OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to develop the screening questionnaire (Adolescent Mental Health and Problem Behavior Questionnaire, AMPQ) for detecting mental health problems and various problem behaviors in adolescents. METHODS: First, six main domains of questionnaire were defined and preliminary sub-items were collected through literature study, consultation data from field mental health experts, and preliminary survey study. Next, with these 52 preliminary items, we conducted nationwide survey on 1,267 middle and high school students of five districts of Korea. RESULTS: Through reliability test and factor analysis 34 items were finally filtered out. The Cronbach's alpha of these 34 items was .88. And correlation with K-YSR and K-CBCL were .34 (p<.01) and .68 (p<.01). CONCLUSION: AMPQ, which is comprised of relatively short list of items and at the same time covers overall mental health and problem behaviors in adolescents can be used by non-professionals as a screening questionnaire in school settings or mental health centers.
Adolescent ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Mental Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To evaluate the results of physeal bar resection and free fat graft as a treatment method for partial epiphyseal closure. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirteen cases of partial epiphyseal closure (4 of the distal femur, 8 of the distal tibia and one of the distal radius) were subjected to physeal bar resection. All of the cases were caused by trauma. The physeal bar was central in 3 cases, peripheral in 9, and mixed (central-peripheral) in 1. Mean patient age at surgery was 10.7 years and mean follow-up period was 47 months. Final results were evaluated by a modified Williamson-Staheli classification. RESULTS: Results at final follow-up were as follows: 6 satisfactory (3 excellent and 3 good) and 7 unsatisfactory (5 fair and 2 poor). Satisfactory results according to location and region of the physeal bar were as follows: distal tibia, 5 of 8 cases; distal femur, 1 of 4; central, 1 of 3; peripheral, 4 of 9; and mixed, 1 of 1. When considered by areal extent, physeal bars occupying 30% or less of the bone's cross-sectional area showed satisfactory results in 5 of 7 cases, while in 6 cases with the physeal bar over 30%, 5 were unsatisfactory. CONCLUSION: Accurate preoperative evaluation of the size and type of the physeal bar, and meticulous surgical technique, are important predictors of satisfactory outcome of physeal bar resection. Cases where the physeal bar extent exceeded 30% had mostly unsatisfactory results.
Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Tibia ; Transplants

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Ginger, a root vegetable, is known to have antioxidant and antiobesity effects. Preparation, such as by steaming, can affect the chemical composition of prepared root vegetables or herbs and can change their functional activities. In the present study, we investigated the protective effects of steamed ginger against oxidative stress and steatosis in C57BL/6J mice fed a high-fat diet. MATERIALS/METHODS: The levels of polyphenols and flavonoids in two different extracts of steamed ginger, i.e., water extract (SGW) and ethanolic extract (SGE); as well, their antioxidant activities were examined. Forty male C57BL/6J mice were fed a normal diet (ND, n = 10), high-fat diet (HFD, 60% fat, w/w, n = 10), HFD supplemented with 200 mg/kg of SGE or garcinia (GAR) by weight (SGED or GARD, respectively, n = 10) for 12 weeks. Serum chemistry was examined, and the expressions of genes involved in lipid metabolism were determined in the liver. Histological analysis was performed to identify lipid accumulations in epididymal fat pads and liver. RESULTS: The SGE had higher contents of polyphenols and flavonoids and higher DPPH and ABTS⁺ free radical scavenging activities compared to those of SGW. Treatment with SGE or GAR significantly decreased the HFD-induced weight gain. Both SGE and GAR significantly reduced the high serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein levels induced by HFD. Compared to ND, HFD significantly increased hepatic TC and TG levels. SGE or GAR supplementation significantly decreased the increase of hepatic lipids by HFD. Interestingly, SGE had a more significant effect in reducing hepatic TC and TG levels than GAR. Furthermore, hepatic genes involved in lipogenesis and lipolysis were altered in both the SGED and GARD groups. CONCLUSIONS: The present study indicates that steamed ginger supplementation can decrease plasma TC and TG and can inhibit liver steatosis by regulating the expressions of hepatic genes.
Adipose Tissue ; Animals ; Chemistry ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Diet, High-Fat* ; Ethanol ; Fatty Liver ; Flavonoids ; Garcinia ; Ginger* ; Humans ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipogenesis ; Lipolysis ; Lipoproteins ; Liver ; Male ; Mice* ; Obesity* ; Oxidative Stress ; Plasma ; Polyphenols ; Steam* ; Triglycerides ; Vegetables ; Water ; Weight Gain

The final version uploaded in NRP and PMC are different. Somehow, the PMC version is not the final version of this publication. The PMC version is the version before final revision. Also the authors found out that there is an error in Table 1. These errors did not influence the subsequent analyses/statistics at all. Thus, changes for these errors do not impact the conclusions of the paper

BACKGROUND: Helicobacter pylori is present mainly in the gastric mucous layer. However, the mucous layer, along with the bacteria, is lost during conventional tissue processing in which formalin is used for fixation. The purpose of this study is to ascertain - if the mucous layer is preserved by using Carnoy solution as a fixative - whether the detection rate of H. pylori is increased in pediatric patients. METHODS: Five pieces of gastric mucosal tissue were obtained from the gastric antrum and the body of one hundred pediatric patients. One of the specimens was fixed with formalin. Another specimen was fixed with Carnoy solution. The tissue sections were stained with hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemically stained for H. pylori. For reference, a rapid urease test was performed on the remaining three specimens. RESULTS: In the formalin-fixed tissue, the detection rate of H. pylori was 13% in the gastric antrum and 12% in the body (overall 16%). In the Carnoy solution-fixed tissue, the mucous layer was preserved and the detection rate of H. pylori was 23% in the antrum and 27% in the body (overall 28%). The positive rate of the rapid urease test was 26% in the antrum and 28% in the body (overall 29%). CONCLUSIONS: When the number of H. pylori is small in the gastric mucosa, the bacteria may not be detected by conventional histologic methods. In that case, the detection rate of H. pylori may be increased by using Carnoy solution, rather than formalin, as a tissue fixative.
Bacteria ; Fixatives ; Formaldehyde ; Gastric Mucosa ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Pyloric Antrum ; Urease

BACKGROUND: It has been believed that there is a pure mucus-secreting cardiac mucosa (CM), about 2 cm in length, below the gastroesophageal junction. However, recent reports suggest that CM might not be located at the most proximal portion of the stomach. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationships between the types of proximal gastric mucosa and patients' age, sex, their condition regarding the Helicobacter pylori infection, and severity of chronic gastritis. METHODS: Two pieces of mucosal tissue from the most proximal portion of the stomach and the antrum of 44 pediatric and 85 adult patients were examined using a light microscope. A rapid urease test was performed on the other antral specimen from each patient. RESULTS: In 46 (90.2%) out of 51 patients with aged 30 or under, only the pure acid-secreting oxyntic mucosa (OM) was present at the most proximal portion of the stomach. The cardiac or mixed oxyntocardiac mucosa (OCM) increased in prevalence with age. The CM or OCM was found more frequently in patients with H. pylori infection or severe gastritis than in those without H. pylori infection or those with mild gastritis. However, there were no statistically significant differences within the same age groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although the OCM is sometimes present at the most proximal portion of the stomach, the CM is absent or rare in individuals under the age of 30. The OCM or CM increases in prevalence with age. There are no direct relationships between the type of proximal gastric mucosa and a patient's gender, his/her condition regarding the H. pylori infection, and severity of chronic gastritis.
Adult ; Cardia ; Esophagogastric Junction ; Gastric Mucosa* ; Gastritis ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Prevalence ; Stomach ; Urease

BACKGROUND: Gastric metaplasia of the duodenum is thought to be associated with the pathogenesis of duodenal ulcer. We investigated the pathological features of gastric metaplasia and their relation to age, gender, duodenal ulcer and H. pylori infection. METHODS: We reviewed the duodenal endoscopic findings of 535 patients (age range: 0 to 87) and the microscopic slides of the duodenal biopsy specimens. RESULTS: Gastric metaplasia was first noted at the age of 4 and the prevalence increased thereafter until the patients' mean age reached about 30. The prevalence of gastric metaplasia was 53.7% after 30 years of age. As the metaplasia became severer, it became more polypoid in appearance and it more often contained parietal cells. Gastric metaplasia was more frequently observed or severe in duodenal ulcer patients, in males and in the first portion of the duodenum than in patients without duodenal ulcer, in females and in the second portion, respectively. There was a lack of correlation between gastric metaplasia and H. pylori infection. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence and/or severity of gastric metaplasia of the duodenum increases with age, and it is thought that most duodenal ulcers develop in the areas of gastric metaplasia.
Biopsy ; Duodenal Ulcer* ; Duodenum* ; Female ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Male ; Metaplasia* ; Prevalence ; Rabeprazole

This study describes the purification and characterization of type II restriction endonuclease of Helicobacter pylori in order to understand the DNA restriction and modification of H. pylori. H. pylori cell extract was subjected to polyethyleneimine treatment, salt precipitation, heparine-sepharose column chromatography, and fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) using Resource Q column and Mono Q column to purify the type II restriction endonuclease. Hpy51-I was characterized to recognize the sequneces 5`-GT(G/C)AC-3`, yielding 5-base 5` protruding ends. The restriction sequence was identical to that of Tsp 45 I. The enzyme exhibited its maximal activity in the presence of 10-20 mM LaCl, but was inhibited completely in the presence of more than 80 mM NaCl. The enzyme showed its maximal activity in the presence of 1-10 mM MgC1(2). The optimal pH and temperature for enzyme activity was pH 9.0 and 37 degrees C, respectively. MnC1(2) could not substitute for MgC1(2) in reaction mixture. And addition of j3-mercaptoethanol and bovine serum albumin in reaction mixture led to loss of enzyme activity of Hpy51-I. The whole cell extract of H. pylori strain 51 was confirmed to carry the enzyme activity for methylation of Hpy51-I-recognised sequence. Hpy51-I digested genomic DNAs of enteric bacteria to less than I kb while it could not cut the genomic DNAs of H. pylori isolates. In this study, the type II restriction enzyme (Hpy51-I) of H. pylori was identified and characterized its biochemical properties, demonstrating that Hpy51-I might be one of the barriers for preventing the introduction of foreign DNAs into H. pylori.
Chromatography ; Chromatography, Liquid ; DNA ; DNA Restriction Enzymes* ; Enterobacteriaceae ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Methylation ; Polyethyleneimine ; Serum Albumin, Bovine

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Duodenal ulcers occur relatively frequently in adolescents, like in adults, and may relate to Helicobacter pylori infection and duodenal gastric metaplasia (DGM). This study investigated the association between H. pylori infection and DGM in healthy adults aged 20-29. METHODS: Between 1995 and 2005, endoscopic biopsies of the duodenum, antrum and body were taken from healthy, young volunteers, who were first-year medical students, faculty staff, residents, and research assistants of Gyeongsang National University in Jinju, Korea. Urease tests were performed and the extent of DGM and histopathological grades according to the Updated Sydney System were determined. RESULTS: In total, 662 subjects were enrolled (429 males and 233 females). The median age was 22.3 years. The overall incidence of DGM was 11.5% but DGM was more frequent in males (15.4%) than in females (4.3%) (p<0.0001). While H. pylori positivity rates changed significantly during the 1995-2005 period (p<0.01), the incidences of DGM did not. DGM was observed in 7.2% and 14.9% of subjects who were and were not colonized with H. pylori, respectively. DGM was also associated with less severe chronic gastritis and the absence of active gastritis in both the antrum and body, and the absence of follicles in the antrum (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggested that DGM is not rare in healthy young adults and is unrelated to gastric H. pylori infection.
Adult ; Age Factors ; Duodenum/*pathology ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa/*pathology ; Helicobacter Infections/complications/*diagnosis/epidemiology ; *Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Male ; Metaplasia/complications/*diagnosis/epidemiology ; Pyloric Antrum/*pathology ; Severity of Illness Index ; Sex Factors ; Young Adult

Helicobacter pylori is a causative agent of type B gastritis and plays a central role in the pathogenesis of gastroduodenal ulcer and gastric cancer. To elucidate the host-parasite relationship of the H. pylori infection on the basis of molecular biology, we tried to evaluate the genomic diversity of H. pylori. An ordered overlapping bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library of a Korean isolate, H, pylori 51 was constructed to set up a genomic map. A circular physical map was constructed by aligning ApaI, Notl and SfiI-digested chromosomal DNA. When the physical map of H. pylori 51 was compared to that of unrelated strain, H. pylori 26695, completely different restriction patterns were shown. Fifteen known genes were mapped on the chromosome of H. pylori 51 and the genetic map was compared with those of strain 26695 and J99, of which the entire genomic sequences were reported. There were some variability in the gene location as well as gene order among three strains. For further analysis on the genomic diversity of H. pylori, when comparing the genomic structure of 150 H. pylori Korean isolates with one another, genomic macrodiversity of H. pylori was characterized by several features: whether or not susceptible to restriction digestion of the chromsome, variation in chromosomal restriction fingerprint and/or high frequency of gene rearrangement. We also examined the extent of allelic variation in nucleotide or deduced amino acid sequences at the individual gene level. fucT, cagA and vacA were confirmed to carry regions of high variation in nucleotide sequence among strains. The plasticity zone and strain-specific genes of H. pylori 51 were analyzed and compared with the former two genomic sequences. It should be noted that the H. pylori 51-specific sequences were dispersed on the chromosome, not congregated in the plasticity zone unlike J99- or 26695-specific genes, suggesting the high frequency of gene rearrangement in H. pylori genome. The genomc of H. pylori 51 shows differences in the overall genomic organization, gene order, and even in the nucleotide sequences among the H. pylori strains, which are far greater than the differences reported on the genomic. diversity of H. pylori.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Base Sequence ; Chromosomes, Artificial, Bacterial ; Dermatoglyphics ; Digestion ; DNA ; Gastritis ; Gene Order ; Gene Rearrangement ; Genome ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Host-Parasite Interactions ; Molecular Biology ; Peptic Ulcer ; Plastics ; Stomach Neoplasms