• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.3035-3039
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• 2014

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent malignancies in the world and both incidence and mortality rates are continuing to rise in Pakistan. However, epidemiological studies to identify common lung cancer determinants in the Pakistani population have been limited. Materials and Methods: In this retrospective case-control study, 400 cases and 800 controls were enrolled from different hospitals of all provinces of Pakistan. Information about socio-demographic, occupational, lifestyle and dietary variables was extracted by questionnaire from all subjects. Odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. and dose-response associations were also assessed for suitable factors. Results: Strong associations were observed for smoking (OR=9.4, 95%CI=6.9-12.8), pesticide exposure (OR=5.1, 95%CI=3.1-8.3), exposure to diesel exhaust (OR=3.1, 95%CI=2.1-4.5), red meat consumption (OR=2.9, 95%CI=1.8-4.7) and chicken consumption (OR=2.8, 95%CI=1.7-49). Other associated factors observed were welding fumes (OR=2.5, 95%CI=1.0-6.5), sedentary living (OR=2.0, 95%CI=1.6-2.6), family history (OR=2.0, 95%CI=0.8-4.9), wood dust (OR=1.9, 95%CI=1.2-3.1), tea consumption (OR=1.8, 95%CI=1.2-2.6), coffee consumption (OR=1.8, 95%CI=1.1-2.8), alcoholism (OR=1.7, 95%CI=1.1-2.5) and asbestos exposure(OR=1.5, 95%CI=0.5-4.4). Consumption of vegetables (OR=0.3, 95%CI=0.2-0.4), juices (OR=0.3, 95%CI=0.3-0.4), fruits (OR=0.7, 95%CI=0.5-0.9) and milk (OR=0.6, 95%CI=0.5-0.8) showed reduction in risk of lung cancer. Strongest dose-response relationships were observed for smoking ($X^2=333.8$, $p{\leq}0.0000001$), pesticide exposure ($X^2=50.9$, $p{\leq}0.0000001$) and exposure to diesel exhaust ($X^2=51.8$, $p{\leq}0.0000001$). Conclusions: Smoking, pesticide exposure, diesel exhaust and meat consumption are main lung cancer determinants in Pakistan. Consuming vegetables, fruits, milk and juices can reduce the risk of lung cancer risk, as in other countries.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.277-285
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• 2016

Objectives: This study was performed in order to evaluate whether 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) could be detected among residents living near Camp Caroll in Waegwan and whether serum concentrations of dioxins, including 2,3,7,8-TCDD, and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are associated with length of residence. Methods: Study subjects totaled 113 (for dioxins) and 190 (for OCPs) adults who were selected from participants in a medical investigation. Serum concentrations of dioxins and OCPs were measured using HRGC/HRMS. Information on length of residence was obtained through questionnaires. Results: 2,3,7,8-TCDD was not detected in serum among all subjects. When length of residence was classified as a categorical variable, after adjusting for confounding variables, only residents living in Waegwan for 40 years or longer tended to have high total TEQ values and 2,3,4,7,8-PeCDF with marginal significances. There was no dose-response relation between length of residence and serum concentrations of these chemicals. In multiple regression models with continuous values of the length of residence, total TEQ value and 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-HpCDF were positively associated with length of residence. However, they explained about 3-5% of total variations of serum concentrations of these compounds, while age, consumption of fatty fish, body mass index, alcohol drinking, and cigarette smoking were main variables affecting serum concentrations of dioxins or OCPs. Conclusions: In the current study, high concentrations of certain compounds were mainly observed among persons who lived in Waegwan for at least for 40 years without a dose-response relation. Therefore, it seems difficult to conclude that length of residence meaningfully contributed to the current serum concentrations of dioxins or OCPs among residents in Waegwan. However, considering the half-life of 2,3,7,8-TCDD and indirect exposure routes, the limitations of the current study design should be considered in the interpretation of the study findings.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.148-152
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• 2005

An intact female, 5-year-old, Pekingese, weighing 3.5kg with a history of a palpated abdominal mass was referred to Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, Seoul National University. In laboratory examination, there were no remarkable abnormalities. Radiographic findings included a left mid-abdominal mass with ill-defined margin, serosal detail loss of peritoneal space, non-uniform opacity of retroperitoneal space, and a radiopaque cystic calculus. On abdominal ultrasonography, a heterogeneous parenchymal mass with irregular contour in the left renal region was found. Computed tomographic findings showed a tumor embolus within the caudal vena cava and an invasion into mesentery, small bowel loops, spleen and pancreas around the large left renal mass. Unilateral nephroureterectomy was performed. Histopathologic examination of the resected mass confirmed the diagnosis of renal cell carcinoma. The dog died one day after surgery. Although ultrasonography could give diagnostic information about mass characteristics, computed tomography (CT) can provide key imaging features of mass characteristics.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.6193-6203
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• 2014

This study was conducted to determine the quality of sleep, and its association with the sociodemographic characteristics, health-related characteristics, and job-related characteristics among male workers in small-scale manufacturing industries with fewer than 50 members. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 856 male workers from April $1^{st}$ to June $30^{th}$, 2011. The survey items included the variables of sociodemographic, health-related, job-related, and quality of sleep. As a result, the quality of sleep according to the PSQI of the study subjects revealed 32.0% to be good and 68.0% to be poor. The quality of sleep assessed by hierarchical multiple regression analysis was significantly lower in the married group, those with lower BMI, and those with a lower level of subjective health status, non-smoking, alcohol drinking, without regular exercise, coffee drinking, blue color, had a longer of working hours, subjective health status, had a visiting out-patient department, and had a history of hospitalization. With the above model, the job characteristics had 13.1% explanatory power. This suggests that the quality of sleep (PSQI) has more power when combined with the job characteristics.

• Journal of the Korean Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2023

Objectives: Tic disorders are highly heritable; however, growing evidence suggests that environmental factors play a significant role in their pathogenesis. Studies on these factors have been inconsistent, with conflicting results. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the associations of pre- and perinatal exposure to Tourette syndrome (TS) or chronic tic disorders (CTD) in Korean school-aged children. Methods: This case-control study used data from a large prospective cohort study. The primary outcome was TS/CTD diagnosis according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) criteria and Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Present and Lifetime Version-Korean Version. Demographic, pre-, and perinatal information was obtained from the maternal questionnaires. Data between the TS/CTD and control groups were compared using the chi-squared or Student's t-test, as appropriate. Two-step logistic regression analyses were used to test the association between TS/CTD and pre- and perinatal risk factors. Results: We included of 223 children (78 with TS/CTD and 145 controls). Significant differences in the demographic data between the two groups were observed. The male sex ratio, mean parental age, parental final education level, and family history of tics were included as confounders. In the final adjusted multivariable model, TS/CTD was significantly associated with antiemetic exposure during pregnancy (odds ratio [OR]=16.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.49-185.22, p=0.02) and medically assisted reproduction (OR=7.89, 95% CI 2.28-27.28, p=0.01). Conclusion: Antiemetic exposure and medically assisted reproduction are significantly associated with the risk of TS/CTD. These results should be replicated in future prospective and gene-by-environment studies.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.83 no.6
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• pp.1259-1272
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• 2022

Purpose As part of ongoing efforts to improve the current e-learning center, a survey was conducted regarding user experience and satisfaction to identify areas of improvement. Materials and Methods Radiologists (n = 454/617) and radiology residents (n = 163/617) of the Korean Society of Radiology were asked to answer a survey via email. The questionnaire asked for basic user information as well as user experiences relating to the e-learning center, such as workplace, frequency of use, overall satisfaction levels, reasons for satisfaction or dissatisfaction, and other suggestions for improvement. Results Annual members and all members of the e-learning center reported above average satisfaction levels of 67% and 42%, respectively. Approximately 30% of respondents viewed e-learning center lectures more than 5 times a month, with residents having a particularly high usage frequency. There was a high demand for additional lectures covering more diverse specialties (e-learning for annual members only: n = 28/97, e-learning for all members: n = 72/166), a smoother and more convenient searching platform/interface (n = 37/97 and n = 58/166, respectively), and regular content updates. In addition, many of the members suggested the addition of user-friendly functions such as playback speed control, a way to save viewing history, as well as requests for improved system stability. Conclusion Based on survey results, the educational committee plans to continue its efforts to improve the e-learning center by increasing the quality and quantity of available lectures, and increasing technical support to improve the stability and convenience of the e-learning digital system.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.203-210
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• 2007

Background: The incidence of adenocarcinoma of the lung has been increasing worldwide, and it has been generally been accepted to be relatively unrelated to smoking with a female preponderance. The aim of this study was to examine the gender-related pathological and survival differences in patients with an adenocarcinoma of the lung. Material and Method: A retrospective review of the clinical information of patients diagnosed with an adenocarcinoma of the lung at Kosin Medical Center from January 1999 to September 2005 was performed. The patient's demographics (age, gender), smoking history, stage, serum tumor marker, pathology classification, EGFR mutation, K-ras mutation, treatment methods, and survival time were analyzed. Result: Of the 438 patients, 179 (40.9%) were female. The median age at the diagnosis was 58 years for females and 59 years for males. However, 25.8% of women and only 17.7% of men were under 50 years of age (p=0.02). The distribution of the disease stage was similar in both men and women. The bronchioloalveolar carcinoma component was diagnosed more often in women (11.2%) than in men (5.0%). The overall survival rate was higher in women than in men (p=0.01), and women had a superior therapeutic response to a combined treatment of surgery and chemotherapy. Conclusion: This study showed significant genders differences in terms of the smoking history, bronchioloalveolar carcinoma component, overall survival, and survival after combined treatment of surgery and chemotherapy. Therefore, gender differences should be considered when diagnosing and treating adenocarcinomas of the lung.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.146-153
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• 2010

Purpose: Recent studies have reported an increase in the incidence of community-acquired Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CA-CDAD) among children. There is an overall lack of information on CA-CDAD in the pediatric population. The aim of our study was to compare the epidemiologic and clinical features between CA-CDAD and hospital-acquired C. difficile-associated disease (HA-CDAD) in children. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients who were diagnosed with C. difficile-associated disease (CDAD) at Gil Hospital between April 2008 and March 2009. The diagnosis of CDAD was made when patients with gastrointestinal symptoms had positive results for C. difficile toxins A and B assay or stool culture. Results: Sixty-one (male, 32 and female, 29) patients were included. The mean age was 3.79${\pm}$4.54 years. Of the 61 patients, 22 (36.1%) were <1 year of age. Twenty-three patients (37.7%) had a history of antibiotic exposure in the previous 3 months. Forty-one patients (67.2%) were diagnosed with CA-CDAD. There were no significant differences in age, gender, symptoms, laboratory findings, recovery period, complications, and recurrence between the CA-CDAD and HA-CDAD groups. On the other hand, exposure to antibiotics was significantly more frequent among patients in the HA-CDAD group (p=0.005). Conclusion: This study suggests that the occurrence of CA-CDAD is increasing in the pediatric population, especially in younger children with no history of exposure to antibiotics and in outpatients. Awareness of the increasing incidence of CA-CDAD and prompt investigation of C. difficile in susceptible patients is needed to avoid misdiagnosis and for appropriate therapy.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.65-73
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• 2009

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical and polysomnographic characteristics of Korean patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), especially in relation to differences due to age and gender. Methods: All subjects were consecutive patients who were proven to have OSAS with nocturnal polysomnography. They were interviewed with a structured interview format including sociodemographic information, past medical history, medication, and sleep-related history. Simultaneously, they were also given Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) to answer in order to check subjective sleep quality and subjective sleepiness. Results: Mean age of the 308 subjects was $49.5{\pm}$13.3 years, with 77.6% of the subjects being males and 22.4% of the subjects being females. The aging effects on the sleep architecture in Korean OSAS corresponded with normal aging, but with the effect of OSAS itself superimposed, the extent of aging effects was more marked than that of normal aging. The severity of Korean patients of OSAS was not correlated with age. When divided into age subgroups, significant correlation was found between RDI and BMI in patients of each subgroup of those in the 4th to 7th decades. The oldest subgroup (>70 years) described their subjective sleep quality as poorer than any other age subgroups, despite of less subjective drowsiness. The severity of OSAS and the change of sleep architecture of male subjects turned out to be severer than those of female ones. The female/male ratio of the subjects tended to increase with aging. Conclusions: The aging effect on the sleep architecture in Korean OSAS seems to be a mixture of the changes by normal aging and sleep disorder per se. The severity of OSAS was not correlated with age, but highly correlated with BMI. The severity of OSAS and the change of sleep architecture of male patients were severer than those of female ones.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.257-262
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• 2006

Purpose: We analyzed the clinicopathologic features, including treatment and outcome, and the survival rates between young and elderly patients with gastric cancer. Materials and Methods: Clinical information was reviewed for 1086 patients who had undergone a gastrectomy for gastric cancer during a 10-year period from 1990 to 1999, and the patients were assigned to one of two groups: the A group (<40 years of age, 91 patients) and the B group (${\geq}70\;years\;of\;age,\;85\;patients)$). Results: Compared to the B group, the A group had more females (47.3% vs 32.9%), a greater frequency of family history of cancer (15.4% vs 3.5%), and greater proportions of histologically poorly differentiated tumors (84.5% vs 40.2%) and Lauren diffuse-type tumors (69.1% vs 35.1%)(P<0.05). There was no difference in TNM stage. Cardiopulmonary co-morbidities were more in the B group, respectively, 1.1% (A group) and 11.8% (B group)(P<0.01), but the morbidity and the mortality were similar. Although there was no difference in curability, the B group underwent less aggressive operations in lymph-node dissection above D3 and had a shorter operation time, a smaller number of retrieved lymph nodes, and less adjuvant chemotherapy (P<0.001). However, there were no differences in the disease-specific 5-year survival rates, 67.6% and 67.0% respectively. Conclusion: Young and elderly patients with gastric cancer had different clinicopathological features. Especially, elderly patients underwent relatively less aggressive treatment. In spite of these facts, the outcome of treatment and the disease-specific survival rates were not different.