PURPOSE: Premature ejaculation is the most common male sexual disorder, affecting perhaps as many as 75% of men, but its cause has not been well established. The objective of this study is to evaluate whether alcohol injection on the dorsal aspect of the penis can induce a desensitization of penile sensory nerve fiber in rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 groups. Group I of 4 rats, the control group, did not undergo any procedure. Group II of 8 rats, received only an alcohol injection without electrical stimulation. In group III of 4 rats, only electrical stimulation was performed without alcohol injection. In group IV of 28 rats, all rats received an alcohol injection on the dorsal aspect of the penis, and groups of four rats were sacrificed after electrical stimulation on the glans penis at 1, 2, 4, 7, 10, 14, and 21 days after alcohol injection. Spinal cords were sectioned and processed for immunohistochemical staining for c-Fos protein. RESULTS: No c-Fos protein was detected in the normal control group, and either none or few c-Fos protein positive neurons were seen in the alcohol injection only group. The number of c-Fos protein positive neurons in the electrical stimulation only group was 30.25+/-3.53 cells/section. Four days after alcohol injection, the level of c-Fos protein positive neurons was reduced significantly compared with the control group (p<0.05), and was very close to the control group at 10 days after alcohol injection. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates that alcohol injection in the dorsal aspect of the penis reduces c-Fos protein positive neurons in the spinal cord segment through desensitization of penile sensory nerve fibers.
Animals ; Electric Stimulation ; Humans ; Male ; Nerve Fibers ; Neural Conduction* ; Neurons ; Penis ; Premature Ejaculation ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord

Objective: This study aimed to provide basic data for preventing and managing sarcopenia by identifying the relationship between sarcopenia, malnutrition, and psychosocial factors among the elderly in the community. Methods: The study included 1,019 subjects aged 60 and over. “Possible sarcopenia” was defined by low handgrip strength with or without reduced physical performance. Nutrition was evaluated according to the mini nutrition assessment (MNA), and the psychosocial factors examined were self-efficacy, social isolation, fear of falling, and social capital (trust and participation). A logistic regression analysis was also performed on the relationship between risk of malnutrition, psychosocial factors, and sarcopenia. Results: MNA was significantly associated with social participation (OR = 1.747, p <0.001), fear of falling (OR = 2.905, p <0.001), and self-efficacy (high/low, OR = 0.654, p = 0.011). In model 3, which included both MNA and psychosocial factors, sarcopenia was significantly associated with MNA (OR = 2.529, p <0.001) and fear of falling (OR = 1.544, p = 0.045). Compared with the low self-efficacy group, the high group (OR = 0.589, p = 0.009) was significant. The factors related to possible sarcopenia include risk of malnutrition, fear of falls, and low self-efficacy. Conclusion It will be necessary to improve self-efficacy so that individuals feel they can do activities of daily living themselves and to reduce their fear of falling through muscle strength and balance exercises.Finally, it is also necessary to increase regular participation in community social activities.

OBJECTIVE: Adolescence is a period of developing emotional regulation. However, alexithymia has rarely been examined during this period. The objective of this study is to examine the factor structure and internal consistency of the Korean version of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20K) in normal adolescents in South Korea. METHODS: The TAS-20K was administered to a sample of 290 adolescents aged from 12 to 16 years old. Internal reliability, test-retest reliability, and factorial validity were evaluated. RESULTS: The three factors of the TAS-20K were confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. The internal consistency, measured using Cronbach's alpha coefficient was acceptable for difficulty in identifying feelings, good for difficulty in describing feelings, and acceptable for externally oriented thinking. CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that the TAS-20K is an appropriate instrument to assess alexithymia in Korean adolescents.
Adolescent ; Affective Symptoms ; Aged ; Humans ; Reproducibility of Results ; Republic of Korea ; Thinking

No abstract available.
Bone Marrow/pathology ; Burkitt Lymphoma/*diagnosis/genetics ; Child ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 1 ; Female ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains/genetics ; Isochromosomes/*genetics ; Karyotype ; Karyotyping ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc/genetics ; Republic of Korea ; Translocation, Genetic

Purpose: This study analyzed the relationship between degree of disability and edema index [extracellular water/total body water (ECW/TBW) ratio] values in a rural population of older adult patients with osteopenia, sarcopenia, or osteosarcopenia (OS). Materials and Methods: This study used data from the Namgaram-2 cohort. The degree of disability was measured using the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) 12, and ECW/TBW ratio was calculated using bioelectrical impedance analysis. Based on ECW/TBW ratio, the participants were stratified into normal (<0.391) and abnormal (≥0.391) groups, and the mean WHODAS 12 scores were compared between the two groups. Multiple regression analysis corrected for demographic factors, smoking history, hypertension, diabetes, and serological test results was also conducted. Results: Significant differences in mean WHODAS 12 scores were observed in the healthy group (5.8±7.4 vs. 9.2±9.7, p=0.008), the osteopenia only group (7.4±8.7 vs. 12.9±12.0, p<0.001), and the OS group (16.0±13.2 vs. 23.1±17.1, p=0.004). However, no significant difference in mean WHODAS 12 score was observed in the sarcopenia only group (14.9±13.4 vs. 20.7±14.8, p= 0.051). There were significant differences in ECW/TBW ratio values between the abnormal and normal groups in the osteopenia only group (B=4.646 and p=0.001), the sarcopenia only group (B=5.097 and p=0.016), and the OS group (B=5.653 and p=0.043). Conclusion This study found that the degree of disability is related to the edema index in older patients with osteopenia, sarcopenia, or OS. Since the edema index indicates the nutritional status of an individual, proper nutrition and fluid intake are important to reduce disability.

