• Biomedical Science Letters
• /
• 제2권2호
• /
• pp.167-174
• /
• 1996

Alcoholics increased susceptibility to microbial infection that is associated with decreased immunity. but there has been little experimental evidence to support alcoholics-induced increase of microbial infection directly in non-specific immunity. Therefore, we were used the method of phagocytic-plaque including all the stimulating factors for the phagocytosis, subtypes of lymphocytes and T-lymphocyte proliferation. The experimental groups were divided into 3 groups: (1) alcoholics who were hospitalized less than 1 week (newly hospitalized alcoholics), (2) alcoholics who were hospitalized more than 2 weeks (old hospitalized alcoholics), (3) healthy blood donors. We have studied 98 alcoholics and 35 healthy blood donors and control groups. A physician has checked the biological markers and diagnosed the body-condition alcoholics. The immunity and non-specific immunity on the alcoholics were analyzed by using the simultest kit and flow cytometry. Proliferation of the lymphocytes was analyzed by the phytohemmagglutinine mitogen. Phagocytosis and migration properties of leukocytes were identified on the layer formed by Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I strain. Biological markers of alcoholics and control groups, by such as blood glucose, ${\gamma}$-glutamyl transpeptidase and mean corpuscular volumes of red blood cells, were determined by biochemical and hematological methods. Compared with control groups, cluster of differentiation (CD)3+, CD8+ and CD19+ in alcoholic were more decreased except CD4+/CD8+ ratio. Proliferation of the T-lymphocytes, phagocytosis and migration properties of the leukocytes in alcoholics were decreased compared with those of control groups. According to the results observed in our experiment, they can be summerized as follows: 1, Cellular, humoral and non-specific immunities, are markedly decreased in alcoholics than those in control groups. 2. It is inferred that Phagocytic plaque formation is a very useful method to evaluate phagocytosis and migration properties of the alcoholic leukocytes 3. It is thought that the subtypes of lymphocytes, especially CD4+/CD8+ ratio, are essential methods to analyzed the alcoholic immunity. 4. Specific and non-specific immunity on the old hospitalized alcoholics was slightly increased, which depends upon the alcoholic medication.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
• /
• 제49권8호
• /
• pp.875-881
• /
• 2006

Purpose : The aims of this study were to analyze the clinical characteristics of children with Kikuchi's disease(KD) at a medical center and to investigate the etiologic role of human herpesvirus 8(HHV 8) or Epstein-Barr virus(EBV) in children with KD. Methods : Twenty six children who were diagnosed as KD between Jan. 1998 and Dec. 2005 were included. Medical records were reviewed on the clinical characteristics of children with KD. Follow up data were collected by chart review and telephone contact. Polymerase chain reaction(PCR) was performed in order to detect HHV 8 DNA, and in situ hybridization(ISH) was perfomed in order to detect EBV RNA from 20 lymph node tissues. Results : There were 15 girls and 11 boys with a mean age of 13 years. Posterior cervical lymph nodes were involved in 72 percent(18/25) of the patients. Extracervical lymphadenopathy was associated in one patient. Fever was an associated symptom in 31 percent(8/26) of the patients. Leukopenia was observed in six (46 percent) patients. The cervical lymphadenopathy usually resolved spontaneously within 6 months. Only one patient had a recurrence of lymphadenopathy with fever during follow-up. No children with KD in our series developed systemic lupus erythematosus. HHV 8 DNA was not amplified by nested PCR in any of the cases, and all cases were negative for EBV RNA by ISH. Conclusion : KD should be differentiated as a cause of cervical lymphadenopathy in children. HHV 8 and EBV may not play major causative roles in KD in children.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• 제16권2호
• /
• pp.228-236
• /
• 1999

Background: Thyrotoxic periodic paralysis is an uncommon illness characterized by intermittent flaccid paralysis of skeletal muscle, usually accompanied by hypokalemia, in patient with hyperthyroidism. However, the pathophysiology of thyrotoxic periodic paralysis remains largely unexplained and controversial. This report describes the clinical and biochemical findings in 19 patients with thyrotoxic periodic paralysis who were examined at the Yeungnam University Medical Center(YUMC) during the past decade. Methods: The medical records of 997 YUMC patients, seen between 1986 and 1996, with diagnosis of hyperthyroidism were reviewed. Nineteen patients out of 997 hyperthyroidism patients were diagnosed, and examined by history, physical examination, serum electrolyte value, and thyroid function test during paralysis. On the basis of these results, comparisons were made on age, sex, precipitating factors, timing, affected limbs, prognosis, serum potassium and serum phosphate and thyroid hormone levels. Results: The prevalence of periodic paralysis in hyperthyroidism was 1.9 percent and the male to female prevalence ratio was 30:1 and in all patients, the development of perodic paralysis was correlated with hyperfunctional state of the thyroid gland. Eleven cases of periodic paralysis were associated with hypokalemia and their thyroid hormone levels were significantly more increased than those of the patients without hypokalemia. Interestingly, our study shows the recurrence of paralysis after treatment. Conclusion: Although the precise pathophysiology of the disease is as yet undefined and controversial, it occurs primarily in Asians with an overwhelming male preponderance and prevalence of 2 percent in hyperthyroidism. The interactive roles of thyroid hormone, Na-K pump, and genetically inherited defect in the cellular membrane potential of the skeletal muscle can be speculated. Further investigation will be needed to firmly establish the mechanism of thyrotoxic periodic paralysis.

• Journal of Yeungnam Medical Science
• /
• 제16권2호
• /
• pp.342-346
• /
• 1999

Background: Delays in breast cancer diagnosis may occur in young women due to a low index of suspicion. The purpose of this study was to compare mammography and breast sonography in detection of breast cancer and to suggest a reasonable guideline for breast cancer screening examination. Materials and Methods: Among 820 patients, 102 patients were under 35 years and 122 patients were above 60 years of age. We reviewed medical records, mammograms and/or ultrasonography of 49 patients under 35 years and 48 patients above 60 years of age with pathologically-proven breast cancer. Pathological reports were as follows Invasive ductal carcinoma(IDC) was present 61.2% of patients in the young age group and ductal carcinoma in situ(DCIS) in 16.3%. IDC was present in 66.6% of the patients in the old age group, and DCIS in 8.33%. We analyzed mammography and ultrasonography to evaluate their usefulness in detecting breast cancer in patients under 35 years and over 60 years of age. Results: The mammographic results are as follows : 1) detection rate of lesion: 83.8%(under 35yrs), 100%(over 60yrs) 2) sensitivity of cancer: 67.6%(under 35yrs), 91.2%(over 60yrs) The ultrasonographic results are as follows : 1) detection rate of lesion: 100% 2) sensitivity of cancer: 87.2%(under 35yrs), 96.7%(over 60yrs) The breast cancer detection rate in women under 35 years old was comparable to that of women above 60 years old in our study. Conclusion: A striking histologic finding in the two groups was a higher incidence of nuclear Grade II and III tumors. This finding correlates with the reported increased incidence of high grade tumors in young women and may correlate with the poorer prognosis of breast cancer in young patients. We conclude that early screening examination is helpful for early detection of breast cancer in women under age 35.

• Journal of the Korean Arthroscopy Society
• /
• 제12권3호
• /
• pp.205-210
• /
• 2008

