BACKGROUND: Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a glycoprotein on cellular surface, which is highly condensed in embryonic tissue and tumor of various kinds. Previous study found out that CEA may grow with various cancer or other diseases other than cancer as well. Besides, it is widely known that smoking also influences the rise in CEA. Among the same smokers, some of them show high CEA figures in serum when others remain in normal range. There are those whose pulmonary function is not influenced by smoking when that of others are susceptible to it. Therefore, this study was undertaken with an aim to study the relationship between serum CEA and pulmonary function by investigating how the change in pulmonary function caused by smoking influences serum CEA. METHODS: From Nov, 1997 to Feb, 2001, this study carried out tests on adult male smokers ages 35 to 64 who visited a hospital located in Kang Nung city. The subjects were divided into two groups: one group of 29 subjects with high CEA with over 6.0 ng/ml with normal colon study; the other group, which is the CEA normal group, consisted of 58 subjects selected through age adjusted random sampling. Data on personal information, smoking and clinical history was collected from a questionnaire. CEA was tested using radioimmunoassay of Abott. Pulmonary function was examined using Analyzer assembly Vmax 20C from Sensormedics Company. These examinations was limited to those who have been screened not to have cancer by chest X-ray, abdominal ultrasonography, and duodenofibroscopy. RESULTS: Smoking per day for the group with high serum CEA was 1.3 pack ( 0.4 pack), which was found to be significantly higher compared to that of normal group (P<0.01). Pack-years with high serum CEA group was 32.6 13.5 which was also comparatively higher than that of the normal group with 22.4 10.9 (P<0.01). Pulmonary function test indicated that FEV1 for the group with high serum CEA was 3.0 0.5 L, which marked lower than that of the normal group with 3.4 0.5 L (P<0.05). After compensating for age and pack years, FEV1 decreased in proportion to the rise in CEA. CONCLUSION: This study has established a link between serum CEA and daily smoking, pack years, and pulmonary function and found that FEV1 was inversely proportionate to the rise in CEA regardless of corrected pack years and daily smoking. Consequently, serum CEA alone is thought to be related to the pulmonary function. Therefore, it is advised that smokers with high serum CEA need to take heed of the influence on pulmonary function.
Adult ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen* ; Colon ; Glycoproteins ; Humans ; Male* ; Radioimmunoassay ; Reference Values ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Thorax ; Ultrasonography ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and incidence of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) in Korea. In addition, we planned to do a performance analysis of the Registration Project of Type 1 diabetes for the reimbursement of consumable materials. METHODS: To obtain nationwide data on the incidence and prevalence of T1DM, we extracted claims data from July 2011 to August 2013 from the Registration Project of Type 1 diabetes on the reimbursement of consumable materials in the National Health Insurance (NHI) Database. For a more detailed analysis of the T1DM population in Korea, stratification by gender, age, and area was performed, and prevalence and incidence were calculated. RESULTS: Of the 8,256 subjects enrolled over the 26 months, the male to female ratio was 1 to 1.12, the median age was 37.1 years, and an average of 136 new T1DM patients were registered to the T1DM registry each month, resulting in 1,632 newly diagnosed T1DM patients each year. We found that the incidence rate of new T1DM cases was 3.28 per 100,000 people. The average proportion of T1DM patients compared with each region's population was 0.0125%. The total number of insurance subscribers under the universal compulsory NHI in Korea was 49,662,097, and the total number of diabetes patients, excluding duplication, was 3,762,332. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of T1DM over the course of the study was approximately 0.017% to 0.021% of the entire population of Korea, and the annual incidence of T1DM was 3.28:100,000 overall and 3.25:100,000 for Koreans under 20 years old.
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1* ; Epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Insurance ; Korea* ; Male ; National Health Programs ; Prevalence

PURPOSE: Due to their vulnerability and relatively high driving speed, motorcycles have been associated with a high risk of sustaining multiple severe injuries after traffic accidents. We sought to investigate sustained injuries and the association of accident mechanisms with injury severity for unhelmeted motorcycle accident victims. METHODS: This study was conducted as an observational retrospective study. Unhelmeted motorcycle accident victims who visited the study hospital from January 2010 to December 2011 were included. Data were obtained from medical records, ambulance run-sheets, and telephone interviews. Accident mechanisms were divided into collision with an obstacle, single vehicle accident, collision with another vehicle, collision by another vehicle, and falling accident from the viewpoint of energy. Glasgow coma scale (GCS), Revised trauma score (RTS), and Injury Severity Score (ISS) were analyzed for comparison of injury severity according to the accident mechanisms. RESULTS: Of 404 patients who visited the study hospital, 165 patients were included; 87.3%(144/165) were male, and 78.8%(130/165) were drivers. The incidence of motor cycle accident showed the highest in the teenager and in time during 18:00~24:00 o'clock. Lower extremity was the most common site of injury, followed by upper extremity, head, and face etc. Injury due to falling was the most severe injury mechanism, followed by collision with another vehicle, collision by another vehicle, and a single vehicle and an obstacle (p=0.013). CONCLUSION: Lower extremity injury was the most common injury site in unhelmeted motorcycle accidents, and motorcycle accidents by fall and collision with another vehicle should be considered as a severe mechanism of injury.
Accidents, Traffic ; Adolescent ; Ambulances ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Head ; Humans ; Incidence ; Injury Severity Score ; Interviews as Topic ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Medical Records ; Motorcycles ; Retrospective Studies ; Upper Extremity