PURPOSE: To evaluate the usefulness of the impedance index of the renal vein for the diagnosis of acute obstructive uropathy in rabbits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ligation of the left ureter was done in 12 rabbits. Doppler sonography of the interlobar veins in both kidneys was checked before and 30 minutes, 1, 3, 6, 9 and 24 hours after ureteral ligation. The venous impedance index [(peak flow signal-least flow signal)/peak flow signal]was compared between the obstructed and non-obstructed kidneys for all periods. The change in the impedance index after ureteral ligation was also compared between the obstructed and non-obstructed kidneys. RESULTS: A decrease in the impedance index of the intrarenal vein was observed starting from 30 mins after ureteral ligation, and the index remained low up to 24 hours after ureteral ligation. The obstructed kidneys had a significantly lower impedance index than the contralateral kidneys for all six of the postligation measurements (p< 0.05). There were significant differences in the change of impedance index after ureteral ligation between the obstructed and non-obstructed kidneys (p< 0.05). CONCLUSION: The impedance index of the intrarenal vein was significantly decreased in the obstructed kidneys. The measurement of the impedance index of the intrarenal vein using Doppler sonography could provide a useful method of diagnosing obstructive uropathy.
Diagnosis ; Electric Impedance* ; Kidney ; Ligation ; Rabbits* ; Renal Veins* ; Ureter* ; Ureteral Obstruction* ; Veins

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the status and need for nutrition and dietary life education among nutrition teachers at schools. These characteristics were analyzed if they were different between elementary schools and middle-high schools. METHODS: Subjects were 151 nutrition teachers from 70 elementary schools, 41 middle schools and 40 high schools in 17 cities nationwide selected by two-stage stratified cluster sampling process. Survey questionnaires included the items on general characteristics, status and need assessment for nutrition and dietary life education. Chi-square test or t-test was used for data analysis by school groups. RESULTS: Nutrition education was implemented at 65.7% of elementary schools and 51.9% of middle-high schools. Nutrition education was mainly performed in 'discretionary activities·extracurricular activities' at elementary school and through 'newsletters, school homepage, foodservice bulletin board' at middle-high school (p<0.001). The most needed topic for nutrition education in nutrition teachers was 'healthy dietary habits and table manners' and this was not significantly different by school groups. Responses on adequate frequency (p<0.01), methods used for nutrition education (p<001), materials for nutrition education (p<0.001), information sources for nutrition education (p<0.001) were significantly different by school groups. Major tasks for activating nutrition education included 'securing the time for implementing nutrition education by reducing work loads' and 'developing standardized nutrition education materials' in schools. CONCLUSIONS: Nutrition education at schools might be activated by improving working conditions of nutrition teachers and developing the practical programs that reflect the needs of nutrition teachers.
Adolescent ; Child ; Education* ; Food Habits ; Humans ; Needs Assessment ; Statistics as Topic

A hand-arm vibration syndrome, local vibration illness, occurs in some workers who use hand held vibration tools. It consists of white fingers, diffusely distributed finger neuropathy, pain in the hand and arm, and a small excess risk of osteoarthritis. This study is aimed to identify effective methods to confirm local vibration illness among various health exams, which are mentioned in worker's special health exam regulation. In addition, this study is aimed to quantitatively assess the daily vibration exposure level as a major determinant of vibration illness. The subjects, 46 vibration workers, were selected according to the results of the first special health exam about vibration hazards at shipbuilding industry in 1997. They all had experiences of work related blanching of fingers. Fifteen controls, who had no vibration exposure at all, were also recruited to compare their test results with the results of vibration workers. We adopted 1 subjective and 6 objective tests to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility for confirming local vibration illness. These tests were history taking of subjective symptoms according to the Stockholm classification, checking blood pressure of finger, checking grasp power, checking finger skin temperature, nail-bed pressing test, vibration perceptional threshold test, and skin prick test for pain perception. Among these, checking skin temperature, nail-bed pressing test, and vibration perception test included cold water provocations. We also estimated some vibration exposure levels of hand held vibration tools by using previously published data from one automobile company. In conclusion, history taking of subjective symptoms according to the Stockholm classification, nail-bed pressing test, and vibration perceptional threshold test were discovered to be effective to diagnose local vibration illness. Furthermore, vibration perceptional threshold on right fingers showed a dose-response relationship to daily vibration exposure levels. The parameter beta was 0.0005(+/-0.0002), and statistically significant by REM (random effects model).
Arm ; Automobiles ; Blood Pressure ; Classification ; Fingers ; Hand ; Hand Strength ; Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome ; Osteoarthritis ; Pain Perception ; Skin ; Skin Temperature ; Vibration* ; Water

