The educational goal of premedical education is to provide a desired college-level training in liberal arts as well as sciences, and to provide a basis for future medical studies. However, there has been concern that the current premedical education at Korea University has been unproductive and has not met the educational goals. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the current premedical academic curriculum at Korea University and to provide baseline data for developing an improved premedical curriculum. A survey involving faculty, residents, and students from Korea University Medical School was conducted. The results of the study suggested that the current premedical curriculum was not relevant to future medical studies and the General Studies Program as a source for learning liberal arts and humanities, were not appropriate. There was a growing need for structural and functional integration between premedical and medical studies and in addition to requirement of reinforcing the social and human sciences into the premedical curriculum.
Curriculum* ; Education, Premedical ; Humanities ; Humans ; Korea* ; Learning ; Schools, Medical

Angiogenesis is essential for tumor growth and metastasis, however, the prognostic value of neovascularization is undetermined. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prognostic significance of microvessel density (MVD) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression in breast carcinomas. An immunohistochemical stains for CD 31 (DAKO) to estimate MVD and VEGF (Santa Cruz) were done on 40 cases of invasive breast carcinoma. MVD was calculated as an average count of vessels per 200 power field in the most vascularized areas. VEGF expression was interpreted according to staining intensity and number of positive cells. Mean MVD was 35, and MVD was not correlated with lymph node metastasis or histologic grade, but high MVD (mean MVD>35) showed an increasing tendency in cases with larger size, negative ER/PR, and positive cathepsin D. All of the cases showed VEGF expression, but VEGF expression was not correlated with tumor size, histologic grade, lymph node metastasis, ER/PR status, and cathepsin D expression. These results suggest that MVD and VEGF expressions are not reliable prognostic factors.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Cathepsin D ; Coloring Agents ; Lymph Nodes ; Microvessels* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

The present study was conducted to examine metabolic risk factors and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of Korean females living in Seoul and to investigate the relationship between the metabolic risk factors and serum TAC. A total of 353 females aged between 20 and 64 participated in the study. Obesity indicators, blood pressure, serum lipid profile and fasting blood glucose were measured as metabolic risk factors. Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay was employed to determine serum TAC of subjects. Obesity indicators such as body mass index, waist circumference and waist-hip ratio were significantly higher in the participants aged > or = 50 y (older group) than in the participants aged 20-49 y (younger group) (p < 0.001). Blood pressure, serum total cholesterol (TC), riglyceride (TG) and fasting blood glucose were also significantly higher in the older group than in the younger group (p < 0.001), demonstrating significant positive correlations between age and MS risk factors. The association between FRAP and MS risk factors were also investigated. FRAP values showed significant positive correlations with age (p = 0.001), serum TG (p = 0.002) and TC (p = 0.03). A tendency of positive association between FRAP and waist circumference was observed without any significant difference (p = 0.06). Increased serum FRAP with central obesity and serum lipids may be interpreted as results of activation of antioxidant defense system against oxidative stress induced by metabolic syndrome (MS) constituent factors. However, to verify the function of FRAP as a potential biomarker of susceptibility to MS various contributors to the plasma antioxidant capacity and their biological relevance related to MS should be elucidated further.
Aged ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol ; Fasting ; Female ; Humans ; Obesity ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Oxidative Stress ; Plasma ; Risk Factors ; Waist Circumference ; Waist-Hip Ratio

