This study aimed to provide basic data for establishing the clinical basis for dental hygienist-led dental hygiene process of care by identifying multiple risk factors for self-support program participants in Gangneung city; we also compared oral health status and behavioral changes through customized oral health care. Four dental hygienists who were evaluated for degree of conformity provided dental hygiene process of care to eight self-support program participants who were selected as having an oral health risk among people in the self-support center. The clinical indicators measured during dental hygiene assessment and evaluation and behavioral changes due to dental hygiene intervention were compared and analyzed. With respect to clinical indicators, at the time of probe, the retention rate of patients with gingival bleeding decreased from 61.4% to 14.7% after intervention (p=0.004). Furthermore, the retention rate of patients with a periodontal pocket >4 mm decreased from 15.6% to 5.8% (p=0.001). The average modified O'Leary index of the patients improved from 23 to 40 (p=0.002). Previously, all eight subjects used the vertical or horizontal method of brushing; after dental hygiene care interventions regarding method and frequency of toothbrushing, use of oral care products, and individual interventions, they started using the rolling or Bass method of toothbrushing. Four of eight subjects reported using interdental toothbrushes after intervention. As a result of applying the change model to the transtheoretical behavior change of the subject, the result of strengthening the health behavior was confirmed. For promotion of oral health by the prevention-centered incremental oral health care system, dental hygienist-led dental hygiene management and maintenance is essential. It is thought that continuous research, such as for feasibility evaluation, cost benefit analysis, and preparation of legal systems, is needed to establish and activate dental hygiene management.
Bass ; Cost-Benefit Analysis ; Dental Hygienists ; Dental Prophylaxis ; Gangwon-do* ; Health Behavior ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Methods ; Oral Health ; Oral Hygiene* ; Periodontal Pocket ; Risk Factors ; Toothbrushing

Adipose tissue secretes a variety of bioactive substances that are associated with chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus. While resistin was first known as an adipocyte-secreted hormone (adipokine) linked to obesity and insulin resistance in rodents, it is predominantly expressed and secreted by macrophages in humans. Epidemiological and genetic studies indicate that increased resistin levels are associated with the development of insulin resistance, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Resistin also appears to mediate the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis by promoting endothelial dysfunction, vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation, arterial inflammation, and the formation of foam cells. Thus, resistin is predictive of atherosclerosis and poor clinical outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease and heart failure. Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that resistin is associated with atherogenic dyslipidemia and hypertension. The present review will focus on the role of human resistin in the pathogeneses of inflammation and obesity-related diseases.
Adipose Tissue ; Arteritis ; Atherosclerosis ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cell Proliferation ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Dyslipidemias ; Foam Cells ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Inflammation* ; Insulin Resistance ; Macrophages ; Muscle, Smooth, Vascular ; Obesity ; Resistin* ; Rodentia

Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) is a rare, malignancy-related complication that causes marked pulmonary hypertension, right heart failure, and death. We report on a patient with locally advanced breast cancer whose course was complicated by fatal PTTM based on clinical and laboratory findings.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hypertension, Pulmonary ; Thrombotic Microangiopathies

