PURPOSE: This descriptive study aims to describe the levels of mobility in community-dwelling older Koreans with chronic illnesses, and to examine the associations of their mobility with sleep patterns, physical activity and physical symptoms including fatigue and pain. METHODS: The participants were a total of 384 community-dwelling older adults recruited from three senior centers in Seoul, Korea. Measures included mobility assessed using 6-minute walk test (6MWT), physical activity behavior, sleep profiles, fatigue and pain. Data were collected from July to December 2012. RESULTS: The mean 6MWT distance was 212.68 meters. Over 90% of the study participants (n = 373) were classified as having impaired mobility using 400 meters as the cutoff point diagnostic criteria of normal mobility in 6MWT. The 6MWT distance was 246.68 meters for participants in their 60s, 212.32 meters for those in their 70s, and 175.54 meters for those in their 80s. Significant predictors of mobility included younger age, taking mediation, regular physical activity, female gender, higher income, higher fatigue and better perception on sleep duration, which explained 18% of the total variance of mobility. CONCLUSION: A high-risk group for mobility limitation includes low income, sedentary older men who are at risk for increased fatigue and sleep deficit. Further research should incorporate other psychological and lifestyle factors such as depression, smoking, drinking behavior, and/or obesity into the prediction model of mobility to generate specific intervention strategies for mobility enhancement recommendations for older adults.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Chronic Disease/*epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Fatigue/epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Independent Living/*statistics & numerical data ; Male ; *Mobility Limitation ; Motor Activity ; Pain/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Seoul/epidemiology ; Sleep ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The authors regret that in the above article it requires a change in the Acknowledgment section.

Ochrobactrum anthropi is a ubiquitous gram-negative bacillus and currently thought to be an opportunistic pathogen. We experienced a 66-year-old male patient with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD)-related peritonitis caused by O. anthropi. Susceptible antibiotic therapy including amikacin and ciprofloxacin improved the patient's clinical status. However, peritoneal effluent showed sustained leukocytosis, thus CAPD catheter was removed. After 2 weeks of temporary hemodialysis, CAPD was successfully restarted with reinsertion of catheter. This is, to our knowledge, the first case of CAPD-related peritonitis caused by O. anthropi in Korea.
Aged ; Amikacin ; Bacillus ; Catheters ; Ciprofloxacin ; Humans ; Korea ; Leukocytosis ; Male ; Ochrobactrum ; Ochrobactrum anthropi ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory ; Peritonitis ; Renal Dialysis

This paper was carried out to investigate the change of food consumption behavior of 733 undergraduate students due to the Korean Economic Crisis in 1997. After the economic crisis, undergraduate students in Ulsan statistically and significantly reduced the intake frequency of almost all foods except rice, kimchi, the Korean tea and the frequency of fast food restaurants used compared with before the economic crisis. The results show that the Korean economic crisis significantly effected the food consumption and restaurant use behavior of the undergraduates in Ulsan.
Fast Foods ; Humans ; Restaurants ; Tea ; Ulsan

The aim of this study was to anatomize the therapeutic potential of alaternin (=7-hydroxyemodin) against inflammation, advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation, tyrosinase, and two cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), CDK2 and CDK4, and compare its potency with emodin. Alaternin showed lower cytotoxicity and higher dose-dependent inhibition against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced nitric oxide (NO) production with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) of 18.68 µM. Similarly, alaternin efficaciously inhibited biotransformation of fluorescent AGEs and amyloid cross-β structure on the bovine serum albumin (BSA)-glucose-fructose system, five times more than emodin. Interestingly, alaternin also showed selective activity against CDK4 at 170 µM, whereas emodin inhibited both CDK2 and CDK4 at a concentration of 17 and 380 µM respectively. In addition, alaternin showed dose-dependent inhibitory activity against mushroom tyrosinase with inhibition percentage of 35.84 % at 400 µM. Altogether, alaternin with pronounced inhibition against inflammatory mediator (NO), glycated products formation, and targeted inhibition towards CDK4 receptor can be taken as an important candidate to target multiple diseases.

