Lung cancer is one of the most common types of malignancy in western nations with serious health problem, and it has become the leading cause of cancer death of males, second only to stomach cancer, in Korea. A review of the histopathology of 1363 cases (1231 patients) of lung carcinoma, diagnosed at the Keimyung University Medical center from 1987 to 1996, was performed to reclassify the type of carcinomas and to investigate the change in the distribution of histologic types of lung carcinoma according to age, sex and year. Among the 1363 cases, 132 patients underwent a surgical operation after biopsy. The diagnosis of each case was proven by histopathologic analysis of surgical specimens (13.2%) and biopsy materials (86.8%). The histologic types in our study were basically based on modified WHO classification (1982) and on new WHO classification (1999). The classification of small cell carcinoma was based on International Association for the Small Cell Lung Cancer (IASLC, 1988). Of the 1231 patients with lung carcinoma, 1012 were male and 219 were female (male to female ratio was 3.6:1). According to the analysis of age distribution, the most prevalent age group was 60~69 years in both sex as (n=516, 42.0%). Changing trends in sex distribution of lung carcinoma patients showed that the proportion of men had decreased throughout the years, whereas the proportion of women had significantly increased. Histologically, squamous cell carcinoma was the most common (n=624, 50.7%), followed by small cell carcinoma (21.1%), adenocarcinoma (18.1%), large cell undifferentiated carcinoma (2.1%), adenosquamous carcinoma (0.4%), and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (0.4%), in order of frequency. In men, squamous cell carcinoma was the most frequent type (55.1%). In women, adenocarcinoma was the most frequent type (39.7%). In both sexes, adenocarcinoma was the most common type in patients under the age of 40 (n=12, 41.4%), while squamous cell carcinoma proved the most frequent type in patients over the age of 40 (n=617, 51.3%). Changing trends of histologic types of lung cancer showed that the incidences of squamous cell carcinoma had significantly decreased throughout the years, whereas those of adenocarcinoma and small cell carcinoma had increased. In conclusion, the results showing increases in the percentage of female patients and in the number of cases of adenocarcinoma were noteworthy, and well correlated with other related reports.
Academic Medical Centers ; Adenocarcinoma ; Age Distribution ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma ; Carcinoma, Adenosquamous ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Male ; Sex Distribution ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma ; Stomach Neoplasms

No abstract available.
Eczema* ; Scrotum ; Syphilis*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of Optical Quality Analysis System (OQAS(R)) instrument for the assessment of dry eye syndrome. METHODS: Dynamic recording of double-pass (DP) retinal images was performed in 1 eye dry eye patients (20 eyes) and in healthy controls (20 eyes) for 20 seconds after eye blinking. RESULTS: The mean objective scatter Index (OSI) value was 4.53 in dry eyes, 0.67 in healthy eyes and the standard deviation of OSI was 1.20 in dry eyes and 1.18 in healthy eyes. The patients with dry eyes showed significantly higher mean OSI and standard deviation values. Ocular scatter increased over time and significant changes occurred 13.5 seconds after blinking. The difference in OSI value between 0 second and 20 seconds was significantly greater in dry eye patients (4.15) than in controls (0.32). CONCLUSIONS: Ocular scatter increased over time after blinking. The dry eye patients had larger and more variable ocular scatter index than the controls. OQAS(R) may be useful to detect and follow-up tear film-related patient complaints in dry eye syndrome.
Blinking ; Dry Eye Syndromes* ; Humans ; Retinaldehyde ; Tears

