A stout and obese fourty five year-old Korean man was affected with hyperlipoproteinemia type III. His skin lesion showed yellowish papular eruptive xanthomas with erythematous halo located chiefly on the trunk and extensor aspects of the extremities including both palms. In addition to the skin lesion he showed pea-sized cervical lymphnode swellings, slightly tessellated fundi and, on ECG, premature ventricular contraction. Otherwise no specific findings were seen. The laboratory examinations showed increases of both serum cholesterol and triglycerides, increased fasting blood sugar level and abnormal glucose tolerance curve with turbid color of fasting blood serum which had been kept standing at 4C for 24 hours. On the paper electrophoresis "broad beta band" blending with the pre-beta area was noted. The authors discussed laboratory characteristics, clinical manifestations and differential diagnosis of primary hyperlipoproteinemia on each type with review of the literatures of the disease.
Blood Glucose ; Cholesterol ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Electrocardiography ; Electrophoresis, Paper ; Extremities ; Fasting ; Glucose ; Hyperlipoproteinemia Type III* ; Hyperlipoproteinemias ; Lipoproteins, LDL* ; Serum ; Skin ; Triglycerides ; Ventricular Premature Complexes ; Xanthomatosis

A case of Maffucci's syndrome, which was considered to be a first case reported in Korean literature, was presented with review of literatures. The patient, 17 years old Korean girl, had muliple cutaneous cavernous type hemangioma on the right foot and ankle area with an enchondroma in the third toe which showed slight shortening of length and abnormality on bone X-ray study. Authors presented this case with the results of histopathological examination of the skin and bones and right side femoral angiography for establishment of the diagnosis.
Adolescent ; Angiography ; Ankle ; Chondroma ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Foot ; Hemangioma ; Humans ; Osteochondrodysplasias* ; Skin ; Toes

This study has been performed to analyze nutrition knowledge, dietary self-efficacy and eating habits of the elementary- and middle- school students (n = 342) according to student's stage of regular breakfast or exercise. Middle school students had higher nutrition knowledge than primary school students. Total dietary self-efficacy and dietary habit scores were not different by school year and gender. Nutrition knowledge, dietary self-efficacy and dietary habit scores were positively correlated each other. By the stage of regular breakfast, the pre-contemplation stage comprised 13.6%, contemplation 2.1%, preparation 15.7%, action 11.5% and maintenance stage 59.1%. By the stage of regular exercise, the pre-contemplation stage comprised 20.9%, contemplation 7.3%, preparation 45.6%, action 9.8% and maintenance stage 16.4%. According to the stage of change, movement from the pre-contemplation and contemplation to upper stage increased the dietary self-efficacy score. Dietary habit score increased significantly across the five stages of changes. The results of this study indicate differences in stages of changes in breakfast intake and regular exercise and indicate the need for taking these phases of change into account in nutrition education.
Breakfast ; Eating ; Food Habits ; Humans

The purpose of this study was to obtain an understanding of the association of personality preferences and food behavior factors in middle school students. The subjects were 319 boys and girls in a middle school located in Kyunggi province. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess demographic factors, dietary habits and psychosocial factors including self-efficacy, perceived benefits and barriers. The MMTIC (Murphy-Meisgeier Type Inventory for Children) test was used to assess the personality preferences of the students. Sixty-seven percent of the subjects were extrovert, 53.9% were the sensing type, 76.8% were the feeling type and 81.8% were the perceiving type in personality preferences. The extrovert had higher self-efficacy than the introvert. The feeling type perceived more benefits and fewer barriers than the thinking type. The education levels of the parents, especially mothers, were positively related with self-efficacy and dietary habit scores of the students. The self-efficacy and perceived benefits and barriers were significantly associated with dietary habits of the students (explained variance: 17.9%). Results of this study presented the relationship of character types and parents' education levels on psychosocial food behavior factors and a need for the development of tailored nutrition education program considering these factors.
Demography ; Education ; Female ; Food Habits* ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Mothers ; Parents ; Psychology* ; Thinking

