No abstract available.
Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

Recently, nurse suicide has emerged as one of the major issues. We tried to review the status of nurse suicide and its management in Korea through inspecting related web sites, news articles, and research. However, there were no sufficient reports or statistics along with the research throughout the country. Moreover, there were no organized nurse suicide management systems or programs including suicide prevention, suicide intervention, suicide postvention management. In other countries, there were various trials and successful experiences about nurse suicide programs, and those have been managed in organized and integrated ways. It gave us a lot of implications. To effectively prevent and manage the nurse suicide in Korea, nursing workforce, nursing managers, and nursing researchers should be concerned about nurse suicide. Furthermore, discussions and the research must be made actively. Based on such efforts, appropriate programs, organized manage systems, and policies must be devised at institution and national level.

Recently, nurse suicide has emerged as one of the major issues. We tried to review the status of nurse suicide and its management in Korea through inspecting related web sites, news articles, and research. However, there were no sufficient reports or statistics along with the research throughout the country. Moreover, there were no organized nurse suicide management systems or programs including suicide prevention, suicide intervention, suicide postvention management. In other countries, there were various trials and successful experiences about nurse suicide programs, and those have been managed in organized and integrated ways. It gave us a lot of implications. To effectively prevent and manage the nurse suicide in Korea, nursing workforce, nursing managers, and nursing researchers should be concerned about nurse suicide. Furthermore, discussions and the research must be made actively. Based on such efforts, appropriate programs, organized manage systems, and policies must be devised at institution and national level.

PURPOSE: Development of renal scarring is associated with delayed diagnosis and treatment of urinary tract infection(UTI). This study was performed to clarify how soon treatment should be started to inhibit renal scarring after onset of UTI and the factors associated with renal scarring in children with a first episode of febrile UTI. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 163 patients with a first episode of febrile UTI under the age of 2 years from April 2000 to April 2004. All patients had a DMSA renal scan and voiding cystourethrogram done in the diagnostic period, 6 months after which a follow-up renal scan was done. After patients were divided into 2 groups according to the duration of fever prior to start of treatment, the duration of fever after start of treatment, and total duration of fever, initial and follow-up DMSA scan findings were analyzed among the different groups. We compared the factors associated with renal scars between the groups with and without renal scars. RESULTS: The initial DMSA renal scan identified abnormal finding in 23% of the patients who were treated < or =24 hr from the onset of disease and in 43% of those with fever more than 24 hr. Renal scars developed in 33% of patients who were treated < or =24 hr and 38% of those with fever >24 hr prior to treatment. Renal scars developed in 34% of patients with remission of fever < or =48 hr after treatment and in 50% of those with fever >48 hr after treatment. The risk for renal scars was significantly higher in children who had total duration of fever >72 hr(67%) than in those with shorter duration(19%). In children with renal scars, VUR was most highly associated with an increased risk of renal scar formation. CONCLUSION: Although children with a first episode of febrile UTI are treated within 24hr after onset of the fever, renal damage cannot be prevented completely and it is mainly associated with VUR.
Child* ; Cicatrix* ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Succimer ; Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract* ; Vesico-Ureteral Reflux

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded small non-coding RNAs (EBERs) are abundantly expressed in various EBV-associated malignancies, and play critical roles in cell proliferation, tumorigenesis, and apoptosis resistance. However, the mechanism how EBERs regulate cell function awaits further clarification. In this study, we investigated the effect of EBERs on the expression of cellular microRNA (miRNA) and mRNA expression. To test the effect of EBERs while unaffected by other EBV genes, we used EBERs-deleted recombinant EBV infected Burkitt's lymphoma cell line (Akata(+)EBERs(-)) as well as EBV-infected (Akata(+)) and EBV uninfected (Akata(-)) cell lines. They all have the same genetic backgrounds. First, 15 different cellular miRNAs which have reverse complementary sequences to EBERs and have reported targets were selected by bioinformatics analysis. When RT-PCR was carried out for the 16 miRNAs using RNAs from Akata(+), Akata(-), and Akata(+)EBERs(-) cells, hsa-miR-7-5p was the only one showing down-regulated expression in Akata(+) than in Akata(-) and Akata(+)EBERs(-) cells. Bioinformatics and mRNA microarray analyses for Akata(+), Akata(-), and Akata(+)EBERs(-) cell lines were then carried out to predict putative targets of hsa-miR-7-5p. Among the 6 predicted targets of hsa-miR-7-5p, only low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 6 (LRP6) was up-regulated in EBERs-expressing cells when tested by RT-PCR and Western blot. However, luciferase reporter assay showed that the 3'-UTR of LRP6 was not directly targeted by hsa-miR-7-5p. Our data suggest that both hsa-miR-7-5p and LRP6 are regulated by EBERs in Akata cells, and these genes may partly mediate the tumorigenic function of EBERs in Burkitt's lymphoma.
Apoptosis ; Blotting, Western ; Burkitt Lymphoma* ; Carcinogenesis ; Cell Line* ; Cell Proliferation ; Computational Biology ; Herpesvirus 4, Human ; Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor-Related Protein-6 ; Luciferases ; MicroRNAs ; RNA* ; RNA, Messenger ; RNA, Small Untranslated

