PURPOSE: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the Korean short form-36 health survey version 2 for assessing the general population and to provide normative data on the general population. METHODS: Six hundred members of the general Korean population were recruited using a multistage quota sampling method. Data quality was evaluated in terms of the completeness of the data and the response consistency index. Each psychometric property was evaluated using descriptive statistics, item internal consistency, item discriminant validity, known-group validity, internal consistency reliability, and exploratory factor analysis. RESULTS: The rate of missing data was low, and the rate of consistent responses was similar to conventional criteria. Item internal consistency was acceptable across all scales, whilst item discriminant validity was satisfactory for five of the eight scales. Social functioning was the least acceptable in terms of not only item discriminant validity but also item consistency reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .64). Test-retest Pearson correlation coefficients ranged from .54 to .80. In known group comparison, male sex, age <60 years, high educational status, and the absence of any comorbidities were associated with higher scores than their counterparts. Item factor analysis yields the presence of six factors, accounting for 68.8% of the variance. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study generally support the use of the Korean short form-36 version 2 for evaluating the general population, although caution is recommended when interpreting the vitality, social functioning, and mental health scales. Further research is needed in Korea.
Accounting ; Comorbidity ; Educational Status ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Mental Health ; Psychometrics ; Quality of Life ; Reproducibility of Results ; Data Accuracy ; Weights and Measures

Common methods of suicide are hanging, toxic substance ingestion, descent from height, and drowning. However, suicide by cutting the tongue is very rare and there are almost no reported cases in the literature. A 76-year-old man who had terminal gastric cancer with multiple liver metastases was found dead in his home. Upon autopsy, it was noted that his tongue was cut by a pair of scissors four times and copious blood was identified in the stomach and intestine. The total loss of blood volume was approximately 750 mL. He had also cut his finger-tip and stabbed his abdomen with a pair of scissors. We concluded that lingual artery injury by scissors was the cause of death.
Abdomen ; Aged ; Arteries ; Autopsy ; Blood Volume ; Cause of Death ; Drowning ; Eating ; Humans ; Intestines ; Liver ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Suicide* ; Tongue*

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to elicit quality weights for 42 EQ-5D health states with the time trade-off (TTO) method from the general population of South Korea. METHODS: We selected the same EQ-5D health states as those in the UK MVH study. The Korean version of EQ-5D questionnaire and TTO method were used for the valuation process. We interviewed 500 people as a representative sample of the general population in Seoul and Gyeonggido. The result was compared with those from UK, Japan, and USA by Spearman's rank correlation and t-test. RESULTS: TTO values for 42 EQ-5D health states and 'unconscious' state were obtained from the general South Korean population. The best one was '11112' state and the worst one was 'unconscious' state. The states worse than death were '33323', '33333', and 'unconscious' states, which had negative TTO values. There was a strong correlation between TTO values of the EQ-5D health states and those of their corresponding states from UK, Japan, and USA (Spearman's correlation coefficient: 0.885, 0.882, and 0.944, respectively, p <0.001). However, absolute TTO values of most EQ-5D health states were significantly different from those of their corresponding states in other foreign studies (UK: 41/42, USA: 32/42, Japan: 15/17). CONCLUSIONS: We found that the Korean general population TTO values for EQ-5D health states were different from those of other foreign studies, suggesting that a specific Korean valuation set should be developed and used for economic evaluation studies in South Korea.
Time Factors ; Questionnaires ; *Quality-Adjusted Life Years ; Population Surveillance ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Korea ; Humans ; *Health Status ; Female ; Adult

OBJECTIVE: Angiogenesis is a critical factor in the progression of solid tumors. The mechanisms responsible for angiogenesis in cervical neoplasia, however, are not well defined. Our study was aimed to determine the expression of VEGF(Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor), its receptor(KDR), and TGF-beta1(Transforming Growth Factor-beta1) in cervical neoplasia, to determine the role of these angiogenic factors in preinvasive(dysplastic) process and the progression of cervical cancer and to investigate the progression of angiogenesis in the transition from normal cervix to invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix. METHODS: The cervical lesions of 76 patients were punch biopsied and paraffin embedded. Among these, 5 were normal cervix, 36 were cervical intraepithelial lesion I-III, and the other 35 were invasive squamous cell carcinomas. The tissues were immunostained with antiVEGF, antiKDR, and antiTGF-beta1 polyclonal antibody. RESULTS: The expression of VEGF, KDR, and TGF-beta1 in CIN III was stronger than those of CIN I(p<0.01). Their expression were not significantly different among the each staged cervical cancers(p>0.01). CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest that VEGF, KDR, and TGF-beta1 are important angiogenic factors in cervical neoplasia, especially in an early event to neoplastic transformation of cervical tissues, but these angiogenic factors are not associated with the progression of cervical cancer.
Angiogenesis Inducing Agents ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cervix Uteri ; Female ; Humans ; Paraffin ; Phosphotransferases* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*

This study was designed to investigate the effects of 8-week resistance exercise by using dumbell on the body composition, serum hormone profiles and feeding patterns in young and healthy female students with over 30% of body fat, aged 22 years in Masan, Korea. The subjects were all six, performed successfully the entire exercise-program. Anthropometry, serum lipid and neurohormone profiles of subjects were analyzed at 0, 4 and 8 weeks after exercise. And also their food and nutrient intakes were self-reported by 3-day record and food frequency questionnaire. Triceps skinfoldthickness of the subject students significantly reduced after the exercise to 46% less than before (p < 0.002). The serum concentrations of leptin, insulin and catecholamine appeared to decrease steadily, but not significantly. Total protein in serum increased significantly (p < 0.05), and Na (p < 0.005), K (p < 0.001) and Fe (p < 0.058) concentrations increased remarkably within the normal range. The 8-week resistance exercise tended to induce fiber consumption (p < 0.089) of subject students and changed the P/M/S ratio changed into the desirable way from 0.8 : 1 : 1 to 1 : 1 : 1, and that of n- 6/n-3 PUFA from 11 : 1 to 6 : 1. After taking exercise, the intake frequency of cookies (p < 0.058) and raymeun (p < 0.085) decreased, but finally this feeding pattern returned to the way as before even though at marginal significance. Consequently the resistance exercise may induce the desirable changes of body fat and improve serum lipid profiles and feeding patterns in young obese females.
Adipose Tissue ; Anthropometry ; Body Composition* ; Feeding Behavior* ; Female* ; Humans ; Insulin ; Korea ; Leptin ; Reference Values ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Pneumoconiosis is a parenchymal lung disease that results from the accumulation of coal dust in the lungs and the consequent tissue reaction. To evaluate the role of various personal factors in pneumoconosis and the significance of some serologic markers for assessing the disease activity related to pneumoconiosis, the Rheumatoid Factor(RF), α1-AT, C-Reactive Protein(CRT), ceruloplasmin and fibrinogen levels were measured. METHOD: All the patients were males, 45-76 years old, and the mean duration of coal dust exposure was 23.2 years. 51 patients were classified as having Simple Pneumoconiosis (SP), 59 had Progressive Massive Fibrosis (PMF). Fifty eight men with ages ranging from 26-70 years wer used as normal controls. The serum RF and CRT were titrated using an Autochemistry analyzer (HITACHI 7150 : Japan) and the α1-AT and ceruloplasmin levels were measured using a Nephelometer (Behring Nephelometer : Germany) and the fibrinogen levels were estimated by using and Autoanalyzer for hematologic coagulation. RESULT: There was a higher RF level in the SP, and PMF groups than in the control groups but there was no statistical difference. The CRP, α1-AT, and ceruloplasmin levels were also higher in the SP, and PMF groups. However, the fibrinogen concentration was within the normal ranges in both the SP and PMF groups. CONCLUSION: The CWP (Ed note : Define CWP) patients had significantly higher CRP, α1-AT, and ceruloplasmin levels compared to the control group. It is believed that these serologic changes could be used as a marker of the disease activity.
C-Reactive Protein ; Ceruloplasmin ; Coal* ; Dust ; Fibrinogen ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Male ; Pneumoconiosis* ; Reference Values ; Rheumatoid Factor

BACKGROUND: The SF-6D, derived from the SF-36, is a preference-based instrument measuring health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Using this tool, we measured the HRQOL of persons disabled by stroke dwelling in Gyeongju city and identified factors affecting the HRQOL. METHODS: As of March 2008, 991 persons who had had a stroke and were aged 50 and over were identified on the Gyeongju city disabled registry. Interviewers specifically trained for this face-to-face survey gathered pertinent information including general and clinical characteristics from June to October 2008. In addition, the health status was measured using the Modified Rankin Scale, the Barthel ADL index, and the SF-36. The SF-6D index was derived from the SF-36. We analyzed the known-group construct validity and convergent validity. Finally, we performed multiple regression analyses to identify factors affecting the HRQOL. RESULTS: Of the 991 potential subjects, 498 persons participated in the interviews (response rate: 50.3%). The SF-6D indices for females and those aged 70 and over were lower than indices for males and those aged 60 and less. Correlation coefficients between the Modified Rankin Scale, the Barthel index, and the SF-6D index were relatively high (-0.533 and 0.555, respectively) and statistically significant (P<0.001). Multiple regression analyses showed that sex, age, smoking, alcohol use, comorbidity, the Modified Rankin Scale, and the Barthel index had an effect on the SF-6D index of persons with stroke, and the Barthel index was the most important factor. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the SF-6D can be a valid tool for evaluating health states of persons disabled by stroke, and functional limitation was the main factor affecting the HRQOL.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aged ; Comorbidity ; Disabled Persons ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Quality of Life ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stroke ; Value of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to evaluate factors related to the degree of disability of stroke patients in a rural community. METHODS: The study subjects included 641 patients selected from 975 stroke patients over the age of 50 with brain lesion-related disabilities living in Gyeongju, Korea, an urban-rural consolidated community. The data were obtained by interviews from July to October 2008. The subjects were divided into a seriously disabled group (1st and 2nd disability grade) and mildly disabled group (3th, 4th, 5th and 6th disability grade) by degree of disability according to registered disability grade. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 14.0 statistical package. RESULTS: The study subjects included 379 males (59.1%) and 262 females (40.9%), and most patients were in their 70s (256 cases, 39.9%). The seriously disabled group included 287 patients (44.8%) and the mildly disabled group included 354 persons (55.2%). Age, prehospital delayed time and number of related chronic diseases were risk factors for serious disability (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that the degree of disability can be reduced by decreasing prehospital delayed time. We suggest that education of high risk groups and establishment of emergency services as well as a transport system for stroke patients are required to reduce the degree of disability due to stroke.
Brain ; Cerebrovascular Disorders ; Chronic Disease ; Emergencies ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Risk Factors ; Stroke

Purpose: To report a case of multiple retinal capillary hemangioma associated with neurofibromatosis type 1 and resulting neovascularglaucoma.Case summary: A 13-year-old boy was admitted with complaint of visual disturbance and dull pain in his left eye which had beguntwo weeks prior. Lisch nodules were observed in his left iris and corneal opacity with neovascularization of the iris and anglewere detected in the same eye. Multiple retinal capillary hemangiomas with increased tortuosity and congestion of feeding retinalvessels were observed on the upper equator of the left retina; in addition, vitreous hemorrhage was observed. There were noother abnormalities except iris mammillations in the right eye. Numerous café au lait macules were observed on the patient’s entirebody. He also exhibited axillary freckling. On brain magnetic resonance imaging, T2-weighted signal intensity was increasedin the basal ganglia, left thalamus, and cerebellar white matter; however, no vessel abnormalities were observed on magneticresonance angiography. High intraocular pressure (IOP) persisted despite the use of IOP lowering agents and IOP was normalizedafter trabeculectomy with mitomycin C administration. Conclusions This case shows that multiple retinal capillary hemangiomas can be accompanied by neurofibromatosis type 1,which may result in neovascular glaucoma.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the results of treatment using stent-angioplasty for symptomatic middle cerebral arterial (MCA) stenosis and comparison of in-stent restenosis between drug-eluting stents (DES), bare metal coronary stents (BMS) and self-expanding stents (SES). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From Jan. 2007 to June. 2012, 34 patients (mean age +/- standard deviation: 62.9 +/- 13.6 years) with MCA stenosis were treated. Inclusion criteria were acute infarction or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) and angiographically proven symptom related severe stenosis. Stents used for treatment were DES (n = 8), BMS (n = 13) and SES (n = 13). National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) at admission was 2.5 +/- 3.1 and mean stenosis rate was 79.0 +/- 8.2%. Assessment of clinical and angiographic results was performed retrospectively. RESULTS: Among 34 patients, periprocedural complications occurred in four cases (11.8%), however, only two cases (6.0%) were symptomatic. All patients were followed clinically (mean follow-up period; 40.7 +/- 17.7 months) and 31 were followed angiographically (91.2%. 13.4 +/- 8.5 months). There was no occurrence of repeat stroke in all patients; however, mild TIAs related to restenosis occurred in three of 34 patients (8.8%). The mean NIHSS after stent-angioplasty was 1.7 +/- 2.9 and 0.8 +/- 1.1 at discharge. The modified Rankin score (mRS) at discharge was 0.5 +/- 0.9 and 0.3 +/- 0.8 at the last clinical follow-up. In-stent restenosis over 50% occurred in five of 31 angiographically followed cases (16.1%), however, all of these events occurred only in patients who were treated with BMS or SES. Restenosis rate was 0.0% in the DES group and 20.8% in the other group (p = 0.562); it did not differ between BMS and SES (2/11 18.2%, 3/13 23.1%, p = 1.000). CONCLUSION: Stent-angioplasty appears to be effective for symptomatic MCA stenosis. As for restenosis, in our study, DES was presumed to be more effective than BMS and SES; meanwhile, the results did not differ between the BMS and SES groups.
Angioplasty ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Drug-Eluting Stents ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Infarction ; Ischemic Attack, Transient ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; National Institutes of Health (U.S.) ; Stents ; Stroke