No abstract available.
Spine* ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing*

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Molecular Biology* ; Prognosis* ; Stomach Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Molecular Biology* ; Prognosis* ; Stomach Neoplasms*

The aim of this study was to examine the factors influencing perceived oral health in elderly individuals residing in the community.

Growth under conditions of iron-restriction and the production of siderophore was examined in Vibrio mimicus ATCC 33653. This strain grew and multiplied in the presence of the high-affinity iron chelators ethylenediamine-di (o-hydroxyphenylacetic acid). Chrorne azurol S (CAS) agar and solution were used to detect the production of siderophore under these condition. Siderophore could be detected in the iron-rcstricted culture supernatants. The siderophore was extracted from iron-restricted culture supernatants by phenol-chloroform-ether method and purified by Dowex ion-exchange and Sephadex G-25 gel filtracton chromatography. The purified siderophore was confirmed by paper chromatography and HPLC. The Purified siderophore enhanced the growth of V. mimicus when the bacterium was grown in iron limited medium. Injection of both the siderohore and the bacteria to mice resulted in more rapid death than that of the only bacteria. However, the siderophore did not show lethality to mice and any toxicity to cell line like HeLa and U937.
Agar ; Animals ; Bacteria ; Cell Line ; Chelating Agents ; Chromatography ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Chromatography, Paper ; Iron ; Mice ; Vibrio mimicus* ; Vibrio*

BACKGROUND: ST segment elevation in patient with chest pain was seen in acute myocardial infarction and in numerous other non-infarction syndrome. The causes of non-infarction syndrome were left ventricular hypertrophy, BER(benign early repolarization), and left bundle branch block in cardiac origin and were hyperkalemia and hyperventilation syndrome in metabolic origin and were others. Furthermore, the differentiation of electrocardiogram between acute myocardial infarction and non-infarction syndrome was very difficult. So, we compared and analysed characteristics of ST segment elevation of acute myocardial infarction and non-infarction syndrome that suggested the clue of early diagnosis of coronary artery disease. METHOD AND MATERIALS: We retrospectively reviewed the electrocardiogram of 961 patients with chest pain who visited the emergency center from January 1999 to December 1999. Acute myocardial infarction was diagnosed by clinical finding, electrocardiogram, cardiac enzyme, echocardiogram, and myocardial spect. Left ventricular hypertrophy, BER, and left bundle branch block in cardiac origin of non-infarction syndrome were diagnosed by electrocardiographic criteria suggested by William J. Brady. Acute myocarditis, acute pericarditis, and hyperventilation syndrome were diagnosed by clinical finding. RESULTS: Among 961 patients with chest pain, 236(24.6%) patients manifested ST segment elevation who were diagnosed acute myocardial infarction in 162(68.6%) patients and non-infarction syndrome in 74(31.4%) patients. The causes of non-infarction syndrome in 74 patients were left ventricular hypertrophy(32:13.6%), BER(28:11.9%), left bundle branch block(11:4.7%), and others(3:1.3%). Three others were acute myocarditis, acute pericarditis, and hyperventilation syndrome. Electrocardiographic characteristics of ST segment elevation of non-infarction syndrome manifested almost same finding compared to William J. Brady' criteria. CONCLUSION: ST segment elevation in patient with chest with chest pain visited emergency department was seen in acute myocardial infarction(68.6%) and the other non-infarction syndromes(31.4%). Significant number of patients were not associated with acute myocardial infarction. Therefore, we must completely understand characteristics of ST segment elevation in acute myocardial infarction and the other non-infarction syndromes to diagnose fatal early coronary artery disease and to avoid unnecessary thrombolytic therapy.
Bundle-Branch Block ; Chest Pain* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Early Diagnosis ; Electrocardiography ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Hyperkalemia ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; Hyperventilation ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Myocarditis ; Pericarditis ; Retrospective Studies ; Thorax* ; Thrombolytic Therapy ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

