PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of a logotherapy program entitled 'Finding meaning in my life' for adolescents with terminal cancer. METHODS: A nonequivalent control group, non-synchronized design was conducted with a convenience sample of 44 late adolescents with terminal cancer. The experimental group (n=22) participated in the 'Finding meaning in my life' program which consisted of five-day sessions for one week. The control group (n=22) received the usual nursing care. The effects were measured using adolescent meaning in life (AMIL), and quality of life (QOL) scales. The collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Chi-square, and t-test using SPSS/PC 17.0 program. RESULTS: There were significant differences in AMIL (t=3.36, p<.05) and QOL (t=2.67, p<.05) between the experimental and control groups. CONCLUSION: Logotherapy is effective in improving the meaning in life and quality of life of late adolescents with terminal cancer, and can be used to prevent existential distress.
Adolescent ; Demography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Neoplasms/psychology/*therapy ; Patient Education as Topic ; Program Evaluation ; *Psychotherapy ; Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; Young Adult

Ectopic pregnancies accout for 1% of all pregnancies and abdominal pregnancies account for almost 1% of ectopic pregnancies. The causes of abdominal pregnancy are two. First is primaries implantation of gestational sac in the abdomen, second is migration of the embryo through a fistulous tract of the tube or uterus. Their early symptom is absent and diagnosis by ultrasonography is difficult. Thus the mortality is very high because of complications such as hemorrhage and infection due to delayed diagnosis. The accurate diagnosis mostly made by laparoscopy or laparotomy is usual. Nowadays the treatment of choice must be laparoscopy according to the development of efficient laparoscopic instrumentation and accumulating experience and skill of laparoscopic surgeon. Here we report a case of uterine serosal pregnancy at 8(+1) weeks with both ovarian cysts which was undergone pelviscopy at the impression of right tubal pregnancy. At local gynecologic clinic, they guessed the patient's lower abdominal pain was due to the torsion of both ovarian masses and transferred the patient for an operation. beta-hCG was 52,509 mIU/mL. By ultrasonographic finding both ovarian cysts and 2 cm sized gestational sac with fetal pole and fetal heart tone were found nearby right fallopian tube. Under the impression of right tubal pregnancy she underwent the emergent pelviscopic operation. Mass consisted with the gestational sac and placenta was attatched to the posterior surface of uterus and minimal amount of fresh blood in the posterior cul de sac was observed. Both tubes and the uterus were intact, and both ovarian cysts were not torted or ruptured. The mass was detached and the bed of implantation was biopsyed. Gestational sac contained the intact embryo within.
Abdomen ; Abdominal Pain ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Diagnosis ; Embryonic Structures ; Fallopian Tubes ; Female ; Fetal Heart ; Gestational Sac ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Laparotomy ; Liability, Legal ; Mortality ; Ovarian Cysts* ; Placenta ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnancy, Abdominal ; Pregnancy, Ectopic ; Pregnancy, Tubal ; Ultrasonography ; Uterus

Linear nevus sebaceous syndrome is a rare neurocutaneous syndrome characterized by linear sebaceous nevus, mental retardation, and seizures. We experienced a 20-months-old girl who showed manifestation of leptomeningeal angioma, lipodermoid on left eye, kyphoscoliosis, and developmental dysplasisa of the hip. We report this case with a review of related literature.
Female ; Hemangioma* ; Hip ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Neurocutaneous Syndromes ; Nevus* ; Nevus, Sebaceous of Jadassohn ; Seizures

No abstract available.
Facial Hemiatrophy* ; Lung*

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the associations between depression, anxiety, hostility and fighting spirit among patients with stomach, colorectal or breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 223 patients, diagnosed as with stomach, colorectal or breast cancer, undergoing chemotherapy or follow up care, were the subjects of the study. The study design was cross-sectional at the time of the survey. The degrees of depression, anxiety and hostility of the patients were assessed by the SCL-90-R scores, and the fighting spirit was measured by the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (MAC) scale score. RESULTS: The scores of anxiety and hostility of the patients at younger age were higher than those at older age (p<0.01). The patients with metastasis were more depressed than those without it (p<0.01). There was a negative association between depression and fighting spirit (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The study showed the more depressed cancer patients had lower fighting spirit score, which was known to be one of the most active psychosocial contributors in adjusting to cancer and survival.
Anxiety* ; Breast Neoplasms ; Depression* ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hostility* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Stomach

PURPOSE: Asthma is one of the most common allergic diseases in which depression is an important comorbidity. However, little is known about the prevalence of depression in Korean adult asthmatics. This study was performed to evaluate the association between asthma and depression and to investigate the clinical characteristics of Korean adult asthmatics with depression. METHODS: Data were acquired from 18,066 men and women, aged older than 19 years who participated in the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, which was conducted from 2010 to 2012. The presence of asthma was based on self-reported physician diagnosis of asthma in the Health Interview Surveys. RESULTS: The prevalence of asthma was 3.2%, and that of depression was 4.2%. In univariate analysis, adults with asthma were old age, marital status, unemployment, low education, low monthly family income, low number of household members, obesity (P<0.05) were significantly associated with asthma, but sex, residence area, and smoking status were not associated with asthma. The prevalence of hypertension and depression were higher in asthmatics (P<0.05), while diabetes mellitus was not associated with asthma. After adjustment for age, marital status, number of household members, monthly family income, body mass index, hypertension, unemployment, low educated status, and depression were associated with the higher prevalence of asthma (P<0.01). Depression was associated with female sex, unemployment, while it was not associated with lung function in asthmatics. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that depression may be an important risk factor for asthma in Korean adults. Further studies are needed to explore mechanisms responsible for the association between depression and asthma.
Adult* ; Asthma* ; Body Mass Index ; Comorbidity ; Depression* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Lung ; Male ; Marital Status ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Unemployment

Vibrio cholerae non-O1/O139 strains are widely distributed in the environment such as sewage, estuarine waters, seafood, seawater, animals and contaminated foods in Europe, Asia, and the United States. V. Cholerae non-O1/O139 is the etiologic agent of gastroenteritis and extraintestinal infections such as bacteremia and wound infection. Gastroenteritis by Vibrio cholerae non-O1/O139, a prevalent disease in western countries and Asia, is considered rare in Korea. The authors isolated V. cholerae non-O1/O139 from a stool of a 2 year-old male with diarrhea and mild fever. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of V. cholerae non-O1/O139 gastroenteritis in Korea.
Animals ; Asia ; Bacteremia ; Child, Preschool ; Cholera ; Diarrhea ; Europe ; Fever ; Gastroenteritis* ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Seafood ; Seawater ; Sewage ; United States ; Vibrio cholerae* ; Vibrio* ; Wound Infection

PURPOSE: High false negative results on fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) have been reported in the diagnosis of breast cancers, which are small sized, desmoplastic type, infiltrating lobular cancers, tubular cancers, and mucinous cancer. METHODS: From Jan. 1997 to Dec. 1998, we performed 622 FNACs at the Department of Surgery, Korea University Hospital. Among those aspirates, 246 cases were followed by subsequent pathological confirmation and were included in this study. Pathological reports for breast specimens were reviewed for the size, the location, the grade or the pathological subtype, and the presence of fibrosis in the breast lesions. The pathological characteristics were compared statistically with the results of the fine needle aspiration cytology. RESULTS: The likelihood ratios for malignant, suspicious, atypical, benign, and unsatisfactory cytological diagnoses were 98.7, 5.5, 1.1, 0.07, and 0.6, respectively. The absolute and the complete sensitivities for the malignant lesions were 64.5% and 90.3%, respectively. The rate of unsatisfactory diagnosis was 9.3%, and the false-negative rate was 4.3%. The concordance rates of FNAC results were 75% for tumors less than 1 cm in size, 60.7% for 1-2 cm, 76.5% for 2-5 cm, and 50% for greater than 5 cm (p=0.01). The location of the tumor also affected the FNAC result, and the highest concordant rate was found in tumors of the lower outer quadrant of the breast (73.3%, p=0.001). The Bloom-Richardson grade and histologic type of the breast cancer also affected the FNAC result. Low-grade tumors, medullary carcinomas, metaplastic carcinomas, lobular carcinomas, adenoid cystic carcinomas, and mucinous carcinomas usually showed discordant FNAC results. The presence or the absence of fibrotic pathology did not affect the FNAC result (p=0.39). CONCLUSION: The sensitivity of FNAC was 90.3% in the diagnosis of breast cancer and the false negative rate was 4.3%. The greatest concordance of FNAC diagnosis was found in the patients with tumor less than 5 cm in size and located in the axilla and locoregional recurrent area. The FNAC results for breast cancer were frequently incorrect for low-grade tumors and cancers of a rare pathological type.
Adenocarcinoma, Mucinous ; Axilla ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Brain Stem Neoplasms ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Adenoid Cystic ; Carcinoma, Lobular ; Diagnosis* ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Korea ; Mucins ; Pathology

BACKGROUND: The estrogen receptor (ER) in breast cancer specimens has traditionally been assessed using a biochemical ligand binding assay (LBA). Recently, the application of an immunohistochemical method (IHC) for formalin-fixed breast carcinoma tissue has greatly increased. Controversy exists over the accuracy of IHC compared with that of LBA in determining ER. METHODS: Breast-carcinoma tissues were obtained from 247 patients. ER was determined within 1 week or at 4 weeks after surgery by using the traditional LBA and by using IHC with monoclonal antibodies. The ER status was assessed with respect to age, size of tumor, and stage according to the two methods. RESULTS: The concordant rate of ER status was 75% between IHC and LBA. IHC-negative/LBA- positive results occurred in 31 cases (13%) and IHC-positive/LBA-negative were observed in 30 cases (12%). ER-positive cases were more common in older patients. The disconcordant rate was much higher in premenopausal females. There was a significantly lower ER positivity in tumors of larger than 5 cm. ER positivity was significantly lower at 4 weeks compared to within 1 week in both methods, but this did not change the concordance rate between the two methods. CONCLUSIONS: The ER-IHC method appears to be a reasonable substitute for a biochemical ligand binding assay. This is based on a 75% concordance of the method as well as on the findings in the disconcordant cases. The appropriate measured time for ER was within 1 week after the cancer tissues were obtained.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Biochemistry ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Estrogens* ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry

OBJECTIVE: To compare the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasonographic endometrial thickness with that of hysteroscopy, it is to establish the most appropriate method for the diagnosis of endometrial cancer and other endometrial diseases in postmenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB). METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted in 105 consecutive postmenopausal patients with AUB, who underwent ultrasonographic evaluation of endometrial thickness, hysteroscopy and endometrial biopsy. Evaluation of sensitivity and specificity was performed. RESULTS: Histologic findings for <4 mm level revealed that atrophy was present in 30 (71.4%) and in 1 case (2.4%) endometrial cancer was found; for > or =4 mm values polyps and myomas were present in 31 (49.2%) and there were 3 (4.8%) in endometrial cancer. Sensitivity and specificity for trans-vaginal ultrasound, with a cut-off value > or =4 mm, was 75% and 40.6%. CONCLUSIONS: Generally speaking, obstetrics & gynecologists know that endometrial aspiration biopsy is the routine method in postmenopausal women with AUB. However transvaginal ultrasound remains the first line diagnostic procedure in postmenopausal women without AUB. In case of endometrial thickness less than 4 mm, it is likely to miss the early stage endometrial cancer but trans-vaginal ultrasound remains the first line diagnostic procedure in postmenopausal women, because it is not invasive and has high sensitivity for detecting endometrial cancer and other endometrial disease; According to our experience, hysteroscopy with biopsy is mandatory in all postmenopausal women with AUB.
Atrophy ; Biopsy ; Biopsy, Needle ; Diagnosis ; Endometrial Neoplasms ; Female ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Hysteroscopy* ; Myoma ; Obstetrics ; Polyps ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography ; Uterine Diseases ; Uterine Hemorrhage