BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Doppler indexes of pulmonary venous flow (PVF) have been recognized to be useful in defining left ventricular filling characteristics, but their long-term prognostic value in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is not clear. The purpose of this study was to determine the prognostic significance of Doppler indexes of PVF after AMI. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Doppler echocardiographic examination was performed in 122 patients with AMI between 7 to 10 days after attack, and followed for 30 months. Peak systolic velocity (PVs), peak diastolic velocity (PVd), and peak reverse flow velocity associated with atrial contraction (PVa) of PVF were measured by transthoracic echocardiography. End-points were cardiac death or readmission due to congestive heart failure (re-CHF). RESULTS: There were 9 deaths (7.4%) and 13 patients with re-CHF (10.7%) during the follow-up period. Patients with events had higher PVa (p=0.039). Subgroup analysis of patients with E/A ratio > 1 showed that they had lower PVs/PVd ratio (p=0.029) and higher PVa (p=0.069). Event-free survival was significantly lower in patients with PVs/PVd ratio < 1.3 (30-month survival rate 74% vs. 100% in those with PVs/PVd ratio > or =1.3). Multivariate Cox analysis revealed that Killip class II, and EF <50% were independent predictors of cardiac events; and PVa > or =25 cm/sec as well as age > or =65 years were independent predictors of cardiac mortality in patients with E/A ratio >1. CONCLUSION: PVa and PVs/PVd ratio of PVF were helpful indexes in predicting the prognosis in patients with AMI and an E/A ratio of >1.
Death ; Disease-Free Survival ; Echocardiography ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Veins ; Survival Rate

No abstract available.
Acidosis, Renal Tubular*

Perinatal asphyxia can cause ischemic injury to immature kidney of neonates. Proximal renal tubule is the most sensitive area, showing various manifestations ranging from mild reversible injury to irreversible tubular necrosis. Aminoglycosides can be nephrotoxic in therapeutic range in immature or damaged kidney. Thess are the very important factors to be taken into corsideration on fluid therapy and nephrotoxic drugs in neonates. The purpose of this study is to detect renal dysfunction resulting from asphyxia and gentamicin treatment. The results were as follows; 1) Urinary 2-microglobulin concentration was significantly higher in neonatal asphyxia group irrespective of meconium stain (p<0.05). The group with neonatal asphyxia only (Ia) showed a gradual decline in urinary 2-microglobulin concentration and no significant difference shown when compared with control group on 7 days old (p>0.05). The group with neonatal asphyxia and meconium stain (Ib) received gentamicin for 7 days. Their urinary 2-microglobulin concentration dropped on 4 the day and increased again on 7 th day (p<0.05). The group with meconium stain only(3) showed no significant difference in urinary 2-microglobulin concentration when compared with control group (p>0.05). 2) No differences were shown in serum creatinine, serum sodium level and urinary creatinine concentrations between each group (p>0.05). 3) No differences were shown in creatinine clearance between each group (p>0.05).Fractional excretion of urinary sodium (FENa) was significantly higher on lst day in group, I, but no differences were shown afterwards (p>0.05). 4) There is no relationship between urinary 2-microglobulin concentration and serum creatinine level, creatinine clearance of FENa. 5) No differences were shown in incidence of renal dysfunction between each group. In conclusion, acute tubular injury by perinatal asphyxia recovered soon after birth. But nephrotoxic gentamicin worsened the recovering tubular injury. In case of mild fetal hypoxia without neonatal asphyxia, proximal tubular injury was not significant.
Aminoglycosides ; Asphyxia* ; Creatinine ; Fetal Hypoxia ; Fluid Therapy ; Gentamicins* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn* ; Kidney ; Kidney Tubules, Proximal ; Meconium ; Necrosis ; Parturition ; Sodium

BACKGROUND: Platelet function is directly influenced by lipoproteins, and platelets from hypercholesterolemic patients display increased reactivity which is related to initiation, progression, and development of thromboembolic complications in atherosclerosis. But the exact mechanism of this effect is unclear. METHODS: In this study, total and activated numbers of platelet glycoprotein (Gp) IIb/IIIa were evaluated in twenty patients (7 men; age, 55.4+/-8.7 years) with hypercholesterolemia (plasma total cholesterol level over 240 mg/dL and normal triglyceride level) and twenty one subjects (8 men; 51.1+/-13.7 years) with normal plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Flow cytometry was used to detect the binding of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated anti-CD41 or PAC1 to platelet Gp IIb<1/4>/<1/4>IIIa in whole blood. When whole blood was incubated with PAC1, platelets were also activated with adenosine diphosphate (ADP) or thrombin. RESULTS: PAC1 was more bound to unstimulated platelets from patients with hypercholesterolemia (p<0.005), and binding of PAC1 correlated significantly with plasma total cholesteol (r=0.48, p=0.002) and LDL-cholesterol (r=0.47, p=0.002) levels. Binding of PAC1 to unstimulated platelets increased as binding of anti-CD41 increased (r=0.40, p=0.01). On multivariate linear regression analysis, plasma total cholesterol level and binding of anti-CD41 were independent variables that determined binding of PAC1. After ADP- or thrombin-stimulation, binding of PAC1 to platelets and percentage of antibody positive cells were also greater in patients with hypercholesterolemia (p<0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between mean platelet volume and binding of anti-CD41 to unstimulated platelets (r=0.46, p<0.0050), but the latter was not different between hypercholesterolemia and control groups. CONCLUSION: Unstimulated platelets from patients with hypercholesterolemia had similar total number of Gp IIb/IIIa to those from control subjects, but had more activated Gp IIb/IIIa. After ADP- or thrombin-stimulation, platelet Gp IIb/IIIa was also more activated under hypercholesterolemia.
Adenosine Diphosphate ; Atherosclerosis ; Blood Platelets* ; Cholesterol ; Flow Cytometry ; Fluorescein ; Glycoproteins* ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Linear Models ; Lipoproteins ; Male ; Mean Platelet Volume ; Plasma ; Thrombin ; Triglycerides