PURPOSE: Growth failure is a common problem in chronic renal failure(CRF). We studied the effect of growth hormone(GH) treatment and the factors influencing growth on chronic peritoneal dialysis patients. METHODS: Seventeen patients who were treated with peritoneal dialysis and GH for more than one year were enrolled. Factors influencing growth such as age, height at start of GH treatment, total Kt/Vurea, residual renal Kt/Vurea, hemoglobin, albumin, BUN, creatinine, total CO2, calcium, phosphate and iPTH during GH treatment were compared between the growth group(increase in height-standard deviation score(Ht-SDS) after one year of GH treatment, n=11) and poor growth group(no increase in Ht-SDS after one year of GH treatment, n=6). RESULTS: The mean age at the start of dialysis was 7.7+/-5.2 years and the mean age at the start of GH treatment was 8.5+/-4.8 years. In the growth group, Ht-SDS at start of GH treatment was smaller(-1.72+/-1.00 vs. -0.77+/-0.88, P=0.048) and residual renal Kt/Vurea was better (1.54+/-0.51 vs. 0.15+/-0.26, P=0.02) than the poor growth group. After three years of GH treatment, Ht-SDS of the growth group was better than the poor growth group. CONCLUSIONS: GH treatment in children with peritoneal dialysis was more effective on patients who had more severe growth retardation. The reservation of residual renal function was important for improvement of effect of GH treatment. And the growth response during the first year of GH treatment may be predicted as the indicator for long-term response.
Calcium ; Child ; Creatinine ; Dialysis ; Growth Hormone ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Peritoneal Dialysis

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to determine whether any features of apoptosis would occur in the established model of cerebral hypoxia-ischemia in neonatal rats. It was also undertaken to evaluate the effect of post-insult hyperoxia on hypoxic ischemic cerebral injury. METHODS: Seven-day-old neonatal rats underwent unilateral carotid artery dissection followed by 2 hours of hypoxia. To this end rat pups, allocated into 2 groups, were resuscitated with high concentration O2(>FiO2 95%) or room air for a 1-hour period. All of them were killed at 3 days after the above procedures. Their brains were perfusion fixed and removed to examine tissue damage by light microscope and apoptosis by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP- biotin nick end labeling(TUNEL) reactivity. RESULTS: The result demonstrates that hypoxia-ischemia model induces tissue damage and TUNEL. Post-insult exposure to high reactivity concentration O2 does not aggravate hypoxic-ischemic cerebral injury 3 days after the insult but increases TUNEL reactivity in injured tissue. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that many cells die by apoptosis following hypoxia-ischemia in neonatal brain and resuscitation with high concentration O2 seems to provide an adverse effect over a brain injury by induction of apoptosis.
Animals ; Anoxia ; Apoptosis ; Biotin ; Brain Injuries* ; Brain* ; Carotid Arteries ; DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase ; Hyperoxia ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Ischemia ; Models, Animal* ; Oxygen* ; Perfusion ; Rats* ; Resuscitation*

BACKGROUND: In Korea, the separation of prescribing and dispensing medicine was finally accepted as a medical policy in July, 2000, after a long period of discussion and study which was started in 1963. Now a year after the policy started, we investigated the knowledge, attitude, and practice of separation of prescribing and dispensing medicine. METHODS: Information, concerning whether the policy was effectively carried out and well understood, were gathered from 383 patients, who visited an university hospital from August 20 to September 1, 2001. RESULTS: The results revealed that 73.1% of the subjects knew the policy precisely. However, only 1.6% of them could answer all four questions on the purpose of the policy. The old-aged, the low educated, the low socioeconomic groups and the residents in agricultural area revealed poor understanding of the policy (P<0.05). Among the total, 74.9% showed negative response toward the policy. Time and cost increment were 75.7% and 75.2%, respectively. Among them 61.1% revealed negative attitude towards continuance the policy and 93.2% revealed dissatisfaction of the policy. CONCLUSION: The knowledge of the policy was relatively high. However, negative attitudes prevailed on the continuance of the policy. Therefore, more solutions and better strategies for the problems of prescribing and dispensing medicine would be needed.
Humans ; Korea

