BACKGROUND: The importance of serum lipids & lipoprotein as risk factors in the development and potentiation of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease(CAD) is now supported by the epidemiological and population studies. Lp(a) is composed of LDL particle and apo(a) is considered to have not only atherogenic but also antifibrinolytic activities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate lipoprotein and Lp(a) as risk factor of CAD, and to study the relationship between Lp(a) and other lipids in the patients with CAD. METHODS: We determined plasma level of lipids(Total cholesterol, HDL-C, Triglyceride, LDL-C)and apolipoprotein(apo A, apo B) and Lp(a) in the 315 patients with coronary artery disease and 106 control patients confirmed by coronary angiography. Serum Lp(a) was measured by ELISA and other lipid profiles by conventional methods. RESULTS: The ratio of male(61 vs 44%) and the prevalence of hypertension(44 vs 17%), diabetes(16 vs 3%) and smoking(48 vs 32%) were higher in patients with CAD compared with control group. Total cholesterol(187+/-52 vs 173.2+/-36ml/dl) and LDL-C(114+/-43 vs 97.2+/-35ml/dl)were significantly higher(p<0.05) and the HDL-C(40+/-12 vs 49+/-12ml/dl) and Apo Al/Apo B ratio(1.3+/-1 vs 1.6+/-1) were significantly lower in the patients with CAD(p<0.01). The level of Lp(a) of the CAD group was significantly higher than that of the control group(27+/-22 vs 15+/-15ml.dl, p<0.01). Also Lp(a) concentration in the younger than 60 year old was higher than those of elderly patient(29+/-23 vs 26+/-22mg/dl, p<0.01). However, there were no sexual difference and Lp(a) showed a low correlation coefficient(r=0.02-0.14)with other lipid profiles in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the derangement of serum lipids are strongly associated with CAD and the measurement of serum lipids and apolipoproteins are able to predict the risk of CAD. Also, Lp(a) is an independent risk factor for the development of CAD.
Aged ; Apolipoproteins ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Lipoprotein(a)* ; Lipoproteins ; Middle Aged ; Plasma ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Triglycerides

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to construct a measurement instrument for climacteric symptoms among Korean and Japanese women. METHODS: From Dec. 1st of 2003 to March 30th of 2004, in-depth interviews were made with 26 women (15 in Jinju, Korea and 11 in Nagasaki, Japan) aged from 45 to 59 years who had not taken hormone replacement therapy to relieve the climacteric symptoms. A draft questionnaire with 45 items was constructed on the basis of the interview data and literature review. Three obstetricians, three PhDs in nursing science, and a chief nurse who was exclusively in charge of the climacteric management, examined the draft questionnaire to evaluate content validity. After deletions 39 items remained for a preliminary questionnaire. A survey was conducted by using a convenient sampling method in Jinju of Korea and Nagasaki of Japan during the period from April 1st, 2004 to July 10th, 2005. RESULTS: Factor analysis identified 4 factors, which were "mental and psychological symptoms", "physical symp-toms", "loss of autonomic nervous system symptoms", "sexual symptoms". These four factors explained 46.9% of total variance. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that climacteric symptom scale was multidimensional, and the reliability and validity of the scale was supported.
*Climacteric/ethnology ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Female ; Humans ; Japan ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; *Nursing Assessment ; *Questionnaires ; Reproducibility of Results