No abstract available.
Drug Therapy* ; Stomach Neoplasms*

PURPOSE: There has been various reports on the inverse association between coffee consumption and serum gamma-glutamyltransferase(GGT) activity in the general population of Western countries. However, this association is uncertain in the communities in which coffee consumption is less popular. So we tried to identify this association in men of rural area in Korea. METHODS: We examined the association between coffee consumption and serum GGT activity in cross-sectional study involving 379 male population health examinees aged 40 years and older from rural areas in Kyungnam prefecture in Korea. Those who perceived their health status as poor were excluded. Possible confounding effects of age, body mass index, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking were controlled by multiple regression analysis and analysis of covariance. RESULTS: In multiple regression analysis, serum GGT activity was positively associated with alcohol intake, body mass index(P<0.001) and was negatively associated with coffee consumption(P=0.022), whereas no significant association was observed in cigarette smoking(P=0.094). Adjusted serum GGT activity level at the coffee consumption level of 0, one and two or more cups a day was 37.6 U/l, 35.9 U/l and 26.8 U/l respectively(Ptrend=0.008). CONCLUSION: Decreased serum GGT activity appears to be associated with coffee consumption in men of rural area, and further studies on the interrelationships among coffee consumption, alcohol intake and obesity will be necessary.
Alcohol Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Coffee* ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase* ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Obesity ; Smoking ; Tobacco Products

OBJECTIVES: The dopamine-blocking effects and the associated side effects(amenorrhea, lactation, sexual dysfunct of classical antipsychotics in schizophrenic patients have been studied for a long time. The purpose of this study to find out these effects of new antipsychotics(risperidone, olanzapine) in schizophrenic patients treated with clinical relevant doses. METHOD: Plasma levels of both prolactin and testosterone were measured in 91 schizophrenic patients(28 taking haloperidol, 4-20mg/day ; 31 taking risperidone, 2-6mg/day/ 32 taking olanzapine, 5-20mg/day). RESULTS: In male schizophrenic patients, the prolactin levels of risperidone group(76.44+/-38.85ng/ml) and haloperidol group(60.26+/-20.74ng/ml) had no significant difference, but were significantly higher than that of olanzapine(26.90+/-5.36ng/ml). In female, the prolactin level of olanzapine group(36.66+/-17.55) was significantly lower than those of risperidone(121.7+/-.33) and haloperidol group(161.66+/-37.53). And prolactin level of risperdone group was lower than that of haloperidol group. While the testosterone plasma level of risperidone, haloperidol and olanzapine in both male and female schizophrenic patients had no significant difference. CONCLUSIONS: At doses known to be effective in popular clinical setting, prolactin level in patients taking risperidone we higher than that of haloperidol, while olanzapine showed no significant difference in terms of prolactin plasma level haloperidol. New antipsychotics may not influence the testosterone plasma level.
Antipsychotic Agents* ; Female ; Haloperidol ; Humans ; Lactation ; Male ; Plasma ; Prolactin* ; Risperidone ; Testosterone*

PURPOSE: Cycloporine A (CsA) is a immunosuppressive agent most widely used in organ transplanted patients for preventing immunorejection, but it has some side effects, including hypertension, nephrotoxicity, hepatotoxicity and diabetes. The mechanism of toxicity of CsA was not completely understood, but the reactive oxygen species has been proposed to be involved in the reaction of toxicity of CsA. The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of glutathione, as a physiological antioxidant on CsA induced cytotoxicity in rat insulinoma (RINm5F) cells. METHODS: RINm5F cells were incubated in the presence of CsA (105~108 M) and buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), as a inhibitor of r-glutamyl cysteine synthetase, was added to cultured media (RPMI1640). Twenty four hours of incubation with CsA and BSO, viable cells were determined by MTT method. RESULTS: CsA decreased cell viability in dose response in cultured RINm5F cells and significantly decreased according to redusing glutathione. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that CsA may induce the diabetes and glutathione have some roles in the pathogenesis of CsA-induced diabetes.
Animals ; Buthionine Sulfoximine ; Cell Survival ; Cyclosporine* ; Cysteine ; Glutathione* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Insulinoma* ; Ligases ; Rats ; Reactive Oxygen Species

