BACKGROUND: Discrepancies exist in the existing researches regarding the association between social capital and self-efficacy, and most of these researches have been done in developed countries. The aims of this study were to assess the independent association between individual social capital and self-efficacy and to assess the associations between individual social capital, self-efficacy and self-rated health. METHODS: Data were obtained from the Gyeongnam health survey (6,500 persons) conducted in 2008. A self-administered questionnaire was additionally administered to gather information on demographic variables, health behaviors, chronic diseases, self-efficacy, social capital, and self-rated health status. Total study population was 3,843 as those with chronic diseases were excluded. RESULTS: In males, trust was positively associated with confidence and preference to task difficulty, and participation was negatively associated with confidence and positively associated with regulation and preference to task difficulty. In females, trust was positively associated with confidence and preference to task difficulty and negatively associated with regulation. Participation was positively associated with preference to task difficulty. In males, the odds for self-rated health status was better for persons with confidence (95% confidence interval, CI 1.088-1.705), trust (95% CI 1.172-1.821) and participation (95% CI 1.268-2.117). In females, the odds for self-rated health status was better for those with confidence (95% CI 1.250-1.803), preference of task difficulty (95% CI 1.019-1.683) and participation (95% CI 1.024-1.555). CONCLUSIONS: High social capital measured at an individual level may promote self-efficacy and health status.
Chronic Disease ; Developed Countries ; Female ; Health Behavior ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Male ; Self Efficacy ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Diabetic Ketoacidosis* ; Lung Abscess* ; Lung* ; Mucormycosis*

Pasteurella multocida, a Gram-negative coccobacillus, is part of the normal oral flora of many types of animals, including domestic dogs and cats. It is the etiologic agent of a variety of infectious diseases, such as hemorrhagic septicemia in cattle or fowl cholera in chiken. Although this is a primary pathogen in the animal world, infection due to Pasteurella multocida in man has been described with increasing frequency recently. The majority of individuals with pasteurella multocida pulmonary infection possess some underlying pulmonary diseases, most commonly bronchiectasis or COPD. With review of literature, We report a young man who developed the empyema caused by Pasteurella multocida.
Animals ; Bronchiectasis ; Cats ; Cattle ; Cholera ; Communicable Diseases ; Dogs ; Empyema ; Empyema, Pleural* ; Hemorrhagic Septicemia ; Lung Diseases ; Pasteurella multocida* ; Pasteurella* ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive

Ovarian primary malignant melanoma is very uncommon with only 44 reported cases in the literature. A 71-year-old woman with an ovarian mass and multiple nodules in the liver presented to our hospital. She was treated with bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy, and malignant melanoma was found in the mature cystic teratoma of the ovary. Malignant melanoma cells were also found in the ascitic fluid. She died 5 months later. Here we report a very uncommon case of malignant melanoma arising in an ovarian mature cystic teratoma with a review of the literature.
Aged ; Ascitic Fluid ; Female ; Humans ; Liver ; Melanoma ; Ovary ; Teratoma

Actinomycosis is an oppoturnistic infection of actinomyces, which are relatively avirulent endogenous oral commensals. After trauma or infection, they breach the normally protective mucosal barriers to invade adjacent soft tissue structures. Lesions routinely contain other bacteria, the normal resident flora at the site of primary infection, which act synergistically with actinomyces species to provoke this unique infection, which range from an acute suppurative process to a chronic fibrotic process. According to epidemic studies about pelvic actinomycosis, it should be significantly related to IUD(intrauterine device). It is accounted that IUD cause chronic intrauterine infection, tissue injury and act as nucleus for parasitic infestation. Here we present a case of pelvic actinomycosis related to IUD with brief review of the concerned literature.
Actinomyces ; Actinomycosis* ; Bacteria

Maldevelopment of the first branchial cleft can produce a broad spectrum of anomalies in its derivative structure, the external auditory canal (EAC). Failure of the cleft to develop normally can result in either the absence of a normally patent EAC (atresia or stenosis) or a duplication anomaly (cyst, sinus, or fistula). Despite their common origins, the coexistence of these anatomical abnormalities is quite unusual. We present a 6-year-old girl with congenital EAC atresia and duplication anomaly of the EAC in addition to the cholesteatoma of EAC.
Branchial Region* ; Child ; Cholesteatoma ; Ear Canal* ; Female ; Humans

Somatostatin analogue octreotide is commonly used for the treatment of carcinoid syndrome. Octreotide also has an antiproliferative effect in neuroendocrine tumors and has demonstrated tumor reduction in patients having advanced carcinoid tumor. This is a case report of a patient who had metastatic liver carcinoid tumor and showed marked regression of liver metastasis after octreotide therapy.
Carcinoid Tumor* ; Humans ; Liver ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neuroendocrine Tumors ; Octreotide* ; Somatostatin

OBJECTIVE: It has been known that the enzyme deficiency associated with uric acid production is the minor cause of gout. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of hypoxanthine- guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HGPRT) activity deficiency in the development of gout. METHODS: Assay of HGPRT activity was performed on 38 gout patients and 107 controls compromising 82 men and 25 women. In the patients with gout, age of onset, sex, family history of gout, duration of disease, serum uric acid level, and uric acid concentration of 24-hour urine were analyzed. RESULTS: In gout patients and control male group, the HGPRT activity was lowest in the age of forties. But, in female, there was no decreasing tendency with aging. In 4 gout patients, HGPRT activities were severely deficient and their ages of onset were less than 30 years old, and all have a family history of gout. CONCLUSION: In men, the lowest HGPRT activity in the age of forties could be one of the factors that make the onset of gout is highest in the fifth decade of age. The deficiency of HGPRT enzyme and family history of gout are the important factors in the pathogenesis of early onset gout.
Adult ; Age of Onset ; Aging ; Female ; Gout* ; Humans ; Hypoxanthine Phosphoribosyltransferase* ; Male ; Uric Acid

In an attempt to decide the surgical approach to basilar tip aneurysms, 27 cases of ruptured aneurysms were retrospectively analysed for size of aneurysm, direction of fundus and height of bifurcation. The fundus pointed superiorly in 18 cases, posteriorly in six, and anteriorly in three. The aneurysm neck was positioned as follows : very high(more than 20mm above midsellar) in one case, high(between 10mm and 20mm above midsellar) in 13, mid(from midsellar to 10mm above it) in nine, low(from midsellar to sellar floor) in two, and very low(below the sellar floor) in two. In 11 cases, surgery followed the conventional pterional approach ; in eight, the orbitozygomatic ; in three, the pterional-anterior temporal ; in two, the subtemporal ; in two, the anterior transpetrosal ; and in one, the temporopolar. In complex aneurysms or basilar bifurcation was at an unusual height, surgery involved a skull-base or modified technique based on a conventional pterional and subtemporal approach. On the basic of our surgical data and related findings, our suggestious are as follows : surgery involving basilar tip aneurysms with an extremely high-positioned neck should follow the transsylvian route above the carotid bifurcation, or use a transventricular or intravascular approach ; in cases with a high positioned-neck, the orbitozygomatic temporopolar or transzygomatic subtemporal approach should be used ; in cases with a normal-positioned neck, the combined pterional-anterior temporal approach, which has a much wider operative field and wider angle of vision than the classic pterional and subtemporal approach ; in cases with a low-positioned neck, the subtemporaltranstentorial) pterional, with resection of the posterior clinoid process ; and in cases with a very low-positioned neck, the transpetrosal approach.
Aneurysm* ; Aneurysm, Ruptured ; Neck ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVE: This study is designed to elucidate the requirements for angiographic evaluation and the selection of appropriate therapeutic approaches in patients who had strongly suggestive traumatic carotid arterial lesions. METHODS: Ten cases of traumatic internal carotid arterial lesions were analysed in this study. Injury mechanisms, neurological status, computed tomography scans, pre-and postoperative angiograms, and methods and results of the treatment were included. RESULTS: Of 10 cases, carotid-cavernous fistula(CCF) alone in three, CCF with intracranial pseudoaneurysms in three, pseudoaneurysm with dissection in one, extracranial internal carotid artery thrombosis in one, extracranial pseudoaneurysm in one, and the remaining one had all of the CCF, intracranial pseudoaneurysm and dissection. Seven of these 10 cases had sphenoid sinus wall fractures and six had subarachnoid hemorrhage. Six cases were treated with endovascular techniques, and four with direct parent artery occlusion and bypass surgery. No postoperative morbidity or additional permanent neurological deficits occurred except one patient who suffered from reperfusion hemorrhage after bypass surgery. CONCLUSION: Head trauma patients with facial bone fractures and thick subarachnoid hemorrhage should be evaluated for the development of traumatic injuries to the carotid artery as soon as possible. Endovascular treatment to these lesions have come to play an increasing role. Patients with traumatic internal carotid artery lesions who do not tolerate test occlusion require extracranial to intracranial bypass surgery before occlusion.
Aneurysm, False ; Arteries ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery Thrombosis ; Carotid Artery, Internal ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Endovascular Procedures ; Facial Bones ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Parents ; Reperfusion ; Sphenoid Sinus ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage