Korean Society of Clinical Pathologists' Information Network(KSCPIN) began its service as a Closed User Group (CUG) In HiTEL. one of the major information providers in Korea, on March 2nd, 1995. The KSCPIN is the first and the only society which has its own information network among the Regular Member Society of Korean Medical Association. As the name CUG implies. this network is opened only for the members of the society. The main concept of KSCPCIN is to offer various informations and opinion exchange sites only to the society members. For providing various laboratory related informations to every one, we accepted non-society members as KSCPIN members to make KSCPIN as an opened CUG. KSCPIN now offers various bulletins and library not only for the society members, except for some limitations. KSCPIN consists of 115 clinical pathologists, 60 clinical pathology residents, 34 business men, 26 physicians, and 15 others making the total members of 262 at present. With new definition of members and new menu, KSCPIN was self-estimated as a successful CUG, and we recommend the utilization of CUG for all academic societies. In near future, we are going to move the CUG on the internet. which is our finalgoal.
Commerce ; Humans ; Information Services* ; Internet ; Korea ; Male ; Pathology, Clinical ; Running*

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To encourage schools to transform school meal programs to be more educational, it is necessary to evaluate the related environment using a whole school approach. We developed a school food culture evaluation tool to quantitatively evaluate school food culture in Gyeonggi Province, Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Based on a literature review, a school food culture evaluation system consisting of areas, subareas, indicators, and questions (scored on a 5-point scale) was constructed. The validity of the tool was reviewed using focus group interviews, the Delphi technique, and a preliminary survey. Subsequently, evaluation tool was applied to elementary, middle, and high schools in Gyeonggi Province. Data from 115 schools were used for the final analysis. This included 64 elementary schools, 29 middle schools, and 22 high schools. At least one respondent from each group—school administrators, teachers, and nutrition teachers (or dietitians)—participated. The results were compared at the school level. RESULTS: The evaluation tool consisted of 66 questions in 5 areas (institutional environment, physical environment, educational environment, educational governance, and school meal quality). The total average score for school food culture was 3.83 points (elementary school 3.89 points, middle school 3.76 points, and high school 3.76 points) and did not differ significantly among school levels. Among the 5 evaluation areas, scores were highest for institutional environment (4.43 points) and lowest for physical environment (3.07 points).Scores for educational environment, educational governance, and school meal quality were 3.86, 3.85, and 3.97 points, respectively. CONCLUSION It is necessary to improve the physical environment to create a desirable school food culture in Gyeonggi Province. To effectively promote healthy eating, ongoing investment and interventions by local authorities at improving school food culture are needed, with an emphasis on particular factors, such as the eating environment and staff training.

No abstract available.
Choriocarcinoma* ; Female ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Pregnancy

We have presented an analysis of cases of liver abscess from the record of the Department of Pediatrics, Yonsei medical College, during the 10 year 8 months period from Jan. 1969 through Sept. 1979. The incidence of admission in pediatric was 0.05025%. There was male preponderance. The most frequently encountered symptoms and sings were fever and chill, anorexia, hepatomegale, pain and tenderness on right upper quadrant of abdomen. The pathogenetic mechanisms were lodgement in the liver of hematogenously dissemination, ascending infection of cholangitis, trauma. Cryptogenic liver abscess was seen in two cases. There were 5 cases of pyogenic liver abscess and 3 cases of amebic liver abscess. Undetermined etiology was noted in 2 cases. Roentgenography including scan is the most helpful diagnostic tool available. Only one patient with post-traumatic liver abscess was expired.
Abdomen ; Anorexia ; Cholangitis ; Fever ; Humans ; Incidence ; Liver Abscess* ; Liver Abscess, Amebic ; Liver Abscess, Pyogenic ; Liver* ; Male ; Pediatrics ; Radiography

BACKGROUND: The dipstick methodology is the most fundamental urinalysis but interfered by many factors. We evaluated the effect of semen contamination on the urine dipsticks. METHODS: Thirty-two specimens for semen analysis were enrolled. After semen was directly applied on urine dipsticks, residual samples were diluted in pooled normal urine. Urine dipsticks were performed at each dilution titer. Seminal plasma separated by centrifugation of semen were also tested in the same manner. RESULTS: All semen showed positive results for blood, protein and leukocytes. The intensities of reaction for blood and leukocytes were correlated with sperm concentration. The negative conversion of blood and protein occurred at 1:100, and that of leukocytes occurred at 1:50. Seminal plasma showed nearly the same findings. CONCLUSIONS: Semen contamination of urine may cause false positive reaction especially for blood and protein on the urine dipsticks. It should therefore be considered when assessing unexplained, transient hematuria or proteinuria.
Centrifugation ; False Positive Reactions ; Hematuria ; Leukocytes ; Proteinuria ; Semen Analysis ; Semen* ; Spermatozoa ; Urinalysis

A case of nutcracker syndrome which was initially diagnosed by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is reported. On preoperative MRA in an 18-year-old male patient with gross hematuria, left renal vein was obliterated at the level of superior mesenteric artery and there was no connection with inferior vena cava. The follow-up MRA after surgical correction with external prosthesis demonstrated entire course of left renal vein without evidence of obstruction which might suggest a possible usage of MRA for a non-invasive diagnosis of nutcracker syndrome.
Adolescent ; Angiography* ; Diagnosis* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Male ; Mesenteric Artery, Superior ; Prostheses and Implants ; Renal Veins ; Vena Cava, Inferior

