BACKGROUND: As one of harm reduction strategies, tobacco manufacturers have begun to introduce lower-yield cigarettes. Lower-yield cigarettes, so called light cigarettes, have been perceived as less hazardous by some smokers. However, there have been very few studies concerning smoking lower yield products the lead to lower nicotine absorption. We evaluated the association between brand nicotine yield of cigarettes and actual nicotine intake by measuring urinary cotinine. METHODS: Four hundred sixty four male smokers aged 18 or over who participated in health check-ups in a hospital from May to October 2007 filled out a self-administered smoking questionnaire. Urinary cotinine concentration was measured at the time of participation. The subjects were divided into three groups (ultralight [nicotine: 0.05 mg], light [0.1 mg], and regular [> 0.1 mg] group) according to the level of brand nicotine yield of cigarettes which they smoked. RESULTS: The median urinary cotinine concentrations of ultralight (N = 62), light (N = 216), and regular (N = 186) groups were 735.5 ng/mL (interquartile range, 320 to 1,300 ng/mL), 956.0 ng/mL (429 to 1,491 ng/mL), and 1,067.5 ng/mL (615 to 1,613 ng/mL), respectively. There was a signifi cant difference in urinary cotinine between the regular and the other groups (P = 0.015). However, multiple logistic regression analysis to evaluate the risk of being in the highest quartile of urinary cotinine concentration (> or = 1,532 ng/mL) after adjusting for possible confounding variables showed that the odds ratios were 0.84 (95% CI, 0.52 to 1.37) in the light nicotine group and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.38 to1.72) in the ultralight nicotine group compared to the regular nicotine group. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference in the risk of elevated urinary cotinine concentrations in male adult smokers according to brand nicotine yield of cigarettes groups.
Absorption ; Adult ; Aged ; Androsterone ; Confounding Factors (Epidemiology) ; Cotinine ; Harm Reduction ; Humans ; Light ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Nicotine ; Odds Ratio ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Tobacco ; Tobacco Products

No abstract available.

BACKGROUND: The age-associated loss of subcutaneous fat with the accumulation of visceral fat consequently leads to several deleterious health outcomes such as dyslipidemia, insulin resistance, and metabolic syndrome. A recent research has shown that acute ultraviolet (UV) irradiation can reduce subcutaneous fat. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our study is to investigate whether chronic UV radiation can reduce subcutaneous fat, increase visceral fat, and lead to additional metabolic changes. METHODS: We analyzed the abdominal computed tomography images of the 98 subjects attending our health examination center to calculate the amount of subcutaneous fat and visceral fat. Questionnaire surveys were conducted to analyze the degree of daily UV exposure, sunscreen use, and physical activity. Weight, height, blood pressure (BP), liver function test, lipid profiles, and glucose metabolism were also assessed. RESULTS: In the analysis of covariance adjusted for age, sex, and physical activity, the visceral fat amount in the high UV exposure group was significantly higher than that in the low UV exposure group (p=0.043), and the subcutaneous/total fat ratio in the high UV group was significantly lower than that in the low UV group (p=0.048). The high UV group had higher levels of fasting insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, systolic BP, and diastolic BP than the low UV exposure group (p=0.039, 0.012, 0.004, and 0.002, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that chronic UV radiation could change body fat distribution and lead to additional changes, including changes in glucose metabolism and BP.
Blood Pressure ; Body Fat Distribution* ; Cross-Sectional Studies* ; Dyslipidemias ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Homeostasis ; Insulin ; Insulin Resistance ; Intra-Abdominal Fat ; Liver Function Tests ; Metabolism* ; Motor Activity ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to survey current status of research and scholarly activity of residency programs and to evaluate quality of education. METHODS: Questionnaire on research and scholarly activity were sent to all residency training programs by regular mail on May 2003. The questionnaire included detailed characteristics of residency programs, current status of conferences, educations for research activities, degree of faculty involvement, and numbers of published papers and presentations for past year. RESULTS: A total of 103 residency programs answered the questionnaire. Most of the programs held journal review, book review, and clinical review in regular bases as scholarly activities. Smaller than 50% of the programs held case review, chart review, and psycho- social conference in regular bases. As research activity, 40 programs offered educations on epidemiology and statistics, and 55 programs held critical review of the literatures. Faculties involve actively in residents' research project in the process of designing research questions and selecting the subjects, but less actively in the process of gathering informations, completing manuscripts, and preparing presentations. Degrees of faculty involvement were smaller in the programs which are connected with medical school, had only 1 faculty, and educational experiences of the faculty were insufficient. CONCLUSION: Current scholarly activities were active in various aspects, but psychosocial conference and chart audit should be encouraged. Special efforts are required in the research activities, especially in programs which were not connected with medical school and had only one faculty.
Congresses as Topic ; Education ; Epidemiology ; Family Practice ; Humans ; Internship and Residency* ; Korea ; Postal Service ; Schools, Medical

