PURPOSE: Frailty is a wasting syndrome common in old age and to confer high risk for morbidity and mortality. There is a growing consensus of the definition of frailty, but until now the diagnostic criteria is not clear yet. In the older male patients, almost of studies about testosterone replacement therapy performed to normal healthy population. And also only few studies were performed to the frail elderly patients. So we would like to investigate the effficacy of testosterone supplementation in the frail elderly. METHODS: Since May to Sep 2001, ambulatory elderly patients who were 65 years and over were recruited in the outpatient clinic of Asan Medical Center. All of them showed the typical characteristics of frailty symptom-weight loss, loss of muscle mass, weakness, fatigability, anorexia, inactivity. The patients who have sleep-apnea or previous history of prostate cancer were excluded. All patients were checked the serum PSA, total testosterone level, routine CBC, lipid, liver function test and evaluated prostate status with US or digital rectal examination, and treated with oral formula testosterone unde- canoate 80 mg daily. All patients were surveyed with ADL, IADL before the testosterone therapy and 3month later. RESULTS: A total of 6 male frail patients(mean age: 80+/-8.5) were enrolled. During 3 month Follow-up period, one was expired, 5 were finished the study. Before the testosterone replacement, mean total testos- terone level was 3.0+/-0.5 ng/ml and mean PSA was 1.3+/-0.7 ng/ml. After 3 months, blood hematocrit, cholesterol, total testosterone were not changed significantly and the body weight also showed insig- nificant increase. But after 3 months, all of them reported the increased well-being sensation, improved fatigability, weakness and improved ADL level. There were no significant adverse effects associated with testosterone replacement. CONCLUSION: In male frail elderly patients, the testosterone replacement therapy can be used safely, and can be improve the frailty associated symptom and ADL ability.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aged ; Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Anorexia ; Body Weight ; Cholesterol ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Consensus ; Digital Rectal Examination ; Follow-Up Studies ; Frail Elderly* ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Liver Function Tests ; Male ; Mortality ; Prostate ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Sensation ; Testosterone* ; Wasting Syndrome

No abstract available.
Metabolism*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Immunocompromised Host* ; Korea* ; Sepsis*

No abstract available.
Thyroiditis, Autoimmune*

No abstract available.
Brain Death* ; Brain*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant*

The purpose of clarifying a foreign resident's in Japan healthy problem and a health care subject was carried out, and foreigner demographic statistics and vitalstatistics were analyzed. The following things became clear.
From the second half of the 1980 th generation, foreign-resident-in-Japan population and international marriage were increased rapidly, and many race-nization in Japan was progressing.
The people population from Brazil was concentrated on 30 years-old cost from 20 years-old cost, and the population of the less than 15-year-old child born in Japan was increasing every year. Moreover, ”the sickness and wound and the external cause of death” which are occupied to the total number of death were high.
The Korean resident in Japan formed 80 percent of the 65 or older-year foreigner registration person. The three major causes of death of Korean are malignant neoplasms (cancer), heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases. It was similar with the Japanese death trend. Suicide of a persons-of-middle-or-advanced-age male was increasing like the Japanese male.
A foreign resident's in Japan healthy subject is roughly classified into three. There is a geriatric health problem about a Korean resident in Japan. In recent years, about the foreigner who immigrated to Japan, there is a problem of mother-and-child health and labor health. And to all foreigners, there is a problem of the mental health resulting from migration, foreign culture, and the minority.
The health care corresponding to internationalization is called for also in Japan.

The purpose of this study was to examine the awareness and needs of older Korean residents in Japan for long-term care insurance services by analyzing the factors associated with their interest in using the services.
All participants were Koreans aged 65 years or older living in Tokyo's Ward A, and all were interviewed in their homes. The investigation items were the presence or absence of intention of using long-term care insurance services as well as the following: 1. predisposing factors (basic attributes, communication abilities in Japanese, inclination toward family care); 2. Enabling factors (degree of familiarity with the services, economic situation, receipt or non-receipt of public pensions, record on use of the services); and 3. Need factors (subjective sense of well-being, ADL, IADL). The χ² test was used to examine the correlations between the presence or absence of intention of using the services.
Seventy-eight Koreans were studied. Among those, 35.9% were second-generation Koreans living in Japan. Those with strong inclination toward family care and without pensions accounted for 26.3%. The percentage that intended to use long-term care insurance services was 69.2%, which showed significant correlations with inclination toward family care and economic situation. Many of the Koreans had a positive view of the socialization of care and wanted family-centered home care with outside services. The study found significant correlations between the receipt or non-receipt of pensions, economic situation and age, suggesting that care premiums and fees are a greater financial burden for older Koreans without pensions when compared with the burden for older Japanese. For Koreans, the financial burden may possibly prevent obtaining services. The study showed that developing a support system to allow easy access to long-term care insurance services and providing help compatible with individual care needs are necessities.

No abstract available.
Korea*