The frequency of HLA-B27 antigen in 24 patients with psoriasis vulgaris and 11 patients with psoriatic arthritis were examined using the standard micro-lympho- cytotoxicity technique. There was a high frequency of HLA-B27 in psoriatic spondylitis with or without peripheral arthritis (83.3%) compared to controls (4.7%) and the relative risk of HLA-B27 for developing psoriatic spondylitis was 82.5% which indicates a strong association between HLA-B27 and psoriatic spondylitis in Korean populations. However, there was no stastical significance observed in the groups of patients with peripheral arthritis alone or psoriasis vulgaris in regard to the frequency of HLA-B27.
Arthritis ; Arthritis, Psoriatic ; HLA-B27 Antigen ; Humans ; Psoriasis* ; Spondylitis

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is one of the common diseases which family physicians encounter to manage. Various research proved that appropriate aerobic exercise had effect on lowering blood pressure efficiently. This study was to find out the status of exercise, the change of exercise according to time and its predicting factors in hypertensive patients. METHODS: A total of 193 of the followed-up hypertensive patients of family physicians in Seoul and kyoungkido from May 11, 2001 to June 10, 2001 were interviewed by doctor according to the previously designed structured questionnaire. RESULTS: Eighty two patients (42.57) were male and mean and was 57.4 +/- 9.9 fears. Using Kaplan-Meier's method, 8% of non-exercise group (N= 115) in diagnosing hypertension started exercise after 1 fear and 40%, after 5 years. Otherwise, 5% of exercise group(N=78) stopped exercise after 1 year and 30%, after 5 years. The characteristics of 5 exercise groups according to sex, age, level of education and adequacy of exercise showed significant difference. In average blood pressure, lately started group showed the lowest (137/84 mmHg) and non-exercise group, the highest (146/91 mmHg) In the degree of recommendation. sporadic group showed the highest and non-exercise group, the lowest which showed significant difference (p =0.0024) . CONCLUSION: I conclude that lately started group among non-exercise group and continuous exercise group were mainly affected by recommendation to exercise of physician. As well as exercise, other nonpharmacologic treatment should be promoted by physician as an important strategy for treatment of hypertension.
Blood Pressure ; Education ; Exercise ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Physicians, Family* ; Seoul ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The antihypertensive effects of single daily dose of long-acting propranolol(Inderal LA(R)) were observed in 29 cases of essential hypertension, and the results were as follows; 1) Age distribution of the cases was from 39 years to 72 years with the mean age of 51.3. And there were 13 female and 16 male patients. 2) Mean value of the hypotensive effects in systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 22.9 mmHg, and 11.5 mmHg, respectively. 3) The results of the antihypertensive effects were as follows; good 31.0%, fair 34.5%, poor 20.7%, and failure 13.8%. 4) The decrement of heart rate with long-acting propranolol was 9.3 per minute in average. 5) 1 case of nausea and 2 cases of lassitude were noted, but these symptoms were subsided spontaneously with continous medication.
Age Distribution ; Blood Pressure ; Fatigue ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Nausea ; Propranolol

OBJECTIVE: To compare the voice onset time (VOT) differences of Korean stops in the initial and intervocalic positions between the aphasic patients with peculiarities of aspiration and a control group. METHOD: We examined 15 aphasic patients (nine males, six females) who had suffered a stroke (average age 49.7 years) and 15 healthy controls (average age 47.4 years). An aphasia examination was made by an aphasia battery of three standard tests and VOT was analyzed instrumentally. Stop consonants in the initial and intervocalic position were measured to categorize them according to aphasia types, place of articulation, and manner of articulation. RESULTS: VOT of the aphasic patients with peculiarities of aspiration had a greater difference than that of the controls, indicating that the temporal non-coordination between the laryngeal adjustment and oral articulators of aphasic patients happens due to the VOT of stops in the initial and intervocalic positions (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: VOT of stop consonants in the initial position produced by aphasic patients tends to be proportional to their breathing. It can cause glottal width and make aphasic patients' VOT duration longer. Lastly, the method to measure the VOT of aphasic patients is more significant for the types of phonation than for the places of articulation, and makes it possible to induce abnormal VOT.
Aphasia ; Dental Articulators ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Male ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Phonation ; Respiration ; Stroke ; Voice

Cell Adhesion Molecule(CAM) is a cell surface glycoprotein that plays an important role in many inflammatory reaction. This is responsible for the migration and accumulation of different populations of leukocyte in inflamed tissues. To investigate the relevance of CAM expression to giant papillary conjunctivitis associated with type I and/or type IV hypersensitivity, the histology of conjunctival giant papillae from patients with papillary conjunctivitis was examined with light microscopy and using indirect immunofluorescent staining method with monoclonal antibodies against the ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and CD44. The infiltrates of the inflammatory cells such as eosinophil, basophil, plasma cell and lymphocyte were noted in conjunctival stroma by light microscopy. The ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and CD44 were expressed or upregulated in stroma and vascular wall by immunofluorescent method. These findings suggest that CAM may play a key role in the pathogenesis of giant papillary conjunctivitis. Further efforts to block or modulate the expression of CAMs may provide new therapeutic modalities in the treatment of conjunctival disease.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Basophils ; Cell Adhesion ; Conjunctival Diseases ; Conjunctivitis ; Conjunctivitis, Allergic* ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity, Delayed ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1* ; Leukocytes ; Lymphocytes ; Membrane Glycoproteins ; Microscopy ; Plasma Cells ; Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn*

