PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify characteristics of serum ferrum, TIBC and ferritin's circadian rhythm in normal adults and to prepare a standard to determine the examination material extraction time. METHOD: Nine women and ten men made up the convenience sample for this study. they were from the staff of D university hospital and students in D medical School located in K city who met the qualifications for inclusion in the sample. The value of serum ferrum, TIBC and circadian rhythm were calculated as follows; First, each variable's amplitude, the acrophase and average were measured for a 24 hour cycle using the cosinor method, and then each person's rhythm was analyzed. RESULTS: There were significant serum iron circadian rhythm for both men and women (p<.05). For the men, mesor was 105.91 microgram/dl, amplitude was 29.52 microgram/dl, and the acrophase was 9.76 hour. For the women, mesor was 108.17 microgram/dl, amplitude was 28.09 microgram/dl, and the acrophase was 11.42 hour. The rhythm change of TIBC was only significant for the women (p<.05), mesor was 383.39 mg/dl, amplitude was 60.29 mg/dl, and the acrophase was 14.93hour. As for the circadian rhythm of the ferritin, there are no diurnal variation in either sex, men were between 134.0 ng/ml and 137.4 ng/ml, and women, between 29.1 ng/ml and 30.1 ng/ml. CONCLUSION: To help diagnose the boundary line between normal or deficiency in iron, measurement should be carried out at a fixed time in the morning and evening, or a more proper time would be in the afternoon at the time when the width of amplitude is the least.
Adult* ; Circadian Rhythm* ; Female ; Ferritins ; Humans ; Iron ; Male ; Schools, Medical

PURPOSE: Obesity is one of the most common health problems among children and its prevalence has increased in recent decades. Socioeconomic status (SES) is a well-known risk factor for childhood obesity although the associations were different across countries. Previous studies in other countries have reported a positive association between childhood obesity and SES in developing countries, and inverse correlation has been reported in developed countries. For this reason, we wanted to investigate the relationship between SES and obesity in Korean children. METHODS: Data were acquired 3,095 boys and girls who participated in the fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which was conducted from 2010 to 2012. Body mass index was calculated from measured anthropometric data using the 2007 Korean National Growth Charts. RESULTS: Upon univariate analysis, we did not find any statistically significant differences in the parental employment status, monthly family income between children with and without obesity. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed childhood obesity was positively associated with maternal overweight (OR, 1.889; 95% CI, 1.079-3.309), maternal obesity (OR, 3.409; 95% CI, 2.228-5.215) and paternal obesity (OR, 2.135; 95% CI, 1.257-3.627). CONCLUSION: The present study showed that socioeconomic status might not an important risk factor for obesity in Korean children. These results warrant further studies to clarify the association between SES and obesity in Korean children.
Body Mass Index ; Child* ; Developed Countries ; Developing Countries ; Education ; Employment ; Female ; Growth Charts ; Humans ; Korea* ; Logistic Models ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Obesity* ; Overweight ; Parents ; Pediatric Obesity ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Social Class*

PURPOSE: A transport of a critically ill infant, especially preterm infant, to an operating room (OR) from a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has special dangers like incidental removal of an intravenous line or a chest tube, extubation, stopping of vital sign monitoring, hypothermia and postanesthetic apnea, which could be fatal to the infant. An operation in a NICU, however, has high risk of sepsis and shortage of specialized staffs and equipments. Thus, it is generally favored so far to perform a surgery in an OR. We assessed the safety of surgery in a NICU. METHODS: 66 infants underwent operation in the NICU of Seoul National University Children's Hospital from January of 1995 to April of 2001. There were 30 cases of cryotherapy or laser photocoagulation for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), 17 of peritoneal drainage catheter insertion, 10 of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation, 8 of extraventricular drainage, and 1 of laparotomy and peritoneal lavage. This study was conducted focusing on ROP and PDA patients. 28 cases of photocoagulation and 10 cases of PDA ligation conducted in the NICU were compared each other with 10 cases of photocoagulation and 10 cases of PDA ligation in the OR about surgical outcome and complications using retrospective medical record inspection. RESULTS: Regarding ROP, there was no big difference between the two groups in light of the clinical factors and the status of an infant before and after an operation except that inspiratory fraction of oxygen (FiO2) before an operation in the NICU group was higher than that of the other group. A total operation time was longer and there were more variations of weight, body temperature and blood pressure in the OR group. A higher rise of the mean airway pressure (MAP) and higher frequency of intraoperative hypothermia were found in the OR group and there was 1 case of extubation during an operation. The postoperative retinal detachment and the postanesthetic apnea were more frequent in the OR group. Regarding PDA, no big difference was found between the two groups in light of the clinical factors and the status of an infant except that the gestational age at birth was smaller and cardiac failure was more frequent in the NICU group. The total operation time was longer and the rises of FiO2 and MAP were higher in the OR group. There was no significant difference in operation results and postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: In light of the safety, the results, and the complications of an operation, no significant difference was found between the two groups. Accordingly, in case of ROP and PDA of a premature baby, We came to a conclusion that a NICU could be used as safe an operation place as an OR.
Apnea ; Blood Pressure ; Body Weight ; Catheters ; Chest Tubes ; Critical Illness ; Cryotherapy ; Drainage ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Gestational Age ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hypothermia ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal* ; Laparotomy ; Ligation ; Light Coagulation ; Medical Records ; Operating Rooms* ; Oxygen ; Parturition ; Peritoneal Lavage ; Postoperative Complications ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinopathy of Prematurity ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Sepsis ; Vital Signs

