No abstract available.
Glomerular Basement Membrane*

BACKGROUND: The present study is undertaken to acquire normative data of health-related physical fitness(HRPF) of Republic of Korea Air Force(ROKAF) aircrews and to provide norm-referenced standard of HRPF. METHODS: From 15 May 1998 through 14 December 1999, 1284 KAF pilots are checked muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body fat percentage. RESULTS: The grip strength was relatively maintained, but flexibility, back strength, and muscular endurance were declined according to promotion and aging. And the incidence of obesity determined by bioelectrical impedence analysis was higher than that assessed on the basis of height and weight. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that many pilots who were normal in BMI have abdominal or visceral obesity. Further studies must be made on the health promotion program for the pilots, on the changes in physical fitness, and on the criterion-referenced standard of HRPF of the pilots.
Adipose Tissue ; Aging ; Hand Strength ; Health Promotion ; Incidence ; Obesity ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Physical Fitness* ; Pliability ; Republic of Korea

In our previous study, we observed that hydrosalpingeal fluid (HSF) adversely effect mouswe embryo development and hatching. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of HSF as assessed by the blastocyst development rate (BDR) and by cell counting in vitro HSF was collected from nine patients undergoing salpingoneostomy to correct hydrosalpinx. Two-cell embryos were obtained from superovulated ICR mice. T6 medium and T6+/-0.4% bovine serum albumin were used as control media. T6 medium containing 10% or 50% HSF and 100% HSF from each patient were used as test media. Nine to 15 embryos were cultured in microdrops prepared from each of these media. To assess the total cell number within each blastocyst, the blastocysts were fixed and stained with Hoechst 33342 to facilitate cell counting. The mean BDR in two control media were 88.89% and 85.40%. The mean BDR in media containing 10%, 50%, 100% HSF were 85.87%, 89.58% and 75.57%, respectively (*: p<0.05). The overall mean cell count (+/-SEM) in control media were 87.6+/-9.65 and 90.12+/-11.38. The BDR was affected adversely only by 100% HSF and not in media containing 10% or 50% HSF. Mean cell counts were decreased significantly only in blastocysts cultured 100% HSF (63.8+/-13.66; p<0.01) but not in blastocysts cultured in 10% or 50% HSF (91.3+/-12.44 and 82.9+/-18.27, respectively). Thus, it is concluded that HSF has no embyotoxic effect but has a mildly negatively effect on embryonic growth and development.
Animals ; Blastocyst ; Cell Count ; Embryonic Development ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Growth and Development ; Humans* ; Mice* ; Mice, Inbred ICR ; Pregnancy ; Serum Albumin, Bovine

PURPOSE: Pedestrian traffic accident (TA) deaths account for 40% of Korea's annual TA fatalities. With that in mind, we reviewed the cases of traumatic pedestrian TA patients admitted to emergency medical centers in Korea. We analysed factors affecting the severity of injury in order to investigate risk factors for subsequent traumatic threats. METHODS: Prospective methods were applied using a prepared trauma recording format. Trauma records included patient factors (age, gender, occupation, underlying disease), accident factors (time of accident, weather conditions, transportation time, vehicle type causing the accident, influence of alcoholic on both drivers and victims, accident location), and other factors (means of initial hospital admittance transportation). We reviewed medical records to obtain data for vital signs, Glasgow coma scale (GCS), abbreviated injury scale (AIS), injury severity score (ISS), and trauma and injury severity score (TRISS). We divided subjects into 3 groups according to their ISS scores: mild (1-8 points), moderate (9-15 points), severe (>==16 points). These groups were compared with each other regarding degree of severity? RESULTS: We analyzed data for 23,392 traumatized patients that presented at an EMC. Of the 23,392, 252 (3.1%) were pedestrian TA patients. Among this pedestrian cohort, males 156 patients (male 61.9% and female 38.1%; p=0.332). Mean age was 43.1 (+/-19.9). Severity was greater in those over 40 years of age compared those under 40 (p=0.000). Farmer's had the greatest severity than patients in other occupations (p=0.004). Those with an underlying disease showed a higher degree of severity (p=0.028). The most common accident site was city roads (85.7%) but the degree of severity at such sites did not was not significantly greater (p=0.052). Sports utility vehicle (SUV) had the highest rate of accident severity (p=0.004). Cases involving drunken drivers had victims with higher severity (p=0.005). CONCLUSION: Factors that increase the rate of fatalities pedestrian TAs are: older age, underlying illness, working in the agricultural sector, driving an SUV, the patient being in a drunken state.
Abbreviated Injury Scale ; Accidents, Traffic ; Alcoholics ; Cohort Studies ; Emergencies ; Female ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Humans ; Injury Severity Score ; Korea ; Male ; Medical Records ; Occupations ; Prospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sports ; Transportation ; Vital Signs ; Weather