A case of nutcracker syndrome which was initially diagnosed by magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is reported. On preoperative MRA in an 18-year-old male patient with gross hematuria, left renal vein was obliterated at the level of superior mesenteric artery and there was no connection with inferior vena cava. The follow-up MRA after surgical correction with external prosthesis demonstrated entire course of left renal vein without evidence of obstruction which might suggest a possible usage of MRA for a non-invasive diagnosis of nutcracker syndrome.
Adolescent ; Angiography* ; Diagnosis* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Angiography ; Male ; Mesenteric Artery, Superior ; Prostheses and Implants ; Renal Veins ; Vena Cava, Inferior

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to assess whether increased intestinal gas or fat content in the abdominal cavity is related to abdominal bloating, using three-dimensional abdominal computed tomography scan. METHODS: Twenty-nine healthy individuals without abdominal bloating and organic disease (15 women; mean age, 49 years; range of age, 23–73 years) and 30 patients with chronic recurrent abdominal bloating-diagnosed with functional bloating (10 women; mean age, 53 years; range of age, 35–75 years) - participated in this study. The mean values of measured parameters were compared using independent sample t-test. RESULTS: The mean volume of total colon gas in bloated patients was similar to that in control subjects. The distribution of intra-abdominal gas was also similar between the two groups. However, the amount of gas in the transverse colon tended to be significantly higher in patients with bloating than in controls (p=0.06). Body mass index was similar between the two groups (23.4±3.2 kg/m2 and 22.3±3.1 kg/m2, respectively). Moreover, no significant differences with respect to circumferential area, subcutaneous fat, visceral fat area, and total fat area were found between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Bloating might not just be the result of gastrointestinal gas or intra-abdominal fat. Other contributing factors, such as localized abnormality in gas distribution and visceral hypersensitivity, may be involved.
Abdominal Cavity ; Abdominal Fat* ; Body Mass Index ; Colon ; Colon, Transverse ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Contents ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Subcutaneous Fat

Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare malignant endocrine tumor which accounts for about 0.05% to 0.2% of all carcinomas. Three clinical patterns can be encountered. In 30% of the cases, a mass syndrome without any clinical evidence of hypersecretion is presented as abdominal pain, a palpable abdominal mass, abdominal distension, and weight loss. In 60% of the cases, an overt clinical syndrome of hypersecretion is of almost purely hypercortisolism in 30% of such cases, vilirization in 22%, feminization in 10%, hyperaldosteronism in 2.5%, and a mixed secretion in 35%. In the remaining 10% of the cases, an adrenal `incidentaloma' is found incidentally during evaluation of the other disease. About 70% to 80% of patients are diagnosed with an advanced stage (III or IV) and metastasis has occured in 20% to 40% of the patients at the time of presentation. Early surgery an with adrenalectomy is the only means of cure. The prognosis is poor with a 5-years survival rate of 16% to 34% due to initial diagnosis at an advanced stage. Recently, we experienced two cases of adrenocortical carcinomas. In case I, a 62-year-old female patient presented with a clinical syndrome of hypercortisolism and had an extensive local invasion of stage IV; in case II, a 49-year-old male patient complained of abdominal pain and distension without any clinical syndrome of hypersecretion and had stage IV liver metastasis.
Abdominal Pain ; Adrenalectomy ; Adrenocortical Carcinoma* ; Cushing Syndrome ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Feminization ; Humans ; Hyperaldosteronism ; Liver ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Survival Rate ; Weight Loss

PURPOSE: To investigate the feasibility of using a poly (epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) sheet seeded with autologous muscle-derived stem cells as a bladder substitute. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Muscle-derived stem cells were isolated from the gastrocnemius muscle of 9 female Sprague-Dawley rats using a preplate technique, and cultured on a 5x5mm PCL sheet. The sheets were implanted into the mesentery of the rats in an autologous manner. Three rats were sacrificed 2, 4 and 8 weeks after implantation, and the morphological changes were assessed by H&E and immunofluorescence staining including DAPI, myosin heavy chain (MHC) and choline acetyl transferase (CAT). RESULTS: All the rats survived for the scheduled time. A mild inflammatory reaction was observed around the PCL sheet in the postoperative 2-week specimen but this receded with time. Muscle cells on the sheet were observed over the experimental period. The 8-week specimen showed a moderate amount of muscle cells on the sheet, and MHC and CAT immunofluorescence staining showed a positive reaction. The muscle layer was not well organized. Angiogenesis was quite noticable between the sheet and the muscle cells on the 8-week specimen. CONCLUSIONS: A PCL sheet seeded with autologous muscle-derived stem cells showed skeletal muscle differentiation on the sheets 8 weeks after mesenteric implantation in an autologous manner. This suggests the feasibility of using a PCL sheet seeded with autologous muscle-derived stem cell as a bladder substitute.
Animals ; Atrophy ; Cats ; Choline ; Female ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Humans ; Mesentery ; Muscle Cells ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Myosin Heavy Chains ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Regeneration* ; Stem Cells* ; Transferases ; Urinary Bladder*