No abstract available.
Calcinosis* ; Heel* ; Humans ; Infant*

The clinical role of tumor markers to detect the extent of tumor invasion and recurrence in cervical cancer has been debated. To evaluate the chncal significance of SCC, CEA and TPA as tumor markers in cervical, we studied 744 patients weith cervieal cancer from June 1990 to Mey 1994. The cut-off val ues of SCC, CEA and TPA were 1.5 ng/ml, 4.5 ng/mi and 110 U/I respectively. Followings were the results. 1. The serum concentration and positive rates of SCC before therapy(567 cases) were 3,0+/-7.0ng/ml(40.4%) for stage I,8.7+/-13.9 ng/ml(71.6%) for stage II, 10.8+/-14.7 ng/ml(85.7%) for stage III, 23.9+/-24.3 ng/ml(94.7%) for stage IV, and 13.4+/-19.1 ng/ml(75.0%) for recurrent cancer. It was increased with advancing clinical stage(p<0.01). 2. The seum levels and positive rate of CEA before therapy(627cases) were 3.4+/-4.3 ng/ml (18%) for stage I, 7.1+/-12.3 ng/ml(37.2%) for stage II, 8.4+/-9.6 ng/ml(57.9%) for stage III, 15.4+/-22.2 ng/ml(52.6%) for stage IV, and 10.3+/-16.2 ng/ml(46.4%) for recurrent cancer. It was increased with advancing clinical stage from stage Ito stage III(p<0.01). 3. The serum concentration and positiceive rate of TFA before therapy(301cases) were 51.7+/-53.8 U/l(9.5%) for stage I, 105.3+/-108.8 U/l(32.3%) for stage II, 186.3%+/-159.8 U/l(50%) for stage III, 191.3+/-l06.2 U/I(63.6%) for stage IV, and 135.4+/-117.0 U/l(46.4%) for recurrent cancer. It was increased with advencing clinical stage(p<0.01). 4. In 64 patients{24.2%) with lymph node invasion of 265 patients treated by operation, the mean serum levels of SCC, CEA and TPA were higher than lymph node negative group(p<0.05). 5. The serum levels of SCCand CKA after therepy were 82.8% in sensitivity. 94.3% in specificity, 67.9% in positive predictive value, 97.4% in negative predictive value.
Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Recurrence ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Biomarkers, Tumor* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

During the period of May 10 to June 6, 1987, we have conducted the survey about the number of the food daily taken and the in take of nutrition of the 83 pregnant women who have registered at Sudong Myun and Mikum-myun, Yangchu-gun which are demonstration are of the public health and medicine of the College of Medicine, Ewha Women's University, and of the 100 pregnant women who have been to the University Hospital attached to the above School. The result of the survey is as follows: 1) Among the above pregnant women, primigravida constituted 91 women and multigravida 92 women. As for the month of pregnancy, those who have been pregnant for ten months numbered 43 women (23.5%), which was the highest number. As for age, those who were 25 to 29 years old constituted 63.9%, which was the highest in percentage. 2) As for the level of education, those who graduated from high school constituted 49.2%, which was the highest in percentage. As for occupation, those who were entirely in charge of household affairs as housewives were 89.6%, which comprised most of the jobs held by the above women. 3) As for the composition of a family in environmental food and nutrition, one generation was 68.3%, and two member family was 42.6% which was the highest. As for those taking care of cooking and serving meals, housewives constituted 95.1%. 4) As for the economic situation of dietary life, those who were in the highest level (A level), were 47.0% in an urban area and 41.0% in rural area, which were the highest in percentage. 5) The food which the above people selected after being pregnant was fruit not only in an urban area, but also in a rural area. And in terms of the percentage of fruit, and urban area and a rural area showed 44.0% and 54.2% respectively. As for milk, and urban area and a rural area showed 28.0% and 8.4% respectively, which disclosed that the rate of a rural area was much lower than that of an urban area. 6) As for the number of food intake, 10-14 was 54.0% in an urban area, which was the highest. And 5-9 was 73.5% in a rural area, which was the highest. 7) As for the composition of food taken according to the number of food taken, meat showed the lowest rate in 5-9 group. (P<0.05) As the number of food taken increased, the rate of food taken(Points) increased (2.4). Milk and milk products showed al low rate in 5-9 group and 15-19 group (P<0.05). Fruit intake showed a similar rate in all groups. As for vegetables, the rate of intake was high, as the number of food taken increased. Cereals showed a similar rate in all troups. And the points of intake was high. As for fat, hte rate of intake was high, as the number of food taken increased. 8) In 5-9 group in the number of food intake, energy was 79.9% of RDA, protein was 64.9%, fat was 90.0%, carbohydrate was 81.6%, iron was 83.0%, calcium was 71.1%, vitamin A was 94.3%, vitamin B1 was 77.8%, vitamin B2 was 79.2%, and vitamin C was 88.2%, so that it showed the lowest sufficiency rate of RDA. 15-19 group maintained the balance in energy and all nutrients nearly. In 20-24 group, fat was 142.4%, vitamin B2 was 105.6% and vitamin C was 102.2%, so that it exceeded RDA.
Adult ; Ascorbic Acid ; Calcium ; Edible Grain ; Cooking ; Eating* ; Education ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Fruit ; Humans ; Iron ; Meals ; Meat ; Milk ; Occupations ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Public Health ; Riboflavin ; Thiamine ; Vegetables ; Vitamin A

PURPOSE: Bile acids (especially deoxycholate) was known to be toxic and mutagenic on colon epithelium. They proposed at least four mechanisms for the bile acid toxicity. It is the one of these mechanisms that bile acid inhibits the xenobiotic metabolizing enzyme activity (esp glutathione S-transferase, GST). So we measured the cytosolic GST level of colon carcinoma cell lines after deoxycholate exposure whether or not the deoxycholate lowered the cytosolic GST activity. METHODS: Three colon cancer cell lines (LoVo, SW480, HT29) were used for this study. We calculated the cellular toxicity by MTS method. And cytosolic GST activity was measured according to the method as Habig described. For total GST activity, 2.5 mM 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene was used for substrate, and measured as absorbance in 340 nm. RESULTS: Basal cytosolic GST level for LoVo, SW480, HT29 cell line was 514.59+/-27.01, 291.63+/-38.44 and 344.58+/-47.92 nmol/min/mg cytosol protein. GST level did not changed significantly after 5 days culture without DCA. But GST level was decreased significantly to 128.63+/-21.35, 134.33+/-41.76 and 163.10+/-22.73 nmol/min/mg cytosol protein each cell line after 5 days deoxycholate exposure (p<0.005). CONCLUSION: Cytosolic GST level was lowered significantly after deoxycholate exposure for 5 days. One of the mechanisms of bile acid toxicity for colon cancer cell is proposed to inhibit cytosolic GST activity.
Bile ; Bile Acids and Salts ; Cell Line* ; Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Cytosol* ; Deoxycholic Acid* ; Dinitrochlorobenzene ; Epithelium ; Glutathione Transferase* ; Glutathione* ; HT29 Cells ; Humans

No abstract available.
Arginine* ; Humans* ; Semen*

No abstract available.
Arginine* ; Humans* ; Semen*

BACKGROUND: The central physiological derangement of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) caused by hantaan virus (HTNV) is a vascular dysfunction, manifested by hemorrhage, impaired vascular tone and increased vascular permeability. Platelet activating factor (PAF), whose actions are mediated through a specific receptor, is a potent bioactive lipid. PAF has diverse biological functions in the vascular system, such as increasing vascular permeability, adhesion of leukocytes to the endothelium and reduction of cardiac output, which result in hypotension and shock. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether PAF is involved in the pathogenesis of HFRS. For this purpose, we evaluated the effect of HTNV on the expression of PAF receptor (PAF-R) and on the activity of PAF-acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) instead of PAF because PAF is rapidly degraded by PAF-AH in vivo. MATERIALS AND METHODS: To evaluate the expression of PAF-R, we performed reverse-transcription PCR, western blot and FACS analyses using HTNV-infected human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and non-infected (control) HUVECs. In addition, we measured the activity of plasma PAF-AH in HFRS patients and normal healthy persons. RESULTS: The mRNA and protein expression of PAF-R was increased in HTNV-infected HUVECs compared with control HUVECs at 2 and 3 days post-infection (d.p.i.). FACS analysis showed that HTNV induced the surface expression of PAF-R in HUVECs from 2 d.p.i. The activity of plasma PAF-AH was 2.5-fold lower in HFRS patients than in normal healthy persons. CONCLUSION: Increased PAF-R expression by HTNV might increase the responsiveness to PAF in endothelial cells. Reduced PAF-AH activity in the blood of HFRS patients might delay PAF degradation. These results suggest that changes in PAF-R and PAF-AH by HTNV might influence to PAF activity and might be involved in the vascular dysfunction of HFRS.
Blood Platelets ; Blotting, Western ; Capillary Permeability ; Cardiac Output ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelium ; Hantaan virus ; Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Leukocytes ; Plasma ; Platelet Activating Factor ; Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Receptors, G-Protein-Coupled ; RNA, Messenger ; Shock

