The incidence data(1991.7.1~1992.6.30)from the Implementation study of seoul cancer Registry(lSSCR) were evaluated in terms of its completeness and validity. Two indicators for the completeness, Mortality/Incidence ratio(M/I ratio) and Age-specific Incidence Curve, showed fairy good registration throughout the age-sex specific strata, except the strata aged over 75 years old. The strata had very high M/I ratio(over 100%) and decreasing pattern of incidence, which suggested incomplete registration of cancer in this group. The active surveillance by a ISSCR staff improved the registration rate especially among elderlies. From the site specific M/I ratio, we found that liver cancer had oddly high M/I ratio. Since this high M/I ratio of liver cancer appears consistently in other reliable cancer registries, it is more like to be due to the highfatality of it rather than incomplete registration. The validity of the incidence data was assessed by three indicators; Histological verification (HV%), Primary Site Unknown (PSU%), and Age Unknown(Age UNK%). The average HV% were 77% for men and 85% for women, which were slightly lower than those of other reliable cancer registries This low HV% might be due to the considerable size of relative frequency of liver cancer in Korea, regarding the fact that the diagnosis of liver cancer is made mostly by non-biopsical radiologic methods (CT, Ultrasono, Angiography, MRl etc.). The level or PSU% and Age UNK% were in acceptable range, but not low enough, especially in terms of Age UNK%. Although ISSCR data had acceptable quality in general, it is needed to have more hospitals participate in the registry surveillance, to make registry data merged with death certificate data regularly, and educate the registration staffs to be more competent and dedicated.
Aged ; Angiography ; Death Certificates ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Liver Neoplasms ; Male ; Registries ; Seoul*

Aurthors have treated 77 cases of acute supp rative osteomyelitis since January 1972 until December 1979. Among them 69 patients had surgical treatment while 8 cases had antibiotic therapy only. 42 patients out of 69 surgically treated cases had fenestration operation, while 27 cases had multiple drilling operation to evacuate the bony abscess. In 15 cases Turkels bone biopsy needle was used to decompress the infected bones, and by It the abscess could be very effectively evacuated. After decompression with a Turkel needle by placing a small calibered polyethylene tube Into the lesion, the lesion was continuously irrigated with antibiotics solution. This procedure has proved to be very effective and a successful one which can easily be practised as an office procedure in the very poor and needy cases. Also when patients are seriously ill and/or other extensive surgery is not feasible, this simple procedure can easily be practised without hazard, Good end results without sequellae were abtained when early decompression with massive antiblotic therapy was instituted even by Turkel needle drainage.
Abscess ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biopsy ; Decompression ; Drainage ; Humans ; Needles ; Osteomyelitis ; Polyethylene

The aim of the spine fusion is to obtain the stability of the spine. Spinal fusion have been used for the treatment of tuberculosis and arrest of the progress of spinal deformity such as scoliosis. Nowadays the spine fusion is used often in conditions which present the instability; spondylosis, spondylolisthesis and the unstable postlaminectomy spine. Unilateral posterolateral fusion plus hemiposterior fusion were done only in the cases who had wide hemilaminectomy, while in rest of cases bilateral posterolateral fusion was indicated in this series. Fifty-two cases, treated with posterolateral lumber fusion during the period from June 1980 to Dec. 1985, were analysed clinically and radiologically and the following results were obtained. l. Among the 52 cases, 25 cases(48.1%) were male; and 27 cases(51.9%) were female; The youngest was 16 years of age and the oldest one was 63 years of age. Average age of the patient was 39.6 years. 2. Fifteen patients had spinal stenosis, 14 cases of spondylolisthesis, 11 cases of H.N.P., 6 cases of spondylolysis, 4 cases of tuberculous spondylitis and 2 cases of fracture-dislocation of lumbar spine. 3. As a method immobilization after operation, postoperatively hips spica cast was applied in 4 cases for 12 weeks, Norton-Brown back brace in 9 cases following 6 weeks of posloperative hip spica cast immobilization and Norton-Brown brace 39 cases following 2 weeks of postoperative bed rest. 4. In 41 cases bilateral posterolateral fusion was done, and in 11 cases unilateral posterolateral fusion plus hemiposterior fusion were done. The bony union was established within 4 months after bilateral posterolateral fusion in 37 cases and after unilateral posterolateral fusion in 9 cases. In 2 cases complete union was obtained within 6 months after fusion. 5. The union rate was 92.7% in bilateral posterolateral fusion and 90.9% in unilateral posterolateral fusion. There was no significant differences of the union rate between bilateral and unilateral fusion groups. Therefore, the unilateral posterolateral fusion is a suitable method in the treatment of mild spinal instability regardless of its causes. The procedure has benefits, such as short operation time, less blood loss, and less surgical burden to the patient.
Arthrodesis ; Bed Rest ; Braces ; Clinical Study ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Female ; Hip ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Male ; Methods ; Scoliosis ; Spinal Fusion ; Spinal Stenosis ; Spine ; Spondylitis ; Spondylolisthesis ; Spondylolysis ; Spondylosis ; Tuberculosis