OBJECTIVE: Differential diagnosis between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and adjustment disorder (AD) is rather difficult, but very important to the assignment of appropriate treatment and prognosis. This study investigated methods to differentiate PTSD and AD. METHODS: Twenty-five people with PTSD and 24 people with AD were recruited. Memory tests, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2), and Beck's Depression Inventory were administered. RESULTS: There were significant decreases in immediate verbal recall and delayed verbal recognition in the participants with PTSD. The reduced memory functions of participants with PTSD were significantly influenced by depressive symptoms. Hypochondriasis, hysteria, psychopathic deviate, paranoia, schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder scale of MMPI-2 classified significantly PTSD and AD group. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that verbal memory assessments and the MMPI-2 could be useful for discriminating between PTSD and AD.
Accidents, Traffic* ; Adjustment Disorders* ; Depression ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Hypochondriasis ; Hysteria ; Memory Disorders ; Memory* ; MMPI ; Paranoid Disorders ; Prognosis ; Schizophrenia ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*

Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular protozoan parasite, which invades a wide range of hosts including humans. The exact mechanisms involved in its invasion are not fully understood. This study focused on the roles of Ca2+ in host cell invasion and in T. gondii replication. We examined the invasion and replication of T. gondii pretreated with several calcium modulators, the conoid extrusion of tachyzoites. Calmodulin localization in T. gondii were observed using the immunogold method, and Ca2+ levels in tachyzoites by confocal microscopy. In light microscopic observation, tachyzoites co-treated with A23187 and EGTA showed that host cell invasion and intracellular replication were decreased. The invasion of tachyzoites was slightly inhibited by the Ca2+ channel blockers, bepridil and verapamil, and by the calmodulin antagonist, calmidazolium. We observed that calcium saline containing A23187 induced the extrusion of tachyzoite conoid. By immunoelectron microscopy, gold particles bound to anti-calmodulin or anti-actin mAb, were found to be localized on the anterior portion of tachyzoites. Remarkably reduced intracellular Ca2+ was observed in tachyzoites treated with BAPTA/AM by confocal microscopy. These results suggest that host cell invasion and the intracellular replication of T. gondii tachyzoites are inhibited by the calcium ionophore, A23187, and by the extracellular calcium chelator, EGTA.
Animals ; Calcium/*physiology ; Calcium Channel Blockers/pharmacology ; Calmodulin/antagonists & inhibitors ; Chelating Agents/pharmacology ; Hela Cells ; Host-Parasite Relations ; Humans ; Ionophores/pharmacology ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Toxoplasma/drug effects/pathogenicity/*physiology

No abstract available.
Leukemia*

PUPOSE: The superficial spreading type of early gastric cancer has different clinicopathologic features from other types of early gastric cancer in terms of its invasiveness and lymph-node metastases. Therefore, we attempted to elucidate the pathological features, surgical procedures and patients prognoses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Clinical information was reviewed for patients who had undergone a gastrectomy for gastric cancer during an 8-year period (1995~2002) at Dankook University Hospital and Ulsan University, with an average follow-up of 48 months. Three hundred (300) superficial spreading lesions were analyzed with respect to macroscopic type, lymph-node (LN) metastasis, recurrent pattern, survival rate and method of surgical operation. In addition, the clinicopathological features of the superficial spreading type were compared with those of 739 other patients with small-sized cancer. RESULTS: In both groups, the IIc-type macroscopic lesion, the elevated subtype to be more specific, occurred most frequently. There was no significant difference in the method of surgery between the groups. The submucosal invasion was 39.8% in small-sized cancer, and 61.7% in superficial spreading cancer (P=0.005). The incidence of LN metastasis was 11.3% in early gastric cancer, 7.8% in small-sized cancer and 20.0% in superficial spreading cancer (P=0.005). The incidence of lymphatic invasion was 4.6% in small-sized cancer and 13.0% in superficial spreading cancer (P=0.009). The incidence of recurrence was 1.4% in small-sized cancer and 3.6% in superficial spreading cancer. The overall 5-year survival rate was 84.8% in superficial spreading cancer and 93.0% in small-sized cancer (P=0.052). The 5-year disease- free survival rate was 94.7% in superficial spreading cancer and 87.5% in small-sized cancer (P=0.053). CONCLUSION: The superficial spreading type of early gastric cancer tends to be more invasive and to show a higher incidence of lymph-node metastasis than small-sized early gastric cancer. A wide resection with extensive lymph-node dissection seems to be an appropriate treatment for a superficial spreading type of early gastric cancer.
Follow-Up Studies ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Incidence ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Survival Rate ; Ulsan