BACKGROUND: Hypothyroidism may be involved in a significant portion of the causes of hypercholesterolemia in Korea. In this study, we determined the frequency of suspected hypothyroidism in hypercholesterolemic patients and compared the frequency of elevated thyrotropin levels among the groups with various total cholesterol levels. METHODS: The study subjects were healthy, asymptomatic people who visited Health Promotion Center of Seoul National University Hospital. We excluded subjects with history of hypertension, DM and hypothyroidism. The study subjects underwent physical examination and filled out a questionnaire on health risk factors. Also blood chemistry and thyroid function test were done. RESULTS: Among 6479 subjects, 194(2.99%) had elevated(>4.1 microIU/ml) thyrotropin levels. Among the hypercholesterolemic(> or=240mg/dl) patients(n=868), 40(4.60%) had elevated thyrotropin levels. And there was statistically significant difference between normal cholesterolemic and hypercholesterolemic subjects(P<0.05). Among the patients with total cholesterol above 280mg/dl (n=180), 15(8.33%) had elevated thyrotropin levels. As amount of the total cholesterol increased, the frequency of elevated thyrotropin levels Increased(P=0.001). And this result was consistent following adjustment for age, sex, BMI, smoking and drinking status(P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Practicing physicians should be aware of the possibility of secondary hypercholesterolemia due to hypothyroidism and keep in mind the importance of evaluating TSH level.
Chemistry ; Cholesterol* ; Drinking ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hypertension ; Hypothyroidism ; Korea ; Physical Examination ; Risk Factors ; Seoul ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyrotropin* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn*

The recent advent of "-omics" technologies have heralded a new era of personalized medicine. Personalized medicine is referred to as the ability to segment heterogeneous subsets of patients whose response to a therapeutic intervention within each subset is homogeneous. This new paradigm in healthcare is beginning to affect both research and clinical practice. The key to success in personalized medicine is to uncover molecular biomarkers that drive individual variability in clinical outcomes or drug responses. In this review, we begin with an overview of personalized medicine in breast cancer and illustrate the most encountered statistical approaches in the recent literature tailored for uncovering gene signatures.
Biomarkers ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Precision Medicine

Injuries to extensor tendons can be as serious as those of digital flexors. These injuries require accurate approximation, appropirate splinting and careful mobilization. Scarring which always occurs following injury can provoke greater problems in digital extensor injuries than in flexor tendons. The loss of 2mm of excursion of extensor tendon at level of the proximal interphalangeal joint may results in a 50 percent loss of motion of the finger. A special problem associated with extensor tendon healing is loss of gliding. This study was carried was carried out to evaluate the results of the extensor injuries according to their etiology, location and type of treatment. Seventy six lesions in fifty patients treated for extensor tendon injuries were analysed for the comparison of the results of specific treatment. The follow up was from 1 to 3 years with average of 19 months. Following results were obtained. l. Among 50 patients, 16 cases (32%) were acute and 34 cases (68%) were chronic. 2. The etiology were crushing in 19 cases (30%), knife or glass in 20 cases (40%), and avulsion in 8 cases (16%) etc. 3. Mallet finger were observed in 14 tendons, buttonhole in 10 tendons. Nine tendons were injured at the metacarpophalangeal level and 16 tendons were injured at wrist level. 4. Percentage of satisfactory result which means less than 15 degrees of extension loss were 68.1 % in primary repair and plication, and 30.7% in tendon transfer or graft. 5. Prognosis was better when the lesion was proximal to MP joint, and results were more favorable in primary repair and plication than tendon transfer graft.
Cicatrix ; Fingers ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glass ; Humans ; Joints ; Prognosis ; Splints ; Tendon Injuries ; Tendon Transfer ; Tendons ; Transplants ; Wrist

A total of 110 computed tomographic scans of the brain in pediatric population were reviewed. They wereretrospectively analyzed focusing on the ventricular dilatation, widening of subdural space in frontal region andprominence of cerebral sulci in hemisphere. The results were compared with clinical recored. In the measurementbicaudate ventricular index waas above 0.18, which ws considered ventricular dilatation. The subdural space in thefrontal region and teh prominent cerbral sulci in the hemisphere were visualized among the cases aged over twoyears with clinical evidence of cerbral problem is pediatric population. The diagnostic application of CT to thecases of cerebral disorder in pediatric population is highly recommended.
Brain ; Dilatation ; Subdural Space

Computed Tomograms of 45 patients with or without lung mass were reviewed to determine the characteristics of the major and minor fissures. Also pulmonary vascular distibutions were analyzed to localize each pulmonary lobe. The results were as follows; 1. Each major fissure area was imaged frequently as lucent band, less frequently dense band. 2. The minor fissure areas were imaged as oval or triangular lucent zones. The oval or triangularlucent zones were as same frequency. 3. Avascular planes without above mentioned lucent zones were also correspond to minor fissure areas. 4. Slices of avascular zones were observated between pulmonary arteries to posterior segment or apicoposterior segment of upper lobe and to superior segement of lower lobe on both lungs.
Humans ; Lung ; Pulmonary Artery

