Background: Noncombustible nicotine or tobacco product (NNTP) use, and cigarette smoking are associated with a high likelihood of unhealthy weight control behaviors (UWCBs) among adolescents. However, no study has addressed the differences in UWCBs among non-users, single users of combustible cigarettes (CCs) or NNTPs and dual users. This study compared the frequencies of weight control behaviors according to the status of CC and NNTP use among Korean adolescents. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 25,094 adolescents who had attempted to reduce or maintain their body weight during the past 30 days, using data from the 15th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2019. Data on the status of CC and NNTP use, weight status, and weight control behaviors were obtained using self-report questionnaires. Subjects were categorized into four groups: non-users, cigarette-only users, NNTP-only users, and dual users. Results: Among boys and girls, current smokers and NNTP users were 8.9%±0.3% and 5.5%±0.3%, and 4.2%±0.2% and 1.7%±0.1%, respectively. Among boys, NNTP-only users were more likely to engage in extreme weight control behaviors than non-users. Among girls, users of either CCs or NNTPs were more likely to engage in extreme weight control behaviors and less extreme weight control behaviors than non-users. Conclusion This study shows that users of either CCs or NNTPs are more likely to engage in UWCBs, and NNTP-only users are the most likely to do so.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the adequacy of protein intake through meals and present the major protein sources of Korean adults. Methods: Cross-sectional data of 15,639 adults aged 19 years or older from the 2016-2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were obtained. The total, animal, plant protein intakes were assessed using 1-day 24-hour recall. The distinction between breakfast, lunch, and dinner was based on the subjective answers of the participants. Results: The adequacy of protein intake based on the Recommended Nutrient Intake was 67.4±1.2% and 62.9±1.1% in young men and women, respectively; it was 51.9±1.4% and 35.7±1.3% in older men and women, respectively. For men, the proportions of proteins through meals were 17.4±0.3%, 32.6±0.3%, 38.4±0.3%, and 11.6±0.2% for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, respectively. The women showed a similar distribution. In both men and women, as the age group progressed from the young (10.9±0.4 g/day, 12.2±0.4%) to the old (16.9±0.3 g/day, 27.3±0.4%), their intake of proteins and their proportions in meals taken as breakfast also increased, while their dinner protein intake and proportion decreased. The highest-ranked and the 2nd highest-ranked protein sources among the young and middle-aged groups were meat and grains, respectively; the third sources were fish and shellfish. In the old-age group, grains were the highest-ranked protein sources across all three meals. Conclusions Despite the increase in protein intake, one out of three young people and two out of three older adults in Korea had inadequate protein intake and uneven meal distributions of protein intake.

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the adequacy of protein intake through meals and present the major protein sources of Korean adults. Methods: Cross-sectional data of 15,639 adults aged 19 years or older from the 2016-2018 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were obtained. The total, animal, plant protein intakes were assessed using 1-day 24-hour recall. The distinction between breakfast, lunch, and dinner was based on the subjective answers of the participants. Results: The adequacy of protein intake based on the Recommended Nutrient Intake was 67.4±1.2% and 62.9±1.1% in young men and women, respectively; it was 51.9±1.4% and 35.7±1.3% in older men and women, respectively. For men, the proportions of proteins through meals were 17.4±0.3%, 32.6±0.3%, 38.4±0.3%, and 11.6±0.2% for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, respectively. The women showed a similar distribution. In both men and women, as the age group progressed from the young (10.9±0.4 g/day, 12.2±0.4%) to the old (16.9±0.3 g/day, 27.3±0.4%), their intake of proteins and their proportions in meals taken as breakfast also increased, while their dinner protein intake and proportion decreased. The highest-ranked and the 2nd highest-ranked protein sources among the young and middle-aged groups were meat and grains, respectively; the third sources were fish and shellfish. In the old-age group, grains were the highest-ranked protein sources across all three meals. Conclusions Despite the increase in protein intake, one out of three young people and two out of three older adults in Korea had inadequate protein intake and uneven meal distributions of protein intake.

BACKGROUND: AND PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the diagnostic performance and safety of a new ¹⁸F-labeled amyloid tracer, ¹⁸F-FC119S. METHODS: This study prospectively recruited 105 participants, comprising 53 with Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, 16 patients with dementia other than AD (non-AD), and 36 healthy controls (HCs). In the first screening visit, the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery cognitive function test was given to the dementia group, while HC subjects completed the Korean version of the Mini Mental State Examination. Individuals underwent ¹⁸F-FC119S PET, ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET, and brain MRI. The diagnostic performance of ¹⁸F-FC119S PET for AD was compared to a historical control (comprising previously reported and currently used amyloid-beta PET agents), ¹⁸F-FDG PET, and MRI. The standardized uptake value (SUV) ratio (ratio of the cerebral cortical SUV to the cerebellar SUV) was measured for each PET data set to provide semiquantitative analysis. All adverse effects during the clinical trial periods were monitored. RESULTS: Visual assessments of the ¹⁸F-FC119S PET data revealed a sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 84% in detecting AD. ¹⁸F-FC119S PET demonstrated equivalent or better diagnostic performance for AD detection than the historical control, ¹⁸F-FDG PET (sensitivity of 80.0% and specificity of 76.0%), and MRI (sensitivity of 98.0% and specificity of 50.0%). The SUV ratios differed significantly between AD patients and the other groups, at 1.44±0.17 (mean±SD) for AD, 1.24±0.09 for non-AD, and 1.21±0.08 for HC. No clinically significant adverse effects occurred during the trial periods. CONCLUSIONS ¹⁸F-FC119S PET provides high sensitivity and specificity in detecting AD and therefore may be considered a useful diagnostic tool for AD.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine clinical practice patterns in the management of pregnant women admitted with threatened preterm labor (TPL) in Korea. METHODS: Data from women admitted with a diagnosis of TPL were collected from 22 hospitals. TPL was defined as regular uterine contractions with or without other symptoms such as pelvic pressure, backache, increased vaginal discharge, menstrual-like cramps, bleeding/show and cervical changes. Data on general patient information, clinical characteristics at admission, use of tocolytics, antibiotics, and corticosteroids, and pregnancy outcomes were collected using an online data collections system. RESULTS: A total of 947 women with TPL were enrolled. First-line tocolysis was administered to 822 (86.8%) patients. As a first-line tocolysis, beta-agonists were used most frequently (510/822, 62.0%), followed by magnesium sulfate (183/822, 22.3%), calcium channel blockers (91/822, 11.1%), and atosiban (38/822, 4.6%). Of the 822 women with first-line tocolysis, second-line tocolysis were required in 364 (44.3%). Of 364 with second-line, 199 had third-line tocolysis (37.4%). Antibiotics were administered to 29.9% of patients (284/947) with single (215, 22.7%), dual (26, 2.7%), and triple combinations (43, 4.5%). Corticosteroids were administered to 420 (44.4%) patients. Betamethasone was administered to 298 patients (71.0%), and dexamethasone was administered to 122 patients (29.0%). CONCLUSION: Practice patterns in the management of TPL in Korea were quite various. It is needed to develop standardized practice guidelines for TPL management.
Adrenal Cortex Hormones ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Back Pain ; Betamethasone ; Calcium Channel Blockers ; Dexamethasone ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Magnesium Sulfate ; Muscle Cramp ; Obstetric Labor, Premature* ; Physician's Practice Patterns ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnant Women ; Premature Birth ; Retrospective Studies* ; Tocolysis ; Tocolytic Agents ; Uterine Contraction ; Vaginal Discharge

Animals ; Dental Implants ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Osseointegration ; Rats ; Streptozocin ; Tibia ; Titanium

BACKGROUND: Environmental pollutants are thought to be one of major triggers of atopic dermatitis (AD). OBJECTIVE: We attempted to evaluate the clinical effects of environment with low indoor pollutant levels on AD management. METHODS: Fifty-one children (mean age 1.7 years) with moderate to severe AD who failed to show improvement with conventional management were recruited. Disease severity was assessed by SCORAD (Scoring of AD) indices. They were admitted in a low pollutant oom for 3-4 days (mean 3.3 days) which was designed to keep low levels of dust, house dust mites, micro-organisms, and indoor air pollutants such as total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), particulate matter (PM), and so on. Air pollutant levels in the low pollutant room were lower than primary standards defined by the Korean Ministry of Environment. we compared disease severity on admission and after discharge, and the pollutant levels of each patient's home and low pollutant room. RESULTS: The SCORAD was significantly reduced from 42.0 ± 11 .5 to 29.8 ± 8.9 (p < 0.001) by management in a low pollutant room. PM₂.₅, PM₁₀, formaldehyde, TVOCs, carbon dioxide, bacterial suspensions, and indoor molds were significantly higher in the patient's home than low pollutant room. Out of 29 patients who deteriorated after discharge to their home, 8 patients were admitted again, and their SCORAD was rapidly decreased from 53.1 ± 16.2 to 39.2 ± 9.8 (p = 0.036). CONCLUSION: Indoor air pollutants are likely to affect AD in susceptible individuals. Environmental control to lower indoor air pollutant levels might be necessary for better management of AD in some patients.
Air Pollutants ; Air Pollution ; Carbon Dioxide ; Child ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dust ; Environmental Pollutants ; Formaldehyde ; Fungi ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Mites ; Particulate Matter ; Suspensions ; Volatile Organic Compounds

PURPOSE: Recently, early gastric cancer has increased in Korea. Thus, endoscopic treatment and laparoscopic gastrectomy has increased in early gastric cancer patients. We studied periodic change and characteristics in gastric cancer patients. Thus, we analyzed annual change of clinicopathological characteristics and long-term survival results of gastric cancer patients after radical gastrectomy over 10 years. METHODS: From 1995 to 2004, 2,387 patients underwent radical gastrectomy due to gastric cancer. We analyzed annual characteristics, sex, age distribution, cancer location, depth of invasion, lymph node metastasis, UICC stage and 5-year survival rates, retrospectively from medical records. RESULTS: The number of gastric cancer patient has increased annually. The ratio of male to female was 2:1. Gastric cancer was most common and increased annually in the 60~79-year age group. Early gastric cancer increased annually. The 5-year survival rate was 93% in stage Ia, 89% in stage Ib, 72% in stage II, 51% in stage IIIA, 38% in stage IIIb and 22% in stage IV. Multivariate analysis revealed that UICC stage (or depth of invasion and lymph node metastasis) and cancer location were the main independent prognostic factors. CONCLUSION: Prognosis is improved due to increase of early gastric cancer. So, we should attempt diagnosis early and treat early gastric cancer. Active treatment is recommended even for the elderly gastric cancer patients. And care should be taken with respect to morbidity and mortality.
Age Distribution ; Aged ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Medical Records ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Sex Characteristics ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Survival Rate

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the usefulness of positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) in the pre-operative staging of gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between February 2006 and August 2008, PET-CT and CT were performed on 70 patients diagnosed with gastric cancer by gastrofiberscopic biopsy. The sensitivities, specificities, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of PET-CT and CT imaging for the detection of gastric cancer TNM staging were compared. RESULTS: The detection rates for the primary tumor were as follows: PET-CT, 81.4% (57/70); and CT, 42.9% (30/70). For both early gastric cancer (EGC) and advanced gastric cancer (AGC), PET-CT was more accurate than CT in detecting the lesions. As the size of the tumor exceeded 3 cm, the detection rate increased. The sensitivities, specificities, PPV, and NPV of PET-CT for lymph node staging were 55.6%, 81%, 86.2%, and 45.9%, while the sensitivities, specificities, PPV, and NPV of CT were 40.0%, 85.7%, 85.7% and 40%, respectively. One case of multiple liver metastasis and two cases of dual primary cancer (rectal and pancreatic cancers) were detected by PET-CT. PET-CT also had a higher detection rate for all histologic types of primary tumors. PET-CT was more accurate than CT in detecting primary gastric cancer lesions. The detection of nodal metastasis by PET-CT was similar to CT; small-sized tumors or EGC detection rates were not high. However, PET-CT provided additional information to detect distant metastases and dual primary cancers and reduced unnecessary laparotomies to detect peritoneal seeding or carcinomatosis. CONCLUSION: It would be useful to make a pre-operative diagnosis of gastric cancer and determine treatment if PET-CT were added to other routine pre-operative studies.
Biopsy ; Electrons ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Liver ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Seeds ; Stomach Neoplasms

PURPOSE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of an ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy with an 18G cutting needle in patients suspected of having a pancreatic disease by analyzing the diagnostic performance and complication rate. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study population comprised 35 consecutive patients who underwent an ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy using a high-speed biopsy gun accompanied with an 18G cutting-type needle between May of 2001 and October of 2005. The diagnostic performance (i.e., the acquisition rate and diagnostic accuracy) and complications associated with core needle biopsies were evaluated for its efficacy and safety. RESULTS: Thirty-six sessions of ultrasound-guided core needle biopsies were performed in 35 consecutive patients. All patients, except two (serous cystadenoma and autoimmune pancreatitis) were diagnosed with various subtypes of pancreatic cancer. The acquisition rate and diagnostic accuracy were 97% (35/36) and 94% (34/36), respectively. A complication occurred only in one patient (3%), which further proved to be a delayed complicaton (i.e., needle tract implantation). CONCLUSION: According to our findings, the ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy is a viable and safe method for the dignosis of pancreatic diseases. Moreover, it enables the diagnosis of the pancreatic cancer subtype.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Large-Core Needle ; Biopsy, Needle ; Cystadenoma ; Humans ; Needles ; Pancreas ; Pancreatic Diseases ; Pancreatic Neoplasms