BACKGROUND: It is reported that abnormal eating behavior is more frequent in the group of weight control than those of no control. Repeated and chronic binge eating behavior has associations with impaired work and social functioning, overconcerns with body shape and weight. The purpose of this study is to investigate the degree of abnormal eating behavior according to weight management, depression level and obesity. METHODS: From June 1999 to July 1999, we collected self record questionnaire including body mass index(BMI), Beck Depression Inventory(BDI), Eating Attitude Test(EAT) from 1292 students of one girl's high school in Seoul. Study subjects were divided by BMI, the set point was 25 kg/m2. EAT score associated with weight control, BMI, BDI, smoking and alcohol was assessed by multiple linear regression. Study subjects were also grouped by the existence of the history of weight management behavoir, then BMI, EAT score and BDI in each subgroups was assessed by t test. RESULTS: Obese students were 42, whereas those of BMI under 25 kg/m2 were 1191. BDI score ranging from 5 to 20 were 940, 21 to 63 were 179. The EAT score has significant relevance to the history of weight control, BMI, and BDI score in order. The EAT score and BMI were higher in the subjects who experienced various modes of weight control (48.41+/-14.47 vs 33.63+/-12.52 in EAT, 20.34+/-2.26 vs 18.72+/-1.89)(p<0.01). CONCLUSION: EAT score was associated with weight control, BMI and BDI. EAT score and BMI were higher in weight control samples.
Bulimia ; Depression* ; Eating ; Feeding and Eating Disorders ; Feeding Behavior ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Obesity ; Seoul ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVETo determine the infective status and natural distribution of Xinjiang hemorrhagic fever (XHF; Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, CCHF) in ticks, rodents and livestock in the Tarim Basin.

METHODSThe pathogenic materials of ticks or rodents' viscera and blood samples of sheep were inoculated into sucking mouse of 24 to 48-hour old. Materials with typical clinic symptoms were identified with RPHA and IFA. RT-PCR was taken to detect special S gene segment of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) in the objective material.

RESULTSAll the samples of ticks, rodents' viscera and blood samples of sheep from 21 counties (cities) in the Tarim Basin were divided into 422 groups and inoculated into sucking mouse at laboratory. 49 materials with typical clinic symptoms were obtained. The morbidity rate with typical clinic XHF was high in Bachu, Yuli, Yutian and Ruoqiang. There were 43 samples identified with RPHA with 6 positive samples and positive rate of 1.4%. The materials with positive RPHA were found in Yuli, Luntai and Yutian. 42 samples were identified with IFA and 13 positive samples with the positive rate of 3.1%. The positive materials of IFA were found in Bachu, Yuli, Minfeng, Luntai and Yutian. 32 samples were detected with RT-PCR and there were 31 samples with special S gene segment of CCHFV (329- 548 nt). The positive materials was widely distributed in Aksu, Awat, Bachu, Luopu, Yuli, Minfeng, Qiemo, Ruoqiang, Luntai and Yutian. The highest infective rate was in Hyalomma asiaticum kozlovi, and followed by sheep. S gene segment was detected in viscera of M. meridianus.

CONCLUSIONXHF relied on the river in the southern part of Xinjiang and distributed in the areas with Populus euphratica shrub in desert and oasis in the Tarim Basin. The main vector and host were Hyalomma asiaticum kozlovi. Livestock such as sheep, camel, L. yarkandensis, M. meridianus and Euchoreutes naso could serve as the deposited host of XHF.

Animals ; Animals, Domestic ; virology ; China ; epidemiology ; Hemorrhagic Fever Virus, Crimean-Congo ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Hemorrhagic Fever, Crimean ; epidemiology ; transmission ; Humans ; Morbidity ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rodentia ; virology ; Ticks ; virology

