BACKGROUND: It is well known that there is an adverse effect of longterm cigarette smoking on pulmonary function. But there are few reports about the effect of different habits of cigarette smoking on pulmonary function. Some smokers think that different habits of cigarette smoking are more safe than athers and this can be, an obstacle to the education of smoking cessation. Therefore, we have obtained applicable basic information for education of smoking cessation by analysing the effects of different habits of cigarette smoking on pulmonary function. METHODS: We surveyed current smokers on different habits of smoking who had performed puhnonary function test at the pulmonary function laboratory of one tertiary hospital in Seoul and pulmonary function test was done as a part of comprehensive health check-up at health promotion center of one secondary hospital at Ulsan from May 1998 to July 1998. We analysed the effects of different habits of cigarette smoking on pulmonary function in 160 subjects who has no specific respiratory disease. RESULTS: The factors were age, height, weight and amount of total smoking that had effect on pulmonary function. There were six different habits of smoking that we could analyse time of first smoking after sleep, average time of one cigarette smoked, current amount of smoking, length of one cigarette smoked, effort to quit smoking, smoking with drinking and all these six habits of sking had no relationship with the results of the pulmonary function test. CONCLUSIONS: The damage in pulmonary function was not protected by different habits of smoking that were previously known to be more safe or healthy. Therefore, we concluded that smoking cessation is the only way to prevent the damage in pulmonary function from cigarette smoking.
Drinking ; Education ; Health Promotion ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Seoul ; Smoke* ; Smoking Cessation ; Smoking* ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Tobacco Products ; Ulsan

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of antiphospholipid antibodies in patients with proven endometriosis and apparently normal controls, and to evaluate the changes in profiles of humoral immune factors in endometriosis after treatment with gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRHa). METHODS: Sera of 92 patients with endometriosis, 40 patients without endometriosis and 128 normal male blood doners (normal controls) were tested for the presence of autoantibodies to six phospholipids (cardiolipin, phosphatidylserine, phosphatidyglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidic acid) and beta 2-glycoprotein I(GPI)- dependent anticardiolipin antibodies. Also, antiendometrial antibodies (AEA), antiphospholipid antibodies (APA), Immunoglobulin (Ig)G, IgA, IgM, complement C3, C4 and CA-125 were measured in 26 endometriosis patients before and after 3 months of GnRHa treatment. RESULTS: Eighteen (19.6%) patients with endometriosis had at least one of the APA compared with normal controls (8.3%). The prevalence of beta 2-GPI-dependent anticardiolipin antibodies was higher in patients with endometriosis than in normal controls. There were no significant changes in the positivity and levels of AEA and APA after GnRHa Treatment and the levels of immunoglobulins and complement showed similiar pattern. However, the numbers of patients with the level of CA-125 > 35 IU/ml, which is defined as the upper limit of normal level and the levels of CA-125 decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Around 20% of patients with endometriosis had APA and CA-125 measurement may be better than humoral factor tests in monitoring patients with endometriosis after GnRHa treatment.
Antibodies ; Antibodies, Anticardiolipin ; Antibodies, Antiphospholipid ; Autoantibodies ; Complement C3 ; Complement System Proteins ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone* ; Gonadotropins* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulin M ; Immunoglobulins ; Immunologic Factors ; Incidence ; Male ; Phosphatidylinositols ; Phospholipids ; Prevalence