OBJECTIVES: Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) mutation are commonly associated with hyperhomocysteinemia, and through their defects in homocysteine metabolism, they have been implicated as a risk factor for recurrent spontaneous abortion. Recent report describe that 28-bp tandem repeat polymorphism in thymidylate synthase enhancer region (TSER) that influence enzyme activity would affect plasma homocysteine level. We have investigated the relationship between TSER genotype and plasma homocysteine level in 54 patients with recurrent spontaneous abortion. METHODS: Plasma homocysteine level was measured by fluorescent polarizing immunoassay. MTHFR mutation (C677T and A1298C) was identified by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay and TSER mutation was analyzed by PCR method. The data were analyzed using the program SAS 8.2 for Windows. RESULTS: Total homocysteine level was significantly higher in MTHFR 677TT genotype (9.80+/-3.87 mumol/L) than MTHFR 677CC genotype (8.14+/-1.74 mumol/L) in Korean patients with unexplained recurrent spontaneous abortion (p=0.0143). However, the plasma homocysteine level was not significantly different in the MTHFR 1298AA (8.42+/-2.65 mumol/L) and 1298CC (6.09+/-0.32 mumol/L; p=0.2058) and, TSER 2R2R (8.61+/-1.68 mumol/L) and 3R3R (8.05+/-2.81 mumol/L; p=0.9319) mutant genotypes, respectively. In this study, we found the combination effects of TSER and MTHFR C677T genotypes. Plasma homocysteine levels were the highest (11.47+/-4.66 mumol/L) in individuals with TSER 3R3R (8.05+/-2.81 mumol/L) and MTHFR 677TT (9.80+/-3.87 mumol/L) genotypes. Individuals with a combination of both TSER 2R2R/2R3R and MTHFR 677CC/CT genotypes (7.69+/-1.77 mumol/L) had lower plasma homocysteine levels than TSER 2R2R (8.61+/-1.68 mumol/L) and MTHR 677CC (8.14+/-1.74 mumol/L) genotypes, respectively. The effect of MTHFR polymorphism in the homocysteine metabolism appears to be stronger than that of TSER polymorphism. CONCLUSION: Although statistically not significant, we found the elevated level of plasma homocysteine in combined genotypes with TSER and MTHFR (C677T and A1298C) in Korean patients with unexplained habitual abortion. In this study, we reported the possibility that TSER polymorphism is a genetic determinant of plasma homocysteine levels in the Korean patients as well as MTHFR C677T polymorphism. A large prospective study is needed to verify our findings.
Abortion, Habitual ; Abortion, Spontaneous* ; Female ; Genotype ; Homocysteine* ; Humans ; Hyperhomocysteinemia ; Immunoassay ; Metabolism ; Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) ; Plasma* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors ; Tandem Repeat Sequences ; Thymidylate Synthase*

BACKGROUND: Korean people could abuse healthy foods as well as medications, which might cause serious side effects. The aim of this study was elucidating liver dysfunction due to the self-medications of hepatotonics, healthy foods and herb medications by nested case-control study. METHODS: Study subjects were drawn from male members of seoul Cohort Study who were recruited by self-administered structured questionnaire survey through mailing to the healthy men between the age of 40 and 59 years through the program of biennial health check-up offered by Korea Medical Insurance Corporation(KMIC). The liver dysfunction was defined as the level of serum AST and ALT above 40 IU/L and increased in more than one hundred per-cent during the 2 year follow-up period. To estimate the odds ratio between self-medication and liver dysfunction after controlling for potential confounders, logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 30 members were identified to fit into case criteria and 2,625 members were selected as control. In logistic regression analyses, history of healthy foods intake, age under 45 years, obesity, and habit of regular exercise were significantly associated with liver dysfunction. The following factors exhibited no statistical significance: intake of hepatotonics, of herb medicine; history of disease in family, of operation, and of radiologic examination; smoking habits and drinking amounts. CONCLUSION: The significant association between the intake of healthy foods and the liver dysfunction illustrates that chronically optional overuse of healthy foods might bring to hazards to health. As the increasing trend of the size of purchasing healthy foods in Korea, pharmacoepidemiologic studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of the widely used healthy foods should be performed in the near future.
Adult* ; Case-Control Studies ; Cohort Studies ; Drinking ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Insurance ; Korea ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver* ; Logistic Models ; Male* ; Obesity ; Odds Ratio ; Pharmacoepidemiology ; Postal Service ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul ; Smoke ; Smoking

No abstract available.
Antibodies* ; Coxiella burnetii* ; Coxiella* ; Prevalence*

