Beyond the target of scientific researches, meditation is now one of the main tools for palliative and integrative medicine in Western society. Despite theof valuable heritages of meditation in Korea, meditation is not considered to have clinical implications as in Western medical society. It is partly due to the fact that while the mysterious aspect of meditation has been emphasized, a large number of scientific researches on meditation had not been known to Korean medical society. The authors reviewed several studies that examined the clinical effect of meditation and speculated its possibility as a method of clinical intervention.
Integrative Medicine ; Korea ; Meditation* ; Palliative Care ; Societies, Medical

No abstract available.
Mediastinal Emphysema* ; Subcutaneous Emphysema*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The p53 mutations have been described as the most common genetic alteration during development and progression of malignancy in a wide range of human cancers. Mutant p53 proteins have a prolonged half-life accounting for increased levels of p53 protein frequently detected in tumors. This can induce the production of anti-p53 in the senzn of patients with HCC. We determined the relationship of serum anti-p53 with p53 expression in the liver tissue of chronic liver disease and the correlation of serum anti-p53 with serum alpha- fetoprotein(AFP) in patients with HCC. METHODS: In sera of same patients, we analysed the anti- p53 using ELISA system As controls we tested 50 healthy individuals and 20 patients with chronic hepatitis. Immaiohistochemical study for the presence of mutant p53 was performed on liver tissue from 50 patients with cirrhosis and 30 patients with HCC using monoclonal antibody clone DO-7 and LSAB kit by ABC method. RESULTS: Anti-p53 was positive in 9(30%) of 30 patients with HCC. Among nine patients with positive anti-p53, only two patients had detectable p53 expression in their tumor tissues. Anti-p53 was positive in 5(10%) of 50 patients with liver cirrhosis. The AFP was elevated in 21(70%) of 30 patients with HCC. Among the 9 AFP- negative HCC patients, 4(44.4%) were found to be positive for anti-p53. P53 expression was detectable in 9(30%) of 30 HCCs and 1(3.3%) of RO surrounding non-tumorous cirrhotic tissues. CONCLUSION: Mese findings suggest that anti-p53 was not correlated with the status of p53 expression in liver tissue and serological testing for anti-p53 antibody may be complementary to serum AFP for diagnosing of HCC with normal serum AFP.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Chronic Disease* ; Clone Cells ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fibrosis ; Half-Life ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases ; Liver* ; Serologic Tests

OBJECTIVES: This study was to investigate the EEG changes induced by Danhak which is one of the Korean traditional mediation. METHODS: Sixteen meditators and 9 controls were recruited. Spectral analysis and visual inspection of EEG during meditation(meditators) and relaxation(controls) were performed. The absolute power and interhemispheric coherence in earth frequency band were obtained. Ratio of change in absolute power and interhemispheric coherence was calculated to compare the EEG changes between meditators and controls. To evaluate episodic changes of EEG with time, all recorded EEGs were reviewed by visual inspection. RESULTS: Eleven meditators and 4 controls were excluded from the analysis due to drowsiness or poor compliance. Both meditators and controls showed various EEG changes and the degree of variability was more prominent in meditators than in controls. These differences were evident in absolute power of alpha and theta and coherence of beta at frontal, and coherence of theta at occipital. Meditators showed the increase in absolute power of alpha and theta at frontal, and interhemispheric coherence of theta at occipital. In visual inspection, a number of theta bursts were observed in three of 5 meditators and only one theta burst appeared in one control. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that great variability of EEG change and the appearance of theta bursts is the characteristics of EEG changes of meditators and that the state of meditation Is more diverse and dynamic than that of relaxation.
Compliance ; Electroencephalography ; Meditation* ; Negotiating ; Relaxation ; Sleep Stages

