Pathological study was performed on the 135 cases (137 lesion) of early gastric cancer (EGC) diagnosed during the period from 1970 to 1988. The gastrectomy specimens were obtained from Pusan National University Hospital and Pusan Paik Hospital. The statistical analysis was applied on the point of pathological and epidemiological aspects. The results obtained were summarized as follows: 1) The proportion of patients with EGC of all gastric cancer diagnosed in Pusan area during the period of 1970 to 1974 was 1.3%, those during 1975 to 1979 was 1.7%, those during 1980 to 1984 was 7.8%, and those during 1985 to 1988 was 20.0% respectively. 2) The model age group was 6th decade in both sexes. The average age of patients with EGC was 50. 1-year-old in men and 47. 9-year-old in women respectively. The sex ratio (M/F) was 2 : 1 but it was lower for young people than for old people. 3) The proportion of sites involved by the EGC in the stomach was as follows : the antrum 61%, the body 39%, and the cardia and fundus 0.01%. The intestinal type cancer more frequently involved the lower portion than the upper portion of the stomach. 4) Regarding the distribution of the gross types of EGC, the elevated group (Type I, IIa) accounted for 14%, the flat type (Type IIb) accounted for 4%, and the depressed group (Type IIc, III) accounted for 82%. There was no correlation between the gross type and the depth of the lesion. The elevated group was more frequent in intestinal type than in diffuse type. 5) The size distribution of the EGC was as follows : 46% of the lesions were smaller than 2.0 cm in diameter, 47% were between 2.1 to 5.0 cm, and 7% were larger than 5.1 cm. There was no correlation between the size of the lesion and the gross type. 6) The intestinal type of EGC was 77 lesions (56.2%) and the diffuse type 60 lesions (43.8%). The ratio of both types (I/D) was 1.3 : 1, and it was lower for younger people than for old people. 7) Ten of 135 cases (7%) had lymph node metastases. The metastatic rate of EGC confined to submucosa was much higher than that of EGC confined to mucosa only, but the metastatic rate was not related with the size of the lesion.
Female ; Male ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Stomach Neoplasms

BACKGROUND: Refractory status epilepticus (RSE) requires urgent and effective treatment. Recently, midazolam was suggested as a useful drug in controlling RSE. In order to evaluate the effectiveness and adverse effects of midazolam, we compared midazolam with thiopental sodium. METHODS: Fourteen consecutive RSE in 13 patients from January 1998 to August 1999 were treated. Two RSE were happened in one patient. When the SE was refractory as a result of standard treatment, midazolam and thiopental sodium was alternatively used as therapeutic agent. RESULTS: Out of 9 RSE treated with midazolam, 5 were resolved. Four unresolved RSE received additional thiopental sodium. Thiopental sodium was initially administered in 5 out of 14 RSE. Among the 5 RSE improved by midazolam, no one had midazo-lam- induced hypotension or pneumonia. Three patients had respiratory suppression and needed artificial ventilation. RSE was controlled in 2 out of 4 patients treated with thiopental sodium after midazolam. In these patients, hypoten-sion was developed in 3, pneumonia in 2, and respiratory suppression in all. In 5 RSE treated with thiopental sodium alone, RSE were successfully treated in 3 patients. Complications were hypotension in 2, pneumonia/unknown infec-tion in 3, and respiratory suppression in 4. CONCLUSIONS: Midazolam was comparably effective as thiopental sodium in the treatment of RSE, with less adverse effects. We suggest that midazolam be used in the treatment of RSE before thiopental sodium is administered.
Humans ; Hypotension ; Midazolam* ; Pneumonia ; Status Epilepticus* ; Thiopental* ; Ventilation

BACKGROUND: Exposure to mercury is known to affect the nervous system and cardiovascular system, but effects of chronic exposure to mercury remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of high blood mercury concentrations on the health of patients living in the Yeong-dong region.METHODS: We analyzed the relationship between blood mercury concentration and cardiovascular risk and neuropathic symptoms for 555 patients whose blood mercury concentration was tested from 1999 to 2017. We analyzed the association of each lipid component and blood mercury concentration through a partial correlation method. We performed an analysis to determine the odds ratios (ORs) of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and obesity to high blood mercury levels through a logistic regression model. We analyzed the association between mercury levels and neuropathic symptoms using a χ² test and calculated the OR.RESULTS: The average blood mercury concentration was 8.1±7.5 µg/L and 5.5±5.2 µg/L for males and females, respectively. There was a positive correlation of mercury concentration with high density lipoprotein cholesterol (r, 0.268, 0.219; P-value, <0.001). Among other cardiovascular disease risk factors, no significant correlation was found with high blood mercury level. A tingling sensation in females was related to a high blood mercury level (OR, 2.080; 95% confidence interval, 1.119–3.866).CONCLUSION: It was found that higher mercury concentrations could affect high-density lipoprotein cholesterol regardless of sex and can cause a tingling sensation in women.
Adult ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cardiovascular System ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, HDL ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Female ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypesthesia ; Lipoproteins ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Methods ; Nervous System ; Obesity ; Odds Ratio ; Risk Factors ; Sensation

