OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effects of changes in obesity and life style factors, such as cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, and exercise, on the changes in blood pressure and serum cholesterol among Korean men. METHODS: This study included 7,205 healthy male employees in the steel manufacturing industry. Each subject underwent health examination in 1994 and was re-examined in 1997. The study subjects were classified into four categories, according to changes in body mass index (BMI) (loss; stable; mild gain; severe gain), cigarette smoking (quitter; non-smoker; smoker continued; smoker started), alcohol drinking (quitter; non-drinker; drinker continued; drinker started) and exercise (more exercise; continuous regular exercise; continuous irregular or no exercise; less exercise), respectively. We evaluated the relationship between the categories of change in those independent variables and the changes in blood pressure and serum cholesterol, adjusted for BMI in 1994 and age by analysis of variance. RESULTS: The change in systolic blood pressure was positively associated with the changes in BMI (p<0.001) and drinking (p=0.001), but negatively with smoking (p=0.004), compared to the first category of each independent variables. The systolic blood pressure was significantly less increased in the continuous smoking group than quitter or non-smoker. The changes in diastolic blood pressure and serum cholesterol appeared to have statistically significant linear relationships only with the change in BMI. The change in exercise showed a marginal significance with diastolic blood pressure (p=0.088). CONCLUSIONS: These prospective data emphasize the importance of obesity as a determinant of the changes in blood pressure and serum cholesterol. In addition, the changes in smoking and drinking habits can affect systolic blood pressure.
Alcohol Drinking ; Blood Pressure* ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol* ; Drinking ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Life Style* ; Male ; Obesity ; Prospective Studies ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Steel*

Chronic complication of diving and working in compressed air is dysbaric osteonecrosis. Dysbaric osteonecrosis could be diagnosed by simple bone x-ray, in the case of exposure history to dysbaric atmosphere. The case is 44 years old man who worked as a shell fish diver for 20 years. He was exposed dysbaric atmosphere during diving. He had bone necrosis in both femur head, both distal femur and proximal tibia. He had multiple attacks of decompression sickness. Other causes of bone necrosis are ruled out. We conclude that diver's bone necrosis is dysbaric osteonecrosis.
Adult ; Atmosphere ; Compressed Air ; Decompression Sickness ; Diving ; Femur ; Femur Head ; Humans ; Necrosis ; Osteonecrosis* ; Tibia

No abstract available.
Dysentery, Bacillary*

No abstract available.
Electrocardiography* ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular* ; Hemodynamics*

Heat stroke, a medical emergency, occurs when the body's thermal regulation is upset and unable to dissipate adequate amounts of heat with a rise in body temperature. It is characterized by hyperyrexia, with a core temperature of 40degrees C or more, hot dry skin, and central nervous system disturbance and usually results in rhabdomyolysis and multiorgan failure. Our case, a 43-year-old healthy male, was caused by a marathon, half course, on a sunny day in late summer. He suddenly fell down on the road and was delivered to a nearby hospital, where a seizure developed. He was transfered to our hospital and then displayed Central Nervous System disturbance, hot dry skin, acute liver failure, rhabdomyolysis, anuric acute renal failure, and disseminated intravasculular coagulopathy. He was treated with general supportive care and hemofiltration. Despite the aggressive management, he died of shock on the fifth day after admission.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Adult ; Body Temperature ; Central Nervous System ; Emergencies ; Heat Stroke* ; Hemofiltration ; Hot Temperature* ; Humans ; Liver Failure, Acute ; Male ; Rhabdomyolysis ; Seizures ; Shock ; Skin

No abstract available.
Blood Platelets* ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation* ; Platelet Activation*

With the development of devices and techniques, including complex shape coils, balloons, multiple catheter techniques, and intracranial stents, endosaccular treatment of ruptured or unruptured wide-necked cerebral aneurysms has advanced rapidly with respect to indications and outcomes. In contrast to other options, stent-assisted aneurysm embolization has a distinct feature in which the stent is permanently implanted in the cerebral vessels. Therefore, we must consider the short-term effect of stent-assisted aneurysm embolization in the prevention of coil migration and adverse thrombogenicity, but also the permanent mechanical, hemodynamic, and biological influence on the parent vessels and the aneurysm. We have reviewed the current experimental and clinical data on stent-assisted coil embolization of cerebral aneurysms.
Aneurysm ; Catheters ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Parents ; Stents

During 1 year and 9 month period, from September, 1980 to June, 1983, retrospective study was performed on 35 patients with Mitral Valve Prolapse at Kyung Hee University Medical Center. And the following results were obtained; 1) The mitral valve prolapse syndrome presents with various cardiovascular symptoms including dyspnea(63%), palpitation(49%), chest pain(34%), syncope and dizziness(11%). 2) Of 35 patients with MVP, 17 cases were isolated MVP, 13 cases were associated with cardiovascular disorders and 5 cases were associated with non-cardiovascular disorders. 3) Electrocardiographic abnormalities were found in 20 patients with MVP. The most common abnormality was ST-T change and atrial fibrillation, VPB, RBBB, first degree A-V block and W-P-W syndrome were also noted. 4) QTc interval prolongation was more common in serverely symptomatic patients with MVP. 5) 18 cases in 35 patients showed systolic click or murmur on phonocardiography. 6) Of 35 patients with MVP, 19 patients demonstrated prolapse of the anterior leaflet, 11 patients demonstrated prolapse of posterior leaflet and 5 patients demonstrated prolapse of the both leaflets. 7) There were severe derangement on echocardiography in severely symptomatic patients were MVP.
Academic Medical Centers ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Mitral Valve Prolapse* ; Mitral Valve* ; Phonocardiography ; Prolapse ; Retrospective Studies ; Syncope ; Thorax

No Abstract Available.
Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic* ; Rupture* ; Tendons*

BACKGROUND: Neurofibroma, the hallmark of neurofibromatosis, is a cutaneous or subcutaneous lesion, with a variable clinical presentation. Histologically, neurofibroma consists of proliferation of nerve derived cellular elements, together with an abundant, collagenous extracellular matrix. Specifically, neurofibroma has been shown to contain 30-50% collagen in its matrix. Objective 5. METHODS: We examined the expression of extracellular matrix genes (collagen, fibronectin, laminin), TGF-b mRNA and Ha-ras oncogene mRNA by using Northern and slot-blot hybridization and immunoperoxidase stains. Result: In Northern blot analysis, Ha-ras and TGF-b genes revealed respectively, 8.8kb and 2. 5kb sized mRNA transcripts in neurofibroma. These parameters were normal in the control. The expression of these genes were 1.9, 2.0 fold increased in neurofibroma. In slot-blot analysis, expression of type I collagen showed fibronectin genes to be 2,401+210, 540+43, respectively, in neurofibroma. So there were 3.7 fold, 2.1 fold, differences respectively, compared to the normal control. However, there were no significant changes of type IV collagen and laminin Bl mRNA levels between neurofibroma and normal skin tissues. Irnmunoperoxidase staining by rnonoclonal anti type IV collagen antibody in neurofibroma showed type IV collagen to be diffusely and weakly stained in tissue. On staining by monoclonal anti-laminin antibody, laminin was stained in a matrix and around vessels. CONCLUSION: The increased expression of extracellular matrix genes may suggest that there is a subpopulation of fibroic cells in neurofibroma which are stimulated by TGF-b. Ha-ras genes which might have accumulated with the differentiation of neural tissue may be related to the pathogenesis of neurofibroma tissue formation. Further studies are needed to determine whether the other factors are related to the pathogenesis of neurofibroma.
Blotting, Northern ; Collagen ; Collagen Type I ; Collagen Type IV ; Coloring Agents ; Extracellular Matrix* ; Fibronectins ; Genes, ras* ; Laminin ; Neurofibroma ; Neurofibromatoses* ; RNA, Messenger ; Skin