The prognosis of myasthenia gravis (MG) has improved dramatically due to advances in critical-care medicine and symptomatic treatments. Its immunopathogenesis is fundamentally a T-cell-dependent autoimmune process resulting from loss of tolerance toward self-antigens in the thymus. Thymectomy is based on this immunological background. For MG patients who are inadequately controlled with sufficient symptomatic treatment or fail to achieve remission after thymectomy, remission is usually achieved through the addition of other immunotherapies. These immunotherapies can be classified into two groups: rapid induction and long-term maintenance. Rapid induction therapy includes intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and plasma exchange (PE). These produce improvement within a few days after initiation, and so are useful for acute exacerbation including myasthenic crisis or in the perioperative period. High-dose prednisone has been more universally preferred for remission induction, but it acts more slowly than IVIg and PE, commonly only after a delay of several weeks. Slow tapering of steroids after a high-dose pulse offers a method of maintaining the state of remission. However, because of significant side effects, other immunosuppressants (ISs) are frequently added as "steroid-sparing agents". The currently available ISs exert their immunosuppressive effects by three mechanisms: 1) blocking the synthesis of DNA and RNA, 2) inhibiting T-cell activation and 3) depleting the B-cell population. In addition, newer drugs including antisense molecule, tumor necrosis factor alpha receptor blocker and complement inhibitors are currently under investigation to confirm their effectiveness. Until now, the treatment of MG has been based primarily on experience rather than gold-standard evidence from randomized controlled trials. It is hoped that well-organized studies and newer experimental trials will lead to improved treatments.
Autoantigens ; B-Lymphocytes ; Complement System Proteins ; DNA ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous ; Immunosuppressive Agents ; Immunotherapy ; Myasthenia Gravis ; Perioperative Period ; Plasma Exchange ; Prednisone ; Prognosis ; Remission Induction ; RNA ; Steroids ; T-Lymphocytes ; Thymectomy ; Thymus Gland ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis and attributable fractures are disruptive health events that can cause short and long-term cost consequences for families, health service and government. In this fracture-based scenario analysis we evaluate the broader public economic consequences for the Korean government based on fractures that can occur at 3 different ages.METHODS: We developed a public economic modelling framework based on population averages in Korea for earnings, direct taxes, indirect taxes, disability payments, retirement, pension payments, and osteoporosis health costs. Applying a scenario analysis, we estimated the cumulative average per person fiscal consequences of osteoporotic fractures occurring at different ages 55, 65, and 75 compared to average non-fracture individuals of comparable ages to estimate resulting costs for government in relation to lost tax revenue, disability payments, pension costs, and healthcare costs. All costs are calculated between the ages of 50 to 80 in Korean Won (KRW) and discounted at 0.5%.RESULTS: From the scenarios explored, fractures occurring at age 55 are most costly for government with increased disability and pension payments of KRW 26,048,400 and KRW 41,094,206 per person, respectively, compared to the non-fracture population. A fracture can result in reduction in lifetime direct and indirect taxes resulting in KRW 53,648,886 lost tax revenue per person for government compared to general population.CONCLUSIONS: The fiscal consequences of osteoporotic fractures for government vary depending on the age at which they occur. Fiscal benefits for government are greater when fractures are prevented early due to the potential to prevent early retirement and keeping people in the labor force to the degree that is observed in non-fracture population.
Costs and Cost Analysis ; Employment ; Health Care Costs ; Health Services ; Humans ; Korea ; Models, Economic ; Osteoporosis ; Osteoporotic Fractures ; Pensions ; Republic of Korea ; Retirement ; Taxes

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different kinds of traditional Korean soybeans on blood and liver lipids and lipid peroxidation. SD male rats (n =48 )were assigned to six different groups and provided expe-rimental diets for 28 days. The protein source of the diet was casein, isolated soy protein (ISP ), or casein plus traditional soy powders (yellow bean, huktae, jinuni or seorietae ). The ISP, jinuni and seorietae diet decreased blood triglyceride compared to casein group. The ISP groups had lower hepatic total lipid and triglycerides than casein groups. The yellow bean and seorietae group had hepatic lipid lowering effects, but the effect was not found in huktae and jinuni group. The glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase activity was significantly decreased in ISP and jinuni groups than in casein group. The glutamate-pyruvate transaminase activity was also decreased in ISP group. The results of this study suggest that jinuni, yellow bean and seorietae groups are more effective in lowering body lipids than huktae group.
Animals ; Caseins ; Diet ; Humans ; Lipid Peroxidation* ; Liver ; Male ; Powders ; Rats* ; Soybean Proteins ; Soybeans* ; Triglycerides

We investigated the selenium (Se) nutrition status in Korean infants. The mean serum Se concentration in infants was 66.9 microg/L, and it increased with increasing in infant age: 57.6 microg/L at 0-5 months, 71.8 microg/L at 6-11 months, and 75.5 microg/L at 12-24 months. Serum glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity also increased with infant age. Serum Se concentration in infants was positively correlated with serum GPx activity (r = 0.565, p < 0.01). At 0-5 months, human milk-fed infants tended to have higher Se concentrations and GPx activity than those of formula-fed infants, but the result was not significant. With the introduction of supplemental feeding at 6-24 months of age, serum Se concentration was not different between the groups. Therefore, human milk feeding seemed to be more appropriate for infant Se nutrition than infant formula feeding during the first 6 months of life, but supplemental feeding became more important later to maintain good Se nutrition status.
Glutathione ; Glutathione Peroxidase ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Formula ; Milk, Human ; Nutritional Status ; Selenium

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is one of the most common chronic diseases in adults and severely affects quality of life in patients. Although various etiologic and pathogenic mechanisms of CRS have been proposed, the causes of CRS remain uncertain. Abnormalities in the coagulation cascade may play an etiologic role in many diseases, such as asthma and other inflammatory conditions. While studies on the relationship between asthma and dysregulated coagulation have been reported, the role of the coagulation system in the pathogenesis of CRS has only been considered following recent reports. Excessive fibrin deposition is seen in nasal polyp (NP) tissue from patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyp (CRSwNP) and is associated with activation of thrombin, reduction of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and upregulation of coagulation factor XIII-A (FXIII-A), all events that can contribute to fibrin deposition and crosslinking. These findings were reproduced in a murine model of NP that was recently established. Elucidation of the mechanisms of fibrin deposition may enhance our understanding of tissue remodeling in the pathophysiology of NP and provide new targets for the treatment of CRSwNP.
Adult ; Asthma ; Blood Coagulation Factors ; Chronic Disease ; Factor XIIIa ; Fibrin ; Fibrinolysis ; Humans ; Nasal Polyps ; Quality of Life ; Thrombin ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator ; Up-Regulation

High sugar intake has been suggested to be related to hypertension. To examine the associations between intakes of sugar and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and the prevalence of hypertension, we used the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2006. A total of 3,044 participants aged > or =19 years were included. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using multivariate logistic regression model. Prevalent hypertension cases were defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) of > or =140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of > or =90 mmHg. In the multivariate adjusted models, we observed no association between sugar consumption and the prevalence of hypertension. In the model where we adjusted for age, gender, NHANES period and BMI, those who consumed > or =3 times per day of sugar-sweetened beverages had an OR of 1.87 (95% confidence interval, CI = 1.06-3.26) for the prevalence of hypertension compared with those who consumed <1 time per month of these beverages. Further adjustment for other factors attenuated the association; ORs (95% CIs) were 1.21 (0.81-1.81) for 1 time per month-<3 times per week, 1.39 (0.86-2.24) for 3 times per week-<1 times per day, 1.26 (0.80-1.98) for 1-<3 times per day, and 1.50 (0.84-2.68) for > or =3 times per day of sugar-sweetened beverages compared to the <1 time per month (p for trend = 0.33). In conclusion, we found that sugar consumption was not associated with the prevalence of hypertension, however there was suggestion that high sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was associated with high prevalence of hypertension in the US.
Beverages* ; Blood Pressure* ; Dietary Sucrose ; Hypertension ; Logistic Models ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Odds Ratio ; Prevalence ; United States*