OBJECTIVE: Dopamine transporter is member of family of Na/Cl dependent neurotransmitter transporter, 12 transmembrane domain that has high substrate specificity, affinity. It is related with dopamine reuptake in presynaptic vesicle. DAT has a VNTR in its 3'-untranslated region(UTR), 3'-UTR VNTR polymorphism is related with modification of dopamine transmission. The association between with VNTR polymorphism and neuropsychiatric disorders such as alcohol dependence, and low activity ALDH has been studied but their relationship is unclear. We study about association of 3'-UTR VNTR of DAT gene and G2319A and alcohol dependence. METHOD: Group of Korea subjects were studied with alcohol dependence(n=49 male) compared to mentally healthy controls(n=53 male). The peripheral blood sample was acquired. and Polymerase Chain Reaction(PCR) amplification, Mspl procedure was done. RESULT: There was a significant difference between alcohol dependence group and normal control(genotype frequency p<0.05 allele frequency p<0.05) Allele A frequency and genotype(GG,GA) frequency was a significant difference between alcohol dependence group and normal control(p<0.05) CONCLUSION: Our study showed that genetic polymorphism of DAT1 G2319A had relation with alcohol dependence.
Alcoholism* ; Alleles ; Dopamine Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins ; Dopamine* ; Gene Frequency ; Humans ; Korea ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Polymorphism, Genetic* ; Substrate Specificity

With the development of chemotherapeutic agents and bone marrow transplantation, high dose conditioning chemotherapy before bone marrow transplantation, such as busulphan, have become more widely used. Of the side effects following chemotherapy, the cutaneous side effects of hair loss occur in high incidence. Alopecia following chemotherapy was generally known to recover completely in spite of subtle changes to the hair shaft. However, we recently experienced five cases of permanent incomplete regrowth of hair after cessation of conventional chemotherapy or high dose conditioning chemotherapy. In Korea, permenant alopecia following chemotherapy has not yet been reported and we reviewed them with the possible risk factors such as duration and kind of chemotherapeutic agents.
Alopecia* ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Busulfan ; Drug Therapy* ; Hair ; Incidence ; Korea ; Risk Factors

Lipomas are the most common benign mesenchymal tumors composed of mature fat cells. They can be classified into superficial lipoma (subcutaneous lipoma) or deep lipoma (subfascial lipoma) depending on the depth they develop. The latter is quite rare and tends to be less circumscribed and relatively fixed compared to the superficial ones. Therefore, it is initially misdiagnosed as other superficial lesions, and pre-operative awareness of deep tumors is important to differentiate them from other superficial lesions. Futhermore, the removal of the tumor also requires a detailed knowledge of the anatomy of the forehead, plus more sophisticated surgical skills so as not to damage important structures in the forehead such as vessels and nerves. Herein, we report 8 cases of deep lipoma on the forehead, demonstrating that it is not as rare as reported.
Adipocytes ; Forehead* ; Lipoma*

