OBJECTIVES: This exploratory study was designed to estimate the socio-demographic characteristics, course of homelessness, adverse childhood experiences, and prevalence of mental disorders among the street homeless people in Seoul, Korea. In addition, we examined the associations between chronic homelessness and study variables. METHODS: The study subjects were 75 homeless people dwelling in the street around Seoul Station. Questionnaires related to socio-demographic data and the course of homelessness were provided to each subject. The subjects' Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) mental disorder diagnoses were made by using Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview-Plus interviews. RESULTS: Most subjects exhibited chronic homelessness and the prevalence of DSM-IV mental disorders among the homeless subjects was higher than that among the Korean general population. There was a statistically significant association between chronic homelessness and adverse childhood experiences. Compared to those with no history of childhood adversity, homeless people with a history of childhood adversity had a younger age of first homeless episode and a higher prevalence of DSM-IV major mental disorders. The association between DSM-IV diagnosis and chronic homelessness was not significant, but the group with mental disorders had more prevalent re-housing and homeless recurrent histories. CONCLUSION: Street homeless people were often involved in chronic homelessness. Results of this study suggest that homeless people who were never married and had adverse childhood experiences were more vulnerable to chronic homelessness. In addition, we detected a possible relationship between the recurrence of homelessness and the presence of mental disorders.
Diagnosis ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Homeless Persons* ; Humans ; Korea ; Mental Disorders ; Prevalence ; Recurrence ; Seoul ; Single Person

This experiment was performed the effect of the glycoconjugates of the skin in the Sprague-Dawley male rats exposed to SO2 for 1, 3 and 6 hours with various concentrations (10, 25, 50, 100 and 200 ppm). To investigate the change of glycoconjugates of skin, seven biotinylated lectins (DBA, SBA, PNA, BSL-1, sWGA, UEA-1, Con A) were applied with ABC method. The epidermis of experiment rats was more or less different according to the concentration of SO2, comparing control group, and beta-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine, alpha-L-fucose, alpha-D-mannose and alpha-D-glucose of the epidermis tend to be increased according to exposed SO2 time, but alpha-D-galactose was tend to be decreased. Galactose-beta-1, 3-Nacetyl- D-galactosamine was tend to more or less increase in horny layer of the epidermis, but decrease in granular and spinous layers. As contrasted control group, beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine in the dermis of experiment rats was decreased, but alpha- D-mannose and alpha-D-glucose were increased. In the hair follicle of the experiment rats, beta-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine and galactose-beta-1, 3-N-acetyl-Dgalactosamine tend to be decreased according to exposed SO2 time though more or less differ from the portions of the hair follicle, and beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine and alpha-L-fucose were found noticeably to increase comaring control group. According to exposed SO2 time, the decrease of alpha-D-galactose tend to be little more pronounced in the outer root sheath of the upper portion of hair follicle. In contrast, the same sheath of the upper portion in above follicle was increased relatively. alpha-D-mannose and alpha-D-glucose were increased in the root sheath of hair follicle and hair cortex, but decreased in the hair medulla. In the experiment rats, the beta-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine tend to be decreased gradually according to exposed SO2 time, but the decrease of galactose-beta-1, 3-N-acetyl-D-galactosamine were showed significantly as contrasted control group. beta-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, alpha-D-mannose and alpha-D-glucose were increased gradually according to exposed SO2 time, but alpha-L-fucose was increased remarkably. The effect on lectin binding pattern of the glycoconjugates in the rat skin according to the concentrations and exposed time of SO2 was noted that the alternations of lectin binding pattern tend to be a little more pronounced in low concentration of exposed SO2 for a long time than in high concentration of exposed SO2 for a short time. The alternations of lectin binding pattern were appeared almost similar in concentrations of 50 ppm SO2 and above.
Animals ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Glycoconjugates* ; Hair ; Hair Follicle ; Humans ; Lectins ; Male ; Mannose ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Skin* ; Sulfur Dioxide* ; Sulfur*

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to compare the characteristics of psychiatric inpatients in mental health related facilities and community mental health services-utilizing patients by diverse factors in Korea. METHODS: Questionnaires were sent via mail to 140 standard mental health centers from October to December of 2008. 64 facilities responded and data of 461 mentally disabled who are registered at and utilize the services of these mental health centers were analyzed. T-test and cross-analysis were performed to determine the differences in the averages of the variables and the discrepancy in ratios, respectively. RESULTS: Differences between long-term psychiatric inpatients and community mental health services-utilizing patients were seen in characteristics such as gender, age, type of medical coverage, family support systems, diagnosis, age of onset, duration of hospitalization, community-dwelling period, and clinical symptoms and functions. It was significantly short in length of stay in facilities in users of community mental health services with comparison to institutionalized patients. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that invigoration of community mental health services is an alternative that can help deter long-term hospitalization.
Age of Onset ; Community Mental Health Services* ; Diagnosis ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Korea* ; Length of Stay ; Mental Health* ; Mentally Disabled Persons ; Postal Service ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: Midurethral sling procedure is widely used as a primary choice for managing female stress urinary incontinence(SUI) in many countries. But some complications are inevitable, although the incidence is very low. Mesh cutting may be required to correct unwanted problems in some patients. We evaluated the outcome of mesh cutting in patients having mesh-related complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medical records of patients who underwent cutting of midurethral tape from January 2001 to December 2005 were reviewed and a detailed telephone interview was done to see if stress urinary incontinence recurred at least a year after cutting. RESULTS: Eleven patients were included in this study. Mean age was 51.2 ranging from 41 to 70. The reasons why their meshes should be cut were as follows; eight(72.7%) had voiding difficulty, two(18.2%) had a tape erosion and one had voiding difficulty and overactive bladder. These problems were corrected by mesh cutting except one. However, a year after cutting, four out of eleven patients(36.4%) developed recurrent stress urinary incontinence. Recurrence occurred in three out of five patients(60.0%) whose meshes were cut within 1 month after implant, while occurred in 1 out of 6(16.7%) whose meshes were cut after 2 months of implant. Three out of four patients(75.0%) who had mixed urinary incontinence developed recurrence after mesh cutting. In particular, two patients who had detrusor overactivity confirmed by cystometry before surgery showed recurrence of incontinence after mesh cutting. CONCLUSION: A total 36.4% of patients who required mesh cutting developed recurrence of SUI. These data demonstrate that mesh cutting may cause recurrence and urologists should be aware that mesh cutting may be disappointing. Mixed urinary incontinence and duration from implant to mesh cutting seem to be the risk factors of recurrence after mesh cutting.
Female* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Interviews as Topic ; Medical Records ; Recurrence ; Risk Factors ; Suburethral Slings* ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive ; Urinary Incontinence*

Using the diet rice bowl, this study examined whether visual cues related to portion size can influence intake volume without altering satiation. 24 subjects ate lunch and subsequent dinner meal in the lab once a week for 2 weeks. Each week at noon , they were served one of two different sizes of a rice (150 g of rice by the diet rice bowl and 210 g of rice by the general rice bowl) but recognized the same volume of which they could eat as much as they wanted of side dishes. Subjects returned to the lab five hours later for a standard dinner, which was consumed ad libitum. Results showed that the subjects who were eating from the diet rice bowl ate less rice (222.4 Kcal vs 306.5 Kcal, p < 0.001) and total energy intake (412.5 Kcal vs 499.2 Kcal, p < 0.001) than those eating from a general rice bowl at lunch. However, despite consuming 21% less energy intake at lunch, the rates of satiety were not significantly different after eating from the diet rice bowl and from the general diet bowl. And there were no significant difference in rice intake and energy intake at dinner between the diet rice bowl and the general rice bowl. These results suggest decreasing the portion size by the diet rice bowl with biased visual cues leads to decreased rice intake and energy intake without altering the satiation. This is, the decreased amount of rice in a diet rice bowl may implicitly suggest what might be construed as an appropriate amount to consume and eventually it suggests smaller consumption norms.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Cues ; Diet* ; Eating ; Energy Intake ; Lunch ; Meals ; Portion Size* ; Satiation

