Colorectal cancer is the 4th most common cancer occurring in Korea, exceeded in frequency by stomach, liver, and lung cancer. It is also the 4th leading cause of cancer death in Korea. The incidence of the colorectal cancer in Korea is increasing gradually and continuously for the recent several decades. The etiology of carcinoma of the colon and rectum remains unclear. However, many studies have suggested a correlation between colorectal cancer and dietary factors such as excessive intake of animal fat, protein, and refined carbohydrates, and less intake of vegetable fiber. There are also a number of diseases with hereditary predisposition to colorectal cancer. Those are familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC), Peutz Jeghers syndrome, and juvenile polyposis. The clinical features of colorectal cancer are varied and nonspecific. The symptoms that most often prompt patients to seek medical attention include rectal bleeding, a change in bowel habit, and abdominal pain. Whether a patient has any noticeable symptoms or what form the symptoms take depends somewhat on the location of the tumor and the extent of disease.
Abdominal Pain ; Adenomatous Polyposis Coli ; Animals ; Carbohydrates ; Colon ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Liver ; Lung Neoplasms ; Mortality ; Peutz-Jeghers Syndrome ; Rectum ; Stomach ; Vegetables

Colorecal cancer undergo relatively long preneoplastic processes before being invasive. Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) has been a useful tool to detect the advanced colorectal cancers with cost-effectiveness. However, the patient’s compliance to FOBT was poor because of low sensitivity and annual sampling. The sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy have the ten-year preventive effect for the advanced cancer. Recently the DNA stool test for detection of mutations has showed excellent sensitivity and specificity. It has several adventages such as collection of samples and automated analysis. Virtual colonoscopy, especially CT colonograpy, can be a viable option for the colorecal cancer screening. In November 2001, the Korean Society of Coloproctology (KSCP) and the Natinal Cancer Center (NCC) developed the guidelines on screening and surveillance for early detection of colorectal cancers in Korea. Average-risk men and women should start colonoscopic examination with a 10-year interval at the age of 50. Individuals with increased risk such as those with a family or personal history of colorectal cancer or colorectal adenomas, or family history of familial adenomatous polyposis, hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer should consult their surveillance to the specialty-physicians. The ideal screening tools may change by age.
Adenoma ; Adenomatous Polyposis Coli ; Colonography, Computed Tomographic ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Compliance ; DNA ; Early Detection of Cancer ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening* ; Occult Blood ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sigmoidoscopy

Hereditary syndromes cause approximately 5 to 10% of overall cancer cases. Cancer related with genetic syndromes are found elsewhere, including stomach, breast, colorectum, ovary, brain and so on. Because hereditary cancers are due to germline mutations, these patients have unique clinical features distinct from sporadic cancer. Generally these features include (i) early age-of onset of cancer, (ii) frequent association with synchronous or metachronous tumors, (iii) frequent bilateral involvement in paired organs (iv) frequent association with other site tumors or characteristic clinical manifestation specific to each genetic syndrome. Due to these differences, the management strategy for patients with hereditary cancer is quite different from that for sporadic cancer. Additionally, there are important screening and surveillance implications for family members. Genetic counselling is prerequisite to these families for risk assessment by pedigree analysis, and guidance to clinical or genetic testing. The genes responsible for these syndromes has recently identified, as a result, genetic testing has become important determining factor in clinical decisions.

Decubitus ulcer is often seen in the skin and underlying tissue of debilitated or immobilized patients as the result of prolonged pressure and impaired circulation. It manifests chiefly as an ulcer over bony prominences, but tumefaction is an extremely unusual presentation. A 53-year old male, a paralytic of the lower extremity for 18 years, developed a recurrent decubital ulcer despite repeated surgical repair, from which a rapidly growing, large fungating mass grew within a month. The last resected mass was bosselated and measured 15x9x3 cm with a major area of cicatrix-like induration, interdigitated with skeletal muscle bundles at the central area. Microscopically, the mass was composed of an upper half of active granulation tissue layer and a deeper half of dense, poorly cellular, fibrocollagenous bundles admixed with florid proliferation of atypical fibroblasts, but the absence of mitosis and the multifocal admixture of active inflammatory process-granulation tissue formation seemed to help exclude genuine fibromatosis, nodular fasciitis or proliferative myositis. We assume that this rapidly growing pseudofibromatosis is an additional manifestation of a prolonged decubitus ulcer, possibly related to the modified reparative process of decubitus ulcer following repeated excisions, for which we propose a term of decubitoma.