PURPOSE: The resuscitation room is the hub of intensive care and focused management within the emergency department (ED). For patients with life-threatening conditions, immediate triage and proper treatment using the resuscitation room is important. This study was conducted to assess the epidemiology of patients using the resuscitation room in an emergency department. METHODS:This was a retrospective observational study. Eligible subjects were enrolled through the National Emergency Department Information System from July 2007 to September 2008. All subjects came through a single regional emergency center that logs more than 45,000 patients annually. Pediatric patients less than 15 years of age and those who were dead on arrival at the ED were excluded. The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) version IV was used as a triage tool, and characteristics and ESI levels of patients using or not using resuscitation rooms were compared. RESULTS: The total number of eligible subjects was 40,926 and the male-female ratio was 1:0.92. The numbers of patients using the resuscitation room was 1,050 (2.99%). Patients using the resuscitation room were older than the patients not using the resuscitation room, were more likely to have used an ambulance to visit the ED, and had a higher mortality rate and a higher admission rate. A majority of staff members had the authority to put patients in the resuscitation room. Among them were professors 18.19%, emergency residents 11.43%, certified emergency nurses 40.57%, emergency nurses 19.43%, emergency medical technicians 2.86%, and paramedics 6.19%. Critical care was done in the resuscitation room for cardiopulmonary resuscitation 11.66%, intubation 26.33%, ventilation 1.71%, defibrillation 5.73%, and other 54.57%. The most frequent ESI levels of patients using the resuscitation room was 1 (57.89%); an ESI score of 3 (72.01%) was the most frequent value for patients not using the resuscitation room. CONCLUSION: Patient using the resuscitation room were older, more likely to have used an ambulance, and had a higher mortality rate, admission rate and ESI level.
Allied Health Personnel ; Ambulances ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Critical Care ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Technicians ; Humans ; Information Systems ; Critical Care ; Intubation ; Porphyrins ; Resuscitation ; Retrospective Studies ; Severity of Illness Index ; Triage ; Ventilation

Atopic dermatitis is an well-known skin disease showing inflammatory, chronically relapsing, non-contagious and pruritic symptoms. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of Liriope platyphylla (LP) on atopic dermatitis of NC/Nga mice. To achieve this, NC/Nga mice were treated with four different conditions including vehicle, phthalic anhydride (PA), PA+5% LP and PA+10% LP, and the changes of immune-related factors were detected after 2 weeks. The pathological phenotypes of atopic dermatitis such as erythema, ear thickness, edema, scab and discharge were significantly decreased in PA+10% LP cotreated groups compare to PA treated group. Also, the weight of lymph node and thymus in immune organs were gradually decreased in LP treated groups, while the weight of spleen was slightly increased in same group. Furthermore, toluidine blue staining analysis, a method used to specifically identify the mast cell, showed that the decrease of master cell infiltration into the dermis were statistically observed in PA+5% LP and PA+10% LP5% cotreated groups. Especially, the decrease of IgE concentration was detected only PA+10% LP cotreated group, although this level was maintained in PA+5% LP cotreated group. Therefore, these results suggested that the water extracts of LP may contribute the relieve of atopic dermatitis symptoms and be considered as an excellent candidate for a atopic dermatitis-therapeutic drug.
Animals ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Dermis ; Ear ; Edema ; Erythema ; Immunoglobulin E ; Lymph Nodes ; Mast Cells ; Mice ; Phenotype ; Phthalic Anhydrides ; Skin Diseases ; Spleen ; Thymus Gland ; Tolonium Chloride ; Water