Objective: This study aimed to report the relationship between walking activity and perceived physical activity barriers after classifying the age group(≤64, 65-74, ≥75). Methods: The subjects were conducted on 1500 residents of two areas, and the walking activity was defined as five or more times a week, 10 minutes or more at a time, and 30 minutes or more per day. Perceived physical activity barriers were lack of time, lack of social support, lack of energy, lack of willpower, and fear of falling. Results: In the group under 64 year, the lack of time (exp(B)=0.819, p=0.002) and the lack of willpower (exp(B)=0.656, p<0.001) were significantly associated. In the 65-74 year old group, the lack of willpower (exp(B)=0.714, p<0.001) and fear of falling (exp(B)=0.787, p=0.003) were a significant association. In the group aged 75 years and over, lack ofwill power (exp(B)=0.734, p<0.001) and fear of falling (exp(B)=0.807, p=0.003) were significantly associated. Conclusion In order to solve the lack of willpower and lack of time, a walking activity should be performed together at a certain time in the village, and the elderly in the late ages should reduce the fear of falling by performing a fall prevention exercise in parallel.

Klippel - Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is characterized by a cutaneous vascular nevus of the involved extremity, bone and soft tissue hypertrophy of the extremity and venous malformations. We present a case of KTS with splenic hemangiomas and rectal varices. A 29-year-old woman was referred for intermittent hematochezia for several years. She had history with a number of operations for cutaneous and soft tissue hamangiomas since the age of one year old and for increased circumference of her left thigh during the last few months. Abdominal CT revealed multiple hemangiomas in the spleen, fusiform aneurysmal dilatation of the deep veins and soft tissue hemangiomas. There was no evidence of hepatosplenomegaly or liver cirrhosis. Colonoscopy revealed hemangiomatous involvement in the rectum. There were rectal varices without evidence of active bleeding. Upon venography of the left leg, we also found infiltrative dilated superficial veins in the subcutaneous tissue and aneurysmal dilatation of the deep veins. The patient was finally diagnosed with KTS, and treated with oral iron supplementation only, which has been tolerable to date. Intervention or surgery is not required. When gastrointestinal varices or hemangiomatous mucosal changes are detected in a young patient without definite underlying cause, KTS should be considered.
Adult ; Colonoscopy ; Female ; Hemangioma/*complications ; Humans ; Iron, Dietary/therapeutic use ; Klippel-Trenaunay-Weber Syndrome/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Rectum/blood supply ; Spleen/blood supply ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; *Varicose Veins

The desire to maintain youth and beauty has led to an increase in the use of health foods and herbs. Because Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. is thought to prevent hair loss and maintain black hair, this herb in particular has captured public interest in Korea and China. Although there have been many reports regarding the toxic effects of herbs and health foods, the potential toxicity of this herb has not yet been reported. Here, we discuss two cases of toxic hepatitis due to Polygonum multiflorum ingestion and present a review of the relevant literature.
Adolescent ; Beauty ; China ; Drug-Induced Liver Injury ; Eating ; Hair ; Food, Organic ; Humans ; Korea ; Polygonum

Gastrointestinal stromal tumor is a common type of gastrointestinal mesenchymal tumor. Depending on the patient's age, compliance and health status, and the level of suspicion of malignancy, tumors < or =3 cm in size are typically monitored annually by endoscopic ultrasonography. The examination interval can be extended if no size change is noted on consecutive examinations. We report here on a 44-year-old female who presented with abdominal discomfort and displayed no size change of her gastrointestinal stromal tumor on three consecutive endoscopies over a 44-month interval. The patient was diagnosed with malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumor on the basis of the evident ulceration seen on esophagogastroduodenoscopy and the inhomogenous echo noted on the endoscopic ultrasonography and the pathologic findings by gastric wedge resection.
Adult ; Compliance ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Endosonography ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors ; Humans ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND: It has generally been proven that histone acetylation and deacetylation are involved in the malignant transformation. To date, however, this has rarely been studied in cases of malignant lymphoma. METHODS: We studied nine cases of reactive lymphoid hyperplasia, 78 cases of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), 13 cases of peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS), and 13 cases of extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (NKTCL). Thus, we attempted to elucidate the associations of the degree of the expression of histone acetyltransferase 1 (HAT1), histone deacetylase (HDAC) 1, HDAC2, and HDAC3 with the clinical behaviors of above malignant lymphomas using the immunohistochemistry and a western blot analysis. RESULTS: The degree of the expression of HAT1 was higher in cases of DLBCL, PTCL-NOS or NKTCL as compared with reactive lymphoid hyperplasia (p<0.05). The degree of the expression of HAT1 was correlated with that of HDAC1 in cases of DLBCL or NKTCL (p<0.05). The degree of the expression of HAT1 and HDAC1 was correlated with a poor survival in cases of DLBCL or PTCL-NOS (p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: HAT1, HDAC1, and HDAC2 play a critical role in the development of malignant lymphomas. Both HAT1 and HDAC1 might be indicators for a poor prognosis in cases of DLBCL as cooperating factors.
Acetylation ; B-Lymphocytes ; Blotting, Western ; Histone Acetyltransferases ; Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors ; Histone Deacetylases ; Histones ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral ; Prognosis ; Pseudolymphoma