Biopsy material taken from kidneys of 9 patients with renal stones before extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) and 5-10 days (average 7 days) of the ESWL was examined histologically and ultrastructurally. In the pre-ESWL specimens, no significant finding was found in the tubule and interstitium, except in one which showed mononuclear cell infiltration and tubular atrophy. In the post-ESWL specimens, light microscopy revealed edema, fibrosis and inflammation of interstitium in all specimens. In 6 specimens, detachment, degeneration and regeneration of tubular epithelium with destruction and atrophy of tubular basement membrane were seen. immunofluorescence study revealed no specific finding. Using the electron microscope, degeneration or proximal tubular epithelium and irregular thickening of tubular basement membrane were seen and there were dilatation of capillary edema, infiltration of chronic inflammatory cells and fibrosis in the interstitium. Loss of pseudopod of glomerular epithelial cells and irregular thickening of basement membrane were seen in the glomerulus. These results indicate that renal damage can be shown soon after ESWL on histological and ultrastructural studies and that the lesions observed can be either reversible or permanent.
Atrophy ; Basement Membrane ; Biopsy ; Capillaries ; Dilatation ; Edema ; Epithelial Cells ; Epithelium ; Fibrosis ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Kidney ; Lithotripsy ; Microscopy ; Regeneration ; Shock*

OBJECTIVEIn China, liver failure is also termed as severe hepatitis in whom chronic severe hepatitis B (CSHB) is most common. The aim of this study was to assess whether CSHB based on different liver injury extent can meet the international definition of acute-on-chronic liver failure(ACLF)criteria, according by their clinical and pathological feature.

METHODSA total of 91 patients with CSHB were involved in the study. The clinical findings, laboratory data and liver pathology features were retrospectively analyzed and grouped by hepatitis virus B carrier state (HBC), chronic hepatitis B (CHB) or liver cirrhosis (LC) before they started liver failure.

RESULTS74 out of the 91 patients were male and 17 were female, the mean age was 40.6+/-11.2 years. 9.9%, 7.7% and 82.4% of the patients were based on HBC, CHB and LC respectively. The ages of HBC group were youngest. The mean age of HBC group (years) (25.8+/-6.6) was significantly lower than that of CHB group (36.9+/-9.0) and LC group (42.0+/-10.5)with P values of 0.032 and 0.001 respectively. Most cases presented with sub-acute liver failure characterized by high icterus and ascites. Predisposing factors included exertion, superinfection, virus variation, drugs or alcoholic injury. No difference found between PTA (F = 0.906, P = 0.408) and TBil (F = 0.839, P = 0.436) among the above three groups. The Alb and CHE levels in LC group were (30.3+/-5.1) g/L and (2926.8+/-1471.1) U/L respectively, which were lower than both HBC group [Alb (35.6+/-5.1) g/L, CHE (4363.5+/-2063.2) U/L] and CHB group [Alb (37.4+/-5.0) g/L, CHE (5167.1+/-1522.1) U/L] (F = 9.450; F = 9.297; P value less than 0.01).The level of CHO (1.8+/-1.0) mmol/L in LC group was lower than that of HBC group (2.9+/-1.0mmol/L, P = 0.034), while serum HBV DNA level of HBC group [(6.8+/-1.7) log10copies/ml] was higher than that of LC group [(4.2+/-2.6) log10copies/ml]. The liver tissue in HBC and CHB group showed massive or submassive necrosis which distribute evenly in different parts of liver and similarly in slides, most like acute/subacute severe hepatitis. The chronic lesion was easily covered by extensive necrosis in CSHB based on CHB, with portal fibrosis can be seen by masson stain. Characteristic picture of LC group were massive or submassive necrosis with some nodules were intact or only patchy necrosis of the parenchyma, disparity of extent and stage of necrosis existed in slides, which were the major difference in histopathological change in HBC and CHB group.

CONCLUSIONMost of CSHB cases were based on liver cirrhosis, which match with the international definition of ACLF, while small part of CSHB cases based on HBC and CHB are identical to acute/subacute liver failure.

