No abstract available.
Cell Line* ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Medroxyprogesterone Acetate* ; Medroxyprogesterone* ; Tamoxifen*

Angelicae Gigantis Radix (AGR, Angelica gigas) has been used for a long time as a traditional folk medicine in Korea and oriental countries. Decursinol angelate (DCA) is structurally isomeric decursin, one of the major components of AGR. This study was performed to confirm whether DCA augments pentobarbital-induced sleeping behaviors via the activation of GABA(A)-ergic systems in animals. Oral administration of DCA (10, 25 and 50 mg/kg) markedly suppressed spontaneous locomotor activity. DCA also prolonged sleeping time, and decreased the sleep latency by pentobarbital (42 mg/kg), in a dose-dependent manner, similar to muscimol, both at the hypnotic (42 mg/kg) and sub-hypnotic (28 mg/kg) dosages. Especially, DCA increased the number of sleeping animals in the sub-hypnotic dosage. DCA (50 mg/kg, p.o.) itself modulated sleep architectures; DCA reduced the counts of sleep/wake cycles. At the same time, DCA increased total sleep time, but not non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. In the molecular experiments. DCA (0.001, 0.01 and 0.1 µg/ml) increased intracellular Cl- influx level in hypothalamic primary cultured neuronal cells of rats. In addition, DCA increased the protein expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD(65/67)) and GABA(A) receptors subtypes. Taken together, these results suggest that DCA potentiates pentobarbital-induced sleeping behaviors through the activation of GABA(A)-ergic systems, and can be useful in the treatment of insomnia.
Administration, Oral ; Angelica ; Animals ; Electroencephalography ; Eye Movements ; Glutamate Decarboxylase ; Korea ; Medicine, Traditional ; Motor Activity ; Muscimol ; Neurons ; Pentobarbital ; Rats ; Receptors, GABA-A ; Rodentia* ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Sleep, REM

PURPOSE: To evaluate the feasibility of the interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) as a supplementary diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of genitourinary tuberculosis (GUTB). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-seven patients who were tested with the IGRA to diagnose GUTB were included. All patients had clinical or radiologic features suspicious for GUTB. Signs and symptoms included chronic dysuria with long-standing sterile pyuria, renal calcification with distorted renal calyces and contracted renal pelvis, and chronic epididymitis. Patients who had a history of tuberculosis in other organs were excluded. Tests including IGRA, urine acid-fast bacilli (AFB) stain and culture, urine tuberculosis polymerase chain reaction (UT-PCR), and radiological examinations were performed to confirm GUTB. The medical records of the patients were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: The IGRA result was positive in 30 patients (52.6%). The results of the urine AFB stain and culture were positive in 5 patients (8.8%) and 7 patients (12.2%), respectively. The results of UT-PCR were positive in 9 patients (15.8%). The 7 patients who showed positive results in the urine AFB stain and culture also had positive results on the IGRA. A UT-PCR-negative patient was diagnosed with GUTB by positive results on both the IGRA and AFB stain and culture. CONCLUSIONS: The IGRA might feasibly be used as a supplementary or screening tool for the diagnosis of GUTB in addition to urine AFB stain and culture. Further studies for statistical evaluation of its sensitivity, specificity, and efficacy are needed.
Contracts ; Dysuria ; Epididymitis ; Humans ; Interferon-gamma ; Interferon-gamma Release Tests ; Kidney Pelvis ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Medical Records ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Pyuria ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Urogenital

A 56-year-old man had five nail gun-shots on his skull due to attempted suicide and was transferred to the emergency room. Because the nail head played a role as a brake, the launched nail made a hole in the skull but did not entirely pass through it. If major artery or sinuses are not involved, cautious retrieval after a small scalp incision can be performed and prophylactic antibiotics be administered for treatment.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Arteries ; Craniocerebral Trauma* ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Head ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Scalp ; Skull ; Suicide, Attempted

BACKGROUND: Obesity is not anly one of the risk factors that affects the prevalence and aggravation of chronic diseases, but is also the cause of social unfitness because slimness has become a standard of beauty. We surveyed on the satisfaction about self body image, the factors which are related to it and weight control behavior of the adolescents in a local area of Korea. METHODS: The survey was performed in a high school of Pocheon on August, 1996. Five classes out of 14 classes in 1st and 2nd grade were selected. The body mass index(BMI) was calculated from the measured height and weight. The satisfaction about body image which was estimated by the difference between present body image and wanted body image in 9 graded figures of body image was obtained from the questionnaire. The information about sex, religion, history of being teased about body image, body image of their parents, mean duration of watching TV in a day, body esteem, and binge-eating was obtained from the questiannaire and we evaluated the relationship between all of the above with BMI and body image satisfaction. We also investigated on the interest in education about weight control and efforts made by adolescents from the questionnaire on weight control behavior. RESULTS: Total of 224 students participated in this study and only 14.7% of them were satisfied with their body image. 58.9% wanted weight reduction and 26.4% wanted weight gain. They were more dissatisfied with their body image when they were girls(p<0.01), had the experience of being teased about their body image(p<0.01), had low body esteem(p<0.01), and had high BMl(p<0.01). We could not find statistically significant relationship between body image satisfaction and other factors such as religion, the duration of watching TV in a day, the body image of their parents and binge eating. 64.3% of the subjects tried to control their weight and most(87.5%) tried to lose weight. The selected methods were diet control(65.3%) and exercise(52.1%) and the most preferred method of diet control was skipping meah(45.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Most of adolescents were not satisfied with their body image and this dissatisfaction was related to gender, history of being teased about their body image, BMI, and body esteem. Many of them had tried to lose weight and among the methods of weight reduction, there were behaviors that were injurous to their health and growth
Adolescent* ; Beauty ; Body Image* ; Bulimia ; Chronic Disease ; Diet ; Education ; Humans ; Korea ; Obesity ; Parents ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Weight Gain ; Weight Loss ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Isolated ACTH deficiency is a rare cause of secondary adrenocortical insufficiency. The clinical presentation can be similar to that of primary adrenal insufficiency, but most of them may be nonspecific. A female patient of 25 months of age, complainig short stature, showed hypocortisolemia without ACTH & cortisol stimulation by insulin-induced hypoglycemia test. All the other hormone state was normal. Left hand AP view revealed delayed bone age(3 month) compared with chronological age. No radiologic abnormality was found in sella MRI and adrenal CT. Here we report a case of isolated ACTH deficiency presented by short stature.
Addison Disease ; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Hypoglycemia ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging

BACKGROUND: Gastric cancer remains the main cause of cancer-related death in Korea. Accurate preoperative staging of gastric cancer is essential to predict prognosis and to plan optimal treatment. Although there are many reports dealing with the diagnostic values of conventional methods, controversies are still present especially in the field of preoperative staging. In this study, we evaluated the accuracy of gastroscopy and upper gastrointestinal series(UGI) for diagnosis of gastric cancer, and determined the usefulness of ultrasonography and computed tomography for preoperative staging. METHODS: One hundred twenty-three patients, who underwent operation from Aug. 1991 to Mar. 1995 under the diagnosis of gastric cancer were analyzed. We excluded 15 patients because their postoperative definitive stagings were undetemined. RESULTS: 1) Among 123 patients, the proportion of early gastric cancer was 26.0%(32/123) and that of the advanced gastric cancer was 74.0%(91/123). 2) The sensitivity of endoscopic diagnosis of gastric cancer was 96.7%(119/123), and the accuracy to determine the depth of invasion was 82.9% (102/123). 3) The sensitivity of UGI study for gastric cancer was 89.9%(98/109), and the accuracy to determine the depth of invasion was 61.5%(61/109). 4) The sensitivity of abdominal ultrasonography to detect the tumor was 11.3%(8/71), the accuracy to determine the T stage was 29.2%(28/96), and the sensitivity and specificity to detect lymph node metastasis was 13.6%(8/59), 100%(37/37), respectively. 5) The sensitivity of abdominal CT to detect the tumor was 74.3%(26/35), the accuracy to determine the T stage was 32.5%(13/40), and the sensitivity and specificity to detect lymph node metastasis were 34.5%(9/29), 72.7%(8/11), respectively. 6) The accuracy of preoperative staging was 45.5%(56/123). The 49.6%(62/123) of gastric cancer was downstaged, whereas only 4.1%(5/123) was overstaged. CONCLUSION: Our results show that high accuracy for diagnosis of gastrie cancer with the gastroscopy and UGI. However preoperative staging with ultrasonography and computed tomograpy was often underestimated, which could be concluded that the usefulness of the radiologic methods was limited.
Diagnosis* ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: This study aimed to improve prostate biopsy compliance by analyzing the factors that influence the acceptance of prostate biopsy by patients to whom transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided prostate biopsy is recommended for suspected prostate cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects of this study were 268 patients to whom TRUS-guided prostate biopsy was recommended from January to June 2011 and who completed a questionnaire. Patients who showed a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) increase to more than 4.0 ng/mL or abnormal findings on a digital rectal examination and TRUS were recommended to undergo prostate biopsy. The questionnaire consisted of 9 questions about the subjects' demographic characteristics and 15 questions that assessed their knowledge of prostate disease. Fisher exact probability test was conducted to assess the influence of the demographic characteristics and levels of knowledge of prostate disease on acceptance of prostate biopsy. RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects was 66.2 years (range, 43-83 years). Of the cohort, 188 patients (70.7%) agreed to the prostate biopsy and 78 patients (29.3%) refused. In terms of demographic characteristics, the patients' acceptance of prostate biopsy was associated only with education level. Patients with relatively lower education levels had a higher acceptance rate for prostate biopsy (80.0% vs. 65.9%, p=0.018). Other demographic factors, as well as the degree of knowledge of prostate disease, had no significant effect on the acceptance rate. CONCLUSIONS: The patients' acceptance of prostate biopsy can be influenced by demographic characteristics, especially education level. Therefore, when prostate biopsy is recommended to patients, their demographic characteristics should be taken into consideration.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biopsy, Needle/methods/psychology ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Kallikreins/blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Patient Acceptance of Health Care ; Prospective Studies ; Prostate-Specific Antigen/blood ; Prostatic Neoplasms/*pathology/psychology/ultrasonography ; Republic of Korea ; Socioeconomic Factors ; Ultrasonography, Interventional

No abstract available.
Classification* ; von Willebrand Diseases* ; von Willebrand Factor*

Background: Based on the reports of low prevalence and severity of pediatric severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections, the Korean government has released new SARS-CoV-2 infection response and treatment guidelines for children under the age of 12 years. The government has further directed school reopening under strict preventive measures. However, there is still considerable concern on the impact of school reopening on community transmission of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the appropriateness of these directives and the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections in children as compared to adults using sufficient national sample data. Methods: In the present study, we evaluated the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in pediatric patients as compared to adults by analyzing the length of hospital stays (LOS), medical expenses, and hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) admission rates. A multivariate linear regression analysis was carried out to examine the effects of COVID-19 patients that the characteristics on the LOS and medical expenses, and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to identify COVID-19 characteristics that affect hospital and ICU admission rates and to prove the low SARS-CoV-2 infection severity in pediatric patients. Results: The hospitalization period for children aged 0–9 was 37% shorter and that of patients aged 10–19 years was 31% shorter than those of older age groups (P < 0.001). The analysis of the medical expenses by age showed that on average, medical expenses for children were approximately 4,900 USD lower for children than for patients over 80 years of age. The linear regression analysis also showed that patients who were 0–9 years old spent 87% and those aged 10–19 118% less on medical expenses than those aged 70 and over, even after the correction of other variables (P < 0.001). The probability of hospitalization was the lowest at 10–19 years old (odds ratio [OR], 0.05; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.03–0.09), and their ICU admission rate was also the lowest at 0.14 (OR, 0.14; 95% CI, 0.08–0.24). On the other hand, the likelihood of hospitalization and ICU admission was the highest in children aged 0–9 years, and among patients under the age of 50 years in general. Conclusion This study demonstrated the low severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in younger patients (0–19 years) by analyzing the LOS, medical expenses, hospital, and intensive care unit admission rates as outcome variables. As the possibility to develop severe infection of coronavirus at the age of 10–19 was the lowest, a mitigation policy is also required for middle and high school students. In addition, children with underlying diseases need to be protected from high-risk infection environments.