No abstract available.
Pregnancy*

BACKGROUND: Although the rate of smoking in adults is decreasing, its rate in adolescents keeps increasing gradually. Especially, smoking in adolescents is a serious problem that may be deeply related to drug abuse and is the main cause of a number of diseases. Anti-smoking program is essential to prevent this matter. Therefore, analysis of smoking status and its related factors in adolescents in a region where such a program was performed may be useful. METHODS: Questionnaire-survey was performed on 1,516 students of six high schools in a city who wished to participate in the anti-smoking program and analyzed the results concerning smoking status and the related factors on 1,380 students which consisted of 862(62.5%) males and 518(37.5%) females who completed the questionnaire. RESULTS: Smoking prevalences were 40.1% in males and 17.6% in females. Height, weight, educational level of parents and occupation of father were assessed. In the case of male students, the taller they were the more they smoked. In the case of female students, the higher their mother's educational level the more they smoked. Siblings' and close friends' smoking status had influence on smoking in both males and females. Drinking status affected smoking status in both males and females. The total mean of knowledge and attitude score was 1.39 and 1.32, respectively. There was a significant difference in men's knowledge and attitude score and in women's attitude score categorized by smoking status. The men's knowledge and attitude scores were significantly higher than women's. In the results of regression, the knowledge score had a negative coefficient and the attitude score had a positive coefficient as the dependent variable was smoking status in males, and the same results were shown in females. The attitude score, drinking status and close friends' smoking status were factors that influenced smoking in males and the knowledge score, the attitude score, drinking status, close friends' smoking and siblings' smoking in females. CONCLUSION: If we apply these results in school-based anti-smoking program, it will be an effective program for high school students.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Drinking ; Fathers ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Occupations ; Parents ; Prevalence ; Smoke* ; Smoking* ; Substance-Related Disorders ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Background: atherosclerosis is main cause of death, It is important to find it early because it represents mainly coronary heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases later. We thought that there would be difference between the extent of subclinical atherosclerosis and PWVs, and we researched the relation between the extent of atherosclerosis and PWVs. Methods: One hundred thirty nine elderly patients (62 men, 77 women, 60~69 years old) who had atypical chest pain, and underwent coronary angiography, and less than 50% stenosis of coronary artery, and less than 1.0 TnI were evaluated Framingham cardiovascular risk score, PWVs, the extent of coronary artery, the extent of carotid atherosclerosis, ankle-brachial index. Results: hfPWV showed significant positive correlation and difference of velocity according to the extent of carotid atherosclerosis in women, total (r=0.341, p=0.025), (r=0.306. p=0.000), and hfPWV showed significant positive correlation and difference of velocity with the extent of stenosis of coronary artery angiography in women, total (r=0.400, p=0.000), (r=0.271, p=0.001), there was no correlation between ABI and PWVs. hcPWV showed significant correlation, and difference of velocity with Framingham risk score in men and total, hfPWV showed positive correlation and difference with Framingham risk score in men, women, total, and baPWV showed positive correlation and difference of velocity according to the Framingham risk score in men, women, total. Conclusions: There is positive correlation and difference of velocity between the extent of subclinical atherosclerosis and PWVs (especially hfPWV), it would help to detect subclinical atherosclerosis and to treat it early.
Aged* ; Angiography ; Ankle Brachial Index ; Atherosclerosis ; Carotid Artery Diseases ; Cause of Death ; Chest Pain ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Pulse Wave Analysis*

The effects of cortisone administration and whole body irradiation by X-ray upon mesenteric mast cells of intact and adrenalectomized albino rats were studied. In intact rats, the administration of cortisone (50mg./kg) and whole body irradiation by X-ray (800r) caused severe degranulation and disruption of mesenteric mast cells within 24 hours. However their degranulation and disrupting effects upon mesenteric mast cells were markedly inhibited after the removal of the adrenal gland. Although the adrenalectomy alone hardly caused these morphological changes of mesenteric mast cells of the albino rats. According to this experiment it is fairly clear that the effects of cortisone and whole body X-ray irradiation inducing degranulation and disruption of mesenteric mast cells of the albino rats, were not direct phenomena but they indirectly affected the mesenteric mast cells through some special mechanism mediated by the adrenal gland.