PURPOSE: A colorectal adenoma (CRA) is a well-defined precursor to colorectal cancer (CRC). Additionally, smoking is a potent risk factor for developing a CRA, as well as CRC. However, the association between exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and the risk for developing a CRA has not yet been fully evaluated in epidemiologic studies. We performed a cross-sectional analysis on the association between exposure to ETS at the workplace and the risk for developing a CRA. METHODS: The study was conducted on subjects who had undergone a colonoscopy at a health promotion center from January 2012 to December 2012. After descriptive analyses, overall and subgroup analyses by smoking status were performed by using a multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: Among the 1,129 participants, 300 (26.6%) were diagnosed as having CRAs. Exposure to ETS was found to be associated with CRAs in all subjects (fully adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-2.44; P = 0.001). In the subgroup analysis, exposure to ETS in former smokers increased the risk for developing a CRA (fully adjusted OR, 4.44; 95% CI, 2.07-9.51; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Exposure to occupational ETS at the workplace, independent of the other factors, was associated with increased risk for developing a CRA in all subjects and in former smokers. Further retrospective studies with large sample sizes may be necessary to clarify the causal effect of this relationship.
Adenoma* ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Cross-Sectional Studies* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Health Promotion ; Logistic Models ; Odds Ratio ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sample Size ; Smoke* ; Smoking ; Tobacco Smoke Pollution ; Tobacco*

Apoptosis is a distinct mode of cell death that is responsible for deletion of cells in normal tissues. Apoptotic cell death plays an important role in the proliferation and turnover of cells in various tumors. Apoptosis occurs spontaneously in malignant tumors, often markedly retarding their growth, and increased in tumors responding to irradiation, cytotoxic chemotherapy, heating and hormone ablation. Flowcytometric analysis of the cellular DNA content appears to be a useful clinical prognostic indicator in colorectal cancer. The relationship of apoptotic index(AI) and proliferative indices have being investigated. We analyzed the tumor DNA content and AI in 84 patients who underwent resection for colorectal cancer between January 1989 and December 1994 in order to evaluate the prognostic significance of apoptosis, DNA ploidy and index using in situ apoptosis detection method and flowcytometry. The mean value of AI was 32.4, and median value 21. In the cellular DNA, forty-two percent of the tumors were diploidy, fifty-eight percent aneuploidy. The mean value of DNA index(DI) was 1.38, G0/G1 72%, S phase fraction 21.7%, G2/M 6.3%, and proliferative fraction 28%. There was no significant difference between AI and tumor invasion, LN metastasis, DNA ploidy, DI.(p>0.05) There was no significance between overall survival and AI, DNA ploidy, DI. But patients who had tumors with low DNA index had a significantly longer disease free survival than high DNA index.(p<0.05) As a result, this study shows that AI is a less useful as prognostic factor and DNA index is a more important prognostic factor in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer.
Aneuploidy ; Apoptosis ; Cell Death ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Diploidy ; Disease-Free Survival ; DNA* ; Drug Therapy ; Heating ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ploidies ; S Phase

Pathophysiological implications of the vascular nitric oxide (NO)/cGMP pathway in hypertension were investigated. Sprague-Dawley rats were made deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive for six weeks. The protein expression of endothelial constitutive NO synthase (ecNOS) and the tissue content of NO were determined in the thoracic aorta. The protein expression and catalytic activity of soluble guanylyl cyclase (GC) were also determined. Systolic blood pressure measured on the day of experiment was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control. The hypertension was associated with decreases in the vascular tissue content of NO metabolites, concomitantly with the expression of ecNOS proteins. The protein expression of GC was not affected, while its catalytic activity was significantly decreased in hypertension. These results indicate that the high blood pressure is associated with a decreased activity of vascular NO/cGMP pathway in DOCA-salt hypertension.
Aorta, Thoracic ; Blood Pressure ; Desoxycorticosterone* ; Guanylate Cyclase* ; Hypertension* ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The retrocaval dissection, with venous collaterals, is sometimes difficult, making subsequent hemostasis less easy during orthotopic liver transplantation(OLT). We have recently applied a modified technique of vena caval preservation during OLT, and undertook this study to evaluate retrospectively its effects. METHODS: Five patients with liver cirrhosis underwent a modified OLT from March 1999 through July 2001. The procedure includes a side to side anastomosis between the IVC of the donor and the recipient without vena cava occlusion during OLT. RESULTS: This technique pemitted the avoidance of vena caval occlusion in all cases. We could performed OLT without venovenous bypass in 3 patients who tolerated the temporary portal clamping test before the recipient hepatectomy. As retrocaval dissection was not performed, hemostasis was esier during anhepatic phase. We could reduce anhepatic phase into average 60 minutes from only one caval anastomosis during OLT. CONCLUSIONS: We think this alternative technique, requiring only one caval anastomosis, can reduce the duration of the anhepatic phase and the need for venous bypass.
Constriction ; Hemostasis ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Transplantation* ; Liver* ; Retrospective Studies ; Tissue Donors

The experiments of this study was performed to investigate the effects of sulfur dioxide on the changes of glycoconjugates of respiratory system of the rat. Sprague -Dawley male rats weighing about 200 ~250g were divided into a control group and SO2 exposed groups. Again SO2 exposed groups were divided into 10 ppm, 25 ppm, 50 ppm, 100 ppm and 200 ppm subgroups according to concentrations of SO2 and each SO2 exposed groups were divided into 1, 3 and 6 hours groups. For the histological changes, H -E(hematoxylin -eosin) and PAS(periodic acid Schiff) staining were used and to investigate the change of sugar residues of glycoconjugates, biotinylated lectins(DBA, SBA, PNA, BSL -1, sWGA, UEA -1, LCA and Con A) were applied. Generally, the effects of SO2 on the rat nasal respiratory region were more serious at the high concentrations. Moreover, as the exposed time was longer even at the low concentrations, the effects of SO2 were similar to those of high concentration. Compared with all SO2 concentrations, the longer exposed time was, the more serious the effects of SO2 were. In the SO2 exposed groups the binding of PNA, RCA -1 and UEA -1 of cilia in the nasal septal respiratory epithelium tended to increase in the 10 ppm and 25 ppm SO2 exposed groups but it tended to decrease in the 100 ppm and 200 ppm SO2 exposed groups. In the cytoplasm of columnar cells of nasal septal respiratory epithelium, Con A binding increased in all the SO2 exposed groups. In the goblet cells DBA, SBA, PNA, RCA -1 and UEA -1 binding increased remarkably in the 50 ppm SO2 exposed groups but it decreased largely or disappeared in the 100 ppm and 200 ppm SO2 exposed groups. The binding of SBA, PNA, BSL -1, UEA -1 and Con A in the intraepithelial mucous cells which were not detected in the control group, increased in the 25 ppm and 50 ppm SO2 exposed groups while it tended to decrease in the 100 ppm and 200 ppm SO2 exposed groups. The binding of sWGA increased according to the concentrations of SO2 were higher and exposed times were longer. In the superior nasal septal gland, the binding of PNA increased in the 50 ppm and 100 ppm SO2 exposed groups and that of Con A increased in the 25 ppm and 50 ppm SO2 exposed groups. In the inferior nasal septal gland, except for LCA, the binding of the other lectins increased remarkably in the 25 ppm and 50 ppm SO2 exposed groups but it tended to decrease in the 100 ppm and 200 ppm SO2 groups. In the mucous duct cells, the reaction of PNA and RCA -1 increased compared with that of the control group. And the reaction of BSL -1 and UEA -1 increased in the lower concentrations of 50 ppm SO2 exposed group but it decreased in the 100 ppm and 200 ppm SO2 exposed groups. The binding of Con A increased in the 25 ppm and 50 ppm SO2 exposed groups. Consequently, from the results above mentioned that SO2 affected serious changes on glycoconjugates metabolism in the nasal cavity.
Animals ; Cilia ; Cytoplasm ; Glycoconjugates* ; Goblet Cells ; Humans ; Lectins ; Male ; Metabolism ; Nasal Cavity* ; Rats* ; Respiratory Mucosa* ; Respiratory System ; Sulfur Dioxide