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical results after microfracture surgery for full-thickness chondral lesion of the knee. Materials and Methods: Thrity-seven patients, who had underwent microfracture surgery for full-thickness chondral lesion of the knee between January 1999 and December 2005, were reviewed. Their mean age at the time of operation was 31 years (range, 21~38 years) and mean follow up period was 2.7 years. All patients were reviewd every 6 months after operation. Clinical outcomes were evaluated by activity of daily living (ADL), Tegner activity scale, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) knee examination form, Lysholm score and satisfaction of treatment. Results: ADL and Tegner activity score improved in 83% of patients during first 18 months, but decreased during next 6months. IKDC score improved from 58 points at operation time to 86 points after 12 months, but decreased to 79 points and 68 points at 18 and 24 months after operation, respectively. Also, Lysholm score improved from 61 points at operation time to 89 points after 12 months, to 92 points after 18 months, but 73 points after 24 months. At the last follow-up, 22 patients were excellent or good in satisfaction of treatment, whereas 12 patients were fair, 3 patients were poor. Conclusion: Microfracture surgery for full-thickness chondral lesion of the knee has a good functional improvement for first 12 months after operation, but its effectiveness has decreased over time.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
• /
• 제10권5호
• /
• pp.1-13
• /
• 2015

The purpose of this research is to do exploratory analysis on the relationships between demographic characteristics of entrepreneurial candidates and their developmental level of entrepreneurial traits as well as the choice of business field. We analyzed gender, age, and educational level of the entrepreneurial candidates and their developmental level of entrepreneurial traits such as achievement tendencies, degree of awareness, planning skills, sincerity, interpersonal relationship, and problem-solving skills. Industry fields were classified into 4 types: restaurants, retail, services, internet business. Descriptive statistical analyses, logistic regressions, and variance analyses were performed about the sample data gathered from 1,441 persons since the year 2002 to 2014. Males and highly educated above university preferred service industry than restaurant, retail, and internet business. Females preferred internet business, retail, and restaurants than service industry field. The young persons under 20 showed higher probability to choose internet business. The college level and high school graduates preferred retail and restaurants than service industry. The developmental level of entrepreneurial traits were higher in male and highly educated. By this study, we could find the divide between groups with high and low probabilities of failure: restaurants and retail field showed higher failure probability than service industry in the business fields of self-employed. Furthermore, we could identify that entrepreneurial traits also had been developed differently depending on the groups. It is necessary to refrain from entering into the fields with high failure probabilities as well as to provide supporting policies to build the systems and environment to reduce the cases to begin new business without special knowledges and know-hows. The competency development training should be provided in the early stage of start-ups considering their entrepreneurial traits and aptitudes. Not only the assessment of the entrepreneurial traits but also professional counseling from initial stage are necessary.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• 제64권6호
• /
• pp.427-432
• /
• 2008

Background: A paradoxical response is defined as the radiological and clinical worsening of a previous lesion or the development of new lesion after initial improvement during theprocess of antituberculous treatment. The related factors for the development of a paradoxical response in patients with tuberculous pleurisy are not certain. Methods: We selected patients with tuberculous pleurisy who had been treated for more than 4 months. The changes onthe serial chest X-ray findings before and after treatment were reviewed. Paradoxical responses were regarded as any worsening or development of new lesion at least 2 weeks after the initiation of treatment. The baseline clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of the peripheral blood and pleural fluid were compared between the patients with a paradoxical response and the patients without a paradoxical response. Results: Paradoxical responses appeared in sixteen patients (21%) among the 77 patients.It took a mean of 38.6 days after the treatment and the time to resolve the paradoxical response was a mean of 32.1 days. For the patients with a paradoxical response, the median age was younger (30.5 years vs 39.0 years, respectively) and the lymphocytic percentage of white blood cells in the pleural fluid was higher (82.1% vs 69.6%, respectively) than for the patients without a paradoxical response. Conclusion: The development of a paradoxical response during the treatment of patients with tuberculous pleurisy was not rare and this was related with the age of the patients and the percentage of lymphocytic white blood cells in the pleural fluid.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• 제19권11호
• /
• pp.1658-1665
• /
• 2009

This study was carried out on thirty men to define the association of inflammatory markers with physiological factors on one-time aerobic exercise (for 15 min. Post-exercise interleukin-6 (IL-6), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), heart rate (HR), systolic blood pressure (SBP), and pulsatility and resistance index of middle cerebral artery (PI and RI, respectively) levels were elevated compared to those measured pre-exercise. Total leukocyte and platelet counts, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), free radical (FR), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) levels tended to decrease after exercise. Pre-exercise IL-6 levels were positively correlated with pre-exercise SBP levels, while post-exercise IL-6 level was positively correlated with post-exercise PI and RI levels. Post-exercise, hs-CRP levels were negatively related to SBP and HR. Pre-exercise, FR levels were positively associated to SBP, DBP, and HR. Post-exercise FR levels were negatively related to the post-exercise blood flow velocity in middle cerebral artery. Pre-exercise erythrocyte indices (RBC, MCV, MCH, and MCHC levels) were in inverse proportion to pre-exercise IL-6 levels. Post-exercise FR levels were inversely related to post-exercise total leukocyte, lymphocyte, monocyte, and MCH levels. Pre-exercise $Mg^{++}$ levels were in inverse proportion to pre-exercise IL-6, hs-CRP, or FR levels. These findings suggest that one-time aerobic exercise offers a significant relationship between inflammatory markers and some biochemical markers or electrolytes. Further studies need to be carried out for investigation of differences between genders or age groups following one-time or regular aerobic exercise.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• 제35권2호
• /
• pp.129-135
• /
• 2002

Objective : The primary objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of HBsAg-positives in the late 1990's among Korean adults. In addition, we evaluated the association of age, a residential area, a vaccination rate, a family history of chronic liver diseases and a past history of acute liver disease with the seropositivity of HBsAg, and estimated the prevalence of chronic HBV infection by follow-up for 6 month or more. Methods : A total of 10 areas, six metropolitan and four small cities, were selected. In each cities, one health screening center was selected for recruitment of study subjects. The study subjects were enrolled from a general health examination program that is provided by medical insurance companies. Questionnaires on various risk factors were administered to the study subjects. Sera was drawn and tested for HBsAg by radioimmunoassay. HBeAg and ALT were also tested for those of HBsAg positive. The HBsAg positives was retest for HBsAg 6 months later Results : Among the study subjects (n= 1816), the seroprevalence of HBsAg was 5.5% (95% CI=4.5%-6.6%), 7.4% in men (95% CI=5.8-9.4) and 3.6% in women (95% CI=2.5-5.0). A past history of acute liver disease and a family history of chronic liver diseases was shown to be risk factors for HBsAg positivity. Among the 31 HBsAg-positives, negative seroconversion rate was estimated to be 3.2%, Thus, prevalence of chronic HBV infection was estimated to be 5.3% (95% CI=3.7-6.6). Conclusion : In this study, the HBsAg seroprevalence rate was lower than that of the other studies in 1980's, particularly in young adult and women. Considering the public health importance of liver cancer and chronic liver diseases, the further effort is needed to prevent and reduce the HBV infection.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
• /
• 제23권3호
• /
• pp.157-169
• /
• 1990

This study was designed to investigate the effect of supplementation of fish oil on serum apoprotein and platelet function in healthy young females. Eighteen female college students were divided into 3 groups. Each group fed a typical Korean diet supplemented with 15g, 12g, and 9g of fish oil respectively for 1-week. Blood samples were obtained 4 times, before supplementation, immediately after, 1-week after and 3-week after stopping supplementation. After 6-week break, the doses of fish oil were interchanged among 3 groups and the experiment was repeated to reduce interindividual variation. The concentration of apoprotein A, apoprotein B in the serum samples and the platelet adhesion, the platelet aggregation and bleeding time were determined immediately after supplementation of fish oil, 1-week after and 3-week after stopping supplementation and then the value compared with those of before supplementation period. The results obtained are summarized as follows: Serum apoprotein A levels decreased significantly(p<0.05), immediately after supplementation of fish oil in the 15g group. The serum apoprotein B levels did not show significant change. The platelet adhesion decreased significantly(p<0.05) 1-week after supplementation of fish oil in the 15g group. The platelet aggregation decreased significantly(p<0.01) immedeately after supplementation of fish oil in the 15g group.