We have previously demonstrated that specific antigens involved in autoimmunity in endometriosis may be endometrial proteins with molecular weight (mw) of 71, 92, and 103 kilodalton (kDa). The purposes of this study were to determine the incidence of IgG antibodies against these endometrial antigens in peritoneal fluid of patients with endometriosis and to evaluate the antigenic differences between the endometria of patients with and without endometriosis. Forty peritoneal fluid (PF) from 24 patients with endometriosis and 16 patients without endometriosis (control patients) were tested against endometrial protein from patients (n=8) with endometriosis and from control patients (n=10) by western blot. Fifteen (62.5%) of 24 PF samples from patients with endometriosis had specific Immunoglobuiin (Ig) G antibodies against one of three endometrial proteins with mw of 71, 92 and 103 kDa but none of PF samples from control patients had these antibodies. The electrophoretic pattern of endometrial proteins from patients with endometriosis was similar to that from control patients. Furthemore there was no significant difference in specific PF Immunoglobulin G binding to endometrial proteins regardless of origin of these proteins. Our data indicate that specific humoral immune response can be found in PF of patients with endometriosis and that specific antigens inducing this immune response are present in human endometrium and that there is no antigenic difference between the endometria of patients with and without endometriosis.
Antibodies* ; Ascitic Fluid* ; Autoimmunity ; Blotting, Western ; Endometriosis* ; Endometrium ; Female ; Humans ; Immunity, Humoral ; Immunoglobulin G ; Incidence ; Molecular Weight

Wegener's granulomatosis (WG)is a multisystemic inflammatory disease characterized by necrotizing granulomatous inflammation and vasculitis of unknown etiology which classically affects the upper airway,lung,and kidney.Subglottic stenosis (SGS)is rare and occurs independently of other features of active WG. SGS can be a life-threatening manifestation of disease,and prompt diagnosis is essential.Since the presenting symptoms of SGS can be nonspecific,SGS should be considered in the differential diagnosis of any patient with WG who has increasing dyspnea,voice change,or cough.Although both surgical and medical treatments have been utilized,the optimal therapeutic approach to SGS in patients with WG has not been determined.So far,a case of WG with SGS has not been reported in Korea.Recently,we experienced a case of 59-year-old woman with SGS in WG.She responded to prednisolone and methotrexate therapy and did not require surgical intervention.So we report this case with a review of literatures.
Constriction, Pathologic* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Methotrexate ; Middle Aged ; Prednisolone ; Vasculitis ; Wegener Granulomatosis*

PURPOSE: Proteinuria is the hallmark of glomerular injury and results from alterations in glomerular permeability. The permeability of diseased glomerulus has been estimated by selectivity of proteinuria. Recently, some authors showed a significant relationship between selectivity of proteinuria and tubulointerstial damage. The present study examines the role of protein selectivity as a prognostic marker in patients with IgA nephropathy and its correlation with other prognostic indices. METHODS: The selective proteiuria index of 81 cases with IgA nephropathy diagnosed between 1990 and 2000 were reviewed, and each case was subclassified using the following : highly selective(SPI0.2). The mean age of the patients was 27+/-15 years with a follow-up period of 38+/-24 months. Six patients had highly selective proteinuria, thirty three patients had moderately selective proteinuria, and forty two patients had nonselective proteinuria. RESULTS: 1) A significant relationship was found between the SPI and Haas subclasess(p=0.01). With respect to clinical presentaion, hypertension(0, 4, 11 cases, p<0.05), proteinuria(0.52+/-0.35, 1.85+/-1.55, 2.79+/-2.51 g/day, p<0.05) were significant correlation.2) Chronic renal failure was significantly higher in patients with nonselective proteinuria in comparison with patients with selective proteinuria(p<0.05).3) Markers of renal failure by the Cox proportional hazards model were Cr(Exp(B)=4.2, p<0.001), Ccr (Exp(B)=2.1, p<0.05), SPI(Exp(B)=1.7, p<0.05), hypertension(Exp(B)=1.6, p<0.05). 4) In 28 patients of IgA nephropathy with nephrotic syndrome, 9 patients were moderately selective, 19 patients were nonselective. The response to therapy, evaluated retrospectively, was 67% and 16% in moderate and nonselective proteinuria(p=0.01). CONCLUSION: There is a significant relationship between selectivity of proteinuria and clinical para meters. Moreover, the selectivity of proteinuria has a predictive value on functional outcome.
Predictive Value of Tests