No abstract available.
Aged* ; Calcinosis* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Insect Bites and Stings*

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that could be used as standardized criteria for evaluating occupational diseases in initial assessments or requests for examination. Using 100 administrative litigation cases on the work-relatedness of cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs) by the Seoul Branch of the Korea Labor Welfare Corporation (KLWC) from 1997 to 2002, we estimated the relationship between the investigated variables and designation of the work-relatedness of the CVD. As for the age, the odds ratio of the acceptance rate of a case as work-related in subjects over 60 yr of age was 0.08 (95% CI, 0.01-0.75), which was compared to subjects under 30 yr of age. Regarding working hours, the odds ratio of the acceptance rate of a case as work-related in CVDs in those over 56 hr was 9.50 (95% CI, 1.92-47.10) when compared to those less than 56 hr. As for the benefit type, the odds ratio of the acceptance rate of a case as work-related in medical benefits was 5.74 (95% CI, 1.29-25.54), compared to survivor benefits. As for the criteria for defining situations as work overload, the odds ratio of the acceptance rate of a case as work-related in injured workers was 12.06 (95% CI, 3.12-46.62), compared to that in non-injured workers. Our findings show that the criteria for defining situations of work overload played an important role in assessing the work-relatedness of CVDs in administrative litigation, and it is necessary to make the scientific evidence on judgement of workrelatedness on overwork.
Adult ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/*classification/*etiology ; Employment ; Female ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Diseases/*classification/*etiology ; Occupational Health ; Odds Ratio ; Regression Analysis ; Work Schedule Tolerance ; Workers' Compensation ; Workplace

BACKGROUND: Repeated 24 hour recall has been considered as a preferred method for obtaining accurate dietary information while time and cost for coding and data processing have been a major barrier for their use in large studies. This burden can be resolved by automating the interview and data processing. However, there has been no report about a computerized interview system for dietary survey in a free-living population in Korea. METHODS: This study attempts to test the feasibility of a newly-developed web-based dietary assessment program, Diet Evaluation System (DES) for subjects in a mixed region of urban and rural areas via wireless internet. We conducted total of 134 interviews, twice for each of 67 subjects of various age. As another aspect of feasibility, the group discussion among interviewers was done. RESULTS: Success rate of total attempted interviews was about 70%. Major reasons for problem with DES were instability of wireless internet and consequent inefficient booting of laptops in some areas. It took 14 minute 56 seconds on average to complete an interview and data processing conducted automatically. Subjects' age and internet environment influenced the DES interview time. The group discussion revealed that one-stop system with DES is fast and convenient assuming good wireless internet environment. CONCLUSIONS: Web-based dietary assessment was feasible in this community nutrition survey. To confirm the feasibility in large scale, studies with more comprehensive area and subjects are needed with various wireless condition.
Automatic Data Processing ; Clinical Coding ; Diet ; Diet Surveys ; Feasibility Studies ; Internet ; Korea* ; Methods ; Nutrition Surveys*

Exposure to lead during pregnancy is a risk factor for the development of psychiatric disorders in the offspring. In this study, we investigated whether exposure to low levels of lead acetate (0.2%) in drinking water during pregnancy and lactation causes behavioral impairment and affects the expression of proteins associated with neurodevelopment. Lead exposure altered several parameters in rat offspring compared with those unexposed in open-field, social interaction, and pre-pulse inhibition tests. These parameters were restored to normal levels after clozapine treatment. Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses of the hippocampus revealed that several neurodevelopmental proteins were downregulated in lead-exposed rats. The expression was normalized after clozapine treatment (5 mg/kg/day, postnatal day 35–56). These findings demonstrate that downregulation of several proteins in lead-exposed rats affected subsequent behavioral changes. Our results suggest that lead exposure in early life may induce psychiatric disorders and treatment with antipsychotics such as clozapine may reduce their incidence.
Animals ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Behavior Rating Scale ; Blotting, Western ; Clozapine ; Down-Regulation ; Drinking Water ; Female ; Hippocampus ; Incidence ; Interpersonal Relations ; Lactation ; Lead Poisoning ; Models, Animal ; Neurodevelopmental Disorders ; Pregnancy ; Rats ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVES: The author investigated the relationship between the environmental tobacco smoke exposure during mid-pregnancy and early childhood and neurobehavioral outcomes of preschool children and if there is any effect of the genetic polymorphism of glutathione S-transferase (GST) M1 and T1 on this relationship. METHODS: The participants were the pregnant women (week 24-28) who visited the obstetrics and gynecology department (between 2001 and 2004). They had been evaluated for their sociodemographic data including direct and environmental tobacco smoke exposure history and the urine specimen had been sampled for the measurement of cotinine. The offsprings' urine specimen and blood sampling had been done and the socioeconomic data including the environmental tobacco smoke exposure history was evaluated at age 3. The cotinine level of urine specimen was measured and GST polymorphism was analyzed. The offsprings completed Korean-Childhood Behavioral Check List (K-CBCL) at age 4-5. RESULTS: The environmental tobacco smoke exposure during mid-pregnancy based on urine cotinine level has a significant association with increased total score and externalizing problem score of K-CBCL (p<0.05). The environmental tobacco smoke exposure based on urine cotinine level at age 3 is associated increased total score, externalizing problem score and internalizing problem score of K-CBCL with no statistical significance. The environmental tobacco smoke exposure after controlling for tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy, however, is significantly associated with the increased externalizing problem scores (p=0.04). The environmental tobacco smoke exposure is associated with increased total score, externalizing problem score and internalizing problem score of K-CBCL with GSTM1 null type or GSTT1 null type at age 3 although there was no statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The environmental tobacco smoking exposure during pregnancy and at early childhood is associated with childhood behavioral problems. The clinical implication of this study is that it is important to avoid the environmental tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy and early childhood and to monitor the possible emergence of behavioral problems of children.
Child ; Child, Preschool ; Cotinine ; Female ; Glutathione ; Glutathione Transferase ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Obstetrics ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Tobacco

Pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) is a multi-system disorder unique to human pregnancy. Although the etiology of PIH is still unknown, there is a large evidence suggesting that abnormal trophoblast invasion is occurring in early pregnancy and that this may contribute to relative placental hypoxia and oxidative stress that may further exacerbate placental pathology. This study was undertaken to determine placental Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) and Mn SOD activities and evaluate the use of M30 CytoDeath antibody to assess trophoblasts apoptotic activity in normal and PIH pregnancies. We also compared apoptotic rates as detected by M30 and TdT-mediated dUTP nickend labelling (TUNEL). Placental expression of Cu/Zn SOD and Mn SOD were reduced in PIH as compared to normal pregnancies. M30 immunoreactivity occurred predominantly in the syncytiotrophoblasts, and a significantly higher number of M30 positive cells in the preeclamptic placentas were found when compared with normal placentas. The number of M30 positive cells correlated with another apoptotic index previously detected by TUNEL method.
Anoxia ; Apoptosis ; Female ; Humans* ; Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced* ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Oxidative Stress ; Pathology ; Placenta ; Pregnancy ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Trophoblasts*

Homocysteine is a significant but modifiable risk factor for vascular diseases, including stroke. While several pathological processes may be involved, homocysteine can cause significant endothelial impairment and compromise vascular nitric oxide (NO) bioactivity. Endothelial dysfunction can be characterized not only by impaired vasoreactivity with decreased availability of NO but also abnormal inflammatory cell-endothelial interactions and increased expression of cell adhesion molecules. Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB) is a transcriptional factor which plays a coordinating role in inflammation and cellular proliferation and may be involved in early atherosclerosis. Experimentally, we investigated the effects of folate supplementation on endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity in the hyperhomocysteinemic rat brain and related the changes of eNOS activity to the expression of NF-kappaB. Animals were raised on an experimental diet containing 0.3% homocystine for 4 weeks or on a 0.3% homocystine diet for 2 weeks with or without folate supplementation (8 mg/kg diet). The cerebrovascular endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity was investigated by the immunohistochemical method. Cerebral contents of eNOS and NF-kappaB were also evaluated with the western blot analysis. At 4 wks, diet- induced hyperhomocysteinemia up to 4-fold (control: 6.5+/-0.4 micromol/L, homocystine: 26.2+/-2.5 micromol/L), and a reduction in the expression of cerebral eNOS with a concomitant increase in NF-kappaB. Dietary folate supplementation caused a significant decrease in plasma homocysteine levels with a concomitant increase in hyperhomocysyeinemia-induced reduction of the cerebral eNOS and decrease in hyperhomocysyeinemia-induced NF-kappaB expression.
Animals ; Atherosclerosis ; Blotting, Western ; Brain ; Cell Adhesion Molecules ; Cell Proliferation ; Diet ; Folic Acid* ; Homocysteine ; Homocystine ; Hyperhomocysteinemia* ; Inflammation ; NF-kappa B ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III* ; Pathologic Processes ; Plasma ; Rats ; Risk Factors ; Stroke ; Vascular Diseases

Objective: The cyclic nucleotide-gated channel (Cng) regulates synaptic efficacy in brain neurons by modulating Ca2＋ levels in response to changes in cyclic nucleotide concentrations. This study investigated whether the expression of Cng channel, cyclic nucleotide-gated channel subunit beta 1 (Cngb1) exhibited any relationship with the pathophysiology of schizophrenia in an animal model and whether genetic polymorphisms of the human gene were associated with the progression of schizophrenia in a Korean population. Methods: We investigated whether Cngb1 expression was related to psychiatric disorders in a mouse model of schizophrenia induced by maternal immune activation. A case-control study was conducted of 275 schizophrenia patients and 410 controls with single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the 5′-near region of CNGB1. Results: Cngb1 expression was decreased in the prefrontal cortex in the mouse model. Furthermore, the genotype frequency of a SNP (rs3756314) of CNGB1 was associated with the risk of schizophrenia. Conclusion Our results suggest that CNGB1 might be associated with schizophrenia susceptibility and maternal immune activation. Consequently, it is hypothesized that CNGB1 may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Renal artery injury is a rare complication in blunt trauma, but can cause devascularization of the kidney, leading to renal failure. It requires early diagnosis and management. The treatment of renal artery injury still remains controversial, but recent studies have reported the successful treatment outcome with endovascular stent placement. Nevertheless, there is no standard treatment strategy in cases of pediatric patients. We report a case of a 16-year-old girl with right renal artery occlusion associated with a grade IV liver laceration. She was treated with only balloon angioplasty, and the kidney showed marked improvement of parenchymal perfusion with normalized renal function. Treatment with only balloon angioplasty can be a treatment option in pediatric patients with renal artery injury.