OBJECTIVES: This study was to investigate the prevalence of cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms among the elderly in an urban community. METHODS: Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE-K), Short version of Geriatric Depression Scale(SGDS), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression(CES-D) were administered to 447 elderly persons(37.7% of all residents aged 65 and older) who resided in "Sanggye 10 Dong" by lay interviewers. Then a Psychiatrist and two Psychiatric residents interviewed the elderly scoring 23 or less on MMSE-K and diagnosed with dementia according to the criteria of DSM-III-R. RESULTS: The prevalence of cognitive impairment was estimated as 37.1%(male 18.8%, female 47.0%) by MMSE-Kor=25 and 15.8% by SGDS>or=10. Prevalences(CES-D>or=25) for the age groups 65 to 69, 70 to 74, 75 to 79, 80 to 84, and over 85 were, respectively 15.7%, 18.1%, 23.4%, 13.3%, and 23.5%. Caseness of depressive symptoms(CES-D >or= 25) was not related to sex, age, years of education, marital status, physical illness, occupation, living condition, and financial status. Of 166 persons who had cognitive impairment(MMSE-K Aged* ; Dementia ; Depression* ; Education ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Marital Status ; Occupations ; Prevalence* ; Psychiatry ; Social Conditions

Churg-Strauss syndrome or allergic granulomatosis and angiitis is an uncommon systemic vasculitis chracteristized by asthma, hypereosinophilia, mono or polyneuropathy, non-fixed pulmonary infiltrates, paranasal sinus abnormality and extravascular eosinophil infiltration. Gastrointestinal manifestations occur in about 42% of patients. However, ulcer formation in gastrointestinal tract mucosa is a rare manifestation, usually discovered upon laparotomy or autopsy. We experienced a case of 40-year-old woman with Churg-Strauss syndrome, who presented multiple colonic ulcers on colonoscopy. She also had bronchial asthma, polyneuritis, peripheral blood eosinophilia and hemorrhagic bullous skin lesions with extravascular eosinophil infiltration. She improved with high dose corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide. We report this case with a review of the literature.
Adult ; Asthma ; Autopsy ; Churg-Strauss Syndrome ; Colon* ; Colonoscopy ; Cyclophosphamide ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Mucous Membrane ; Neuritis ; Polyneuropathies ; Skin ; Systemic Vasculitis ; Ulcer* ; Vasculitis

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Colorectal cancer occurs more frequently in old age. Therefore, it is important to understand the clinical characteristics of colon cancer in old age. There have been some reports stating that frequency of right side colon cancer increased with aging. Therefore, we conducted a study about the distribution of colorectal cancer according to difterent age group. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of colorectal cancer patients diagnosed by colonoscopy between January 1999 to September 2003. The location of colorectal cancer was categorized into 2 groups: right-sided colon cancer (proximal to and including the splenic flexure), left-sided colon cancer (descending, sigmoid and rectum). RESULTS: Total 185 colorectal cancer patients were included in this study: 103 (55.7%) in men and 82 (44.3%) in women. The median age was 60.7+/-14.0 years. The proportion of patients with right-sided colon cancer increased with aging: <60 years, 20.3% (15/74); 60~69 years, 35.9% (23/64); 70~79 years, 43.3% (13/30); 80~89 years, 47.1% (8/17). CONCLUSIONS: The frequency of right-sided colon cancer increases with age. Therefore, we think that, in screening colorectal cancer, colonoscopy should be preferred to sigmoidoscopy, especially in old age group.
Aging ; Colon, Sigmoid ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Sigmoidoscopy

