BACKGROUND: Recent evidences suggest that anesthetic action within the spinal cord is important in suppressing somatic responses to painful stimuli. Intrathecal endothelin-1 (ET-1) is known to have antinociceptive effect. The purpose of this experiment was to determine whether intrathecal ET-1 may influence the minimum alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane in rats and access the role of the spinal cord as the sites of anesthetic action in blocking somatic responsiveness. METHODS: In Sprague-Dawley rats fitted with an indwelling intrathecal catheter, we determined the MAC of isoflurane using a tail-clamp technique as a painful stimulus, combined with end-tidal anesthetic sampling. In experiment 1, the control MAC was determined and changes of control MAC were observed after intrathecal ET-1 (4x10-2 nmol, 4x10-3 nmol) administration. In experiment 2, we observed the effects of L or N type Ca++ channel blocker such as verapamil (50 g) or W-conotoxin (0.5 g) on the MAC after measurement of the control MAC. In experiment 3, after measurement of the control MAC, ET-1 (10-2 nmol) was administered intrathecally and the MAC was determined again. Next, intrathecal verapamil (50 g) or W-conotoxin (0.5 g) was injected. After that, the MAC was determined again. RESULTS: In experiment 1, ET-1 decreased the MAC of isoflurane and its effect was sustained over 2 hours. In experiment 2, the MAC, determined following administration of verapamil or W-conotoxin, was not different from that of the control. In experiment 3, the MAC was decreased after ET-1 administration and then increased following injection of verapamil or W-conotoxin. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that ET-1, in relation to calcium, might play an important role in determining the MAC of isoflurane in the spinal cord.
Animals ; Calcium ; Catheters ; Endothelin-1* ; Isoflurane* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spinal Cord ; Verapamil

PURPOSE: The Purpose of this research was to develop the integrative exercise program for the elderly. METHOD: The first step was to survey the elder's health status and general health problems. The second step was to design the exercise type, intensity, time and frequency. RESULT: 1. Elders who implement the integrative exercise program had weaker health status, lower physical performance and more depression than any other places. 2. The integrative exercise program developed the preparation stage composed of stretching and Yudongkong-Ki exercise, the central stage was composed of range of motion exercise, muscle strength exercise and aerobic exercise with favorite and popular Korean music. The finishing stage was composed of joint rounding and Yudongkong-Ki exercise. The exercise intensity was RPE(rating perceived exertion) 10-11, maximal pulse rate 40-60%, duration started from 20min to 50min and frequency is 2-3times/wk. CONCLUSION: The integrative exercise program developed by the researcher is tailored exercise that is more applicable to individual cases in community settings. Eventually, the program is safely applicable to the elders, and is expected to improve the elders' physical function and quality of life.
Aged* ; Depression ; Exercise ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Joints ; Muscle Strength ; Music ; Quality of Life ; Range of Motion, Articular

PURPOSE: To verify the usefulness of left portal vein angle (LPVA) on CT scan in the diagnosis of liver cirrhosis and to compare its diagnostic value with that of caudate to right lobe ratio (C/RL ratio). MATERIALS AND METHODS: LPVA, an angle formed by a vertical line and a line connecting the center of the vertebral body to the umbilical point of the left portal vein, and C/RL ratio were measured on CT scans of 100 cirrhotic and 100 normal livers. Diagnostic values of LPVA and C/RL ratio were compared statistically. RESULTS: The mean of LPVA was 18.9 degrees(SD; 7.6) for normal livers and 25.8 degreesSD; 8.4) for cirrhotic livers (P<0.001). The mean of C/RL ratio was 0.47(SD; 1.10) for normal livers and 0.58(SD;0.14) for cirrhotic livers (P<0.001). When LPVA was greater than 30 degreesliver cirrhosis was diagnosed with 36% sensitivity and 92% specificity. When C/RL ratio was greater than 0.60, the diagnose of liver cirrhosis was with 41% sensitivity and 90% specificity. There was no significant difference of the diagnostic accuracy between LPVA and C/R L ratio in ROC analysis. CONCLUSION: Both LPVA and C/RL ratio are useful diagnostic indices of liver cirrhosis on CTscan. LPVA is more convenient to measure than C/RL ratio.
Diagnosis* ; Fibrosis ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver* ; Portal Vein* ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

This study was performed to examine if the effects of collagen supplementation from pork skin could improve the sex steroid hormone, serum lipid and skin crack in Korean middle-aged women. Middle-aged women (40-55 years) who were not diagnosed with any type of disease were included in this study and thirty subjects were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 15) or a collagen supplemented group (n = 15). The collagen supplemented group ingested collagen flour 2 g, 3 times a day for 12 weeks. We measured serum collagen, estrogen, estradiol, estriol, progesterone, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentration. The collagen supplementation group had significantly increased serum collagen (p < 0.05) compared with the control group. In addition, skin crack was improved. But, there were no differences for sex steroid hormone and lipid profile in control and collagen supplemented groups. The result of the present study demonstrated that supplementation of 6 g collagen per day for 12 weeks can give beneficial effects on skin crack reduction and serum collagen concentration.
Cholesterol ; Collagen ; Estradiol ; Estriol ; Estrogens ; Female ; Flour ; Humans ; Progesterone ; Skin