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Metabolic syndrome is an emerging risk factor for cardiovascular disease. This study investigated the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among psychiatric patients in order to identify the dominant factors of metabolic syndrome. METHODS: We enrolled 225 patients who had been admitted to a chronic psychiatric hospital from October 2005 to February 2006. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was assessed based on the Adult Treatment Panel (ATP)-III with the new criterion of waist circumference in the Asia-Pacific Region. RESULTS: The study population was relatively young (41.1 +/- 8.8 years) and obese (waist in men, 91.3 +/- 9.2 cm; waist in women, 84.1 +/- 8.8 cm). Sixty percent of patients met the waist criterion of metabolic syndrome and 56% met the low high density lipoprotein (HDL) criterion. The mean serum triglycerides were high (170.0 +/- 119.7 mg/dL) and 46% of patients met the triglyceride criterion. In contrast, less than 10% of patients showed impaired fasting glucose or high blood pressure (5%, 9%, respectively). The overall prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 34.2% by applying ATP-III criteria (40% in men and 20% in women, respectively). No specific anti-psychotic drugs were related to significant increase in the incidence of metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS: Abdominal obesity and dyslipidemia (low HDL and high triglycerides) were dominant contributing factors of metabolic syndrome among psychiatric patients, and the affected age groups were relatively young. These findings indicate that active and early screening, including triglycerides, HDL, and waist measurement, are absolutely essential to managing metabolic syndrome in psychiatric patients.
Adult ; Antipsychotic Agents/therapeutic use ; Cholesterol, HDL/blood ; Cholesterol, LDL/blood ; Dyslipidemias/*epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension/epidemiology ; Male ; Mental Disorders/drug therapy/*epidemiology ; Metabolic Syndrome X/*epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Obesity, Abdominal/*epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Triglycerides/blood ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: We evaluated clinical outcomes after drainage for malignant pericardial effusion with imminent or overt tamponade. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between August 2001 and June 2007, 100 patients underwent pericardiocentesis for malignant pericardial effusion. Adequate follow-up information on the recurrence of pericardial effusion and survival status was available for 98 patients. RESULTS: Recurrence of effusion occurred in 30 patients (31%), all of whom were diagnosed with adenocarcinoma. Multivariate analysis indicated that adenocarcinoma of the lung (hazard ratio [HR], 6.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.9 to 22.3; p=0.003) and progressive disease despite chemotherapy (HR, 4.3; 95% CI, 1.6 to 12.0; p=0.005) were independent predictors of recurrence. Survival rates three months after pericardiocentesis differed significantly with the type of primary cancer; the rates were 73%, 18%, 90% and 30% in patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung, squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, breast cancer and other cancers, respectively. CONCLUSION: Recurrence and survival of patients with malignant pericardial effusion are dependent on the type of primary cancer and response to chemotherapy. Patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung may be good candidates for surgical drainage to avoid repeated pericardiocentesis, but pericardiocentesis is considered effective as palliative management in patients with other cancers.
Adenocarcinoma ; Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Drainage ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung ; Multivariate Analysis ; Pericardial Effusion ; Pericardiocentesis ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the clinical characteristics and risk factors associated with community and hospital onset MRSA isolated from patients admitted to a tertiary care teaching hospital. METHODS: The study was carried out on MRSA isolated from clinical specimens of patients admitted into the wards and the intensive care unit in a 2,200-bed tertiary care teaching hospital from January 1st through December 31st, 2007. In order to identify the risk factors associated with MRSA acquisition, the medical records were reviewed. All statistics were computed using SPSS version 14.0. RESULTS: Of the 835 MRSA isolates, 179 (21.4%) were CO-MRSA and 656 (78.6%) were HO-MRSA. Of the 179 CO-MRSA isolates, 6 (3.4%) were CA-MRSA. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that a history of using medical device or antibiotics within 1 year before the isolation of MRSA were significant risk factors for HO-MRSA, and a history of hospitalization within 1 year before the isolation of MRSA was a significant risk factor for CO-MRSA. Analysis on the antibiotics administered within 1 year before the isolation of MRSA showed that levofloxacin, macrolides, 1st generation cephalosporins, 3rd generation cephalosporins, 4th generation cephalosporins, vancomycin, metronidazole, and carbapenem were all significant risk factors for HO-MRSA and that TMP/SMX was a significant risk factor for CO-MRSA. Of the 6 (3.4%) CA-MRSA isolates, 1 (16.7%) was the pathogen responsible for soft tissue infection. No patients died from the CA-MRSA infection. CONCLUSION: MRSA isolated from clinical specimens of patients admitted into the wards and the ICU in a tertiary care teaching hospital was usually HO-MRSA, CO-MRSA and HO-MRSA usually had at least one of the risk factors associated with MRSA acquisition, and CO-MRSA was mainly HACO-MRSA.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Cephalosporins ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, Teaching ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Logistic Models ; Macrolides ; Medical Records ; Methicillin Resistance ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Metronidazole ; Ofloxacin ; Risk Factors ; Soft Tissue Infections ; Tertiary Healthcare ; Vancomycin

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Poor R-wave progression (PRWP) is a common electrocardiographic diagnosis. However, the diagnostic usefulness of PRWP for coronary artery disease (CAD) and the plausible explanation for subjects with normal heart function are unclear. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We included 20,739 subjects who had routine medical examinations and applied the commonly used criteria (R-waves in V3 or V4 < or =2 mm) and the Marquette criteria in the current study. Subjects with PRWP by the Marquette criteria, but with no evidence of specific causes, were identified. Healthy age- and gender-matched controls were selected randomly for comparing cardiothoracic ratios. RESULTS: The commonly used criteria in practice were met by 372 of the 20,739 subjects (1.8%). The Marquette criteria were met by 96 subjects (0.5%), and 82 of who agreed to medical evaluation. Five subjects had known CAD and only one subject was shown to have a silent myocardial infarction by additional testing. Therefore, the positive predictive value of PRWP for CAD was 7.3% (6/82) based on the Marquette criteria. As compared with the control group, the subjects with PRWP had a significantly low cardiothoracic ratio (0.425 vs. 0.445, p<0.05), especially among the male group (0.454 vs. 0.407, p=0.02). CONCLUSION: The positive predictive value of PRWP for CAD in the general population is so low that additional tests for diagnosis may be unreasonable. In addition, a low cardiothoracic ratio could be a plausible explanation of PRWP in subjects without any identifiable cause.
Coronary Artery Disease ; Electrocardiography ; Heart ; Humans ; Male ; Myocardial Infarction ; Prevalence ; Radiography, Thoracic

We present the case with cardiac metastasis and thrombus simultaneously. Two intracardiac masses were evaluated by chest computed tomography and transthoracic echocardiography. Metastatic mass and thrombus were in contact with each other and thrombus formation may be associated with denudation of endocardium by metastatic mass.
Echocardiography ; Endocardium ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Thorax ; Thrombosis

OBJECTIVE: Cervical cancer has long been linked to the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV), and the oncoproteins E6 and E7 disrupt the functions of tumour suppressor genes, resulting in genetic alteration. It was shown that loss of heterozygosity at 6p is a common genetic alteration in cervical cancer. However, the molecular genetics of cancer have only recently been understood, and for the development of cervical cancer additional genetic alterations in host cell genes are required. The present study has identified the differential changes of the cervical cancer-associated genetic alterations by a genome-wide array based comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH). METHODS: We analyzed 15 cases of cervical cancer from St. Mary's hospital of The paraffin-fixed tissue samples were microdissected under microscope and DNA was extracted by the procedures of proteinase K digestion and chloroform extraction. Array-based CGH and genomic PCR were carried out with statistical analyses such as hierarchical clustering and Gene Ontology. The BAC array used in this study consisted of 1,440 human BACs, the space among the clones were approximately 2.08 megabase (Macrogen, Seoul, Korea). RESULTS: All of 15 cases of cervical cancer showed specific gains and losses. The analysis limit of average gains and losses was 53%. A significant positive correlation was found between 1p36.32, 3p14.2, 3q27.1, 7p21.1, 8q24.3 and 11q13.1 changes through the cervical carcinogenesis. The high-level of gain regions, BAC clones encoded GSDMDC1, RECQL4, TP73, ABCF3, ALG3, HDAC9, ESRRA and RPS6KA4 genes. Frequently gained BAC clones encoded genes were PRSS8, FUS, COL18A1, PCOLN3, MAFG and ASPSCR1. The genes encoded by frequently lost BAC clones were PTPRG, GRM7, ZDHHC3, EXOSC7, LRP1B and NR3C2. Also, hierarchical clustering of the expression data readily distinguished genomic alterations in cervical cancer. A subset of cellular processes from each gene was clustered by Gene Ontology database. CONCLUSION: Using Array-CGH, genomic alterations related to cervical cancer were identified to determine whether induction of chromosomal imbalances occurs prior to carcinogenesis. The high resolution of array-CGH combined with human genome database would give a chance to find out possible target genes present in the gained or lost clones.
Carcinogenesis ; Chloroform ; Clone Cells ; Comparative Genomic Hybridization ; Digestion ; DNA ; Endopeptidase K ; Gene Ontology ; Genes, Suppressor ; Genome, Human ; Humans ; Loss of Heterozygosity ; Molecular Biology ; Oncogene Proteins ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Seoul ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

BACKGROUND: QT dispersion (QTd) represents inhomogeneous ventricular repolarization. Increased QTd has been reported to be associated with ischemic heart disease and sudden cardiac death. Successful percutaneous coronary angioplasty (PTCA) produces a favorable recovery of inhomogenous repolarization and reduces QTd. Although treadmill exercise test is commonly used for follow-up test after PTCA, limited data are available about QTd during treadmill test. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the change in QTd and determine its clinical role in follow-up treadmill exercise test after coronary stenting. METHODS: 41 patients with significant coronary artery disease underwent successful coronary stenting, while 46 patients were medically treated. Treadmill exercise test was performed to compare QTd between two groups as a follow-up test at 6 months after coronary stenting and medical therapy. Treadmill exercise test was recorded in pre-test, peak exercise, and recovery 2 minutes phase. QTd and corrected QT dispersion (QTcd) were measured in these ECGs using a digitizer. RESULTS: Coronary stenting significantly reduced QTd and QTcd at 6 months after coronary stenting. QTd and QTcd did not show significant difference between coronary stenting and medical therapy group at initial EKG before treatment. After coronary stenting, QTd and QTcd were significantly reduced than those of medical therapy group. And the changes in QTd and QTcd were more marked at peak exercise (28.2+/-11.9 and 39.3+/-16.2 msec in coronary stenting group vs 40.4+/-20.5 and 57.8+/-30.0 msec in medical therapy group). Lesion location and diseased vessel number were not associated with changes in QTd and QTcd. CONCLUSION: Coronary stenting reduced QTd and QTcd significantly in follow-up treadmill exercise test. Coronary stenting appears to be more effective to relieve myocardial ischemia and to improve inhomogenous ventricular repolarization than medical therapy. The measurement of QTcd during treadmill exercise test may be a useful index to evaluate myocardial ischemia after coronary stenting. Clinical relevance of these finding will require further study.
Angioplasty ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Electrocardiography ; Exercise Test* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Stents*