Gastric cancer is the most common malignancy and the second leading cause of cancer-related death in Korea. Age-adjusted annual incidence of gastric cancer per 100,000 persons is 62.8 for male and 25.7 for female. The proportion of early gastric cancer among surgically treated gastric cancer patients was 28.6% in 1995, 32.8% in 1999, and 47.4% in 2004. Screening upper endoscopy is quite commonly performed in Korea, and the proportion of early gastric cancer in the screened population is almost 75%. Gastric adenoma is considered to be a very important precancerous lesion. Gastric adenomas are actively treated in Korea, and at least 1/3 of the gastric adenomas with high grade dysplasia show cancerous focus when endoscopically resected. The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori is decreasing in Korean population, which may lead to the decreased incidence of gastric cancer in the near future. Paradigms of the diagnosis and treatment of gastric cancer are rapidly changing in Korea. Efforts to establish robust scientific data for new approaches are strongly required. The proportion of early gastric cancer among all gastric cancers has been and will be more increased in Korea.
Adenoma ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Prevalence ; Stomach Neoplasms

No abstract available.

Platelet-derived growth factor(PDGF) is known to accelerate soft tissue fracture and periodontal bone healing, but little information is available for characterizing the healing of articualr cartilage. This study was designed to demonstrate the regeneration potential of pasteurized autogeneous osteochondral graft when PDFG was applied locally in vivo. Eighteen rabbits in two groups were used in the experiment. The free osteochondral fragment(1x1x1 cm) were taken from distal femur. The fragment were pasteurized in 65degrees C for 5 minutes. In experimental group(group II), the fragment were soaked in 0.25 mg/ml of recombinant human PDGF mixed 5 ml normal saline and reimplanted to the resected site, and followed with local administration of 0.25 mg/ml PDGF to knee joint. In control group(group I), the pasteurized fragment were reimplanted in the resected site without any treatments. The histologic characteristics of the transplanted autografts for three rabbits in each group were observed at 3, 5 and 7 weeks postoperatively. The results were as follows; Group II revealed the more favorable regeneration of articular cartilage, less arthritic changes and more mature arrangement of chondrocytes than group I. Even thought the cartilage is avascular and the regeneration capacity of pasteurized cartilage is severely limited, the regeneration of grafted articular cartilage is thought to be accellerated by increased newly formed blood vessels and soft tissues due to the diffusion of PDGF on grafted cartilage, and probably also by differentiation of mesenchymal cells in the initial stage of experiment. The results of this study suggest that local administration of PDGF could be used for the treatment of posttraumatic or degenerative arthritis and various cartilage damages.
Autografts ; Blood Vessels ; Cartilage ; Cartilage, Articular ; Chondrocytes ; Diffusion ; Femur ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; Osteoarthritis ; Platelet-Derived Growth Factor* ; Rabbits* ; Regeneration* ; Transplants*

We investigated the clinical characteristics and intelligence in the adjustment of schizophrenic patients. One hundred thirty-nine schizophrenic patients were selected among the schizophrenic patients admitted to the department of neuropsychiatry, Wonkwang University, school of medicine, from January 1, 1993 to November 30, 1996. The selected schizophrenic patients were divided into two groups, the one with over 60 of past year highest global assessment of functioning(PHF)(superior group) and the other with less than 60 of PHF(inferior group). Both groups were compared in clinical characteristics and Korean-Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale(K-WAIS) results at admission. The results were as follows : 1) The superior group showed significantly longer duration of education(11.9+/-2.9, 9.9+/-3.7, p<.01), shorter duration of illness(49.6+/-57.9, 93.9+/-70.3, p<.01), less admissions(1.9+/-1.3, 2.8+/-2.1, p<.01), less negative symptoms(3.2+/-1.4, 3.8+/-1.3, p<.01) than the inferior group. 2) The superior group showed significantly higher scores on verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ ; 90.5+/-14.5, 82.4+/-17.4, p<.01), performance intelligence quotient(PIQ ; 81.4+/-13.5, 73.2+/-14.2, p<.01), full scale intelligence quotient(FSIQ ; 86.2+/-13.3, 78.0+/-14.9, P<.01), the subtests of vocabulary(9.2+/-3.0, 7.6+/-3.6, p<.01), comprehension(9.2+/-3.1, 7.5+/-3.4, p<.01), similarity(8.6+/-2.6, 7.4+/-3.3, p<.05), digit symbol(8.3+/-1.8, 7.3+/-2.5, p<.01), object assembly(7.6+/-2.5, 6.6+/-2.3, p<.05), block design(7.9+/-2.6, 6.8+/-2.0, p<.05), and picture completion(7.9+/-2.2, 7.0+/-2.1, p<.05) than the inferior group. Finally, the patients with better adjustment showed higher education level, shorter duration of illness, less numbers of admission, less negative symptoms, and higher scores on VIQ, PIQ, FSIQ, and subtests of vocabulary, comprehension, similarity, digit symbol, object assembly, block design, picture completion. It seems that the superior group had better at the more complex function in the verbal intelligence and the ability of space in the performance intelligence than the inferior group.
Adult ; Comprehension ; Education ; Humans ; Intelligence* ; Neuropsychiatry ; Schizophrenia ; Vocabulary

No abstract available.
Endometriosis* ; Female ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone*

No abstract available.

