No abstract available.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome*

No abstract available.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome*

OBJECTIVES: This study intended to determine significant factors that influence the health-related quality of life ("HRQoL"; EuroQol 5 Dimension health-related quality of life (EQ_5D) & EuroQol visual analogue scale (EQ_VAS)) of the elderly in Korea. METHODS: This study was based on 3,903 subjects aged 65 years or more who participated in the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V), 2010~2012. The HRQoL was analyzed by various factors (general characteristics, health habits, mental health, chronic diseases, nutrient intakes). SPSS statistics for complex samples (Windows ver. 21.0) was used. RESULTS: The HRQoL was higher in the males, those with higher educational level or higher income level while it was lower in those belong to single households. In particular, the EQ_5D was significantly higher in the group who reported walking practice, moderate physical activity (male), and the group who reported no vigorous physical activity (female). The EQ_VAS was significantly higher in the group who reported walking practice. Both EQ_5D and EQ_VAS were significantly lower in the group with stress, melancholy, suicidal thinking, and osteoarthritis. EQ_5D was significantly lower in the group with < 75% Estimated Energy Requirements (EER) in energy intake, and with < Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) in iron or niacin intake. A stepwise regression analysis revealed that i) higher educational level (male), and good self-rated health status significantly increased the EQ_5D, ii) age, alcohol intake (male), melancholy (female), suicidal thinking, osteoarthritis, and niacin intake deficiency (male) significantly decreased the EQ_5D, iii) higher income level (male) and good self-rated health status significantly increased the EQ_VAS, and iv) age (male), stress, suicidal thinking (female) and osteoarthritis significantly decreased the EQ_VAS. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that general characteristics, mental health, osteoarthritis, and niacin intake were associated with the HRQoL. Prospective research of long-term control is needed to establish the causal relationship between factors and the HRQoL.
Aged* ; Chronic Disease* ; Energy Intake ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Iron ; Korea ; Male ; Mental Health* ; Motor Activity ; Niacin ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Osteoarthritis ; Quality of Life* ; Thinking ; Walking

Three hormonal systems show decreasing circulating hormone concentrations during normal aging : (1) estrogen(in menopause), and testosterone (in andropause), (2) dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate (in adrenopause), and (3) the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor 1 axis (in somatopause). Throughout the adult life, all physiological functions gradually decline. There is a diminishing capacity for cellular protein synthesis, an decline in immune function, an increase in fat mass, a loss of muscle mass and strength, and a decrease in bone mineral density. Physical changes during aging have been considered physiologic, but there is evidence that some of these changes are related to the decline in the hormonal activity. Various hormonal replacement strategies have been developed, but many of their aspects remain controversial, and increased blood hormone levels in aging individuals to those found during the mid-adult life have not been uniformly proven to be safe and of benefit.
Adult ; Aging* ; Bone Density ; Dehydroepiandrosterone ; Female ; Hormone Replacement Therapy* ; Humans ; Menopause ; Testosterone

No abstract available.
Insurance* ; Korea* ; Societies, Medical*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive*