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic sclerotherapy and band ligation have been well documented beneficial therapeutic options of esophageal variceal bleeding. But acute variceal bleeding is refractory to sclerotherapy in upto one-hird of patients, and rebleeding occurs in 30% to 50%. Recently alternative endoscopic modality, N-utyl--yanoacrylate (Histoacryl) injection is performed in intravariceal sclerotherapy but its efficacy and safty are not clearly established. We evaluated the efficacy of Histoacryl on esophageal variceal bleeding and compared with that of endoscopic band ligation in the present study. MATERIALS/METHODS: From March 1994 to March 1998, ninety seven patients with endoscopically documented esophageal variceal bleeding were enrolled. Histoacryl injection (Histoacryl group, n=33) or endoscopic band ligation (EVL group, n=64) was done for esophageal variceal bleeding. We evaluated the rebleeding rate and in-ospital mortality in both groups. RESULTS: Baseline characteristics were similar but active bleeding on first endoscopic session was significantly higher in Histoacryl group (Histoacryl group; 90.7%, EVL group; 26.6%, p=0.002). Successful hemostasis was done at 87.9% in Histoacryl group, 95.3% in EVL group (not significant). There were no significant differences on early rebleeding rate (18.2% vs 23.4%), late rebleeding rate (39.4% vs 37.5%) and in-ospital mortality (24.2% vs 15.6%) between Histoacryl group and EVL group. There were no technique-elated fatal complications at Histoacryl injection group. CONCLUSION: Therapeutic efficacy of Histoacryl injection was similar to the endoscopic band ligation in patients with esophageal varix bleeding in terms of hemostasis and rebleeding. Histoacryl is effective therapeutic option for esophageal variceal bleeding as well as gastric variceal bleeding.
Enbucrilate ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices* ; Hemorrhage ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Ligation* ; Mortality ; Sclerotherapy

To investigate the role of mutant hepatitis B virus (HBV) in the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), 20 patients with HCC were studied for precore and core promoter mutations in tumorous and nontumorous tissues. The precore and core promoter region was amplified and analyzed by direct sequencing. Among the 20 tumorous and nontumorous tissues, precore mutant HBV was found in 12 (60%) and 18 (90%), respectively. Of the 12 tumorous tissues with precore mutant, nine tissues had a single mutation (1896) and one tissue had another single mutation (1899). The remaining two tissues had a double mutation (1896 and 1899). A single mutation (1896) and a single mutation (1899) were found in 11 and two of the 18 nontumorous tissues with precore mutant, respectively. Among 20 tumorous and nontumorous tissues, HBV with a C to T mutation at nucleotide (nt) 1846 was detected in six and eight, respectively, and was associated with the virus carrying a mutation (1896 or 1899) except in two tumorous tissues. Mutations at nt 1762 and 1764 in core promoter were observed in 16 (80%) tumorous tissues and 18 (90%) nontumorous tissues. Mutations in the precore and core promoter region were found frequently in nontumorous tissue and in tumorous tissue (18/20 and 12/20 in precore region, 18/20 and 16/20 in core promoter respectively). The high prevalence of precore and core promoter mutations in liver tissue from patients with HCC suggests that these mutations may contribute to the development of HCC.
Adult ; Aged ; Antisense Elements (Genetics) ; Base Sequence ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/virology ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/genetics* ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Gene Expression Regulation, Viral ; Hepatitis B/genetics ; Hepatitis B Virus/genetics ; Hepatitis B e Antigens/genetics* ; Human ; Korea ; Liver Neoplasms/virology ; Liver Neoplasms/genetics* ; Male ; Middle Age ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Point Mutation* ; Promoter Regions (Genetics)* ; Sequence Analysis, DNA

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the association of ALDH2 genetic types with the risk and clinical variables of alcohol dependence in Korean patients. METHODS: ALDH2 genotypes were typed with restriction fragment length polymorphism method in 141 patients with alcohol dependence and 144 normal controls. The frequencies of ALDH2 genetic types were compared between patients and controls. Among the patients, the frequencies of ALDH2 genotypes were compared in terms of clinical variables. RESULTS: 1) The genotypic frequencies of the subjects with ALDH2*1/1 were higher and those with variant ALDH2, that is, ALDH2*1/2 and ALDH2*2/2 were lower in patients than in normal controls. 2) The genetic frequencies of the patients with ALDH2 were not related to family history of alcohol dependence. 3) There were no differences for the age of first drink and onset age of alcohol dependence between the patients with ALDH2*1/1 and those with ALDH2*1/2 or ALDH2*2/2. CONCLUSION: These results suggest ALDH2 genotypes might be associated with the risk of alcohol dependence.
Age of Onset ; Alcoholism* ; Aldehyde Dehydrogenase* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Molecular Biology ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length