Adult ; Carrier State ; pathology ; virology ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; pathology ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; pathology ; virology ; Liver Failure ; etiology ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Retrospective Studies ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The objectives of this study were 1) to estimate the preventable death rate in emergency medical system in Korea 2) to determine factors that affect preventability of trauma deaths 3) to identify management errors involved in preventable deaths. METHODS: The records of a 202 patients who died in the emergency departments or shortly after admission due to trauma at nine hospitals in three regions between from July 1, 2003, to June 30, 2004 were retrospectively reviewed by nine board certified physicians in emergency medicine using professional panel study methodology. Each panelist independently reviewed prehospital records, medical records, x-ray films, and inter-hospital transfer records using a structured survey format and preventability was determined by a unanimous agreement rule. The management errors that contributed to a preventable death were determined and classified as "structure-related"and "process-related"errors. RESULTS: Preventable deaths related to all management errors account for 39.6% of all trauma deaths. Whereas, 25.7% of preventable deaths were related to management errors in the studied hospitals. The preventability of trauma deaths were determined by the cause of death and the severity of injury. A total of 389 management errors are identified. Management errors occurred mostly in emergency departments (51.1%) and, in prehospital delivery (21.8%). Most of these errors were found to be processrelated (81.2%) rather then structure-related (18.8%). CONCLUSION: Preventable death rates in Korea are higher than other developed countries, which implies there is much to be improved in the quality of emergency medical services. We found this to be true especially, for processrelated errors, which need to be regularly assessed, and policy established that reduces preventable deaths.
Cause of Death ; Developed Countries ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Medical Services ; Emergency Medicine ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Korea* ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Retrospective Studies ; X-Ray Film

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the immunosuppressants FK506 and cyclosporin A (CsA) on the osteogenic differentiation of rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). METHODS: The effect of FK506 and CsA on rat MSCs was assessed in vitro. The MTT assay was used to determine the deleterious effect of immunosuppressants on stem cell proliferation at 1, 3, and 7 days. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was analyzed on days 3, 7, and 14. Alizarin red S staining was done on day 21 to check mineralization nodule formation. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was also performed to detect the expressions of bone tissue-specific genes on days 1 and 7. RESULTS: Cell proliferation was promoted more in the FK506 groups than the control or CsA groups on days 3 and 7. The FK506 groups showed increased ALP activity compared to the other groups during the experimental period. The ALP activity of the CsA groups did not differ from the control group in any of the assessments. Mineralization nodule formation was most prominent in the FK506 groups at 21 days. RT-PCR results of the FK506 groups showed that several bone-related genes-osteopontin, osteonectin, and type I collagen (Col-I)-were expressed more than the control in the beginning, but the intensity of expression decreased over time. Runx2 and Dlx5 gene expression were up-regulated on day 7. The effects of 50 nM CsA on osteonectin and Col-I were similar to those of the FK506 groups, but in the 500 nM CsA group, most of the genes were less expressed compared to the control. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that FK506 enhances the osteoblastic differentiation of rat MSCs. Therefore, FK506 might have a beneficial effect on bone regeneration when immunosuppressants are needed in xenogenic or allogenic stem cell transplantation to treat bone defects.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Animals ; Anthraquinones ; Bone Regeneration ; Cell Differentiation ; Cell Proliferation ; Collagen Type I ; Cyclosporine ; Durapatite ; Gene Expression ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Osteoblasts ; Osteonectin ; Rats ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Stem Cell Transplantation ; Stem Cells ; Tacrolimus

Objective: aaWilson’s disease (WD) is a rare genetic disorder of copper metabolism, and longitudinal follow-up studies are limited. We performed a retrospective analysis to determine the clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes in a large WD cohort. Methods: aaMedical records of WD patients diagnosed from 2006–2021 at National Taiwan University Hospital were retrospectively evaluated for clinical presentations, neuroimages, genetic information, and follow-up outcomes. Results: aaThe present study enrolled 123 WD patients (mean follow-up: 11.12 ± 7.41 years), including 74 patients (60.2%) with hepatic features and 49 patients (39.8%) with predominantly neuropsychiatric symptoms. Compared to the hepatic group, the neuropsychiatric group exhibited more Kayser-Fleischer rings (77.6% vs. 41.9%, p < 0.01), lower serum ceruloplasmin levels (4.9 ± 3.9 vs. 6.3 ± 3.9 mg/dL, p < 0.01), smaller total brain and subcortical gray matter volumes (p < 0.0001), and worse functional outcomes during follow-up (p = 0.0003). Among patients with available DNA samples (n = 59), the most common mutations were p.R778L (allelic frequency of 22.03%) followed by p.P992L (11.86%) and p.T935M (9.32%). Patients with at least one allele of p.R778L had a younger onset age (p = 0.04), lower ceruloplasmin levels (p < 0.01), lower serum copper levels (p = 0.03), higher percentage of the hepatic form (p = 0.03), and a better functional outcome during follow-up (p = 0.0012) compared to patients with other genetic variations. Conclusion aaThe distinct clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes of patients in our cohort support the ethnic differences regarding the mutational spectrum and clinical presentations in WD.

