OBJECTIVE: To compare the age of menarche, changing patterns of the menstrual characteristics in adolescent girls between 1988 and 1998. METHODS: A survey was undertaken for 1,500 highschool girls and compare with those of pervious study for 5,000 middle and highschool girls performed by same author in 1998 by means of questionnaire. RESULTS: During a decade, the mean menarcheal age decreased from 13.5+/-1.0 to 12.7+/-1.0 years(p=0.001). Gynecologic age, Body mass index were associated with age of menarche in both 1988 and 1998. The interval of menstruation was 30.6 3.5dyas in 1998 and shortened compared with 32.1+/-6.3 days in 1988(p=0.001). The duration of menstruation was lengthened in 1998 than in 1988(6.1+/-1.1 days vs 5.8+/-2.2 days, p=0.001). The incidence of irregular cycle(28.2% vs 58.2%, p=0.001), dysmenorrhea(73.9% vs 77.8%, p=0.001), and secondary amenorrhea(16.2% vs 27.2%, p= 0.001) decreased in 1998 compared with those of 1988. The incidence of agonies about menstruation was also decreased in 1998 than in 1988(26.2% vs 69.1%, p=0.001). The most common agony about menstruation in 1988 was irregular cycle(28.4%), but dysmenorrhea( 64.3%) in 1998. CONCLUSIONS: From the above results, the mean age of menarche was advanced since last decade but most of the adolescent girls still have suffered from dysmenorrhea.
Adolescent* ; Body Mass Index ; Dysmenorrhea ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Menarche ; Menstruation ; Surveys and Questionnaire

No abstract available.
Gastroenteritis* ; Humans*

Psoriasis has been known to have various humoral and cellular immune abnormalities. And adenosine deaminase (ADA) activities are known to be decreased in immune deficiency diseases. The present study was designed to measure the activities of ADA in sera and erythrocytes of psoriasis patients by Giustiss method. There were no significant differences in the erythrocytes ADA activities between normal subjects (9, Gp+4 43 units/10 cells) and psoriasis patients (7, 29+3. 64 units /10 cells). The ADA activities in sera of the psoriasis patients (13. 15+3. 43 units/ L) showed lowered activities than those of normal subjects (20. 44-2, 07 units/L).
Adenosine Deaminase* ; Adenosine* ; Deficiency Diseases ; Erythrocytes* ; Humans ; Psoriasis*

No abstract available.
Busan* ; Child* ; Humans ; Mass Screening* ; Urinary Tract*

No abstract available.
Busan* ; Child* ; Humans ; Mass Screening* ; Urinary Tract*

PURPOSE: There has been various reports on the inverse association between coffee consumption and serum gamma-glutamyltransferase(GGT) activity in the general population of Western countries. However, this association is uncertain in the communities in which coffee consumption is less popular. So we tried to identify this association in men of rural area in Korea. METHODS: We examined the association between coffee consumption and serum GGT activity in cross-sectional study involving 379 male population health examinees aged 40 years and older from rural areas in Kyungnam prefecture in Korea. Those who perceived their health status as poor were excluded. Possible confounding effects of age, body mass index, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking were controlled by multiple regression analysis and analysis of covariance. RESULTS: In multiple regression analysis, serum GGT activity was positively associated with alcohol intake, body mass index(P<0.001) and was negatively associated with coffee consumption(P=0.022), whereas no significant association was observed in cigarette smoking(P=0.094). Adjusted serum GGT activity level at the coffee consumption level of 0, one and two or more cups a day was 37.6 U/l, 35.9 U/l and 26.8 U/l respectively(Ptrend=0.008). CONCLUSION: Decreased serum GGT activity appears to be associated with coffee consumption in men of rural area, and further studies on the interrelationships among coffee consumption, alcohol intake and obesity will be necessary.
Alcohol Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Coffee* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase* ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Obesity ; Smoking ; Tobacco Products

The purpose of this study was to compare and to find out the variability of head film measurements(landmarks ide ntification) between Fuji computed radiographic cephlometry and conventional cephalometry. 28 Korean adults were selected. Lateral cephalometric FCR film and conventional cephalometric film of each subject wa s taken. Four investigators identified 24 cephalometric landmarks on lateral cephalometric FCR film and conventional cep halometric film were statistically analysed. The results were as follows: 1. In FCR film and conventional film, coefficient of variation(C.V.) of 24 landmarks was taken horizontally and ver tically. 2. In comparison of significant differences of landmarks variability between FCR film and coventional film, horizonta l value of coefficient of variation showed significant differences in four landmarks among twenty-four landmarks, but ve rtical a value of coefficient of variation showed significant differences in sixteen landmarks among twenty-four landmar ks. FCR film showed significantly less variability than conventional film in 17 subjects among 20(4+16) subjects that sho wed significant difference.
Adult ; Cephalometry* ; Head* ; Humans ; Research Personnel

BACKGROUND: There has been a growing realization that a variety of anticancer drugs can induce apoptotic cell death. In the present study, an attempt was made to investigate the responsiveness of gastric cancer cells to various anticancer drugs and to identify which apoptosis-related proteins could be correlated to chemosensitivity. METHODS: Nine human Korean gastric cancer cell lines (SNU-1, -5, -16, -484, -601, -620, -638, -668, and -719) were analyzed. The cytotoxicity of each cell line to camptothecin, cisplatin, mitomycin C, vincristine, 5-FU, epirubicin, and doxorubicin was determined by using a MTT (dimethylthiazole- diphenyltetrazolium-bromide) assay. Apoptosis-related proteins (p53, p21, Bcl-2, Bcl-x, and Bax) were detected using a Western blot assay. RESULTS: Of the nine gastric cancer cell lines, SNU-1 was resistant while SNU-5 was sensitive to anticancer drugs. Mutated p53 was detected in all the cell lines. The highest expression of Bcl-2 was observed in SNU-1 while less or no expression of Bcl-2 was observed in SNU-5, -484, and -601. Bcl-xL was less expressed in SNU-5 than in the other cell lines. CONCLUSIONS: Chemosensitivity in gastric cancer cell lines was correlated mainly with the level of Bcl-2 and partly with that of Bcl-xL. There was no correlation between the chemosensitivity and other apoptosis-related proteins, such as p21, p53, Bax, and Bcl-xS in the studied gastric cancer cell lines.
Blotting, Western ; Camptothecin ; Cell Death ; Cell Line* ; Cisplatin ; Doxorubicin ; Epirubicin ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Mitomycin ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Vincristine

We report firstly a case of mullerian duct cyst associated with bilateral ectopic opening vasa in 4 months old male infant in Korea. Presenting findings were the complaint of urinary retention, fever and lower abdominal mass. Ultrasonography and MRI of pelvis showed a monolocular 5 x 5 x 4cm sized cystic mass, which was located on the midline between the bladder and rectum. RGU and VCUG showed anterior displacement of bladder due to outside compression. Under the impression of mullerian duct cyst, surgical removal of cyst was performed by transvesical, transtrigonal approach because the large cystic mass produced hydronephrosis of left kidney and urethral diameter was smaller than that of our pediatric resectoscope(11Fr.) We performed ligation of the vas because the bilateral vasa entered into the cyst, directly. Microscopically mullerian duct cyst was lined by stratified squamous epithelium. Walthard cell nests, nuclear groove and vas tissue were also showed in mullerian duct cyst. In the course of follow-up, he has no urologic difficulty after the operation.
Epithelium ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Infant ; Kidney ; Korea ; Ligation ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Pelvis ; Rectum ; Ultrasonography ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Retention

No abstract available.
Blister* ; Nevus* ; Rubber*