OBJECTIVES: A healthcare decision-making support model and rule management system is proposed based on a personalized rule-based intelligent concept, to effectively manage chronic diseases. METHODS: A Web service was built using a standard message transfer protocol for interoperability of personal health records among healthcare institutions. An intelligent decision service is provided that analyzes data using a service-oriented healthcare rule inference function and machine-learning platform; the rules are extensively compiled by physicians through a developmental user interface that enables knowledge base construction, modification, and integration. Further, screening results are visualized for the self-intuitive understanding of personal health status by patients. RESULTS: A recommendation message is output through the Web service by receiving patient information from the hospital information recording system and object attribute values as input factors. The proposed system can verify patient behavior by acting as an intellectualized backbone of chronic diseases management; further, it supports self-management and scheduling of screening. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic patients can continuously receive active recommendations related to their healthcare through the rule management system, and they can model the system by acting as decision makers in diseases management; secondary diseases can be prevented and health management can be performed by reference to patient-specific lifestyle guidelines.
Chronic Disease* ; Decision Support Systems, Clinical ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Expert Systems ; Health Records, Personal ; Humans ; Knowledge Bases ; Life Style ; Mass Screening ; Self Care

PURPOSE: Transrectal needle biopsy of the prostate is a definitive diagnostic procedure for prostate cancer. However, the sensitivity of a third biopsy is very low in patients with serum prostate-specific antigen(PSA) 4-10 ng/ml and negative repeat prostate biopsy. In addition, multiple prostate biopsies usually have low patient compliance due to the pain and complications associated with the procedure. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of transurethral resection of the prostate(TURP) for the diagnosis of prostate cancer in patients with lower urinary tract symptoms and clinical suspicion but with negative repeat biopsy samples. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 2000 to December 2006, 51 patients less than 80 years old underwent TURP at our institution for lower urinary tract symptoms with a serum PSA 4-10ng/ml and negative repeat transrectal needle biopsy of the prostate. We examined their first serum PSA, serum PSA before the TURP, PSA density, as well as their age, prostate size and digital rectal exam findings. The probability for the detection of prostate cancer by TURP was investigated retrospectively. RESULTS: Prostate cancer was detected in seven patients(13.7%). The total Gleason score for the biopsy specimens was 5 in two patients, 6 in one patient and 7 in four patients. There were significant differences between the prostate cancer group and the benign prostate hypertrophy group with regard to the PSA density and prostate volume. However there were no significant differences between the first serum PSA and the serum PSA before TURP in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: In case with a high suspicion for prostate cancer, the TURP helps in the diagnosis of prostate cancer in those patients with a negative repeat biopsy and a serum PSA 4-10ng/ml and improvement of their lower urinary tract symptoms.
Aged, 80 and over ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Needle* ; Diagnosis* ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms* ; Needles* ; Neoplasm Grading ; Patient Compliance ; Prostate* ; Prostatic Neoplasms* ; Retrospective Studies ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate

The external medicine is an indispensable treatment of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) surgery.The application of Hg is one of the characteristics of TCM surgery medicine for external use.This paper analyzes the present situation of clinical application of Hg and summarizes the common adverse reactions in the literature.The focus of the research on the development of new drugs containing Hg in traditional Chinese medicine is discussed.

