Purpose: This study aimed to identify the effects of the Horticultural Therapy Program on interpersonal relations, self-efficacy, and stress awareness for patients with mental illness. Methods: This was a non-equivalent control group pre and post-test design study. Participants were recruited from a closed ward of mental health hospitals located in the G city. 23 patients from two hospitals were in the experimental group and 20 patients from four hospitals were in the control group. A ninety-minute horticultural program was performed once a week for 8 weeks. Results: Results revealed that the Horticultural Therapy Program was effective for self-efficacy (z=-3.06 p=.002) and stress awareness (z=2.92, p=.004) for patients with mental illnesses. Conclusion These results indicate that the Horticultural Therapy Program is effective for self-efficacy and stress awareness in patients with mental illnesses. Therefore, the Horticultural Therapy Program is recommended as an effective psychiatric nursing intervention for mental health promotion and rehabilitation.

BACKGROUND: Conventional thoracoscopic thoracic sympathectomy or sympathicotomy is an effective method in treating localized hyperhidrosis; however, this may result in a postoperatively embarrassing compensatory hyperhidrosis or facial anhidrosis in the treatment of palmar hyperhidrosis. We modified the conventional sympathicotomy by limiting the extent of nerve transection. The purpose of this study was to assess the result of the limited thoracoscopic sympathetic nerve transection in hyperhidrosis. MATERIAL AND METHOD: From May to August 1998, 17 patients underwent limited transection of the sympathetic nerve. For 9 patients with facial hyperhidrosis, we transected only the interganglionic fiber between the first and the second ganglion, whereas the conventional method cuts two interganglionic fibers. Eight patients with palmar hyperhidrosis underwent limited transection of the interganglionic fiber between the second and third ganglion. RESULT: Sixteen patients had improved symptom postoperatively. There was a recurred facial sweating in 1 patient 1 month after the operation. Among the 9 facial hyperhidrosis patients, postoperative compensatory hyperhidrosis was severe in 4, moderate in 4 and minimal in 1. But in 8 cases of palmar hyperhidrosis compensatory hyperhidrosis was moderate in 3, and minimal in 1, none in 4. Facial sweating was not disturbed postoperatively in all of the palmar hyperhidrosis patients. CONCLUSION: Limited sympathetic nerve transection is a practical and less invasive method for the treatment of localized hyperhidrosis and may reduce the incidence of compensatory truncal hyperhidrosis and facial anhidrosis in case of palmar hyperhidrosis.
Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Hyperhidrosis* ; Hypohidrosis ; Incidence ; Sweat ; Sweating ; Sympathectomy

We experienced a case of spondylothoracic dysplasia in a 1 day old male who has short neck with limitation of movement, asymmetric thorax, marked scoliosis and a systolic heart murmur. He was born with normal weight and full term. The history of his family and mother is not specific. On x-ray, multiple hemivertebrae in thorax, spina bifida and maldevelopmental thoacic cavity were detected. On echocardiogram, he had small ASD and PDA.
Heart Defects, Congenital* ; Heart Murmurs ; Humans ; Male ; Mothers ; Neck ; Scoliosis ; Spinal Dysraphism ; Thorax

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of applying computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) to breast ultrasound (US), depending on the reader's experience with breast imaging. METHODS: Between October 2015 and January 2016, two experienced readers obtained and analyzed the grayscale US images of 200 cases according to the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) lexicon and categories. They additionally applied CAD (S-Detect) to analyze the lesions and made a diagnostic decision subjectively, based on grayscale US with CAD. For the same cases, two inexperienced readers analyzed the grayscale US images using the BI-RADS lexicon and categories, added CAD, and came to a subjective diagnostic conclusion. We then compared the diagnostic performance depending on the reader's experience with breast imaging. RESULTS: The sensitivity values for the experienced readers, inexperienced readers, and CAD (for experienced and inexperienced readers) were 91.7%, 75.0%, 75.0%, and 66.7%, respectively. The specificity values for the experienced readers, inexperienced readers, and CAD (for experienced and inexperienced readers) were 76.6%, 71.8%, 78.2%, and 76.1%, respectively. When diagnoses were made subjectively in combination with CAD, the specificity significantly improved (76.6% to 80.3%) without a change in the sensitivity (91.7%) in the experienced readers. After subjective combination with CAD, both of the sensitivity and specificity improved in the inexperienced readers (75.0% to 83.3% and 71.8% to 77.1%). In addition, the area under the curve improved for both the experienced and inexperienced readers (0.84 to 0.86 and 0.73 to 0.80) after the addition of CAD. CONCLUSION: CAD is more useful for less experienced readers. Combining CAD with breast US led to improved specificity for both experienced and inexperienced readers.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Diagnosis* ; Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted ; Information Systems ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography*