Uterine anomalies have been reported in 4% of women with infertility and in up to 15% of those with recurrent abortion. One of the major intrauterine disorder associated with infertility and recurrent abortions is intrauterine septum, The reproductive outcome of 41 patients of intrauterine septum (7 complete, 34 incomplete) with repeated abortions or infertility was assessed after the uterine septotomy. 5 of 7 patients with comlete uterine septum undergone uterine septotomy (3; hysteroscopic metroplasty, 2; abdominal metroplasty) had total 6 pregnancies and all of them had live biths. 28 patients with incomplete uterine septum got the hysteroscopic intrauterine septotomy and the viable pregnancy rate was 62% (3 ongoing pregnancies, 13 live biths of total 26 pregnancies). 6 patients with incomplete uterine septum had not the operation and 5 patients had 5 live births after total 6 pregnancies with 1 spontaneus abortion. Even though, the number of cases were small, the live birth rate in the group of septotomy of the patients of complete uterine septum (100%, 6/6) was higher than that in the group of not-done (50%, 1/2). The live birth rate in the group of not-done of the patients with incomplete uterine septum (83%, 5/6) was higher than that in the group of hysteroscopic uterine septotomy (62%, 16/26), but 5 of 6 had short uterine septal length (<1 cm), 1 had 1.5 cm septal length in the group of not-done. All the patients with successful pregnancy outcome had no other co-factors at the diagnostic laparoscopy, but the 5 primary infertility patients with no live birth even after treatment (all were with incomplete septum; 3 undergone hysteroscopic septotomy, 2 not-done with one abortion) had other co-factors such as endometriosis, peritoneal or tubal facor. In conclusion, hysteroscopic uterine septotomy would be useful for the patients with habitutal abortion or infertility and more advanced managemnet protocols should be applied to the patients having other co-factors if there was no pregnancy even after the uterine septotomy.
Abortion, Habitual* ; Endometriosis ; Female ; Humans ; Hysteroscopy* ; Infertility* ; Laparoscopy ; Live Birth ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome ; Pregnancy Rate

In human, Human Papilloma Virus(HPV) is associated with benign squamous tumors in a variety of body sites. But the relationship between HPV infection and malignant epithelial lesions is not clear. Esophageal squamous papilloma is relatively rare tumor but it is reported with increasing frequency recently. We reviewed twenty six patients of esophageal papilloma diagnosed by endoscopic biopsy from 1990 to 1994. The results are as follows; The peak age is fifth decade, men and women ratio is 1: 1.2. Most papillomas located in distal esophagus and have no specific symptoms related to papilloma. All case are sessile form and no malignant change in follow up endoscopy.
Biopsy ; Endoscopy ; Esophagus ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Papilloma*

