The dopamine D4 receptor gene has a hypervariable segment in the coding region charcterized by a varying number of 48bp repeats in exon III of the gene. Varying the numbers of repeated segments may change the length, structure, and function of the receptor, which makes this gene a possible candidate for variations in dopamine-related behaviors. such as alcoholism and drug abuse. We evaluated the dopamine D4 receptor genotype in male alcoholics and normal controls. All alcoholics and controls were unrelated and from the Korean population. Genotype and allele frequencies in 67 alcoholics were compared to 67 controls who were free of alcohol abuse. substance abuse. and major mental illness. No association was found between the dopamin D4 recepto allele and alcoholism. This result indicate that there is no association of the dopamine D4 receptor with alcoholism in Korean. Further systemized investigation to determine the role of dopamine D4 receptor gene in alcoholism with a larger sample size will be required.
Alcoholics ; Alcoholism* ; Alleles ; Clinical Coding ; Dopamine* ; Exons ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Receptors, Dopamine D4* ; Sample Size ; Substance-Related Disorders

Alcohol has extensive effects on sleep and daytime sleepiness. Alcohol has a sleep inducing effect and the effect of increased non-REM sleep and suppressed REM sleep during the first half portion of night sleep, but alcohol induces the effect of decreased non-REM sleep and increased light sleep and frequent awakenings and REM rebound during the second half portion of night sleep. Alcohol provokes chronobiological change such as the changes of amplitude or the phase shifts of hormones or core body temperature. The sleep disruption resulting from alcohol drinking may lead to daytime fatigue and sleepiness. The elderly are at particular in the increased risk of alcohol-related sleep disorders because they achieve higher levels of alcohol in the blood and brain than do younger adults after consuming an equivalent dose. Bedtime alcohol consumption among older adults may lead to unsteadiness if walking is attempted during the night, with increased risk of falls and injuries. Continued alcohol use for sleep induction often induces aggravation of insomnia, alcoholism or sleep related breathing disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea. Alcohol should not be used as substitution of sleep pill because of the dependence and tolerance for sleep inducing effect, and the sleep disruption produced by alcohol withdrawal.
Adult ; Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; Alcoholism ; Body Temperature ; Brain ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Respiration ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Sleep, REM ; Walking

No abstract available.
Femur* ; Phlebography* ; Prognosis*

OBJECTIVE: This study was performed to determine the prevalence and age-adjusted prevalence of anti-HCV antibody among the employees and their partners in Korea, and whether prevalence varies with job type. METHOD: The blood serum of 29, 278 people, employees and their partners aged between 20 and 60 residing in Seoul or Kyung-gee province, were tested with Immunoradiometric Assay (IRMA) method using third generation anti-HCV serum. RESULTS: Twenty-five among the 29, 278 people tested positive; a prevalence rate of 0.9 per 1, 000 (95% CI 0.6-1.3). The prevalences of different age groups were 0, 0.5, 1.3, and 4.2 per 1, 000 among the subjects in their 20s, 30s, 40s and 50s respectively, which shows the increasing rate of prevalence with age. Age adjusted prevalence among employees was 1.3 per 1, 000. The prevalences among different kinds of job were 1.9 per 1, 000 (95% CI: 0.5~7.0) for construction, 1.7 per 1, 000 (95% CI: 0.7~3.9) for finance, and 1.2 per 1, 000 (95% CI: 0.2~6.6) for telecommunication. No significant statistical difference was found in the prevalence according to job type(p>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Employees in Korea showed a lower prevalence rate of anti-HCV antibody than that of blood donors, health screening examinees and the general population. This result is in line with that of other studies abroad and is considered to be because employees may have lower rates of Hepatitis C risk activities, such as needle sharing, than unemployed.
Blood Donors ; Hepacivirus* ; Hepatitis C* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Immunoradiometric Assay ; Korea* ; Mass Screening ; Needle Sharing ; Prevalence* ; Seoul ; Serum ; Telecommunications

OBJECTIVES: Several studies suggest that psychotropic drugs may affect on lipid metabolism and body weight. And the differences of levels of seam lipids were observed in patients with several psychiatric disorders. Hence, in order to elucidate the effects of psychotropic drugs on serum lipid, lipoprotein and apolipoprotein, the authors estimated the serum lipid profile in the psych op harmacological treatment. METHODS: Thirty six patients with schizophrenia and 42 patients with depressive disorder or anxiety disorder were recruited from the inpatient psychiatric units and withdrawn from all psychotropic drugs at least far 3 months. The levels of seam total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), trighlyceride, apolipoprotein A, apolipoprotein B, and lipoprotein(a) were measured before the treatment and after 2, 4, 8 and 12 weeks of the treatment. RESULTS: No statistically significant change was found on all serum lipid profiles in the antipsychotics group. However, the changes on serum total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C), apolipoprotein A, and apolipoprotein B from the baseline to the following weeks have been observed in tricyclic antidepressants group. And the serum total cholesterol and apolipoprotein B have been observed to be changed from the baseline to the following weeks in the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors poop. The changes on seam lipoprotein(a) were proved not to be statistically significant during all the psychotropic drugs treatment. CONCLUSION: These results implicate that all psychotropic drugs might affect on the lipid metabolism, especially for tricyclic antidepressants. Therefore, this implication could be important in clinical situation because the changes on serum lipid profiles may be related to the cardiovascular disease especially in psychiatric patients with the cardiovascular risk factor.
Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Anxiety Disorders ; Apolipoproteins* ; Body Weight ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cholesterol ; Depressive Disorder ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Lipid Metabolism ; Lipoprotein(a) ; Lipoproteins* ; Psychotropic Drugs ; Risk Factors ; Schizophrenia ; Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors

OBJECTIVES: Sleep disorders cause changes of autonomic nervous system (ANS) which affect cardiovascular system. Primary insomnia (PI) makes acceleration of sympathetic nervous system (SNS) tone by sleep deficiency and arousal. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) sets off SNS by frequent arousals and hypoxemias during sleep. We aimed to compare the changes of heart rate variability (HRV) indices induced by insomnia or sleep apnea to analyze for ANS how much to be affected by PI or OSAS. METHODS: Total 315 subjects carried out nocturnal polysomnography (NPSG) were categorized into 4 groups - PI, mild, moderate and severe OSAS. Severity of OSAS was determined by apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). Then we selected 110 subjects considering age, sex and valance of each group's size [Group 1 : PI (mean age=41.50+/-13.16 yrs, AHI <5, n=20), Group 2 : mild OSAS (mean age=43.67+/-12.11 yrs, AHI 5-15, n=30), Group 3 : moderate OSAS (mean age 44.93+/-12.38 yrs, AHI 16-30, n=30), Group 4 : severe OSAS (mean age=45.87+/-12.44 yrs, AHI >30, n=30)]. Comparison of HRV indices among the four groups was performed with ANCOVA (adjusted for age and body mass index) and Sidak post-hoc test. RESULTS: We found statistically significant differences in HRV indices between severe OSAS group and the other groups (PI, mild OSAS and moderate OSAS). And there were no significant differences in HRV indices among PI, mild and moderate OSAS group. In HRV indices of PI and severe OSAS group showing the most prominent difference in the group comparisons, average RR interval were 991.1+/-27.1 and 875.8+/-22.0 ms (p=0.016), standard deviation of NN interval (SDNN) was 85.4+/-6.6 and 112.8+/-5.4 ms (p=0.022), SDNN index was 57.5+/-5.2 and 87.6+/-4.2 (p<0.001), total power was 11,893.5+/-1,359.9 and 18,097.0+/-1,107.2 ms2 (p=0.008), very low frequency (VLF) was 7,534.8+/-1,120.1 and 11,883.8+/-912.0 ms2 (p=0.035), low frequency (LF) was 2,724.2+/-327.8 and 4,351.6+/-266.9 ms2 (p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: VLF and LF which were correlated with SNS tone showed more increased differences between severe OSAS group and PI group than other group comparisons. We could suggest that severe OSAS group was more influential to increased SNS activity than PI group.
Acceleration ; Anoxia ; Arousal ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Cardiovascular System ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Polysomnography ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; Sleep Wake Disorders ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders ; Sympathetic Nervous System

We report a case of neurilemmoma of deep peroneal nerve sensory branch that triggered sensory change with compression test on lower extremity. After resection of tumor, there are evoked thermal changes on pre- and post-operative infrared (IR) thermographic images. A 52-year-old female presented with low back pain, sciatica, and sensory change on the dorsal side of the right foot and big toe that has lasted for 9 months. She also presented with right tibial mass sized 1.2 cm by 1.4 cm. Ultrasonographic imaging revealed a peripheral nerve sheath tumor arising from the peroneal nerve. IR thermographic image showed hyperthermia when the neurilemoma induced sensory change with compression test on the fibular area, dorsum of foot, and big toe. After surgery, the symptoms and thermographic changes were relieved and disappeared. The clinical, surgical, radiographic, and thermographic perspectives regarding this case are discussed.
Female ; Fever ; Foot ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; Lower Extremity ; Middle Aged ; Neurilemmoma* ; Peripheral Nerves ; Peroneal Nerve* ; Sciatica ; Toes

No abstract available.
Polydactyly*

The exact incidence of esophagitis in gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) remains poorly understood in Korea. To determine incidence of esophagitis in GERD, from August 1988 to July 1993, endoscopy, esophageal manometry with Bernstein test, and ambulatory 24 hour esophageal pH monitoring were carried out in a group of 349 patients with symptoms of heartburn or noncardiac chest pain. Based on these studies, 151(40%) patients had some degree of GERD and pstients were categorized as having: pathologic reflux, 98 patients; symptomatic reflux, 42 patients; and sensitive mucosal reflux, 11 patients. Among 151 patients with GERD, 27 patients(18%) had some degree of esophagitis. In conclusion, 40% of patients with symptoms suggestive of GERD have GERD. GERD is divided into subgroups; pathologic reflux, symptomatic reflux, and mucosal sensitive reflux. Less than 20% of GERD have esophagitis or esophageal mucosal injury and these low incidence of mucosal injury in Korean may be due to increased esophageal mucosal resistance.
Chest Pain ; Endoscopy ; Esophageal pH Monitoring ; Esophagitis* ; Esophagitis, Peptic ; Gastroesophageal Reflux* ; Heartburn ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Korea ; Manometry

No abstract available.
Animals ; Aorta, Thoracic* ; Rats*