This study was conducted to investigate the association of the occurrence of pediatric disease with environmental, seasonal and atmospheric factors. The data were collected at 5 pediatric clinics in Seoul and the Department of Pediatrics of Yongin Severance Hospital from May 1986 to April 1987. The results were as follows: 1. Vacation periods had a great influence upon the occurrence of pediatric diseases. 2. The majority of pediatric diseases occurred mainly in spring and autumn, not in summer and winter. 3. The higher the average relative humidity was, the less diseases occurred; and the higher the maximum change of daily temperature, the more diseases occurred. 4. In summer, the pattern of diseases varied along with the environmental factors(eg., toilet).
Gyeonggi-do ; Humidity ; Pediatrics ; Seasons* ; Seoul

Tick paralysis is caused by a neurotoxin secreted by female tick. Characteristic initial manifestation is bilateral flaccid ascending paralysis similar to Guillain-Barr? syndrome. The predominant electrophysiological abnormality is a reduction in complex muscle action potentials. Here, we present a 62-year-old man who initially experienced a sudden biting pain on his scalp. Subsequently he developed bilateral lower extremity paralysis that ascended symmetrically involving the upper extremities. Within 2 weeks, the patient showed a full recovery without treatment.
Action Potentials ; Bites and Stings ; Female ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Middle Aged ; Muscles ; Paralysis ; Scalp ; Tick Paralysis ; Ticks ; Upper Extremity

We performed gene expression profiling in bladder cancer patients to identify cancer-specific survival-related genes in muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) patients. Sixty-two patients with MIBC were selected as the original cohort and another 118 MIBC patients were chosen as a validation cohort. The expression of USP18, DGCR2, and ZNF699 genes were measured and we analyzed the association between gene signatures and survival. USP18 and DGCR2, were significantly correlated to cancer-specific death (P=0.020, P=0.007, respectively). Cancer-specific survival in the low USP18 or DGCR2 expression group was significantly longer than the high expression group (P=0.018, P=0.006, respectively). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, a combination of USP18 and DGCR2 mRNA expression levels were significant risk factors for cancer-specific death (HR, 2.106; CI, 1.043-4.254, P=0.038). Overall survival and cancer-specific survival rates in the low-combination group were significantly longer than those in the high-expression group (P=0.001, both). In conclusion, decreased expressions of USP18 and DGCR2 were significantly associated with longer cancer-specific survival, and also the combination of two genes was correlated to a longer survival for MIBC patients. Thus, the combination of USP18 and DGCR2 expression was shown to be a reliable prognostic marker for cancer-specific survival in MIBC.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biological Markers/metabolism ; Carrier Proteins/genetics/metabolism ; Endopeptidases/genetics/*metabolism ; Female ; Gene Expression Profiling ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Muscle Neoplasms/*secondary ; Neoplasm Invasiveness ; Neoplasm Staging ; Platelet Glycoprotein GPIb-IX Complex/genetics/*metabolism ; Predictive Value of Tests ; ROC Curve ; Regression Analysis ; Risk Factors ; Urinary Bladder Neoplasms/*diagnosis/metabolism/*mortality/pathology

