BACKGROUND: This study was performed to assess the effect of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) on the menopausal symptoms of Korean women by comparing the postmenopausal symptoms before and after HRT in women who continued therapy and those who stopped. METHODS: The subjects were 40 menopausal women(24 women on continuous medication, 16 women who discontinued medication) who received HRT and were alde follow of at least 2 months later in the Department of Family Practice. The menopausal symptoms were evaluated by two doctors according to the modified Kupperman Index. RESULTS: The basic values of Kupperman Index were not significantly different between women who had received the HRT continuously and those who discontinued HRT. In women with continued HRT improved symptoms after HRT were hot flushes, sweating, fatigue, headache, tachycardia and total score of Kupperman Index. However, only vertigo and headache were improved in women who discontinued HRT. Treatment period was the single most predictor of total score of Kupperman Index after therapy. And it could explain the 44.1% of variance of total score in the direction of improvement proportional to the treatment period. CONCLUSIONS: The HRT is helpful to relieve the menopausal symptoms. And the treatment period is more important than the severity of basic symptoms to improve menopausal symptoms after therapy.
Family Practice ; Fatigue ; Female ; Headache ; Hormone Replacement Therapy* ; Humans ; Sweat ; Sweating ; Tachycardia ; Vertigo

BACKGROUND: It is known that obesity is related to hypertension, hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus. The results of study done in Korea are widely spread. In this study, we evaluated the prevalence of obesity by four obesity measure methods and the risk of obesity for obesity related diseases. METHODS: This study was done for the period from May 1 to August 31, 1995 in three health care centers run by middle sized hospitals in Pusan. The total number of sampled population was 654(men 227, women 427) RESULTS: We compared obesity by sex and age according to four obesity measure methods. The results were as following . Obesity was more prevailed in women than in men for all measure methods. In women, there was significant difference according to age by Brocas Index(P =0.006), Kassura's modified formula(P=0.018) and Suh's formula(P=0.009) but in men there was no significant difference. We cornpared the laboratory test results of men and women. The test results elevated significantly in men were diastolic blood pressure(P=0.001), hemoglobin(P<0.001), aspartate aminotransferase(AST)(P=0.034), alanine aminotransferase(ALT)(P=0.011), gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase(rGT)(P<0.001). Total cholesterol was elevated significantly in women. We evaluated the correlation of age and obesity with the tests. For the age, systolic blood pressure(P<0.001), diastolic blood pressure(P=0.001), total cholesterol(P<0.001), glucose(P=0.038), AST(P<0.001) were correlated positively. For the obesity, systolic blood pressure(P<0.001), diastolic blood pressure(P<0.001), total cholesterol(P<0.001), glucose(P= 0.045), ALT(P=0.003) were correlated positively. The odds ratio of obesity for elevated blood pressure was 1.03(P=0.005), for hypercholesterolemia 1.03(P=0.001), for elevated ALT 1.03(P =0.005) for hyperglycemia 1.01(P=0.083). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we found that the prevalence of obesity is higher in women than in men at 40 years old and beyond. We found that obesity is independent risk factor of elevated blood pressure, hypercholesterolemia and elevated ALT. We suggest that the clinicians be concerned in dealing with obesity.
Adult* ; Alanine ; Aspartic Acid ; Blood Pressure ; Busan ; Cholesterol ; Delivery of Health Care ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Female ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hyperglycemia ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Male ; Obesity* ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors

No abstract available.
Animals ; B-Lymphocytes* ; Mice* ; Mitogens* ; Spleen*

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to find out about the factors related to administration of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in postmenopausal women. METHODS: One thousand seventy three postmenopausal women living in Busan and Kimhae were surveyed from August, 2000 to February, 2001. The subjects were asked whether they were receiving the HRT or not and about several factors that have known to be related to receiving the HRT. RESULTS: Among the total, 16.3% of women were current users, 12.4% were ex-users, and 71.2% were non-users. There were significant differences in age, marital status, number of children, education level, and income among the three groups. The proportions of hysterectomy and health-related behaviors were higher among current and ex-users than non-users. The current users were receiving the HRT by continuous combination method rather than cyclic therapy. Among them, 70% responded 'physician's recommendation' as the main reason for receiving the HRT. Among the current users 48% responded 'improved general condition' for receiving as the main reason the HRT currently. However, 29% of ex-users stopped therapy because of side effects. Among non-users 55% have not been provided with information about the HRT. Women having regular exercise at least once a week were 3.5 times more likely to be current users (95% C.I.: 1.3~9.6). One year after menopause women were 1.2 times (95% C.I: 1.0~1.4) more likely to be current users. CONCLUSION: Postmenopausal women who exercised regularly and experienced menopause at an older age seemed to be more likely current users. Therefore, women having such characteristics may need more adequate information about the HRT.
Busan ; Child ; Education ; Female ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Hormone Replacement Therapy* ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Marital Status ; Menopause

No abstract available.
Animals ; Mice* ; Spleen*

No abstract available.
Fibronectins* ; Paraffin*

No abstract available.
Fetus* ; Humans ; Mothers*

Previous studies by others have shown that administration of hypertonic saline (HS) induces c-fos expression in rat brain and old fibroblast cells are defective in transcription of c-fos in response to serum. The present immunohisto-chemical studies were undertaken to determine 1) the time that c-fos is expressed during the postnatal development of rat brain and 2) if there is aging-related change of c-fos expression in the osmoresponsive neurons after osmotic stimulus. Fos-like immunoreactivity (FLI) in response to HS treatment began to be detected dramatically at postnatal day (P) 14 in hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN), supraoptic nucleus (SON), and organum vasculosum lamina terminalis (OVLT). Intensity of FLI and number of Fos immunoreactive cells induced by HS were substantially reduced as rats age. Our data demonstrate for the first time that c-fos induction is decreased in aging-dependent manner and the time of c-fos induction during postnatal development is coincided with the status of differentiation in rat brain. We will interpret these findings in relation to synaptogenesis, and maturation or disability of signal transduction pathways in osmoresponsive neurons in rat brain.
Aging* ; Animals ; Brain ; Fibroblasts ; Hypothalamus ; Neurons* ; Osmoregulation* ; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus ; Rats* ; Signal Transduction ; Supraoptic Nucleus

No abstract available.
Animals ; Knee Joint* ; Knee* ; Mice* ; Parturition*

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between social support and health status for the elderly in a rural area where social network has been decreased. METHODS: One hundred and 58 elderly patients who visited free medical services participated in the survey that contained items about social support, heath status, socioeconomic status, health behaviors, and depression. Subjects were divided into three groups according to their social support index scores and two groups according to their health status. The health behaviors, socioeconomic status, and depression were considered as confounders. The associations between social support and confounders were analyzed by oneway analysis of variance, Cochran Mantel-Haenszel test, x2-test, and t-test. Then, multiple logistic regression analyses were done to find the adjusted association between social support and health status. RESULTS: Social support was related to education (P=0.012), economic level (P=0.007), smoking status (P=0.028), depression score (P<0.001), and health status (P<0.001). Health status was related to age (P=0.02), economic level (P<0.001), and depression score (P<0.001). The unadjusted prevalence odds ratios (POR) for poor health status were 7.3 (95% CI: 2.8-19.2) in the poorly supported group and 1.3 (95% CI: 0.5-3.5) in moderately supported group compared with the highly supported group. The corresponding adjusted POR increased to 14.3 (95% CI: 2.8-73.3) in poorly supported group and 6.2 (95% CI: 1.2-31.9) in moderately supported group. CONCLUSION: The poor social support was associated with poor health status and the relationship increased more with adjustment of confounders. Several methods to improve social support is necessary to maintain and enhance health status in the rural elderly.
Aged* ; Depression ; Education ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Social Class