BACKGROUND: The effect of Video Display Terminals(VDT) Syndrome is well documented. The purpose of this study is to examine the difference in systemic subjective symptoms between long term users of computers with that of the general population and to help plan to avoid the risk of developing Video Display Terminal Syndrome. METHOD: Data was collected for this study between August 1996 and February 1997. Two groups consisting of seventy(70) long term computer users(Exposed Subjects) and fifty nine(59) non users (Non Exposed Subjects), were selected for the survey. Data was gathered from the exposed subjects through their response to the survey questionnaire posted on the internet requiring detailed responses concerning ten systemic subjective symptoms that were experienced as a result of the long term exposure to VDT. Data was gathered from the non exposed subjects through written responses to the questionnaire. RESULTS: Among the more significant difference was the experience of ocular symptoms among the exposed group. The exposed group experienced in descending order eleven items of ocular symptoms. Congestion, strain, decreased visual acuity, ocular pain, and dryness. Among seven items of lifestyle, the exposed group characteristically exercised less(P<0.05) and did more home activity (P<0.05), characteristically lead healthier life than the non exposed group. Participation in exercise differed most among the groups. The exposed group participating in moderate exercise scored 517+/-551.6 compared to the non exposed group which exercised very vigorously(p<0.05). In comparison of subjective symptom and life styles per daily exposure time(over 8,10,16 hours daily) there was significant difference between 8 and 10hour exposers only in the stress item(P<0.05). In the exposure group there were less cardiovascular symptoms(P<0.05) due to more art activity(P<0.05), more cardiovascular symptoms and less sleep activity(P<0.001) and more ocular symptoms(P<0.05) due to higher levels of stress. CONCLUSIONS: By exercising, exposers can decrease the respiratory symptoms, and by seeking methods that enable efficient management of work time, the subjects can benefit from the reduced work time, and by seeking methods so that one receive less stress and can resolve them they can reduce their ocular symptoms, sleep problems, cardiovascular symptoms. And in their spare time, the subjects can be recommended to involve in art activity for each person, through PC indirectly. Designing the development of cyber gallery, museum, literature room, concert can reduce the oecur-rence rate of cardiovascular symptoms.
Computer Terminals ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Humans ; Internet ; Life Style* ; Museums ; Visual Acuity ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Corpus Callosum*

PURPOSE: An inflammatory mechanism has been suggested to contribute to the progression of diabetic nephropathy. Both retinoid and PPAR-gamma agonist, known anti-inflammatory agents, have been reported to be beneficial in diabetic nephropathy. Because they form heterodimer for transcription within the nucleus, we investigated the effect of a combination treatment with them in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. METHODS: STZ-induced diabetic rats were treated with retinoid and PPAR-gamma agonist. The effects were determined by measuring urinary monocyte chemoattractant peptide (MCP)-1, proteinuria, and intrarenal ED-1 expression. RESULTS: Blood glucose concentration was higher in diabetic rats than in control rats. Retinoid and PPAR-gamma agonist did not affect blood glucose concentration. Urinary protein excretion (8.6+/-0.69 vs. 22.1 mg/mgCr, p<0.01) and urinary MCP-1 (19.8+/-3.4 vs. 61.5+/-6.1 pg/mgCr, p<0.01) were significantly higher in diabetic rats at four weeks after the induction of diabetes compared with controls. Proteinuria in the group with retinoic acid (16.9+/-1.4, mg/mgCr, p<0.05) and PPAR-gamma agonist (14.6+/-1.5 mg/mgCr, p<0.05) were decreased. Retinoic acid (42.2+/-2.7 pg/mgCr, p<0.05) and PPAR-gamma agonist (40.5+/-pg/ mgCr, p<0.05) significantly suppressed MCP-1 level in diabetic rats. However, combination treatment was not effective to proteinuria and urinary MCP-1 concentration. Urinary protein excretion was significantly correlated with MCP-1 (r=0.9, p<0.01). Immunohistochemistry revealed a significant increase in staining for ED-1 protein in the diabetic kidneys. Both retinoid and PPAR-gamma agonist significantly suppressed intrarenal ED-1 synthesis. However combination treatment didn't show any additional beneficial effects. CONCLUSION: Both retinoic acid and PPAR-gamma agonist suppressed proteinuria and inflammatory changes in diabetic rats. However, there were no additional effects of the combination treatment present. Further research is needed to determine the effect of the combination treatment on diabetic nephropathy.
Animals ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents ; Blood Glucose ; Diabetic Nephropathies* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Inflammation ; Kidney ; Monocytes ; Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptors* ; Peroxisomes* ; Proteinuria ; Rats ; Retinoids ; Streptozocin ; Tretinoin