The adult trematode, Fasciola hepatica and Eurytrema pancreaticum, employed in this experiment were obtained from the cattle slaughtered at the local abbatoir. The worms were selected and washed several times in normal sterilized saline solution. Each ten of intact F. hepatica and about thirty to fifty of E. pancreaticum were incubated in 50 cc volume of special incubation flasks with incubation medium consisting of 50 cc of Krebs-Ringer phosohate buffer (pH 7.4). The incubation medium was added C(14)-lactate and non-radioactive carrier Na-lactate so as to contain lactate concentration of 32 mg per cent. The worms were allowed to incubate for 3 hours in the Dubnoff metabolic shaking incubator at 38 C. After incubation period, respiratory CO(2) samples from central wall of incubation flask were analysed for total CO(2) production rate and their specific activity of respiratory CO(2). The lactate uptake rate was determined by analyzing the the difference between lactate concentration in a medium before and after the incubation period, and the pyruvate appearance rate was dertermined by analyzing the pyruvate concentration in a medium after incubation. The glycogen samples isolated from worms were analyzed for the tissue concentration and their radioactivities in order to determine the turnover rate of glycogen pool. Radioactivities of these serise of experiment were counted by an endwindow Geiger-Muller counter as an infinitely thin samples. The quantative analysis of C(14)-lactate utilized by F. hepatica and E. pancreaticum were summerized and compared as following. In F. hepatica the lactate uptake rate was a mean value of 1.04+/-0.15 micromole/hr/g of wet wt. and pyruvate apperance rate was a mean value of 0.132+/-0.005 micro-mole/hr/g of wet wt. The total CO(2) production rate by the flukes averaged 13.82+/-0.75 micro-mole/hr/g of wet wt. The relative specific activities of respiratory CO(2) showed a mean value of 9.93+/-0.62 per cent. The rate of CO(2) production derived from medium C(14)-lactate was a mean of 1.38+/-0.13 micro-mole/hr/g of wet wt. Therefore the averge value of 55.27+/-5.78 per cent (R.L.D. CO(2)) and 15.35+/-1.90 per cent (R.L.D. pyr) of lactate was oxidized into respiratory CO(2) and pyruvate respectively. On the other hand, in E. pancreaticum the lactate uptake rate was a mean value of 0.61+/-0.18 micromole/hr/g of wet wt, and pyruvate appearance rate was a mean of 0.023+/-0.001 micromole/hr/g of wet wt. The total CO(2) production rate by the E. pancreaticum averaged 4.29+/-0.85 micromole/hr/g of wet wt. The relative specific activity of respiratory CO(2) (R.S.A CO2) showed a mean value of 9.20+/-0.34 per cent. Thus, a mean value of 9.20 per cent of total CO(2) production rates was originated from C14-lactate in a medium, therefore the rate of CO(2) production derived from medium C(14)-lactate was a mean value of 0.40+/-0.10 micromole/hr/g of wet wt. The average value of 23.93+/-7.11 per cent(R.L.D. CO(2)) and 3.86+/-0.45 per cent(R.L.D. pyr) of lactate was oxidized into respiratory CO(2) and pyruvate respectively. The tissue concentration of glycogen in F. hepatica was a mean of 2.63 per cent/g of wet wt, while in E. pancreaticum was a mean of 4.06 per cent/g of wet wt. The turnover rate of glycogen pool in F. hepatica yielded a value of 0.073+/-0.008 micromole/hr/g of wet wt whereas in E. pancreaticum yielded only a mean of 0.006+/-0.002 mg/hr/g of wet wt. Therefore, the half time of glycogen turnover, which is the time interval required to replace the half of glycogen pool with medium C(14)-lactate, gave value of a mean of 10.73+_0.76 days in F. hepatica. However, incorporation of C(14)-lactate into glycogen was negligible in the E. pancreaticum. Theses data impressed that the carbohydrate such as lactate may play a role of major part of their oxidative metabolism in F. hepatica, whereas minor part of lactate participates in the oxidative metabolism in E. pancreaticum.
parasitology-helminth-trematoda ; Fasciola hepatica ; Eurytrema pancreaticum ; autoradiography ; biochemistry ; pyruvate ; lactate ; glycogen ; metabolism ; Krebs-Rigner phosphate buffer

An improved protocol for in situ hybridization(ISH) to routinely processed, paraffin-embedded tissue sections from lung carcinoma is presented. For this study, DNA probes for alpha-satellite chromosome 7 and 17 were used. The protocol to detect numerical chromosome aberrations involved treatment of sections with 1 M sodium thiocyanate prior to pepsin digestion, resulting in reproducible ISH reactions. The effect of avidin-biotin detection system. Four layer avidin methods and triple biotin methods, using avidin-PO, goat antiavidin, biotinylated antigoat IgG, avidin-PO or anti-biotin, biotinylated antirabbit IgG, avidin-PO, markedly enhanced the intensity of positive signals. More than 80% of the tumor and stromal cells showed distinct chromosome hybridization signals in 6 micrometer-thick sections. Lung carcinoma cells showed multiple chromosome signals(2~5 spots), contrasted by one or two signals in the stromal cells in the same section. These results suggest that chromosome polysomy can be reliably detected in tissue sections using in situ hybridization. This capability will prove to be an important tool for determining the underlying genetic basis for tumor development, tissue phenotype heterogeneity and progression by allowing genetic determination to be made on paraffin-embedded tissue sections where tumor histologic architecture is preserved.

