No abstract available.
Hepatitis B Surface Antigens* ; Humans ; Prevalence*

No abstract available.
Family Practice* ; Humans ; Primary Health Care*

No abstract available.
HIV-1* ; Humans* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

Teratomas are neoplasm composed of a wide variety of tissues foreign to the organs or anatomic sites in which they arise. They generally arise in gonads but a few cases are described in extragonadal sites, such as sacro-coccygeal region, mediastinum, neck, and retroperitoneum. Most sacrococcygeal teratomas are encountered in infants, particularly in neonates, and a primary sacrococcygeal teratoma is a extremely rare neoplasm in adults. Recently, we experienced two cases of presacral teratomas arising in adult, therefore we present these cases with a brief review of the literatures
Adult* ; Gonads ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Mediastinum ; Neck ; Teratoma*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Metabolic syndrome and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) are known to be strong predictors of coronary atherosclerosis. Even though there have been many observations and much research concerning the association of coronary atherosclerosis with CRP and metabolic syndrome, certain problems still need to be resolved in order to produce clear mechanistic illustrations. Therefore, the correlations of metabolic syndrome, hs-CRP and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis were evaluated herein. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 271 patients, aged between 29 and 87, who had undergone diagnostic coronary angiograms at the National Medical Center, between January, 2004 and June, 2006 were evaluated. Coronary angiograms were performed in patients who complained of typical chest pain and had risk factors associated with coronary atherosclerosis. The correlations of metabolic syndrome, hs-CRP and coronary atherosclerosis were analyzed in these patients. RESULTS: Positive relationships were found between the metabolic syndrome risk factor clustering and an increased level of hs-CRP (p<0.01). The severity of coronary atherosclerosis increased with the increasing number of metabolic syndrome risk factors. As metabolic syndrome risk factor clustering increased, the quantity of 1, 2 and 3 vessel diseases also increased (Odd ratios 1.61, 1.83 and 2.50; p=0.001, <0.001 and <0.001, respectively). In contrast to metabolic syndrome risk factor clustering, no definite relationship between the hs-CRP level and the severity of coronary atherosclerosis was observed. CONCLUSION: The more metabolic syndrome risk factors clustered, the greater the severity of coronary atherosclerosis. The extension of coronary atherosclerosis maybe predicted using evaluation of metabolic syndrome risk factor clustering in patients with angina.
C-Reactive Protein ; Chest Pain ; Cluster Analysis* ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Humans ; Metabolic Syndrome X ; Risk Factors*

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B surface Antibody(anti-HBs) is the marker of success of Hepatitis B virus(HBV) vaccination and protective ability against HBV infection. Though quantification of anti-HBs using EIA methods based on mIU/mL unit is available in these days, passive hemagglutination(PHA) is still one of the most popular methods to test Anti-HBs in Asian areas including Korea because of its simple procedure and inexpensive costs. However, we have not yet known the exact meanings of positive or negative PHA results compared with EIA results based on mIU/mL units. We evaluated the PHA method compared with EIA method using 856 specimens for testing anti-HBs. METHODS: EIA measurements of anti-HBs were performed on an automated enzyme-immuno assay analyzer(Axsym, Abbott, USA). The Axsym is micro-particle EIA assay system and shows the test results as positive and negative according to the measured titer. The positive cut-off level of anti-HBs in Axsym is 10 mIU/mL. PHA measurements of anti-HBs were performed with manual microplate method(Fujirebio, Tokyo, Japan). RESULTS: Regarded the EIA method as gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity of PHA were 83.2% and 95.5% respectively. The positive and negative predictive values of PHA were 98.1% and 66.9% respectively. The usual lowest detection level of PHA method for anti-HBs seemed to be from 50 to 100 mIU/mL. CONCLUSIONS: Conclusively, we propose we should replace the PHA method with EIA method based on mIU/mL for testing anti-HBs regardless of costs. It is the way to save health cost associated with determination HBV vaccination or booster dose. It should be remarked in present that about 33% of anti-HBs negative cases with PHA method were adversely anti-HBs positive with titers of almost under 100 mIU/mL.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Health Care Costs ; Hepatitis B ; Humans ; Korea ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Vaccination

PURPOSE: To compare the refractive measurements obtained using a photorefractor (PlusoptiX S09, PlusoptiX GmbH, Germany) with those obtained using cycloplegic refraction in children. METHODS: We assessed the refractive status of 268 eyes in 134 children. The values acquired via photorefraction with a PlusoptiX S09 device were compared with those obtained by cycloplegic retinoscopy. Hyperopia (> or =+3.5 D), myopia (> or =-3.0 D), with the rule or against the rule astigmatism (> or =-1.5 D), and oblique astigmatism (> or =-1.0 D) were set as diagnostic criteria for refractive amblyopia risk factors (RARFs). The difference in the detection of RARFs by the two methods was the main outcome measure. RESULTS: The average spherical refractive power was -0.81 +/- 1.68 D for PlusoptiX S09 versus -0.26 +/- 2.00 D for cycloplegic retinoscopy (average difference -0.54 +/- 0.61 D; p < 0.001). The average spherical equivalent was -1.20 +/- 1.62 D for PlusoptiX S09 versus -0.64 +/- 1.94 D for cycloplegic retinoscopy (average difference -0.56 +/- 0.62 D; p < 0.001). The average cylinder power was -0.79 +/- 0.93 D for PlusoptiX S09 versus -0.76 +/- 0.94 D for cycloplegic retinoscopy (average difference -0.03 +/- 0.33 D; p = 0.135). Even though cycloplegic retinoscopy is considered the gold standard, the sensitivity and specificity for detecting RARFs with the PlusoptiX S09 were 88.0% and 96.3%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: PlusoptiX S09 is a relatively useful method for detecting RARFs, but the device tends toward myopic shift compared to cycloplegic refraction, and hyperopia is underestimated.
Amblyopia ; Astigmatism ; Child* ; Humans ; Hyperopia ; Myopia ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Retinoscopy ; Risk Factors ; Sensitivity and Specificity

The salt-sensitivity has been generally accepted as a mechnism of high blood pressure in elderly hypertensive patients, and so it may result in a difference of renal handling of sodium and potassium between normal healthy control and elderly hypertensive patient. So to evaluate an lbove difference, the amount of 24 hours' urinary excretion of Na+ & K+ were measured in healthy normotensive control (10 case) and elderly hypertensive group(10 case) according to normal diet (12-15gm of NaCl) for first 3 days and low salt diet (3~5)gm of NaCi) for next 3 days, also blood rewwure was mintored. The results were followed : 1) 24 hours' urinary excretion of NA+ was increased in hypertensive group more than control group at first day of normal diet and low salt diet significantly. 2) After a replacement of normal diet to low salt diet, a maximal decrement of 24 hours' urinary excretion of Na+ was 25% at first day in control but 40% at second day in hypertensive group only. 3) There was a similar pattern of urinary excretion of K+ as Na+ in hypertensive group, but it was not stastically significant. 4) There was no significant changes of blood pressure, serum electrolyte and BUN/creatinine according to salt intake in both group. From above findings. We can conclude that a urinary excretion of sodium is delayed in elderly hypertensive group, and it is suggested that a delayed excretion of sodium. is associated with retention of sodium in body. So a persistent restriction of sodium is recommended in elderly hypertensive patient.
Aged ; Blood Pressure ; Diet ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Potassium* ; Sodium*

BACKGROUND: Korean people could abuse healthy foods as well as medications, which might cause serious side effects. The aim of this study was elucidating liver dysfunction due to the self-medications of hepatotonics, healthy foods and herb medications by nested case-control study. METHODS: Study subjects were drawn from male members of seoul Cohort Study who were recruited by self-administered structured questionnaire survey through mailing to the healthy men between the age of 40 and 59 years through the program of biennial health check-up offered by Korea Medical Insurance Corporation(KMIC). The liver dysfunction was defined as the level of serum AST and ALT above 40 IU/L and increased in more than one hundred per-cent during the 2 year follow-up period. To estimate the odds ratio between self-medication and liver dysfunction after controlling for potential confounders, logistic regression was performed. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 30 members were identified to fit into case criteria and 2,625 members were selected as control. In logistic regression analyses, history of healthy foods intake, age under 45 years, obesity, and habit of regular exercise were significantly associated with liver dysfunction. The following factors exhibited no statistical significance: intake of hepatotonics, of herb medicine; history of disease in family, of operation, and of radiologic examination; smoking habits and drinking amounts. CONCLUSION: The significant association between the intake of healthy foods and the liver dysfunction illustrates that chronically optional overuse of healthy foods might bring to hazards to health. As the increasing trend of the size of purchasing healthy foods in Korea, pharmacoepidemiologic studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of the widely used healthy foods should be performed in the near future.
Adult* ; Case-Control Studies ; Cohort Studies ; Drinking ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Insurance ; Korea ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver* ; Logistic Models ; Male* ; Obesity ; Odds Ratio ; Pharmacoepidemiology ; Postal Service ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul ; Smoke ; Smoking

BACKGROUND: To investigate the mechanisms of myocardial ischemia induced changes of electrophysiological properties, influences of various ischemic-simulated Tyrode's solutions on the changes of action potential characteristics were examined. METHOD: Action potential characteristics were measured during superfusion with various ischemic-simulated solutions (modified physiologic salt solution: MPSS) by the method of conventional microelectrode technique in rat atrial fibers. RESULTS: Hypoxic-, hyperkalemic-, and mixed-MPSS decreased 'maximum diastolic potential' (MDP) and 'action potential amplitude' (APA), however, no significant changes of MDP and APA were observed by acidic- and glucose-free-MPSS. 'Maximum velocity of phase 0 depolarization' (dV/dt(max)) and 'time for 90% repolarization' (APD90) significantly decreased during hypoxic- and mixed-MPSS superfusion, and hyperkalemic-MPSS also decreased the dV/dt(max) and APD90. However, no significant changes in dV/dt(max) and APD90 were observed by acidic- and glucose-free-MPSS. The decreasing effects of dV/dt(max) and APD90 by the MPSSes were attenuated when the MPSSes were replaced with normal Tyrode's solution. DPCPX (2x10(-6)M), a purinergic antagonist, inhibited the decreasing effects of APD90 at 5, 10, and 20 min superfusion of the mixed-MPSS, and glibenclamide (10(-6)M), a K(ATP) channel blocker, inhibited those at 10 and 20 min superfusion of the mixed-MPSS. Diclofenac (10(-6)M), a cyclooxygenase inhibitor inhibited only those at 20 min superfusion of the mixed-MPSS. CONCLUSION: The primary factors for changing the electrophysiological characteristics during ischemic insults could be hypoxia and high-extracellular K+, and the mechanisms of the electrophysiological changes are inferred that adenosine through purinoceptors is involved initially, and followed by K(ATP) channel and prostanoids.
Action Potentials* ; Adenosine ; Animals ; Anoxia ; Diclofenac ; Glyburide ; Ischemia ; Microelectrodes ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases ; Prostaglandins ; Rats* ; Receptors, Purinergic