2% (51 cases) due to the closing of hospitals, the absence of a computer system or omission of medical record, etc. Sixty-three cases (10.0%) were classified as impossible to interpret due to insufficient records in 'major clinical symptoms' or 'neurological deficits'. The most common reason was 'to meet review criteria of medical insurance benefits (52.9%)'. The department where errors in the ICMIC occurred most frequently was the department for medical insurance claims in the hospital. CONCLUSION: The accuracy rate of the ICMIC was 83.0%.
Cohort Studies ; Computer Systems ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Insurance Benefits ; Insurance* ; International Classification of Diseases* ; Korea ; Medical Record Administrators ; Medical Records ; Stroke

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The responses of lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] to lipid-lowering drugs are different from those of other lipids and lipoproteins. Most reports on the effect of fibrate on the Lp (a) level have only a few cases, with inconsistent results. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of fibrate on the Lp (a) level in hypertriglyceridemic patients. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Patients with either a triglyceride (TG) level over 300mg/dL or TG level over 200mg/dL and a high density lipoprotein cholesterol level below 40mg/dL, were enrolled. They were treated with either fibrate (Fibrate group, n=29) or general measures (Control group, n=29). Gender and age matched patients with hypercholeste-rolemia were adopted and treated with statin (Statin group, n=29). The lipid and lipoprotein levels were measured before and after the medication for 2 months. RESULTS: The baseline Lp (a) levels were similar between the Fibrate and Control groups (p=0.19). Fibrate therapy increased the Lp (a) level from 10.3+/-16.4 to 15.1+/-15.2 mg/dL (p=0.003), but there were no changes in the Lp (a) levels in the Statin and Control groups. Before the treatment, the Lp (a) levels were negatively associated with the TG levels (r=-0.36, p=0.001). The relationship became weaker and insignificant after the medication. The more the TG level was decreased, the more the Lp (a) level was increased in all of the cases (r=-0.35, p=0.001 ) as well as in the Fibrate group (r=-0.46, p=0.013). CONCLUSION: Fibrate increased the Lp (a) level, and this elevation was associated with the reduction in the TG level. This finding might be related with a lesser cardioprotective effect of fibrate than that of statin in addition to the effect on the cholesterol level.
Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Gemfibrozil ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; Lipoprotein(a)* ; Lipoproteins ; Triglycerides

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to develop the Korean version of the Stage of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale for Smoking Cessation (K-SOCRATES-S) based on the Korean version of the Stages of Readiness for Change and Eagerness for Treatment scale (K-SOCRATES). This paper also demonstrates its reliability and validity among patients with nicotine dependence in South Korea. METHODS: At seven healthcare promotion centers in Gyeonggi-do, 333 male smokers aged 20 to 70 who visited smoking cessation clinic were recruited for this study and the K-SOCRATES-S was administered. After three months, the number of respondents who successfully stopped smoking was assessed by testing their urine cotinine level. Subsequently, exploratory factor analysis was performed to verify the reliability and validity of the K-SOCRATES-S. Also, a logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the variables that can predict the successful cessation of smoking on subscales of the K-SOCRATES-S. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis of the K-SOCRATES-S showed that the scale consisted of three factors: Taking Steps, Recognition, and Ambivalence. The scales measuring Taking Steps and Recognition in this scale had a significantly positive correlation with the scores observed on Kim's smoking cessation motivation scale. The scales measuring Taking Steps and Recognition had a significantly negative correlation with Ambivalence. Overall, the results indicate that the K-SOCRATES-K scale showed high validity. CONCLUSION: The K-SOCRATES-S developed in the present study is highly reliable and valid for predicting a patient's likelihood of success in quitting smoking among patients who want to cease smoking.
Aged ; Cotinine ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Motivation ; Reproducibility of Results ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Smoking Cessation ; Tobacco Use Disorder ; Weights and Measures

BACKGROUND: HIV serologic testing is essential for blood donor screening, and the test results should be accurate. It is important that clinical laboratories perform quality control, quality management and standardization for obtaining accurate laboratory results. The Korean National Institute of Health, the Division of AIDS and the Center for Immunology and Pathology have all performed annual external quality surveillance assessment (EQS, EQA) with using a 5 sera panel for all the Korean HIV testing laboratories that have collaborated with the Quality Assurance Committee of the Korean Society of Laboratory Medicine since 2005. The results of HIV testing in the clinical laboratories during the year 2007 were analyzed. METHODS: The results for the clinical laboratories that participated in the HIV EQAS during 2007 were collected and analyzed. The HIV test results and questionnaire data were sent to the web site "http://hivqa.nih.go.kr". Three hundred thirty two results from 303 institutions in 2007 were analyzed. RESULTS: The most widely used HIV testing method was an automated chemiluminescent immunoassay, such as the Abbott AxSym and the Architect system or the Roche Elecsys. About 5% of erroneous results were reported among 332 results. The causes of error were mostly clerical errors and specimen errors. CONCLUSION: The current status for HIV testing in Korean clinical laboratories was that fully automated immunoassay analyzers were used along with manual POCT tests.
Blood Donors ; HIV ; Humans ; Immunoassay ; Mass Screening ; Quality Control ; Serologic Tests ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Telomerase activity appears to be associated with cell immortalization and malignant progression. Understanding how telomerase activity is regulated in vivo is important not only for understanding the molecular biology of telomerase but also for the potential clinical application of anticancer drugs. This study evaluated telomerase activity and quantified the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA and human telomerase RNA (hTR) using a real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method before and after the exposure of cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in two head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines. Two human HNSCC cell lines (PNUH-12 and SNU-899) were studied. Cell cytotoxicity, the change of telomerase activity, and hTERT mRNA and hTR expression by 5-FU and cisplatin exposure were assessed by MTT assay, TRAP assay, and real-time RT-PCR, respectively. In two cell lines, after cisplatin exposure, the telomerase activity and hTERT mRNA expression decreased, but hTR expression in- creased according to the concentration of drug. However, in both cell lines, the telomerase activity and hTR did not show any significant change after 5-FU treatment, but the expression of hTERT mRNA decreased. These results suggest that there may be other important regulating mechanism except hTERT mRNA as the regulation factor of telomerase activity in HNSCC cell lines.
Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology ; Base Sequence ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/*drug therapy/*enzymology/genetics ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Cisplatin/*pharmacology ; DNA Primers/genetics ; Fluorouracil/*pharmacology ; Gene Expression/drug effects ; Head and Neck Neoplasms/*drug therapy/*enzymology/genetics ; Humans ; RNA, Messenger/*genetics/*metabolism ; RNA, Neoplasm/*genetics/*metabolism ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Telomerase/*genetics/*metabolism

OBJECTIVES: Nursing is a job with high stress. This study investigated the relationship between temperament and character traits, heart rate variability, and the severity of occupational stress in new nursing employees. METHODS: Ninety-seven nurses newly employed in a Seoul Medical Center from April 2014 to September 2015 were included to the study. Before beginning employment, all subjects were asked to complete a sociodemographic questionnaire and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). After they were employed for a month, we administered a heart rate variability test and Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS). RESULTS: Harm avoidance (r=0.334, p=0.001), self-transcendence (r=0.224, p=0.028) and KOSS scores were positively correlated. Self-directedness (r=-0.278, p=0.006) and cooperativeness (r=-0.263, p=0.009) were negatively correlated with KOSS scores. In multiple regression analyses, harm avoidance and cooperativeness were risk factors for severe occupational stress. Physical parameters of total power (r=0.303, p=0.003), very low frequency (VLF ; r=0.318, p=0.002), and standard deviation of the NN interval (r=0.220, p=0.030) were significantly associated with higher KOSS scores. In multiple regression analysis, VLF was significant correlated with KOSS scores. CONCLUSION: Individual factors, such as personality trait or autonomic function, may affect the occupational stress vulnerability on this study. Harm avoidance, cooperativeness in TCI parameters are associated with severity of the occupational stress.
Employment ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Nursing* ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Temperament*

PURPOSE: This study is to estimate the prevalence of allergic disease for the entire inhabitants living in Udo Isle, one of the islands of Jeju. METHODS: The complete enumeration using International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood group was applied to the 1,090 people residing in the Isle. This survey was performed for 2 months from June to July, 2012. For children, their parents' responses were collected, and for adults, their self-reports and interview were performed simultaneously. Of the 1,003 questionnaires (92.0%) were collected, 925 questionnaires were finally analyzed, excluding those of insufficient responses for questionnaires and inhabitants residing in Udo Isle less than one year. RESULTS: For asthma, the prevalence of "wheeze, last 12 months" was 6.6%. The prevalence of "allergic rhinitis, last 12 months" was 17.9%. The prevalence of "itchy eczema, last 12 months" was 8.1%. The prevalence of "allergic conjunctivitis, last 12 months" was 8.1%. The prevalence of "food allergy, last 12 months" was 2.3%. The prevalence of "drug allergy, last 12 months" was 0.8%. CONCLUSION: The inhabitants of Udo Isle had lower prevalence of atopic dermatitis than that of in the entire Jeju Island. However, compared with other regions, it showed higher prevalence, and it tended to be decreased with aging. The prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, food allergy and drug allergy, presented no difference by age.
Adult ; Aging ; Asthma ; Child ; Conjunctivitis ; Conjunctivitis, Allergic ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Drug Hypersensitivity ; Eczema ; Food Hypersensitivity ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Islands ; Prevalence ; Rhinitis ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The effect of plant hormones on the growth of lichen-forming fungi (LFF) was evaluated. The use of 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid and indole-3-butyric acid resulted in a 99% and 57% increase in dry weight of the lichen-forming fungus Nephromopsis ornata. The results suggest that some plant hormones can be used as inducers or stimulators of LFF growth for large-scale culture.
Fungi ; Indoles ; Plant Growth Regulators ; Plants ; Triiodobenzoic Acids