Serum specimens from leprosy patients, their contacts and controls were examined for the presence of phenolic glycolipid I (PGL-I), a Mycobacterium leprae specific antigen, and antibodies to the antigen using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Of 12 lepromatous patients with less than 2 years of therapy, 11(91.7%) were seropositive to PGL-l, thus indicating that new lepromatous cases can be identified by detecting anti-PGL-l antibodies. In contrast 88(56.4%) of 156 lepromatous patiens treated more than 2 years were positve. Moreover, only 69(40.8%) were seropositve among 169 lepromatous patients in the leprosy resettlement villages. The mean antibody level also declined significantly in proportion to the duration of chemotherapy. This may suggest the possibility of monitoring chemotherapy by detecting anti-PGL-l antibodies. The prevalence of anti-PGL-l antibodies among 200 controls from a high endemic area for leprosy was 5.5% and was significantly higher than that(1.5%) among 200 controls from a low endemic area. Of 103 household contacts in the resettlement villages, 10(9.7%) were seropositive, reflecting the frequent chance of exposure to M. leprae. However, PGL-l was not detected many in any of the sera from controls, contacts, and inactive lepromatous patients having the anti-PGL-l antibodies; on the other hand, 6(50%) of 12 lepromatous patients treated less than 2 years had detectable PGL-l in their sera. The results thus indicate that PGL-l detection may be more suitable for monitoring the effectiveness of chemotherapy and that it may be necessary to examine for the presence of PGL-l in sera from contacts and normal populations for confirming M. leprae infection.
Antibodies, Bacterial/*analysis ; Glycolipids/*blood ; Human ; Leprosy/*blood/diagnosis ; Serologic Tests ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

No abstract available.
Smoke* ; Smoking Cessation* ; Smoking*

Occipital neuralgia is defined by the International Headache Society as paroxysmal shooting or stabbing pain in the dermatomes of the greater or lesser occipital nerve. Various treatment methods exist, from medical treatment to open surgical procedures. Local injection with corticosteroid can improve symptoms, though generally only temporarily. More invasive procedures can be considered for cases that do not respond adequately to medical therapies or repeated injections. Radiofrequency lesioning of the greater occipital nerve can relieve symptoms, but there is a tendency for the pain to recur during follow-up. There also remains a substantial group of intractable patients that do not benefit from local injections and conventional procedures. Moreover, treatment of occipital neuralgia is sometimes challenging. More invasive procedures, such as C2 gangliotomy, C2 ganglionectomy, C2 to C3 rhizotomy, C2 to C3 root decompression, neurectomy, and neurolysis with or without sectioning of the inferior oblique muscle, are now rarely performed for medically refractory patients. Recently, a few reports have described positive results following peripheral nerve stimulation of the greater or lesser occipital nerve. Although this procedure is less invasive, the significance of the results is hampered by the small sample size and the lack of long-term data. Clinicians should always remember that destructive procedures carry grave risks: once an anatomic structure is destroyed, it cannot be easily recovered, if at all, and with any destructive procedure there is always the risk of the development of painful neuroma or causalgia, conditions that may be even harder to control than the original complaint.
Anesthetics/therapeutic use ; Botulinum Toxins/therapeutic use ; Electric Stimulation ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Nerve Block ; Neuralgia/*diagnosis/surgery/therapy ; Spinal Nerves/anatomy & histology/*physiopathology ; Steroids/pharmacology

PURPOSE: Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) of the newborn has been treated with some vasodilators including tolazoline. But these drugs have many side effects, especially systemic hypotension . To investigate the usefulness of the nitroglycerin as a specific vasodilator with few side effects, this study was done. METHODS: Nitroglycerin was administered within 1st one day after birth in 8 newborn infants who were diagnosed as PPHN by echocardiography. They were born at Il Sin hospital from March 1994 to March 1996. Nitroglycerin was started as 2microgram/kg/min and its maximum dose was 6microgram/kg/min. Muscle relaxants and inotropic drugs were used together in all cases. Arterial blood gas analysis, systemic blood pressure, heart rate, renal function and electrolyte were checked in all patients. Alveolar-arterial oxygen difference (AaDO2) and oxygenation index (OI) were measured. RESULTS: 6 cases (75%) survived but 2 cases expired due to air leak.1) Basal mean AaDO2 was 631.4+/-21.7mmHg. It decreased to 493.9+/-1453.1 mmHg at 10hr after loading infusion and to 373.6+/-217.7mmHg at 48hr (P<0.05). 2) Basal mean OI was 35.1+/-15.7 and it decreased significantly to 12.6+/-14.8 (P<0.05) at 10hr. 3) There was no significant hypotension in systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure during treatment of nitroglycerin. 4) There was no significant change in renal function, serum electrolyte and heart rate during treatment of nitroglycerin. CONCLUSIONS: Nitroglycerin produced systemic venodilatation and pulmonary arterial dilatation at the dose that produce only minimal systemic arterial dilatation. Nitroglycerin is an effective and safe drug in the treatment of PPHN.
Blood Gas Analysis ; Blood Pressure ; Dilatation ; Echocardiography ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary* ; Hypotension ; Infant, Newborn* ; Nitroglycerin* ; Oxygen ; Parturition ; Tolazoline ; Vasodilator Agents