• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.51 no.2
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• pp.147-154
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• 2001

Background : Bronchoscopy has been widely used for a histologic diagnosis through a transbronchial lung biopsy or for staging of patients with peripheral lung cancer. However a transthoracic needle aspiration (TTNA) has been used more widely for a histologic diagnosis in patient with a small size nodule or a nodule located in the outer portion of the lung because of the low diagnostic yield of bronchoscopy in these cases. The role of bronchoscopy for staging is not well established in patients with peripheral lung cancer diagnosed by a TTNA or patients who are undergoing surgery without a histologic diagnosis. Method: To evaluate the role of bronchoscopy for the staging in patients with peripheral lung cancer, who were diagnosed by TTNA, the medical records of 86 patients with peripheral lung cancer who underwent bronchoscopyat Kyungpook National University Hospital between January 1995 and May 1997 were reviewed. Results : While 53 cases had normal bronchoscopic findings, 33 cases had abnormal bronchoscopic findings comprising 9 cases of tumor, 10 cases of infiltration and 14 cases of compression of which there were 25 cases of T1 and 8 T2 endoscopically. The bronchoscopic staging did not influence the changes of the clinical stage of lung cancer. The frequencies of bronchial involvement tended to increase as the sizes of the nodule increased. Among the 42 patients who underwent surgery, 9 patients staged higher after operation because of lymph node involvement in 8 patients and the involvement of the pulmonary artery in 1 patient. No case staged above after operation due to a bronchial invasion. Conclusion : These findings suggests that bronchoscopy is not useful for staging in patients with peripheral lung cancer diagnosed by a TTNA.

• The Journal of Korean Institute of Communications and Information Sciences
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• v.38C no.9
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• pp.822-829
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• 2013

Hypertension is one of the most common clinical diseases, with an increasing prevalence globally. Hypertension triggers various harmful consequences and affects multiple organs. Life-long care may be required in some cases. According to the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of hypertension is gradually increasing. A 2011 survey revealed that 28.9% of Korean adults had hypertension. The prevalence rates were slightly higher among men than women. Accurate measurement of blood pressure(BP) is crucial to classify patients, to identify BP-related risks, and to inform correct treatment. For accurate blood pressure measurement, the use of a cuff bladder size appropriate for the mid-upper arm circumference(MUAC) is essential. Incorrect sized cuff bladder is one of the main causes of equipment error affecting sphygmomanometer accuracy. When commercial sphygmomanometers were examined, the cuff bladders differed from the dimensions specified in the ISO 81060-1:2007 standards. Undercuffing is responsible for a spurious overestimation of BP in patients with large arms leading to overdiagnosis of hypertension, whereas overcuffing (that is, use of relatively large cuffs with small arms), may be responsible for an opposite problem, leading to erroneous underestimation of BP levels. The cuff bladder sizes recommended by the American Heart Association(AHA) are an arm circumference(AC) of 17-25 cm for small-sized adults, AC of 24-32 cm for adults, AC of 32-42 cm for normal-sized adults, and AC of 42-50 cm for obese adults. In contrast, the AC of Korean adults ranges from 23-31 cm, belonging to a single type of adult bladder. Three types of bladders are necessary for Korean adults with an AC of 23-31cm. Hospitals often use one or two differently-sized Western cuffs for adult patients, which can yield inaccurate BP determinations. Cuff bladders with dimensions based on anthropometric reference data obtained from Koreans will aid hospitals to measure BP more accurately.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.67-77
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• 2002

This study was conducted to investigate an effects on ago-chemical alternative materials such as the wood vinegar, a lactic acid bacteria serum, the fermented plant juice, the brown rice vinegar and a Chitosan used for amount and qualities of fruits and to examine the pest protection efficiency for their uses in the apple and pear orchard farms. An apple yields in the orchard cultivated with using the ago-chemical alternative materials without appling the fertilizer and pesticides were decreased at 56% relative to the conventional farming practice method. Also, it was indicated that there was difficult to produce the fruits with marketability because the small sizes of fruits were produced. For the quality of fruits, the brix of apple produced in the orchard cultivated with using the ago-chemical alternative materials was similar, but Vitamin C content was greater than that of the conventional farming practice method. As a results of treating with the wood vinegar, a lactic acid bacteria serum, the fermented plant juice, the brown rice vinegar and a Chitosan instead of applying pesticides, the fruit disease in the Chitosan treatment was a little decreased, but was great occurred in the other treatments compared with the conventional farming practice mehod. However, it observed that brix and Vitamin C content of apple produced in the Chitosan, brown rice vinegar, fermented plan juice and fish amino acid treatments and in the Chitosan, brown rice vinegar, charcoal power and peat moss treatments were greater than those of the conventional farming practice method, respectively. Over all, it considered that there was very difficult to manage the orchard depended on the ago-chemical alternative materials without appling the chemical fertilizer and pesticides in the apple orchard, but it might be proper to use the ago-chemical alternative materials as an auxiliary means to decrease the appling amount of chemical fertilizer and pesticides. Furthermore, the general effects on the ago-chemical alternative materials to the perennial fruits should be investigated with considering the changes of soil fertility, soil microbial status and natural enemy creatures after treating them for a long time.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.86-91
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• 2006

There are 3 different hypotheses on how statins may affect bones, through promoting bone formation, inhibiting bone resorption or through anti-inflammatory effect. In the 3 cross-sectional studies above, one showed increase BMD at hip and spine, one showed increase BMD only at mid-forearm and one showed that the risk reduction in fractures is not explained by the changes in BMD however, all 3 studies showed a decrease in risk of fracture associated with statins. In the 2 prospective cohort studies, one showed the use of statins was not associated with BMD at any skeletal site or decreasing the risk of fracture, and the other showed statins except pravastatin decreased in risk of vertebrate fracture but not affecting lumbar spine BMD. All of case-control studies indicated reduction in fracture risk but did not provide any data regarding BMD. 2 of the randomized, controlled studies showed no significant reduction in fracture risk as well as statins' effects on BMD. Finally, one longitudinal study showed statin use reduced fracture risk and increased BMD. Among the conflicting results shown above, even when statin use was shown to increase BMD, it does not seem to account for the reduction in fracture risk. There may be different ways that statins affect bone other than those hypotheses proposed above. Many studies seem to agree that pravastatin does not have any effect on bone. Some studies suggested that the reason statins did not achieve clinically significant increases in BMD in some studies, is due to the low affinity of statins on bone; statins are designed to act in the liver therefore their effective concentration in extrahepatic tissue is low. The limitations to those studies discussed above. Many studies did not account for the change of lifestyle while subjects' were on statins. Increases in weight bearing exercise and changes in diet might affect BMD and thus reduce risk of fractures. Mental alertness and vision acuity might prevent falls from occurring; many statin-users in the studies were young so the risk of fractures from falls would be decreased. Almost all of the studies failed exclude patients with neurological problems. During study periods, many subjects may have been started on drugs for diseases that usually occur with aging which could cause drowsiness and lead to falls. The sample sizes used in some of the trials were small and the duration of treatment and follow up might not have been long enough to see clinically relevant results.