OBJECTIVE To study the mechanism of loganin,the effective componet of Cornus officinalis,on protecting the glomerulus mesangial cell (GMCs) injured by advanced glycation end products (AGEs).METHODS GMCs were divided into control,model (AGEs: 200mg/L),loganin (0.1,1,10μmol/L) groups.The cell proliferation,FN and COL-Ⅳ secretion,microstructure lesions,RAGE,SphK1,S1P and TGF-β protein expressions were measured.RESULTS AGEs induced cell proliferation,FN and COL-Ⅳ secretions,microstructure lesions,RAGE,SphK1,S1P and TGF-β protein expressions were suppressed by loganin.CONCLUSION Loganin can improve the AGEs induced GMCs injury by regulating the AGEs/RAGE/SphK1 signal pathway,and then ameliorate the diabetic nephropathy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Little is known about the relationships between provoking risk factors, prognosis, and optimal duration of anticoagulation in patients with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT), especially in Asians. We aimed to investigate whether the prognosis and required duration of anticoagulation in CVT patients differ according to the provoking risk factors. METHODS: Prospectively recorded data from a tertiary medical center in South Korea were retrospectively reviewed. CVTs were categorized into three groups: unprovoked, those with possibly resolved provoking factors (PR), and those with persistent provoking factors (PP). The baseline characteristics, treatment, and prognosis of patients in these three groups were analyzed. RESULTS: From 2000 to 2015, 61 patients presented with CVT: 19 (31.1%) unprovoked, 11 (18.0%) with PR, and 31 (50.9%) with PP. The patients in our cohort had a slight female predominance and lower frequency of oral contraceptive use compared to Western cohorts. Median follow-up and duration of anticoagulation were 35 and 8 months, respectively. Despite the similarities in baseline characteristics, deaths (n=3; P=0.256) and recurrences (n=7; P=0.020) were observed only in the PP group. The median intervals to death and recurrence were 9 and 13 months, respectively. Death was associated with underlying disease activity, not with CVT progression. Recurrences in the PP group were associated with lack of anticoagulation (P=0.012). CONCLUSIONS: Although the prognosis of CVT is generally benign in Koreans, recurrence and death were observed in patients with persistent risk factors, suggesting their need for long-term treatment with anticoagulants.
Anticoagulants ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Korea ; Prognosis* ; Prospective Studies ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Venous Thrombosis*

OBJECTIVES: An official guideline must be prepared for legalizing the doctor-patient telemedicine system based on the evaluations of the ongoing telemedicine demonstration project performed by the Korean government. In this study, critical items of the Korean telemedicine guideline are suggested based on the guidelines of developed countries. METHODS: To investigate the telemedicine guidelines of developed countries, a keyword of 'telemedicine guidelines' was used for Google search to find out US, Australian, and Japanese guidelines. The common items included in two or more of the followings were screened: US Core Operational Guidelines for Telehealth Services Involving Provider-Patient Interactions, the Australian New South Wales (NSW) Agency for Clinical Innovation Guidelines for the use of Telehealth for Clinical and Non Clinical Settings in NSW, and the Japanese Guidelines for the practice of home telemedicine. RESULTS: A total of 22 common items of the following four domains, which could be used for the Korean guideline were screened: the common features in overall considerations (6 items), the common features in clinical considerations (6 items), the common features in technical considerations (5 items), and the common features in privacy considerations (5 items). These 22 items were suggested as the critical items of the Korean telemedicine guideline. CONCLUSIONS: The screened 22 items of the telemedicine guideline must be further organized for details. Additional studies and professional opinions on the telemedicine cases and on the guidelines of developed countries are required to establish the Korean guideline in the near future.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Developed Countries ; Health Care Reform ; Humans ; Korea* ; New South Wales ; Privacy ; Remote Consultation ; Telecommunications ; Telemedicine*

Endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS) is a rare malignancy. Development of extrauterine ESS form endometriosis is particularly rare. The majority of extrauterine ESS occurs in areas with preexisting endometriosis. The most common site is the ovary. We experienced a case of ESS of the ovary that arose from endometriosis with multiple disseminated lesions. This disease was managed by total abdominal hysterectomy, bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, both pelvic lymph nodes dissection, omentectomy, and appendectomy followed by postoperative high-dose progesterone therapy. Here, we report this case with literature review.
Appendectomy ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Hysterectomy ; Lymph Nodes ; Ovary* ; Progesterone ; Sarcoma, Endometrial Stromal*

BACKGROUND: Microbleeds (MBs), proposed as a biomarker for microangiopathy, have been suggested as a predictor of spontaneous or thrombolysis-related intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in acute ischemic stroke. However, the relationship between MBs and warfarin-induced ICH is not clear. CASE REPORT: We describe two patients who developed warfarin-induced ICH at the site of MBs documented in previous MRI. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of MBs might increase the risk of ICH after warfarin use in ischemic stroke patients. A large cohort study is required to confirm the relationship of MBs with warfarin-induced ICH.
Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Cohort Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Stroke ; Warfarin

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Elucidating the factors that predict the quality of life (QOL) in stroke patients is important. However, the residual sensory symptoms that are common in stroke patients have not usually been included as factors that influence the QOL. The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the factors that predict the QOL of chronic-stage patients with special attention to residual sensory symptoms. METHODS: We examined 214 patients who had experienced a first-time stroke during the subacute (i.e., approximately 3 months poststroke) stage; 151 patients from this group were followed up by telephone interview during the chronic (i.e., approximately 3 years poststroke) stage. Physical disabilities, including motor dysfunction, sensory symptoms that included central poststroke pain (CPSP, described using a standardized questionnaire with a visual analogue scale), activities of daily living (ADL, measured by the Barthel index score), as well as the presence of depression (using the DSM IV criteria), were assessed during both the subacute and chronic stages. Economic and job statuses during the chronic stage were also assessed. QOL ratings were determined by the World Health Organization QOL scale. RESULTS: The following factors at 3 months poststroke were related to low QOL at 3 years poststroke: dependency in ADL, motor dysfunction, depression, and CPSP. At 3 years poststroke, dependency in ADL, depression, CPSP, poor economic status, and unemployment were all factors that were related to low QOL. Multiple regression analysis showed that dependency in ADL (19%), presence of CPSP (12%), and poor economic status (10%) were important explanatory factors for overall QOL. In the analysis of QOL subdomains, the most important explanatory factors were CPSP for both physical and psychological domains, dependency in ADL for both independence and social-relationships domains, economic status for the environmental domain, and female sex for the spiritual domain. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that dependency in ADL, depression, low socioeconomic status, and the presence of CPSP either at 3 months or 3 years poststroke are factors that are related to a low QOL at 3 years poststroke. The recognition of these factors may allow strategies to be developed to improve the QOL for stroke patients.
Activities of Daily Living ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Quality of Life* ; Social Class ; Stroke ; Unemployment ; World Health Organization ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Intracranial atherosclerosis is considered a cause of approximately 8% of all strokes in the western society. However, its frequency is much higher in Asian countries. In our hospital-based study, among the patients who had angiographic abnormalities, the frequency of intracranial atherosclerosis was approximately 70% far exceeding that of extratracranial atherosclerosis. Symptomatic atherosclerotic diseases were most often found in the middle cerebral artery. Generally, it has been shown that obesity and hyperlipidemia are related to extracranial diseases while advance hypertension is associated with intracranial diseases. However, these results have not always been replicated, and certain genetic factors may be related with the ethnic differences in the location of atherosclerosis. Recent studies using diffusion weighted MRI showed that the main mechanisms of stroke in patients with intracranial atherosclerosis are the branch occlusion, artery to artery embolism and both. The intracranial stenosis, especially symptomatic one, is not a static condition and may progress or regress in a relatively short period of time. Progressive stenosis of intracranial arteries is clearly related to the development of ischemic events. The annual risk of stroke relevant to the stenosed intracranial vessel is approximately 8%. In retrospective studies including ASID, anticoagulation was found to be superior to aspirin in reducing the stroke events. However, a recent prospective study failed to confirm the superiority of anticoagulation over aspirin in patients with intracranial stenosis. Moreover, anticoagulation resulted in excessive central nervous system bleeding as compared to aspirin. Because aspirin alone seems to be insufficient in the prevention of progression of intracranial stenosis, a combination of antiplatelets has been tried. Recently, we found that a combination of aspirin + cilostazol was superior to aspirin monotherapy in the prevention of progression of symptomatic intracranial stenosis. However, further studies are required to find out the best combination of antiplatelets for symptomatic intracranial stenosis. The effect of other atheroma stabilizers such as statins should also be properly evaluated. Angioplasty/stent is another important option for the relatively severe intracranial stenosis. According to previous studies, immediate success rate has reached up to 90%. If patients are carefully selected, and procedures done by experienced hand, angioplasty/stent can be of benefit especially in relatively young patients with proximal, short-segment, severe symptomatic stenosis. However, this procedure is not without complications or long-term re-stenosis. Further studies are required to elucidate the best therapeutic strategy in patients with intracranial atherosclerosis.
Arteries ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Aspirin ; Atherosclerosis ; Central Nervous System ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Diagnosis* ; Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Embolism ; Hand ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Incidence* ; Intracranial Arteriosclerosis* ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Obesity ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic ; Stroke