OBJECTIVES: Alexithymia has been regarded as the general personality of psychosomatic disease, but it's controversial. The object of the study is to find out the relationship between alexithymia and alopecia areata. METHODS: Thirty one alopecia areata patients were compared to 31 normal healthy persons in alexithymic tendency using TAS-20K. Also MMPI and SCL-90-R were checked in both groups. Psychiatric diseases were ruled out. RESULTS: The scores of F, K, Hs, D, Hy, Pd, Pa, Pt and Sc of MMPI in alopecia areata patients were different from those in normal healthy persons. The scores of SOM, O-C, I-S, DEP, ANX, HOT, PHOB, PAR, PSY, GSI, PSDI, and PST of SCL-90-R in alopecia areata patients were significantly higher than those in normal healthy persons. In TAS-20K, the scores of Factor 1 and Total in alopecia areata patients were higher than those in normal healthy persons. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that alopecia areata patients are more alexithymic than normal healthy persons.
Affective Symptoms* ; Alopecia Areata* ; Alopecia* ; Humans ; MMPI

OBJECTIVE: This study had three objectives: 1) to investigate the rehabilitation professionals' way of thinking on physical, psychological and social characteristics of older patients: 2) to assess their actual knowledge level about aging; and, 3) to deduce and analyze the influences that cause these different kinds of perceptions and attitudes. METHOD: Total 239 rehabilitation professionals (including rehabilitation doctors, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, social workers, psychologists, prosthetists & orthotists) responded to our questionnaire were included in this study. Self-addressed questionnaires were composed of two categories: 1) the perception of older patients compared with younger patients: and 2) the actual knowledge level about aging. RESULTS: 1) There were significant (p<0.05) differences by job classification on a speculative disposition with the physical characteristics, motive of treatment, emotional characteristics, and discharge problem of older patients. 2) There were also significant (p<0.05) differences by job classification in the actual knowledge level about aging by job classification. A higher score on the questionnaire correlated with a more optimistic view of the motive of treatment, emotional characteristic and discharge problem. CONCLUSION: Many rehabilitation professionals have a misconceptions about older patients due to insufficient knowledge on aging. Therefore we propose an objective understanding of older patients along with proper education on aging to provide an effective rehabilitation treatment.
Aging* ; Classification ; Education ; Humans ; Physical Therapists ; Psychology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Rehabilitation* ; Social Workers ; Sociology ; Thinking

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: This study focuses on the pathogenesis of inflammatory reaction and cell necrosis in patients with chronic viral hepatitis and examines the possible effects of follicular dendritic cells, HLA-DR and CD8+ presenting lymphocytes by analyzing their expression and the histological activity index (HAI) in liver tissues. METHODS: Liver biopsy specimens were obtained from 59 patients with chronic hepatitis B and from 26 patients with chronic hepatitis C. The expressions of dendritic cells, HLA-DR and CD8+ presenting lymphocytes were determined by immunohistochemical stain. RESULTS: The incidence of lymphoid follicle and/or lymphoid aggregates in portal tracts of the liver was higher in chronic hepatitis C than it was in chronic hepatitis B (84.6% vs. 15.3%, p=0.000). Follicular dendritic cells were exclusively expressed within lymphoid follicles and/or lymphocyte aggregates in portal areas. HLA-DR restricted cells were mainly observed in portal and periportal areas as well as in the area of piecemeal necrosis. CD8+ lymphocytes were diffusely expressed in portal and periportal areas and within intralobular parenchymal sinusoids. The expression of dendritic cell and HLA-DR was more frequently observed in moderate chronic hepatitis than in mild chronic hepatitis. While that of CD8+ lymphocyte expression was more frequent in severe chronic hepatitis with a high HAI score. CONCLUSIONS: The follicular dendritic cells may trap viral antigens in intraportal lymphoid follicle and present them to HLA-DR and CD8+ presenting lymphocytes. It is suggested that the associated expression of dendritic cells, HLA-DR and CD8+ presenting lymphocytes in liver tissues may play one of the biological role in immune injury in chronic viral hepatitis.
Antigens, Viral ; Biopsy ; Dendritic Cells* ; Dendritic Cells, Follicular ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; Hepatitis* ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; HLA-DR Antigens* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Liver ; Lymphocytes* ; Necrosis

No abstract available.
Humans

PURPOSE: We analyzed the clinical experiences of patients with renal, perinephric, and mixed abscesses during the last 10 years in a single center. MATERIALS AND METHOS: We reviewed the medical records of 33 patients with renal, perinephric, and mixed abscesses treated at our hospital between January 1998 and March 2008. The medical records, including predisposing conditions, clinical manifestations, physical examination, laboratory and radiologic findings, duration of hospitalization, types of uropathogens, time to clinical improvement, time to laboratory improvement, treatment, and clinical outcomes, were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: Renal, perinephric and mixed abscesses occurred in 22(66.7%), 4(12.1%), and 7(21.2%) patients. The most common predisposing conditions were diabetes mellitus(39.4%) and liver disease(27.3%). Flank pain (57.6%) and fever(54.5%) were the most common symptoms. Urine and blood cultures were positive in 23.3 and 19.2% of patients, respectively. The most common isolated uropathogen in the urine, blood, and purulent cultures was E. coli. The time to clinical and laboratory improvement was not significantly different between the patients with renal, perinephric, and mixed abscesses. Patients with renal, perinephric, and mixed abscesses received antibiotic therapy only in 59.1, 50.0, and 42.9% of cases, respectively. Similarly, patients with renal, perinephric, and mixed abscesses underwent percutaneous or surgical drainage in 22.7, 50.0, and 14.3% of cases, respectively. Patients required a nephrectomy in 18.2 and 42.9% of renal and mixed abscess cases, respectively. Most patients were cured(54.5%) or improved(42.4%) at the time of discharge from the hospital. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that renal, perinephric, and mixed abscesses are successfully managed by proper medical or interventional treatment. However, the cases suspicious for renal cancer or with non-functioning kidneys must be evaluated carefully for nephrectomy.

The analysis of regional myocardial function is important for the evaluation of myocardial performance. We evaluated whether the motion images of the coronary bifurcation points can be used for computation of the regional deformation and the regional wall stress. In 5 mongrel dogs, 4 to 7 lead markers were implanted adjacent to the bifurcarion points of coronary artery. Left ventricular pressure curve was obtained, and left ventriculography was performed to measure the major and minor axes of the left ventricle. Afterthen, biplane coronary arteriography was performed. The motion images of the lead markers and the corresponding coronary bifurcation points were used as landmarkers for the kinetic analysis of the regional wall deformation and wall stress. The results of the analysis using two kinds of landmarkers were well correlated(P<0.001). Analysis of the diagnosis biplane coronary cineangiograms of each patient group demonstrated that quite difference wave forms between the normally perfused segment and the underperfused segments. In group I there was no coronary arterial narrowings and no regional wall motion abnormalities. Their mean and peak wall thicking were 10.10+/-9.28% and 47.99+/-20.70%. And their peak and mean values of circumferential and longitudinal wall stresses are as follows; 2.70+/-0.74x10(5)dyn/cm2, 2.34+/-0.71x10(5)dyn/cm2, 0.84+/-0.21x10(5)dyn/cm2, 2.34+/-0.71x10(5)dyn/cm2, 0.84+/-0.21x10(5)dyn/cm2 and 0.64+/-0.13x10(5)dyn/cm2. Of 5 male patients having coronary arterial disease with regional wall motion abnotmalities(Group III), 2patients have single vessel disease, 2 paitents have 2 vessel disease. In subgroup b of group III, there was a significant decrease of regional wall thickening(mean and peak value; 0.54+/-9.91%.14.87+/-12.055; P<0.001 vs. group I), and increasing tendency of regional wall stresses. Using biplane coronary cineangiogram, which is routine diagnostic procedure in coronary artery disease, this method can valuate regional myocardial function. And this method can evaluate regional myocardial function. And this method will be especially useful, when serial coronary cineangiograms are needed for serial evaluation of patients, such as before and after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, coronary arterial bypass graft surgery, etc.
Angiography ; Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary ; Animals ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Diagnosis ; Dogs ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Male ; Transplants ; Ventricular Pressure