No abstract available.
Bacteroides fragilis* ; Bacteroides* ; Enterotoxins* ; Epithelial Cells* ; Gene Expression* ; Humans* ; Intestinal Mucosa*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether the serum levels of IL-10 in patients with rheumatoid arthritis are different from those of normal controls and SLE patients and to find out any correlation with disease activity parameters of rheumatoid arthritis. METHODS: Sera from 20 healthy normal persons, 16 rheumatoid arthritis patients and 16 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus were collected and measured for IL-10 and IL-6. Various disease activity parameters were measured in RA patients. RESULTS: The serum level of IL-10 in RA patients was significantly elevated compared to normal controls but lower than those of SLE patients. In RA patients there was no definite correlation between the disease activity parameters and serum IL-10 levels. Despite significant improvements in terms of various disease activity parameters, there was no significant change of serum IL-10 levels after treatment in RA patients. In seropositive RA patients, positive correlation was found between serun IL-10 and rheumatoid factor levels. CONCLUSION: Our findings show that the serum IL-10 levels in patietns with RA are elevated compared to normal controls but lower than those of SLE patients. There was no correlation between serum IL-10 levels and disease acivity parameters of RA.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Humans ; Interleukin-10* ; Interleukin-6 ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Rheumatoid Factor

No Abstract Available.
Bacteroides fragilis* ; Bacteroides* ; Chemokines, CXC* ; Enterotoxins* ; Epithelial Cells* ; Humans* ; NF-kappa B*

No Abstract Available.
Bacteroides fragilis* ; Bacteroides* ; Chemokines, CXC* ; Enterotoxins* ; Epithelial Cells* ; Humans* ; NF-kappa B*

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to test the effect of a 12-week exercise program on body composition, blood pressure, blood glucose, blood lipid and bone mineral density for middle-aged and aged women in rural areas. METHODS: The subjects were 33 women at the age of 40-75. For statistical analysis, descriptive statistics and paired t-test were used with SPSSWIN 16.0. RESULTS: The results were summarized as follows. First, body weight, BMI, % body fat, abdominal adipose, and waist circumference of the women decreased significantly after implementing the 12-week exercise program. Second, diastolic blood pressure, serum cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL decreased significantly, and the HDL level increased significantly after the 12-week exercise program. Third, bone mineral density did not increase significantly after the program. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the exercise program has an effect in decreasing body composition, and improving blood pressure, blood glucose, and blood lipid in middle-aged and aged women.
Adipose Tissue ; Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Body Composition ; Body Weight ; Bone Density ; Cholesterol ; Female ; Humans ; Triglycerides ; Waist Circumference

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The outcome of asthma treatment has traditionally been assessed by measuring the conventional clinical parameters such as symptoms, expiratory flow rates and needs for medications. But none of them tells us whether the patients are actually able to function properly in their lives. Only assessment of the quality of life (QOL) can reflect the parts of patients lives affected by the disease. However, there is no measure to assess the quality of life of patients with any chronic diseases in Korea yet. We developed the QOL Questionnaire for Korean Asthmatics and evaluated its measurement properties. METHOD: The questionnaire was composed of 18 items in four domains : i.e. activity limitation (6 items), symptoms (5 items), emotional function (3 items) and environmental stimuli (4 items). At our out-patient clinic, 32 adults with moderate to severe persistent bronchial asthma were enrolled. The study design consisted of 4 week unblinded single cohort with visits at 0 and 4 weeks, and the patients were asked to answer the questionnaire by self administration method at the two separate visits. Forced expiratory volume for 1 second (FEV1) and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) were recorded at each visit. According to the patients and physicians global assessment, the patients were divided into two groups, i.e. stable and changed (improved). The responsiveness, reproducibility and validity of the questionnaire were evaluated. RESULTS: The total QOL scores at the second visit in the changed group were significantly higher than those at the first visit. The score differences between the two visits in the changed group were higher than in the stable group. In the stable group, the responses to the questionnaire were reproducible. The QOL scores showed good longitudinal correlation with the expiratory flow rates, whereas FEV1 did not correlate with the QOL in cross-sectional analysis. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire proved to be reproducible, responsive and valid in the subjects. It could be recommended for the outcome evaluation of Korean asthmatics.
Adult ; Asthma ; Chronic Disease ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Korea ; Outpatients ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Quality of Life* ; Self Administration ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Exchanging liquid vitreous with an air bubble was used to treat the eye with retinal detachment caused by a myopic macular hole. This retina was successfully reattached after keeping the patient in a prone position for 24 hours. No cryotherapy, diathermy, or photocoagulation was used to creat a choroidal adhesion. This procedure may be the treatment of choice in patients with retinal detachment due to macular holes but withour other breaks or visible vitreous adhesion.
Choroid ; Cryotherapy ; Diathermy ; Humans ; Light Coagulation ; Prone Position ; Retina ; Retinal Detachment* ; Retinal Perforations* ; Retinaldehyde*

No abstract available.
Chylothorax* ; Lymphangiectasis*

When bronchogenic carcinoma is coexisting with pulmonary tuberculosis, it is difficult to differentiate bronchogenic carcinoma from pulmonary tuberculosis radiologically. Thus, the object of this study is to define differential diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma by computed tomography. We analized CT scans of 27 patients with radiologic findings of pulmonary tuberculosis and mass of which twelve cases were pulmonary tuberculosis and fifteen cases were primary lung cancer. The location of parenchymal infiltration and the mass was the same in 60%(9/15) of the primary lung cancer in cases and 83%(10/12) of the pulmonary tuberculosis cases. The common location of the mass was the both upper lobes in 92%(11/12) of the pulmonary tuberculosis cases and 53%(8/15) of the primary lung cancer cases. The common locations of the mediastinal lymphadenopathy were 4R, 2R of the pulmonary tuberculosis cases and 4R, 10R of the primary lung cancer cases. In the feature of post enhanced lymph nodes, homogenous increased density was more frequent in primary lung cancer. Measurements of the maximum thickness part of the cavity wall was not a reliable indication of malignancy.
Carcinoma, Bronchogenic ; Diagnosis* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

No abstract available.
Vagina*