OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to estimate the prevalence and possible risk factors of the metabolic syndrome in steel-mill workers, and to evaluate the relation between gamma-glutamyltransferase (gamma-GTP) and the metabolic syndrome. METHODS: The study subjects comprised 1,604 male steel-mill workers. The indices of metabolic syndrome, such as BMI, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and gamma-GTP were analyzed in each subject. We collected information about demographic characteristics, behavioral patterns, such as alcohol drinking, smoking, and exercise, and family medical history through a self-administered questionnaire. Statistical analysis was done by using the chi-square test, Mantel-Haenszel trend test and logistic regression model. RESULTS: The crude and age-adjusted prevalences of the metabolic syndrome were 21.3% and 15.5%, respectively, in the steel-mill workers. Age (OR: 1.063, 95% CI: 1.033-1.094), alcohol drinking (OR: 1.657, 95% CI: 1.175-2.337) and smoking (OR: 1.359, 95% CI: 1.017-1.816) were risk factors for the metabolic syndrome. Meanwhile, shift work showed a significant relation with hypertension (OR: 1.329, 95% CI: 1.038-1.700), but not with other metabolic syndrome components. However, tenure, exercise and family medical history were not significant factors for the metabolic syndrome in this study. The risk ratio of the metabolic syndrome (OR: 3.345, 95 % CI: 2.534-4.416) and its components, such as obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, hypertension and hyperglycemia, were higher in the high gamma-GTP group (> or =63 IU/ liter) than in the controls (<63 IU/liter). CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm the need for health education to control the metabolic syndrome by improving behavioral patterns, such as alcohol drinking and smoking, in factory workers. In addition, it is suggested that gamma-GTP might be a useful candidate in screening for the metabolic syndrome.
Alcohol Drinking ; Blood Pressure ; Fasting ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase ; Glucose ; Health Education ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Hypertension ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Obesity ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; Questionnaires ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Triglycerides

Recently the adenomaatous polyposis coli(APC) gene, a tumor suppressor gene, was identified and the cDNA was cloned from chromosome 5q21. Allelic deletion or point mutation of tumor suppressor genes(TSGs) has been considered as an important mechanism in development of human tumor. Point mutations affecting APC gene are seen in the hereditary syndrome, adenomatous polyposis and spordic colon cancer. However, the mutation of APC gene and other TSGs have not been described in gastric cancer. In order to identify the mutation of exon 11 of APC gene for gastric cancer, we amplified DNA extracted from paraffin-embedded tissues by polymerase chain reaction(PCR) and digested the PCR products with restriction enzyme Rsa I. We examined the DNA extracted from paraffin-embedded 44 gastric cancer tissues with lymph nodes. Eighteen(41%) among 44 were informative for the study exon 11 of the APC gene, and we found loss of heterozygosity(LOH) for APC in 6/18(33.3%). These data suggest that the point mutation or the base change of APC gene commonly occurs in gastric cancer. We conclude that the mutation of APC gene is strongly connected with development of human gastric cancer.
Humans ; Genes, Tumor Suppressor ; Stomach Neoplasms

No abstract available.
Osteosarcoma* ; Sphenoid Bone*

No abstract available.
Drainage* ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus*

Visual field defects being associated with severe closed head injury is well known. The nature and frequency of these association have been reported in a few literatures. Some hypotheses have been advanced to explain the field defects, but no prospective pathological study of the visual pathways in a large number of cases with closed head injury has been made. These hypotheses as to why vision is impaired after head injury have not explained most cases, if not at all. Authors have experienced a case of traumatic, complete bitemporal hemianopsia associated with macular sparing on the right and macular splitting on the left eye in 29 year old man. The patient had a head injury with traffic accident, which caused fractures of the frontal bone and orbital roofs. The various pathogenic possibilities of the chiasmal damage and consequent visual field defects are discussed.
Accidents, Traffic ; Adult ; Craniocerebral Trauma* ; Frontal Bone ; Head Injuries, Closed ; Head* ; Hemianopsia* ; Humans ; Orbit ; Visual Fields ; Visual Pathways

The patient is a 17 month old girl admitted to the Korea General Hospital with histories of irritability, walking disturbance and right sided weakness. On admission, she had seizure followed by coma. Skull x-ray showed widely separated all cranial sutures. A left carotid angiogram revealed a space occupying lesion in the left frontotemporoparietal region with shifting of the midline to the right. At operation, a darkish hemorrhagic tumor with relative clear demarcation was explored after evacuation of massive intracerebral hematoma. The tumor was extended to the midline. The main mass was removed with difficulty. Additional fragments of the necrotic tumor tissue infiltrated in the surrounding structures were also removed. It was not directly connected to or have invaded the ventricular wall. On microscopic examination, the tumor was largely made up of solid sheets and cords of round or ovoid cells with darkly stained nuclei. In areas, typical ependymal rosettes as well as pseudorosettes, gliomatous features and occasional formation of tubule are presented. We think the tumor represents those rare tumors called ependymoblastoma of Rubinstein.
Cerebral Hemorrhage* ; Coma ; Cranial Sutures ; Female ; Hematoma ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Infant ; Korea ; Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive* ; Seizures ; Skull ; Walking