Purposes of the study were to : (a) measure the levels of job satisfaction, (b) investigate the degree of job characteristics, (c) determine the levels of organizational commitment, (d) investigate relationships between demographic variables and job satisfaction, and (e) examine the relationship between organizational commitment, job characteristics and job satisfaction. Questionnaire was developed and mailed to 300 dietitians who are currently working in school, hospital and industry foodservices. A total of 177 questionnaires were usuable : resulting in a 59% response rate. Results of this study were summarized follows: 1. Approximately half of the respondents(46.9%) indicated that the were 26 to 30 years old. A total of 112 respondents(63.3%) were unmarried. A bachelor's degree was reported as the most common education level(46.9%) while 6.2% of the participants reported a master's degree. Years of employment in professional practices were ranged from 2 to 5. Approximately 40% of the respondents had earned over 900,000 won per month. 2. Work itself of the JDI was with the highest job satisfaction mean score followed by supervision, co-workers, wage and promotion. 3. In total job satisfaction score, dietitians in school foodservices were a significant lower than dietitians in industry foodservices and hospital foodservices. 4. A significant relationship was found for demographic factors and four job facets in terms of job itself, co-workers, and promotion. 5. A work itself was the most improtant facet th the dietitian followed by wage and promotion. 6. Task identity of the JCI facets was the most prevalent job characteristics followed by variety, dealing with others, feedback and friendship. 7. Three groups of dietitians had no significant difference in total job characteristics score. 8. A group of dietitians with a higher job satisfaction score had a significant higher score in job variety and job autonomy. 9. Organizational commitment mean score with dietitians was 1.88. 10. Job satisfaction score for five facets and total job satisfaction were significantly correlated with organizational commitment score. 11. Job charateristics with job variety, job autonomy, feedback, task identity, friendship were positively correlated with organizational commitment.
Adult ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Demography ; Education ; Employment ; Friends ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction* ; Nutritionists* ; Organization and Administration ; Postal Service ; Professional Practice ; Salaries and Fringe Benefits ; Single Person

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Prostate*

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Renal Cell* ; Prostate*

This study was carried out to investigate foodservice management practices of 100 child care centers nationwide, and to provide background information for developing foodservice management policies at child care centers. Approximately 20% of the child care centers had a separate dining room; most of the centers were vulnerable to sanitation or safety problems. The percentage of the centers that planned menus was about 60% and 10% established standardized recipes. Fourteen percent of the centers kept records for distribution and menu evaluation and 33% kept sanitation management records. Since only 7% of the centers employed a dietitian, foodservice in most centers were not managed by professionals. The results of menu assessment revealed that 56.5% of the national/public child care centers received 19 points or higher out of 21 points, whereas 5.6% of the private child care centers received the same scores. Proper usage and storage of raw food, sanitary management of equipment and facilities, waste management/leftover food treatment, and basic facility of cooking zones were performed well by many centers. The overall scores of foodservice performance were only 31.2 out of 60 points, representing relatively poor safety management, food procurement management, and facilities and equipment management. These results indicate that the foodservice management of the child care centers are in a relatively poor state. Since nutrition management of the most centers was performed by non-professionals, it may not be possible to provide proper nutrition for health and normal growth of preschool children and to perform efficient nutrition education programs. The following suggestions are strongly recommended in order to improve foodservice performance at child care centers. First, foodservice administration should be performed by a dietitian, and second, efforts should be focused on strengthening nutrition and sanitation management.
Child ; Child Care* ; Child* ; Child, Preschool ; Cooking ; Education ; Humans ; Nutritionists ; Safety Management ; Sanitation

With socioeconomic development and change of esthetic recognition, the demand for orthodontic treatment and number of orthodontic patients has been increasing so rapidly. And frequency of malocclusion was changed. So this study was done in an attempt to provide an epidemiologic study so that we can accomodate their orthodontic needs adequately and to obtain the reliable quantitative information regarding the characteristics of orthodontic patients. Distribution and trends were examined in 3,070 malocclusion patients who had been examined and diagnosed at Department of Orthodontics, Dental Hospital, Chosun University over 10 year-period from 1990 to 1999. The results were as follows : 1.The number of patients per year was increasing trend and higher visiting rate in female(56.5%) than in male(43.5%). 2.Age distribution had shown 7~12 year-old group being the largest(37.9%) and each percentage of 13~18, 19~24, above-19, 0~6 year-old group was 32.0%, 19.6%, 7.1%, 3.4%. 3. Hellman dental age IVa which is completion of the permanent dentition showed the highest percentage in male and female. 4.Geographic distribution showed a majority of patients in Kwang Ju(71.0%). Group within the distance 10km from Chosun Dental Hospital was 56.3% and group within 20km was 14.7%. 5.Anterior cross bite showed the highest percentage in chief complaints and percentage of Mn. prognathism and protrusion of Mx. teeth was 12.6%, 12.2%. 6.Distribution in the types of malocclusion according to the Angle's classification had shown; 38.9% for Class I, 20.7% for Class II division 1, 2.0% for Class II division 2, 38.4% for Class III. 7.In the dental vertical dysplasia according to the Angle's classification, deep bite was the most frequent in Class II div.1 and div. 2(24.3%, 56.7%) and open bite in Class III(21.4%). 8.In the skeletal sagittal dysplasia, 39.3% of skeletal ClassII was due to the undergrowth of the mandible and 46.3% of skeletal ClassIII was due to the overgrowth of the mandible. 9.Distribution in orthodontic treatment accoding to the extraction and nonextraction had shown 66.9% for nonextraction case, 33.1% for extraction case, and four first bicuspids have been extracted in the highest percentage(38.6%). 10.Patients who had orthognathic surgery comprised 7.9%, with an increasing trend.
Bicuspid ; Dentition, Permanent ; Epidemiologic Studies* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Malocclusion ; Mandible ; Open Bite ; Orthodontics* ; Orthognathic Surgery ; Overbite ; Prognathism ; Tooth

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to describe a viable communication skills course for medical students and to discuss how to improve it for better teaching. METHODS: The subjects were a communication skills course and one hundred thirty three third-year medical students who participated in the course in 2006. Program evaluation by students was conducted using questionnaire at the end of each session and the entire course. RESULTS: The communication course was named as "Medical Communication Skills". Basic communication skills and interview skills for specific clinical situations were taught. We used experiential leaning methods such as standardized patient (SP) interviews with feedback. Students rated the course highly especially for SP-based practice sessions and student group projects. The course evaluation indicated that the students considered communication skills to be significantly more important as a clinical competency after the completion of the course. CONCLUSION: We confirmed that the communication skills course was well perceived by medical students and they preferred experiential learning methods more than didactic methods.
Humans ; Problem-Based Learning ; Program Evaluation ; Students, Medical* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Although spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is a frequent complication in the childhood nephrotic syndrome, it is very rare in adults with nephrotic syndrome. It frequently develops when the patients are either in relapse or receiving steroid therapy at the time peritonitis is diagnosed. We report an unusual case of a spontaneous bacterial peritonitis as the presenting feature in a 15-year-old male patient with nephrotic syndrome. He presented with diffuse abdominal pain and distension for 15 days. Abdominal paracentesis revealed the diagnostic laboratory findings of peritonitis, and the bacterial culture of the ascites showed a mixed growth of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruzinosa. His serum albu- min level was 1.6gldL and the amount of 24 hours proteinuria was 21.0g/day. Although he was treated with adequate antibiotics for 3 weeks, the peritonitis was more aggravated. We decided to insert a catheter into the peritoneal cavity for continuous drainage of the intractable ascites. Two weeks after drainage, the peritonitis improved as the peritonitis subsided, the proteinuria disappeared completely without a steroid therapy. Six months after spontaneous remission, the proteinuria have recurred, and the kidney biopsy then showed focal segmental glomerulorsclerosis.
Abdominal Pain ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Ascites ; Biopsy ; Catheters ; Drainage ; Escherichia coli ; Humans ; Kidney ; Male ; Nephrotic Syndrome* ; Paracentesis ; Peritoneal Cavity ; Peritonitis* ; Proteinuria ; Pseudomonas ; Recurrence ; Remission, Spontaneous