No abstract available.
Animals ; Medulla Oblongata* ; Putrescine* ; Rats*

Although malignant melanoma usually occurs after the diagnosis of vitiligo-like depigmentation, the latter is rarely followed by the former. We herein report on such a case in which recognition of the vitiligo-like depigmentation preceded diagnosing the metastatic melanoma by several months. A 56-year-old woman had first developed vitiligo-like depigmentation on the forehead, eyelids, neck and back 18 months previously and thereafter she detected a hard mass in the left axilla 2 months previously. Based on the histologic findings, the axillary mass was diagnosed as metastatic melanoma. To evaluate the primary tumor focus, thorough examinations that included PET-CT, bone scan and sigmoidoscopy were performed, but we couldn`t find any the original primary tumor. Our case suggests that the vitiligo-like depigmentation could be a sign that heralds metastatic melanoma.
Axilla ; Eyelids ; Female ; Forehead ; Humans ; Melanoma ; Middle Aged ; Neck ; Sigmoidoscopy

The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence and risk factors for widespread pain and its influence on quality of life in residents of Korean communities. A rural and an urban community were selected, and 5,037 subjects were surveyed. Participants were asked if they had pain, aching, or stiffness in any of their joints on most days. Widespread pain was defined as pain above the waist, below the waist, on both sides of the body and in the axial region. The prevalence of widespread pain was 12% (16.2% and 5.5% in females and males, respectively). It was more frequent among females and increased with age in both genders. Age, female gender, and the presence of hand or knee arthritis were significantly associated with widespread pain after multivariate analysis. Except for mental health, all the items in the SF-12 were adversely affected in the widespread pain group after adjustment for confounding factors. Our findings show that the prevalence of widespread pain among residents of Korean communities is comparable to that reported among Caucasians. The significantly worse quality of life among subjects with widespread pain suggests that it may cause major health issues in the aging population.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Aged ; Demography ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Pain/*epidemiology/psychology ; Prevalence ; *Quality of Life ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Rural Population ; Sex Factors ; Urban Population

Amiodarone (AD) is a benzofuran derivative that has been used for the treatment of recurrent arrhythmia and as a coronary vasodilator in Europe since 1964. AD-related hyperpigmentation develops after an average of 20 months of continuous AD treatment and with a minimal total dose of 160 g AD in less than 10% of the patients. A 49-year-old man presented with asymptomatic blue-gray patches that had slowly developed on the face over the previous 3 months. He had been taken amiodarone continuously for 39 months (cumulative dose: 974 g). A skin lesion biopsy from the face showed many dermal melanophages containing brown granules. The AD was discontinued and he begin using sunscreen and is courrently being followed-up. The skin discoloration was still evident, but slightly diminished at five month's follow up.
Amiodarone ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Benzofurans ; Biopsy ; Europe ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Middle Aged ; Pigmentation ; Skin

OBJECTIVES: Child mortality remains a critical problem even in developed countries due to low fertility. To plan effective interventions, investigation into the trends and causes of child mortality is necessary. Therefore, we analyzed these trends and causes of child deaths over the last 30 years in Korea. METHODS: Causes of death data were obtained from a nationwide vital registration managed by the Korean Statistical Information Service. The mortality rate among all children aged between one and four years and the causes of deaths were reviewed. Data from 1983-2012 and 1993-2012 were analyzed separately because the proportion of unspecified causes of death during 1983-1992 varied substantially from that during 1993-2012. RESULTS: The child (1-4 years) mortality rates substantially decreased during the past three decades. The trend analysis revealed that all the five major causes of death (infectious, neoplastic, neurologic, congenital, and external origins) have decreased significantly. However, the sex ratio of child mortality (boys to girls) slightly increased during the last 30 years. External causes of death remain the most frequent origin of child mortality, and the proportion of mortality due to child assault has significantly increased (from 1.02 in 1983 to 1.38 in 2012). CONCLUSIONS: In Korea, the major causes and rate of child mortality have changed and the sex ratio of child mortality has slightly increased since the early 1980s. Child mortality, especially due to preventable causes, requires public health intervention.
Cause of Death ; Child Mortality/*trends ; Child, Preschool ; Communicable Diseases/mortality ; Databases, Factual ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Neoplasms/mortality ; Nervous System Diseases/mortality ; Republic of Korea ; Sex Ratio ; Vital Statistics

Metastatic disease involving the thyroid gland is uncommon. Thyroid metastases has been previously described from several primary cancers of lung, breast, and kidney. Because of the lower incidence and ambiguous clinical significance, it is not easy to consider thyroid metastasis and decide the optimal time for performing diagnostic examination. Here, we reported two cases of metastatic diseases of thyroid in patients who had underlying Hashimoto’s thyroiditis: a 39-year-old woman who had thyroid metastasis of breast cancer with underlying Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and a 44-year-old woman with metastatic lung cancer.

