PURPOSE: Some reports left handedness is more common in epileptic patients compared with normal populations, but the study on this topics are rare. This can be due to epilepsy itself or brain lesion in epileptic patients. The study about the handedness in epileptic patients may help identifying the relationship of handedness and epilepsy, symptomatic epilepsy, sites of brain lesion, age at first seizure attack, family history of epilepsy. METHODS: Subjects were 158 children with epilepsy who were admitted and able to describe the handedness at the Department of Pediatrics, Pusan national university hospital between January 1996 and August 1999. We reviewed their sex, age, handedness. At patient group, age at first seizure, age distribution, family history of epilepsy, seizure type, etiology of epilepsy, causes of symptomatic epilepsy, site of brain lesion, localization by EEG were analyzed. Control group is 158 children without neurologic problem. We analysed handedness according to its variables. RESULTS: There was no statistical significance in handedness between epileptic group and control group. There was no significant difference in handedness according to age at first seizure attack, seizure type, family history of epilepsy and age distribution. The left handedness is more common significantly in the group of symptomatic epilepsy, left side brain lesion and focal abnormality by EEG recording. CONCLUSION: We can find significant difference between symptomatic epileptic patient group and control group, especially in the case of the left brain lesion and focal abnormality by EEG recording. In the case of bilateral or diffuse brain lesion, most of patients showed right handedness(87.5%). Accordingly, we concluded that high prevalence of left-handedness in children with epilepsy is more related with left side brain lesion than epilepsy itself. We assumed the social factors strongly affect the handedness of epileptic patients when we see that most of patients show the right handedenss in the bilateral or diffuse brain lesions.
Age Distribution ; Brain ; Busan ; Child* ; Electroencephalography ; Epilepsy* ; Functional Laterality* ; Humans ; Pediatrics ; Prevalence ; Seizures

OBJECTIVE: The microRNA (miR)-10b is the T helper (Th) 17 cell specific in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The interleukin (IL)-22, which is closely related to Th17 cells, has been implicated in the regulation of new bone formation in experimental models. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate whether miR-10b affects bone formation via the IL-22 pathway in AS. METHODS: Primary CD4+ T cells from AS were purified and transfected with miR-10b, anti-miR-10b, or scramble. Cell-surface markers and cytokine expression were analyzed by flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Primary bone-derived cells (BdCs) from the facet joints of the spine were isolated, then osteogenic differentiation of primary BdCs was performed. We assessed alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and staining of BdCs at early time points. Alizarin red S staining of BdCs was performed at late time points. RESULTS: Overexpression of miR-10b reduced both IL-22 producing cell frequencies and cytokine production in T cells from the patients with AS. The IL-22 significantly increased ALP staining and bone mineralization. The ALP promotor activity of AS-BdCs was notably higher for the IL-22 concentration. The supernatants of the miR-10b overexpression group suppressed ALP activity on osteogenic progenitor cells from the facet joints of the spine in patients with AS. CONCLUSION Our data suggest that miR-10b suppresses IL-22 production, which was involved in osteogenic proliferation in AS. Therefore, miR-10b might be a potential therapeutic candidate for regulation of new bone formation in patients with AS.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin C on inflammation, tumor development, and dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota in an azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced inflammation-associated early colon cancer mouse model. MATERIALS/METHODS: Male BALB/c mice were injected intraperitoneally with AOM [10 mg/kg body weight (b.w)] and given two 7-d cycles of 2% DSS drinking water with a 14 d inter-cycle interval. Vitamin C (60 mg/kg b.w. and 120 mg/kg b.w.) was supplemented by gavage for 5 weeks starting 2 d after the AOM injection. RESULTS: The vitamin C treatment suppressed inflammatory morbidity, as reflected by disease activity index (DAI) in recovery phase and inhibited shortening of the colon, and reduced histological damage. In addition, vitamin C supplementation suppressed mRNA levels of pro-inflammatory mediators and cytokines, including cyclooxygenase-2, microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-2, tumor necrosis factor-α, Interleukin (IL)-1β, and IL-6, and reduced expression of the proliferation marker, proliferating cell nuclear antigen, compared to observations of AOM/DSS animals. Although the microbial composition did not differ significantly between the groups, administration of vitamin C improved the level of inflammation-related Lactococcus and JQ084893 to control levels. CONCLUSION: Vitamin C treatment provided moderate suppression of inflammation, proliferation, and certain inflammation-related dysbiosis in a murine model of colitis associated-early colon cancer. These findings support that vitamin C supplementation can benefit colonic health. Long-term clinical studies with various doses of vitamin C are warranted.
Animals ; Ascorbic Acid* ; Azoxymethane* ; Body Weight ; Colitis ; Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Cyclooxygenase 2 ; Cytokines ; Drinking Water ; Dysbiosis ; Gastrointestinal Microbiome ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-6 ; Interleukins ; Lactococcus ; Male ; Mice* ; Microbiota ; Necrosis ; Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen ; RNA, Messenger ; Sodium* ; Vitamins*

