OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether longitudinal changes in positive and negative symptoms affect cognitive functioning in chronic schizophrenia. METHODS: Sixty-eight patients diagnosed with DSM-IV schizophrenia were examined on two occasions over 6 months for symptoms and cognitive changes. Symptoms were measured by PANSS. Cognitive functions were examined for sustained attention, executive function, concentration and attention, and verbal memory and learning using Degraded Stimulus Continuous Performance Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Digit Span, and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test, respectively. Twenty control subjects were assessed to compare the cognitive scores of remitted schizophrenic patients. RESULTS: Patients showed significant improvement in symptoms and all cognitive tests after 6 months treatments. Significant improvements in positive and negative symptoms did not predict improvements in any aspect of cognitive functioning measured. Normal controls performed significantly better than remitted schizophrenic patients on all cognitive tests. The results show no relationship between change in symptoms and change in cognition in chronic schizophrenia. CONCLUSION: We suggest that symptomatic and cognitive impairment may be a distinct construct. These findings highlight the importance of treating cognitive impairment in addition to the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia.
Cognition ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Executive Function ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Learning ; Memory ; Schizophrenia* ; Verbal Learning ; Wisconsin

No abstract available.
Humans

By animal experiments in rat, it has been known that Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is secreted from renal mesangial celle and is an autocrine growth factor for the proliferation of mesangial cells. According to these facts, several studies have been tried for its clinical usefulness by measuring their serum or urinary IL-6 in glomerulonephritis patients with mesangial proliferation. The authors measured urinary IL-6 levels by Interleukin-6 [123I] RIA kit (Amersham Co. UK) in 11 patients with minimal change nephrotic syndrome, in 3 patients with mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (MesPGN), in 3 patients with IgA nephropathy, in 9 patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) in 2 patients with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN), and in 12 normal healthy children as a control group. The results obtained were summarized as follows: 1) There was no significant differences of urinary IL-6 levels between minimal change nephrotic syndrome patient group and normal control group (p=0.73). The level of urinary IL-6 was increased significantly in HSPN group compared to in normal control group, statistically (p=0.045). Also there were same results in the glomerulonephritis patients with mesangial proliferation in its histopathologic findings such as IgA nephropathy, MesPGN, MPGN. 2) There was a positive correlation between the degree of mesangial proliferation and the urinary IL-6 level. In conclusion, the urinary IL-6 level reflects the glomerular mesangial proliferation and could be useful as a predictive indicator for evaluation of its clinical course in patient with mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis.
Animal Experimentation ; Animals ; Child* ; Glomerulonephritis* ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA ; Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative ; Humans ; Interleukin-6* ; Interleukins* ; Mesangial Cells ; Nephritis ; Nephrosis, Lipoid ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch ; Rats

We reviewed 40 consecutive patients having a primary total hip replacement(THR) and 60 patients having a primary total knee replacement(TKR) for osteoarthritis to compare the qu;dity of hfe(QoL) before and after operation. Bilateral arthroplasties were perfomed 10 cases of THR and 25 cemes of TKR. We used a modified Harris hip score and a knee score of American knee society, the Rosser Lndex Matrix and authors eval- uation system to generate these scores. Quality of life was highly improved by Rossers and authors evalua- tion system after THR and TKR. The median values of QoL scores before and after operation were signifi- cantly different(p<0.05). The median preoperative QoL score in THR was t>etter than in TKR. Postoperative QoL scores for both groups were similar. Quality of life evaluated by Rossers score and authors evaluation system in bilateral THR was better than bilateral TKR. We think better quality of life in bilateral THR over bilateral TKR by authors evaluation system is because the hip joint is mcire stable and has better range of motion than knee joint. We conclude that change of life style including the use of bed, toilet seat elevation, and the use of dinning table will be neccesary after bilateral TKR.
Arthroplasty ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip* ; Climacteric ; Hip ; Hip Joint ; Humans ; Knee Joint ; Knee* ; Osteoarthritis ; Quality of Life* ; Range of Motion, Articular

The orbitozygomatic area occupies a key anatomic position in midface, is prone to injury, and plays a prominent role in facial aesthetics. So the facial appearance including orbital shape can be altered by complications of orbitozygomatic fractures. Most possible initial complications include blindness, hyphema, retinal detatchment, and paralysis or entrapment of extraocular muscles. Long term sequelaes include infraorbital nerve dysfunction, loss of malar projection, enophthalmos, and dystopia. Accurate anatomic reduction and rigid fixation is essential for management of orbitozygomatic fractures to minimize those late sequelaes. Conventional fixation devices to fix displaced fracture of facial bone are interosseous wire and miniplate. But interosseous wirings are unstable for primary bone healing and time consuming. Miniplates have great deal in rigid fixation but their high profile and palpability are the main complaints in many patients, especially in orbital rim area. In this article, we reviewed the 30 cases of zygomamaxilla complex fractures with orbital rim fracture fixed with microplates, and discussed the stability of microplate and superiorities in final aesthetics result. The use of microplates in these area permits enough stability of fracture segment with ease of procedures and superiorities in final results without any palpability.
Blindness ; Enophthalmos ; Esthetics ; Facial Bones ; Humans ; Hyphema ; Muscles ; Orbit* ; Paralysis ; Retinaldehyde

The recent development of microsurgical tissue transfer has enabled any defect in any area to be reconstructed with free flaps. However, the need for a more functional and thinner flap has been raised due to bullkiness of the flap and donorsite morbidity. For better functional and aesthetic results, various perforator flaps excluding muscles or adjacent subcutaneous tissue have been recently reported. We report 44 cases of perforating artery pedicled flaps from April 1995 to August 1998, including 21 cases of anterolateral thigh flap, 12 cases of gluteal artery perforator flap, 4 cases of posterior interosseous flap, and 7 cases of paraumbilical perforator flap for various soft tissue defects. Even though marginal necrosis of flap occurred in 9 cases, complete healing without significant problem was possible. The advantages of perforator flaps are as follows: 1. It is possible to obtain a relatively thin fasciocutaneous flap, but still with sufficient volume 2. Donor site morbidity was reduced without damage of main artery. 3. In spite of diverse vascular pattern of the perforator, the location of perforating arteries can be Detected with relative ease and mapped preoperatively with an ultrasound Doppler. The need of meticulous and tedious dissection could be a sole disadvantage of these flaps. This report describes the clinical experience with a perforator-based flap, anticpating applications of many other types of perforator flap in the future.
Arteries* ; Free Tissue Flaps ; Humans ; Muscles ; Necrosis ; Perforator Flap ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Surgical Flaps* ; Thigh ; Tissue Donors ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Abscess*

No abstract available.
Heart* ; Thoracic Surgery*

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Child* ; Humans ; Palatine Tonsil*

No abstract available.
Osteomyelitis* ; Skull Base* ; Skull*