We investigated the cold reaction of fingers in cold water as a criterion of peripheral resistance to frostbite in order to obtain elementary data to improve farmers' health. Experiments were carried out on 81 farmers and 64 urbanites at 20±2°C, 55±5% RH with sitting position on the floor. The finger skin temperatures of the subjects were measured while the left middle finger of each subject was immersed in cold water or 0°C for 30 minutes and recorded once every one minute with the thermistor. We also compiled statistics on the following items: mean finger skin temperature (MST), finger skin temperature at initial rising after immersion (TFR), time for the appearance of initial rising after immersion (TTR), cold resistance index (RI), etc. The results were as follows RI was higher in farmers than in urbanites, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. In men, RI was lower in farmers than in urbanites, but there was no significant difference between the two groups. By contrast, in women, TFR and RI were significantly higher in farmers than in urbanites. MST was significantly higer in women than in men, but RI was no statistically significant difference. By age, the men in their 30's showed significantly the highest MST and the shortest TFR. RI was significantly higher in the men in their 30's than others. In women, however, the difference in RI was of no statistical significance. By region, MST was the highest in Seoul dwellers. RI was the highest in Okku dwellers, but there was no statistically significant difference among regions.
These results indicated that farmers tended to be higher than urbanites in cold resistance index.

To collect the basic data for the health management of Korean farmers, we investigated physique factors, physical fitness, and cold resistance (by digital vascular hunting reaction during finger immersion in cold water), and examined their correlations in 74 subjects. In men, the stronger the digital vascular hunting reaction was the higher the physical fitness levels. For women, however, the motility of those who showed stronger digital vascular hunting reactions appeared worse. The correlation between physique and hunting reaction appeared weak in men but in women the hunting reaction of obese subjects was stronger than that of slender subjects. Agewise, men in their 30s, 40s and 50s who were short and slim appeared to have better cold-resistance. The men in their 60s who were broad-hipped had better cold-resistance, and the relation between physical fitness and hunting reaction appeared to be negative. In contrast, the women in their 30s whose subcutaneous fat was thinner showed positive hunting reaction, but in their 40s and 50s the correlation among physique, physical fitness, and hunting reaction appeared rather weak. The body fat content in the women aged 60 to 69 was high compared to that in other age groups. Among them, those who had less fat and better physical fitness showed more favorable hunting reactions.

BACKGROUND: Tandem duplication of chromosome 17p11.2-p12 including peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) gene is the most frequent cause of Charcot-Marie-Tooth 1A (CMT1A). Patients carrying one extra copy of PMP22 develop CMT1A, whereas the deletion of the 17p11.2-p12 region causes hereditary neuropathy with the liability to pressure palsies (HNPP). In the present study, we established the genotyping methods of 6 microsatellite markers (D17S921, D17S9B, D17S9A, D17S4A, D17S918 and D17S122) within the 17p11.2-p12 regions by the hexaplex PCR for the genetic diagnosis of CMT1A duplication and HNPP deletion. METHODS: We established polymorphic behavior and genotyping methods of 6 microsatellite markers (D17S921, D17S9B, D17S9A, D17S4A, D17S918 and D17S122) within the duplication region. The 6 markers were amplified by hexaplex PCR reaction and analyzed by an automatic sequencing analyzer and genotyper program. RESULTS: The genotype distributions of all markers were not significantly deviated from the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (P>or=0.05). When comparing the control group and CMT1A, HNPP patients group by the distribution of allele, there is no significant difference in the 5 locus except in the 1 locus (D17S921) among HNPP patients. The specificity was more than 99.9%. The sensitivity of each CMT1 and HNPP was 56.3% (40/71 pedigrees) and 72.1% (31/43 HNPP pedigrees), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The error rate for the system may be less than 0.001. According to this study, it is possible to have rapid and exact genetic diagnosis of both CMT1A and HNPP, which may be helpful for the development of personalized therapy according to genetic defects.
Alleles ; Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease ; Diagnosis* ; Genotype ; Humans ; Microsatellite Repeats* ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Myelin Sheath ; Paralysis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sensitivity and Specificity

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of anxiety, depression and self-esteem on the amount of smoking and nicotine dependency among woman smokers. METHOD: The convenience sample consisted of 121 unmarried woman smokers. The STAI, the CES-D Scale, the Self-Esteem scale and the FTQ were utilized to measure the level of anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and nicotine dependency. The amount of smoking was calculated based on the number of cigarette used. RESULTS: Results indicated that woman smokers were depressed. Nicotine dependency was relatively low. Subjects had smoked a mean of 9.58 cigarettes per day. The level of depression influenced on smoking and nicotine dependency. Self-esteem influenced on the amount of smoking and anxiety influenced on nicotine dependency. CONCLUSION: The results of this study revealed that the amount of smoking of unmarried woman smokers was very high. Both the amount of smoking and nicotine dependency were affected by levels of depression. Education programs and campaigns are needed to prevent smoking of young adult women.
Anxiety* ; Depression* ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Nicotine* ; Single Person* ; Smoke* ; Smoking* ; Tobacco Products ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This descriptive study was designed to investigate Body Mass Index(BMI), weight control behavior, and self-esteem in high school adolescents. METHOD: The convenience sample consisted of 129 high school females and 106 high school males. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire from November to December, 1999. BMI was calculated by using the subject's self-reported body weight and height to identify objective obesity. Self evaluation about subjective obesity was measured by a single item question. Preferred BMI was calculated by using the subject's self-reported body weight and height which the subjects desired. The Rosenberg's Self-Esteem Scale was utilized to measure the level of self-esteem. RESULTS: Results of the study revealed that high school females perceived themselves as more more obese than their the actual BMI, excessively participated in dieting behavior and exercises, and reported lower self-esteem than that of males. CONCLUSION: Based on this study, health care providers need to educate female adolescents about healthy behavior as well as the normal weight range in BMI.
Adolescent* ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Diagnostic Self Evaluation ; Diet ; Exercise ; Female ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Male ; Obesity ; Weight Loss ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Distal hereditary motor neuropathy (dHMN) is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by degeneration of motor nerves in the absence of sensory abnormalities. Recently, mutations in the small heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) gene were found to cause dHMN type II or Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2F (CMT2F). The authors studied 151 Korean axonal CMT or dHMN families, and found a large Korean dHMN type II family with the Ser135Phe mutation in HSP27. This mutation was inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, and was well associated with familial members with the dHMN phenotype. This mutation site is located in the ?-crystallin domain and is highly conserved between different species. The frequency of this HSP27 mutation in Koreans was 0.6%. Magnetic resonance imaging analysis revealed that fatty infiltrations tended to progressively extend distal to proximal muscles in lower extremities. In addition, fatty infiltrations in thigh muscles progressed to affect posterior and anterior compartments but to lesser extents in medial compartment, which differs from CMT1A patients presenting with severe involvements of posterior and medial compartments but less involvement of anterior compartment. The authors describe the clinical and neuroimaging findings of the first Korean dHMN patients with the HSP27 Ser135Phe mutation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the neuroimaging findings of dHMN type II.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Age of Onset ; Animals ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease/*genetics/physiopathology/radionuclide imaging ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; *Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/*genetics ; Korea ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muscular Atrophy/physiopathology/radionuclide imaging ; *Mutation, Missense ; Neural Conduction/genetics ; Pedigree ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases/*genetics ; alpha-Crystallins/genetics

We identified Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A (CMT1A) in a family with schwannomas in the spinal cord and median nerve. The CMT1A in this family showed an autosomal dominant pattern, like other CMT patients with PMP22 duplication, and the family also indicated a possible genetic predisposition to schwannomas by 'mother-to-son' transmission. CMT1A is mainly caused by duplication of chromosome 17p11.2-p12 (PMP22 gene duplication). A schwannoma is a benign encapsulated tumor originating from a Schwann cell. A case of hereditary neuropathy with liability to pressure palsies (HNPP) concurrent with schwannoma has been previously reported. Although it seems that the co-occurrence of CMT1A and schwannomas in a family would be the result of independent events, we could not completely ignore the possibility that the coincidence of two diseases might be due to a shared genetic background.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease/complications/*diagnosis/genetics ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 17 ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Median Neuropathy/*diagnosis/genetics ; Myelin Proteins/genetics ; Neurilemmoma/complications/*diagnosis/pathology ; Pedigree ; Peripheral Nervous System Neoplasms/*diagnosis/genetics ; Spinal Cord Neoplasms/*diagnosis/genetics

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the trend of research on the use of home-based pulmonary rehabilitation. METHOD: Using Medline and CINAHL search engine, experiemental research, titled as 'home-based pulmonary rehabilitation' and 'chronic lung disease', statistics were collected. The total 29 experimental studies published between 1981 to 2000 were selected and analyzed according to the ATS guidelines. RESULT: 1) The study samples in research were mostly of men, whose lung function was moderate to severe. 2) The total period of the intervention program varied from 5 to 12 week. The program included excercise intervention and educational intervention. Psychosocial intervention was minimal. 3) The outcome of the home-based pulmonary rehabilitation had been measured mostly by physical aspects. Quality of life and cost were less frequently measured. 4) In terms of effectiveness of the home based pulmonary rehabilitation program, physiologic outcome, such as lung function and hematologic markers, there was more 'no effect' than 'positive effect', whereas there was more 'positive effect' in decreasing dyspnea, improving excercise capacity, and improving quality of life. CONCLUSION: Based on these findings, future research on home-based pulmonary rehabilitation should be emphasized and provide standardized protocol, including psychosocial intervention, and analyses on cost and quality of life.
Dyspnea ; Home Care Services ; Humans ; Lung ; Male ; Quality of Life ; Rehabilitation* ; Search Engine

The purposes of this study were to assess the preferences for one-dish items and the combination preferences of one-dish items and side dishes that were served and eaten together. Participants were 710 fifth grade of elementary school children who were asked to write three of their favorite one-dish items and to select a preferred side dish among 25 of items for each one-dish item. In this way total 41 one-dish items were assessed to combine with a preferred side dish. The results showed that schoolchildren chose Kuksu as their most favorite one-dish item followed by Jajangmyon and curry rice. Kimchi was the most preferred side dish when they consumed one-dish items, especially Ramyon, Jabchebab, and one-dishes containing much broth. Danmugy was liked when they consumed Gimbab, Jajangbab, and Jajangmeon. Kackdugi was chosen as a favourite side dish when they ate Chungmugimbab and fruit salad was most preferred with Spaggetti. There is a difference in preference for side dishes among the three areas of residence. More schoolchildren in Namhae than in Jinju or in Busan liked Kackdugi when they consumed several one-dish items, like curry rice and Dakjuk.
Busan ; Child ; Fruit ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Humans