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to examine whether melatonin has a neuroprotective effect against hippocampal neuronal damage following transient global ischemia in a gerbil. Polyamine is known to play a role in the pathophysiology of ischemic neuronal damage, we evaluated the influences of melatonin on the polyamine level as well as histology. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Male Mongolian gerbils (60-80 g) were used in this study. Transient global ischemia was induced by occlusion of the bilateral common carotid arteries for 3 min with microclips. Melatonin was administered immediately after occlusion. The animals were decapitated 24 h after the occlusion for polyamine measurement by a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and 4 days after the occlusion for histological evaluation (hematoxylin and eosin staining). A histological examination was performed by a blinded investigator. RESULTS: The hippocampal putrescine level increased compared to sham-operated animals and the increase of putrescine was attenuated by 20 mg/kg melatonin administration. Spermidine and spermine levels didn't show significant changes after ischemia. Hippocampal neuronal damage in the CA1 region was markedly observed in vehicle-treated animals compared to sham-operated animals. Melatonin administration (10 or 20 mg/kg) significantly inhibited hippocampal CA1 neuronal damage after ischemia compared to corresponding vehicle-treated animals (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSION: Melatonin attenuates the putrescine level after transient global ischemia and may have putative neuroprotective effects against global ischemia induced neuronal damage.
Animals ; Brain* ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Eosine Yellowish-(YS) ; Gerbillinae* ; Hippocampus ; Humans ; Ischemia* ; Male ; Melatonin* ; Neurons* ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Putrescine ; Research Personnel ; Spermidine ; Spermine

PURPOSE: Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pineal gland. Melatonin has many pharmacological effects in different tissues or organs. Melatonin is especially known to have antioxidant and neuroprotective effects. Hypothermia is a therapeutic tool against hypoxia-ischemia (HI) of the brain. This study examines the effect of combined therapy using melatonin and hypothermia in neonatal rats with HI. METHODS: Seven-day old rats were subjected to HI and randomized into four groups : vehicle, melatonin alone, vehicle and hypothermia, and melatonin and hypothermia. Melatonin (30 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally administered in two doses: immediately following HI, and 24 h later. Hypothermia consisted of whole-body cooling (3 hours, 27degrees C). Sham-treated animals not subjected to HI were also studied. P10, P14, and P35 rats were sacrificed for experiments. RESULTS: Vehicle-treated P10 rats increased in brain infarction compared to controls in TTC staining study. And also, P35 rats decreased in brain volume of injured hemisphere in H&E stain. Melatonin or hypothermia alone did not show any protective effect against HI. However, a combination of melatonin and hypothermia effectively reduced the brain injury. In addition, the results of in situ zymography, TUNEL assay and immunofluorescence studies showed that neuroprotective effects were achieved only with combined therapy. CONCLUSION: Melatonin may contribute to synergistic effects to neuroprotection of hypothermia on brain damage after HI.
Animals ; Brain ; Brain Infarction ; Brain Injuries* ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Hypothermia* ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Melatonin* ; Neuroprotective Agents ; Pineal Gland ; Rats*

PURPOSE: To report the outcome of using expandable metallic stent in the management of malignanttracheobronchial stenosis with dyspnea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Under fluoroscopic and bronchoscopic guidance,seven patients with malignant airway stenosis were treated with ten expandable metallic stents. The cause ofstenosis was metastasis from esophageal cancer in five patients, recurrent adenoid cystic carcinoma of the tracheain one, and primary lung cancer in one. The major sites of obstruction were the trachea in four patients, the leftmain bronchus in one, the trachea and left main bronchus in one, and the trachea and both bronchi in one. Chestradiography(n=7), bronchoscopy(n=5), pulmonary function test(PFT)(n=3), and spirometry(n=1) were performed beforeand after stent placement. RESULTS: In all seven patients, the stent was successfully placed at the lesion sitesand dyspnea began to improve immediately. After the procedure, chest radiography and bronchoscopy showed anincrease in airway diameter. After stent placement, forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume inone second(FEV1) improved 53% and 56%, respectively. Peak flow velocity also changed from 46 L/min to 200 L/min.During median follow-up of 67(41-1565)days, one stent migration occurred. In one patient, proximal tumorovergrowth occurred, and in one, tumor ingrowth was treated with balloon dilatation. CONCLUSION: For in thepalliative treatment of malignant tracheobronchial stenosis with dyspnea, placement of expandable metal steuts issafe and effective.
Bronchi ; Bronchoscopy ; Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Dilatation ; Dyspnea ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; Follow-Up Studies ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Palliative Care* ; Radiography ; Stents* ; Thorax ; Trachea ; Vital Capacity

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the effects of norepinephrine on the potassium currents of rat medial vestibular nuclear neurons by using the whole-cell patch clamp technique. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats aged 14 to 16 days were anesthetized with ether and decapitated. After enzymatic digestion, the portion of the medial vestibular nucleus neurons were obtained by micropunching. The dissociated neurons were transferred into a recording chamber mounted on an inverted microscope and potassium currents were recorded by standard patch-clamp techniques under voltage-clamp modes. RESULTS: Norepinephrine inhibited the whole potassium currents of the medial vestibular nuclear neurons. Outward potassium currents were more suppressed in 4 mM 4-aminopyridine and norepinephrine added solutions than 4 mM 4-aminopyridine only, but were not suppressed in 10 mM tetraethylammonium and norepinephrine added solutions compared to 10 mM tetraethylammonium only. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that norepinephrine blocks the delayed rectifier potassium channels in medial vestibular nuclear neurons.
4-Aminopyridine ; Animals ; Delayed Rectifier Potassium Channels ; Digestion ; Ether ; Neurons* ; Norepinephrine* ; Patch-Clamp Techniques ; Potassium* ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tetraethylammonium ; Vestibular Nuclei

