OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the prevalence and psychosocial correlates of depressive symptoms in patients with hypertension.METHODS: The participants were 124 outpatients with hypertension who were treated at the Department of cardiology, Chosun University Hospital. Each subject was assessed concerning depressive symptom severity, state-trait anger, ego resilience, social conflict, and perceived stress using self-report questionnaires. A logistic regression model was constructed to examine the impact of psychosocial factors on depressive symptoms.RESULTS: A total of 37.1% of participants were identified as having depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were positively correlated with perceived stress, trait anger, social conflict, and state anger. On the other hand, ego resilience was negatively correlated with depressive symptoms. Further, perceived stress and state anger were related to a higher risk of depressive symptoms whereas ego resilience were associated with a lower risk of depressive symptoms.CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated a high prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients with hypertension. Moreover, several possible risk and protective psychosocial factors of depressive symptoms were determined. Especially, our findings suggest that improving ego resilience as well as lowering perceived stress and state anger would be important in the prevention and management of depression in patients with hypertension.
Anger ; Cardiology ; Depression ; Ego ; Hand ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Logistic Models ; Outpatients ; Prevalence ; Psychology

PURPOSE: This study aimed to identify the neural basis of executive function (EF) in amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) according to beta-amyloid (Aβ) positivity. Furthermore, we explored if the identified brain areas could serve as predictors for clinical progression. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included individuals with aMCI using data from [¹⁸F]-florbetapir-positron emission tomography (PET), fluorodeoxyglucose-PET, and EF scores, as well as follow-up clinical severity scores at 1 and 5 years from baseline from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative database. The correlations between EF score and regional cerebral glucose metabolism (rCMglc) were analyzed separately for aMCI with low Aβ burden (aMCI Aβ−, n=230) and aMCI with high Aβ burden (aMCI Aβ+, n=268). Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to investigate the associations between rCMglc and clinical progression. RESULTS: Longitudinal courses differed between aMCI Aβ− and aMCI Aβ+ groups. On average, aMCI Aβ− subjects maintained their level of clinical severity, whereas aMCI Aβ+ subjects showed progression. EF impairment in aMCI Aβ− was related to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), whereas that in aMCI Aβ+ was related to Alzheimer's Disease-vulnerable brain regions. ACC and the posterior cingulate cortex were associated with clinical progression in aMCI Aβ− and aMCI Aβ+, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that although MCI subjects showed similar behavioral phenotypes at the time of diagnosis, EF and further progression were associated with different brain regions according to Aβ burden. Clarification of the etiologies and nature of EF impairment in aMCI are critical for disease prognosis and management.
Alzheimer Disease ; Amyloid ; Brain ; Cognition ; Diagnosis ; Executive Function ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glucose ; Gyrus Cinguli ; Linear Models ; Metabolism ; Mild Cognitive Impairment ; Neuroimaging ; Phenotype ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Prognosis

Objectives: ：This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of internet game addiction and its association with environmental characteristics such as parent supervision, gaming hour (time spent on gaming) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms among middle school students. Methods: ：A total of 596 (416 males and 180 females) first grade middle-school students in Gwang-ju metropolitan city were included in this study. Subjects were asked to complete a self-reported questionnaire, including measures of the Internet Gaming Use-Elicited Symptom Screen (IGUESS), Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptom, environmental factor such as parent supervision, and game related factor like game hours. Internet Game addiction and non-addiction group were defined using IGUESS score of 10 as a cut-off. The data were analyzed using hierarchical regression analyses. Results: ：Internet Game addiction group was fifty-two subjects (8.7%). Male students were significantly higher than female students (OR 25.01). IGUESS score was statistically negatively correlated with parent attachment and parent supervision, while IGUESS score was positively correlated with time spent on gaming per day, the longest time spent on gaming per day and violent game and ADHD score. Among variables, IGUESS score showed the highest correlation with the longest time spent on gaming per day (r=0.373, p<0.01). Using hierarchical regression analyses, the longest time spent on gaming per day was also the highest predicting factor affecting internet game addiction among variables. Conclusion ：Our findings indicate that parent supervision, parent attachment and game related characteristics such as gaming per day, the longest time spent on gaming per day and violent game and ADHD were associated with internet game addiction.

BACKGROUND: This is the studies about "If the soldiers expose in the paraquat, how much have it influenced on themselves who participated in the Vietnam War and their second generation?" and this is also researched about the factors that "How differents do the symptoms according to their health conditions and a class of diseases?". First of all, We divided them into 3 groups as exposure duration and exposure degree of the paraquat and We gave marks against each steps, too. (< point 10: low group, point 11-19: middle group, > point 20: high group). We've focused in "Does the high score really involves with their descendants who suffers from paraquat?" as direct damages men during from June 1965 to February 1971 (72 persons) and their descendants (266 persons) who are in the Pusan veterans hospital and outpatients. METHODS: It is completed by direct interview, telephone interview, army records, army history, and medical records with them. We've tried to minify sample bias as analyzing their information. We could contact only a few people among living in Pusan or Kyongnam province. Generally, someone including persons who couldn't get a damaging proofs from paraquat hardly joined us and the others strongly rejected the interview for this research. RESULTS: Among the 72 participating soldiers in the Vietnam war, average age of patient is 53 years old (the youngest: 46 years old, the oldest: 64 years old), average of exposure score is 16 point (minimum: 1.9 point, maximum: 31.9 point), average of pregnant frequency is 5.2 persons, and average degree of smoking is 14.382 single cigarette (minimum: 4 single cigarette, maximum: 60 single cigarette). The second generation is suffering from abortion, skin disorder, still birth, congenital anomalies, weakness, visual disturbance, peripheral neuropathy in frequency. CONCLUSION: There's no relation between exposure score of paraquat and diseases of the descendants.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Busan ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Hospitals, Veterans ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Medical Records ; Middle Aged ; Military Personnel ; Outpatients ; Paraquat* ; Parturition ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Skin ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Tobacco Products ; Vietnam*

A 67-year-old male visited Pusan Veterans Hospital due to general weakness and weight loss for 6 months. Physical examination showed non-tender 4 finger breaths sized splenomegaly and both inguinal and cervical lymphadenopathy. The white blood cell count was 25,300/uL with 91% morphologically mature lymphocytes. Bone marrow aspirate revealed hypercellularity with 74.5% lymphocytes morphologically similar to peripheral lymphocytes. The immunophenotpying study of lymphocytes displayed the phenotype of CD19(+), CD20(+), HLA-DR(+), sIg(+) but CD5(-). We concluded that this patients's diagnosis is CD 5 negative B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Aged ; B-Lymphocytes* ; Bone Marrow ; Busan ; Diagnosis ; Fingers ; Hospitals, Veterans ; Humans ; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell* ; Leukocyte Count ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Phenotype ; Physical Examination ; Splenomegaly ; Weight Loss

Elongated styloid process or ossification of the styloid or stylomandibular ligament is a source of the craniofacial and cervical pain. Most patients with elongated styloid remain asymptomatic but some patients complain of vague facial pain, otalgia, dysphagia and pain along the distribution of internal and external carotid artery. Differential diagnosis from chronic pharyngotonsillitis, trigeminal neuralgia and glossopharyngeal neulagia is difficult. Because that normal length of styloid process was not evaluated and diagnostic criteria was not unclear in Korea, authors measured the length of styloid process in non-symptomatic 60 adults using Fuchs' method. Key words : Styloid process;Fuchs' series
Adult ; Carotid Artery, External ; Deglutition Disorders ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Earache ; Facial Pain ; Humans ; Korea ; Ligaments ; Neck Pain ; Trigeminal Neuralgia

BACKGROUND: Ferulic acid (FA) is a naturally occurring nutritional compound. Although it has been shown to have antihypertensive effects, its effects on vascular function have not been intensively established. The aim of this study was to assess the vasoreactivity of FA in chronic two-kidney, one-clip (2K1C) renal hypertensive rats. METHODS: Hypertension was induced in 2K1C rats by clipping the left renal artery and age-matched rats that received a sham treatment served as a control. Thoracic aortas were mounted in tissue baths to measure isometric tension. The effects of FA on vasodilatory responses were evaluated based on contractile responses induced by phenylephrine in the aortic rings obtained from both 2K1C and sham rats. Basal nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability in the aorta was determined by the contractile response induced by NO synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). RESULTS: FA induced concentration-dependent relaxation responses which were greater in 2K1C hypertensive rats than in sham-clipped control rats. This relaxation induced by FA was partially blocked by the removal of endothelium or by pretreating with L-NAME. L-NAME-induced contractile responses were augmented by FA in 2K1C rats, while no significant differences were noted in sham rats. FA improved acetylcholine-induced endothelium-dependent vasodilation in 2K1C rats, but not in sham rats. The simultaneous addition of hydroxyhydroquinone significantly inhibited the increase in acetylcholine-induced vasodilation by FA. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that FA restores endothelial function by altering the bioavailability of NO in 2K1C hypertensive rats. The results explain, in part, the mechanism underlying the vascular effects of FA in chronic renal hypertension.
Animals ; Aorta ; Aorta, Thoracic ; Baths ; Biological Availability ; Coumaric Acids ; Endothelium ; Hydroquinones ; Hypertension ; Hypertension, Renal ; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase ; Phenylephrine ; Placebos ; Rats ; Relaxation ; Renal Artery ; Salicylamides ; Vasodilation

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were 1) to evaluate the effect of isolated uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) on subjective obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) symptoms in adult patients regardless of the response to surgery, and ultimately 2) to investigate the differences in changes in subjective OSA symptoms between successful and unsuccessful surgery groups. METHODS: Twenty consecutive adult patients who underwent isolated UPPP were enrolled. Pre- and postoperative subjective OSA symptoms (snoring, witnessed apnea, daytime sleepiness, morning headache, daytime fatigue, restless sleep, difficulty with morning arousal) and polysomnographic data were evaluated in all subjects. Changes in subjective OSA symptoms before and after surgery were investigated in the successful (n=11) and unsuccessful (n=9) groups. Surgical success was defined as a reduction of at least 50% in the preoperative apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and a postoperative AHI less than 20 per hour. RESULTS: After isolated UPPP, all subjective OSA symptoms changed significantly in the patients, especially in the successful group. In the unsuccessful group, snoring, witnessed apnea and daytime fatigue changed significantly, while other symptoms did not change significantly after surgery. CONCLUSION: Isolated UPPP may improve subjective OSA symptoms in adult patients whom surgery was successful or unsuccessful. However, after isolated UPPP, the improvements in subjective OSA symptoms in the unsuccessful group may be different from those in the successful group.
Adult ; Apnea ; Fatigue ; Headache ; Humans ; Polysomnography ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Snoring ; Wit and Humor as Topic

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Electrolyte transport by nasal epithelia has been suggested to be important for controlling the quantity and composition of the nasal fluid and may play an important role in the development of nasal polyps. Transepithelial transport of ion and water in various fluid-transporting epithelia is strictly dependent on the localization of specific membrane proteins in the polarized epithelial cells. Na+ : HCO3-cotransporter (NBC) transports Na+ and HCO3- into the intracellular from extracellular space and induces the evacuation of H+, regulating pH. K+ : Cl- cotransporter (KCC) controls the cell volume and resorption of NaCl which is associated with the extracellular transport of K+ and Cl-. The present study evaluated the presense of mRNA for NBC and KCC in human inferior turbinate and nasal polyp. MATERIALS AND METHOD: The expression of NBC and KCC mRNA isoforms in inferior turbinate mucosa and nasal polyp was evaluated, using RT-PCR and in situ hybridization. RESULTS: RT-PCR revealed that the inferior turbinate and nasal polyp mucosa expressed kNBC, KCC1 and 4 mRNA. In in situ hybridization, their distribution was noted in the epithelial layer and submucosal glands of both mucosa. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that these types of ion transporters are expressed in human nasal mucosa and nasal polyp, controlling the fluid and ion transport in nasal epithelium and submucosal glands.
Cell Size ; Epithelial Cells ; Extracellular Space ; Humans* ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; In Situ Hybridization ; Ion Transport ; Membrane Proteins ; Mucous Membrane ; Nasal Mucosa* ; Nasal Polyps* ; RNA Isoforms ; RNA, Messenger* ; Turbinates ; Water

A 69-year-old male was admitted to the neurosurgery department for traumatic intracra-nial hemorrhage in both frontal lobes. After 2 months, he complained of epigastric dis-comfort, nausea, vomiting, and loose stools. The gastric endoscopic examination found acute hemorrhagic gastritis and there were rhabditoid nematode larvae in the gastric fluid and biopsy sections. The filariform larvae of Strongyloides sp. were discovered from a fecal culture. The patient was treated with albendazole (200 mg, po bid, for 4 weeks). The epigastric discomfort disappeared and endoscopic findings improved after treatment.
Aged ; Albendazole ; Biopsy ; Frontal Lobe ; Gastritis* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Larva ; Male ; Nausea ; Neurosurgery ; Strongyloides ; Vomiting