The masticatory function of tooth is maintained by the periodontal health, and periodontal health is also maintained by the masticatory function. Bite forces are withstanded by the PDL, and this thought to be through the viscoelastic theory. Mobility test and Bite force test are used to evaluate the viscoelastic theory of the PDL. In this study, the bite force test was used. In the same conditions of quantity of the supporting tissue, the maximum bite force according to the quality of the supporting tissue was evaluated. The study was conducted on 40 patients with moderate adult periodontitis, who were indications to the modified widman flap treatment. The maximum bite force in the premolar and molar regions were tested before treatment, 3weeks and 4 weeks after treatment. and the results were as follows. 1. In the premolar region, 3 weeks and 4 weeks after treatment showed higher maximum bite force than before treatment. And in the molar region the maximum bite force decreased 3 weeks after treatment, but increased after 4 weeks, compared to before treatment. 2. In the 1st premolar, there were only significant difference between before and 3 weeks after treatment, and between and 4 weeks after treatment. 3. In the 2nd premolar, there were only significant difference between before and 3 weeks after treatment, and between and 4 weeks after treatment. 4. In the 1st molar, there were no significant difference between before, 3 weeks after treatment, 4 weeks after treatment. 5. In the 2nd molar, there were no significant difference between before, 3 weeks after treatment, 4 weeks after treatment. From the results above, it shows that there were improvements in the maximum bite force through specific periodontal treatments, and thus it can be considered in clinical situations, that selection of the prosthodontic material, decisions of extraction, evaluation of the prognosis after periodontal treatment is a helpful method.
Bicuspid ; Bite Force* ; Chronic Periodontitis ; Humans ; Molar ; Prognosis ; Prosthodontics ; Tooth

The purpose of this study was to investigate whether early surgery benefits in the treatment of the patients with ruptured aneurysm by comparing the outcome in relation to the timing of surgery. The autho rs analyzed 81 patients with ruptured aneurysm who underwent operation during one year from January 1996 through December 1996. Among these, sixty patients(74%) underwent operation within 72 hours after first bleeding, and 21 patients (26%) after 72 hours following first bleeding. Thirtysix patients(82%) recovered without se rious neurological deficits in 44 patients with initial Hunt and Hess g rade I to III who were operated upon in early period, and four out of 16 patients with initial Hunt and Hess grade IV to V. Sixteen patients (84%) recovered without serious neurological deficits in 19 patients with initial Hunt and Hess grade I to III who received late operation but none in 2 patients in Hunt and Hess grade IV to V. Seven out of 60 (12%) patients died after early operation, one of 21(5%) patient died after late operation. The causes of morbidity were vasospasm (19 cases), rebleeding (5 cases), hydrocephalus (1 case) in early operation and vasospasm (2 cases), hydrocephalus (1 case) in late operation. It is concluded that early operation is mandatory even in the patients with poor clinical status prior to surgery since early aneurysmal surgery can minimize the chance of rebleeding, permit more aggressive treatment against vaso-spasm and improve the clinical outcome.
Aneurysm* ; Aneurysm, Ruptured ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus

Tuberculosis of the skull bone tuberculosis is a very rare disease. We report a case occurring in a 52 year-old male was referred to us because of headache and painful swelling in the right frontal area. Plain chest x-ray revealed fibrous, streaky, nodular, patchy opacities in the LUL together with pleural effusion. Plain skull x-ray and CT scan demonstrated osteolytic lesion in the right frontal bone; scanning showed hot uptake by the right frontal area, and this corresponding to skll findings revealed by plain film. After frontal craniotomy the involved bone flap and epidural abscess were removed. Pafthologically, typical granulomatous inflammation was seens; this was composed of caseation necrosis, epithelioid cells and surrounding lymphocytes and plasma cells.
Craniotomy ; Epidural Abscess ; Epithelioid Cells ; Frontal Bone ; Headache ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Necrosis ; Plasma Cells ; Pleural Effusion ; Rare Diseases ; Skull* ; Thorax ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tuberculosis* ; Tuberculosis, Osteoarticular

Tetrahydroisoquinoline(THI) alkaloids can be considered as cyclized derivatives of simple pthylamines and many of them, especially with 6,7-disubstitution, demonstrate relatively high affinity for catecholamines. In the present study, pharmacological action of limited series of THI has been examined using rat isolated atria and aorta. In addition, (H) prazosin displacement binding study with THI compounds using rat brain homogenates was performed to find out if these probes to have a-adrenoceptor affinity. In isolated rat atria, all THls and dobutamine increased heart rate and contractile force. In the presence of propranolol, the concentration response curves of YS 49 and YS 51 shifted to the right resulting in 8.07+0.84 and 7. 93+0.11 of pA values, respectively. The slope of each compound was not deviated from unity, indicating that these chemicals are highly competitive at the cardiac beta1-adrenoceptors. YS 49, YS 51 and higenamine showed alpha1- adrenoceptor affinity in rat brain in which the dissociation constant(K,) was 2.75, 2.81 and 1.02pM, respectively. It is concluded, therefore, that THI alkaloids have considerable affiniyt to alpha1-adrenoceptors in rat aorta and atria. while these probes show relatively high affinity for cardiac beta1-adrenoceptors. The authors speculate that it is worthy investigating whether these chemicals are useful in the management of vasospasm of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Alkaloids* ; Animals ; Aorta* ; Brain* ; Catecholamines ; Dobutamine ; Heart Rate ; Prazosin ; Propranolol ; Rats* ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; Vasodilation

OBJECTIVES: The present study aimed at confirming whether the previously reported rabbit vasospasm models are suitable to investigate the mechanisms of vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage(SAH) in human. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty rabbits were divided into 3 groups. The first one was the control group receiving no operation, and the second was the sham operation group, which received injection of 0.5ml/kg normal saline into cisterna magna, and the third was the SAH group, which received injection of 0.5ml/kg autologous arterial blood into the cisterna magna. Vertebrobasilar angiographies were followed up in the 12 rabbits that survived on the 2nd, 9th, and 16th days following the operation(9 rabbits in the SAH group, and 3 rabbits in the sham operation group). Baseline angiograms were obtained two days before the operation. The diameters of basilar artery on each days following the operation were measured and expressed as the percentage reduction compared with the initial basilar artery diameter. In 3 rabbits of the control group, vertebrobasilar angiographies were followed up on the same days as in the operation groups. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant differences in the size of the basilar artery among groups at sixteen days after cisternal injection(p=0.0450). On the second and ninth day after the operations, there was only the trend of the vasospasm of basilar artery(p=0.0687 and p=0.0812). The patterns of vasospasms were quite variable among rabbits. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that vasospasm developed with the injection of 0.5ml/kg autologous blood injection into the cisterna magna but the pattern of vasospasm did not follow those demonstrated in the previous reports of vasospasm in rabbit models. The mortality rate was lower than previously reported results of other experimental SAH models. These results suggested that studies of the rabbit model should be conducted individually. In order to improve the model for the application to human, the functional study of the spasmodic basilar artery after the injection of autologous blood into the cisterna magna seems mandatory in the rabbits.
Angiography ; Basilar Artery ; Cisterna Magna ; Humans ; Mortality ; Rabbits*

Cerebral amyloid angiopathy(CAA) is a nonspecific disease entity that has been associated with a number of neuropathologic conditions, the most prominent being dementia and cerebral hemorrhage. It occurs more commonly than is generally appreciated, with implications that may be overlooked. As amyloid deposits are found in the vessels of the leptomeninges and cerebral cortex, the location and size of the hematoma, with cortical and subarachnoid extension, help to differentiate amyloid angiopathy from other causes of intracerebral hemorrhage in the elderly. It has, in addition, characteristic pathological features, and the existence of these, together with the occurance of nontraumatic normotensive spontaneous primary cerebral hemorrhage in the elderly, should indicate the existence of CAA. The authors report a case of cerebral amyloid angiopathy-related intracerebral hemorrhage.
Aged ; Amyloid* ; Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy ; Cerebral Cortex ; Cerebral Hemorrhage* ; Dementia ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Plaque, Amyloid