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety and the clinical efficacy of the laparoscopic myomectomy through analyzing several operation factors. METHODS: There were 185 cases of laparoscopic myomectomy between January 2004 and December 2008 at the department of obstetrics and gynecology in Hanyang University Guri Hospital. Retrospectively many factors of the operation were analyzed. The factors include the size, number and type of the myoma, BMI (body mass index), operation method, operation time, and complication and the prognosis of the operation. RESULTS: For the type of myomas, 115 (62.2%) cases were intramural myomas, 38 (20.5%) cases were subserosal types and 32 (17.3%) cases were mixed types. The average diameter of the biggest myoma was 6.67+/-0.16 cm (range, 2.5~15 cm) and the average number of the myoma was 2.07+/-0.15 (range, 1~15). Previous operation history and pelvic adhesion did not show correlation with the operation time. The size, type and number of myoma and the operation methods showed correlation with the operation time. According to myoma size and number, we divided the cases into two groups, low risk group (122 cases) and high risk group (63 cases). The analysis showed that post-operation hemoglobin drop (2.89+/-0.10 g/dL vs. 4.03+/-0.23 g/dL) and blood transfusion amount (2.89+/-0.10 pints vs. 4.03+/-0.23 pints) as well as the operation time (137.58+/-4.37 min vs. 193.73+/-9.88 min) showed noticeable increase in the high risk group. CONCLUSION: This statistics show that laparoscopic myomectomy is now being applied to patients with larger and more myomas. Factors affecting operation time were the weight of myomas, number of myomas, type of myomas, number of trocars and methods of resected myomas removal. Also, operation time and post-operative hemoglobin drop increased in the high risk group.
Blood Transfusion ; Gynecology ; Hemoglobins ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Myoma ; Obstetrics ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Surgical Instruments

BACKGROUND: Aldosterone induces renal injury independent of angiotensin II. This harmful effect might be mediated via inflammatory reaction. Aldosterone receptor blockade can retard renal damage in various renal diseases including diabetic nephropathy. However, it is not clear which mechanism is related to the beneficial effect of aldosterone receptor blockade in diabetic nephropathy. Therefore, we investigated whether aldosterone receptor blockade, spironolactone, inhibited inflammatory changes in Otsuka Long-Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats, a model of type 2 diabetes. METHODS: To determine the inflammatory effects, urinary MCP-1 protein was measured by ELISA, and intrarenal MCP-1 mRNA and ED-1 expression were examined by RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry, respectively. RESULTS: Blood glucose concentration were higher in diabetic rats than in control rats. Urinary protein excretion was significantly higher in diabetic rats compared with controls since twenty weeks, and proteinuria of the diabetic rats was decreased by spironolactone treatment. Urinary excretion of monocyte chemoattractant peptide-1 (MCP-1) was rapidly increased at the early period in diabetic rats. Spironolactone suppressed urinary level of MCP-1 compared to untreated diabetic rats. Immunohistochemistry revealed a significant increase in ED-1 staining in the diabetic kidney, and spironolactone treatment significantly suppressed intrarenal ED-1 expression in diabetic rats. CONCLUSION: Aldosterone receptor blockade, spironolactone, suppressed proteinuria and inflammatory changes in diabetic rats. These results suggest that spironolactone may have an anti-inflammatory effect in diabetic nephropathy.
Aldosterone* ; Angiotensin II ; Animals ; Blood Glucose ; Diabetic Nephropathies* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Immunohistochemistry ; Inflammation ; Kidney ; Monocytes ; Proteinuria ; Rats ; Receptors, Mineralocorticoid* ; RNA, Messenger ; Spironolactone

There are some clinical evidences that hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection may cause IgA nephropathy. To evaluate clinical significances and pathogenetic roles of HBV infection in patients with IgA nephropathy, we studied that varius clinical and lab- oratory findings in 172 patients with IgA nephrop-athy as serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive (19 cases) and negative group (153 cases). The result was as following: 1) The incidence of positive serum HRsAg was 11.0%(19/172 cases) in patients with IgA nephropathy and it was higher than that of the randomized age-sex matched general population(4.1%) but has no significance statistically. 2) There was no significant differences in incidence of hypertension, serum levels of IgA, C3, SGOT, SGFf between HBsAg postive and negative group. 3) The cases of nephrotic range proteinuria (3.5g/ day) was more prevalent in HBsAg positive group (31.6%) than that in negative group(7.2%). significantly (p<0.05). 4) The cases of impaired renal function (serum creatinine more than 1.4mg/dL) were more frequent in HBsAg positive group (42.19%) than that in neg-ative group (13.1%) significantly(p<0.05).
Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Creatinine ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA* ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Immunoglobulin A* ; Incidence ; Prognosis ; Proteinuria