OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effects of changes in obesity and life style factors, such as cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, and exercise, on the changes in blood pressure and serum cholesterol among Korean men. METHODS: This study included 7,205 healthy male employees in the steel manufacturing industry. Each subject underwent health examination in 1994 and was re-examined in 1997. The study subjects were classified into four categories, according to changes in body mass index (BMI) (loss; stable; mild gain; severe gain), cigarette smoking (quitter; non-smoker; smoker continued; smoker started), alcohol drinking (quitter; non-drinker; drinker continued; drinker started) and exercise (more exercise; continuous regular exercise; continuous irregular or no exercise; less exercise), respectively. We evaluated the relationship between the categories of change in those independent variables and the changes in blood pressure and serum cholesterol, adjusted for BMI in 1994 and age by analysis of variance. RESULTS: The change in systolic blood pressure was positively associated with the changes in BMI (p<0.001) and drinking (p=0.001), but negatively with smoking (p=0.004), compared to the first category of each independent variables. The systolic blood pressure was significantly less increased in the continuous smoking group than quitter or non-smoker. The changes in diastolic blood pressure and serum cholesterol appeared to have statistically significant linear relationships only with the change in BMI. The change in exercise showed a marginal significance with diastolic blood pressure (p=0.088). CONCLUSIONS: These prospective data emphasize the importance of obesity as a determinant of the changes in blood pressure and serum cholesterol. In addition, the changes in smoking and drinking habits can affect systolic blood pressure.
Alcohol Drinking ; Blood Pressure* ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol* ; Drinking ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Life Style* ; Male ; Obesity ; Prospective Studies ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Steel*

The authors carriod out lumbodorsal fasciotomy on six cases of paralytic scoliosis with pelvic obliquity. In our experience, in those older children and adolescents with paralysis in whom scoliotic curve is not severe and is more or less static, correction and maintenance of the correction can be achieved by lumbodorsal fasciotomy without resorting to spine fusion. While it is a common practice to leave a mild and static curve uncorrected, even a mild degree of scoliosis, when associated with pelvic obliquity, abduction contracture of the hip, instability of the other hip and leg length discrepancy, is a major problem in paralytic patients. Initial results indicate that lumbodorsal fasciotomy, combined with contralateral Soutters or Campbells fasciotomy if necessary, is a simple and effective method in correcting these deformities and restoring balance and function.
Adolescent ; Child ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Contracture ; Health Resorts ; Hip ; Humans ; Leg ; Methods ; Paralysis ; Scoliosis ; Spine

This study examined the effects of a nutrition education program on nutrition-related knowledge, eating habits, and dietary behavior. Subjects were 3rd grade elementary school students in Anyang, Gyeonggi-do. A 5-week nutrition education program was implemented to 28 children and another 26 children were included in the study as a control group. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the effects of nutrition education program. Mean nutrition related knowledge score was improved after education (p < 0.001). There was a significant improvement in knowledge of nutrient source (p < 0.05), role of protein (p < 0.05), food tower (p < 0.001), getting information from nutrition labeling (p < 0.05), and proper way of snacking (p < 0.001). Eating habits and self-efficacy also tended to improve by nutrition education, especially eating habit of snack and self-efficacy on balanced diet reached significant improvement (p < 0.05). Food consumption frequency was not changed significantly, only consumption of sea weeds which is considered as a reluctant food among children was increased after education (p < 0.05). In addition, the number of leftover food items and total amount of leftover at school lunch reduced significantly after education when compared with the same 10-day menu prior to education (p < 0.01). This result suggests that unbalanced dietary behavior has been changed with the nutrition education program. In conclusion, the nutrition education program was found to be effective in improving nutrition-related knowledge, eating habits, and dietary behavior.
Child ; Diet ; Eating ; Food Labeling ; Humans ; Lunch ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Snacks

