Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the 5-year survival rate, socioeconomic status, and SEER (Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results) stage of stomach, colorectal, breast and cervical cancer patients. Methods: A total of 11,770 cases of four target cancers, which were diagnosed during 2005-2007, were extracted from the database of Gwangju-Jeonnam Regional Cancer Registry. The subjects of the study were 11,770 including stomach (n=5,479), colorectal (n=3,565), breast (n=1,516) and cervical cancers (n=710). Cox’s proportional hazards model was used to obtain the hazards ratio (HR) according to the SEER stage and socioeconomic status. Results: Stomach cancer had a significantly higher HR in the medical aid recipients (HR=1.39), and the group below 20% (HR=1.20) compared to the group with the highest income level. Colorectal cancer had a significantly higher HR in the medical aid recipients (HR=1.26) than in the group with the highest income level. In addition, stomach, colorectal, breast and cervical cancers had a significantly higher HR according to the SEER stage in regional direct (stomach=4.10, colorectal=1.76, breast=12.90, cervical=3.10), regional lymph only(stomach=2.58, colorectal=2.33, breast=4.32, cervical= 4.43), regional both (stomach=6.74 colorectal=3.04, breast=15.57 cervical=6.50), and regional NOS (Not Otherwise Specified)/distant (stomach=17.53, colorectal=11.53, breast=25.34, cervical=26.51) than in situ and localized only. Conclusion In order to increase the cancer survival rate, a support system for early detection and early treatment of cancer should be established for groups with low individual income levels, and regular health checkups and management measures should be actively implemented through the National Cancer Screening Program.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The present study evaluated the results of skin prick test using 55 allergens at 20 centers in the Republic of Korea in 2006, 2010, and 2014–2015. The aim was to assess changes in the positive rate of allergens according to temporal, regional, and environmental factors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In total, 20 hospitals were selected based on the population distribution in the Republic of Korea. A skin prick test panel comprising 55 aeroallergens was distributed to 18 hospitals for this prospective study. The 2006 and 2010 skin prick test results were collected and analyzed retrospectively from 20 hospitals, while the 2014/2015 skin prick test results (from June 2014 to May 2015) were collected prospectively from 18 hospitals. RESULTS: A total of 14,897 SPT test results were analyzed: 4,319 in 2006, 7,431 in 2010, and 1,852 in 2014/2015. The overall rate of skin prick test positivity to more than two allergens was significantly higher in males than females. The positive rates of alder pollens and birch, oak and ragweed pollen positivity were increased in older patients. Several positive rates were increased according to the temperature in spring. The positive rates for beech pollen, birch pollen, hazel pollen, oak pollen, Tyrophagus putrescentiae, mugwort, cat, Acarus siro, Lepidoglyphus destructor and Tyrophagus putrescentiae were significantly increased, while those of Cult rye pollen and dandelion were significantly decreased over the three test periods. The overall positive rate for allergens in Jeju province varied significantly from Seoul and other cities. CONCLUSION: Change in the positive rate of multiple aeroallergens was evaluated in the Republic of Korea over time. Our findings can be used to recommend aeroallergens suitable for inclusion in skin prick test panels in the Republic of Korea and will facilitate further investigation of changes in the patterns of allergic diseases.
Allergens* ; Alnus ; Ambrosia ; Animals ; Artemisia ; Betula ; Cats ; Demography ; Fagus ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Male ; Mites ; Pollen ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Secale ; Seoul ; Skin* ; Taraxacum

Tinea incognito (TI) is a dermatophytic infection which has lost its typical clinical appearance because of improper use of steroids or calcineurin inhibitors. The incidence of TI is increasing nowadays. We conducted retrospective review on 283 patients with TI from 25 dermatology training hospitals in Korea from 2002-2010 to investigate the demographical, clinical, and mycological characteristics of TI, and to determine the associated risk factors. More than half (59.3%) patients were previously treated by non-dermatologists or self-treated. The mean duration of TI was 15.0 +/- 25.3 months. The most common clinical manifestations were eczema-like lesion, psoriasis-like, and lupus erythematosus-like lesion. The trunk and face were frequently involved, and 91 patients (32.2%) also had coexisting fungal infections. Among 67 isolated strains, Trichophyton rubrum was the most frequently detected (73.1%). This is the largest study of TI reported to date and the first investigational report concerning TI in Korea. We suggest that doctors should consider TI when a patient has intractable eczema-like lesions accompanied by tinea pedis/unguium. Furthermore, there should be a policy change, which would make over-the-counter high-potency topical steroids less accessible in some countries, including Korea.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Demography ; Eczema/pathology ; Face/pathology ; Female ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous/pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Psoriasis/pathology ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Tinea/*diagnosis/microbiology ; Trichophyton/isolation & purification ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study evaluated the clinical outcomes of balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (BRTO) for the treatment of hemorrhage from gastric varices (GV) in Korean patients with liver cirrhosis (LC). METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from 183 LC patients who underwent BRTO for GV bleeding in 6 university-based hospitals between January 2001 and December 2010. RESULTS: Of the 183 enrolled patients, 49 patients had Child-Pugh (CP) class A LC, 105 had CP class B, and 30 had CP class C at the time of BRTO. BRTO was successfully performed in 177 patients (96.7%). Procedure-related complications (e.g., pulmonary thromboembolism and renal infarction) occurred in eight patients (4.4%). Among 151 patients who underwent follow-up examinations of GV, 79 patients (52.3%) achieved eradication of GV, and 110 patients (72.8%) exhibited marked shrinkage of the treated GV to grade 0 or I. Meanwhile, new-appearance or aggravation of esophageal varices (EV) occurred in 54 out of 136 patients who underwent follow-up endoscopy (41.2%). During the 36.0+/-29.2 months (mean+/-SD) of follow-up, 39 patients rebled (hemorrhage from GV in 7, EV in 18, nonvariceal origin in 4, and unknown in 10 patients). The estimated 3-year rebleeding-free rate was 74.8%, and multivariate analysis showed that CP class C was associated with rebleeding (odds ratio, 2.404; 95% confidence-interval, 1.013-5.704; P=0.047). CONCLUSIONS: BRTO can be performed safely and effectively for the treatment of GV bleeding. However, aggravation of EV or bleeding from EV is not uncommon after BRTO; thus, periodic endoscopy to follow-up of EV with or without prophylactic treatment might be necessary in LC patients undergoing BRTO.
Adult ; Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; *Balloon Occlusion/adverse effects ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices/*complications ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage/etiology/prevention & control/*therapy ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis/*complications ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Pulmonary Embolism/etiology ; Recurrence ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Treatment Outcome

