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

No abstract available.
Polydactyly*

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of immunosuppressants on in-hospital mortality from sepsis. METHODS: Using data of the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service, we collected data from patients who were admitted to the hospital due to sepsis from 2009 to 2013. Based on drugs commonly used for immunosuppression caused by various diseases, patients were divided into three groups; immunosuppressant group, steroid-only group, and control group. Patients with no history of immunosuppressants or steroids were assigned to the control group. To identify risk factors of in-hospital mortality in sepsis, we compared differences in patient characteristics, comorbidities, intensive care unit (ICU) care requirements, and immunodeficiency profiles. Subgroup analysis according to age was also performed. RESULTS: Of the 185,671 included patients, 13,935 (7.5%) were in the steroid-only group and 2,771 patients (1.5%) were in the immunosuppressant group. The overall in-hospital mortality was 38.9% and showed an increasing trend with age. The steroid-only group showed the lowest in-hospital mortality among the three groups except the patients younger than 30 years. The steroid-only group and immunosuppressant group received ICU treatment more frequently (p < 0.001), stayed longer in the hospital (p < 0.001), and showed higher medical expenditure (p < 0.001) compared to the normal group. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that age, male gender, comorbidities (especially malignancy), and ICU treatment had a significant effect on in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Despite longer hospital length of stay and more frequent need for ICU care, the in-hospital mortality was lower in patients taking immunosuppressive drugs than in patients not taking immunosuppressive drugs.
Comorbidity ; Health Expenditures ; Hospital Mortality ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Insurance* ; Insurance, Health ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea* ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Mortality ; Multivariate Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Sepsis* ; Steroids

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

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to assess the change of heart rate variability (HRV) at resting, upright, and psychological stress in anxiety disorder patients. METHODS: HRV was measured at resting, upright, and psychological stress states in 60 anxiety disorder patients. We used visual analogue scale (VAS) score to assess tension and stress severity. Beck depression inventory (BDI) and state trait anxiety inventories I and II (STAI-I and II) were used to assess depression and anxiety severity. Differences between HRV indices were evaluated using paired t-tests. Gender difference analysis was accomplished with ANCOVA. RESULTS: SDNN (Standard deviation of normal RR intervals) and low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) were significantly increased, while NN50, pNN50, and normalized HF (nHF) were significantly decreased in the upright position compared to resting state (p < 0.01). SDNN, root mean square of the differences of successive normal to normal intervals, and LF/HF were significantly increased, while nHF was significantly decreased in the psychological stress state compared to resting state (p < 0.01). SDNN, NN50, pNN50 were significantly lower in upright position compared to psychological stress and nVLF, nLF, nHF, and LF/HF showed no significant differences between them. CONCLUSION: The LF/HF ratio was significantly increased after both physical and psychological stress in anxiety disorder, but did not show a significant difference between these two stresses. Significant differences of SDNN, NN50, and pNN50 without any differences of nVLF, nLF, nHF, and LF/HF between two stresses might suggest that frequency domain analysis is more specific than time domain analysis.
Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders* ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Depression ; Equipment and Supplies ; Heart Rate* ; Humans ; Stress, Psychological*

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

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