The aim of this study was to anatomize the therapeutic potential of alaternin (=7-hydroxyemodin) against inflammation, advanced glycation end products (AGEs) formation, tyrosinase, and two cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), CDK2 and CDK4, and compare its potency with emodin. Alaternin showed lower cytotoxicity and higher dose-dependent inhibition against lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced nitric oxide (NO) production with half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) of 18.68 µM. Similarly, alaternin efficaciously inhibited biotransformation of fluorescent AGEs and amyloid cross-β structure on the bovine serum albumin (BSA)-glucose-fructose system, five times more than emodin. Interestingly, alaternin also showed selective activity against CDK4 at 170 µM, whereas emodin inhibited both CDK2 and CDK4 at a concentration of 17 and 380 µM respectively. In addition, alaternin showed dose-dependent inhibitory activity against mushroom tyrosinase with inhibition percentage of 35.84 % at 400 µM. Altogether, alaternin with pronounced inhibition against inflammatory mediator (NO), glycated products formation, and targeted inhibition towards CDK4 receptor can be taken as an important candidate to target multiple diseases.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The therapeutic duration of variant angina is controversial. This study sought to determine the remission rates for coronary artery spasms, the factors associated with remission and the changes in spasm sites. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Fifty-eight patients were enrolled in the study. Initial, and follow-up, coronary angiographies (CAG), with ergonovine stimulation tests, were performed. Paired CAG were performed at a mean interval of 27+/-17 months. Medication was stopped 3 days prior to the follow-up CAG, and the occurrence of chest pain during these 3 days was studied. Coronary spasms were confirmed by follow-up CAG. Any changes, and the diameters, of spasm sites were analyzed on each paired CAG. RESULTS: The remission rate of coronary spasms was 24% (14 patients), when the smoking group (49 patients) stopped smoking (31 patients), the remission rate was 29% (9 patients). In the current smoking group (18 patients), the remission rate was 6% (1 patient, p=0.05). 31 patients had chest pains after stopping medication prior to their follow-up CAG. Of those patients, 1 patient had a remission (3%). Among another 27 patients with no chest pain, 13 patients had a remission (48%, p<0.001). In 28 out of 44 patients (64%, non-remission), fluctuations in spastic locations were observed at the follow-up CAG. The interval changes in the diameter of the spasm sites were not significant. CONCLUSION: The non-chest pain group showed higher remission rates, but lack of chest pain did not identify the loss of coronary spasm. Atherosclerosis at spasm sites did not progress, as confirmed by the paired CAG in our study.
Angina Pectoris, Variant ; Atherosclerosis ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Angiography* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Ergonovine ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Muscle Spasticity ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spasm*

Thoracic paravertebral block is performed for the treatment of patients with chronic pain, such as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and post-herpetic neuralgia. Thoracic paravertebral block can result in iatrogenic pneumothorax. Because pneumothorax can develop into medical emergencies and needle aspiration or chest tube placement may be needed, early diagnosis is very important. Recently, thoracic ultrasonography has begun to be used to diagnose pneumothorax. In addition, ultrasound-guided aspiration can be an accurate and safe technique for treatment of pneumothorax, as the needle position can be followed in real time. We report a case of iatrogenic pneumothorax following thoracic paravertebral block for the treatment of chronic pain due to CRPS, treated successfully by ultrasound-guided aspiration.
Chest Tubes ; Chronic Pain ; Early Diagnosis ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Needles ; Neuralgia ; Pneumothorax

BACKGROUND: Serum cystatin C has been suggested to be a better marker for GFR than creatinine because believed to be produced at a constant rate by most nucleated cells, and eliminated exclusively by glomerular filtration We compared serum cystatin C with creatinine-based estimates, especially in patients with old age or extreme protein composition to investigate the utility of cystatin C and to identify factors that influence on cystatin C other than renal function. METHODS: A total of 446 patients, admitted to department of nephrology of Korea University Anam Hospital From September 2003 to March 2004, had their glomerular filtration rate (GFR) estimated by DTPA scintigraphy, clearance of creatinine, and calculated from Cockcroft-Gault and Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) formula. A body composition, the serum creatinine and cystatin C levels were also measured. RESULTS: Serum cystatin C showed similar correlation with DTPA GFR to serum creatinine. The formula, GFR (mL/min/1.73m2) = 61.84 x cystatin C(-0.8135), was derived with better precision than either Cockcroft-Gault or MDRD. The diagnostic accuracy of cystatin C was not better than creatinine in older patients as well as those with overweight, or an extreme protein composition. The addition of age, body surface area, and gender increased the R2 for both serum creatinine and cystatin C. CONCLUSION: Serum cystatin C is a good marker for GFR, but not superior to serum creatinine even in patients with old age, overweight, or an extreme protein composition, and affected by age, body surface area, and gender independent on renal function.
Body Composition ; Body Surface Area ; Creatinine ; Cystatin C* ; Diet ; Filtration ; Glomerular Filtration Rate* ; Humans ; Korea ; Nephrology ; Overweight ; Pentetic Acid ; Radionuclide Imaging