PURPOSE: The pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) is associated with adverse neonatal outcomes. However, studies on very low birth weight (VLBW) infants are rare. This study aimed to investigate the effect of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI on VLBW infants. METHODS: This retrospective study evaluated singleton VLBW infants born at the CHA Gangnam Medical Center from 2006 to 2016. The neonates were classified into three groups according to the maternal pre-pregnancy BMI: underweight ( < 18.5 kg/m2), normal weight (≥18.5 to < 23 kg/m2), and overweight or obese (≥23 kg/m2). Clinical characteristics and morbidities of mothers and infants were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 181 infants belonging to underweight (16.6%), normal weight (58.6%), and overweight or obese (24.8%) groups were enrolled. The pre-pregnancy BMI had a significant negative correlation with gestational age (r=−0.198, P=0.001) and a significant positive correlation with the z-score of the birth weight (r=0.078, P=0.001) and body length (r=0.067, P=0.008). The number of extremely preterm infants was significantly higher in the overweight or obese group. The proportion of risk of small for gestational age infants was higher in the underweight group (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 2.958; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.113 to 7.864), whereas that of infants with severe retinopathy of prematurity was higher in the overweight or obese group (adjusted OR, 9.546; 95% CI, 1.230 to 74.109). CONCLUSION: In our population of VLBW infants, the pre-pregnancy BMI was associated with gestational age, intrauterine growth, and adverse neonatal outcomes. Therefore, proper weight control before pregnancy is important.
Birth Weight ; Body Mass Index* ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Extremely Premature ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight* ; Mothers ; Odds Ratio ; Overweight ; Pregnancy ; Retinopathy of Prematurity ; Retrospective Studies ; Thinness

Generally, regular exercise is known to help to improve lipid metabolism. In the spinal cord injured, relative inactivity to able-bodied person causes altered lipid profiles and, in turn, possibly increases cardiovascular mortality. We performed this study to measure serum lipid profiles in paraplegics and to evaluate effect of regular exercise on lipid profiles. The subjects are 21 paraplegics, who are divided into 2 groups, 10 SCI athletes and 11 SCI non-athletes. The serum levels of lipoproteins in these subjects were measured and compared each other. The levels of serum HDL-cholesterol were lower in the order of, non-athlete group, athelte group, and normal control group, and there was a significant difference between athlete and non-athlete groups. The ratios of total cholesterol to HDL-cholesterol were higher in the order of non-athlete group, athlete group, and normal control group, and there was a significant difference between control and non-athlete groups. The serum levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride in three groups showed no significant differences. In conclusion, serum levels of HDL-cholesterol were positively affected by regular exercise, and it is advised that the HDL-cholesterol levels of spinal cord injured should be checked regularly for follow-up examinations.
Athletes ; Cholesterol ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipoproteins ; Mortality ; Spinal Cord ; Triglycerides

PURPOSE: To assess therapeutic effects of percutaneous polymethylmethacrylate(PMMA) vertebroplasty on the pain caused by osteoporotic thoracic and lumbar vertebral body compression fractures in a large scale of a prospective clinical design, and to determine clinical factors influencing its therapeutic effects. METHODS: A prospective clinical study was carried out in 349 vertebral levels of 159 patients between April 1998 and July 1999. The compression fractures were confirmed with bone scan and spine CT, and bone marrow density was measured. Visual analogue scale(VAS) score was used for pre- and post-operative assessments of the pain. All 159 patients were assessed immediately after surgery, and 140 patients of them were followed-up for about 6 months in average. RESULTS: Partial and complete pain relief was sustained immediately after operation in 73%, through follow-up period in 88% of the patients. Pain relief was not proportional to the amount of PMMA or the rate of increase in the height of the compressed vertebral body. It appears that 3 to 6cc of PMMA was proper enough to sustain pain relief. Better clinical improvement was achieved in the patients treated within 6 months after occurrence of vertebral body fracture. The most frequent surgical complication was epidural leakage of PMMA, and the most serious complication was extravertebral leakage into the paravertebral muscles, which appeared to exert the worst influence on the outcome. However, surgery was not required in these patients. CONCLUSION: Therapeutic effects of PMMA percutaneous vertebroplasty on osteoporotic vertebral body compression fractures were confirmed in a relatively large scale of prospective clinical study. It appears that good outcome can be achieved in patients treated within 6 months after fracture, treated each level with 3 to 6cc of PMMA in amount. without serious complications.
Bone Marrow ; Follow-Up Studies ; Fractures, Compression* ; Humans ; Muscles ; Osteoporosis ; Polymethyl Methacrylate* ; Prospective Studies ; Spine ; Vertebroplasty*

OBJECTIVE: While the prognostic factors of survival for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who underwent transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) are well known, the clinical significance of performing selective TACE for HCC patients has not been clearly documented. We tried to analyze the potential factors of disease-free survival for these patients, including the performance of selective TACE. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 151 patients with HCC who underwent TACE were retrospectively analyzed for their disease-free survival (a median follow-up of 23 months, range: 1-88 months). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed for 20 potential factors by using the Cox proportional hazard model, including 19 baseline factors and one procedure-related factor (conventional versus selective TACE). The parameters that proved to be significant on the univariate analysis were subsequently tested with the multivariate model. RESULTS: Conventional or selective TACE was performed for 40 and 111 patients, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that tumor multiplicity, venous tumor thrombosis and selective TACE were the only three independent significant prognostic factors of disease-free survival (p = 0.002, 0.015 and 0.019, respectively). CONCLUSION: In our study, selective TACE was a favorable prognostic factor for the disease-free survival of patients with HCC who underwent TACE.
Adult ; Aged ; Antibiotics, Antineoplastic/administration & dosage ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/mortality/*therapy ; *Chemoembolization, Therapeutic ; Contrast Media/administration & dosage ; Disease-Free Survival ; Doxorubicin/administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Iodized Oil/administration & dosage ; Liver Neoplasms/mortality/*therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis

BACKGROUND: Unexplained weight loss, which commonly occurs in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), is important because weight loss is an independent risk factor of mortality and morbidity in these patients. Leptin is known to play an important role in regulating body weight. In addition, the tumor necrosis factor(TNF-α) might also play a potential role in the weight loss experienced in chronic wasting disease. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of plasma leptin and the circulating TNF-α system to the difference in the body compositions in patients with COPD. METHODS: Spirometry, body composition analysis and the plasma concentrations of leptin, TNF-α and a soluble TNF receptor 55, 75 were measured in 31 patients with chronic bronchitis and 10 patients with emphysema. The COPD subtype was classified by the transfer coefficient of carbon monoxide, DLco/VA. RESULTS: The circulating levels of leptin were significantly lower in those patients with emphysema(108.5±39.37 pg/ml) than those with chronic bronchitis(180.9±57.7 pg/ml). The circulating levels of sTNF-R55 were significantly higher in the emphysema patients(920.4±116.4 pg/ml) than in those with chronic bronchitis(803.2±80.8 pg/ml). There was no relationship between the circulating leptin levels and the activated TNF system in patients with chronic bronchitis and emphysema. However, the circulating leptin levels correlated well with the BMI and fat mass in both patient groups. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the weight loss noted in emphysema patients may be associated with the activation of the TNF-α system rather than the plasma leptin level.
Body Composition ; Body Weight ; Bronchitis, Chronic* ; Carbon Monoxide ; Emphysema* ; Humans ; Leptin* ; Mortality ; Necrosis ; Plasma* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor ; Risk Factors ; Spirometry ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha* ; Wasting Disease, Chronic ; Weight Loss*