Granular corneal dystrophy, type II (CGD2; Avellino corneal dystrophy) is the most common corneal dystrophy among Koreans, but its pathophysiology is still poorly understood. Many reports showed that even though the causative mutation is the same TGFBI R124H mutation, there are severe and mild phenotypes of the corneal dystrophy. We also observed the phenotype differences in our samples. For this reason, we focused our effort on the identification of unknown genetic factor related to phenotype variation. A total 551 individuals from 59 families were genotyped with SNP chip and used in genome-wide linkage analysis. From single-point linkage analyses, we confirmed the known 5q31 region for TGFBI gene, and selected novel nine candidate loci for CGD2. In simulation analysis, the only 3q26.3 region including neuroligin 1 gene (NLGN1) was supported by empirical statistic significance. To investigate the effect of genetic heterogeneity in linkage analysis, we classified CGD2 families into two subgroups. Although we could not find a significant evidence for correlation between the 3q26.3 region and CGD2 phenotypes, this first genome-wide analysis with CGD2 families in Korea has a very important value for offering insights in genetics of CGD2. In addition, the co-segregating loci with CGD2 including 3q26.3 would be a good target for further study to understand the pathophysiology of CGD2.
Cell Adhesion Molecules, Neuronal/genetics ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 3/*genetics ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 5/*genetics ; Computer Simulation ; Corneal Dystrophies, Hereditary/*genetics ; Female ; Genetic Linkage ; *Genetic Loci ; *Genome-Wide Association Study ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Models, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/genetics

BACKGROUND: Food exchange lists are one of the main methods of nutritional education. However, Korean food exchange lists have not been revised since 1994. Therefore, we surveyed the opinions of diabetes educators and patients with diabetes regarding the need for revision of the current food exchange lists. METHODS: For two weeks beginning on 10 March 2008, a 12-item questionnaire regarding the opinion and need for revision of the current food exchange lists was e-mailed to diabetes educators nationwide. Another 15-question survey was administered to patients with diabetes in 13 hospitals located in the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions of Korea. RESULTS: We obtained survey responses from 101 diabetes educators and 209 patients; 65 (64.3%) of the educators answered that the current food exchange lists should be revised. The items that needed revision were the glycemic index, addition of new foods and reaffirmation of exchange standard amounts. The patients demanded specific education about choosing appropriate foods, a balanced meal plan, proper snacks, and dining intake. CONCLUSION: Our survey results demonstrate the need to revise the Korean food exchange lists. This process should focus on glycemic index, the addition of new foods and reconfirmation of one exchange reference unit.
Electronic Mail ; Glycemic Index ; Humans ; Meals ; Snacks ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the results of posterior cruciate ligament-retaining and posterior cruciate ligament-sacrificing total knee arthroplasty using PFC Sigma rotating-platform (RP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The subjects for this study were 43 patients who had undergone total knee arthroplasties by means of PFC Sigma RPs from February 2002 to July 2002 and, thereafter, had been observed for a period of at least 36 months. Twenty-two of the patients were categorized to group I, which retained the posterior cruciate ligament and 21 to group II, which substituted for the ligament. All the patients were evaluated for pre- and post-operative ranges of motion, the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) knee rating system, and radiographic analysis. RESULTS: The average flexion contracture was 6.5degrees (+/-1.0o) in group I and 6.7degrees (+/-0.8degrees) in group II pre-operatively, and 1.1degrees (+/-0.3degrees) in group I and 0.9degrees (+/-0.2degrees) in group II at the last follow-up. The average active range of knee motion improved from 87.6degrees (+/-6.5degrees) in group I and 86.6degrees (+/-6.1degrees) in group II pre-operatively, to 123.0degrees (+/-7.8degrees) and 125.1degrees (+/-7.3degrees), respectively, at the last follow-up. The average HSS score improved from 41.1degrees (+/-7.1degrees) in group I and 40.3degrees (+/-5.3degrees) in group II pre- operatively, to 87.3degrees (+/-6.0degrees) and 88.9degrees (+/-4.9degrees), respectively, at the last follow-up. There was also improvement in the average tibio-femoral angle from 8.0degrees in varus to 5.7degrees in valgus in group I and from 10.9 in varus to 5.4degrees in valgus in group II. Radiolucent lines were observed in 4 cases from group I and in 1 case from the group II. No significant progressive periprosthetic osteolysis was observed in the follow-up radiographs of both groups. CONCLUSION: There were no clinical and radiographic differences between the posterior cruciate ligament-retention and ligament-substitution groups, which indicates the necessity for long-term observation.
Arthroplasty* ; Contracture ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee* ; Ligaments ; Osteolysis ; Posterior Cruciate Ligament*

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether elderly and young adults differ in their recognition of facial expressions of emotion. METHODS: A total of 120 (elderly group 53, young group 67) subjects participated in this study. Korean facial expressions of emotion including happiness, sadness, fear, anger, disgust, surprise and neutral were used as stimuli for facial affect recognition test. Computerized facial affect recognition test that consists of facial affect discrimination test and facial affect intensity test was performed. RESULTS: For facial affect discrimination test, there was a significant difference between two groups (F=3.986, p<.01) after controlling the effect of education. Elderly participants showed significantly less correct recognition rate with sadness, anger and disgust (p<.05). For facial affect intensity test, there was no significant difference between the groups in recognition of emotional intensity. Chi-square test or t-test was done according to the clinical variables. Multivariate analysis of covariance was done to test group differences of correct recognition rate and emotional intensity. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of differential decrease of facial affect recognition in elderly using Korean facial expressions. This study suggests that the decrement of facial affect recognition maye be a part of normal aging process.
Aged* ; Aging ; Anger ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Education ; Facial Expression ; Happiness ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the King's Health Questionnaire(KHQ) in patients with stress urinary incontinence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multicenter prospective study was undertaken in 106 patients with stress urinary incontince. Psychometric properties including discriminant validity, convergent validity were evaluated and the Cronbach's alpha coefficients were calculated. Test-retest analysis was performed and the sensitivity to clinical change before and after treatment was also evaluated. RESULTS: The psychometric properties and clinical validity of the KHQ Korean version were confirmed in 106 study population. The KHQ's good reliability was evidenced by Cronbach's alpha coefficients of>0.60, indicating to change in patients' perception of bladder condition in all domains. CONCLUSION: Our analyses confirm excellent psychometric properties for the Korean version of KHQ, which appears to provide a valid and reliable instrument for clinical usages in Korea.
Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Prospective Studies ; Psychometrics* ; Surveys and Questionnaires* ; Translations ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Incontinence* ; Urination

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the outcome of pregnancy in kidney transplanted women, and correlate this with the time of transplantation to conception. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We analyzed the outcome of 31 pregnancies from 21 allograft recipients at Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Medical Center from January 1990 through December 2000. For each reported pregnancy we reviewed obstetrical, medical and pediatric records. For children follow-up and for those whose obstetric procedures were taken in other hospitals, we did a questionarie and telephone interviews. RESULTS: Of the 31 pregnancies followed by us, there were 23 live-born offspring delivered by 21 mothers and 8 stillborn/abortuses, including five artificial abortuses. The mean gestational age at delivery was 36.18+/-0.6 weeks and the mean birth weight of the offspring was 2,525+/-137gm. Only 43.4% was delivered after 37weeks of gestation. Preterm delivery rate (delivered before 37weeks of gestation) was 56.5%. Common obstetric complications were intrauterine growth restriction (39.1%) preterm labor (35%), premature rupture of membrane (30%), preeclampsia (30%), and maternal complications were deterioration of renal function (5%) and rejection of allograft (18%) after delivery. Mean interval from transplantation to pregnancy was 4.7 years. Twelve pregnancies occurred within the first 2 years of transplantation, while 19 pregnancies occurred after that period. No difference was noted in neonatal body weight between 2 groups (p=0.824). There was no difference in mean interval from transplantation to pregnancy in the delivery group (5.21+/-0.9 years) vs. the abortion group (4.57+/-1.1 years) (p=0.207). All women continued with her medication during pregnancy, based on cyclosporine and/or azathioprine and steroids. No congenital anomaly was noted in the newborn. When follow up lately, one boy with neurofibromatosis and a girl with recurrent hematuria were noted. CONCLUSION: Although pregnancy in renal allograft patient is hazardous, good outcome can be expected if function of the allograft is good before conception.
Allografts ; Azathioprine ; Birth Weight ; Body Weight ; Child ; Cyclosporine ; Female ; Fertilization ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gestational Age ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Interviews as Topic ; Kidney ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Male ; Membranes ; Mothers ; Neurofibromatoses ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy ; Rupture ; Steroids