In anesthetized cats the effects of lactate-activated muscle spindle upon the group Ia muscular afferent fibers were studied. Laminectomy was done from L5 to Sl spinal cord level. Extracellular recording was done at dorsal root to record the impulse discharge from group Ia muscular afferent fibers. 1) Muscle spindle of Gastrocnemius-Soleus muscle were activated by lactate injection and exhibited increased impulse discharge through group Ia muscular afferent fibers. 2) There was latency of 7-12 seconds before muscle spindle is activated by lactate injection. But the whole response was not dose related. 3) The response pattern after lactate injection was divided into three groups which were excitation, inhibition and inhibition with preceding excitation. 4) Some responses were similar to those of bradykinin, sympathetic stimulation (adrenaline injection) and succinylcholine injection. 5) It was suggested that muscle spindle has characteristics of polymodal receptor which has responses to not only mechanical stimulation but also chemical stimulation.
Animals ; Bradykinin ; Cats ; Lactic Acid ; Laminectomy ; Muscle Spindles ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Nerve Roots ; Stimulation, Chemical ; Succinylcholine

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The endoscopic mucosal resection has now been adopted for a useful modality in both curative therapy and accurate diagnosis of early gastric cancer. A retrospective study was done to evaluate the indication and the limitation of endoscopic mucosal resection of early gastric cancer. METHODS: We studied 20 cases of early gastric cancer treated by endoscopic mucosal resection in Chungnam National University Hospital from November, 1995 to July, 1997. RESULTS: 1) The size affected the curability: 83. 3% of lesions less than 2 cm and 50. 0% of those larger than 2 cm were resected completely. 2) The depth of cancer invasion affected the curability: 87. 5% of lesion confined to mucosa were resected completely, while all of submucosal cancers were resected incompletely. 3) Among fourteen cases resected completely, three cases of lesions larger than 2 cm were residual cancer and two of those less than 2 cm were recurred locally. CONCLUSIONS: To be a curative therapy by endoscopic mucosal resection of early gastric cancer, we think that careful selection of the lesion, that is lesion less than 2cm and confined to mucosa, is necessary
Chungcheongnam-do ; Diagnosis ; Mucous Membrane ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Retrospective Studies ; Stomach Neoplasms*

Osteopetrosis is a very rare bone dysplasia characterized by failure of resorption and persistence of calcified chondroid and primitive bone. In 1904 Albers-Schonberg first described the radiological appearance of marble bone. This is named osteopetrosis by Karshner in 1926. A fulminating form is manifested from birth in which fractures and deformity, hydrocephalus and cranial nerve palsies lead to early death from intractable anemia and intercurrent infection. In other cases the stigmata are delayed until later childhood, when retardation of growth and of mental and sexual development occurs, and not infrequently accompanied by rickets, dental caries and osteomyelitis. We have experienced a familial osteopetrosis, father and three siblings, which was thought to be a autosomal dominant inheritance. One of those family, 20 years old man, has been complained of anemia and low back pain without radiating pain to the lower extremities. The other 3 patients has not been complained of any other clinical symptoms. But X-Ray examination of the entire skeletal survey of those members of the family have revealed the uniform opacity of long bones and flat bones.
Anemia ; Bone Diseases, Developmental ; Calcium Carbonate ; Christianity ; Clothing ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Cranial Nerve Diseases ; Dental Caries ; Fathers ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus ; Low Back Pain ; Lower Extremity ; Osteomyelitis ; Osteopetrosis ; Parturition ; Rickets ; Sexual Development ; Siblings ; Wills

No abstract available.

OBJECTIVES: Auditory verbal hallucination (AVH) is knoun for its high prevalence and difficulty in evaluation. Authors hypothesized that it may be possible to find useful dimensions of AVH that reflect the clinical status of schizophrenic patients by assessing the multi-dimensional changes and linguistic forms' of AVH during antipsychotic treatment. METHODS: 33 schizophrenic patients with AVH were selected and periodically assessed with the 11 items of hallucinations subscale of 'The Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS)'. In addition, to assess the linguistic forms observed in the AVH, the evaluations of sentence structure of AVH reported by the patients were conducted. RESULTS: PSYRATS showed the multidimensionality inherent in AVH. The changes in the quantitative dimensions did not correlate well with patients' subjective distress. However, qualitative changes in the cognitive and emotional dimensions showed more favorable correlation with clinical course of the patient. The sentence structures of AVH showed tendency to change from "sentence" to "non-sentence" type with overall improvement during treatment. CONCLUSION: Multi-dimensional approach to AVH can give us more information about the changing patterns of multi-faceted structure of AVH and clinical status of patients than one-dimensional or categorical approach.
Hallucinations* ; Humans ; Linguistics ; Prevalence ; Weights and Measures

OBJECTIVES: Auditory verbal hallucination (AVH) is knoun for its high prevalence and difficulty in evaluation. Authors hypothesized that it may be possible to find useful dimensions of AVH that reflect the clinical status of schizophrenic patients by assessing the multi-dimensional changes and linguistic forms' of AVH during antipsychotic treatment. METHODS: 33 schizophrenic patients with AVH were selected and periodically assessed with the 11 items of hallucinations subscale of 'The Psychotic Symptom Rating Scales (PSYRATS)'. In addition, to assess the linguistic forms observed in the AVH, the evaluations of sentence structure of AVH reported by the patients were conducted. RESULTS: PSYRATS showed the multidimensionality inherent in AVH. The changes in the quantitative dimensions did not correlate well with patients' subjective distress. However, qualitative changes in the cognitive and emotional dimensions showed more favorable correlation with clinical course of the patient. The sentence structures of AVH showed tendency to change from "sentence" to "non-sentence" type with overall improvement during treatment. CONCLUSION: Multi-dimensional approach to AVH can give us more information about the changing patterns of multi-faceted structure of AVH and clinical status of patients than one-dimensional or categorical approach.
Hallucinations* ; Humans ; Linguistics ; Prevalence ; Weights and Measures