Intussusception is an interesting condition and is one of the most common causes of intestinal obstruction in the infant. We experienced a case of neonatal intussusception in a two-day-old male. The patient developed bloody stool, without a history of vomiting-after passing meconium, on the second day of life. Diagnosis of ileo-cecal type intussusception, which was induced by congenital polyp, was confirmed by exploratory laparatomy performed on the 4th day of life. The polyp was found at the proximal portion of the ileum, 45 cm from the ileo-cecal valve. In Korea a 40 day old patient was the youngest previously reported. We have presented this case with a review of the literature.
Human ; Ileum* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Newborn, Diseases/etiology* ; Intestinal Polyps/complications ; Intestinal Polyps/congenital* ; Intussusception/etiology* ; Male

No abstract available.
Thrombocytopenia*

The Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) is a standardized, validated, and reliable tool to assess neuropsychiatric derangements in dementia patients. The aim of this study is to develop the Korean version of the NPI (K-NPI) and to test its reliability and usefulness in dementia patients. The subjects were 49 normal controls and 92 patients with Alzheimer's disease (43), vascular dementia (32), frontotemporal lobar degeneration (11), and other causes (6). Their caregivers familiar with the subjects' everyday behavior were interviewed with the K-NPI. In a subgroup (29/141) of the caregivers, the K-NPI was repeated for test-retest reliability, average of 23.1 days after the initial test. Prevalence rates of 12 behavioral domains in dementia patients were comparable to those of the original NPI; apathy was the most common and hallucination was the least common behavior. Total K-NPI scores correlated positively with dementia severity assessed with the Korean Mini-Mental State Examination. Test-retest reliabilities of frequencies and severities of all subscales were significantly high. Depression, anxiety, apathy, irritability, night-time behavior, and eating change were identified at very low rates in normal controls and were significantly less than those in dementia patients (p<0.001). The K-NPI, whose reliability and competency are comparable to those of the original version, may be a reliable and useful tool for measuring neuropsychiatric disturbances in Korean dementia patients.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Behavior ; Dementia/psychology* ; Female ; Human ; Korea ; Male ; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales* ; Reproducibility of Results

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical and radiological features of aortic intramural hematoma(IMH) to those of acute aortic dissection(AD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We analyzed the clinical and radiological features of 12patients with aortic IMH and 43 patients with acute AD. In aortic IMH, the diagnoses were made by means of both CTand transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and included two surgically proven cases. In acute AD, the diagnoses were made by means of CT and TEE and included 21 surgically proven cases. We com- pared patients ages, etiologies, the extent of the disease, the presence or absence of aortic branch involvement, complications, and outcomes. RESULTS: Aortic IMH tended to develop in older patients (67.8+/-7.9 vs. 50.4+/- 13.4, P<.0001) more often than acute AD. In aortic IMH, all patients had a history of hypertension ; in acute AD, hypertension occurred in 37, Marfans syndrome in three, and trauma in one. In aortic IMH, Stanford type A and B lesions were found in four patients (33%) and eight (67%), respectively. In acute AD, Stanford type A and B lesions were seen in 22 (51%) and21 (49%), respectively (p>.05). In aortic IMH, there was no involvement of aortic branches, whereas in acute AD, 14 (33%) patients showed involvement of one or more aortic branches. Complications of aortic IMH included pericardial effusion (n=2) and pleural effusion (n=4) ; in acute AD, pericardial effusion (n=7), pleural effusion(n=4), aortic insufficiency (n=8), cerebral infarction (n=3), renal infarction (n=4) and spinal infarction (n=1)were seen. There was one (8%) death due to aortic IMH and ten (23%) deaths due to acute AD (p<.01). CONCLUSION: Aortic IMH is characterized by its occurrence in older patients with hypertension, a less frequent incidence of complications, and a more favorable outcome than acute AD.
Cerebral Infarction ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Hematoma* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Infarction ; Pericardial Effusion ; Pleural Effusion

BACKGROUND: Rapid and accurate diagnosis is essential for successful management of acute aortic dissection. As transesophageal echocardiography(TEE) provides excellent imaging of thoracic aorta conveniently, TEE is widely indicated as a effective diagnostic method of aortic disease. To evaluate clinical usefulness of TEE in patients with suspected aortic dissection, we assessed diagnostic accuracy and feasibility of TEE. METHODS: Ninety-one consecutive patients with clinically suspected aortic dissection were examined by TEE, computerized tomography(CT), magnetic resonance imagion(MRI) and aortic angiography between August 1991 and September 1994. The diagnosis was confirmend by these techniques and surgery. RESULTS: 1) We diagnosed 27 proximal aortic dissection, 22 distal aortic dissection, 8 aortic intramural hematioma, 12 thoracic aortic aneurysm, 2 penetration ulcer, 1 necrotizing aortitis, 1 traumatioc aortic rupture and 18 normal findings in 91 study patients. 2) The sensitivity and specificity of TEE for aortic dissection were 98% and 97%, respecitively. The sensitivity and specificity of TEE to detect ascending aorta involvement were 94% and 100%. 3) CT was chosen in 62 cases as primary diagnostic method of aortic dissection, whereas TEE was performed in 21 cases. TEE was chosen as confirmative diagnostic method following CT in 45 cases, in one-third of whom TEE played a great role in diagnosis or decision of treatment modality. CONCLUSION: As TEE is and accurate and practical method in diagnosis of aortic dissection, TEE may be suggested as primary diagnostic method in suspected aortic dissection. TEE was also useful as confirmative diagnostic method complemention CT.
Angiography ; Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Aortic Aneurysm, Thoracic ; Aortic Diseases ; Aortic Rupture ; Aortitis ; Complement System Proteins ; Diagnosis* ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal* ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ulcer

In this study, we examined the therapeutic effects of an immune-stimulating peptide, WKYMVm, in ulcerative colitis. The administration of WKYMVm to dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-treated mice reversed decreases in body weight, bleeding score and stool score in addition to reversing DSS-induced mucosa destruction and shortened colon. The WKYMVm-induced therapeutic effect against ulcerative colitis was strongly inhibited by a formyl peptide receptor (FPR) 2 antagonist, WRWWWW, indicating the crucial role of FPR2 in this effect. Mechanistically, WKYMVm effectively decreases intestinal permeability by stimulating colon epithelial cell proliferation. WKYMVm also strongly decreases interleukin-23 and transforming growth factor-beta production in the colon of DSS-treated mice. We suggest that the potent immune-modulating peptide WKYMVm and its receptor FPR2 may be useful in the development of efficient therapeutic agents against chronic intestinal inflammatory diseases.
Adjuvants, Immunologic/pharmacology/*therapeutic use ; Animals ; Caco-2 Cells ; Cell Proliferation ; Colitis, Ulcerative/*drug therapy/metabolism ; Colon/pathology ; Humans ; Interleukin-23/genetics/metabolism ; Intestinal Mucosa/drug effects/metabolism/pathology ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL ; Oligopeptides/pharmacology/*therapeutic use ; Permeability ; Receptors, Formyl Peptide/antagonists & inhibitors ; Transforming Growth Factor beta/genetics/metabolism

Juxtaglomerular cell tumor is a rare cause of secondary hypertension. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is a clinicopathological entity associated with renal insufficiency and proteinuria. The exact diagnosis and proper management are important in both juxtaglomerular cell tumor and FSGS. We experienced a 26-year-old male who complained of a palpable abdomen mass associated with proteinuria and hypertension. Ultimately, he was diagnosed with a juxtaglomerular cell tumor combined with FSGS after nephrectomy. After operation, his hypertension normalized, while his renal function deteriorated.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Juxtaglomerular Apparatus ; Male ; Nephrectomy ; Proteinuria ; Renal Insufficiency