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of an exercise program on the health status and depression in the elderly. METHOD: The research design was a nonequivalent control group pre-post test design. The exercise program (experimental group) consisted of 22 elderly over a period exercising for 12weeks, 3 days/week. The phone counselling about exercise and health(control group) was applied for 12 weeks for 10-15minutes/day/week. To identify the health status SF-36 was utilized and the GDS was used for depressionanalysis. The data was collected from May 2001 to July 2001. RESULT: The effect of the exercise appeared significant in the subarea of health status (physical function, physical role, mental health, general health) and depression. The effect of the phone counselling was appeared significant in subarea of health status - bodily pain. The effect of the exercise and the phone counselling did not appear significant. CONCLUSION: The exercise designed for the elderly promotes health in the elderly and further evaluation about the effect on exercise and phone counselling is needed.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the construct equivalence of the five general factors (subjective health, eating habits, physical activities, sedentary lifestyle, and sleeping behaviors) and to compare the latent means between male and female middle school students in Incheon, Korea. METHODS: The 2008 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Survey data was used for analysis. Multigroup confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test whether the scale has configural, metric, and scalar invariance across gender. RESULTS: Configural invariance, metric invariance, and factor invariance were satisfied for latent means analysis (LMA) between genders. Male and female students were significantly different in LMA of all factors. Male students reported better subjective health, consumed more fast food and carbonated drinks, participated in more physical activities, showed less sedentary behavior, and enjoyed better quality of sleep than female students. CONCLUSION: Health providers should consider gender differences when they develop and deliver health promotion programs aimed at adolescents.
Adolescent ; Carbonated Beverages ; Eating ; Fast Foods ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Male ; Motor Activity ; Risk-Taking ; Sedentary Lifestyle ; Sex Characteristics

Fourteen cases of double chambered right ventricle were diagnosed angiographically and of these nine caseswere confirmed after operation and autopsy at Seoul National University Hospital in recent four years since 1979.The clinical and radiological findings with the emphasis on the cinecardiographic findings were analysed. Thesummaries of the analysis are as follows; 1. Among 14 cases, 6 cases were male and 8 cases were female. Agedistribution was from 4 years to 36 years. 2. In chest X-ray findings, pulmonary vascularity was increased in 8cases, decreased in 4 cases, and nomral in 2 cases. Cardiomegaly was observed in 8 cases and other showed normalheart size. 3. In cinecardiography, 11 cases had interventricular septal defect. Among these 11 cases, VSD locatedin proximal high pressusre chamber was in 2 cases and located in distal low presssure chamber was in 9 cases. 4.The location of aberrant muscle bundle in sinus portion of right ventricule was in 8 cases. In the rest cases, andaberrant muscle bundle was located below the infundibulum of right ventricle. 5. For accurate diagnosis anddifferential diagnosis with other congenital cardiac anomalies such as Tetralogy of Fallot or isolated pulmonicstenosis, biplane cineangiography and catheterization is an essential procedure.
Autopsy ; Cardiomegaly ; Catheterization ; Catheters ; Cineangiography ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Male ; Pituitary Gland ; Seoul ; Tetralogy of Fallot ; Thorax

Twenty patients with congenital aortic stenosis excluding valvular stenosis were studied beween April 1980 and April 1984 at Seoul National University Hospital. The clinical and radiologic findings with the emphasis on the cineangiographies were analyzed separately according to the type of aortic stenosis as subaortic and supravalvular aortic stenosis. The summaries of the analysis are as follows: 1. Among the 20 cases, 12 cases were subaorticstenosis and 8 cases were supravalvular stenosis. 2. The anatomic types of subaoritc stenosis were the discrete membranous type (8 cases), the fibromuscular type (2 cases) and the tunnel type (2 cases). 3. The obstruction of subaoritic types was usually severe, and the median left ventricular to aortic systolic pressure gradient was 60mmHg, and associated cardiac defects were found in 10 cases (84%), an incidence greater than that reported in mostother large series. 4. The anatomic types of 8 cases of supravalvular aortic stenosis were mainly focal type (7cases ) and 1 case of diffuse hypoplastic type. 5. The median left ventricular to aortic systolic pressure gradient of supravalvular stenosis was 75mmHg, and associated anomalies were seen in 6 cases(75%) with 3 cases of suspected mental retardation and facial abnormalities without definite hypercalcemia. 6. For accurate diagnosis of congenital aortic stenosis, retrograde left ventricular angiograms obtainend in axial pojections are of crucial importance in demonstration of anatomic types of stenosis and associated anomalies. And supravalvular aortic injection is sometimes helpful to outline the anatomy of the valve and to evaluate the degree of aortic regurgitation.
Aortic Stenosis, Supravalvular ; Aortic Valve Insufficiency ; Aortic Valve Stenosis ; Blood Pressure ; Cineangiography ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Hypercalcemia ; Incidence ; Intellectual Disability ; Seoul

The VATER syndrome is defined as a non-random association of congenital anomalies including three or more of vertebra(V), anal(A), tracheoesophageal(TE), and radial or renal(R) deficiencies. We experienced two cases of VATER syndrome; one is a 2-year-old male having imperforate anus. V-U reflux. polydactyly and secondary ASD and another one is a 17-year-old Female having lumbar scoliosis, imperforate anus, renal agenesis and didelphy uterus with ovarian cystadenoma.
Adolescent ; Anus, Imperforate ; Child, Preschool ; Cystadenoma ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Polydactyly ; Scoliosis ; Uterus

No abstract available.
Apoptosis* ; Prostate* ; Prostatic Hyperplasia*