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is common among elderly, and low-income is associated with poor adherence to treatment and increased mortality. We evaluated whether comprehensive support using community networks improves glycemic control among low-income elderly patients with diabetes. METHODS: A total of 49 low-income elderly patients with type 2 diabetes, mean age 73 years, were enrolled. For 1 year, study subjects underwent various lifestyle modification programs provided by community networks. The biochemical data including glycemic markers and anthropometric data were obtained at the baseline and at the end of the study. Also, the patients were asked to complete a questionnaire about their quality of life, self-confidence and self-care behavior. RESULTS: After lifestyle modification program, overall changes of fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, blood pressure, body weight, and other biochemical markers were not significantly different. In a subgroup analysis of 21 patients with poorly controlled diabetes (fasting glucose > 140 mg/dL or HbA1c > 7.5%), fasting plasma glucose was significantly reduced (P = 0.030). Among patients with baseline HbA1c level > or = 8%, HbA1c levels after intervention decreased from 9.33 +/- 1.07% to 8.27 +/- 1.15% (P = 0.092). The results of the questionnaires revealed significant increases in the scores of quality of life, self-confidence and self-care behavior (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Among low-income, elderly patients with type 2 diabetes, lifestyle modification through community networks showed no significant changes in glycemic control markers. More intensive and precise interventions using community networks are needed for the glycemic control of low-income, elderly patients with type 2 diabetes.
Aged ; Biomarkers ; Blood Pressure ; Body Weight ; Community Networks ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Humans ; Life Style ; Plasma ; Quality of Life ; Self Care ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is an environmental factor that causes skin aging, and is also a major factor leading to cumulative alterations of skin structure, function and appearance. To investigate the effects of Selenium (Sel) on UV-induced skin aging, hairless mice were treated for 4 weeks with UV irradiation and topical application of Sel. Then, the effects of Sel were measured in the skin of these mice via histological analysis and Western blotting. According to the results of wrinkle formation analysis, the topical application of Sel induced a reduction in wrinkling formation in the damaged skin of the UV-irradiated mice. Additionally, our histological analysis demonstrated that the skin thickness in the Sel-treated group was less than in the UV-irradiated group. Furthermore, in an effort to investigate the mechanisms underlying the effects of Sel, the expression levels of matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP) and MAPK protein were assessed in both groups. The application of Sel induced a reduction in MMP-1 expression levels to the levels observed in the non-irradiated group. However, the expression level of MMP-9 was increased slightly in the Sel application group as compared with the vehicle application group. Additionally, the levels of ERK phosphorylation were increased by the application of Sel, but the levels of JNK and p38 were not altered by Sel treatment. These results suggest the possibility that Sel should be considered as a skin aging-protective and therapeutic drug candidate, which functions via the regulation of MMP expression levels.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Mice ; Mice, Hairless ; Phosphorylation ; Selenium ; Skin ; Skin Aging

Protothecosis is an unusual cutaneous soft tissue infection caused by the Prototheca, which is a genus of the unicelluar, achloric algae. We report a case of cutaneous protothecosis in a 66-year-old female, who showed erythematous, purulent patches and plaques with ulcerations on the right forearm for 2 months. Biopsy specimen revealed the characteristic thick-walled morulalike sporangia in the dermis. Prototheca wickerhamii was isolated in the culture and the biochemical study. Electron microscopic examination showed the thick-walled spores containing dark dense bodies and amyloplasts. After two months of oral itraconazole 200mg/day, skin lesions were improved.
Aged ; Biopsy ; Dermis ; Female ; Forearm ; Humans ; Itraconazole ; Plastids ; Prototheca ; Skin ; Soft Tissue Infections ; Sporangia ; Spores ; Ulcer

BACKGROUND: We investigated a group of patients with chronic renal failure to evaluate the prevalence and the risk factor related to sleep disturbance. We also studied to explore relationship between sleep disturbance and renal replacement therapy of chronic renal failure such as hemodialysis (HD), peritoneal dialysis (PD) and renal transplantation (RT). METHODS: The patients with 43 HD patients, 52 PD patients, and 32 RT patients completed a self- administered questionnaire package, which included Weekly Sleep Questionnaire (WSQ) and Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS: About 75% of chronic renal failure patients have sleep disturbance. There was difference of morning dissatisfaction feeling item score between HD and RT (p<0.05, HD>RT) groups and of daytime sedation item score among PD, HD and RT (p<0.05, HD>RT, PDRT) groups. The BDI (beta= 0.546) and the serum creatinine (beta=0.221) were significantly positive correlated with WSQ total score, but other factors (modalities of renal replacement therapy, duration of illness, duration of dialysis, Bood urea nitrogen, hematocrit, Body mass index) were not correlated with WSQ total score. CONCLUSION: Sleep disturbance is common in chronic renal failure patients. There was significant difference of daytime sleep disturbance among renal replacement therapy groups. It was caused by difference of emotional state and physical states.
Creatinine ; Depression ; Dialysis ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Nitrogen ; Peritoneal Dialysis* ; Prevalence ; Renal Dialysis* ; Renal Replacement Therapy ; Risk Factors ; Urea ; Surveys and Questionnaires