PURPOSE: In this study, a comparison was done of the extent of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for preterm and fullterm children during early childhood, and factors affecting HRQoL in the early childhood of premature children were analyzed. METHODS: Eighty mothers of children born prematurely and 83 mothers of children born at fullterm listed on two Internet cafes were sampled for this study. The major instrument used for the study was the TNO-AZL Preschool Quality Of Life (TAPQOL) questionnaire. RESULTS: Total score for HRQoL in the premature group was 80.5 (+/-9.9) and for the full term group, 85.0 (+/-8.3), on a 100-point scale. A comparison of the premature group and full term group showed that the domains which scored relatively lower with respect to HRQoL included the stomach, motor function, anxiety, liveliness and communication. Among the factors that have an impact on HRQoL were 'length of stay in neonatal intensive care unit (> or =7 days)' and 'birth weight (<1,000 gm)'. The explanation power of the model was 17%, which was statistically significant. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that a differentiated premature infant follow-up program for children who are hospitalized over 7 days in NICU or weighed under 1,000 g at birth is urgently needed.
Anxiety ; Child* ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Internet ; Mothers ; Parturition ; Quality of Life* ; Stomach ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Although an oxidants and antioxidants imbalane has been considered in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), there is a paucity of reports focussing on the smoking-induced changes of oxidants and antioxidants in COPD. METHOD: The concentration of antioxidants (ascorbic acid, uric acid, retinol, and α- &γ-tocopherol) was measured in the serum and induced sputum of 30 healthy controls and 34 stable COPD patients using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The inhibition of lipid peroxidation as an index of antioxidant capacity was measured in the serum by a TBA assay. RESULTS: The serum concentration of ascorbic acid, α-tocopherol, and retinol were significantly lower in the patients with COPD than in healthy controls (484.8±473.3 vs 1497.8±819.2 pmol/L, p<0.001, 48.38±17.34 vs 73.96±26.29 pmol/L, p<0.001, and 9.51±8.33 vs 15.01±5.88 pmol/L, p<0.05, respectively, mean±SD). However, there were little differences in the ascorbic acid and uric acid concentrations in the induced sputum between the COPD patients and the controls. The induced sputum to serum ratio of ascorbic acid was significantly higher in COPD patients compared with healthy control (0.375 vs 0.085, p<0.05). In the normal controls, the serum ascorbic acid concentration was lower in smokers than in nonsmokers (1073±536 vs 1757±845 pmol/L, p<0.05), but the level was still higher than that of the COPD patients (p<0.05). The serum retinol levels were correlated with FEV1 in COPD patients (r=0.58, p<0.05). The products of lipid peroxidation were increased in normal smokers and COPD compared with normal nonsmokers (115.56±19.93 and 120.02±24.56 vs 91.87±20.71 µmol/µmol Pi of liposome, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Cigarette smoking may induce the depletion of serum antioxidants and this depletion of antioxidants is suggested to play a role in the pathogenesis of COPD.
Antioxidants* ; Ascorbic Acid ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Humans ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Liposomes ; Oxidants ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* ; Smoking ; Sputum* ; Uric Acid ; Vitamin A

In order to observe the changes in left ventricular function during coronary artery occlusion and reperfusion, left anterior descending (LAD) coronary arteries in the anesthetized dogs were occluded for 1 hour and then reperfused for 4 hours. Hemodynamic indexes of global systolic and diastolic function and regional wall thickness changes as a regional contractile index were measured during occlusion and reperfusion. The results were as follows; 1) Indexes of global systolic function (left ventricular peak systolic pressure, peak positive dP/dt) and global diastolic function (peak negative dP/dt, time constant, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure) showed deterioration in early occlusion period (10-30 minutes) but gradually improved even if coronary occlusion persisted. Reperfusion did not induce significant changes except that peak positive dP/dt transiently deteriorated 30 minutes after reperfusion and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure decreased 1.5-2 hours after reperfusion. 2) Indexed of regional function (i.e, end-diastolic thickness and % systolic thickening of anterior left ventricular wall) deteriorated by 10 minutes' occlusion which persisted during the entire occlusion period. Reperfusion induced no significant improvement in regional contractile function compared with occlusion 60 minutes' data, which suggested reperfusion for 4 hours after 1 hour's LAD occlusion may be insufficient for the ischemic region to recover its contractility. 3) Reperfusion arrhythmia (ventricular tachycardia) was noted in most (6/9) of the dogs, one of which deteriorated into ventricular fibrillation and the others spontaneously converted to normal sinus rhythm.
Animals ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Blood Pressure ; Coronary Occlusion ; Coronary Vessels* ; Dogs ; Hemodynamics ; Reperfusion* ; Ventricular Fibrillation ; Ventricular Function, Left*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Listeria* ; Meningitis, Listeria*