Allopurinol is frequently used for the treatment of hyperuricemia and gout. Sometimes, a life-threatening reaction develops, as is illustrated by the following case report. We describe a 60-year-old male patient who was treated with allopurinol because of asymptomatic hyperuricemia, and he was presented with fever, skin rash, eosinophilia, worsening renal function and vanishing bile duct syndrome. In this report, we discussed vanishing bile duct syndrome as a serious side effect of allopurinol, and we briefly reviewed the etiology, prevention, and treatment modalities for vanishing bile duct syndrome.
Allopurinol/*adverse effects ; Bile Duct Diseases/*etiology/pathology ; Drug Hypersensitivity/*complications ; English Abstract ; Gout Suppressants/*adverse effects ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

Mesenchymal chondrosarcoma is a rare malignant tumor of bone and soft tissue. This aggressive form of chondrosarcoma represents only 3% to 9% of all chondrosarcomas. This neoplasm is characterized by sheets or clusters of undifferentiated spindle or round cells surrounding discrete nodules of well-differentiated cartilage. We experienced a case of mesenchymal chondrosarcoma on mandibular body. Two years ago, the patient had been treated the intrabony cystic lesion on mandiblular left body. At that time, cartilage portion was not detected in the cystic specimen. Two years after cyst enucleation, the recurred large neoplasm in the mandibular left body was noted, and it was diagnosed as 4.5 cm sized mesenchymal chondrosarcoma. The mandibular tumor was widely resected and rigid-plate and cervical musculocutaneous flap were used for reconstruction of resected bone and soft tissues. No complications and recurrence were noted for 6 months postoperatively.
Cartilage ; Chondrosarcoma ; Chondrosarcoma, Mesenchymal ; Humans ; Recurrence

PURPOSE: To know whether the changes in the risk factors of nosocomial sepsis had an impact on the occurrence of nosocomial sepsis (NS) in extremely low birth weight infants (ELBW I). METHODS: ELBW I who were admitted to the NICU at Samsung Medical Center from October 1994 to December 2000 were devided into three groups according to periods (period I:1994.10-1996.9, period II:1996.10-1998.12, period III:1999.1-2000.12), and charts were reviewed retrospectively for demographic profile, incidence of NS, and changing patterns of risk factors of NS. RESULTS: Gestational age and birth weight of ELBW I decreased and the incidence of NS increased significantly during third period. However, cumulative incidence of NS corrected by hospital days was not changed irrespective of periods. Among the risk factors of NS in 3rd period, use of antibiotics in the 1st day, postnatal dexamethasone and use and duration of indwelling umbilical catheters decreased significantly and the use of nasal continuous positive airway pressure increased significantly especially, in ELBW I under 800 g of birth weight. In the ELBW I under 800 g of birth weight, cumulative incidence of NS and mortality among the infants who suffered from NS decreased significantly in 3rd period. CONCLUSION: Efforts to decrease the risk factors of NS can prevent the increase in incidence of NS in ELBW I.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Birth Weight ; Catheters ; Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ; Dexamethasone ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Infant* ; Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Low Birth Weight* ; Infant, Newborn ; Mortality ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Sepsis*

Splenic metastasis from colon carcinoma are rare and usually occur in the presence of disseminated visceral metastasis. The liver is the most common site of metastatic spread from colon cancer. Several hypotheses have attempted to explain the low incidence of splenic metastasis. It should be difficult for colorectal cancer cells to reach the spleen through the portal venous system, in which the blood flow is usually from the spleen to the liver. Reticuloendothelial system or rhythmic contraction of the spleen may squeeze out the tumor in the spleen. The absence of afferent lymphatic to the spleen, phagocytic activity and humoral anticancer substances are considered to be other reason for low incidence of splenic metastasis. We report the case of 18F-FDG PET/CT finding in a 70-year-old woman who develop isolated splenic metastasis of sigmoid colon cancer.
Aged ; Colon ; Colon, Sigmoid* ; Colonic Neoplasms ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Liver ; Mononuclear Phagocyte System ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Positron-Emission Tomography and Computed Tomography* ; Sigmoid Neoplasms* ; Spleen

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to determine the neuroprotective effect of granulocyte stimulating factor (G-CSF) on neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven-day-old male newborn rat pups were subjected to 110 minutes of 8% oxygen following a unilateral carotid artery ligation. Apoptosis was identified by performing terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL) staining and flow cytometry with a combination of fluorescinated annexin V and propidium iodide (PI) and JC-1 (5,5',6,6'-tetrachloro-1,1',3,3'-tetraethylbenzimidazolyl-carbocyanine iodide). The extent of cerebral infarction was evaluated at 2 weeks after recovery. RESULTS: With a single dose (50microgram/kg) of G-CSF treatment immediately after hypoxic-ischemic insult, hypoxia-ischemia induced increase in TUNEL-positive cells, annexinV+/PI- and JC-1 positive apoptotic cells in the ipsilateral cerebral cortex was significantly reduced at 24 hours, measured by flow cytometry, and the extent of cerebral infarction at 2 weeks after recovery was also significantly attenuated compared to the hypoxia-ischemia control group. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that G-CSF is neuroprotective by inhibiting apoptosis, thereby reducing the ensuing cerebral infarction in a newborn rat pup model of cerebral hypoxia-ischemia (HI).
Animals ; Apoptosis/*drug effects ; Brain/pathology ; Cerebral Infarction/pathology/prevention & control ; Flow Cytometry ; Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor/*pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain/*drug therapy/pathology ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Male ; Organ Size ; Protective Agents/*pharmacology/therapeutic use ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Weight Gain

PURPOSE: The ideal breast irradiation method should provide an optimal dose distribution in the treated breast volume and a minimum scatter dose to the nearby normal tissue. Physical wedges have been used to improve the dose distribution in the treated breast, but unfortunately introduce an increased scatter dose outside the treatment field, particularly to the contralateral breast. The typical physical wedge (PW) was compared with the virtual wedge (VW) to determine the difference in the dose distribution affecting on the treated breast and the contralateral breast, lung, heart and surrounding peripheral soft tissue. METHODS AND MATERIALS: The data collected consisted of a measurement taken with solid water, a Humanoid Alderson Rando phantom and patients. The radiation doses at the ipsilateral breast and skin, contralateral breast and skin, surrounding peripheral soft tissue, and ipsilateral lung and heart were compared using the physical wedge and virtual wedge and the radiation dose distribution and DVH of the treated breast were compared. The beam-on time of each treatment technique was also compared. Furthermore, the doses at treated breast skin, contralateral breast skin and skin 1.5 cm away from the field margin were also measured using TLD in 7 patients of tangential breast irradiation and compared the results with phantom measurements. RESULTS: The virtual wedge showed a decreased peripheral dose than those of a typical physical wedge at 15degrees, 30degrees, 45degrees, and 60degrees. According to the TLD measurements with 15degrees and 30degrees virtual wedge, the irradiation dose decreased by 1.35% and 2.55% in the contralateral breast and by 0.87% and 1.9% in the skin of the contralateral breast respectively. Furthermore, the irradiation dose decreased by 2.7% and 6.0% in the ipsilateral lung and by 0.96% and 2.5% in the heart. The VW fields had lower peripheral doses than those of the PW fields by 1.8% and 2.33%. However the skin dose increased by 2.4% and 4.58% in the ipsilateral breast. VW fields, in general, use less monitor units than PW fields and shortened beam-on time about half of PW. The DVH analysis showed that each delivery technique results in comparable dose distribution in treated breast. CONCLUSIONS: A modest dose reduction to the surrounding normal tissue and uniform target homogeneity were observed using the VW technique compare to the PW beam in tangential breast irradiation The VW field is dosimetrically superior to the PW beam and can be an efficient method for minimizing acute, late radiation morbidity and reduce the linear accelerator loading by decreasing the radiation delivery time.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Heart ; Humans ; Lung ; Particle Accelerators ; Skin ; Water