A case-control study was conducted to investigate the relationship between blood cadmium, blood zinc and cadmium/zinc ratio and hypertension. Eighty-three hypertensive and seventy-seven normotensive study subjects matched for age and sex were selected from the workers who had no history of job-related cadmium exposure, in Ulsan city and it's vincinity, Korea. The blood cadmium in hypertensive group was 2.90 etag/mL, which was significantly higher than that of control group, 1.99 etag/mL(P<0.01). After stratifing for smoking and age variables, the relationship was still remained. The blood cadmium/zinc ratio in hypertensive group was 2.46, which was significantly higher than that of control group, 1.65(P<0.01). After stratifing for smoking and age variables, the relationship was still remained. There was no significant difference in blood zinc between hypertensive and control group. On multiple logistic regression analysis, the blood cadmium/zinc ratio is highly significant than blood cadmium. In conclusion, there is the possible relationship between blood cadmium level which has been known to be within normal limits and hypertension. But, further cohort studies to define the effect of cadmium on human hypertension are required.
Blood Pressure* ; Cadmium* ; Case-Control Studies ; Cohort Studies ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Ulsan ; Zinc*

Congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia is a relatively rare but well known entity. Aside from the fibula, which is aften associated with tibia, the clavicle is probably the next preponderant site. Congenital pseudoarthrosis of other bones are extremely rare. We have found 10 cases of congenital pseudarthrosis of either the radius or the ulna in the English literature. Only one case of congenital pseudarthrosis of both bones of the forearm has been reported to our knowledge, A 30 year old man with congenital pseudarthrosis of the radius and the ulna associated with neurofibromatosis was seen at Seoul National University Hospital in March, 1985. Osteosynthesis was successful on the radius, but failed on the ulna. The distal fragment of the ulna eventulally disappeared altogether.
Clavicle ; Fibula ; Forearm ; Neurofibromatoses ; Pseudarthrosis ; Radius ; Seoul ; Tibia ; Ulna

Oncogenous or tumor-induced rickets is recognized as Vitamin D-resistant hypophosphatemic rickets that heals after excision of a coexisting tumor in either bone or soft tissue. Its pathogenesis is not clarified, but it has been suggested that the tumor elaborates a homoral substance inhibiting tubular reabsorption of phosphate or that the tumor inhibits the synthetic process of 1, 25-dihydroxcholecalciferol. We present two cases of vitamin D-resistant rickets, one associated with intrasseous well-differentiated osteosarcoma in the pelvis and the other associated with fibrosarcoma of distal femur. The case with low grade osteosarcoma showed immediate improvement of rickets after excision of the tumor, but the case with fibrosarcoma showed no improvement after amputation and was fatally terminated 5 months later due to lung metastasis.
Amputation ; Femur ; Fibrosarcoma ; Lung ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Osteosarcoma ; Pelvis ; Rickets ; Rickets, Hypophosphatemic ; Vitamins

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 purpose of this study was to determine whether workers at a factory next to a lead recycling factory in Pusan, were affected by lead contamination. The mean air lead concentration of lead recycling factory was 0.21mg/m3(TWA=0.05mg/m3). Thirty-nine male workers of Factory A, Cr. plating factory next to the lead recycling factory were exposed group and a comparison group, 62 male workers of Factory B were selected from another Cr. plating factory about 8.5km away from lead recycling factory. Air lead concentration of each workplace was checked for 4 times from August 5 to August 20 in 1995 by low volume air sampler. Each subject was interviewed about age, life-style, smoking, work history, and residence etc, and venous blood was drawn for lead measurement by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry. We have observed that air lead concentration and blood lead concentration of Factory A was higher than Factory B(2.6 +/- 1.6 Vs. 1.2 +/- 0.2 microgram/m3, 14.9 +/- 1.6 Vs. 12.2 +/- 1.6 microgram/dl). We believe that other environmental lead sources such as transportation and residence did not affect air lead and blood lead concentration differences of both factory. We concluded that high air lead and blood lead concentration of Factory A were caused by lead contamination generated by the neighboring lead recycling factory.
Absorption ; Busan ; Graphite ; Humans ; Male ; Recycling* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spectrum Analysis ; Transportation

No abstract available.
Humans ; Pseudohypoparathyroidism*

Background:Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus(IDDM) is known to be a disease characterized by a deficiency of insulin caused by destruction of the pancreatic beta-cells. It has been suggested that the clinical and immunological characteristics of IDDM in Korean are different from those of Caucasian. This study was undertaken to investigate the clinical characteristics and the prevalence of autoimmune markers in type I diabetic children and their prediabetic siblings in Korea. METHODS:Insulin autoantibody(IAA), antiglutamic acid decarboxylase(Anti-GAD) antibody, thyroid autoantibodies such as antithyroid antibody(ATA) and antimicrosomal antibody(AMA), and rheumatoid facter(RF) in 54 type I diabetic children have been measured. Diabetic autoimmune antibodies were also measured in 48 siblings. RESULTS: 1)Clinical characteristics of type I diabetic children were that age of onset was 8.6+/-4.4 years, duration of diabetes was 4.1+/-3.3 years. C-peptide at onset of diabetes was fasting 0.7+/-0.5ng/ml, and postprandial 1.2+/-0.5ng/ml, and HbA1c was 12.5+/-4.3%. 2)The positivity of IAA and anti-GAD antibody of type I diabetic children was 74% and 50% respectively. ATA and AMA positivity of type I diabetic children was 3.7% and 5.6%. however RF was not detected at all. Among the diabetic siblings, 48 persons for anti-GAD antibody, 21 for IAA, 27 for ICA were measured but 1 case was positive for IAA. 3)Clinical characteristics of type I diabetic children were not specific different between IAA and anti-GAD antibody positivity. But the mean age of onset of type I diabetic children was younger in case of both positivity of IAA and anti-GAD antibody than both negativity(7.8 vs 11.4 years old, P<0.05). 4)A case in whose brothers are diagnosed as IDDM has shown that autoantibody of elder brother was positive in both IAA and anti-GAD antibody, and younger brother was also strongly positive in IAA. Another case in whose sisters were IDDM, has shown that, while elder sister was positive in IAA, younger sister strongly positive in both IAA and anti-GAD antibody. 5)In a case of identical twin brother, the elder is type I diabetic child and the younger is normal, elder brother's onset of age was 6 years and 8 months old, and titer of anti-GAD antibody was measured as strong positive. Both ICA and anti- GAD antibody were negative in normal younger brother. First phase insulin release in IV GTT and the insulin levels in oral GTT showed reduction from the normal level in normal brother, and repeat check up showed normal ranges but on-going study is needed under observation. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of autoantibody positivity of type I diabetic children of Korea in this study were IAA 74%, and anti-GAD antibody 50%. Cases with both IAA and anti-GAD antibody positive were shown to be earlier onset. Though titers of auto-antibody in IDDM twins, brothers and sisters were strongly positive, auto-antibodies in siblings of IDDM patients were detected only one case with IAA positive(0.47%). We suggest that the pathogenesis of IDDM in Korean is different from foreign countries in terms of prevalence of autoimmune antibodies and more numbers of diabetic siblings should be tested for further study.
Age of Onset ; Antibodies* ; Autoantibodies ; C-Peptide ; Child* ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 ; Fasting ; Humans ; Infant ; Insulin ; Korea ; Prevalence* ; Reference Values ; Siblings* ; Thyroid Gland ; Twins, Monozygotic

Alopecia areata is a relatively common disorded but the exact psthogenesis is still unknown and there is no satisfactory treatment. Recently contact immunotherapy has been studied with dinitrochlorogenzene(DNCB) which is known to have in vitro mutagenecity limiting its clinieal application. In contrast, diphencyprone (DPCP) is a potent contact sensitizing agent which is not known to be mutagenic. We treated 40 patients with alopecia areata who were refraetory to standard treatment.DPCP was dissolved in acetone in concentrations of 0.0001 2%. After sensitization, DPCP was topically applied to the right side of the scalp with left side sewing as control. After obvious hair growt,h, DPCP was applied on both sides of the scalp. A positive respanse was defined as growth of terminal hairs on the scalp. The response rate was estimated by determing the percentage of hair covered areas com- pared to the total area of the scalp. The results were as follows. 1) Of 20 patients who were followed over 3months, 9 patients(45% ) showed positive response, and 6 patients(30%) showed almost complete regrowth of terminal hairs (above 90% of scalp area). 2) The response time varied from 4 weeks to 33 weeks, with average duration of 10.6 weeks. 3) Nine out of forty patients developed side effects such as severe contact eczema, cervical lymph node swelling and vitiligo. Three out of 40 patients had to discontinue therapy due to side effects. 4) Patients with mild alopecia areata ganerslly showed a higher response rate(50%) than those with alopecis totalis(33%) and alopecia universalis(43%), but the differences were not statistically signifieant(p>0.05). 5) No correlation was found between reaponse rates and clinical factors such as age, sex and duration ot the disease. In conclusion, treatment with DPCP was thought to be effective in patients with alopecis areata who were refractory to standard treatment. Further long-term studies may be neees- sary to find out clinical course of the disease after trestment, and long-term safety of this treatment.
Acetone ; Alopecia Areata* ; Alopecia* ; Dermatitis, Contact ; Hair ; Humans ; Immunotherapy ; Lymph Nodes ; Reaction Time ; Scalp ; Vitiligo

The congenital ball-and-socket ankle joint is a rare condition and is associated with congenital shortening of the lower extrimity and various skeletal abnormalities of the foot. This disease entity was reported in the German literature by Politzer in 1931 and in the English literature by Lamb in 1958. Several series have been reported since, suggesting that the condition may not be as rare as generally thought. This case is, to our knowledge, the first reported in this country.
Ankle Joint ; Ankle ; Foot

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Growth Hormone* ; Humans