The aim of this case study was to report the clinical outcome of immediate provisionalization using one-piece narrow diameter (3.0mm) implants in missing maxillary lateral or mandibular incisors. The present study included 36 patients who were treated with 62 one-piece narrow diameter implants. After implant placement, immediate provisional restorations were delivered. All implants showed favorable osseointegration and after progressive loading from 3 months to 9 months (average of 5 months), final restorations were completed without failure in all cases. A survival rate of 100 % (62 of 62) was observed up to 23 months of observation (average of 12.6 months).
Humans ; Incisor ; Osseointegration ; Survival Rate

Purpose: Colonoscopy is an effective method of screening for colorectal cancer (CRC), and it can prevent CRC by detection and removal of precancerous lesions. The most important considerations when performing colonoscopy screening are the safety and satisfaction of the patient and the diagnostic accuracy. Accordingly, the Korean Society of Coloproctology (KSCP) herein proposes an optimal level of standard performance to be used in endoscopy units and by individual colonoscopists for screening colonoscopy. These guidelines establish specific criteria for assessment of safety and quality in screening colonoscopy. Methods: The Colonoscopy Committee of the KSCP commissioned this Position Statement. Expert gastrointestinal surgeons representing the KSCP reviewed the published evidence to identify acceptable quality indicators and indicators that lacked sufficient evidence. Results: The KSCP recommends an optimal standard list for quality control of screening colonoscopy in the following 6 categories: training and competency of the colonoscopist, procedural quality, facilities and equipment, performance indicators and auditable outcomes, disinfection of equipment, and sedation and recovery of the patient. Conclusion The KSCP recommends that endoscopy units performing CRC screening evaluate 6 key performance measures during daily practice.

A colonic mucosa-associated lymphoid-tissue (MALT) lymphoma is relatively rare compared to lymphomas of the stomach or small intestine. We present a case of a MALT lymphoma in the cecum and rectum found during screening colonoscopy. A 54-year-old female, who had undergone right-breast-conserving surgery with axillary dissection due to an invasive ductal carcinoma and a left-breast excisional biopsy due to microcalcification following adjuvant chemoradiation therapy 3 years earlier, was found to have 3-mm-sized smooth elevated lesions in both the cecum and rectum. No pathologic lesion or lymphadenopathy was found at any other site, but chronic gastritis negative for Helicobacter pylori infection was found. The polyps were removed by using an endoscopic biopsy and revealed an extra nodal marginal zone B-cell MALT lymphoma, showing positive for CD3 and CD20 by immunohistochemical staining. The patient underwent close observation without any additional treatment and has shown no evidence of recurrence as of her last visit.
B-Lymphocytes ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Ductal ; Cecum* ; Colon ; Colonoscopy ; Female ; Gastritis ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Intestine, Small ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, B-Cell, Marginal Zone ; Mass Screening ; Middle Aged ; Polyps ; Rectum* ; Recurrence ; Stomach

Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor widely used to treat several types of solid tumor. Although bevacizumab has fewer adverse effects than conventional chemotherapy agents, several serious events have been reported. Gastrointestinal perforation is an infrequent but potentially fatal side-effect of bevacizumab. The major mechanism of bevacizumab-associated gastrointestinal perforation is damage to the intestinal vasculature. However, preceding ischemic colitis is difficult to diagnose due to its non-specific symptoms. We report a case of a 56-year-old male with bevacizumab-associated ischemic colitis proven by colonoscopy and pathologic findings. The patient's condition improved after general supportive care including bowel rest, intravenous fluids, and intravenous antibiotics. No similar event has been reported since he resumed chemotherapy without bevacizumab.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bevacizumab ; Colitis, Ischemic* ; Colonoscopy* ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Intestinal Perforation ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A