PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors affecting health promotion behavior among workers with high risk of metabolic syndrome. This study was based on the planned behavior theory. METHODS: The participants were 167 workers at high risk of metabolic syndrome. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Surveyed variables were attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, intention, and health promotion behavior. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and hierarchical regression analysis with SPSS/WIN 22.0. RESULTS: Perceived behavioral control affected the intention of health promotion behavior among the workers with high risk of metabolic syndrome. It explained 62% of variance in the intention of health promotion behavior (F=40.09, p<.001). Perceived behavioral control and occupation affected health promotion behavior among the risk workers with high risk of metabolic syndrome. The two factors explained 16% of variance in health promotion behavior (F=4.95, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The findings of this study suggest that perceived behavioral control is the only factor affecting health promotion behavior when the theory of planned behavior was applied. Therefore, intervention programs for improving health promotion behavior should be focused on strengthening perceived behavioral control.
Health Behavior ; Health Promotion* ; Intention ; Metabolic Syndrome X ; Occupations ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Depression is one of the most common mental disorders. Some characteristics of depression in Korea were elucidated. The tendency to express depressive feeling through somatic complaints is more prominent in Korea than in Western countries. Careful studies on depressive symptoms suggest that guilt and suicidal idea are apparent among Korean depressive patients as well as among Western subjects. But most depressive patients in Korea are reluctant to express suicidal idea, which is hidden under the somatic complaints. We should remember the possibility of research artifacts or cultural bias with regard to the evaluation of depressive symptoms of a country in comparison with other countries. Non-pharmacological treatment of depression includes dynamic psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, self-care treatment, etc. Some kinds of Korean culture relevant psychotherapies are introduced: Tea therapy, Imago therapy, Tao psychotherapy, and combined approach. Interest in the aged people is growing recently, and the research about the factors which affect the depressive disorders in older patients and treatment strategy for them is ongoing.
Artifacts ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Cognitive Therapy ; Depression* ; Depressive Disorder ; Guilt ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mental Disorders ; Psychotherapy ; Self Care ; Tea ; Troleandomycin

PURPOSE: To analyze the causes, success rate, and the changes of Jones tube length in endoscopic conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy (CDCR) reoperation cases. METHODS: The medical records of 40 patients (41 eyes, a total of 52 cases) who underwent reoperation of CDCR with Jones tube reinsertion using an endoscope from January 2013 to December 2018 were retrospectively reviewed. We analyzed the success rate, causes of reoperation, changes in lengths of used tubes, and the average interval times between operations. RESULTS: The most common cause of reoperation was medial tube migration (53.8%). As in other causes, tube loss (17.3%), obstructions related with conjunctival overgrowth or granulation (13.46%), lateral tube migration (11.53%), iatrogenic removal (1.92%), and acute dacryocystitis (1.92%) followed. In patients with medial tube migration, the average tube length used in reoperations decreased by approximately 1.11 mm compared to prior operations. In cases of lateral tube migration, the average tube length increased approximately 1.00 mm after the reoperation. The success rate of reoperations was 78.04%. The average interval time between the initial operation and the first reoperation was 52 months. In cases with several reoperations, the interval time decreased as the number of reoperations increased. CONCLUSIONS Because medial tube migration was found to be the most common cause of reoperations, it should be considered as a potential problem when performing surgery. The changes in the lengths of inserted Jones tubes were related to certain types of complication, which affected the prognoses. In endoscopic CDCR reoperations, the success rate was favorable. In recurrent cases, the average interval time between reoperations decreased as the number of operations increased.

Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic agent that is more effective than the typical neuroleptics in the treatment of refractory schizophrenia. However, clozapine is also a drug associated with potentially serious adverse effects, such as cardiac complications as well as agranulocytosis. Clozapine-related agranulocytosis has been reported in Korea, whereas clozapine-related cardiac complications have not. We report a 31-year-old male schizophrenia treated with clozapine who developed a dilated cardiomyopathy. We also reviewed literatures on dilated cardiomyopathy associated with clozapine treatment. This report is an attempt to raise the awareness of clozapine-related cardiac complications.
Adult ; Agranulocytosis ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated* ; Clozapine* ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to determine the intracellular action of the antidepressant, venlafaxine, in C6 glioma cells using heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) immunocytochemistry and HSP70 Western blots; HSP70 is known to be associated with stress and depression. METHODS: The extent of HSP70 expression was measured after rat C6 glioma cells were treated with 1) dexamethasone only, 2) venlafaxine only, 3) simultaneous venlafaxine and dexamethasone, or 4) dexamethasone after venlafaxine pretreatment. Dexamethasone (10 microM, 6 hours) did not affect the level of HSP70 expression relative to control. RESULTS: Short-term (1 hour) venlafaxine treatment significantly increased the level of HSP 70 expression. Simultaneous long-term (72 hours) venlafaxine and dexamethasone treatment significantly reduced the level of HSP70 expression. Dexamethasone treatment administered following long-term (24 and 72 hours) pretreatment with venlafaxine also significantly reduced the level of HSP70 expression. CONCLUSION: Short-term treatment with venlafaxine increases the expression of HSP70, but prolonged treatment with dexamethasone suppresses the venlafaxine-induced expression of HSP70. These findings suggest that HSP70 and dexamethasone play a significant role in the pathophysiology of depression.
Animals ; Cyclohexanols ; Depression ; Dexamethasone ; Glioma ; Heat-Shock Proteins ; HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins ; Immunohistochemistry ; Rats ; Venlafaxine Hydrochloride

