BACKGROUND: Snoring is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. There has been little research done on the factors associated with snoring among adults by sex in Korea. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of habitual snoring in the Korean population and to evaluate its related factors by sex. METHODS: The study subjects were 2,007 volunteers aged 40-69 years who participated in regular health check-ups (male: 434, female: 1,573) from May to December in 2012. Standard interviews, anthropometrics and biochemical studies were conducted. Habitual snoring was defined as snoring more than 4 days per week. RESULTS: The prevalence of snoring in our sampling pool was 52.9% (male 61.6%, female 47.1%) and habitual snoring was 13.7% (male 21.1%, female 11.5%). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that habitual snoring was independently associated with sex, age, hypertension and body mass index (P<0.05). Fatty liver was independently associated with habitual snoring in males whereas age, waist circumference and body mass index were independently associated with habitual snoring in females. CONCLUSIONS: Snoring and habitual snoring may be predisposing factors for cardiovascular disease. There are significant associations between habitual snoring and sex, age, alcohol use, hypertension and body mass index.
Adult ; Aged ; Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Fatty Liver ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors ; Snoring ; Waist Circumference

PURPOSE: To compare standard laparoscopy-assisted Billroth I gastrectomies including standard lymph node dissection (LABIG) with hand-assisted laparoscopic surgery with the HandPort system (HALS) for the removal of early gastric cancers (EGC). METHODS: A prospective study was performed on 26 patients of EGC at Ewha Womans University Mok-Dong Hospital from July 1999 to August 2001. Seventeen patients (Group L) received LABIG using conventional laparoscopy-assisted methods and 9 patients received LABIG using HALS (Group H). We used staplers for the anastomosis, and a standard D2 lymph node dissection was done with ultrasonic shears or electrocautery. RESULTS: In group L, pathologic reports revealed 14 EGC (stage IA 14 cases), and 3 pm cancers (stage IB 1 case, II 2 cases). In group H, there were 9 early gastric cancers (stage IA 8 cases, IB 1 case). Significant differences (P<0.05) were present between group L and H in regards to the number of harvested lymph nodes (30.8 vs 18.9), estimated blood loss (462.1 vs 286.7 ml) and postoperative transfusion amounts (0.59 vs 0 unit). There were no differences in the mean operating time, distance from the lesion to the resection margin, postoperative leukocyte count, frequencies for pain control, wound size, time to diet, weight loss, serum protein, and postoperative hospital stay. Complications were present in 1 case in group L (enterocutaneous fistula) and 1 case in group H (gastric atony). There was one conversion to open surgery in group H. CONCLUSION: LABIG including standard lymph node dissections with both standard laparoscopic surgery and HALS were performed with equal outcome. The choice of surgical method depends on the characteristics of the lesion and the patient's physical factors.
Conversion to Open Surgery ; Diet, Reducing ; Electrocoagulation ; Female ; Gastrectomy* ; Gastroenterostomy* ; Hand-Assisted Laparoscopy* ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Leukocyte Count ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Prospective Studies* ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Ultrasonics ; Wounds and Injuries

No abstract available.
Aged* ; Humans ; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors* ; Hypercholesterolemia*

No abstract available.
Immunocompromised Host* ; Trichosporon*

No abstract available.
Goats* ; Skeleton*

Forty-five patients with primary neoplasm of the spine, disgnosed and operated at Dept. of Orthopedic Surgery, Seoul National University Hospital, from 1970 to 1988, were reviewed in an attempt to analyze the incidence of the primary spine tumors and effectiveness of surgical treatment. Mean follow-up was 2.5 years. Among 29 benign tumors, 7 cases of osteoid osteoma, 6 cases of giant cell tumor, 4 cases of osteoblastoma and aneurysmal bone cyst, and 2 cases of fibrous dysplasia and osteochondroma, and others were identified. Of 16 malignant tumors, 6 cases of eosinophilic granuloms, 4 cases of chordoma, 3 cases of solitary plasmacytoms, and others were noted. 17 cases occurred in the anterior compartment, 18 cases in the posterior compartment, and 10 cases involved both compartments. Surgical treatment consisted of complete or near complete excision, decompression, and additional stabilization procedure when the stability of the vertebral column was compromised. Stablization was achieved either by fusion, strut bone graft, or by additional Zielke, Cotrel-Dubousset, or Luque-Harringtion instrumentation. The results were astisfactory in most of the cases with benign tumors except cases of giant cell tumor. The results in malignant tumor were satisfactory especially in eosinophilic granuloma and solitary plasmacytoma with respects to symptoms and survival, and this fact was attaibuted to good response to adjuvant chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Recent application of Cotrol-Dubousset or Zielke instrumentation after agressive resection made early ambulation a clinical reality.
Aneurysm ; Bone Cysts ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Chordoma ; Decompression ; Early Ambulation ; Eosinophilic Granuloma ; Eosinophils ; Follow-Up Studies ; Giant Cell Tumors ; Humans ; Incidence ; Orthopedics ; Osteoblastoma ; Osteochondroma ; Osteoma, Osteoid ; Plasmacytoma ; Seoul ; Spine ; Transplants

The appendiceal mucocele is very rare disease of 0.2% incidence. About 24% of patients are asymptomatic and symptomatic patients present with pain in the right lower quadrant of abdomen in 64%, plapable maas in the right lower quadrant of abdomen in 50%, and rarely, melena, hematochezia, anemia, diarrhea, malaise, and abdominal distension. The gastrointestinal bleeding may be presented in the patient with intussusception, but the massive bleeding is generally absent. We report a case of appendiceal mucocele accompanying with gastrointestinal bleeding and review of literature.
Abdomen ; Anemia ; Diarrhea ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intussusception ; Melena ; Mucocele* ; Rare Diseases

Primary gastrointestinal lymphoma primarily confined to gastrointestinal tract is relatively rare diaease. Although the lymphoma primarily involved colorectum or small bowel was commonly reported than primary gastric lymphoma in Korea, the concurrent primary lymphoma of colon and small bowel is very rare in reported cases. We report a case of combined primary malignant lymphoma of the jejunum and cecum, who was admitted due to melena and anemia. She had right hemicolectomy and end-to-side ileotransverse colostomy at 2 months ago, due to primary colon lymphoma. The laparotomy was performed and identified hard, 2 x 3 cm sized masses on distal 25 cm, 80 cm and 150 cm from the Treitz ligament. The histology of these small ma showed histiocytic lymphoma as same as cecal specimen. In general, the small bowel lymphoma shaws poor prognosis than gastric or colorectal lymphoma due to diffieulty in diagnosis and late symptoms, but this problem could be resolved through the knowledge about primary gastrointestinal lymphoma and the development of diagnostic methods.
Anemia ; Cecum ; Colon* ; Colostomy ; Diagnosis ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Jejunum ; Korea ; Laparotomy ; Ligaments ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; Melena ; Prognosis

PURPOSE: Residual head tilt has been reported in patients with superior oblique muscle palsy (SOP) after surgery to weaken the inferior oblique (IO) muscle. The treatments for these patients have not received appropriate attention. In this study, we evaluated the superior rectus (SR) muscle recession as a surgical treatment. METHODS: The medical records of 12 patients with SOP were retrospectively reviewed. Each of these patients had unilateral SR muscle recession for residual head tilt after IO muscle weakening due to SOP. The residual torticollis was classified into three groups on the basis of severity: mild, moderate, or severe. Both IO muscle overaction and vertical deviation, features of SOP, were evaluated in all patients. The severity of the preoperative and postoperative torticollis and vertical deviation were compared using a paired t-test and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: The torticollis improved in nine of 12 (75%) patients after SR muscle recession. The difference between the preoperative and postoperative severity of torticollis was statistically significant (p = 0.0008). After surgery, the mean vertical deviation was significantly reduced from 12.4 prism diopters to 1.3 prism diopters (p = 0.0003). CONCLUSIONS: Unilateral SR muscle recession is an effective method to correct residual head tilt after IO muscle weakening in patients with SOP. This surgical procedure is believed to decrease head tilt by reducing the vertical deviation and thereby the compensatory head tilt.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diplopia/*surgery ; Female ; Head Movements ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Oculomotor Muscles/*surgery ; Retrospective Studies ; Strabismus/*surgery ; Torticollis/*surgery ; Treatment Outcome ; Trochlear Nerve Diseases/*surgery

BACKGROUND: Most of the studies conducted have investigated the beneficial effects of ischemic preconditioning on normothermic myocardial ischemia. However, the effect of preconditioning could be attenuated through the use of multidose cold cardioplegia as practiced in contemporary clinical heart surgical procedures. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether preconditioning improves postischemic cardiac function in a model of 25 degrees C moderate hypothermic ischemic heart induced by cold cardioplegia in isolated rat hearts. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The isolated Sprague-Dawley rat hearts were randomly assigned to four groups. All hearts were perfused at 37 degrees C for 20 minutes with Krebs-Henseleit solution before the baseline hemodynamic data were obtained. Group 1 consisted of preconditioned hearts that received 3 minutes of global ischemic preconditioning at 37 degrees C, followed by 5 minutes of reperfusion before 120 minutes of cardioplegic arrest (n=6). Cold (4 degrees C) St. Thomas Hospital cardioplegia solution was infused to induce cardioplegic arrest. Maintaining the heart at 25 degrees C, infusion of the cardioplegia solution was repeated every 20 minutes throughout the 120 minutes of ischemic period. Group 2 consisted of control hearts that underwent no manipulations between the periods of equilibrium and 120 minutes of cardioplegic arrest (n=6). After 2 hours of cardioplegic arrest, Krebs solution was infused and hemodynamic data were obtained for 30 minutes (group 1, 2: cold cardioplegia group). Group 3 received two episodes of ischemic preconditioning before 30 min of 37 degrees C normothermic ischemia and 30 minutes of reperfusion (n=6). Group 4 served as ischemic controls for group 3 (group 3, 4: warm ischemia group). RESULT: Preconditioning did not influence parameters such as left ventricular systolic pressure (LVSP), left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP), rate-pressure product (RPP) and left ventricular dp/dt (LV dp/dt) in the cold cardioplegia group. (p=NS) However, preconditioning before warm ischemia attenuated the ischemia induced cardiac dysfunction, improving the LVSP, LVEDP, RPP, and LVdp/dt. Less leakage of CPK and LDH were observed in the ischemic preconditioning group compared to the control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Ischemic preconditioning improved postischemic cardiac function after warm ischemia, but did not protect cold cardioplegic hearts.
Animals ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiac Surgical Procedures ; Heart Arrest, Induced* ; Heart* ; Hemodynamics ; Ischemia ; Ischemic Preconditioning* ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Reperfusion ; Warm Ischemia