Journal of Korean medical science
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jun 2011
Effects of intronic and exonic polymorphisms of paraoxonase 1 (PON1) gene on serum PON1 activity in a Korean population.
Paraoxonase 1 (PON1) hydrolyzes a number of toxic organophosphorous compounds and reduces lipid peroxide accumulation, and PON1 genetic polymorphisms in the coding region modulate serum PON1 activity. In this study, we investigated the association between 3 polymorphisms of PON1 located in intron 5 (17899insdelTT and 17974CT) and exon 6 (192QR) and serum PON1 activity. The genetic polymorphisms and serum activity of PON1 were analyzed in 153 healthy Koreans by using a direct sequencing assay and spectrophotometric method, respectively. ⋯ The 17899insdelTT, 17974CT and 192QR genetic polymorphisms were associated with significant differences in serum paraoxonase activity. In multiple regression analyses, smoking, triglyceride level, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) level, and the 17899insdelTT and 192QR genetic polymorphisms were significant determinants of serum paraoxonase activity, while age, smoking, triglyceride level, HDL level, and the 192QR genetic polymorphism were significant determinants of serum arylesterase activity. These results suggest that although the 192QR genetic polymorphism in the coding region of PON1 is primarily associated with serum PON1 activity, the intronic polymorphisms are also involved in serum PON1 activity, and this association may be mediated by LD.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jun 2011
Comparative StudyEstimation of nationwide vaccination coverage and comparison of interview and telephone survey methodology for estimating vaccination status.
This study compared interview and telephone surveys to select the better method for regularly estimating nationwide vaccination coverage rates in Korea. Interview surveys using multi-stage cluster sampling and telephone surveys using stratified random sampling were conducted. Nationwide coverage rates were estimated in subjects with vaccination cards in the interview survey. ⋯ We concluded that the interview survey was better than the telephone survey. These results can be applied to countries with incomplete registry and decreasing rates of landline telephone coverage due to increased cell phone usage and countries. Among mandatory vaccines, efforts to increase vaccination rate for the fourth dose of DTaP, the third dose of polio, JBE and regular vaccinations at recommended periods should be conducted in Korea.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Jun 2011
Prostate volume has prognostic value only in pathologic T2 radical prostatectomy specimens.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the prognostic roles of the prostate volume, tumor volume, and tumor percentage as a function of the pathologic T stage in radical prostatectomy specimens. This study included 259 patients who underwent radical prostatectomy between 2005 and 2010. The mean follow-up period was 41.2 months. ⋯ In this study, tumor volume and tumor percentage did not predict BCR. Notably, a lower prostate volume is an independent predictor for BCR only in the organ-confined radical prostatectomy specimens. But, prostate volume could not predict BCR in most locally advanced tumors.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · May 2011
Case ReportsA case of piperacillin-induced occupational anaphylaxis: detection of serum IgE to piperacillin-HSA conjugate.
This is the first reported detection of serum IgE antibody to piperacillin-human serum albumin (HSA) conjugate in a patient presenting with anaphylaxis that developed after occupational exposure. A 24-yr-old nurse, who had worked at a University Hospital for 2 yr, experienced chest tightness, dizziness, generalized urticaria, abdominal pain, and diarrhea 10 min after administering a piperacillin injection. She had previously suffered from atopic dermatitis. ⋯ A high level of piperacillin-specific serum IgE was detected by ELISA using piperacillin-HSA conjugate. Significant inhibition upon addition of both free piperacillin and piperacillin-HSA conjugate was detected by inhibition ELISA. These data suggest that piperacillin exposure in the workplace can induce occupational anaphylaxis and urticaria mediated by an interaction of IgE with the hapten of piperacillin.
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J. Korean Med. Sci. · Apr 2011
The relation of thyroid function to components of the metabolic syndrome in Korean men and women.
This study was to assess the relation of thyroid dysfunction to metabolic syndrome (MetS) at an earlier stage in Korean population. Metabolic parameters such as body composition, blood pressure (BP), fasting glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free thyroxine 4 (fT(4)) were measured. During a mean follow-up of 3 yr, 5,998 Koreans ages over 18 yr were assessed. ⋯ Increase in TSH levels even after further controlling for baseline TSH level predicted the MetS over the study period. In conclusion, there is a relationship between thyroid function and cardiovascular risk factors, such as BP, total cholesterol, TG, HDL-C and fasting glucose. Also, higher levels of TSH may predict the MetS in Korean.