No abstract available.
Adult ; Fingers ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Hyperlipidemia has been known as an independent risk factor in the develop-ment of coronary artery disease. This study was carried out to compare nutrient intakes, smo-king status, antioxidant vitamins, and plasma lipids in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and in normal healthy subjects among Korean population in Taegu. Possible causes of this dis-ease in patients are discussed. METHODS: Anthropometric assessments included mean intakes of nutrients, and the levels of plasma lipids (apolipoprotein [Apo] A - I, Lipoprotein [Lp] [a]), and antioxidant vitamins (such as vitamins A and E) were measured in female and male subjects with CHD against healthy con-trols. RESULTS: Dietary cholesterol and fat intakes were significantly higher in CHD groups in men and women. Total plasma cholesterol, LDL-C, triglyceride, thiobarbituric acid reactive subst-ance (TBARS), atherogenic index and Lp (a) levels were significantly higher in CHD patients than in the normal group in both men and women. Apo A-I, HDL-C and vitamin E levels were lower in CHD patients than in the normal group. The number of smokers was higher in CHD patients than in the normal group in both sexes of subjects. CONCLUSION: High fat and high cholesterol intakes seemed to be a major factor for the hyperlipidemia in the CHD patients. Their abnormal lipoprotein profile, which appeared in pati-ent plasma, corresponded well to dietary intake patterns. However, long term studies are need-ed to investigate the effects of smoking on lipid metabolism in CHD patients among the Korean population.
Apolipoprotein A-I ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, Dietary ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Disease* ; Daegu ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Lipoprotein(a)* ; Lipoproteins* ; Male ; Plasma* ; Risk Factors ; Smoke* ; Smoking* ; Triglycerides ; Vitamin A ; Vitamin E ; Vitamins

Congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis is the most common intra-abdominal disease required surgery during the first few months of life. The expression of pyloric stenosis is dependent upon the genetic influence of ancestors affected with the disease, as well as unknown environmental influences in the postnatal period. Pyloric stenosis has been reported in multiple sibs in a family, which suggests the genetic influence on the expression of this disease. Until now, the genetic influence is thought a sex-modified polygenic or multifactorial background which facilitates the expression of a common dominant gene. We experienced a case of congenital hypertrophic pyloric stenosis in a two siblings. The siblings suffered projectile vomiting for 2~4 days at 16 days old of age and 15 days old of age. After we confirmed the diagnosis by upper gastrointestinal series and abdominal sonogram, the Fredet-Ramstedt pyloromyotomy was done successfully. This case suggests the genetic influence on the expression of this disease.
Diagnosis ; Genes, Dominant ; Humans ; Pyloric Stenosis ; Pyloric Stenosis, Hypertrophic* ; Siblings* ; Vomiting

The success of accelerating the onset of neuromvacular blocking drugs by giving them in divided doses encouraged others to attempt the same "priming principle" using reversal agents. Naguib et al and Abdulatif et al demonstrated that the reversal time(time to reach a TOF of 0.75) was reduced when the reversal agent was administered in divided doses at T, 10% of control. But Donati et al and Szalados et al either could not detect any differences in the rate of reversal when anticholinestereses were administered in divided doses. This study hes been conducted to evaluate the reversal effects of neostigmine or pyridostigmine with priming principle in the rabbit after pancuronium injection when pro- found relaxation(PTC=0) was confirmed. Rabbits(n=60) were randomly allocated to 4 groups. After pancuranium 0.2mg/kg IV, the onset and recovery times were evalusted. When the profound relaxation(PTC=0) was confirmed at Smin. after pancuronium injection, neostigmine 50 ug/kg and atropine sulfate (atropine) 20 ug/kg were injected in group 1. At thst time, neostigmine 10/kg and atropine 4 ug/kg were injected and after 3min. neostigmine 40/kg and atropine 16 ug/kg were injected in group 2. At that time, pyridostigmine 250 ug/kg and atropine 20 ug/kg were injected in group 3. At that time, pyridostigmine 50 ug/kg and atropine 4 ug/kg were injected and after 3min. pyridostigmine 200 ug/kg and atropine 16 ug/kg were injected in group 4. The results were as follows :. 1) The time until 75% recovery of twitch amplitude was 53.1+/-12.4min. in group 1, 44.9+/-212.1min. in group 2, 54.9+/-9.7min. in group 3 and 48.2+/-7.1min. in group 4. The reversal times were tended to reduce when the reversal agents were administered with "priming principle" at the profound relaxation. 2) At the profound relaxation the reversal effects of neostigmine were greater than that of pyridostigmine.
Atropine ; Cholinesterase Inhibitors* ; Muscle Relaxation* ; Neostigmine ; Pancuronium ; Pyridostigmine Bromide ; Relaxation

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The efficacy of bispectral index (BIS) monitoring during colonoscopic sedation is debated. We aimed to determine whether BIS monitoring was useful for propofol dose titration, and to evaluate differences in sedative administration between expert and inexperienced medical personnel during colonoscopy procedures that required moderate sedation. METHODS: Between February 2012 and August 2013, 280 consecutive patients scheduled to undergo a screening colonoscopy participated in this study and were randomly allocated to the expert or inexperienced endoscopist group. Each group was further divided into either a BIS or a modified Observer's Assessment of Alertness/Sedation Scale (MOAA/S) subgroup. Trained nurses administered combined propofol sedation and monitored sedation using either the BIS or MOAA/S scale. RESULTS: The mean BIS value throughout the procedure was 74.3 +/- 6.7 for all 141 patients in the BIS group. The mean total propofol dose administered in the BIS group was higher than that in the MOAA/S group, independently of the endoscopists' experience level (36.9 +/- 29.6 and 11.3 +/- 20.7, respectively; p < 0.001). The total dose of propofol administered was not significantly different between the inexperienced endoscopist group and the expert endoscopist group, both with and without the use of BIS (p = 0.430 and p = 0.640, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Compared with monitoring using the MOAA/S score alone, BIS monitoring was not effective for titrating the dose of propofol during colonoscopy, irrespective of colonoscopist experience.
Adult ; Aged ; Anesthetics, Intravenous/*administration & dosage/adverse effects ; *Clinical Competence ; *Colonoscopy ; Conscious Sedation/adverse effects/*nursing ; Consciousness/*drug effects ; *Consciousness Monitors ; Electroencephalography/*instrumentation/*nursing ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Nurse Anesthetists ; Predictive Value of Tests ; Propofol/*administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea

OBJECTIVES: The Korean government in January 2006 instigated an exemption policy for hospitalized children under the age of six years old. This study examines how this policy affected the utilization of medical care in Korea. METHODS: A total of 1,513,797 claim records from the Health Insurance Review Agency were analyzed by complete enumeration methods. The changes of medical utilization were compared from 2005 to 2006. In addition, the changes of medical utilization between 2004 and 2005 were compared as a pseudocontrol group. RESULTS: The admission rate increased 1.14-fold from 15.20% in 2004 to 17.32% in 2005, and this further increased 1.08-fold to 18.65% in 2006. The increase of patients with a common cold (1.2-fold) was higher than that of both the general patients (1.08-fold) and the patients with the top 10 fatal diseases (0.91-fold). The average length of stay per case for clinics showed the highest increase rates (1.06-fold). The rates of patients with the common cold showed a higher increase (1.05-fold) than that of the general patients. The average medical expense per case was increased by 1.10-fold from 2005 to 2006, which was higher than that from 2004 to 2005 (1.04-fold). The increase rate for patients with the common cold was higher at 1.18-fold than that of the general patients. CONCLUSIONS: The cost exemption policy has especially led to an increase in the utilization of clinics and the utilization by patients with a common cold.
Child, Preschool ; Cost Sharing/*legislation & jurisprudence ; *Health Policy ; Health Services/*utilization ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Insurance Claim Review ; Korea ; Length of Stay

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between dorsal metaphyseal comminution and the radiographic and functional outcomes of patients with distal radius fractures treated by closed reduction and cast immobilization. METHODS: Twenty-six patients with acute distal radius fractures were retrospectively reviewed. The mean age of this patient group was 62.8 years (range, 45-87 years). Eighteeen cases were AO type-A3 and 8 were AO type-A2. Radiographic and functional parameters were analyzed and compared between the patients who presented with or without dorsal metaphyseal comminution on their initial radiographs in order to assess the clinical outcomes. The radiographic parameters included radial inclination, radial length, volar/dorsal tilt, and ulnar variance. In order to measure the functional outcomes, each patient's range of motion, grip strength, Quick disabilities of the arm, shoulder, and hand (DSAH), visual analog scale (VAS), and Mayo score were determined. RESULTS: Seventeen patients (65%) presented with dorsal metaphyseal comminution on the initial radiographs. Radial inclination, radial length, and volar/dorsal tilt were decreased and ulnar variance was increased on the final radiographs in comparison with the postreduction. However, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups that presented with or without dorsal metaphyseal comminution (p>0.05). None of the functional parameters (i.e., range of motion, grip strength, DASH, Mayo, and VAS score) were significantly different between the two groups (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: Dorsal metaphyseal comminution seems to have no significant impact on radiographic and functional outcomes when closed reduction and cast immobilization was planned for the treatment of distal radius fracture.
Arm ; Hand ; Hand Strength ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Radius ; Radius Fractures ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Retrospective Studies ; Shoulder