PURPOSE: A transport of a critically ill infant, especially preterm infant, to an operating room (OR) from a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) has special dangers like incidental removal of an intravenous line or a chest tube, extubation, stopping of vital sign monitoring, hypothermia and postanesthetic apnea, which could be fatal to the infant. An operation in a NICU, however, has high risk of sepsis and shortage of specialized staffs and equipments. Thus, it is generally favored so far to perform a surgery in an OR. We assessed the safety of surgery in a NICU. METHODS: 66 infants underwent operation in the NICU of Seoul National University Children's Hospital from January of 1995 to April of 2001. There were 30 cases of cryotherapy or laser photocoagulation for retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), 17 of peritoneal drainage catheter insertion, 10 of patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) ligation, 8 of extraventricular drainage, and 1 of laparotomy and peritoneal lavage. This study was conducted focusing on ROP and PDA patients. 28 cases of photocoagulation and 10 cases of PDA ligation conducted in the NICU were compared each other with 10 cases of photocoagulation and 10 cases of PDA ligation in the OR about surgical outcome and complications using retrospective medical record inspection. RESULTS: Regarding ROP, there was no big difference between the two groups in light of the clinical factors and the status of an infant before and after an operation except that inspiratory fraction of oxygen (FiO2) before an operation in the NICU group was higher than that of the other group. A total operation time was longer and there were more variations of weight, body temperature and blood pressure in the OR group. A higher rise of the mean airway pressure (MAP) and higher frequency of intraoperative hypothermia were found in the OR group and there was 1 case of extubation during an operation. The postoperative retinal detachment and the postanesthetic apnea were more frequent in the OR group. Regarding PDA, no big difference was found between the two groups in light of the clinical factors and the status of an infant except that the gestational age at birth was smaller and cardiac failure was more frequent in the NICU group. The total operation time was longer and the rises of FiO2 and MAP were higher in the OR group. There was no significant difference in operation results and postoperative complications. CONCLUSION: In light of the safety, the results, and the complications of an operation, no significant difference was found between the two groups. Accordingly, in case of ROP and PDA of a premature baby, We came to a conclusion that a NICU could be used as safe an operation place as an OR.
Apnea ; Blood Pressure ; Body Weight ; Catheters ; Chest Tubes ; Critical Illness ; Cryotherapy ; Drainage ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Gestational Age ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hypothermia ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal* ; Laparotomy ; Ligation ; Light Coagulation ; Medical Records ; Operating Rooms* ; Oxygen ; Parturition ; Peritoneal Lavage ; Postoperative Complications ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinopathy of Prematurity ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Sepsis ; Vital Signs

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to provide the basic data of a comprehensive counter-plan to promote health for people by comparing various factors related to cancer outbreak factors including general characteristics, health-related lifestyles, health promoting behaviors, perceived healthy status, life event stress and health care seeking behaviors with cancer patients and health people. METHOD: The study was designed to be a retrospective- comparison-survey-study and its data was collected through 5 types of questionnaires from September 2003 to December 2003. RESULTS: Cancer patients had lower education and household income, and many of them had no occupation. Cancer patients had a higher rate of smoking and drinking periods. Exercise level was higher in healthy people. However, Cancer patients were better in sleep and rest. In comparison with health promoting behaviors, it was higher in healthy people than in cancer patients but the two groups had no significant differences statistically. The perceived health status was higher in healthy people than in cancer patients. The health care seeking behaviors were higher in healthy people than in cancer patients. Cancer patients and healthy people's life event stress had no significant differences statistically. CONCLUSION: As a result of comparative analysis of cancer patients and healthy people's health risk factors, smoking, drinking period, regular exercise and health care seeking behaviors were suggested as direct or indirect risk factors for cancer patients. These finding can be applied to health promoting behavior programs to keep and promote optimal health status as well as to prevent cancer disease.
Drinking ; Education ; Family Characteristics ; Health Behavior ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Life Style ; Occupations ; Patient Acceptance of Health Care ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: The revised version of the Hasegawa Dementia Scale (HDS-R) is a useful dementia screening tool with a test for frontal lobe function and is relatively less influenced by education level and linguistic ability. We developed a Korean version of HDS-R (K-HDS) by translating the HDS-R to screen dementia patients in the Korean elderly. METHODS: The basic structure of the HDS-R was preserved but some questions were modified for lingual and cultural difference. It was administrated along with the Korean version of the MMSE, Korean Dementia Screening Questionnaire, Short form Samsung Dementia Questionnaire and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scales, to 151 patients (55 Alzheimer's disease, 73 vascular dementia, 23 others) with mild to moderate dementia and to 225 elderly control subjects. To screen dementia, the optimal cut-off score was estimated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. By comparing the Area Under the Curve, the diagnostic efficiency of K-HDS was compared with that of K-MMSE. RESULTS: The K-HDS had good internal consistency (Crohnbach's alpha coefficient=0.66), inter-rater reliability (r=0.95), and test-retest reliability (r=0.92). K-HDS was well correlated with the K-MMSE (r=0.84) and CDR (r=-0.67), which confirms the validity of this test. The optimal cut-off score was different according to educational level. In patients with an educational level less than 10 years, the cut-off score was 20 with the sensitivity of 87.0% and the specificity of 83%. With an educational level of 10 years or more, the cut-off score was 22 with the sensitivity of 93.0% and the specificity of 89.6%. The overall diagnostic efficiency of K-HDS was superior to that of K-MMSE especially in patients with an educational level of less than 10 years. CONCLUSIONS: The K-HDS is a reliable, valid and useful tool to screen dementia in the Korean elderly.
Aged ; Alzheimer Disease ; Dementia* ; Dementia, Vascular ; Education ; Frontal Lobe ; Humans ; Linguistics ; Mass Screening ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Reproducibility of Results* ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Translating ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: To report our experience of gastrointestinal (GI) operations (OP) performed in very low birth weight infants (VLBWI) and to evaluate their clinical characteristics. METHODS: Among the 1,117 VLBWI admitted to the SMC neonatal intensive care unit from November 1994 to February 2007, the medical records of 37 infants who underwent GI OP (except inguinal hernia OP) and 1,080 VLBWI without GI OP were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS: The mean gestational age (27(+6)2(+3) vs. 28(+5)+/-2(+6)) and birth weight (979+/-241 g vs. 1,071+/-271 g) of the 37 VLBWI who underwent the GI OP was lower than the VLBWI without GI OP group (n=1,080). Mortality rates in the GI OP group were significantly higher than in the non GI OP group (28% vs. 15%, P<0.001). The incidence of cholestasis, retinopathy of prematurity and periventricular leukomalacia were higher in the GI OP group than in the non GI OP group, but the incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was not significantly different between the GI OP group and the non GI OP group. For GI OP indications, focal intestinal perforation was most common and showed a more favorable outcome than necrotizing enterocolitis. Compared with an earlier 7-year period, 1994-2000, the incidence and survival rates increased in the subsequent 2001-2007 period. CONCLUSION: GI OP was associated with high mortality and morbidity in VLBWI. Further efforts to improve outcomes of GI OP in VLBWI should be investigated to improve the quality of care in VLBWI.
Birth Weight ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ; Cholestasis ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing ; Gestational Age ; Hernia, Inguinal ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Intestinal Perforation ; Laparotomy ; Leukomalacia, Periventricular ; Medical Records ; Retinopathy of Prematurity ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: A prospective multicenter study was performed to make a surgical site infections (SSI) surveillance system for hip (HRA) and knee (KRA) replacement arthroplasties and gastrectomies (GAST) in Korea. The rates, risk factors, and clinical characteristics of SSI were evaluated. METHODS: Demographic data, clinical and operative risk factors for SSI, and information of prophylactic antibiotic uses for the patients who took HRA/KRA and GAST in 7 and 5 hospitals, respectively were collected during July through December of 2007. SSI surveillance for HRA/KRA and GAST was done for 1 year and 1 month after operations, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 1,294 cases (HRA, 342; KRA, 453; GAST, 499) were monitored for SSI. The SSI rates of HRA, KRA, and GAST were 1.75 (6/342), 1.10 (5/453), and 4.41 (22/499) per 100 operations, respectively. Diabetes mellitus (DM) was more frequently accompanied and the dates of hospitalization before operations were longer in the infected group than the non-infected group of HRA. DM was more frequently found in the infected groups of KRA and GAST. Reoperation, emergent operation, and transfusion were more frequent in the infected group of GAST. Prophylactic antibiotics were used in 1,279 operations (99%) and started within 60 minutes before skin incision in 93% (1,190/1,279). The most frequently used antibiotics were 1st generation cephalosporins. Prophylactic antibiotics were used in combination in 33 operations (3%) and the median duration of antibiotic use was 4 days (0-89). CONCLUSION: The SSI rates of HRA, KRA, and GAST in this SSI surveillance system were 1.75, 1.10, and 4.41 per 100 operations, respectively.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Arthroplasty ; Arthroplasty, Replacement ; Cephalosporins ; Chronology as Topic ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Gastrectomy ; Hip ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Knee ; Korea ; Prospective Studies ; Reoperation ; Risk Factors ; Skin

No abstract available.
Brain ; Brain Abscess ; Lateral Sinus Thrombosis ; Otitis ; Otitis Media ; Petrositis ; Transverse Sinuses

No abstract available.
Brain ; Brain Abscess ; Lateral Sinus Thrombosis ; Otitis ; Otitis Media ; Petrositis ; Transverse Sinuses