BACKGROUND: The high concentration of plasma total homocysteine is recently considered an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. The purpose of this study was to provide reference ranges for plasma homocysteine levels and to investigate the relationship between plasma homocysteine and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy Korean men. METHODS: Anthropometric parameters, alcohol intake, cigarette use and nutrient intake were determined in 166 healthy men within a wide age range(30-69 yr). Serum levels of lipids, glucose and insulin levels during oral glucose tolerance test(OGTT), plasma amino acid concentrations and levels of antioxidant nutrients and enzymes were also measured. Hyperhomocysteinemia was defined as plasma homocysteine levels above the 90th percentile(> or =15micromol/L) of respective plasma homocysteine distribution in study subjects. Characteristics of hyperhomocysteinemic men(n=16) were compared to normohomocys- teinemic men(n=16) matched for age and body mass index. RESULTS: Plasma total homocysteine values ranged from 2.4 to 38.1micromol/L, a skewed, right-tailed distribution. The homocysteine levels of 25th, 50th and 75th percentile were 7.02, 9.61 and 12.4micromol/L, respectively. The mean concentration of plasma total homocysteine was 10.7micromol/L. Plasma total homocysteine level was positively correlated to body mass index, serum cholesterol and triglyceride levels and alcohol intake, but negatively correlated to serum bata-carotene concentration. In multivariate analysis, serum triglyceride level was the strongest determinant of plasma total homocysteine concentration. There were no significant differences between two groups in waist to hip ratio, alcohol intake, cigarette use, blood pressure and serum levels of glucose and insulin during OGTT. Hyperhomocysteinemic men had significantly higher mean values of serum triglyceride(258mg/dl), total cholesterol(226mg/dl), and LDL-cholesterol(140mg/dl) than normohomocysteinemic men. Hyperhomocysteinemic men showed a decrease in lipid corrected values of serum bata-carotene and alpha-tocopherol and plasma concentrations of serine and taurine, when compared to normohomocysteinemic men. The mean intakes of vitamin B6, folate, vitamin B12 and bata-carotene tended to decline by 25-30% in hyper- homocysteinemic group, when compared to normohomocysteinemic group. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that healthy Korean men with hyperhomocys- teinemia show signs of hyperlipidemia and decreased antioxidants nutrients and these factors increase risk for coronary artery disease. In addition, hyperhomocysteinemia may affect amino acid metabolism related to homocysteine.
alpha-Tocopherol ; Antioxidants ; Atherosclerosis ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Folic Acid ; Glucose ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Homocysteine* ; Humans ; Hyperhomocysteinemia ; Hyperlipidemias ; Insulin ; Male ; Metabolism ; Multivariate Analysis ; Plasma* ; Reference Values ; Risk Factors* ; Serine ; Taurine ; Tobacco Products ; Triglycerides ; Vitamin B 12 ; Vitamin B 6 ; Waist-Hip Ratio

No abstract available.
Cholesterol* ; Triglycerides*

BACKGROUND: Changes in body fat distribution and antioxidant status can be shown in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and these changes may be more pronounced in CHD patients with than those without diabetes. This study was undertaken to determine the discrimination of body fat distribution, hormones and antioxidants among healthy male and CHD male patients with and without diabetes. METHODS: An oral glucose tolerance test was performed in 64 healthy males and 56 CHD male patients. CHD group was subdivided into patients with and without diabetes. Adipose tissue and muscle areas were calculated from computed tomography scans made at four body levels, L1, L4 and mid portion of thigh and calf. Fasting serum levels of lipids, hormones and antioxidants and plasma level of homocysteine were determined. RESULTS: 28% of healthy males, 33% of CHD patients without diabetes and 15% of CHD patients with diabetes were current smokers. 56% of healthy males, 30% of CHD patients without diabetes and 46% of CHD patients with diabetes supplemented their diet with synthetic vitamin preparation. There were no differences among groups in means of age, body mass index and blood pressure. While CHD patients without diabetes showed an increase in visceral fat area at only L1 level, CHD patients with diabetes showed an increase at both L1 and L4 levels, compared with healthy males. CHD patients with diabetes showed the lowest mean value of HDL-cholesterol and testosterone. The mean response areaof insulin and C-peptide during OGTT was higher in CHD patients without diabetes than healthy males. CHD patients with and without diabetes showed higher plasma level of homocysteine and lower serum levels of IGF-1, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and beta-carotene, compared with healthy males. Serum levels of cryptoxanthin and lycopene were lower in CHD patients with diabetes than healthy males. CONCLUSION: Visceral fat accumulation, an increase in insuline and homocysteine levels and a decrease in IGF-1, SOD and beta-carotene levels in CHD patients indicate a difference in body fat distribution, hormones and antioxidant systems between CHD patients and healthy males. In addition, a further increase in visceral fat and a decrease in the serum levels of HDL-cholesterol, testosterone and carotenoids in CHD patients with diabetes show the increased risk in the simultaneous presence of CHD and diabetes. Thus, the lifestyle modification of these CHD patients such as quitting smoking, reducing abdominal fat and taking antioxidant-rich foods is recommended.
Abdominal Fat ; Adipose Tissue* ; Antioxidants ; beta Carotene ; Blood Pressure ; Body Fat Distribution* ; Body Mass Index ; C-Peptide ; Carotenoids ; Coronary Disease* ; Diet ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Fasting ; Glucose Tolerance Test ; Homocysteine ; Humans ; Insulin ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Life Style ; Male ; Plasma ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Testosterone ; Thigh ; Vitamins

No abstract available.

OBJECTIVE: Cartoons have been known to motivate learners and make learning process easier by combining verbal and visual effects. But they are mostly applied to motivate the less able learners, and have limits in delivering comprehensive information. Thus, more careful and scientific validation for the pros and cons of using cartoons for everyday use in various subjects is in need. METHODS: In this research, we used Electroencephalography(EEG) to compare cartoon learning and text learning by measuring four characteristic brainwaves including theta, alpha, sensory motor rhythms(SMR), and beta, from the left and right brain. The EEG signals acquired from 24 subjects are analyzed using the mean difference of the left and right brain and canonical correlation analysis. RESULTS: The theta brainwave of the left brain and right brain shows significant differences (p<0.05) from cartoon learning versus text learning in the theta brainwave while the other brain waves show similar patterns. CONCLUSION: Cartoon learning produced significantly stronger theta brainwaves than text learning implicating that cartoon learning reduces more focused attention, SMR brainwaves and beta brainwaves from the left brain explained cartoon learning and text learning process while alpha brainwaves explained those processes in the right brain.
Brain ; Brain Waves ; Electroencephalography ; Learning

No abstract available.
Craniocerebral Trauma* ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation* ; Head* ; Humans ; Latex*

No abstract available.
Female ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic*

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to analyze the present conditions of hypertensive diseases in pregnancy so as to examine the differences between the urban and rural communities in the southwest region of Chonnam about prenatal care from 1996 to 2000. METHODS: We analyzed the clinical characteristics of only 251 out of 13,296 pregnant women who were hospitalized to be delivered in Department of obstetrics and gynecology in the Mokpo Catholic Hospital for the past five years from 1996 to 2000. RESULTS: The incidence of hypertensive diseases in pregnancy was 1.89% of the total deliveries: mild preeclampsia (55.4%), severe preeclampsia (38.2%), eclampsia (1.2%) and chronic hypertension (5.2%). Hypertensive diseases in pregnancy was common in the age group of 25-29 years (45.9%) and in gestational age of 37-40 weeks was 67.3%. The rate of vaginal delivery was 49.0%: spontaneous delivery (33.5%), induced labor (15.5%) but the rate of cesarean section was 51%. As a maternal complications, anemia (55.7%) and postpartum hemorrhage (11.4%) were developed and fetus and neonatal complication due to intrauterine growth restriction showed a considerably high rate of 12.2%. Seen from the interrelation between a residential district and the frequency of prenatal care, 40.6% of pregnant women were undergone an prenatal care at most one time, especially 53.4% of reside in rural area (p<.05). The correlation between the frequency of prenatal care and the seriousness of an illness took up 52.1% of preeclampsia and 66.7% of eclampsia out of 102 women who were got the prenatal care at most one time. This is of great statistical significance (p<.05). The interrelation between the seriousness of an illness and residential district made little difference (p>.05). CONCLUSION: Not only a study of the cause and early diagnosis of hypertensive diseases in pregnancy, but also prenatal care, early checkup and education with keeping in close contact with an executive agency will lead to decrease newborn infant mortality and hypertensive diseases in pregnancy.
Anemia ; Cesarean Section ; Early Diagnosis ; Eclampsia ; Education ; Female ; Fetus ; Gestational Age ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Jeollanam-do* ; Labor, Induced ; Mortality ; Obstetrics ; Postpartum Hemorrhage ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Prenatal Care ; Rural Population

No abstract available.
Gyeongsangbuk-do* ; Quality Control*

A newly developed third generation enzyme immunoassay(Lucky HCD 3.0 EIA) for hepatitis C virus(HCV) antibodies was added with the envelope(E1E2)/NS4 fusion proteins and expanded NS5 proteins as well as the core/NS3 fusion proteins. Authors evaluated the HCD 3.0 EIA with the previously available second generation EIA(HCD 2.0) in 10,435 Red Cross blood donors. Among 10,435 donors who were screened for the presence of HCV antibodies by HCD 2.0 assay, 22(0.21%) sera were repeatedly reactive. All of these sera were tested for further testing. Only 13 of all tested sera were reactive by HCD 3.0 EIA, and nine sera were not reactive. Nine of 13 HCD 3.0 positive sera were reactive by recombinant immunoblot assay(Lucky-Confirm). Also seven of these 13 sera had detectable HCV genomic RNA by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction(RT-PCR). None of nine HCD 3.0 negative samples had detectable immunoblot assay and HCV genomic RNA. It is concluded that the new HCV EIA can decrease a significant false positivity of second generation EIA in a blood donor population. This new assay correlates well with detection of HCV-RNA by RT-PCR and identifies donors who are truly infected.
Antibodies ; Blood Donors* ; Hepatitis C ; Hepatitis C Antibodies ; Humans ; Immunoblotting* ; Red Cross ; RNA ; Tissue Donors