The author investigated 100 hypertensive patients (199 eyes) on their brachial blood pressure, ophthalmic blood pressure, Fritz's index, sclerotic changes in retinal vessels, and P.S.P. test. The vascular changes of the retina were classified according to the Keith-Wagener scheme, and the sclerotic changes were represented by the point system. For the evaluation of circulatory status of the carotid system, r(s)/r(d)-carotis ratio and cerebrovascular resistance (CVR) were also calculated. The relationships between these data were studied and their results were as follows: (1) There was a linear correlation between mean ophthalmic blood pressure and mean brachial blood pressure, the correlation coefficient being plus 0.83. (2) There was also a linear relationship between fundus changes and mean ophthalmic blood pressure. The more advanced the grade of Keith-Wagener classification and the sclerotic changes, the higher the mean ophthalmic blood pressure. The rise of the mean ophthalmic blood pressure as more marked in K-W grade III, IV, and in grade IV sclerosis. (3) There was a close relationship between P.S.P. test, mean ophthalmic blood pressure and brachial blood pressure. The renal function was disturbed in patients with higher mean ophthalmic blood pressure. (4) The decrease of r(s)/r(d) carotis was always accompanied by the increase of Fritz's index, severity of sclerotic changes in the retina and advancement of the grade of K-W classification. (5) In patients with normal P.S.P. value, there was no single case of advanced sclerosis (more than 10 points of sclerosis). r(s)/r(d) carotis ratio was generally over 1.0. In patients with low P.S.P. value, however, the retinal vascular sclerosis shoshowed more marked changes, and r(s)/r(d) carotis ratio failed below 1.0. (6) Generally, there was a tendency of the increase in the CVR in accordance with the increase in Fritz's index and sclerotic changes. Moreover, functional disturbance of the kidney was usually associated with higher CVR. (7) The author proposed the possibilities that CVR value more than 0.5 or r(s)/r(d)-carotis ratio below 1.0 might represent the advanced sign of vascular sclerosis, disturbance of kidney function.
Blood Pressure ; Classification ; Humans ; Kidney ; Retina ; Retinal Vessels ; Retinaldehyde ; Sclerosis*

The mineral contents of the adult Clonorchis sinensis from rabbits and human were measured, and its qualitative and semi-quantitative analyses were studied with 3.4 meter Ebert-Grating spectrograph, and its quantitative analyses were studied with Beckman DU spectrophotometer. The adult Clonorchis sinensis used in this study were divided into two groups, the first group was collected from the bile passage of the man (C. sinensis from man), the second group was collected from the bile passage of the rabbit(C. sinensis from rabbit). Simultaneously, spectrographic and photometric analyses were also performed on the adult worms of Paragonimus westermani. Furthermore, comparative spectrographic analyses of the trace elements were carried out on the C. sinensis from man, C. sinensis from rabbit, Fasciola hepatica, Eurytrema pancreaticum, and Paragonimus westermani, and the approximate contents of the trace elements of the above trematodes were compared with that of their host tissues and biles. The results obtained were as follows: In the spectrographic analyses of C. sinensis from man, sodium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, calcium, aluminum, iron, and magnesium were detected predominantly, and zinc, titanium, silicone, lead, manganese, barium, cromium, molybdenum, and silver were detected as trace elements. In the differences of level of the minerals in these two C. sinensis, copper level of C. sinensis from man was higher than that of C. sinensis from rabbit, while calcium level of the former worm was higher than that of the latter worm. The trace level of lead, molybdenum, and silver were acertained in the former, but latter were not detected . The contents of the minerals showed the characteristic features in each trematodes: the mineral of flukes in each host were much more than that of the others; such as copper in C. sinensis from man, calcium in the C. sinensis from rabbit, and silicone in the P. westermani. The vanadium was detected in the F. hepatica, E. pancreaticum, and P. westermani, while the other flukes were not detected. In the comparative spectrographic analyses of the trace elements among the trematodes and their host tissues and biles, the minerals which detected from flukes were also found in their tissues and biles of their host. But the mineral levels of C. sinensis from man, F. hepatica, E. pancreaticum, and P. westermani were higher than that of their host tissues and biles, except the C. sinensis from rabbit.
parasitology ; helminth ; trematoda ; C. sinensis ; rabbit ; Fasciola hepatica ; Eurytrema pancreaticum ; Paragonimus westermani ; biochemistry ; sodium ; phosphorus ; potassium ; copper ; calcium ; aluminum ; iron ; magnesium ; zinc ; titanium ; silicone ; lead ; manganese ; barium ; cromium ; molybdenum ; silver ; vanadium