PURPOSE: This study was to examine the effects of Taping therapy on the deformed angle of the foot and pain in hallux valgus patients. METHOD: The subjects were 24 feet from 15 patients who were diagnosed withhallus valgus at the orthopedic department of K University Hospital in Seoul. Taping therapy was conducted 15 times overall during a four-week period. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-test. RESULT: The deformed angle of the foot of the hallus valgus patients significantly improved from 21.95(4.38) to 18.75(4.80) after Taping therapy. Pain significantly decreased from 4.73(1.56) to 3.45(2.21) after Taping therapy. CONCLUSION: The result shows that Taping therapy is effective in improving the deformed angle of the foot and in decreasing pain in the hallux valgus patients.
Adult ; Female ; Hallux Valgus/*therapy ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; *Orthotic Devices ; Pain

The purposes of this study were to establish the scope of population groups to be set and nutrients to be included for Codex Nutrient Reference Values (NRVs). Examination of a variety of documents and reports on the principles of scientific evidence was gone through to choose representative groups from a variety of population groups and kinds of nutrients for setting Codex NRVs. Also, hearings from the groups of NRVs expertise has been formed and was gone through by e-working process. The differences of food and foods being consumed in general and by specific population groups and limited actual space on packages for food labeling were considered. This paper suggest the options on the scope of population groups to be set and nutrients to be included for Codex NRVs on the basis of the above procedures. Also, the advantages and disadvantages of these options are commented when the options are applied for establishment and revision of the Codex NRVs.
Food Labeling ; Humans ; Population Groups ; Reference Values

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Despite significant improvement in the field of angioplasty, restenosis remains a major obstacle to the long-term success of the procedure. Radiation can effectively inhibit neointimal hyperplasia by causing the arrest of mitosis during cell division and limiting proliferation by reducing the number of regenerating clonal progenitors. Balloon injury could induce the cell adhesion molecule, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, on SMCs and regenerating endothelial cells (ECs). ICAM-1 and/or VCAM-1 may play a role in the progression of neointimal hyperplasia induced by balloon injury and external radiation may effectively inhibit neointimal hyperplasia by attenuating their expression. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of external radiation against ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 on neointimal hyperplasia after balloon injury in rat carotid arteries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A standardized carotid balloon catheter arterial injury was produced in 51 rats and external beam radiation with doses from 5-20 Gy were delivered in 28 rats (radiation treated group) at 24 hours after injury. To investigate the effect of the external radiation on neointimal hyperplasia, the intima area and the intima/medial area of arteries were measured at day 14 after injury. The expressions of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 at day 2, day 7, and day 10 after injury were studied in control group and radiation treated group by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Means of intimal area and intima/medial ratio in radiation treated group were significantly lower than those in control group and significantly reduced with increasing radiation dosage. At day 2 after injury, medial SMCs of injury group extensively expressed ICAM-1, while it was focally expressed with 10 Gy radiation treated group. At day 7 and day 10 after injury, ICAM-1 expression on medial SMCs was attenuated and neointimal ICAM-1 expression was increased. As compared with control group, ICAM-1 expression after radiation was weak and focal just around the internal elastic lamina. At 2 days after injury, medial SMCs moderately expressed VCAM-1, which was weakly and focally expressed with 10 Gy radiation treated group. At day 7 and day 10 after injury, focal expression of VCAM-1 was noted around the internal elastic lamina, but there was no VCAM-1 expression on neointima with radiation. CONCLUSION: External radiation after carotid arterial injury may potentially inhibit SMC proliferation and neointimal hyperplasia, and balloon injury-induced or upregulated expressions of ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 may be attenuated with external radiation.
Angioplasty ; Animals ; Arteries ; Carotid Arteries ; Catheters ; Cell Adhesion* ; Cell Division ; Endothelial Cells ; Hyperplasia* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1* ; Mitosis ; Neointima ; Radiation Dosage ; Rats* ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1

PURPOSE: The accurate and timely diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion (MPE) in lung cancer patients is important because MPE has a poor prognosis and is classified as stage IV disease. Molecular biomarkers for pleural effusion, such as circulating extracellular microRNAs (miRNAs) isolated from pleural fluid, may help in the diagnosis of MPE. The present study examined whether miRNAs that are deregulated in lung cancer (miR-134, miR-185, and miR-22) can serve as diagnostic markers for lung adenocarcinoma-associated MPE (LA-MPE). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Real-time reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the expression of the three miRNAs in samples from 87 patients with pleural effusion comprising 45 LA-MPEs and 42 benign pleural effusions (BPEs). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was then used to evaluate the diagnostic performance of each of the three miRNAs and compare it with that of the common tumor marker, carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA). RESULTS: The expression of all three miRNAs was significantly lower in LA-MPE than in BPE (p <0.001). The AUCs for miR-134, miR-185, miR-22, and CEA were 0.721, 0.882, 0.832, and 0.898, respectively. Combining CEA with the three miRNAs increased the diagnostic performance, yielding an AUC of 0.942 (95% confidence interval, 0.864 to 0.982), with a sensitivity of 91.9% and a specificity of 92.5%. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that the expression levels of circulating extracellular miR-134, miR-185, and miR-22 in patients with pleural effusion may have diagnostic value when differentiating between LA-MPE and BPE.
Adenocarcinoma ; Area Under Curve ; Biomarkers ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; MicroRNAs ; Pleural Effusion ; Pleural Effusion, Malignant* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prognosis ; Reverse Transcription ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity

VACTERL association is a disease with multiple congenital anomalies of the vertebrae, anus, cardia, tracheoesophageal(TE) fistula, renal and limb. This disease is derived from VATER anomaly, accompanied by cardiac and limb anomalies. We experienced a case of a 1-day-old boy with anal atresia, who represented multiple anomalies during hospital course. The multiple anomalies were hemivertebra, anal atresia, complex heart disease(coarctation of aorta, secundum aterial septal defect, patent ductus arteriosus), horseshoe kidney, tracheal stenosis, tracheal bronchus and left upper lung agenesis. Because both trachea and esophagus arise from fetal foregut, tracheal or pulmonary anomalies may be developed in VACTERL association instead of TE fistula. VACTERL association with tracheal anomalies, such as tracheal stenosis and tracheal bronchus or pulmonary agenesis, have been reported in foreign scientific society reports. But a case of VACTERL association with both tracheal bronchus and pulmonary agenesis has not reported yet. So we report this case with a brief review of related literature and suggest the consideration of possibility of tracheal or pulmonary anomaly in VACTERL association without TE fistula.
Anal Canal ; Anus, Imperforate ; Aorta ; Bronchi* ; Cardia ; Esophagus ; Extremities ; Fistula ; Heart ; Humans ; Kidney ; Lung ; Male ; Societies, Scientific ; Spine ; Trachea ; Tracheal Stenosis* ; Tracheoesophageal Fistula*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Adriamycin (doxorubicin, ADR) is a highly effective anti-neoplastic drug, but its clinical use is limited by its adverse side effects on the heart. Cardiotrophin (CT-1), a potent cardiac survival factor, is capable of inhibiting apoptosis in cardiac myocytes. The aim of this study was to investigate the cyto-protective effects of CT-1 against ADR-induced apoptosis in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We determined a reasonable ADR concentration for inducing cell death by utilizing a cell survival test performed in a dose-dependent manner. To determine the requirements for apoptosis in ADR-treated cardiac myocytes (H9c2 cells), we examined the effect of CT-1 on survival and apoptotic changes using a cell counting kit (CCK), RT-PCR, and Western blotting. RESULTS: In analyzing cell survival as determined by CCK, ADR-induced cell death was found to occur in a dose-dependent manner (50% death at 24 hours after 2 micrometer of ADR), and ADR was shown to decrease procaspase-3. On RT-PCR, expression of Bax-alpha mRNA increased and Bcl-2 decreased during the 24 hours after ADR treatment. Consequently, the ratio of Bax-alpha/Bcl-2 mRNA peaked at 24 hours after ADR treatment. In contrast, CT-1 effectively attenuated the ADR-induced cell death in a dose-dependent manner. The changes in Bax-alpha and Bcl-2 mRNA expression after ADR treatment were reversed by CT-1 (1 ng/mL) treatment. The protein levels of procaspase-3 decreased after ADR treatment, an effect which was reversed by CT-1 treatment. Akt phosphorylation was also increased by CT-1, demonstrating that CT-1 inhibited apoptosis induced by ADR. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrated that ADR-induced apoptosis of cardiomyocytes can be prevented by CT-1; therefore, it may be possible to use CT-1 as a cardioprotective agent during ADR chemotherapy in patients with cancer.
Apoptosis ; Caspase 3 ; Cell Count ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Cytoprotection ; Doxorubicin ; Heart ; Humans ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; Phosphorylation ; RNA, Messenger