Tuberculosis verrucosa cutis is a common form of cutaneous tuberculosis. Most cases of tuberculosis verrucosa cutis appear as secondary infections of skin, however concomitant primary internal organ involvement rarely occurs. To our knowledge, only three cases of coexistence of tuberculosis verrucosa cutis and pulmonary tuberculosis have been reported in literatures to date. We report on another case of tuberculosis verrucosa cutis, which occurred in a middle-aged, Korean woman with pulmonary tuberculosis, and review the literatures.
Coinfection ; Female ; Humans ; Skin ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Cutaneous ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

OBJECTIVES: Parental socioeconomic status (SES) exerts a substantial influence on children's health. The purpose of this study was to examine factors determining children's private health insurance (PHI) enrolment and children's healthcare utilization according to PHI coverage. METHODS: Korea Health Panel data from 2011 (n=3085) was used to explore the factors determining PHI enrolment in children younger than 15 years of age. A logit model contained health status and SES variables for both children and parents. A fixed effects model identified factors influencing healthcare utilization in children aged 10 years or younger, using 2008 to 2011 panel data (n=9084). RESULTS: The factors determining children's PHI enrolment included children's age and sex and parents' educational status, employment status, and household income quintile. PHI exerted a significant effect on outpatient cost, inpatient cost, and number of admissions. Number of outpatient visits and total length of stay were not affected by PHI status. The interaction between PHI and age group increased outpatient cost significantly. CONCLUSIONS: Children's PHI enrolment was influenced by parents' SES, while healthcare utilization was affected by health and disability status. Therefore, the results of this study suggest disparities in healthcare utilization according to PHI enrollment.
Adolescent ; Ambulatory Care ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Databases, Factual ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Infant ; *Insurance, Health ; Male ; Odds Ratio ; *Patient Acceptance of Health Care ; Republic of Korea ; Social Class

BACKGROUND: A predominant accumulation of adipose tissue in abdominal region confers increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The best technology available for measurement of regional fat distribution is computed tomography. However, computed tomography is limited its use for clinical purposes by cost. The aim of this study is to identify the best simple anthropometric index of abdominal visceral fat accumulation. METHODS: To quantify the relationship between anthropometric indices of abdominal obesity(waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, waist to height ratio, body mass index, abdominal sagittal diameter) and abdominal(total, visceral, subcutaneous) fat areas measured by computed tomography, correlation and multiple regression analyses have been conducted. RESULTS: No significant difference for waist circumference, body mass index and sagittal diameter between men and women have been found. Mean value of waist to hip ratio is larger in women, but waist to height ratio is larger in men. The mean abdominal total fat area and mean subcutaneous fat area are higher in women. Interestingly, men, despite lower total fat area, have higher mean abdominal visceral area. Thus, the mean visceral fat to subcutaneous fat ratio is much higher in men. Abdominal sagittal diameter shows the highest correlation(men: 0.69, women: 0.76) with abdominal visceral fat area in both genders. Stepwise regression analyses have been performed to determine the best simple anthropometric index of abdominal visceral fat accumulation. In men, the significant indices are abdominal sagittal diameter, body mass index, and waist to height ratio. In women, abdominal sagittal diameter is the only significant index. CONCLUSION: Abdominal sagittal diameter, in comparison with the waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, waist to height ratio and body mass index, is the best predictor of the amount of abdominal visceral fat.
Adipose Tissue ; Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Female ; Hip ; Humans ; Intra-Abdominal Fat* ; Male ; Obesity ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Waist Circumference ; Waist-Hip Ratio

PURPOSE: To analyze the location of microcalcifications present on pathologic specimens and the relationshipbetween the shape of clustered microcalcifications seen on mammogram and the location of these microcalcificationson pathologic specimen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 84 female patients aged 25-68, we analysed the location ofmicrocalcifications seen on pathologic speciments. In 65 cases, the shape of these microcalcifications correlatedwith their location. These shapes, as seen on mammograms, were classified as granular, linear, or branching ; thelocation of microcalcifications was difined as intraductal, stromal, lobular, or a mixture of the three. Todetermine the difference, if any, between pathologic diagnosis and pathological location and shape as seen onmammograms, statistical analysis using the Chi-square test was performed. RESULT: Among 84 cases, 51 were benignand 33 cases were malignant. In both types of disease, in 45% and 58% of cases, respectively, microcalcificationswere located intraductally. There was no statistically significant difference between pathologic diagnosis andpathologic locations (p = 0.191) ; analysis of the relationship between shape of microcalcification andpathological location similarly revealed no statistically significant difference ( p > 0.05 ) . In four of 33cases of malignant disease(12 %), there was microcalcification not only of the tumor itself but also of theadjacent non-tumorous region. CONCLUSION: Regardless of whether the disease was benign or melignant,microcalcifieations were most commonly intraductal. The relationship between shape and location ofmicrocalcifications seen on pathologic specimens demonstrated no statistical significance.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans