BACKGROUND/AIMS: Metabolic syndrome is an emerging risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among psychiatric patients in order to identify the dominant factors of metabolic syndrome. METHODS: We enrolled 225 patients who had been admitted to a chronic psychiatric hospital from October 2005 to February 2006. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was assessed based on the Adult Treatment Panel (ATP)-III with the new criterion of waist circumference in the Asia-Pacific Region. RESULTS: The study population was relatively young (41.1 +/- 8.8 years) and obese (waist in men, 91.3 +/- 9.2 cm; waist in women, 84.1 +/- 8.8 cm). Sixty percent of patients met the waist criterion of metabolic syndrome and 56% met the low high density lipoprotein (HDL) criterion. The mean serum triglycerides were high (170.0 +/- 119.7 mg/dL) and 46% of patients met the triglyceride criterion. In contrast, less than 10% of patients showed impaired fasting glucose or high blood pressure (5%, 9%, respectively). The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 34.2% by applying ATP-III criteria (40% in men and 20% in women, respectively). No specific anti-psychotic drugs were related to significant increase in the incidence of metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal obesity and dyslipidemia (low HDL and high triglycerides) were dominant contributing factors of metabolic syndrome among psychiatric patients, and the affected age groups were relatively young. These findings indicate that active and early screening, including triglycerides, HDL, and waist measurement, are absolutely essential to managing metabolic syndrome in psychiatric patients.
Adult ; Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use ; Cholesterol, HDL/blood ; Cholesterol, LDL/blood ; Dyslipidemias/*epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension/epidemiology ; Male ; Mental Disorders/drug therapy/*epidemiology ; Metabolic Syndrome X/*epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Obesity, Abdominal/*epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Triglycerides/blood ; Young Adult

Objectives: Agent Orange is a defoliant chemical that is widely known for its use by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. It is known to be associated with the occurrence of various diseases in exposed subjects. However, few previous studies have focused on the effects of exposure to Agent Orange on cognitive dysfunction. Methods: A total of 387 male subjects participated in the study. They were divided into those who were exposed to Agent Orange (n=301) and those without exposure (n=86). Both were evaluated with neuropsychological batteries, including the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease and the Seoul Neuropsychological Screening Battery-Second Edition. Results: The group exposed to Agent Orange showed significantly higher scores in the Rey Complex Figure Test copy and recognition compared to those without exposure. Conclusion In this study, we compared the effects of exposure to Agent Orange on cognitive function in groups that had not yet progressed to dementia. The Agent Orange exposure group showed better results in some tests evaluating visuospatial and memory function.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The use of decompressive hemicraniectomy (DHC) for the treatment of malignant cerebral edema can decrease mortality rates. However, this benefit is not sufficient to justify its use in elderly patients. We investigated the effects of therapeutic hypothermia (TH) on safety, feasibility, and functional outcomes in elderly patients with malignant middle cerebral artery (MCA) infarcts. METHODS: Elderly patients 60 years of age and older with infarcts affecting more than two-thirds of the MCA territory were included. Patients who could not receive DHC were treated with TH. Hypothermia was started within 72 hours of symptom onset and was maintained for a minimum of 72 hours with a target temperature of 33°C. Modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores at 3 months following treatment and complications of TH were used as functional outcomes. RESULTS: Eleven patients with a median age of 76 years and a median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 18 were treated with TH. The median time from symptom onset to initiation of TH was 30.3±23.0 hours and TH was maintained for a median of 76.7±57.1 hours. Shivering (100%) and electrolyte imbalance (82%) were frequent complications. Two patients died (18%). The mean mRS score 3 months following treatment was 4.9±0.8. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that extended use of hypothermia is safe and feasible for elderly patients with large hemispheric infarctions. Hypothermia may be considered as a therapeutic alternative to DHC in elderly individuals. Further studies are required to validate our findings.
Aged* ; Brain Edema* ; Cerebral Infarction ; Humans ; Hypothermia* ; Hypothermia, Induced ; Infarction ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Mortality ; National Institutes of Health (U.S.) ; Shivering ; Stroke

BACKGROUND: Coptis chinensis rhizome has been used as a medicinal herb in traditional Oriental medicine. We investigated the effects of Coptis chinensis extract on inflammatory mediators and delayed type hypersensitivity in mice. METHODS: The inhibitory effect of ethanolic extract of Coptis chinensis (CCE) on cell proliferation was evaluated using MTS assay. The lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages and the Con A-activated mouse splenocytes were cultured with various concentrations of CCE. Total nitric oxide (NO) production was determined by Griess reaction. The amounts of secreted prostaglandine E2 (PGE(2)), interleukin (IL)-2 and IFN-gamma were measured by ELISA. To investigate the in vivo anti-inflammatory effect of CCE, oxazolone-induced delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) model was used. RESULTS: The CCE at 100 microgram/ml significantly blocked the LPS-induced production of pro-inflammatory mediators (NO and PGE) in RAW264.7 macrophages. Also, it significantly inhibited cell proliferation and cytokine (IL-2 and IFN-gamma) production in splenocytes. Furthermore, when splenocytes from CCE fed mice (200 mg/kg for 2 weeks) were activated with Con A, cell proliferation and cytokine production were significantly inhibited. In addition, CCE decreased in vivo inflammation in oxazolone-induced DTH model mice. CONCLUSION: We suggest that Coptis chinensis can be used as an anti-inflammatory drug by exerting an inhibitory effect in inflammatory mediator- and cell-mediated inflammation.
Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; Coptis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Ethanol ; Hypersensitivity ; Inflammation ; Interleukins ; Macrophages ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Mice ; Nitric Oxide ; Plants, Medicinal ; Rhizome