The foundation of medical practice is the doctor-patient relationship. Before the implementation of National Health Insurance in Korea, it was not easy for patients to access doctors, and the doctor-patient relationship was immature. This study aims to describe doctors' social competency and determine measures of its strength in Korea. The current status of research on doctors' social competency in Korea and other countries was reviewed. There is recognition that Korean doctors have confidence in their medical knowledge, but their leadership in the health care sector and society is insufficient. A survey of citizens' expectations regarding doctors' social competency shows that they are not satisfied with their doctors' communication, and feel their doctors have not fulfilled their leadership duties as influential members of society e main reason for respondents' dissatisfaction was the doctors' pursuit of profit. They expected that the quality of care would increase if doctors' social capabilities were strengthened and both the doctors themselves and the government were to participate in capacity building. The preferable approach to reinforcing the social ability of doctors is to include medical humanities and social science in the medical education curriculum. Then, medical students can grow as good doctors and effective leaders. Several reports from outside Korea have confirmed this. Doctors need to recognize that the concept of health is broad, encompassing societal factors as one of the determinants of health. In conclusion, the effort of the community as a whole is needed for strengthening the social competence of doctors in Korea.
Capacity Building ; Curriculum ; Education, Medical ; Health Care Sector ; Humanities ; Humans ; Korea ; Leadership ; Mental Competency ; National Health Programs ; Power (Psychology)* ; Social Sciences ; Students, Medical

A novel bacteriophage, designated as VPP97, that infects the strains of Vibiro parahaemolyticus (hallophilic, Gram-negative bacterium) isolated most commonly from marine environments, has been discovered, and several of its properties have been determined. The plaques were clear and sized 0.6-1.0 mm in diameter. The virion forms a single band on 70% sucrose gradient and p1.50 CsC1 gradient by sucrose gradient centrifugation and CsCI gradient centrifugation respectively. It has a hexagonal head and a relatively long tail, as shown by electron microscopy. Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio fluvialis and Vibrio furnissii were also sensitive to this phage It was almost totally inactivated at 70 degree C and at pH below 5 or over 10. The nucleic acid of VPP97 is composed of DNA. The VPP97 had 9 specific structural proteins sized between 21.5 kDa and 97.4 kDa on SDS-PAGE. When V. parahaemolyticus cultures were treated with either phage VPP97 or one of the several antibiotics for 2 hours, the viable number of V. parahaemolyticus treated with the phage VPP97 is lower than that treated with chloramphenicol, erythromycin or penicillin, but not lower than that treated with tetracycline. Mice that have responded to the phage treatment revealed the lower numbers of V. parahaemolyticus in small intestine and less damage on small intestine compared to the untreated mice. Therefore, we suggest that the phage treatment appears effective to the infection by V. parahaemolyticus.
Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteriophages* ; Centrifugation ; Chloramphenicol ; DNA ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Erythromycin ; Head ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Intestine, Small ; Mice ; Microscopy, Electron ; Penicillins ; Sucrose ; Tail ; Tetracycline ; Vibrio alginolyticus ; Vibrio parahaemolyticus* ; Vibrio* ; Virion

