No abstract available in English.
Fatigue ; Fractures, Stress

OBJECTIVES: To explore the possible effect of an interaction between summertime heat waves and ozone on cardiopulmonary mortality during the 1994 heat wave in Korea. METHODS: The unusually hot summer of 1994 in Korea was defined as the heat wave in this study. We examined the associations of air pollutants with daily cardiopulmonary deaths between 1991-1995, considering the product term of the heat wave and each pollutant, weather and time trends. RESULTS: During the heat wave, while temperatures were uniformly higher than those of other summers, the within-heat-wave difference in mortality paralleled that in the regional ozone levels. In terms of the influence of the heat wave, the results of ozone were different to those of total suspended particles (TSP) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). The ozone association (relative risk (RR) =1.036; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.018-1.054) was observed only under heat wave conditions, while the TSP (RR =1.006, 95% CI = 0.999-1.012) and the SO2 (RR =1.018, 95% CI = 1.011-1.024) associations were found under normal weather conditions (per interquartile increase of each pollutant; results of three pollutants model). The ozone association under heat wave was attributable to the statistical interaction between the heat wave and ozone. CONCLUSIONS: These results support the possibility of a biological synergy between the heat wave and ozone, one that is not evident between the heat wave and other major pollutants like particles or SO2.
Air Pollutants ; Air Pollution ; Hot Temperature* ; Infrared Rays* ; Korea* ; Mortality* ; Ozone* ; Sulfur Dioxide ; Weather

The most frequently used serodiagnostic test for syphilis in Korea is VDRL test, which is one of several flocculation tests utilizing cardiolipin-lecithin as antigen. This test remains popular because it is easily performed, inexpensive, is standard for screening purposes, and is useful for following the serologic response to treatment. A common problem is weakly reactive (or 'rough' result) VDRL test or reactive VDRL in the absence of definite evidence of present or past syphilis; the diagnosis of syphilis in these cases should be confirmed by using the specific treponemal antigen tests. The Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody-Absorption (FTA-ARS) test is the result of continued attempts to improve the original FTA procedures. This test uses virulent T. pallidum (Nichols strain) as antigen and uses fluorescein-tagged antihuman globulin as reaction indicator. The FTA-ABS test is very sensitive in all stage of syphilis, especially in early syphilis. The FTA-ABS test was carried out on 448 persons with reactive and weakly reactive VDRL tests and divided the groups of routine physical check and out patients. (countinued..)
Diagnosis ; Flocculation Tests ; Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody-Absorption Test ; Humans ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Outpatients ; Syphilis*

No abstract available.

No abstract available in English.
Fatigue ; Fractures, Stress

Kawasaki disease is described by fever lasting five days or more, bilateral conjunctival injection, changes of lips and oral cavity, polymorphous exanthema, acute non-purulent cervical lymphadenopathy, and changes of extremities. Atypical Kawasaki disease is defined as fewer than 4 of 6 criteria described above including coronary artery abnormalities. Especially, atypical clinical manifestations of Kawasaki disease appear in infants younger than 6 months old of age. Thus we recommend echocardiography in early infancy who has prolonged fever in order to diagnose atypical Kawasaki disease and treat early. We have experienced three cases of atypical Kawasaki disease with coronary aneurysm who were admitted because of fever and revealed coronary aneurysm on echocardiography.
Coronary Aneurysm* ; Coronary Vessels ; Echocardiography ; Exanthema ; Extremities ; Fever ; Humans ; Infant ; Lip ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Mouth ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome*

BACKGROUND: Majority of hypertension is essential in type, so its clear cue usually is not found, and the patients are tend to be persisted of psychopathy such as emotional tension, depression, anger, anxiety and psychologic conflict, also not to be adapted to stressful event. So we decide to survey the personality characteristics of essential hypertensive patients and factors of psychopathology. METHODS: Patient group-50 persons(male 23, female 27) are selected in the course of antihypertensive medication, being in or outpatient treatment at the dept. of F.M. or I.M. in Kae-jung, Dae-sung or Jung-ang Hospital from August 1, 1995 to July 31, 1996. Control group 52 persons(male 25, female 27) are selected. Exclusision criteria are any clinical disease hystory, over 140/90mmHg of BP, under 20-year old age or no cooperation. We assessment of the MMPI, BDI and STAI results about both group. RESULTS: Comparing hypertensive group with normal control group, significantly higher F, Hs, D, Hy, Pd, Pt and Sc scales of MMPI and BDI(p<0.01), and anxiety scale of STAI(p<0.05). There were no significant differences in all scales comparing between both sexs in the hypertensive and control groups, except comparing hypertensive male with hypertensive female in Pt scale(p<0.05) and control female with control male in Hy scale(p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Comparing essential hypertensive group with normal control group, significant higher score was found in scales of Hypochondriasis, Depression, Hysteria, Psychopathic deviate, Psychasthenia, Schizophrenia and anxiety. And in the treatment of hypertensive patient with antihypertensive drugs, appropriate additive psychotherapy appears useful in the case of revealing psychopathy.
Anger ; Antihypertensive Agents ; Anxiety* ; Cues ; Depression* ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Hypochondriasis ; Hysteria ; Life Change Events ; Male ; MMPI ; Outpatients ; Psychopathology ; Psychotherapy ; Schizophrenia ; Weights and Measures ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationships between cardiorespiratory fitness and body mass index (BMI), metabolic syndrome risk factors, homeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) in male high school students in Korea. Furthermore, the effects of the cardiorespiratory fitness levels on these four factors were examined. METHODS: The level of cardiorespiratory fitness, BMI, percent body fat, waist circumference (WC), systolic blood pressure, glucose, triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), HOMA-IR, and hsCRP of 227 male high school students were measured. Analyses of multiple correlation and simple regression were applied. RESULTS: The results showed that the level of cardiorespiratory fitness correlated negatively with BMI, percent body fat, WC, TG, and HDL-C, in addition to HOMA-IR and hsCRP, and strongly influenced BMI, percent body fat, WC, TG, HDL-C, HOMA-IR, and hsCRP. Comparative analysis of our subjects showed that higher cardiorespiratory fitness levels had positive effects on BMI, metabolic syndrome risk factors, HOMA-IR, and hsCRP. CONCLUSIONS: This study found that there are close correlations between cardiorespiratory fitness and BMI, metabolic syndrome risk factors, HOMA-IR, and hsCRP. It also showed that, compared to lower levels of cardiorespiratory fitness, higher levels had beneficial effects on BMI, metabolic syndrome risk factors, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease risk factors.
Adipose Tissue ; Adolescent ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; C-Reactive Protein ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Glucose ; Homeostasis ; Humans ; Insulin ; Korea ; Male ; Physical Fitness ; Risk Factors ; Triglycerides ; Waist Circumference

No abstract available.
Arthralgia*

In accidents, the spines are generally subjected to one of five types of violence; pure flexion, flexion and rotation, extention, vertical compression, or direct shearing force by Holdsworth's report. Flexion and rotational violence, so-called, unstable rotational fracture-dislocation results in paraplegia commonly. The treatment of the fracture-dislocations of the thoracic and lumbar spine had varied widely during the past 100 years, including conservative and operative treatment, but there is no definitive study that convincingly show the superiority of either operative or nonoperative treatment till now. Ten cases of the unstable thoracolumbar vertebral fracture or fracture-dislocations during the past two years were reported in this paper. In unstable types on the thoracolumbar vertebral fracture or fracture-dislocations, direct blow was the most common cause of injury and the thoracolumbar junction extending from T10 to L1 was the most common location of injury in this report. Three among four paraplegic patients were received flexion and rotational violence and the remaining one, direct shearing force. All four paraplegic parients were operated. Among them two cases, the one who was performed open reduction and simple wire fixation and the other open reduction and Harrington instrumentation, recovered almost completely except mild motor weakness of lower extremities. All cases complained of remaining back pain more or less without relation to the method of treatment.
Back Pain ; Clinical Study ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Methods ; Paraplegia ; Spine ; Violence