STUDY DESIGN: An in-vitro experiment using human ligamentum flavum (LF) and the adnovirus-BMP-2 construct, Ad/BMP-2. OBJECTIVES: To determine the dual roles of LF as an osteoinductive agent and carrier for ex-vivo gene transfer. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: LF is known to have osteogenic potential. Pathologically, ossified LF may cause myelopathy and radiculopathy. BMP-2 is known as an important factor in the differentiation, and maintenance, of osteoblast phenotypes. Ex-vivo gene transfer, using human LF for spinal fusion, has never been attempted before. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The LF cells were cultured from the degenerated LF of spinal stenosis patients. An adenovirus construct, containing BMP-2 cDNA (Ad/BMP-2), was also produced. The LF cell cultures were exposed to the adenoviral construct. The Osteocalcin expression was analysed by Western blot analysis. The osteocalcin and BMP-2 mRNA expressions were analysed by RT-PCR. Bone formation was assessed by alkaline phosphatase and Von Kossa stains. RESULTS: The LF cell cultures, with Ad/BMP-2, showed transgene expression in the Western blot analysis. Also, the cultures exhibited the mRNA expressions of both osteocalcin and BMP-2, in a dose-dependent manner. The LF cultures, with Ad/BMP-2, demonstrated alkaline phosphatase expression and bone nodule formations from the Von Kossa staining. CONCLUSION: The genetically modified LF strongly induced osteogenesis, which can be used during a spinal fusion, as an osteoinductive agent and carrier, for ex-vivo gene transfer.
Adenoviridae ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Coloring Agents ; DNA, Complementary ; Humans ; Ligamentum Flavum* ; Osteoblasts ; Osteocalcin ; Osteogenesis ; Phenotype ; Radiculopathy ; RNA, Messenger ; Spinal Cord Diseases ; Spinal Fusion* ; Spinal Stenosis ; Transgenes

Iron is a kind of corrosive agent. Iron overdose causes gastrointestinal complication such as mucosal ulceration, bleeding, intestinal perforation and may occur metabolic acidosis, hepatic dysfunction, hepatic failure, renal failure and cardiomyopathy. Delayed sequalae including gastric outlet obstruction develops 4 to 6 weeks after ingestion. The determination of serum iron and TIBC is an important factor in ascertaining the toxic potential in acute iron ingestion and more is the amount of ingested elemental iron, greater is a patient's toxicity. Supportive care is most important and patients who have severe symptom and abnormal vital sign should be treated with deferoxamine. We report the case that a 20-year-old pregnant female (33 weeks gestation) who had visited complaining of gastrointestinal symptom with iron overdose state was administrated with deferoxamine, therefore we removed iron loads within stomach with endoscopic suction and observed multiple gastric erosion with much old iron in endoscopic findings.
Acidosis ; Cardiomyopathies ; Deferoxamine ; Eating ; Female ; Gastric Outlet Obstruction ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intestinal Perforation ; Iron* ; Liver Failure ; Renal Insufficiency ; Stomach ; Suction ; Ulcer ; Vital Signs ; Young Adult

Renal transplantation is the optimal treatment for end stage renal disease and it has been improved through the development of operative methods and immunosuppressants. However some patients must receive dialysis or undergo retransplantation after a loss of the primary graft due to rejection or other causes. Recently the frequency of retransplantation has begun to increase gradually. Some articles have reported that retransplantation results do not significantly differ in comparison with initial transplantation results when living related donor kidneys are used. Our study focused on the outcome of 445 first transplantation and 12 retransplantation cases. The sex distribution of retransplanted patients was 11 male and 1 female. The mean age (yrs) for recipients was 32.3 at the first transplantation and 39.1 at the retransplantation. The underlying causes of end stage renal disease were presumed to be chronic glomerulonephritis in all retransplantion patients; the mean duration of graft survival (mo) for first transplantation was 77.92. The causes of previous graft failure were as follows: 10 due to chronic rejection, 1 due to recurrent glomerulonephritis, 1 resulted from a graft rupture due to a motorcar accident. The interval (mo) between graft failure and retransplantation averaged 6.7 and 9 out of 12 patients underwent regrafting within 1 year of their previous graft loss. Recipient-donor relationships in first transplantations were as follows: 9 were living related and 3 were living non-related. Recipient-donor relationships in second transplantations were as follows: 4 were living related and 8 were living non-related. Acute rejection within 1 month of transplantation occurred in 4 primary transplantation patients and 2 retransplantation patients. The incidence of acute rejection within 1 month was as follows: 23% of 445 first renal transplantation patients, 16.7% of 12 second transplantation patients. The 1 year and 2 year graft survival rate was 100% and the mean survival duration (mo) was 33 for retransp
Dialysis ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis ; Graft Survival ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Incidence ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Kidney Transplantation ; Kidney* ; Male ; Rupture ; Sex Distribution ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants