No abstract available.

OBJECTIVE: No medication currently available for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is universally effective, and all can produce adverse effects. It is well known that the Acanthopanax koreanum extract has an anti-inflammatory action without any adverse effects reported. We conducted this study whether the Acanthopanax koreanum extract has a preventive and/or regressive effect of collagen induced arthritis in DBA/1J mice. METHODS: Three groups of BDA/1J mice were immunized by intradermal injection of 5ma/ka bovine type lI collagen with complete Freund s adjuvant. Group received 20ma/ka of Acanthopanax koreanum extract orally twice weekly and group K received 1ma/ka dexamethasone intraperitoneally twice weekly. Group ll and lll were divided into two subgroups respectively(Group Il-A, E-B, lll-A and Ill-B). Subgroup A is prevention group(Drugs were started to be given 3 weeks after immunization) and subgroup B is suppression group(Drugs were started to be given 6 weeks after immunization when CIA had been developed already). Group I received no treatment. The prevalence of arthritis were assessed twice weekly. Serum anti-collagen antibody and splenic mononuclear cell stimulation indices (SI) to collagen were measured. Serum tumor necrosis factor-a and interleukin-10 levels were also measured by ELISA. RESULT: Collagen induced arthritis(CIA) started to develop 4 weeks after collagen injections. In Acanthopanax koreanum extract treated group, CIA induction seemed not to be inhibited, but questionably partial supressive effect of arthritis were observed at 10 weeks after collagen injection. In dexamethasone treated group, both of prevention and suppression of CIA could be observed. Levels of anti-collagen antibodies were reduced in dexamethasone treated group, but not in the Acanthopanax koreanum extract treated group. No significant differences of splenic mononuclear cell SI among the groups was observed. There were no significant differences in the levels of serum tumor necrosis factor-a and interleukin-10 among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: These findings showed that the Acanthopanax koreanum extract does not have a definite effect on induction or supression of CIA.
Eleutherococcus* ; Animals ; Antibodies ; Arthritis* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Collagen* ; Dexamethasone ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Immunization ; Injections, Intradermal ; Interleukin-10 ; Mice* ; Necrosis ; Prevalence

No abstract available.
Antibodies, Monoclonal*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Seizures* ; Unconsciousness*

Seasonal variations of fractures are concerned with seasonal sports injuries and pathologic fractures in elderly osteoporotic patients. Despite various attempts at prevention, injuries in downhill skiing especially free style, snowboarding, snowmobile, and tobogganing continue to be seasonal recreational problem. Knee injuries in skiing can be prevented by health education as well as self-releasing test for the binder. Injury of the upper extremity in snowboarding and of the spine in snowmobile also can be reduced by education program. Another aspect of seasonal variation of fractures is related to the osteoporosis in elderly patients. Distal radius fractures, hip fractures, and compression fractures of the spine are common problems in winter. The high incidences these fractures in winter are not only due to ice and snow but also related to the daylight hours and level of vitamin D. So we can reduce the incidence of these fractures by snow clearing, sand and salt spreading in strategic areas, slip-preventive aids on shoes, sometimes padding for older women, and most of all, early detection and treatment of osteoporosis in elderly people.
Aged ; Athletic Injuries ; Education ; Female ; Fractures, Compression ; Fractures, Spontaneous ; Health Education ; Hip Fractures ; Humans ; Ice ; Incidence ; Knee Injuries ; Off-Road Motor Vehicles ; Osteoporosis ; Prevalence* ; Radius Fractures ; Seasons* ; Shoes ; Skiing ; Snow ; Spine ; Upper Extremity ; Vitamin D

Dementia as a public health problem looms as an epidemic of the 21st century. The aging population places an increasing number of individuals at risk for dementia. It is predicted that the proportion of the population over 65 years will exceed 14% by 2022 in Korea. This paper aims at summarizing epidemiologic characteristics of dementia in the general population in Korea, which are essential to develop a preventive strategy to this dreadful disease. The prevalence of dementia has been estimated in several studies in Korea and was found to be around 9.5 to 13.0% among individuals aged 65 years and over, which appears a little higher than those reported in other countries. According to the etiologic subtypes, more than half of the cases are reported to be Alzheimer's disease (AD) in most studies, especially in studies conducted in rural areas. These results are similar to those reported in the western countries, with AD being more common. In Asia, it was expected that vascular dementia would be much more common than AD due to the high prevalence of cerebrovascular accidents. Women have a much higher prevalence rate than men in all studies, presumably due to the higher prevalence of AD among the oldest aged 80 and over. These phenomena may be related with the high rate of illiteracy and low level of education among women in this country. Further epidemiologic studies on the subtype and risk factors of dementia are necessary to develop a comprehensive strategy for prevention of this disease in Korea.
Aging ; Alzheimer Disease ; Asia ; Dementia* ; Dementia, Vascular ; Education ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Epidemiology* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea* ; Literacy ; Male ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Risk Factors ; Stroke

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive*

No abstract available.
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1* ; Immunogenetics* ; Korea*