PURPOSE: Major hepatic resection is sometimes inevitable in patients with impaired liver function. We evaluated risk factors that cause postoperative liver failure after major hepatic resection in patients with over a 10% Indocyanine Green Retention rate at 15 minutes (ICGR15). METHODS: From Apr. 2002 to Aug. 2009, 32 patients who had over a 10% rate of ICGR15 underwent major hepatic resection (> or =4 Couinaud segments). Among the 32, 9 patients showed postoperative liver failure (less than 50% prothrombine time and/or 5 mg/dl or higher of total bilirubin). This high-risk group was compared to the rest who constituted a low-risk group. RESULTS: Patients with esophageal varix were more common in the high risk group (4 versus 2, p=0.043). Other clinicopathologic features showed no difference between the two groups. We had 2 in-hospital deaths in the high risk group. CONCLUSION: Great care is needed in patients with esophageal varix and limited liver function during major hepatic resection.
Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Indocyanine Green ; Liver ; Liver Failure ; Prothrombin ; Retention (Psychology) ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: According to the recent studies on the carcinogenic factors of gastric cancer in Koreans, dietary factors, such as stew, roasted fish, and fish boiled in soy with spices, salted foods, as well as smoking, might be risk factors of gastric cancer. N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2) is an enzyme that plays a role in the reduction of the toxicity of various carcinogens. There is a possibility that the genetic polymorphism of NAT2 might change a subject's susceptibility to gastric cancer. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of diet, the genetic polymorphism of NAT2 and their interaction on the risk of gastric cancer in Koreans. METHODS: The subjects of this case-control study were 214 gastric cancer patients, and 214 controls, who were admitted at the Chungbuk National or Eulji University Hospitals. Each subject was directly interview, by an experienced interviewer, with a structured questionnaire. A NAT2 genetic polymorphism analysis was performed, with a PCR-RFLP technique, and the data analyzed using the PC-SAS software package. RESULTS: Increased intakes of makkoli, soybean paste stew, kimchi and ggakdugi, soy milk, chicken boiled with rice and boiled chicken were all associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer, whereas those of fermented soybean stew, Welsh onion or leek, onions, peaches, chestnuts or gingko nuts, fatsia shoots, raw fish, salted seafood and laver were all associated with a decreased risk of gastric cancer. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for gastric cancer for the rapid acetylators was 1.64 (1.12, 2.41), which was statistically significant. With respect to the rapid acetylators, makkoli, kimchi and soy milk were significant risk factors, and Welsh onion/leek and onions were protective factors for gastric cancer. Whereas, soybean paste stew was a risk factor of gastric cancer with the slow or intermediate acetylators. CONCLUSION: These results suggest the genotype of a rapid acetylation is a risk factor of gastric cancer, and the effects of diet on the risk of gastric cancer vary according to the genotype of the NAT2 enzyme.
Acetylation ; Carcinogenesis* ; Carcinogens ; Case-Control Studies ; Chickens ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Diet* ; Genotype ; Ginkgo biloba ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Nuts ; Odds Ratio ; Onions ; Polymorphism, Genetic* ; Prunus persica ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Risk Factors ; Seafood ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Soy Milk ; Soybeans ; Spices ; Stomach Neoplasms*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Homocysteine is a metabolite of methionine metabolism with atherogenic and thrombotic properties. Increased blood homocysteine has been recognized as a risk factor for atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, but it is not much to be clarified in this country. MATERIALS AND METHOD: In a case-control study, we examine the relationship between the risk of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease and serum total homocysteine, folate, vitamin B12, vitamin B6, and other conventional risk factors. Thirty nine patients with significant stenosis of epicardial coronary artery and 20 healthy age-sex matched control subjects were included. Fasting venous blood was obtained and serum total homocysteine (tHCY) concentration was measured by high performance liquid chromatography and fluorescent detection method. RESULTS: Compared with control group, case group had higher tHCY concentrations (14.9+/-6.9 vs 10.8+/-4.2 mol/L, p<0.05) and lower folic acid concentration (6.7+/-3.6 vs 11.0+/-5.7 ng/mL,p<0.05). There were higher tHCY concentrations of patients with 2 vessel and 3 vessel disease than that of patients with 1 vessel disease (17.2+/-6.7 and 18.4+/-9.8 micro mol/L vs 12.4+/-3.9 micro mol/L,p<0.05). Vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 concentrations showed no significant difference between case group and control group. Compared with control group, there were more smokers (51.5% vs 25.0%, p<0.05), and patients with hypertension (39.4% vs 0%, p<0.001) and diabetes (30.3% vs 0%, p<0.001) in case group. Increased tHCY (tHCY over 14.7 mol/L) was an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic coronary artery disease (OR; 6.75, 95% CI; 1.15 - 40.99, p<0.05) together with smoking (OR; 5.4, 95% CI; 1.22 - 23.95, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: These data support the hypothesis that elevated serum tHCY concentration is a risk factor for Korean patients with atherosclerotic coronary artery disease, and low folate concentration may be responsible for elevated tHCY concentration.
Case-Control Studies ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Fasting ; Folic Acid ; Homocysteine* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Metabolism ; Methionine ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Vitamin B 12 ; Vitamin B 6