PURPOSE: To assess the characteristics of bone metastasis from hepatocellular carcinoma and the radiation field arrangement based on imaging studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Fifty-three patients (84 lesions) with bone metastasis from a primary hepatocellular carcinoma completed palliative radiation therapy. All patients underwent one of following imaging studies prior to the initiation of radiation therapy: a bone scan, computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. The median radiation dose was 30 Gy (7~40 Gy). We evaluated retrospectively the presence of soft tissue formation and the adjustment of the radiation field based on the imaging studies. RESULTS: Soft tissue formation at the site of bony disease was identified from either a CT/MRI scan (41 lesions) or from a symptomatic palpable mass (5 lesions). The adjustment of the radiation field size based on a bone scan was necessary for 31 of 41 soft tissue forming lesions (75.6%), after a review of the CT/MRI scan. The median survival from the initial indication of a hepatoma diagnosis was 8 months (2 to 71 months), with a 2-year survival rate of 38.6%. The median survival from the detection of a bone metastasis was 5 months (1 to 38 months) and the 1-year overall survival rate was 8.7%. CONCLUSION: It was again identified that bone metastasis from a primary hepatocellular carcinoma is accompanied by soft tissue formation. From this finding, an adjustment of the radiation field size based on imaging studies is required. It is advisable to obtain a CT or MRI scan of suspected bone metastasis for better tumor volume coverage prior to the initiation of radiation therapy.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Tumor Burden

Background: Age-adjusted bone mineral density (BMD) in postmenopausal women decreases in developed countries whereas incidence of osteoporotic fracture decreases or remains stable. We investigated secular trends of bone density from 2008 to 2017 among different age groups of postmenopausal women. Methods: We analyzed BMD data obtained from health check-ups of 4,905 postmenopausal women during three survey cycles from 2008 to 2017. We divided them into 3 groups by age (50–59 years, 60–69 years, and 70 years or more) and observed the transition of lumbar and femoral BMD in each group, before and after adjusting for variables that may affect BMD. Results: Age-adjusted BMD, bone mineral content (BMC), and T-score demonstrated a declining trend over the survey period at lumbar spine (−2.8%), femur neck (−3.5%) and total femur (−4.3%), respectively. In the analysis for the age groups, the BMD, BMC, and T-score presented linear declining trend (−6.1%) in younger postmenopausal women while women aged over 70 or more showed linear increasing trends (+6.3%) at lumbar spine during the survey period. Femoral neck and total femur BMD demonstrated a declining linear trend only in the 50–59 and 60–69 years groups (−5.5%, −5.2%, respectively), but not in the 70 years or more group. Conclusion BMD in younger postmenopausal women has decreased considerably but has increased or plateaued in elderly women. This discordance of BMD trends among different age groups may contribute to decreased incidence of osteoporotic fracture despite a recent declining BMD trend in postmenopausal women.

A small sized tube can be used for a patient with tracheal stenosis. However, an ordinary endotracheal tube may be not long enough to pass over stenotic lesion of trachea in adult patient for nasotracheal intubation, when stenotic lesion is located distally. We experienced a patient with severe tracheal stenotic lesion 5 cm above the carina and 3.1 cm length of stenotic lesion scheduled for laryngeal microscopic surgery. The two 4.0 mm tubes-connected tube using modified connector was designed and prepared. We performed fiberoptic-guided awake nasotracheal intubation using the extended endotracheal tube and the patient was successfully managed without complications until the surgery was completed.
Adult ; Airway Management* ; Humans ; Intubation ; Trachea ; Tracheal Stenosis*

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify diffrentially regulated genes after the treatment of fluoxetine in rat C6 glioma cells using cDNA microarray chip techniques and real-time RT-PCR. METHODS: Cells were incubated for 24 hours, and for 72 hours with or without 10 uM fluoxetine. Total RNAs extracted from cells were reversely transcribed to cDNA. These cDNA were used to carry out cDNA microarray chip. A part of the up-/down-regulated genes in cDNA microarray result were confirmed by real-time RT-PCR. RESULTS: 1) Genes in fluoxetinetreated cells for 72 hours (chronic treatment) were more regulated than that in fluoxetine-treated cells for 24 hours (acute treatment). 2) The expression level of Gs gene in fluoxetine-treated cells for 24 hours hardly altered, but that of Gs in fluoxetine-treated cells for 72 hours significantly increased. The expression of Gi2 also decreased in 72 hours in relation to 24 hours after the administration of fluoxetine. 3) The expression level of NCAM140 gene in fluoxetine-treated cells was higher than that in control cells. CONCLUSION: We identified genes (Gs, Gi2 and NCAM140) related to neural plasticity and intracellular signal transduction cascade from our result. This implies that fluoxetine may inhibit atrophy or death of impaired neural cells by promoting neurite outgrowth.
Animals ; Atrophy ; DNA, Complementary ; Fluoxetine* ; Glioma* ; Neurites ; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis ; Plastics ; Rats* ; RNA ; Signal Transduction

Ethanol and its metabolite acetaldehyde increase transforming growth factor beta1 (TGF-beta1) expression in animal studies. TGF-beta1 is related with the hepatic stellate cell (the key element of hepatic fibrogenesis) and the radial glia (the key element of neuronal migration). Blood samples were collected from 41 patients with alcohol dependence, TGF-beta1 levels measured by ELISA were compared with 41 normal subjects. Plasma TGF-beta1 levels in the patients with alcohol dependence (1,653.11+/-532.45 pg/mL) were significantly higher than those of healthy subjects (669.87+/-366.53 pg/mL) (P=0.000). Patients with or without liver pathology showed no difference in TGF-beta1 (P=0.36). Increased TGF-beta1 may mediate deleterious effect of alcohol such as hepatic fibrosis and suppressed neuronal developments in alcohol dependence patients.
Adult ; Alcoholism/*blood ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans ; Liver Diseases/pathology/ultrasonography ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1/*blood