Long segmental fixation with TSRH posterior instrumentation for 19 patients who had unstable thoracolumbar fracture was performed between October 1992 and April 1995. The patients were followed for an average of 22 months. Measurements of the deformity angle, kyphosis, vertebral height, and the intervertebral angle were made. The patients were divided into 2 groups according to configurations of instruments for lower segmental fixation. For one group, only hooks were used, and for the others group pedicular screws and lateral offset hooks were used together at the same segment. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to anlyze the correctability following long segmental fixation and to compare one segmental fixation using both screws and lateral offset hook systems with two segmental fixation using hook systems for distal fixation. There was an overall correction of kyphosis at follow-up of 6.9degrees (27.1%) after a loss of 4.3degrees from operative correction. Overall correction of deformity angle was 8.2degrees (32.2%). Loss of vertebral height at final follow-up was 4.4%. And loss of intervertebral angle was 2.0degrees at follow-up. There was no difference of overall results between the hook group and the pedicular screw with lateral offset hook group. However, there was a significant improvement of the correction of kyphosis and restoration of vertebral height in patients who underwent operation within 7 days after injury, as compared to delayed operation. Therefore, the timing of surgery is the most important factor in order to correct the deformity caused by unstable thoracolumbar fractures. There was no significant loss of correction and no metallic failure. Therefore, rodding long with the method of one segment distal fixation using screws and lateral offset hook together can provide excellent correctability, maintenance of correction, preservation of distal lumbar joints, prevention of implant failure and complication.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Joints ; Kyphosis

The authors analysed statically 420 Cases of the ocular trauma among 35,460 patients who visited to the emergency department, from Jul. 1995 to Jun. 1996. Ocular trauma is one of the commonest causes of eye diseases and blindness, but its patterns and incidences are variable according to the environment. A large number of patients can be readily treated in the emergency department. Prevention is, of course, the best management, but when an ocular injury occurs, proper emergency treatment can often prevent permanent damage.
Blindness ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Emergency Treatment ; Eye Diseases ; Humans ; Incidence

No abstract available.
Hemorrhage ; Peptic Ulcer

Eighty-nine isolates of Enterobacter spp. from two university hospitals were analyzed by phenotypic and genotypic characteristics for epidemiologic investigation. Most strains were isolated from sputum, urine, wound, pus and catheter tip. Most isolates of Enterobacter spp. were resistant to ampicillin, cefazolin and cefoxitin and 39% of E. cloacae isolates were also resistant to other cephalosporins and aminoglycoside antibiotics except amikacin but all strains were highly susceptible to imipenem and ciprofloxacin. Twenty-six antimicrobial resistance patterns were obtained from E. clacae, but E. aerogenes showed only 4 patterns. Fourty-two plasmid profiles were identified, but plasmid was not detected from 28.4% of E. cloacae and 58% of E. aerogenes. Six biotypes from E. cloacae and three biotypes from E. aerogenes were obtained by carbohydrate metabolism. Fourteen strains of E. cloacae carried conjugative R plasmids and these plasmids were further analyzed. Among them, ten plasmids showed identical antibiogram, molecular weight, and pI value by isoelectric focusing and nearly identical restriction endonuclease fragment pattern. Their parental strains had identical antibiogram, biotype, plasmid profile, and were isolated from 4 different specimens including 6 catheter tips of different patients. But most clinical isolates showed various types of combination and seemed to be different strains. These results indicate that the epidemic strain were present in this hospital and the combination of antibiogram and plasmid analysis can be used to discriminate the epidemic strains of multi-resistant E. cloacae.
Amikacin ; Ampicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Carbohydrate Metabolism ; Catheters ; Cefazolin ; Cefoxitin ; Cephalosporins ; Ciprofloxacin ; Cloaca ; DNA Restriction Enzymes ; Enterobacter* ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Imipenem ; Isoelectric Focusing ; Microbial Sensitivity Tests ; Molecular Weight ; Parents ; Plasmids ; R Factors ; Sputum ; Suppuration ; Wounds and Injuries