It is necessary to have accurate statistical data of disease for planning and evaluating public health policy as well as assessing population health index. The national health insurance data is the only data to assess incidence of diseases nation-wide. However, inaccuracy of the data pose serious limitations of use of the data. The Medical Record Departments of individual health facilities have used discharge summary information for hospital management and clinical research, but a nation-wide integrated database of diseases has not been setup and utilized. We applied previously developed Korean Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Sets to collect discha rge summary data from health care facilities and establish integrated database. We also made the question and answer column about disease of the database in the internet. We collected patient discharge data from a tertiary-care hospital for one year using the electronic discharge summary data collection system, except for health care costs. The internet querying system provided optional selection of columns or rows, individual and/or disease groups and surgical procedures. To make query easy, the system provided various functions like querying codes of diseases and/or surgical operations, reviewing questions, downloading results via excel files, help functions of query. The establishment of disease database and the interactive system through internet is in its inception, further studies may be necessary to make it a user friendly and accurate system. There is a need of an accurate assessment of current population-based health status and future trends in Korea. It is hoped that this study may trigger to establish national accurate database for enhancing studies of health policy making, clinical research and vital health statistics by expanding data collections to the se condary- care and primary- care institutions.
Incidence

The purpose of this study was to survey the organizational situation of medical record department(MRD) in hospitals to identify the factors influencing the production ol disease statistics in Korea. 134 hospitals answered for the structured questionnaires mailed to the 218 hospitals. This studs results are as follows. 1 ) There were three types in organizational situation of MRD: independent department (70.1%) a unit in other department (26.1 %) .and in the rest 3.7%. there were no MRD or unit. 2) The differences of work performed in MR ~) or on it in the second referral level hospitals and the third referral level hospitals were statistically significant in incomplete medical record management(p<0.05) DRG coding supplying research data, quality improvement activity. cancer registration(p<0.01) and transeription of medical record( p<0.0l). 3) 66.4% of the target hospitals were performing the recheeking of disease classification data after reponsible physicians completed the incomplete record 4) statistically significant variables which affect works performed in MRD are organizational situation of MRD(<0.001) and the number of medical record professionals. 41.3% of variation of works performed in MRD was explained by variation of organizational situation and the number of medical record professionals.
Classification ; Clinical Coding ; Diagnosis-Related Groups ; Korea ; Medical Records* ; Postal Service ; Quality Improvement ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Referral and Consultation ; Data Accuracy

The purpose of this study is to identify standardized items from Hospital Discharge Abstract and Analysis data by using UHDDS(Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Sets in USA) and to ascertain the computerization in tertiary hospitals. The data were collected by questionnaire survey, responded 38 hospitals(86.4%) out of 44 tertiary hospitals, and the conclusions are as follows. 1. As for the general characteristics of patient; hospital registration number, patient name, sex and social identification number were reported to 0.92%. 2. As for admission and discharge aspects; admission date was showed 0.92, type of admission and insurance were 0.87%, discharge date 0.92%, the code of primary condition, other diagnoses and primary procedure were 0.89%, disposition of discharge was 0.61%. 3. As for the other characteristics; attending physician license number and name of operating physician were showed 0.87%, birth weight of newborn 0.74%, nationality 0.44%. 4. As for the order communicating system, computerization for the medical record management was showed 57.9%, administration of outpatient 53.6%, administration of inpatient 44.7%, administration of emergency care 28.9%. Judging from the study, the development of Korean Uniform Hospital Discharge Data Sets using Discharge Abstract and Analysis System is applicable to the national wide collection of statistics on the diseases for the discharged patients.
Birth Weight ; Computer Systems ; Dataset ; Diagnosis ; Emergency Medical Services ; Ethnic Groups ; Feasibility Studies* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Inpatients ; Insurance ; Licensure ; Medical Records ; Outpatients ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Social Identification ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Tertiary Healthcare*

Background/Aims: Stress is closely related to the deterioration of digestive disease. Melatonin has potent anti-inflammatory properties. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of water stress (WS) and sleep deprivation (SD) on intestinal microbiota and roles of melatonin in stressful condition. Methods: We used C57BL/6 mice and specially designed water bath for stress and SD for 10 days. We measured melatonin concentrations in serum, feces, and colon tissues by high-performance liquid chromatography. Genomic DNA was extracted from feces and amplified using primers targeting V3 to V4 regions of bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA genes. Results: Compared to the control, melatonin concentration was lower in the WS and SD. Fecal concentration was 0.132 pg/mL in control, 0.062 pg/mL in WS, and 0.068 pg/mL in SD. In colon tissue, it was 0.45 pg/mL in control, 0.007 pg/mL in WS, and 0.03 pg/mL in SD. After melatonin treatment, melatonin concentrations in feces and colon tissue were recovered to the level of control. Metagenomic analysis of microbiota showed abundance in colitogenic microbiota in WS and SD. Melatonin injection attenuated this harmful effect. WS and SD showed decreased Lactobacillales and increased Erysipelotrichales and Enterobacteriales. Melatonin treatment increased Akkermansia muciniphila and Lactobacillus and decreased Bacteroides massiliensis and Erysipelotrichaceae. Conclusions This study showed that stress and SD could affect intestinal dysbiosis and increase colitogenic microbiota, which could contribute to the aggravating digestive disease. Melatonin concentrations in feces and colon tissue decreased under WS and SD. Melatonin treatment brought recovery of melatonin concentration in colon tissue and modulating dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota.