No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Ossification, Heterotopic* ; Risk Factors* ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord*

Purpose: Workers in special employment relationship (WSERs) are workers in nonstandard employment arrangements who lack worker protection accorded in standard employment arrangements. This study aimed to describe self-rated health (SRH) and depressive symptoms (DS) among Korean WSERs in comparison to regular wage workers (RWW) and identify associations between working conditions and those outcomes. Methods: In this study, secondary data analysis using the 5th Korean Working Conditions Survey was used. The sample totaled 29,120, including 1,538 WSERs and 27,564 RWWs. Sociodemographic and work-related characteristics were employed as explanatory variables and SRH and DS as dependent variables. Using multiple logistic regression, the determinants of fair/poor SRH and DS were identified. Results: The prevalence rates for fair/poor SRH and DS in WSERs were 25.2% and 28.3%, respectively, and 20.7% and 25.0% in RWWs, respectively. Compared to RWWs, WSERs had 31% (aOR=1.31, 95% CI=1.14~1.49) and 20% (aOR=1.20, 95% CI=1.06~1.36) higher odds of SRH and DS, respectively.Some factors, such as a lack of rest guarantee and sickness presenteeism, had a larger influence in the WSER than in the RWW group. Conclusion Compared to RWWs, WSERs reported having poorer working conditions and were more likely to report poor general and mental health. Therefore, in Korea, public health policymakers should consider measures to protect the working conditions and health of WSERs, a growing segment of the working population. The study produced new epidemiological evidence regarding the relationships between employment arrangements and health.

OBJECTIVE: The clinical value of preoperative serum squamous cell carcinoma antigen(SCC) in relation to clinical stage, tumor volume, disease extent and prognosis has already reported in many papers. The aim of this study is to analyse the relationship between preoperative SCC level and pelvic lymph node metastasis. Matrials and METHODS: From March 1995 to December 1998, 157 patients who examined pretreatment SCC levels before undergoing radical hysterectomy for squamous cell carcinoma of uterine cervix were included. The effect of pelvic lymph node status on the SCC level was examined by comparing 125 cases with cancer limited uterus or upper vagina and 32 cases with cancer confined to the uterus (including upper vagina) and pelvic lymph node using multivariate analysis. RESULTS: 90% of patients without pelvic lymph node metastasis showed SCC levels of 2.9ng/ml or below. 60.7% of patients with serum SCC level more than 2.9ng/ml exhibited pelvic lymph node metastasis. The marker values exceeding 2.9ng/ml increased risk of nodal metastasis 5 times compared with serum level 2.9ng/ml or below. Multivariate analysis confirmed that the pelvic lymph node metastasis had a large impact on the marker level than did tumor size or depth of stromal infilteration. CONCLUSION: SCC levels greater than 2.9ng/ml can be considered a high risk zone for nodal metastasis
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cervix Uteri ; Female ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Lymph Nodes ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Prognosis ; Tumor Burden ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms* ; Uterus ; Vagina

Recently phacoemulsification with about 3mm small incision and implantation of foldable silicone intraocular lens (IOL) has been widely used. We performed this study to determine the changes of central corneal endothelium with time after surgery and the effect of the surgical skill and age of patient on endothelial cell loss(ECL). We evaluated 198 patients(198 eyes). The patients was randomly divided into expert(E) and biginner(B) group. The non-contact specular microscopy was performed at preoperative and postoperative 1 week, 1 month, 2 months and 3 months and ECL(%) was calculated. Mean ECL of E group was lower than that of B group. The differencewas statistically significant in the patients younger than 60 years(p<0.05). In E group, mean ECL of postoperative 1 week was higher than that of 1 month. However, the mean ECL of B group at postoperative 1 week was lower than that of 1 month. It was statistically significant in patients younger than 60 years(p<0.05). The patients older than 60 years showed higher ECL than young group. It was statistically significant at postoperative 1 week and 3 months in E gorups(p<0.05). From these results, we conclude that the changes of central corneal endothelial cell count after small incision cataract surgery are different according to the skill of surgeon and the age of patient.
Cataract* ; Endothelial Cells* ; Endothelium, Corneal ; Humans ; Lenses, Intraocular ; Microscopy ; Phacoemulsification ; Silicones

No abstract available.
Aneurysm* ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Foramen Ovale, Patent*

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare statistical methods to control response bias in nursing activity surveys. METHODS: Data were collected at a medical unit of a general hospital. The number of nursing activities and consumed activity time were measured using self-report questionnaires. Descriptive statistics were used to identify general characteristics of the units. Average, Z-standardization, gamma regression, finite mixture model, and stochastic frontier model were adopted to estimate true activity time controlling for response bias. RESULTS: The nursing activity time data were highly skewed and had non-normal distributions. Among the 4 different methods, only gamma regression and stochastic frontier model controlled response bias effectively and the estimated total nursing activity time did not exceeded total work time. However, in gamma regression, estimated total nursing activity time was too small to use in real clinical settings. Thus stochastic frontier model was the most appropriate method to control response bias when compared with the other methods. CONCLUSION: According to these results, we recommend the use of a stochastic frontier model to estimate true nursing activity time when using self-report surveys.
Adult ; Female ; Humans ; *Models, Statistical ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*statistics & numerical data ; Questionnaires ; Task Performance and Analysis ; Time Factors

Total hip replacement for adults with severe acetabular dysplasia presents a difficult problem because deficient bone stock and soft tissue contractures usually prevent sitting at the normal anatomic level. The rationales of high hip center are due to high failure rate of bulk structural weight bearing graft, good short-term result of hemispherical cementless acetabular component in revision surgery, high hip center but not lateral which does not adversely affect the biomechanics of the hip, and intimate apposition with viable host bone. We represented the short-term results of 21 total hip replacements with proximal placement of the acetabular cup than the anatomical position that is normally used. The mean duration of follow up was 18 months(range, 12-58 months) and the mean age of the patient was fifty-one years(range, thirty to sixty-seven years). Most of these hips had a major deficiency or defect of the acetabular bone stock. They had an aver- age Harris hip score of 47 points preoperatively and 90 points postoperatively. Roentgenographic measurements showed that the mean change in the height of the center of the hip postoperatively was only +6.6 millimeters and the mean change of horizontal location of them was 10 millimeters medial to the preoperative position. Postoperative complications included calcar fracture(1 case), trochanteric bursitis(1 case), postop- erative dislocation(1 case) and one case of radiological loosening of the acetabular component. The center of the hip in THR is not a crucial parameter with regard to the long-term stability of acetabular component, so our recommendation is to place the acetabular component at a more proximal but not lateral position if strong bone stock is available. But future studies of high hip center need to address femoral component longevity.
Acetabulum ; Adult ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Hip ; Contracture ; Femur ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hip Joint ; Hip ; Humans ; Longevity ; Osteoarthritis ; Postoperative Complications ; Transplants ; Weight-Bearing

From February 1996 to May 1997, 18 patients underwent mitral valve repair for mitral regurgitation. There were 9 male and 9 female patients aged from 19 to 68 years (mean, 53). Thirteen patients were in New York Heart Association (NYHA) class III and IV. The cause of mitral regurgitation was degenerative in 12 patients, rheumatic in 5 patients and infective in 1 patient. Fifteen patients were in Carpentier's functional classification II, 2 patients in Carpentier's class III and 1 patient in Carpentier's class I. Surgical procedures included prosthetic ring annuloplasty (16 cases), rectangular resection of posterior leaflet (15 cases), chordal shortening (5 cases), triangular resection of anterior leaflet (2 cases), commissurotomy (2 cases), partial transposition of posterior leaflet (1 case). These procedures were combined in most patients. There was no operative death. These patients have been followed from 1 to 15 months, mean of 6.7 months. There was one late death resulted from low cardiac output following mitral valve replacement. The function of the repaired valve in other 17 patients has remained satisfactory during the observed interval. We consider that mitral valve repair is highly satisfactory in patients with mitral regurgitation.
Cardiac Output, Low ; Classification ; Female ; Heart ; Humans ; Male ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency* ; Mitral Valve*

No abstract available.
Cardiomyopathy, Dilated* ; Humans

PURPOSE: Reduced heart rate variability significantly increases cardiovascular mortality. Metabolic syndrome increases the cardiac autonomic dysfunction. Recently, increasing cardiovascular mortality has been reported in patients with schizophrenia. This study was done to compare heart rate variability between adults with and without schizophrenia and to compare the relationship of heart rate variability to metabolic syndrome in hospitalized patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: This was a descriptive and correlational study in which 719 adults without schizophrenia and 308 adults with schizophrenia took part between May and June 2008. We measured the following: five-minute heart rate variability; high-frequency, low-frequency, the ratio of low-frequency to high-frequency, and the Standard Deviation of all the normal RR intervals. Data was also collected on metabolic syndrome, abdominal obesity, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol, blood pressure and fasting glucose. RESULTS: The Standard Deviation of all the normal RR intervals values of heart rate variability indices were 1.53+/-0.18. The low-frequency and high-frequency values of heart rate variability indices were significantly higher in hospitalized patients with schizophrenia (3.89+/-1.36; 3.80+/-1.20) than those in the healthy participants (2.20+/-0.46; 2.10+/-0.46). There were no significant differences between the schizophrenic patients with and without metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that schizophrenia patients have significantly lower cardiac autonomic control, but they have significantly higher low-frequency and high-frequency values than those of healthy adults. Use of antipsychotic drug may affect the autonomic nervous system in schizophrenic patients. Metabolic syndrome was not associated with cardiac autonomic control in schizophrenia patients.
Adult ; Autonomic Nervous System/physiopathology ; Blood Glucose/analysis ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiovascular Diseases/complications/diagnosis/mortality ; Cholesterol, HDL/blood ; Female ; *Heart Rate ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome X/*complications/*physiopathology ; Middle Aged ; Obesity/etiology ; Schizophrenia/*complications/mortality/*physiopathology ; Triglycerides/blood