The concept of theranostics, where individual patient-level biological information is used to choose the optimal therapy for that individual, has become more popular in the modern era of ‘personalised’ medicine. With the growth of theranostics, nuclear medicine as a specialty is uniquely poised to grow along with the ever-increasing number of concepts combining imaging and therapy. This special report summarises the status and growth of Theranostic Nuclear Medicine in Singapore.We will cover our experience with the use of radioiodine, radioiodinated metaiodobenzylguanidine, peptide receptor radionuclide therapy, prostate specific membrane antigen radioligand therapy, radium-223 and yttrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy.We also include a section on our radiopharmacy laboratory, crucial to our implementation of theranostic principles. Radionuclide theranostics has seen tremendous growth and we hope to be able to grow alongside to continue to serve the patients in Singapore and in the region.
Hope ; Humans ; Lutetium ; Membranes ; Nuclear Medicine ; Prostate ; Radium ; Receptors, Peptide ; Singapore ; Theranostic Nanomedicine ; Yttrium

The concept of theranostics, where individual patient-level biological information is used to choose the optimal therapy for that individual, has become more popular in the modern era of ‘personalised’ medicine. With the growth of theranostics, nuclear medicine as a specialty is uniquely poised to grow along with the ever-increasing number of concepts combining imaging and therapy. This special report summarises the status and growth of Theranostic Nuclear Medicine in Singapore.We will cover our experience with the use of radioiodine, radioiodinated metaiodobenzylguanidine, peptide receptor radionuclide therapy, prostate specific membrane antigen radioligand therapy, radium-223 and yttrium-90 selective internal radiation therapy.We also include a section on our radiopharmacy laboratory, crucial to our implementation of theranostic principles. Radionuclide theranostics has seen tremendous growth and we hope to be able to grow alongside to continue to serve the patients in Singapore and in the region.

OBJECTIVETo explore the clinical features of multiple myeloma with different renal pathology, and to evaluate its prognosis.

METHODSClinical features and prognosis of 46 multiple myeloma patients with different renal pathology were analyzed retrospectively. According to renal pathology, the 46 patients were divided into 3 groups: cast nephropathy (24 cases), amyloidosis (15 cases) and other type (7 cases).

RESULTSBy durie-Salmon staging system, 70.8% cases (17/24) in the cast nephropathy group were in Phase III, 90.9% (20/24) were in subtype B, while in amyloidosis group 53.3% (8/15) were in Phase I, 40% (6/15) were in subtype B, and in other types group, 71.4% (5/7) were in phase III, 57.1% (4/7) were in subtype B, the differences among them were statisticaily significant (P < 0.05). In cast nephropathy group, the monoclonal immunoglobulin could not be detected in 75% (18/24) cases, which was light chain type, while immunoglobulin in amyloidosis and other type groups were mainly IgG type in 73.3% (11/15) and 71.4% (5/7) respectively, the difference among them also was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The median survival time of patients in cast nephropathy group was 11 months, while that in amyloidosis and other type groups was 19 and 18 months, the differences among 3 groups were not significant (P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONIn renal pathologic types, the cast nephropathy is the most common, followed by amylordosis. The multiple mycloma patients with defferent renal pathology show different clinical features. The multiple myeloma patients with renal amyloidosis have slighter clinical manifestations possibly with a better prognosis. Meanwhile, the non-amyloidosis types, especially cast nephropathy may predict a more serious manifications with poor prognosis.

Amyloidosis ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Humans ; Kidney ; pathology ; Kidney Diseases ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Multiple Myeloma ; diagnosis ; pathology ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies