• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.332-337
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• 2022

Since the first lung transplantation in humans was performed in 1963, patient selection, standardized procurement, and surgical techniques have been developed and established for this procedure. However, despite these developments, surgical complications continue to be important factors influencing patient morbidity and mortality, and efforts should be made to decrease morbidity and improve survival rates by understanding, rapidly detecting, and appropriately treating surgical complications.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.4483-4486
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• 2014

Purpose: To assess chemoradiation related acute morbidity in women with carcinoma cervix and to find and correlation between hematologic toxicity and organ system specific damage. Materials and Methods: A prospective study was carried out between August 2012 and July 2013 enrolling 79 women with cancer cervix receiving chemo-radiotherapy. Weekly assessment of acute morbidity was done using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI CTCAE) version 4 and the toxicities were graded. Results: Anemia [77 (97.5%)], vomiting [75 (94.8%)] and diarrhea [72 (91.1%)], leukopenia [11 (13.9%)], cystitis [28 (35.4%], dermatitis [19 (24.1%)] and fatigue [29 (36.71%)] were the acute toxicities noted. The toxicities were most severe in $3^{rd}$ and $5^{th}$ week. All women could complete radiotherapy except two due to causes unrelated to radiation morbidity; seven (8.86%) had to discontinue chemotherapy due to leukopenia and intractable diarrhea. Though there was no correlation between anemia and other toxicities, it was found that all with leukopenia had diarrhea. Conclusions: Chemoradiation for cancer cervix is on the whole well tolerated. Leukopenia and severe diarrhea were the acute toxicities that compelled discontinuation of chemotherapy in two women. Though anemia had no correlation with gastrointestinal toxicity, all of those with leukopenia had diarrhea.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.242-252
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• 2018

Purpose: Surgical resection for gastric adenocarcinoma is associated with significant post-operative morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to assess the prognostic significance of sarcopenia in patients undergoing resection for gastric adenocarcinoma with respect to post-operative morbidity and survival. Materials and Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on a cohort of consecutive patients who underwent surgical resection for gastric adenocarcinoma between 2008 and 2014. Patient demographics, radiological parameters, and pathological data were collected. OsiriX software (Pixmeo) was used to measure skeletal muscle area, which was normalized for height to calculate skeletal muscle index. Results: A total of 56 patients (41 male, 15 female; mean age, $68.4{\pm}11.9years$) met the inclusion criteria. Of these, 36% (20 of 56) of the patients were sarcopenic pre-operatively. Both sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic patient groups were equally matched with the exception of weight and body mass index (P=0.036 and 0.001, respectively). Sarcopenia was associated with a decreased overall survival (log-rank P=0.003) and was an adverse prognostic predictor of overall survival in multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 10.915; P=0.001). Sarcopenia was a predictor of serious in-hospital complications in multivariate analysis (odds ratio, 3.508; P=0.042). Conclusions: In patients undergoing curative resection for gastric cancer, there was a statistically significant association between sarcopenia and both decreased overall survival and serious post-operative complications. The measurement and reporting of skeletal muscle index on pre-operative computed tomography should be considered.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.66-70
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• 2016

Background In this study, we characterize the morbidity at the donor-site of partial second toe pulp free flaps in terms of wound management as well as long-term outcomes. Methods A single-institutional retrospective review was performed for patients who had undergone partial second toe pulp free flap transfer to the fingertip. Patient charts were reviewed for infection, skin necrosis, wound dehiscence, and hematoma for the donor site. Additionally, a questionnaire survey was given to patients who had a follow-up of longer than 1 year to characterize long-term postoperative pain and appearance. Results The review identified a total of 246 cases. Early wound complications were significant for wound dehiscence (n=8) and hematoma (n=5) for a wound complication rate of 5.3%. The questionnaire was distributed to 109 patients, and 54 patients completed the survey. Out of these 54 patients, 15 patients continued to have donor-site pain (28%) at a mean follow-up period of 32.4 months. However, the pain intensity was relatively low in the range between 2 to 5, on a 0-10 scale. None of these patients felt this donor-site pain interfered significantly with daily activity, nor did any patient require pain medications of any type. Donor-site appearance was satisfactory to most patients. Conclusions The partial second toe pulp flap was associated with low rates of wound complications and favorable long-term outcomes. Given the functional and aesthetic gain in the recipient finger, donor-site morbidities appear acceptable in this patient population. This study can be helpful in counseling patients regarding donor-site morbidity during the informed consent process.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.13-24
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• 1985

This study seeks to provide a framework for understanding differential access to medical care. The framework is provided by Anderson Model, a model of health services utilization which suggests a sequence of predisposing, enabling, illness-morbidity characteristics that determine the number of times people will visit a physician. The framework in this study is composed of two models, one is for Adults and the other is for Non-Adults. Models are operationalized using stepwise multiple regression analysis and path analysis. The data come from a national health survey conducted in 1983. The findings of the analysis can be summarized as follows : First, the causal models used in this study are able to explain only a small amount of the variance in medical care utilization(Adjusted $R^2$ is .144 in the Model for Adults and .243 in that for Non-Adults). This finding suggests that we reconsider the utility of such existing model using the predisposing, enabling, and illness-morbidity characteristics in light of their poor correspondence with these data. Second, while small amount of the valiance in medical care utilization is explained, most of the explained variance is due to the illness-morbidity characteristics. The path coefficients of study variables except illness-morbidity variables show these characteristics to be substantially unrelated to medical care utilization, and the indirect effects of the predisposing and edabling characteristics on medical care utilization are also negligible. This casts doubt on the importance of the predisposing and enabling characteristics in explaining medical care utilization. Third, among the predisposing and enabling characteristics, Medical Security variable is the only one having significant direct effect on medical care utilization in both models for Adults and for Non-Adults. Fourth, the amount of the variance explained in the Model for Non-Adults is more than in the Model for Adults. This suggests that medical care utilization of adults is more influenced by behavioral factors than that of children.

• Archives of Plastic Surgery
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.345-350
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• 2018

Background The radial forearm free flap (RFFF) has remained a leading choice of many plastic surgeons as a fasciocutaneous flap due to its versatility, pedicle length, and simple elevation technique. However, donor site morbidity has led many reconstructive surgeons to limit their use of the RFFF and to use other flaps instead. We propose that using a narrow RFFF (nRFFF) decreases the aesthetic and functional morbidity of the donor site. Methods We report our experiences with the nRFFF from April 2012 through May 2015 at the Department of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Hand Surgery at Liaquat National Hospital, Karachi. The donor defects were closed primarily. The Stony Brook Scar Evaluation Scale and comparison with the contralateral hand were used to assess aesthetic and functional outcomes, respectively. Results A total of 24 patients underwent nRFFF procedures during the study period. The donor arm showed excellent motor function in 22 cases (91.7%), and very good function in the remaining two cases (8.3%). The aesthetic outcomes were excellent in four patients (16.6%), very good in eight patients (33.3%), good in 10 patients (41.6%), and fair in two patients (8.3%) who developed a hypertrophic scar. All flaps were successful and there were no cases of partial or complete loss. Conclusions For small to medium-sized soft tissue defects, the nRFFF had acceptable outcomes due to its thinness, pliability, and major reduction in donor site aesthetic and functional morbidity.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.277-285
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• 1996

Retrospective study on the comparison of outbreaks of food poisoning for food hygiene in Korea and Japan. The average value of morbidity rate by year in Korea during the period of 1971 to 1992 was 2.9 per 100,000 population, and that of Japan was 29.1. The mean value of mortality rates in case of food poisoning by year in Korea was 2.33%, and that of Japan was 0.07%. When compared the rates of morbidity and mortality between Korea and Japan during the same period, the morbidity rates of Japan were much higher than those of Korea (p<0.01). However, mortality rate of patients in Korea were much higher then those of Japan(p<0.01). Resulting from comparative observation of food poisoning by preparing facilities between Korea and Japan. The highest list the places where the outbreaks occurred was home-made foods accounted for 48.8% of the total cases in Korea and that of Japan was restaurants accounted for 33.0%. Causative foods in Korea, the most common incrimination vehicles were seafood, meat and animal products and grain and vegetables, including mushroom. However, in the case of the common incrimination vehicles Japan were unknown and other foods, seafood, vegetables and meat and animal products etc.. Food poisoning of pathogenic substance in Korea were 60.9% of bacterial food poisoning of the total cases showing that Vibrio species, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus spp., pathogenic E. coli, Clostridium spp. and other spp. were 33.3%, 26.2%, 16.3%, 5.3%, 0.4% and 18.5%, respectively. On the other hand, in Japan, major causes were Vibrio spp. (45.7%), Staphylococcus spp. (23.7%), Salmonella spp. (16.8%), pathogenic E. coli (3.8%), Clostridium spp. (0.2%) and other spp. (9.6%).

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.5217-5221
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• 2016

Objective: A study of primary cancer morbidity among children and subsequent calculation of average annual incidence were carried out for boys and girls, and young men and women in Kazakhstan. Methods: The investigated population lived in three areas of the Aral Sea region: designated catastrophe (Aral, Kazalt, Shalkar regions), crisis (Zhalagash, Karmakshy, Shiely regions), pre-crisis (Irgiz, Arys, Ulytau regions). Zhanaarka region of Karaganda oblast was applied as a control. Parameters were retrospective analyzed for the 10 years from 2004 to 2013. Result: The results indicate that indices of children cancer morbidity were slightly higher in the Aral Sea region than in the control district, but they were comparable with similar data from studies in other regions. In all areas of the Aral Sea region, except for Ulytau, primary cancer morbidity exceeded the control level by 1.3-2.7 times (4.7%000). Hematological malignancies, including solid tumors - tumors of musculoskeletal system and skin, digestive system, brain and central nervous system predominated. Stress levels in zones of the Aral Sea region were slightly higher in the crisis zone than in the catastrophe zone that can be explained by the phenomenon of wave-like dynamics of disease growth risk. Gender differences in characteristics of malignancy formation were not more pronounced in the studied region. Conclusion: Indices of children cancer are slightly higher in the Aral Sea region than in the control area of Kazakhstan, but they are comparable to results for other regions.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.12
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• pp.5159-5164
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• 2016

Objective: The dynamics of morbidity, disability and death rates due to malignant neoplasms in the population in Uralsk city of the Republic of Kazakhstan were studied for 2011-2015, with a focus on age and sex, as well as tumor location. Methods: Statistics for total morbidity, primary disability and mortality from cancer in the adult population of the city of Uralsk for 2011-2015 were calculated per 100 thousand. Estimation of morbidity was based on data from form - $N{\underline{o}}12$ ${\ll}$Report on the number of diseases registered in patients living in the area of health care organizations and patient population under medical observation". Evaluation of primary disability was based on form $N{\underline{o}}7$ ${\ll}$The distribution of newly recognized disabled by disease class, age, sex and disability groups" for 2011-2015 in Ural city and analysis of cancer was carried out using annual form 7 "Report on the sick, and diseases of malignant neoplasms". Result: The most common localizations of cancer were the trachea, bronchi, lungs, stomach and mammary glands. High death rates were noted for patients with cancer of the trachea, bronchi, lung, as compared to stomach and esophagus. Conclusion: The results of our investigation and data in the literature indicate that regional characteristics influence the impact of risk factors associated with cancer. An unfavorable environmental background contributes to ill health of urban populations, contributing to development of cancer. Moreover behavioral risk factors are very important, such as smoking, alcohol drinking, and an unhealthy diet. All these factors require urgent adoption of a package of measures for prevention, early detection and timely treatment. Detailed study of cancer is necessary to develop national programs and activities for prevention and control.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.169-187
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• 2000

Cigarette smoking has been identified as the most important source of preventable morbidity and premature mortality (WHO, 1995), The prevalence of smoking among men is very high in Korea. This study estimated productivity losses due to smoking in Korea, 1997. The derivation of cost estimates for mortality, disability, hospitalization and use of physician services related to cigarette smoking is bas 어 on the calculation of attributable fractions suggested by MacMahon and Cole and Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Cost(SAMMEC) software. To estimate the number of deaths from neoplastic, cardiovascular, respiratory diseases associated with cigarette smoking, estimates for adults(aged 20 years and over) were based on 1997 mortality data, 1995 data on smoking prevalence from Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs. Smoking-attributable indirect morbidity cost data were obtained from the National Federation of Medical Insurance. As the result of cost estimation, these productivity losses were 336-430 billion won. During 1997, 8,620-10,804 deaths were attributed to smoking. Cigarette smoking resulted in 133,991-169,422 Years of Potential Life Lost (YPLL) to life expectancy. For smoking -attributable indirect mortality costs, the present value of future earnings(PVFE) for the age at death are 299-384 billion won. Smoking-attributable indirect morbidity costs, the costs of lost productivity for persons who are disabled by smoking-related chronic diseases are 37-46 billion won. In this study the productivity losses due to smoking were restricted to the health effects of smoking. It is possible that these costs were underestimated with the limitation of the data. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of illness and death. The results of this study can be used as elementary data for antismoking policy.