• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.116-123
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• 2001

This study was carried out to investigate antioxidative, antimicrobial activity and the effect on hepatotoxicity in various extracts of Artemisia iwayomogi. The herb has been used widely for jaundice, hepatitis and liver cirrhosis in chinese medicine. Solid yield by various extraction solvents, 18.1%, was the highest in water extract. To find antioxidative activity in Artemisia iwayomogi was estimated radical scavenging effect by DPPH method in various extracts and change of the POV(peroxide value) of various extracts added in soybean oil during 20 days at $60^{\circ}C$. Radical scavenging effect by DPPH method was the most effective in methanol extract. Added 1,000ppm water extract and methanol extract in soybean oil, the POV of them, 46.8(meq/kg) and 50.8(meq/kg) were lower than that of control, 79.1(meq/kg), during 20 days storage. After antimicrobial activity of various extracts of Artemisia iwayomogi on bacteria was carried out by paper disc method, it found that the ethanol extract was the strongest activity on Vibrio parahaemolyticus. In vivo experiment was to investigate the effect of Artemisia iwayomogi water extract(AIWE) on hepatotoxicity by carbon tetrachloride$(CCl_4)$ in rats. The experiment groups were divided into five groups for recovery(for 3 days) and three groups for protection(for 10 days) in rat liver. The weights and morphological changes of liver and the body weight were examined in each groups. Compared with $CCl_4$ treatment groups$(CCl_4\;only)$, liver and liver/body(%) weights of AIWE pretreatment groups for 3 days and AIWE posttreatment groups for 10 days were declined. In macrography, fibrious exudates and swelling of liver were decreased in AIWE treatment groups. Accumulation of lipid droplets and necrosis of hepatocytes were also decreased in AIWE treatment groups in microscopically. In these results, AIWE seems to enhance hepato-protective and recoverable effect on $CCl_4$ induced hepatotoxicity in rats.

• Maxillofacial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.104-111
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• 1994

Necrotizing fascitis is a severe soft tissue infection characterized by extensive necrosis of superficial fascia, suppurative fascitis, vascular thrombosis, widespread undermining of surrounding tissues. Associated systemic problems are widespread undermining of surrounding tissues, Associated systemic problems are common, with chronic alcoholism and diabetes being most prominent. Most commonly this disease presents in the extremities, trunk, and perineum. Necrotizing fascitis of dental origing is rare and its fulminating clinical course is not well documented in the dental literature. The present report is a case of necrotizing fascitis following vital extirpation of the pulp in a patient with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus and liver cirrhosis. Originally throught to be caused by hemolytic streptococcus organism or stphylococcus aureus, advances in anaerobic culturing have shown it to be a synergistic bacterial infection involving aerobic and ovligate anaerobes. it is relatively rare in relatively rare in haea and neck regions. If it was not diagnosed and treated in early stages, necrotizing fascitis can be potentially fetal, with a mortality rate approaching 40%. It's treatment requires early recognition, prompt and aggressive surgical debriment and proper supportive cares, such as, antibiotic therapy, fluid resuscitation and correction of metabolic and electrolyte disorder, resolving of the underlying systemic disease. Recently, we experienced two cases of necrotizing fascitis in cervicofacial region, One patient was 60 years old male with uncontrolled Diabetes Mellitus and other patient was 48 years old with steroid therapy during 30 years. Local surgical wound healing was successful but, patients were died after admission, because of lung abscess, gastrointestinal bleeding, septic shock and respiration hold.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.23 no.3 s.31
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• pp.345-357
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• 1990

Accumulated data on medical care utilization among the insured in Korea Medical Insurance Corporation can explain the health status of the population. The purpose of this study was to analyze a change of the disease-mix and utilization pattern by controlling the size of the population enrollment. Major findings of the study are as follows : 1. The changes of inpatient disease-mix a. Utilization rate was 139.2% in 1988 against 1980. b. Disease groups higher than the average utilization rate included neoplasms, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases and immunity disorders, mental disorders etc. Meanwhile, disease groups seen less often were infections and parasistic diseases, diseases of blood and bloodforming, diseases of the digestive system etc. c. Utilization rate was up 106.3% in 1988 compared to 1985, and diseases above that average level were ill-defined intestinal infections, chronic liver disease and cirrhosis, diabetes mellitus, essential hypertension, etc. d. The disease-mix by institution in 1988 compared to 1985 shows that chronic disorders rank high in general hospitals whereas opthalmologic, obstetric, and orthopedic diseases rank high in private clinics. 2. The changes of outpatient disease-mix a. Utilization rate was up 175.2% in 1988 compared to 1980. b. Disease groups higher than the average utilization rate included neoplasms, endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases and immunity disorders, mental disorders etc. And disease groups seen less often were infections and parasistic diseases, diseases of the respiratory system, diseases of the genitourinary system. etc. c. Utilization rate was up 104.0% in 1988 compared to 1985, and diseases above that average level were gastric ulcer, diseases of hard tissues of teeth, etc. And diseases seen below that average level were acute nasopharyngitis(common cold). acute upper respiratory infections of multiple or unspecified sites, etc. It was concluded that medical care utilization level was increased, and that, from 1980 to 1988, disease-mix shifted to the chronic disorders. Chronic disorders accounted for more medical care utilization in general hospitals.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.522-530
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• 2008

Purpose: In this study active surveillance culture for ICU patients, in whom the risk of VRE infection was high were conducted, and through this the VRE colonization rate and the characteristics of the colonization were examined and risk factors involved in VRE colonization and acquisition were analyzed. Method: This research was performed with 635 patients admitted to ICU between July 1 and December 31, 2006. Results: On admission to ICU, the VRE colonization rate was 2.36%, 93% identified from active surveillance culture. The VRE colonization rate was significantly higher in those patients with cancer (OR=9.43; 95% CI=1.38${\sim}$62.50; P=.022), liver cirrhosis (OR=55.5; 95% CI=7.29${\sim}$500; P=.005), transferred from other hospitals (OR=200; 95% CI=22.73${\sim}$1000; P=.000), high APACHE II score (OR=1.107; 95% CI=1.010${\sim}$1.213; P=.029), or antibiotics within the last 3 months (OR=15.87; 95% CI=2.27${\sim}$111.11; P=.005). The VRE acquisition rate was 5.2%. It was significantly higher in those who were using a ventilator (OR=26.31; 95% CI=5.13${\sim}$142.86; P=.000), three or more kinds of antibiotics during admission (OR=58.82; 95% CI=16.13${\sim}$200; P=.000), or high APACHE II score (OR=1.16; 95% CI=1.08${\sim}$ 1.24; P=.000). Conclusion: The results of this study show that active surveillance culture can detect VRE colonization on admission to ICU and those who have acquired VRE in ICU. The analyzed VRE colonization and risk factors of VRE acquisition are expected to be useful in establishing guidelines for preventing VRE infection in ICU.

• Journal of Gastric Cancer
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.253-263
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• 2018

Purpose: With increasing life expectancy, the presence of comorbidities has become a major concern in elderly patients who require surgery. However, little is known about the impact of different comorbidities on the outcomes of laparoscopic total gastrectomy (LTG). In this study, we investigated the impact of comorbidities on postoperative complications in patients undergoing LTG for gastric carcinoma. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the cases of 303 consecutive patients who underwent LTG for gastric carcinoma between 2005 and 2016. The associations between each comorbidity and postoperative complications were assessed using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: A total of 189 patients (62.4%) had one or more comorbidities. Hypertension was the most common comorbidity (37.0%), followed by diabetes mellitus (17.8%), chronic viral hepatitis (2.6%), liver cirrhosis (2.6%), and pulmonary (27.1%), ischemic heart (3.3%), and cerebrovascular diseases (2.3%). The overall postoperative morbidity and mortality rates were 20.1% and 1.0%, respectively. Patients with pulmonary disease significantly showed higher complication rates than those without comorbidities (32.9% vs. 14.9%, respectively, P=0.003); patient with other comorbidities showed no significant difference in the incidence of LTG-related complications. During univariate and multivariate analyses, pulmonary disease was found to be an independent predictive factor for postoperative complications (odds ratio, 2.14; 95% confidence interval, 1.03-4.64), along with old age and intraoperative bleeding. Conclusions: Among the various comorbidities investigated, patients with pulmonary disease had a significantly higher risk of postoperative complications after LTG. Proper perioperative care for optimizing pulmonary function may be required for patients with pulmonary disease.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.101-108
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• 1975

Since 1959 the authors experienced 43 cases of chronic constrictive pericarditis treated surgically at the Department of Thoracic & Cardiovascular Surgery, the National Medical Center in Seonl. Of 43 cases, detailed patients' records could be obtainable in 36 cases, and most of our studies. were made on the basis of these 36 available cases. About 84 per cent of the cases were male with several pediatric cases, and duration of symptoms ranged between 2 months and 10 years. The diagnosis of this condition is not difficult, however, about half of our cases were previously treated under the impression rf various other conditions such as liver cirrhosis or nephrotic syndrome at other hospitals and clinics. Many of our cases showed hepatic functional disturbances and about 89 per cent of the cases showed reversed A/G ratio, and we are sure that some of them had so-called protein losing enteropathy. Three of 36 cases showed normal electrocardiogram, and most peculiar electrocardiographic findings were ST or T changes and low amplitude of QRS complexes. Seven cases showed auricular fibrillation and five had first degree A-V block. Mean preoperative peripheral venous pressure at the antecubital fossa and arm-to-tongue circulation time were 273 mm $H_2O$and 20.2 seconds, respectively, and they were markedly reduced postoperatively to 152 mm $H_2O$ and 13 seconds, respectively. Several different approaches were made with various extents of pericardial decortication according to patients' condition and probably surgeon's preference. In 12 cases we met cardiovascular injuries during decortication and one of them died of massive bleeding through the torn right atrium, and we experienced excellent postoperative result in a grave case operated on just a small pericardial window. Eleven of 35 cases were tuberculous pericarditis and others were non-specific pericarditis histopathologically, and 6 of total 43 cases operated on passed away by various ways with the mortality rate of 13.9 per cent.

