OBJECTS AND METHODS: In order to evaluate the relationships between drinking habits and biological and psychosocial characteristics, the authors administrated the questionnaires about drinking patterns and acute physiological and psychological responses after drinking, several psychological scales and ethanol patch test to 94 male medical students in Chosun University. RESULTS: 1) Low consumer group had significantly more severe physiological repondents after drinking in family members than high consumer group(p<.005). 2) Low consumer had significantly more severe acute physiological responses(p<.005) and high consumer group revealed more positive psychological responses after drinking(p<.005). But there was no difference in the degree of negative psychological responses between tow groups. 3) High consumer group had significantly more extroversion tedency(p<.01) and recieved more financial support from family than low consumer group(p<.01). 4) In the results of ethanol patch test. low consumer group showed more positive skin reaction in three test occasions than high consumer grou(p<.005). 5) Also the high consumer group revealed higher scores in factor 1,2,4(alpha=0.005), and 3(alpha=0.01) in comparison of factors of Korean Alcohol Use Inventory. 6) In comparison of drinking habits, low consumer group revealed higher incidence of nearly non-drinkers and sublimatory drinkers. But there were more casulal social drinkers, selcontrolled social drinkers, impusive-binge drinkers, and habitual-excessive drinkers in high consumer group(p<.005). And in drinking patterns, the items of dependence and duration of drinking, daily drinking disposition, preferential beverage, average and maximum drinking amount of each liquor, and magnitude of sips taken were higher in high consumer group. Only one item of interval between sips was longer in low consumer group(p<.005). 7) In comparison of sociodemographic variables, there were more students who were smokers(p<.01), from larger cities and small family(p<.05), and whose parents were well educated(p<.05) but had worse marital realtionship(p<.05) in high consumer group. CONCLUSEION: For better explanation of the etiology and characteristics of alcoholism, we investigated the differences in various aspects between low alcohol consumers and high alcohol consumers in college students. The most evident differences lied in the degree of acute physiological reaction and positive rates of ethanol patch test that strongly suggested the relations with the activty of ALDH. Some differences in psychosocial aspects between two groups were noticed but could not appropriately be explained at this time.
Alcoholism ; Beverages ; Drinking* ; Ethanol ; Extraversion (Psychology) ; Financial Support ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Parents ; Patch Tests ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Skin ; Students, Medical ; Weights and Measures

No abstract available.
Fever* ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn*

No abstract available.
Humans

No abstract available.
Diagnosis* ; Growth Hormone* ; Humans*

Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCL) are the most common childhood neurodegenerative disorders. Clinical features include seizures, blindness, psychomotor deterioration, the age of onset differ for each NCL type. Diagnosis of late infantile NCL relies on the characteristic clinical presentation, electrophysiological and neuroradiological findings, and identification of the ultrastructural abnormalities. The Photoparoxsmal response provide diagnostic clues to an atypical case of Infantile NCL in which results of extraneuronal biopsies were negative and MRI findings resembles leukodystrophy. Photic stimulation with 2 to 5 Hz activity elicited discrete spike and wave discharges in the occipital region on electroencephalogram and no sleep spindles are present. In patients with rapid neurologic deterioration, diagnosis of NCL should be considered and an EEG must be performed using photic stimulation to look for characteristic findings.
Age of Onset ; Biopsy ; Blindness ; Diagnosis ; Electroencephalography* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neurodegenerative Diseases ; Neuronal Ceroid-Lipofuscinoses* ; Photic Stimulation ; Seizures

BACKGROUND: The Amplified Mycobacterium tuberculosis Direct Test (AMTDT) has been developed for the direct detection of M. tuberculosis complex in respiratory specimens. Traditional methods for diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis such as the acid-fast bacilli (AFB) stain have their well-known limitations. We investigated the usefulness of the AMTDT for a wide range of non-respiratory specimens to establish early diagnosis of extrapulmonary tuberculosis. METHODS: 346 specimens (219 urine, 117 pleural fluid, 6 ascitic fluid, 2 lymph node, 1 gastric aspirate, and 1 pus specimens) from 340 patients referred from November 1997 to September 1998 were tested by the AMTDT. The AMTDT results were evaluated by comparing with clinical diagnosis and smear results. RESULTS: The overall sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the AMTDT were 82.9%, 93.8%, 64.2%, and 97.6%, respectively. There were no difference in sensitivity and specificity between pleural fluid and urine specimens. In 31 specimens from tuberculosis patients concurrently tested with AMTDT and stain, 15 were only AMTDT positive and 4 were only stain positive. Among the results considered to be false positive, 47.2% of cases were shown as being less than 150,000 relative light units (RLU). In 30 specimens from tuberculosis patients during or after treatment, all six of the patients with reactivation or aggravation were AMTDT positive, and one case was considered to be false positive. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrates the efficacy of the AMTDT in diagnosing extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Prudent interpretation of the AMTDT's results is recommended in case of that being less than 150,000 RLU.
Ascitic Fluid ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Suppuration ; Tuberculosis