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Regular aerobic exercise plays a role in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, but the risk of primary cardiac arrest transiently increases during vigorous exercise, particularly in sedentary men. There has been a controversy regarding the effect of exercise on platelet functional behavior, which is related to the pathogenesis of coronary ischemia. We evaluated the cytoplasmic free calcium concentration of platelets in healthy men after treadmill exercise. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Five physically active (group I: age, 24.2+/-2.3 years) and five sedentary men (group II: age, 22.4+/-1.4 years) were included in this study. Platelet calcium was measured with fluorescent dye, quin2 before and after treadmill exercise. RESULTS: Platelet calcium levels were increased from 86.8+/-11.8 nM to 128.8+/-15.0 nM in group I (p<0.05) and from 102.6+/-14.4 nM to 162.4+/-26.5 nM in group II (p<0.05) immediately after exercise. Thereafter, platelet calcium levels were decreased in group I, but continuously increased in group II. At fifteen minutes after exercise, platelet calcium concentrations were significantly higher than baseline values in group II (205.8+/-53.9 nM vs 102.6+/-14.4 nM: p<0.05), but not in group I (115.2+/-15.7 nM vs 86.8+/-11.8 nM). CONCLUSION: Cytoplasmic free calcium concentration in platelets were continuosly increased after treadmill exercise in sedentary men but not in physically active men.
Blood Platelets* ; Calcium* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cytoplasm* ; Exercise ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Male*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Regular aerobic exercise plays a role in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, but the risk of primary cardiac arrest transiently increases during vigorous exercise, particularly in sedentary men. There has been a controversy regarding the effect of exercise on platelet functional behavior, which is related to the pathogenesis of coronary ischemia. We evaluated the cytoplasmic free calcium concentration of platelets in healthy men after treadmill exercise. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Five physically active (group I: age, 24.2+/-2.3 years) and five sedentary men (group II: age, 22.4+/-1.4 years) were included in this study. Platelet calcium was measured with fluorescent dye, quin2 before and after treadmill exercise. RESULTS: Platelet calcium levels were increased from 86.8+/-11.8 nM to 128.8+/-15.0 nM in group I (p<0.05) and from 102.6+/-14.4 nM to 162.4+/-26.5 nM in group II (p<0.05) immediately after exercise. Thereafter, platelet calcium levels were decreased in group I, but continuously increased in group II. At fifteen minutes after exercise, platelet calcium concentrations were significantly higher than baseline values in group II (205.8+/-53.9 nM vs 102.6+/-14.4 nM: p<0.05), but not in group I (115.2+/-15.7 nM vs 86.8+/-11.8 nM). CONCLUSION: Cytoplasmic free calcium concentration in platelets were continuosly increased after treadmill exercise in sedentary men but not in physically active men.
Blood Platelets* ; Calcium* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cytoplasm* ; Exercise ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Male*

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Humans ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult*

No abstract available.
Animals ; Capsaicin* ; Colon* ; Cytokines* ; Lung* ; Melanoma, Experimental* ; Mice* ; RNA, Messenger*

458 female workers working in the small and medium scaled industries in Inchon area were surveyed to study their general characteristics, health behavior, working and environmental conditions, current health status etc. Self-administered questionnaire was developed by authors and distributed to the female workers with the explanation by trained interviewer on the purpose of survey and the method how to answer. The results were as follows: t. General characteristics showed that most(75.3%) of workers were living in their own home, and their age distribution was relatively even from teenagers to the forties. The level of education was high school graduate(including drop-out) in 69.4%, suggesting that the education level of female workers was increasing gradually. The marrital status was 69% in unmarried, and 31% in married state. 2. Survey on their health status showed that more than 20% of female workers complained that they have some kind of disease and most of them complained that they have chronic symptoms more than three kinds. Also, they complained at least two or three symptoms in physical, mental or sensoryneural symptoms respectively. But their medical care utility rate was only 22%. 3. There were no significantly correlated variables between health status and general characteristics(by x2-test). Among the variables on the health behavior, only alcohol drinking was significant to health status. Perceived health status related to the working environment was significantly different to the degree of work satisfaction and awareness for the exposure to harzadous materials. 4. Multivariable analysis showed that work satisfaction, awareness for the exposure to harzadous materials, alcohol drinking, type of employment were significantly related to the physical or mental health index, and also marrital status was to the physical health index. Work satisfaction, awareness for the exposure to harzadous materials, marrital status were related to the sensoryneural health index. Alcohol drinking, work satisfaction, awareness for the exposure to harzadous materials, marrital status were significantly related to the number of complained chronic symptoms. In summary, this study showed that inspite of wide and various range of the general characteristics of female industrial workers in Korea comparing to the past, there was high prevalence of disease due to the poor working conditions and low work satisfaction etc. Therefore, more detailed disease preventive policies or improvement of the work environment, and systematic management to raise the work satisfaction of female workers are urgently needed. And also, occupational health policies increasing the access to health care to provide the adequate health service for the workers who have perceived need are necessary.
Adolescent ; Age Distribution ; Alcohol Drinking ; Education ; Employment ; Female* ; Health Behavior ; Health Services ; Health Services Accessibility ; Humans ; Incheon ; Job Satisfaction ; Korea ; Mental Health ; Occupational Health ; Prevalence ; Single Person ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Knee Joint* ; Knee*