No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Lung*

BACKGROUND: Coal workers' pneumoconiosis is a fibrotic lung disease resulting from chronic inhalation of coal dust. The precise mechanism of lung fibrosis in coal workers' pneumoconiosis is uncertain. However, a relationship between the stimulation of fibroblast proliferation and collagen production by mediators released from inflammatory and resident lung cells is thought to be a major factor. The transforming growth factor-β(TGF-β), a multifunctional cytokine and growth factor, plays a key role in the scarring and fibrotic processes due to its ability to induce extracellular matrix proteins and modulate the growth and immune function of many cell types. To determine the involvement of TGF-βin the development of lung fibrosis in coal workers' pneumoconiosis, the TGF-β1 level in plasma was measured in patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis. METHODS: Plasma was collected from 40 patients with coal workers' pneumoconiosis (20 with simple coal workers' pneumoconiosis and 20 with complicated coal workers' pneumoconiosis) and from 10 normal controls. The ELISA method was used to measure the plasma TGF-β1 concentration. RESULTS: Compared to the control group (0.63±0.18 ng/mL), there was no significant difference in the plasma TGF-β1 level in patients with simple coal workers' pneumoconiosis (0.64±0.17 ng/mL) (p>.05). However, in patients with complicated coal workers' pneumoconiosis the plasma TGF-β1 level (0.79±0.18 ng/mL) was significantly higher than in patients with simple coal workers' pneumoconiosis and control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The data suggests that TGF-β1 has some influence in the development of lung fibrosis in coal workers' pneumoconiosis.
Cicatrix ; Coal* ; Collagen ; Dust ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins ; Fibroblasts ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Inhalation ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Plasma* ; Pneumoconiosis* ; Pulmonary Fibrosis

BACKGROUNDS: Intestinal obstruction is one of the main causes of neonatal operations. It is caused by congenital factors, inherited diseases, and acquired diseases. A study was made to understand the status of neonatal intestinal obstruction cases at our hospital. METHODS: This was a clinical analysis of 53 cases of neonatal intestinal obstruction which had been experienced from March 1992 to February 1998 at the Department of General surgery, Sung-Ae General Hospital. RESULTS: 1) Operations for neonatal intestinal obstructions accounted for 42.4% of all neonatal operations. 2) There were 38 males and 15 females; the male-to-female ratio was 2.5:1. 3) Gestational period of 9 cases (16.9%) was less than 36 weeks and the weight in 10 cases (18.8%) wre below 2,500 gm at birth. 4) The main clinical symptoms on admission were vomiting or abdominal distension. 5) There were 49 cases (92.4%) of mechanical obstruction and 4 cases of a paralytic ileus. 6) Associated anomalies were present in 9 cases (16.9%). 7) The postoperative complication and motality rates were 30.1% and 7.5% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our clinical data might provide clinical suspicisions leading to early diagnosis and treatment.
Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Intestinal Obstruction* ; Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction ; Male ; Parturition ; Postoperative Complications ; Vomiting

We made a mistake in our recently published article.

Objectives: An increasing emphasis has been placed on the integration of clinical data and patient-generated health data (PGHD), which are generated outside of hospitals. This study explored the possibility of using standard terminologies to represent PGHD for data integration. Methods: We chose the 2020 general health checkup questionnaire of the Korean Health Screening Program as a resource. We divided every component of the questionnaire into entities and values, which were mapped to standard terminologies—Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT) version 2020-07-31 and Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) version 2.68. Results: Eighty-nine items were derived from the 17 questions of the 2020 health examination questionnaire, of which 76 (85.4%) were mapped to standard terms. Fifty-two items were mapped to SNOMED CT and 24 items were mapped to LOINC. Among the items mapped to SNOMED CT, 35 were mapped to pre-coordinated expressions and 17 to post-coordinated expressions. Forty items had one-to-one relationships, and 17 items had one-to-many relationships. Conclusions We achieved a high mapping rate (85.4%) by using both SNOMED CT and LOINC. However, we noticed some issues while mapping the Korean general health checkup questionnaire (i.e., lack of explanations, vague questions, and overly narrow concepts). In particular, items combining two or more concepts into a single item were not appropriate for mapping using standard terminologies. Although it is not the case that all items need to be expressed in standard terminology, essential items should be presented in a way suitable for mapping to standard terminology by revising the questionnaire in the future.

Concurrent medical problem is common in dementia patients and critical to their care. Despite its importance, there was no bedside global rating scale for the seriousness of medical comorbidity. Lykestos et al. newly developed a reliable bedside scale, the General Medical Health Rating(GMHR). The objective of this study was to standardize the GMHR in form of Korean version(KGMHR). The study population consisted of 35 dementia patients in nursing home. Rating was performed by 1 physician and 2 nurses. Forty percent(14/35) of patients had one or more unstable medical illnesses. KGMHR ratings no more than 3 were 71.5%(25/35) of patients. The value of interrater reliability coefficient alpha was 0.9121. Correlations between KGMHR ratings and number of unstable medi-cal illnesses were high(r=-0.487, p<0.01). KGMHR ratings were also correlated with number of medications being taken for comorbid conditions(r=-0.542, p<0.01). In conclusion, KGMHR is a very reliable and simple rating scale for medical comorbidity in dementia patients. So the KGMHR could be a useful tool for evaluation of comorbidity in dementia patients. To verify the prognostic value of KGMHR, further large sized long-term study are needed.
Comorbidity ; Dementia* ; Humans ; Nursing Homes

No abstract available.
Epstein-Barr Virus Infections* ; Herpesvirus 4, Human* ; Humans ; Lymphoma*

OBJECTIVES: To understand the current status of the opening, closing and relocation of primary medical institutes in Korea and identify the underlying decision factors. METHODS: Sources of analyzed data included the medical institutional master file at the National Health Insurance Corporation (1998, 2000) and Regional Statistic Annual Bulletins. To investigate changes including the opening, closing and relocation, a total of primary medicalinstitutions (16,757 in 1998, 19,267 in 2000) were analysed. RESULTS: Between 1998 and 2000, there was a 15.0% (2,510) increase in the number of primary medical institutions and the rate of increase in the rural area was higher than the urban area, and higher for specialty clinics than primary practice. However, these findings did not suggestany improvement in the maldistribution of primary medical institutions. During the time period studied, newly opened and closed primary medical institutions numbered 4,085 and 1,573, respectively. Additionally, institutions thatrelocated numbered 2,729, or 16.3%of all primary medical institutions in operation in 1998. These openings and closings were more frequent among young doctors. As a result of our analysis on the underlying regional factors forrelocation, the factors that were statistically significant were local per capita tax burden and the number of schools per ten thousand persons. In the case of institutional factors, movements were significantly associated with gender and the location of primary medical institutions. CONCLUSIONS: In order to establish effective long-term intervention for primary medical institutions, further study and monitoring of primary medical institutions and the dentification of factors influencing opening location and relocation is necessary.
Academies and Institutes ; Humans ; Korea* ; National Health Programs ; Taxes

BACKGROUND: Several studies have shown that family meals promote a well-balanced and healthier diet and weight status. Metabolic syndrome is related to eating behavior. This study investigated the association between eating family meals and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 4,529 subjects who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV and V (2007–2012). A self-reported questionnaire was used to assess dietary status. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the guidelines of the modified version of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III. We compared the overall quality of dietary intake in family meal. RESULTS: Nutritional adequacy ratios for energy, protein, calcium, vitamin A, vitamin B₁, vitamin B₂, vitamin C, niacin, and potassium, and the mean adequacy ratio were significantly higher in the family meal group (P<0.05). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was lower in the family meal group (P<0.05). However, we observed no significant association between eating family meals and the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that eating family meals appeared to be associated with nutrient adequacy. However, we observed no significant differences in prevalence of metabolic syndrome between the 2 groups.
Adult ; Ascorbic Acid ; Calcium ; Cholesterol ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diet ; Eating* ; Education ; Feeding Behavior ; Humans ; Korea* ; Meals* ; Niacin ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Nutritional Status ; Potassium ; Prevalence* ; Social Class ; Vitamin A ; Vitamins

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Acoustic neuroma (AN) is commonly encountered in the cerebello-pontine angle (CPA) and AN arises principally from the vestibular division of the nerve, which can show not only hearing disturbance but also various vestibular symptoms and laboratory findings by affecting central and peripheral vestibular system. Vestibular testing is reported not to be a useful screening test for AN, but can be helpful in defining whether the tumor arises from the superior or inferior division and identifying the cause of dizziness or vertigo. MATERIALS AND METHOD: We are presenting four patients with CPA tumors accompanied by various abnormal findings of vestibular function tests including head-shaking nystagmus, vibration-induced nystagmus, hyperventilation- induced nystagmus and vestibular evoked myogenic potential and subjective visual vertical, which can enable us to understand the pathomechanism of the abnormal results. RESULTS: All patients presented hearing loss and mild dizziness. Caloric test, head thrust test and vibration-induced nystagmus was helpful in localizing the disease, but head-shaking nystagmus and hyperventilation-induced nystagmus was less helpful. Otolith tests did not always show abnormal results. CONCLUSION: We should consider abnormal results of the vestibular function tests in a whole to estimate the status of vestibular compensation in patients with CPA tumors.
Caloric Tests ; Compensation and Redress ; Dizziness ; Head Impulse Test ; Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Neuroma, Acoustic ; Otolithic Membrane ; Vertigo ; Vestibular Function Tests*