Because the 'Tsunami of type 2 diabetes' is presently rolling on a global scale, owing to the ever-increasing prevalence of obesity, increasing physical inactivity, and aging populations worldwide, the economic burden of diabetes caused by increased health resource use and lost productivity increase rapidly. So prevention in general population and good glycemic controls become even more important with earlier diagnosis and more aggressive cardiovascular prevention and treatment. Diabetes requires continuing medical care and patient self-management education to prevent acute complications and to reduce the risk of long-term complications. Diabetes care is very complex and requires that many issues, beyond glycemic control, be solved by the active governmental policy. Lifestyle modifications are the cornerstones of management of type 2 diabetes. The progressive nature of type 2 diabetes requires use of one or more oral agents and eventually insulin, along with lifestyle modification and intensification. Rapid achievement of the target goals often prompts providers to consider combination therapy to target different pathogenic mechanisms and manage both fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels. Maintenance of glycemic control over the lifespan of a patient with diabetes is overwhelmingly likely to require combination therapy with oral diabetes medications. Ultimately, because of the progressive nature of the disease and the progressive decline in pancreatic beta-cell function, insulin therapy is almost always obligatory to achieve optimal glycemic goals.
Achievement ; Aging ; Blood Glucose ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Efficiency ; Fasting ; Health Resources ; Humans ; Insulin ; Life Style ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Self Care

BACKGROUND: As people have been interested in healt,h and as the microcomputers with multimedia steeing have been supplied more and more, there is increasing need of multimedia information about health. The CD-ROM, which is a representative multimedia tool, is capable of interacting between information-provider and users, offering audiovisual interface, and saving great deal of knowledge. METHODS: We developed the health-information system to provide ordinary people with hea1th information using multimedia tools. It, has 7 parts ; self-diagnosis, exploring human body, drug information, hospital information, first-aid treatment, Q and A, and medical common sense. We got image data such as figures, photos, X-rays, electrocardiograms and pathologic specimens with scanner and film scanner, also moving image(video) with video-capturing program. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS: We hope the multimedia health-information system to become a useful methodology of patient education and to be used as an information source in medical information network in the near future.
CD-ROM ; Electrocardiography ; Hope ; Human Body ; Information Services ; Microcomputers ; Multimedia* ; Patient Education as Topic

The origins of medullary carcinoma (MTC) and papillary carcinoma (PTC) of the thyroid are embryologically different. Tumors showing concurrent medullary and papillary features are rare and they represent less than 1% of all thyroid malignancies. Hereditary MTC is an autosomal dominantly inherited disease which is genetically determined as part of the MEN 2A, MEN 2B, or variants of MEN 2A such as familial MTC. Germline mutations of the RET gene are the underlying cause of the majority of cases of hereditary medullary carcinomas. The pathogenesis of concurrent PTC with familial MTC has rarely been known. Genetic analysis of the RET oncogene has so far provided conflicting results. Here we describe a family whose sibling was affected by both PTC & MTC, and the family carried a germ-line point mutation in the RET extracellular domain that converted cysteine 634 into tryptophan (C634W).
Carcinoma ; Carcinoma, Medullary ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Cysteine ; Factor IX ; Germ-Line Mutation ; Humans ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2a ; Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Type 2b ; Oncogenes ; Point Mutation ; Siblings ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Tryptophan