Analysis of ethyl carbamate in plum wines produced in Korea.

Ethyl carbamate is naturally occurring compound, commonly found in many fermented foods and alcoholic beverages. During the process of plum wine production, ethyl carbamate can be formed. To this date, limited studies were conducted to monitor the ethyl carbamate in the plum wine brewed in-house.

Antimicrobial-resistant and MRSA prevalence among Korean families and household items.

One-hundred-and-seventy-nine strains, collected from a total of 825 resident and household item samples in Korean homes nationwide, were tested, to survey the spread of antimicrobial-resistant including the methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strain. Antimicrobial resistance to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (0.0%), teicoplanin (0.

Maximal pericoronary adipose tissue thickness is associated with hypertension in nonobese patients with acute or chronic illness.

Background/aims: Recent studies have shown an association of epicardial fat thickness with diabetes and hypertension (HTN) in asymptomatic populations. However, there is lack of information as to whether there is similar association between pericoronary adipose tissue (PAT) and HTN in the patients who have acute or chronic illness.

Methods: This study included 214 nonobese patients hospitalized with acute or chronic noncardiogenic illness.

Helicobacter pylori: A Possible Risk Factor for Bone Health.

Background: Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection may cause systemic inflammation and increase the production of tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1, and interleukin-6. Unfortunately, bone mineral density also may be affected by these cytokines.

The Effect of Asthma Clinical Guideline for Adults on Inhaled Corticosteroids PrescriptionTrend: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

In order to increase inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) use and to reduce hospitalization, emergency department visits and ultimately the economic burden of asthma, "Korean Asthma Management Guideline for Adults 2007" was developed. To assess the guideline effects on physician's ICS prescription for asthma, we conducted segmented regression and multilevel logistic regression using National Health Insurance claims database of outpatient visits from 2003 to 2010. We set each quarter of a year as a time unit and compared ICS prescription between before and after guideline dissemination.

A comparison of bilateral stenting methods for malignant hilar biliary obstruction.

Background/aims: Despite common use of stent-instent methods for endoscopic bilateral metal stenting in malignant hilar obstruction, the longevity of these stents and clinical outcomes of patients who receive them are less well known than for the side-by-side method. We aimed to compare treatment outcomes according to bilateral stenting method.

Methodology: A total of 41 patients were divided into two groups: a bilateral side-by-side metal stenting group (side-by-side group, n=19) and a bilateral stent-in-stent metal stenting group (stent-in-stent group, n=22).

A prospective comparison of liquid-based cytology and traditional smear cytology in pancreatic endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration.

Objective: To compare results of liquid-based cytology (LBC) and the conventional smear method (SMEAR) when performing endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (EUS-FNA) for lesions of suspected pancreatic malignancy without an on-site cytopathologist.

Study Design: Fifty-eight patients were prospectively enrolled between July and December 2009. Aspirates obtained from the first needle pass were randomized either to SMEAR or LBC.

Can percutaneous cholecystostomy be a definitive management for acute acalculous cholecystitis?

Goals: To evaluate the safety, efficacy, and long-term outcome of percutaneous cholecystostomy without additional cholecystectomy as a definitive treatment for acute acalculous cholecystitis (AAC).

Background: AAC mainly occurs in seriously ill patients, and for those considered to be at high-risk for cholecystectomy, immediate percutaneous cholecystostomy can be a simple alternative interim treatment. However, no consensus has been reached on the issue of additional cholecystectomy.

Preoperative evaluation of the longitudinal extent of borderline resectable hilar cholangiocarcinoma by intraductal ultrasonography.

Background And Aim: In patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma (HC), longitudinal tumor extent is important for curative resection. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the longitudinal extents of HC using transpapillary intraductal ultrasonography (IDUS) for optimal surgical planning.

Methods: From July 2006 to April 2010, a total of 42 patients with borderline resectable HC were enrolled at Samsung Medical Center, a tertiary referral hospital in Seoul, Korea.

Antimicrobial susceptibilities and epidemiological analysis of Salmonella enteritidis isolates in Korea by phage typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis.

A total of 81 isolates of Salmonella Enteritidis were analyzed by antibiotic susceptibility, phage typing, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Thirty-two isolates came from broiler carcasses and pig feces, and 49 isolates were from humans in Seoul and suburbs of Seoul, Korea. Antibiotic resistance was most prevalent among human isolates.