Xanthogranulnmatous pyelonephritis is an unusual chronic renal infection associated with renal calculi, urinary tract infection or obstruction in many cases. It is characterized by orange-yellow nodules of inflamed parenchymal tissue macroscopically and foamy lipid-laden histiocyte microscopically. We report a case of Xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis in a 74 years old male.
Aged ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Kidney Calculi ; Male ; Pyelonephritis ; Pyelonephritis, Xanthogranulomatous* ; Urinary Tract Infections

BACKGROUND: Although operative outcome is progressing due to the development of operative techniques and myocardial protection, some patients face an increased morbidity and mortality. Therefore, it has become increasingly important to predict the operative morbidity and mortality. MATERIAL AND METHOD: This retrospective study reports the results of risk factor analysis of morbidity and mortality of 137 consecutive patients who were underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Preoperative variables were age, sex, preoperative myocardial infarction, operative priority, left ventricular ejection fraction, obesity and triple vessel disease. Postoperative morbidities were arrhythmia, wound infection, cerebral infarction, prolonged postoperative hospitalization, pneumonia, acute renal failure, prolonged use of ventilator and operative death. RESULT: The mean age of total patients was 56.7 years, from 27 to 74. The overall mortality was 6.6% (9 of 137) with the mortality of 3.9% (5 of 128) for elective operation, and 44.4% (4 of 9) for emergent or urgent cases. The morbidity of patients over 65 years was stastistically higher than that of under 65 years. Sex distribution showed no difference in morbidity, however operative mortality rate was slightly higher in women (5/41, 12.19%) than in men (4/96, 4.17%). Morbidity of emergent or urgent operation was 100%, much higher than that of the elective operation. Mortality of the patients whose left ventricular ejection fraction was under 50% was higher than that of those over 50%. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the risk factors of morbidity after CABG were old age above 65 years and emergent or urgent operation, and that risk factors of mortality were low left venticular ejection fraction under 50% and emergent or urgent operation.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Cerebral Infarction ; Coronary Artery Bypass* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Female ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Male ; Mortality* ; Myocardial Infarction ; Obesity ; Pneumonia ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors* ; Sex Distribution ; Stroke Volume ; Transplants ; Ventilators, Mechanical ; Wound Infection

The large part of pathophysiology of cardiac arrhythmias has been clarified but still arrhythmias have bothered anesthesiologists. This study was done in order to investigate the incidence and nature of arrhythmias using Holter monitor for complete study during enflurane anesthesia. The patients were randomly allocated to two groups. Group I received succinylcholine 1.5 mg/kg, and Group II vecuronium 0.1 mg/kg, intravenously for intubation. Continuous electrocardiographic recordings on magnetic tape were made in 34 patients undergoing tympanoplasty during general anesthesia (thiopental(5 mg/kg)-muscle relaxants induction, and N2O(50%)-O2-enflurane(1.2%)-pancuronium maintenance). After completion of the recordings, the tapes were scanned to detect changes in rhythm using the analyzer. Complexes were further studied by readouts on standard ECG paper. The results were as follows: 1) The number of patients(n=14) who exhibited arrhythmias during anesthetic maintenance was significantly greater than that(n=4) during induction. 2) The incidence of occurrence of cardiac arrhythmias was 64.7%. There was no difference between two groups. If sinus tachycardia included, the incidence reached at 94.1%. 3) The frequency of supraventricular arrhythmias was more than two times that of ventricular ones. The arrhythmias occuning at the AV junction were the most common, and VPCs the second most common 4) There was no effect on the frequency in arrhythmia occurrence, of age, gender, preoperative ECG findings, intraoperative serum K(+), and intraoperative PaCO2 The discrepancy in the incidence of arrhythmia occurrence between complete and incomplete studies tells that great caution should be paid perioperatively, especially to the patients who have cardiovascular disorders.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, General* ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac* ; Electrocardiography ; Enflurane* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intubation ; Succinylcholine ; Tachycardia, Sinus ; Tympanoplasty ; Vecuronium Bromide

No abstract available.
Pancreatitis* ; Parathyroid Neoplasms*