BACKGROUND: Coptis chinensis rhizome has been used as a medicinal herb in traditional Oriental medicine. We investigated the effects of Coptis chinensis extract on inflammatory mediators and delayed type hypersensitivity in mice. METHODS: The inhibitory effect of ethanolic extract of Coptis chinensis (CCE) on cell proliferation was evaluated using MTS assay. The lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 macrophages and the Con A-activated mouse splenocytes were cultured with various concentrations of CCE. Total nitric oxide (NO) production was determined by Griess reaction. The amounts of secreted prostaglandine E2 (PGE(2)), interleukin (IL)-2 and IFN-gamma were measured by ELISA. To investigate the in vivo anti-inflammatory effect of CCE, oxazolone-induced delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) model was used. RESULTS: The CCE at 100 microgram/ml significantly blocked the LPS-induced production of pro-inflammatory mediators (NO and PGE) in RAW264.7 macrophages. Also, it significantly inhibited cell proliferation and cytokine (IL-2 and IFN-gamma) production in splenocytes. Furthermore, when splenocytes from CCE fed mice (200 mg/kg for 2 weeks) were activated with Con A, cell proliferation and cytokine production were significantly inhibited. In addition, CCE decreased in vivo inflammation in oxazolone-induced DTH model mice. CONCLUSION: We suggest that Coptis chinensis can be used as an anti-inflammatory drug by exerting an inhibitory effect in inflammatory mediator- and cell-mediated inflammation.
Animals ; Cell Proliferation ; Coptis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Ethanol ; Hypersensitivity ; Inflammation ; Interleukins ; Macrophages ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Mice ; Nitric Oxide ; Plants, Medicinal ; Rhizome

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Noncardiac chest pain (NCCP) is substernal, squeezing chest pain, unrelated to the cardiac problem. Our study aimed to define the prevalence and clinical characteristics of reflux esophagitis in NCCP patients in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed medical records of patients who visited Department of Cardiology, St. Paul's Hospital due to chest pain and had normal coronary arteriography and who had received endoscopy within 6 months. Patients diagnosed with peptic ulcer or gastric cancer were excluded. The patients were classified into two groups according to their endoscopic results; the reflux esophagitis group and the control group. RESULTS: Two hundred seventeen NCCP patients were enrolled and 96 patients (44.2%) were diagnosed with reflux esophagitis: 68 patients (31.3%) with minimal change esophagitis; 26 patients (12.0%) with Los Angeles (LA) grade A; 2 patients (0.9%) with LA grade B. There were no patients with severe erosive reflux disease. There were no significantly different characteristics in the reflux esophagitis group and the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of reflux esophagitis in NCCP patients in Korea was 44.2%. Most patients had mild reflux esophagitis.
Angiography ; Cardiology ; Chest Pain* ; Endoscopy ; Esophagitis ; Esophagitis, Peptic* ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Humans ; Korea* ; Medical Records ; Peptic Ulcer ; Prevalence* ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Thorax*

The Second Meeting of the National Control Laboratories for Vaccines and Biologicals in the Western Pacific, was jointly organized by the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in the Republic of Korea, and by the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific. In the National Lot Release Systems session countries including Canada, China, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, and the Republic of Korea, all shared information on their current Lot Release Systems, including current practices and developments in risk-based official lot release of vaccines. In the session on Quality Control of Blood Products, experts from the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control shared quality control and research results for; blood coagulation factor VIII products, and the measurement of procoagulant activity in immunoglobulin products. Representatives from Japan proposed a regional collaborative study to test aggregated immunoglobulin free from complement activity. A cell-based Japanese encephalitis vaccine potency assay was proposed by representatives from Korea and they also called for voluntary participation of other National Control Laboratories in a collaborative study, on the first Korean Gloydius anti-venom standard. Participants agreed in general to continue communicating, and coordinate presentation of the study results.
Blood Coagulation Factors ; Canada ; China ; Complement System Proteins ; Encephalitis, Japanese ; Factor VIII ; Immunoglobulins ; Japan ; Korea ; Malaysia ; Quality Control ; Republic of Korea ; Vaccine Potency ; Vaccines* ; Vietnam ; World Health Organization

The first meeting of the National Control Laboratories for Vaccines and Biologicals in the Western Pacific Region was held on September 1–2, 2016 in Seoul, the Republic of Korea. The meeting objectives were to share results of current research and to promote collaboration between the National Control Laboratories. To this end, we first discussed each country’s current status of research on quality control of biologicals. Next, we reviewed quality control of snake venom and antivenom production and the progress of a collaborative study on the Korean reference standard candidate for snake venom. We also discussed the establishment of the second regional reference standard antivenom and the characterization of the Vero cell genome landscape and its application to quality control. Moreover, we also reflected on the importance of collaboration among interested parties participating in this meeting. In conclusion, the meeting initiated networking between the national control laboratories in the Western Pacific region and paved the way to continue collaboration, which will eventually improve the region’s capacity for quality control of biologicals.
Cooperative Behavior ; Genome ; Quality Control ; Republic of Korea ; Seoul ; Snake Venoms ; Vaccines* ; Vero Cells