• BMB Reports
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.135-139
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• 2011

Chronic alcohol consumption contributes to numerous diseases, including cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and liver cirrhosis. Epidemiological studies have shown that excessive alcohol consumption is a risk factor for dementia. Along this line, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is caused by the accumulation of amyloid-$\beta$ ($A{\beta}$ plaques in neurons. In this study, we hypothesized that chronic ethanol consumption is associated with pathological processing of APP in AD. To investigate the relationship between chronic alcohol consumption and $A{\beta}$ production, brain samples from rats fed an alcohol liquid diet for 5 weeks were analyzed. We show that the expression levels of APP, BACE1, and immature nicastrin were increased in the cerebellum, hippocampus, and striatum of the alcohol-fed group compared to the control group. Total nicastrin and PS1 levels were induced in the hippocampus of alcohol-fed rats. These data suggest that the altered expression of APP and $A{\beta}$-producing enzymes possibly contributes to the chronic alcohol consumption-mediated pathogenesis of AD.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.141-144
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• 2013

Hyperplastic gastric polyps (HPPs) are the most common type of gastric polyps. They are assumed to be caused by chronic inflammation and regenerative proliferation, although this has not been clearly investigated yet. Many studies suggested the development of fundic gland polyps and carcinoid during long-term proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy, but the relationship between PPIs and HPPs is still unclear. We encountered a patient who showed aggravation of HPPs after long-term use of PPIs. A 58-year-old male patient with liver cirrhosis visited our hospital because of hematemesis. We started PPI medication after confirming esophageal variceal bleeding and duodenal ulcer with blood clot in its base via emergency endoscopy. He took PPIs for three years because of an intractable duodenal ulcer. There was a marked increase in the size of the pre-existing polyps and in the development of new polyps. We presumed that the PPIs caused the aggravation of the HPPs, so we stopped their administration. After five months, the HPPs shrank and the polyps were partially degraded. More prospective studies are needed to investigate the relationship between HPPs and PPIs.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.18
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• pp.8079-8083
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• 2016

Metformin is an oral anti-hyperglycemic agent, which is the most commonly prescribed medication in the treatment of type-2 diabetes mellitus. It is purportedly associated with a reduced risk for various cancers, mainly exerting anti-proliferation effects on various human cancer cell types, such as pancreas, prostate, breast, stomach and liver. This mini-review highlights the risk and benefit of metformin used for cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) prevention and therapy. The results indicated metformin might be a quite promising strategy CCA prevention and treatment, one mechanism being inhibition of CCA tumor growth by cell cycle arrest in both in vitro and in vivo. The AMPK/mTORC1 pathway in intrahepatic CCA cells is targeted by metformin. Furthermore, metformin inhibited CCA tumor growth via the regulation of Drosha-mediated expression of multiple carcinogenic miRNAs. The use of metformin seems to be safe in patients with cirrhosis, and provides a survival benefit. Once hepatic malignancies are already established, metformin does not offer any therapeutic potential. Clinical trials and epidemiological studies of the benefit of metformin use for CCA should be conducted. To date, whether metformin as a prospective chemotherapeutic for CCA is still questionable and waits further atttention.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.21-27
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• 2002

Pressure sores are an ulceration and necrosis of the skin and underlying tissue usually occur after prolonged or repeated pressure by interruption of blood flow from the small. vessels to the skin and deep tissue. The management of pressure sores is mostly difficult and requires prolonged hospitalization or repeated surgical interventions with a high recurrence rate. In this article we reviewed 14 cases of National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Pannel staging III, IV over the lateral malleolar area of the ankle in 2 years period from January 1999 to October 2001. The pressure over lateral malleolar area was mainly due to unique Korean sitting position with cross legs at flexed hips and knees or supine position of patient with external rotation of low extremity. Male to female ratio was 11: 3 and ages were between 36 and 83 (mean age: 67.1 years). Associated diseases were DM(7 cases), Hemiparesis caused by CVA(2 cases), Liver cirrhosis(2 cases), disarticulation of opposite hip due to squamous cell ca.(1 case), Intertrochanteric Fx.(1 case). Wound cultures reported Staphylococus, Pseudomonas and others. Abnormally elevated ESR and CRP were seen in 6 cases. Operative treatments were irrigation and debridement, direct closure with gravity drainage and skin grafting. The most important aspect of pressure sore treatment is pressure relief of the lateral malleolar area. Pressure-relieving Cast or Brace was helpful for local management and preventing recurrence.