OBJECTIVE: To investigate the characteristics of ramp walking. METHOD: The sagittal kinematic and temporospatial data of ramp and level walking were obtained by a motion analyzer for ten healthy young adults. RESULTS: Compared with the values of level walking, the range of motion of ankle at all degrees for up-hill walking and the ROM of hip at 20o down-hill and all degrees for up-hill walking were significantly different (p<0.05). The peak dorsiflexion of ankle at 20o of up-hill and at 20o down-hill walking increased significantly (p<0.05) and peak plantar flexion of ankle at all degrees of up-hill walking increased significantly (p<0.05). The peak flexion of knee at 20o of up-hill walking increased significantly (p<0.05) and peak extension of knee at 20o of up-hill and down-hill walking also increased significantly (p<0.05). The peak flexion angles of hip at all degrees for up and down-hill walking were significantly different (p<0.05) and peak extension angles of hip at 10o of up-hill walking increased significantly (p<0.05). The temporospatial data showed no significant difference. CONCLUSION: Ramp walking showed a different kinematic gait pattern. So, this study may be useful to evaluate the effect of gait training on the ramp and pathologic gait patterns.
Adult* ; Ankle ; Architectural Accessibility* ; Gait* ; Hip ; Humans ; Knee ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Walking* ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: Ultrasonography is screening modality of choice and plays an important role in prenatal diagnosis of various diseases and neoplasm of fetus. Recently, Magnetic Resonance Imaging was used as a diagnosis tool to fetal disease. We would like to evaluate efficacy of ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging for the diagnosis of fetal abdominal solid tumor. METHODS: Among 2,055 cases of abnormal ultrasonography findings detected by prenatal ultrasonography from January 1996 and June 2002, a comparison between the diagnosis made by prenatal ultrasonography, fetal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), postnatal radiological studies and histopathologic studies was made in four cases with fetal abdominal solid tumor. RESULTS: The first case was diagnosed as adrenal tumor or hepatic tumor by US, hemangioedothelioma of liver by fetal MRI, and confirmed as hemangioendothelioma postnatally. The second case showed concordance with mesoblastic nephroma among the diagnosis made by US, fetal MRI, and postnatal histopathologic studies. The third case was diagnosed as extrathoracic pulmonary sequestration by US and MRI, and the same diagnosis was made by postnatal histopathologic studies. The fourth case was suspected as kidney tumor by US and was diagnosed as adrenal as adrenal neuroblastoma postoperatively. CONCLUSION: Fetal solid tumor is not a common disorder, but the location, size and orgin of tumor plays important role in the prognosis of neonatal period; additional workup by fetal MRI would improve the diagnosis of such tumors.
Bronchopulmonary Sequestration ; Diagnosis* ; Fetal Diseases ; Fetus ; Hemangioendothelioma ; Kidney ; Liver ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mass Screening ; Nephroma, Mesoblastic ; Neuroblastoma ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Prognosis ; Ultrasonography ; Ultrasonography, Prenatal

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationships between scoliosis and kyphotic or lordotic posture in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) patients, this study explored the factors influencing the development of spinal deformity. METHOD: Twenty five DMD patients with scoliosis were conducted to roentgenographic study to obtain Cobb's angle. In addition, rotation grade of the spine, as well as the degree of kyphotic and lordotic postures were obtained using the Moe pedicle method, kyphotic index and lumbo sacral angle respectively. The data were assessed for the correlations among spinal deformities as well as the evaluation of functional state. After comprehensive rehabilitation programs for six months including scoliosis correction exercise, breathing exercise and thoracolumbosacral spinal orthosis, the effects of spinal deformity and pulmonary function were analyzed. An age-matched control group of 15 male patients with scoliosis were analyzed and compared with the experimental group. RESULTS: In the experimental group, the scoliosis angles were negatively correlated with kyphotic index (r= 0.80, p<0.01). In the control group, no correlations of statistical significance were detected among different types of spinal deformity. In addition, the rotation grade was found to be positively correlated with the scoliosis angle in the experimental group (r=0.89, p<0.01). Furthermore, the larger the scoliosis angle, the patients functional state was found to be poorer (r=0.56, p<0.01). CONCLUSION: In DMD patients, a strong correlation was found between the scoliosis and kyphotic posture. For the prevention of kyphotic posture, further study on the relevant therapeutic approach would be needed.
Breathing Exercises ; Congenital Abnormalities* ; Humans ; Male ; Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne* ; Orthotic Devices ; Posture ; Rehabilitation ; Scoliosis ; Spine

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies suggest that the cannabinoid receptor 1 (CNR1) gene could be an important candidate gene for schizophrenia. According to linkage studies, this gene is located on chromosome 6q14-q15, which is known to harbor the schizophrenia susceptibility locus (locus 5, SCZ5, OMIM 803175). The pharmacological agent delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Delta-9-THC) seems to elicit the symptoms of schizophrenia. The association between CNR1 polymorphisms and schizophrenia is actively being investigated, and some studies have linked the AAT-trinucleotide repeats in CNR1 to the onset of schizophrenia. In this study, we have investigated the association between the AAT-trinucleotide repeats in CNR1 and schizophrenia by studying schizophrenia patients and healthy individuals from Korea. METHODS: DNA was extracted from the blood samples of 394 control subjects and 337 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition criteria). After polymerase chain reaction amplification, a logistic regression analysis, with age and gender as the covariates, was performed to study the variations in the AAT-repeat polymorphisms between the two groups. RESULTS: In total, 8 types of trinucleotide repeats were identified, each containing 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15 repeats, respectively. (AAT)13 allele was most frequently observed, with a frequency of 33.6% and 31.6% in the patient and control groups, respectively. The frequency of the other repeat alleles in the patient group (in the decreasing order) was as follows : (AAT)13 33.6%, (AAT)14 21.6%, (AAT)12 18.5%, and (AAT)7 11.1%. The frequency of the repeat alleles in the control group (in the decreasing order) was as follows : (AAT)13 31.6%, (AAT)14 24.5%, (AAT)12 17.2%, and (AAT)7 11.6%. However, there were no significant differences in the AAT-repeat polymorphisms of the CNR1 gene between the patient group and the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Although our study revealed no significant association of the AAT-repeat polymorphism of the CNR1 gene with schizophrenia, it will serve as a good reference for future studies designed to examine the cannabinoid hypothesis of schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVES: Located on chromosome 10q22-q23, the human neuregulin 3 (NRG3) is suggested as a strong positional and functional candidate gene involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Several case-control studies examining the association between polymorphisms on NRG3 gene with schizophrenia and/or its traits (such as delusion) have been reported recently in cohorts of Han Chinese, Ashkenazi Jews, Australians, white Americans of Western European ancestry and Koreans. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the association of one SNP in exon 9 (rs2295933) of NRG3 gene with the risk of schizophrenia in a Korean population. METHODS: Using TaqMan assay, rs2295933 in the exon 9 of NRG3 was genotyped in 435 patients with schizophrenia as cases and 393 unrelated healthy individuals as controls. Differences in frequency distributions were analyzed using logistic regression models following various modes of genetic inheritance and controlling for age and sex as covariates. RESULTS: Subsequent analysis revealed that the frequency distribution of rs2295933 of NRG3 was not different between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls of Korean ethnicity. CONCLUSIONS: This study does not support the role of NRG3 in schizophrenia in a Korean population.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Case-Control Studies ; Cohort Studies ; Exons ; Humans ; Jews ; Logistic Models ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Schizophrenia ; Wills