To study the clinical characteristics and treatment results of childhood soft tissue sarcoma, the retrospective study was performed on 67 patients with soft tissue sarcoma, experienced at the Department of Pediatrics, Seoul National University Hospital from January, 1982 to July, 1990. The median age of 67 soft tissue sarcoma patients was 4 years 5 months and age distribution showed that 0-4 year age group was most common (55.2%). The sex ratio of male to female was 1.2:1. There were 3 cancers among relatives of soft tissue sarcoma patients, including one cancer among first-degree relatives. As for pathological classification, rhabdomyosarcoma (67.1%) was the most common childhood soft tissue sarcoma, followed by malignant Schwannoma (8.9%), extraskeletal Ewing's sarcoma (6.0%), infantile fibrosarcoma (4.5%), malignant fibrous histiocytoma (3.0%), malignant hemangiopericytoma (3.0%), and there were 1 case each of angiosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, synovial sarcoma, malignant mesenchymoma and mesenchymal chondrosarcoma. The median age of 45 rhabdomyosarcoma patients was 3 years 8 months and age distribution showed that 0-4 year age group was most common (64.5%). Twenty three patients were male and 22 were female. The histologic subtype of rhabdomyosarcoma was embryonal type in 38 patients (84.5%), alveolar type in 5 patients (11.1%) and unclassified type in 2 patients (4.4%). As for primary site of soft tissue sarcomas, the most frequent site was the head and neck region (32.8%) including parameningeal region (13.4%) and orbit (6.0%), followed by extremities (20.9%), trunk (19.4%), retroperitoneum and pelvis (11.9%), urogenital region (7.5%), perineum and perianal region (4.5%) and other region (3.0%). As for primary site of 45 rhabdomyosarcoma cases, the most frequent site was also the head and neck region (37.8%). The most common initial symptom of soft tissue sarcoma patients was mass (68.7%). As for Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study clinical grouping system of 67 soft tissue sarcoma patients, clinical group III (58.2%) was most common, followed by clinical group II(20.9%), IV (14.9%) and I (6.0%). Of 10 cases of clinical group IV with distant metastasis, lung (8 cases) was the most common metastaic region and other metastatic regions were bone, kidney, liver and bone marrow. As for IRS clinical grouping system of 45 rhabdomyosarcoma patients, clinical group III was most common (68.9%). Of 6 cases of clinical group IV, lung (5 cases) was also the most common metastatic region, followed by kidney and liver. From 1982 to 1985, chemotherapy was done with pulse VAC or pulse VAdrC-VAC regimen based on IRS-I and IRS-II. From 1986, patients in clinical group I and II received vincristine and actinomycin-D for 1 year and patients in clinical group III, IV and II with alveolar histologic subtype(unfavorable histologic group) received vincristine, actinomycin-D, adriamycin, cyclophosphamide and cisplatinum based on IRS-III. Radiation therapy was administered to patients in clinical group II, III and IV. Of 67 cases of soft tissue sarcoma, 54 case were eligible for treatment analysis. The 3 year disease free survival (DFS) of all 54 cases was 54.1%, 3 year DFS of clinical group I and II was 83.9%,3 year DFS of clinical group III and IV before 1986 was 35.7% and after 1986 was 48.2%. Of 45 cases of rhabdomyosarcoma, 41 cases were eligible for treatment analysis. The 3 year DFS of all 41 cases was 49.1%,3 year DFS of clinical group I and II was 87.5%,3 year DFS of clinical group III and IV before 1986 was 27.2% and after 1986 was 45.0%. Patients in clinical group I and II who had no gross residual tumor after primary surgical excision had best prognosis with 3 year DFS approximating 90% with only 2 drugs regimen, significantly better than patients in clinical group III and IV with 3 year DFS below 50% even after intensifying chemotherapy since year 1986. This analysis suggests that total surgical removal is very important for improving prognosis and should be undertaken where possible in all patients without distant metastasis. Treatment results also showed that after year 1986 with intensification of chemotherapy, 3 year DFS of clinical group III and IV as well as early toxic deaths increased, and after lowering doses of chemotherapeutic agents of regimen 35 of IRS-III, treatment results improved much. Therfore to improve prognosis of patients with gross residual tumor after surgical excision of biopsy and patients with distant metastasis at diagnosis, intensified multiagent chemcherapeutic regimen with adequate dose modification should be done to lower early toxic deaths.
Age Distribution ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Chondrosarcoma, Mesenchymal ; Classification ; Cyclophosphamide ; Diagnosis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy ; Extremities ; Female ; Fibrosarcoma ; Head ; Hemangiopericytoma ; Hemangiosarcoma ; Histiocytoma, Malignant Fibrous ; Humans ; Kidney ; Leiomyosarcoma ; Liver ; Lung ; Male ; Mesenchymoma ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Neurilemmoma ; Orbit ; Pediatrics ; Pelvis ; Perineum ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Rhabdomyosarcoma ; Sarcoma* ; Sarcoma, Ewing ; Sarcoma, Synovial ; Seoul ; Sex Ratio ; Survival Rate ; Vincristine

SMAS(Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome) is a disease caused by a chronic obstruction of the duodenum(transverse portion), which is hardly detectable. However, it is known that when the superior mesenteric artery and abdominal aorta form a narrow angle, that the transverse portion of the duodenum is pressed down between the superior mesenteric artery and the abdominal aorta, and that this can lead to obstruction of the duodenum. Measuring this angle is a complicated job using conventional angiography, and results often turns out to be inaccurate. In addition, no attempt has been made to determine the value of this angle in Koreans. In this study, we conducted abdominal CT angiography using MIP(maximum intensity projection) on patients with no clinical evidence of SMAS in order to determine the angle at which the superior mesenteric artery branches from the abdominal aorta by using PC based software(Rapidia ver. 1.2) for the image reconstruction. Accordingly, we found that the mean angle between the abdominal aorta and the superior mesenteric artery was 50.05+/-15.87 degrees on average, and that the angle in men(53.64+/-16.57 degrees) is higher than in women(46.46+/-14.98 degrees). We hope that the angles determined by our study will serve as an important indicator for detecting SMAS.
Angiography ; Aorta, Abdominal* ; Duodenum ; Hope ; Humans ; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted* ; Mesenteric Arteries ; Mesenteric Artery, Superior* ; Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed