This study was conducted to vitalize life through analysis on lifestyles, stress and dietary habits of male employees. For this study, questionnaire survey and physical measurements to examine BMI and waist circumference were performed with male employees in four companies located in Gyeongnam. Total 350 copies of the questionnaire were distributed and 327 ones were finally analyzed. The results of analysis on dietary life-related problems and stress were as follows. First, according to BMI, 56.9% were overweight and waist circumference recorded less than 90 cm in 90.5%. For lifestyles, 54.1%, 79.2%, 60.9% and 52.3% smoked, drank alcohol, didn't exercise and didn't sleep sufficiently. Second, for the correlation with job stress, the subjects graduating junior college or lower academic institution, production employees and sleeping insufficiently showed higher compared to the others. Analysis on the correlation with life stress found that conjugal relation stress was higher in alcohol-drinkers, the males not taking dietary supplements, those with a normal weight or more compared to underweight ones. Stress from relation with a child was higher aged 35~49 years than in those aged 20~34 years, and stress from economic life was higher aged less than 50 years, in those graduating junior colleges compared to those graduating colleges, in those sleeping insufficiently. Health life stress was found to be higher in those without religion compared to those with it such as Protestant Christianity and Catholicism, in alcohol drinkers and in those sleeping insufficiently and having a disease. Based on this, in order to improve the lifestyles and dietary habits and release stress effectively, practical nutrition education program should be carried out.
Aged ; Catholicism ; Child ; Christianity ; Coat Protein Complex I ; Dietary Supplements ; Food Habits ; Humans ; Life Style ; Male ; Overweight ; Protestantism ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Smoke ; Stress, Psychological ; Thinness ; Waist Circumference

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationships between tongue pressure and different aspects of the oral-phase swallowing function. METHODS: We included 96 stroke patients with dysphagia, ranging in age from 40 to 88 years (mean, 63.7 years). Measurements of tongue pressure were obtained with the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument, a device with established normative data. Three trials of maximum performance were performed for lip closure pressure (LP), anterior hard palate-to-tongue pressure (AP), and posterior hard palate-to-tongue pressure (PP); buccal-to-tongue pressures on both sides were also recorded (buccal-to-tongue pressure, on the weak side [BW]; buccal-to-tongue pressure, on the healthy side [BH]). The average pressure in each result was compared between the groups. Clinical evaluation of the swallowing function was performed with a videofluoroscopic swallowing study. RESULTS: The average maximum AP and PP values in the intact LC group were significantly higher than those in the inadequate lip closure group (AP, p=0.003; PP, p<0.001). AP and PP showed significant relationships with bolus formation (BF), mastication, premature bolus loss (PBL), tongue to palate contact (TP), and oral transit time (OTT). Furthermore, LP, BW, and BH values were significantly higher in the groups with intact mastication, without PBL and intact TP. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that the tongue pressure appears to be closely related to the oral-phase swallowing function in post-stroke patients, especially BF, mastication, PBL, TP and OTT.
Deglutition ; Deglutition Disorders* ; Humans ; Iowa ; Lip ; Mastication ; Palate ; Stroke* ; Tongue*

PURPOSE: We evaluated the clinical significance of the tumor growth factor, midkine (MK), in paired gastric cancer and normal tissues. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty paired normal and cancer tissues were tested for MK mRNA expression by Northern blot analysis. Vessel staining was done by immunohistochemical staining using CD-31 monoclonal antibody (Dako). RESULTS: MK mRNA was mainly expressed in cancer tissues (11 versus 1). Lymph node metastasis, pathological stage and tumor differentiation did not correlate with MK expression. However, MK expression rate increased with increment in tumor size (p=0.05). Microvascular density did not correlate with tumor invasion, lymph node metastasis, and pathological stages. However, there was a tendency of vascular density increment with MK expression in T1-T2 stage. CONCLUSION: MK was mainly expressed in larger gastric cancer tissues suggesting its role in cancer growth in vivo. But no definite correlation between MK expression and tumor microvascular density was found.
Blotting, Northern ; Gene Expression* ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; RNA, Messenger ; Stomach Neoplasms*