No abstract

The study investigates the clothes-wearing behaviors of female college students based on differences in indoor heating systems and cold sensitivity. The respondents included a total of 281 female college students living in South Korea and China. Data were analyzed through an ANOVA and, a paired t-test based on SPSS 21.0. Korean students were less dependent on winter clothing than Chinese students for the whole body parts except for the trunk. Korean students were more likely to feel coldness more but wore less clothing. Korean students' clothes-wearing behaviors with respect to coldness depended on the indoor heating system. Korean students tended to buy warmer clothing, although they preferred not to wear undergarments and tended to wear and to wear less winter clothing. Chinese students showed more active clothes-wearing behaviors to keep their feet warm. Finally, groups divided by indoor heating systems and cold sensitivity showed different clothes-wearing behaviors in comparison to those groups based only on indoor heating systems. Even in similar weather conditions, clothes-wearing behaviors for cold adaptation depended on the indoor heating systems and cold sensitivity. The results suggest that this perspective should be taken into consideration when evaluating clothes-wearing behaviors of certain groups or individuals.

This study investigates gender differences in cold perceptions and wearing behaviors for cold adaptation. A questionnaire composed of items on cold perceptions, intentions toward wearing additional clothing, and clothing for outdoor environments, among others, was used. Each item in the survey targeted 260 male (MS) and female (FS) college students evaluated using a five-point Likert-type scale. Data were statistically analyzed using the independent sample t-test and correlations. Main results can be summarized as follows: MS subjects showed lower dependence on the thermal insulation of clothing because they felt less cold and had the better ability to cope with cold. MS subjects had higher dependence on underwear during cold seasons, and FS subjects tended to wear heavier clothing to compensate for their cold feet with insufficient insulation. In addition, it was preferable to estimate thermal effects of actual wear by taking into account gender differences in the physique. The study is limited in that the room temperature and the actual amount of clothing were not measured, which offers an avenue for future research.

No abstract

Background and Objectives：The prevention of sudden death in patients with a myocardial infarction (MI) remains the therapeutic target. T-wave alternans is as a heart rate dependent measure of repolarization, which correlates with ventricular arrhythmia vulnerability. The goals of this study were to clarify whether microvolt-level T-wave alternans (mTWA) can predict lethal arrhythmic events, and compare their role with other risk indices in predicting lethal events following a MI. Subjects and Methods：The mTWA was analyzed in 78 MI patients, using a power-spectral method during bicycle exercise testing. Additionally, the left ventricular ejection fraction (EF), late potentials (LP) and heart rate variability were also measured. Results：The mTWA was positive in 16 patients (21%), negative in 36 (46%) and indeterminate in 21 (33%). Lethal arrhythmic events developed in 7 patients (3 sudden deaths, 3 ventricular tachycardia and 1 ventricular fibrillation), during a mean follow-up of 12±3 months. The event rate was significantly higher in patients with a positive mTWA (relative risk 12.0, 95% CI 1.2 to 118.1, p=0.01) or lower EF (<40%)(relative risk 11.0, CI 1.9 to 65.0, p=0.002). The mTWA test exhibited the highest sensitivity, relative risk and negative predictive value, but the lowest specificity; positive predictive values were observed compared with the EF or a combination of the two indices. Conclusion： mTWA was closely related to the occurrence of lethal arrhythmic events in patients with a MI. Therefore, mTWA with a lower EF could be a useful screening test for the prediction of potentially lethal arrhythmic events following a MI.