Laser riidectomy with combined application of the Argon and the Nd-YAG laser was performed on 25 eyes of 24 patients with primary narrow angle glaucoma(19 eyes) or pupillary block glaucoma(6 eyes). Patients were followed for from a minimum of one month to maximum of six months and were evaluated the postoperative intraocular pressure, the iridectomy patency, the number of burst and the postoperative complication. In our study, the results obtained are as follows: 1. Pantency rates of iridectomy site were 100%. 2. Postoperative intraocular pressure were well controlled except one eye. 3. Numbers of burst were obviously decreased. 4. The bleeding during the iridectomy was noted in one eye(4%). 5. Immediate postoperative intraocular pressure elevation was seen in one eye(4%).
Argon* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Iridectomy* ; Lasers, Solid-State* ; Postoperative Complications

Laser riidectomy with combined application of the Argon and the Nd-YAG laser was performed on 25 eyes of 24 patients with primary narrow angle glaucoma(19 eyes) or pupillary block glaucoma(6 eyes). Patients were followed for from a minimum of one month to maximum of six months and were evaluated the postoperative intraocular pressure, the iridectomy patency, the number of burst and the postoperative complication. In our study, the results obtained are as follows: 1. Pantency rates of iridectomy site were 100%. 2. Postoperative intraocular pressure were well controlled except one eye. 3. Numbers of burst were obviously decreased. 4. The bleeding during the iridectomy was noted in one eye(4%). 5. Immediate postoperative intraocular pressure elevation was seen in one eye(4%).
Argon* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure ; Iridectomy* ; Lasers, Solid-State* ; Postoperative Complications

The vast majority of schwannomas occur on cranial nerves, and rarely in the retroperitoneum. Solitary schwannoma in the psoas muscle is extremely rare. The authors present a case of retroperitoneal neoplasm in the psoas muscle identified as schwannoma which is not associated with von Recklinghausen's disease. A 68 years old female patient was admitted because of low back pain and weakness at the left leg. CT and MRI revealed a large cystic mass with well-defined margin and multiple internal septation within the left psoas muscle. The tumor was totally extirpated and histologically confirmed as a schwannoma.
Aged ; Cranial Nerves ; Female ; Humans ; Leg ; Low Back Pain ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neurilemmoma* ; Neurofibromatosis 1 ; Psoas Muscles* ; Retroperitoneal Neoplasms

OBJECTIVES: Hearing loss disrupts the balance of auditory-somatosensory inputs in the cochlear nucleus (CN) of the brainstem, which has been suggested to be a mechanism of tinnitus. This disruption results from maladaptive auditory-somatosensory plasticity, which is a form of axonal sprouting. Axonal sprouting is promoted by transforming growth factor (TGF)-β signaling, which can be inhibited by losartan. We investigated whether losartan prevents maladaptive auditory-somatosensory plasticity after hearing loss. METHODS: The study consisted of two stages: determining the time course of auditory-somatosensory plasticity following hearing loss and preventing auditory-somatosensory plasticity using losartan. In the first stage, rats were randomly divided into two groups: a control group that underwent a sham operation and a deaf group that underwent cochlea ablation on the left side. CNs were harvested 1 and 2 weeks after surgery. In the second stage, rats were randomly divided into either a saline group that underwent cochlear ablation on the left side and received normal saline or a losartan group that underwent cochlear ablation on the left side and received losartan. CNs were harvested 2 weeks after surgery. Hearing was estimated with auditory brainstem responses (ABRs). Western blotting was performed for vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (VGLUT1), reflecting auditory input; vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (VGLUT2), reflecting somatosensory input; growth-associated protein 43 (GAP-43), reflecting axonal sprouting; and p-Smad2/3. RESULTS: Baseline ABR thresholds before surgery ranged from 20 to 35 dB sound pressure level. After cochlear ablation, ABR thresholds were higher than 80 dB. In the first experiment, VGLUT2/VGLUT1 ratios did not differ significantly between the control and deaf groups 1 week after surgery. At 2 weeks after surgery, the deaf group had a significantly higher VGLUT2/VGLUT1 ratio compared to the control group. In the second experiment, the losartan group had a significantly lower VGLUT2/VGLUT1 ratio along with significantly lower p-Smad3 and GAP-43 levels compared to the saline group. CONCLUSION: Losartan might prevent axonal sprouting after hearing loss by blocking TGF-β signaling thereby preventing maladaptive auditory-somatosensory plasticity.
Animals ; Axons ; Blotting, Western ; Brain Stem ; Cochlea ; Cochlear Nucleus ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem ; GAP-43 Protein ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing ; Losartan ; Plastics ; Rats ; Tinnitus ; Transforming Growth Factors ; Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 1 ; Vesicular Glutamate Transport Protein 2