OBJECTIVE: Ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is one of the well known complication of conttolled ovarian hyperstimulation. Though there have been numerous protocols for the prevention of OHSS, it has not been completely preventable until now. This study was performed to identify clinical predictors for early and late OHSS. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of all IVF cycles in 1993 up to June 1996 was performed. OHSS was diagnosed using the criteria of Rabau modified by Schenker. All cases of OHSS reported in this study presented with marked ovarian enlargement, ascites, oliguria, hemoconcentration and electrolyte disturbance. Ovarian stimulation was carried out using a combination of gonadotrophin releasing hormone-agonist, follicle-stimulation hormone and human menopausal gonadotrophin. 27 patients has moderate or severe OHSS presenting 3-7 days post-human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), and 21 patients had severe OHSS presenting 12-17 days post-hCG. RESULTS: No patient with early OHSS went onto develop late OHSS, and no patient with late OHSS had demonstrated early OHSS. Logistic regression showed that early OHSS was predicted by the number of oocytes retrieved and the estradiol concentration on the day hCG injection (P<0.05). Late OHSS was predicted by the transferred embryos, B-hCG on 14 day after hCG injection (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Early OHSS was an acute effect of the hCG administered prior to egg retrieval in women with high estradiol and large number of retrieved oocytes. Our analysis of the risk factors for early OHSS indicates that cryopreservation of all embryos will not alter the risk of early OHSS even though it should prevent late OHSS. Late OHSS was induced by the rising serum concentration of hCG produced by the early pregnancy, the number of transferred embryos must be adjusted carefully, since it was associated with multiple gestation.
Ascites ; Chorion ; Cryopreservation ; Embryonic Structures ; Estradiol ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Oliguria ; Oocytes ; Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome ; Ovulation Induction ; Ovum ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

No abstract available.
Mesothelioma* ; Pleura*

The ras-related GTP binding protein, rab6, is located in late Golgi compartment. Modulation of beta-and gamma-secretase activity may lead to production of beta-amyloid fragments that are ultimately deposited in senile plaques at the brain of Alzheimer patients. Because modulation of rab6-mediated intracellular transport has been known to affect amyloid precursor protein (APP) processing, we investigated the rab6 immunoreactivity on the hippocampal neurons in the Alzheimer brains, according to the pathological staging of the disease. A total of 30 brains were used for this study. Campbell's silver stain for beta-amyloid and immunohistochemistry for rab6 protein were employed. The cortices of the hippocampal formation and the neighboring temporal neocortex were observed. The results are obtained as follows: 1. In normal elderly brains, no amyloid plaque is seen. In Alzheimer brains, a number of amyloid plaques are seen at the temporal neocortex and dentate gyrus. 2. In normal elderly brains, the perikaria of the pyramidal cells at the CA1 sector shows weak rab6 immunoreactivity. At the CA2 and CA3 sectors, trace immunoreactivity is observed in the pyramidal cells. 3. In preclinical Alzheimer brains, the perikaria of the pyramidal cells at the CA1 sector shows moderate rab6 immunoreactivity and the cells at the CA2 sector show weak immunoreactivity. A weak to moderate imunoreactivity is seen in the pyramidal cells of the CA3 sector. 4. In clinical Alzheimer brains, the pyramidal cells at the CA1 and CA3 sectors show strong rab6 immunoreactivity, but the cells at the CA2 sector shows moderate immunoreactivity. It is suggested that alteration of intracellular protein transport caused by abnormal rab6 activity may modulate amyloid precursor protein processing, which results in beta-amyloid production.
Aged ; Amyloid ; Amyloid Precursor Protein Secretases ; Brain* ; Dentate Gyrus ; GTP-Binding Proteins ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Neocortex ; Neurons ; Plaque, Amyloid ; Protein Transport ; Pyramidal Cells ; Silver

Objectives: To develop a Loneliness and Social Isolation scale (LSIS) that can measure both social isolation and loneliness in order to understand the degree of social isolation in Korea. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the factorial validity of the scale. Methods: The subjects of the study were 300 adults aged 19 or older who visited Samsung Medical Center and voluntarily expressed their willingness to participate in this research. Exploratory factor analysis (n=150) and confirmatory factor analysis (n=150) were conducted to construct the factorial structure model and to determine the model fit. Results: Exploratory factor analysis showed a three-factor structure with a total variance of 65.8%; factor 1 consisted of social support, factor 2 of social networks, and factor 3 of items representing loneliness. After conducting confirmatory factor analysis on the three-factor models, a three-factor model consisting of 8 items (LSIS-8) and a three-factor model consisting of 6 items (LSIS-6) showed significant goodness-of-fit. Internal consistency for all items was good (Cronbach’s α=0.774), and correlations with existing social isolation and loneliness measures were significant. Conclusion This study is meaningful as provides a tool that comprehensively measures social support, social networks, and loneliness. We believe that the application of such tools that are relatively easy to apply in communities will aid understanding of the current state of social isolation and loneliness in Korea.