• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.371-386
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• 2011

Background : Vertigo is a very common complaint in clinical practice. The number of patients who complain of vertigo has been increasing due to rapid growth of the elderly population. This study was designed to review the clinical features and success of oriental medical treatment of positional vertigo. Methods : This observation was made on 70 subjects diagnosed with positional vertigo. They were hospitalized in the Semyung University Oriental Medicine Hospital. Results : The results were as follows 1. Female patients (82.9%) were more than male patients. The most common age group was 8th decade and the patients rapidly increased after the 5th decade of age. 2. The most common past history of positional vertigo was hypertension, the second was cerebral infarction, and the third was hyperlipidemia. 3. In the oriental medicine diagnosis, phlegm-dampness syndrome (痰濕交阻 眩暈) was the most common disease (92.9%), and in western medicine, BPPV was the most (82.9%). 4. In herbal medication, Banhabaekchulchunma-tang gami (45.7%) was the most commonly used, the second being Taeksa-tang (30%). 5. The vertigo score of 94.3% patients improved and none got worse. 6. In general characteristics, men over 64 years improved best. Past history had no effect on the improvement of vertigo. 7. The sooner patients visited hospital after onset, the shorter hospitalization time was. Conclusions : Vertigo attacks patients well in advanced age, with various causative diseases. Oriental medical treatments have considerable effects on positional vertigo, especially treated with Banhabaekchulchunma-tang gami and Taeksa-tang.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Agricultural Machinery Conference
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• 1993.10a
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• pp.1102-1109
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• 1993

This paper describes the research and development of Walking Tractors and Tillage Implements for Phase I (1991-1992) . The project consists of : (1) the study and need for the development of the walking tractors for Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries ; (2) the comparison in the use of the walking tractors and their transmission systems that are made in Thailand and aborad : and (3) the design of future walking tractors for Asian farmers in developing countries. The design of the walking tractors is concentrated to provide the ease to farmers, especially the elderly and female which will play an important role in the future agriculture of Thailand due to the lack of manpower. In addition , the design of the walking tractors is also aiming for small-scale farmers, the majority that have limited land capital. The walking tractors consist of several components but the most important one is the " Transmission System" . Thus, the research is concentrated in the devel pment an design of the a new transmission system. The new machine , currently developed, is named after the Chulalongkron University as " Chular Walking Tractor " , model SPJS -60. The tractor uses a 6-7 horsepower diesel engine with three forward gears and one reverse gear. The tractor also uses the latest gearing technology so called planetary gearing system with steering clutches system that never been used in any earlier model. The advantages of the planetary gearing system are : (1) the final drive gear can be small, and can be designed to provide higher strength with less wearing resistance, (2) the system eliminates a shaft which is used in other systems, thus reduces the weight and the manufacturing cost . Furthermore, the Chular Walking Tractor has an additional power take off shaft that can be used or linked with other standard agricultural implements.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.1375-1379
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• 2014

Background: Differences in clinicopathological characteristics of gastric cancer (GC) between young and older patients are controversial and a matter of debate. Determining the statistical significance of clinicopathological information with respect to age might provide clues for better management and treatment ofGC. Materials and Methods: A total ofl03 Indiao GC patients were enrolled for study and specimens were classified according to the AjCC-TNM system. Patients were grouped into two age-wise categories, young patients (<40 years; n=13) and older patients (${\geq}40$ years, n=90). The clinicopathological features of both groups were retrospectively examined and compared. p53 alterations were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-single strand conformational polymorphism and immunohistochemistry methods at gene and protein levels respectively. The cases were considered p53 over-expressed if it was present in more than 25% of the tumor cells and p53 alterations was correlated with the clinicopathological characteristics of the patients as well as etiological factors for GC in both groups. Results: We found significant association of young patients with cancer stage (p=0.01), and very strong association with histology grade (p=0.064) and poorly differentiated (p=0.051) state of GC. However, neither young nor elderly patients showed associations with location, gender, etiological factors and p53 expression and alteration. Overall the male-to-female ratio of GC patients was 3.12 and the value was higher in the young (5.5) than in the older group (2.91). Conclusions: Clinicopathological features of GC like caocer stage, cell differentiation and histological grades were significantly different among young and old age cohorts. We observed a male predominance among the young group that decreased significantly with advancing age. More awareness of GC onset is required to detect cancer at an early stage for successful treatment.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.2473-2476
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• 2014

Background: Little is known about the cancer screening prevalence and correlates in older adults from different racial backgrounds. In the context of heightened efforts for prevention and early diagnosis, we collected information on screening for two major types of cancers: cervical and breast cancer in order to establish their prevalence estimates and correlates among older South African women who participated in the Study of Global Ageing and Adults Health (SAGE) in 2008. Materials and Methods: We conducted a national population-based cross-sectional study with a multi-stage stratified cluster sample of 3,840 individuals aged 50 years or older in South Africa in 2008. In this analysis, we only considered the female subsample of (n=2202). The measures used included socio-demographic characteristics, health variables, anthropometric and blood pressure measurements. Multivariable regression analysis was performed to assess the association of socio-demographic factors, health variables and cancer screening. Results: Overall, regarding cervical cancer screening, 24.3% ever had a Papanicolaou (PAP) smear test, and regarding breast cancer screening, 15.5% ever had a mammography. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, younger age, higher education, being from the White or Coloured population group, urban residence, greater wealth, and suffering from two or more chronic conditions were associated with cervical cancer screening, and higher education, being from the White or Indian/Asian population group, greater wealth, having a health insurance, and suffering from two or more chronic condtions were associated with breast cancer screening. Conclusions: Cancer screening coverage remains low among elderly women in South Africa in spite of the national guideline recommendations for regular screening in order to reduce the risk of dying from these cancers if not detected early. There is a need to improve accessibility and affordability of early cervical and breast cancer screening for all women to ensure effective prevention and management of cervical and breast cancer.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.451-457
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• 2014

Background: The balance of the risks and the benefits of cardiac surgery in the elderly remains a major concern. We evaluated the early and mid-term clinical results of patients aged over 75 years who underwent major cardiovascular surgery. Methods: Two hundred and fifty-one consecutive patients, who underwent cardiac surgery at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital between July 2003 and June 2011, were included in this study (mean age, $78.7{\pm}3.4$ years; male:female=130:121). Elective surgery was performed in 112 patients, urgent in 90, and emergency in 49. Results: Early mortality was 12.7% (32/251). Follow-up completion was 100%, and the mean follow-up duration was $2.8{\pm}2.2$ years. Late mortality was 24.2% (53/219). There were 283 readmissions in a total of 109 patients after discharge. However, the reason for readmission was related more to non-cardiac factors (71.3%) than to cardiac factors. The overall survival estimates were 79.2% at the 1-year follow-up and 58.4% at the 5-year follow-up. Patients who underwent elective surgery had a lower early mortality rate (elective, 4.5%; urgent, 13.3%; emergency, 30.6%) and better overall survival rate than those that underwent urgent or emergency surgery (p<0.001). Conclusion: The timing of cardiac surgery was found to be an independent risk factor for early and late mortality. Thus, earlier referral and intervention may improve operative results. Further, comprehensive coordinated postoperative care is needed for other comorbid problems in aged patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.793-796
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• 2015

Background: Chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL) is not an uncommon hematological malignancy which primarily affects elderly individuals. It is more common in developed world than in developing countries. The rational of this study was to determine the clinico-hematological profile in Pakistan. Materials and Methods: In this prospective cross sectional study, sixty patients with CLL were enrolled from January 2011 to June 2013. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 21. Results: The mean age was $59.0{\pm}9.2years$ (range 40-82) and the male to female ratio was 2.1:1. Peak age group was 60-70 years (38.3%) and 18.3% were under 50 years old. Major complaints were weakness (51.7%), fever (18.3%) and abdominal discomfort (13.3%). Main clinical findings were splenomegaly (46.6%), lymphadenopathy (36.6%) and pallor (26.7%). Some 16.7% were diagnosed incidentally. The mean hemoglobin was $10.8{\pm}2.4g/dl$, with a total leukocyte count of $91.5{\pm}87.8{\times}10^9/l$ and platelets $197.8{\pm}103.2{\times}10^9/l$. Anemia and thrombocytopenia were seen in 26.7% and 21.7% of cases, respectively. High LDH and hyperuricemia were detected in 15% each and elevated serum creatinine was seen in 11.6%. According to Rai staging 11.6% were in stage 0, 13.3% stage 1, 26.7% each for stage II and stage III while 21.7% patients were in stage IV. Conclusions: CLL in our patients in Pakistan, unlike in the West, is seen in a relatively young population with male predominance. Primarily disease is of B-cell origin and about 2/3 of the patients present at advanced stage.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8629-8631
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• 2016