PURPOSE: This study was done to analyze the changes in the clinical conditions and the diagnosis of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. METHODS: We report a retrospective clinical analysis of 39 patients with hypertrophic pyloric stenosis from Jan. 1992 to Aug. 2001. The age and sex distribution, family and birth history, clinical symptoms, the ultrasonographic and the operative sizes of pyloric canals were compared. RESULTS: The body weight was below the 3 percentile at admission in eight cases(20.5%). "Olive like mass" in right upper quadrant was palpated during physical examination in 23 cases(59%) and gastric peristaltic wave observed in six cases(15%). The ultrasonographic measurements showed that the pyloric muscle thickness to be 4.95+/-0.99 mm(mean+/-SD), pyloric diameter 14.42+/-2.64 mm, and pyloric length 20.17+/-3.92 mm. Fredet-Ramstedt pyloromyotomy was employed in all cases. The operative measurements of the pyloric muscle thickness was 5.11+/-1.01 mm, pyloric diameter 15.01+/-2.47 mm, and pyloric length 22.32+/-3.43 mm. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference between the ultrasonographic and operative measurements. Currently, the hypertrophic pyloric stenosis patients showed lesser clinical hallmarks of the disease. The earlier diagnosis using imaging studies before development of significant metabolic abnormalities is becoming an important factor that change the future outcomes of hypertrophic pyloric stenosis.
Body Weight ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Physical Examination ; Pyloric Stenosis, Hypertrophic* ; Reproductive History ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Distribution

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome(PJS) is a relatively rare autosomal-dominant disease characterized by the occurrence of extensive mucocutaneous hyperpigmentation and gastrointestinal polyps. PJS patients are considered to have a high prevalence of intussusception due to polyps. We report the radiological findings in two cases of intussusception due to polyps in patients with PJS, and review the literature.
Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Intussusception* ; Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome* ; Polyps ; Prevalence

OBJECTIVES: Effective cancer prevention and control measures can only be done when dependable data on the cancer incidence is available. The Seoul Cancer Registry (SCR) was founded to provide valid, comparable and representative cancer incidence data for Koreans. We aimed to compare the cancer incidence in the first (1993-1997) and second term (1998-2002) of the SCR, and we analyzed the annual incidence trend during that 10 years. METHODS: The SCR detects potential cancer cases through the Korean Central Cancer Registry (KCCR) data, the health insurance claims, the individual hospital's discharge records and the death certificates. About 87% of the SCR data is registered through the KCCR. The rest of the data is registered by SCR registrars who visit about 70~80 mid-sized hospitals in Seoul to review and abstract the medical records of the potential cancer patients. RESULTS: The total number of new cancer cases was higher in 1998~2002 than in 1993~1997 by 20.6% for men and 18.4% for women, respectively. The age-standardized rate (ASR) of total cancer per 100,000 increased 1% (from 295.4 to 298.3) for men and 5.1% (from 181.5 to 190.7) for women, between the two periods. The commonest cancer sites during 1998-2002 for men were stomach, liver, bronchus/lung, colorectum, bladder and prostate, and the commonest cancer sites for women were breast, stomach, colorectum, cervix uteri, thyroid and bronchus/lung. Compared with the ASRs in 1993, the ASRs in 2002 increased for colorectum (58.4% for men, 27.1% for women), prostate (81.5%), breast (58.3% for women), thyroid (141% for women), and bronchus/lung (15.4% for women). The ASRs for stomach (-18.7% for men, -20.7% for women) and uterine cervix cancer (-39.7%) had decreased. CONCLUSIONS: The cancer incidence is increasing in Seoul, Korea, especially for the colorectum and prostate for men, and for the breast, colorectum, bronchus/lung and thyroid for women.
Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Neoplasms/classification/*epidemiology ; Registries ; Sex Distribution

It has been suggested that colorectal cancer might not be one homogenous disease entity, based on the distinctive characteristics of its subsite of origin. Incidence data on 4,987 colorectal cancer were obtained from the Seoul Cancer Registry between 1993 and 1995. Age, sex, and subsite-specific incidence rates were compared. The age-standardized annual incidence rates of total colorectal cancer were 26.1 and 18.0 per 100,000 for men and women, respectively. There were no appreciable difference in the rates of colon and rectal cancer for either sex (colon vs rectum: 12.8 vs. 13.2 for men, 9.3 vs. 8.6 for women). The incidence rate of right colon was slightly higher in men than in women, and this discrepancy became even greater in left colon (men vs women: 3.5 vs. 3.0 for right colon, 4.7 vs. 2.9 for left colon). When the incidence rate of right colon was compared with that of left colon, women had a higher rate in the right colon among the elderly, aged 60 yr and over and a lower rate at age 40 yr or less, while the opposite was observed for men. More analytic approaches are needed to identify which factors are related with these descriptive results in colorectal cancer incidence.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Colorectal Neoplasms/epidemiology* ; Female ; Human ; Incidence ; Korea/epidemiology ; Male ; Middle Age