Background: Primary idiopathic myelofibrosis (PMF) is a clonal Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by extramedullary hematopoiesis and marrow fibrosis. It is an uncommon hematopoietic malignancy which primarily affects elderly individuals. The rational of this study was to determine its clinico-epidemiological profile along with risk stratification in Pakistani patients. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective cross sectional study, 20 patients with idiopathic myelofibrosis were enrolled from January 2011 to December 2014. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 22. Results: The mean age was $57.9{\pm}16.5years$ with 70% of patients aged above 50. The male to female ratio was 3:1. Overall only 10% of patients were asymptomatic and the remainder presented with constitutional symptoms. In symptomatic patients, major complaints were weakness (80%), weight loss (75%), abdominal discomfort (60%), night sweats (13%), pruritus (5%) and cardiovascular accidents (5%). Physical examination revealed splenomegaly as a predominant finding detected in 17 patients (85%) with the mean splenic span of $22.2{\pm}2.04cm$. The mean hemoglobin was $9.16{\pm}2.52g/dl$ with the mean MCV of $88.2{\pm}19.7fl$. The total leukocyte count of $17.6{\pm}19.2{\times}10^9/l$ and platelets count were $346.5{\pm}321.9{\times}10^9/l$. Serum lactate dehydrogenase, serum creatinine and uric acid were $731.0{\pm}154.1$, $0.82{\pm}0.22$ and $4.76{\pm}1.33$ respectively. According to risk stratification, 35% were in high risk, 40% in intermediate risk and 25% in low risk groups. Conclusions: The majority of PMF patients were male and presented with constitutional symptoms in our setting. Risk stratification revealed predominance of advanced disease in our series.

• Journal of Digital Convergence
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.539-547
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• 2014

This study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of hope between stress and suicidal ideation of adolescents. For the study, 399 adolescents were surveyed at 10 cities of Korea from May to August in 2010. Main results of the study were in the followings. First, it was found out that stress of adolescents was positively correlated with suicidal ideation, hope was negatively correlated with suicidal ideation, and stress influenced more suicidal ideation than hope. Second, suicidal ideation of adolescents tended to be low, stress was in the middle level, and agency and pathways thinking of hope was higher than middle level. Third, it was proved that agency and pathways thinking of hope was mediated between stress and suicidal ideation of adolescents. Lastly, for the female adolescents living in the metropolitan and large cities, only agency thinking of hope was mediated but pathways thinking was not mediated. Policy implications for preventing and decreasing adolescent's suicide were suggested.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.7 no.5
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• pp.127-134
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• 2016

This study aims to investigate the factors affecting tooth loss and the association between smoking and tooth loss, by using the forth Korea National Health and National Examination Survey(2007-2009) of 1,565 elderly people over 65 years old. In terms of the characteristics, as age increases, tooth loss increases. In particular, according to the results of the analysis that identify the correlation between smoking to gender, socio-economic status and dental visiting patterns after correcting socio-economic factors and behavior, it is clear that male's tooth loss is higher than female's in current smoking and tooth loss is caused highly in the lower socio-economic status. In the dental visiting patterns, tooth loss is high when visiting more than twice a year. Therefore, it seems to need a preventive non-smoking policy at the level of dental services through further studies.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.31-34
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• 2008

Introduction: Lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma of the skin (LELCS) is a rare cutaneous tumor of low grade malignancy and microscopically resembles lymphoepitheliomatous malignancies in the nasopharynx, palatine tonsils, salivary glands and uterine cervix. LELCS presents as scarlet-colored firm nodules or plaques on the face, scalp, or shoulder of middle-aged to elderly individuals. Material and Methods: A 72 year-old female had complained a papule like lesion with intermittent pruritis on the left temple for 2 years. But the lesion was changed to scarlet-colored firm nodule with ulceration. The mass was diagnosed as LELCS on the biopsy. And to confirm that the mass is not metastatic lymphoepithelioma-like carcinoma from other sites or direct tumor extension from the nasopharynx, selective radiographic and laboratory tests were done carefully. Results: Wide excision was performed with general endotracheal anesthesia. The tumor is composed of island of large epithelial cells surrounded by as dense infiltrate of lymphocytes. Immunohistochemical staining with cytokeratin and epithelial membrane antigen(EMA), the tumor cells were positive reaction for stain. And Epstein-Barr virus genome was not detected by in situ hybridization. So, the tumor was confirmed as LELCS. Conclusion: LELCS was described by Swanson at 1988, but has not been reported in the field of plastic surgery of Korea. We report a case of primary LELCS that occurred in the left temple with clinical characteristics, histologic features and references.