Assays for HBsAg, HBV DNA, anti-HBc and anti-HBs of 285 units of packed red blood cells supplied by Taegu Red Cross Blood Center were performed to evaluate the correlation between the prevalence of HBV DNA and the serologic markers for hepatitis B virus. None of 285 plasma samples was positive for HBsAg, however, HBV DNA were detected by polymerase chain reaction in 2 samples which both presented only with anti-HBc positivity.. Of 204 samples tested for anti-HBs, 96 samples(47.1%) were positive and among 216 samples tested for anti-HBc, 80 samples(37.0%) were positive. Of 193 samples tested for both anti-HBs and anti-HBc, 80(41.1%) were all negative and 48(24.9%) were positive on both tests. Those samples which showed positivity only to anti-HBc were 25(13.0%). Considering the above results, transfusion-transmitted hepatitis B virus infection could be prevented by discarding anti-HBc positive blood, however, that may bring insufficient supply of donor bloods in the country like Korea where the prevalence of anti-HBc is high. Anti-HBc positive blood unequivocally positive for anti-HBs should be considered noninfectious for HBV and should be allowed to be transfused. It would reduce the amount of discarding donor blood as the routine blood donor screening tests presently used at Korea Red Cross Blood Center supplemented by anti-HBs and anti-HBc testing.
Blood Donors ; Daegu ; DNA* ; Erythrocytes* ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus ; Humans ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Plasma ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence* ; Red Cross ; Tissue Donors

Atypical condyloma is a variant of flat condyloma characterized by the presence of atypical koilocytes having large hyperchromatic, smudged and often bizarre nuclei. Atypical condyloma can be frequently misdiagnosed on cytologic smear and on tissue sections by its marked cellular atypia, as high grade dysplasia, in situ or even invasive squamous cell carcinoma. We described two cases of atypical condyloma of the female genital tract. The cytologic features and histologic changes were reminiscent of those of invasive squamous cell carcinoma and severe degree of dysplasia of the uterine cervix. The differential findings between atypical condyloma and squamous cell carcinoma were discussed in detail.
Female ; Humans

Nuclear morphology and size are important in the diagnosis and classification of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The recognition of morphologic features of the lymphoma cells and their interpretation are somewhat subjective and often difficult. We apply the morphometric study in touch imprints from 22 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma classified by Working formulation. Determination of the exact size of the tumor cells and substantial diagnostic value of this method compared with histology are proposed. Morphometric parameters, including nuclear area, perimeter, maximal diameter (D-max), diameter of an equivalent circle for a measured area (D-circle), circularity factor (From PE) and regularity factor (Form AR) are measured, using Kontron, user-controlled image analyser (IBAS-1). The correlation between morphometric and histologic diagnosis is relatively good, except for 2 cases of Burkitt's lymphoma, measured as large cell and 2 cases of large cell lymphoma measured as medium cell. The most reliable parameter of the nuclear size is D-circle. The parameters for the nuclear shape, Form PE and Form AR, also reflect the nuclear cleavage and polymorphous pattern. The large cell group shows more wide standard deviation than small and medium cell groups, reflecting heterogeneity and variability in unclear size of large cell group. We suggests the morphometric analysis using touch imprints is complementary diagnostic tool for more accurate and reproducible diagnosis.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the improvement and maintenance effects of foot reflexology (FR) on sensations after breast cancer surgery with those of lavender foot bath (LFB). METHODS: Using a single-blind design, both 18 women to receive 20-min FR by trained experts and 14 women to soak feet in 40degrees C foot tub water with 5 drop lavender essential oil, 15-min were intervened every two days. Repeated measures were taken pre 1st-(baseline-4th op. day), pre 3rd-(2nd data), and pre 5th-intervention (3rd data) with following up at 1-week after 5th intervention (4th data). The reliable translated Korean version of Baron's Breast Sensation Assessment Scale was used to assess sensations after breast cancer surgery (SABCS) characterized by prevalence, frequency, severity, and distress. RESULTS: A significant difference between baseline and the 3rd, and a decrease tendency from baseline to the 3rd were observed for the severity and distress in FR and for the prevalence and severity in LFB. A significant or important decrease tendency between the 3rd and the 4th were observed for the severity and distress in FR and for the severity in LFB. CONCLUSION: Iterative FR has the improvement and maintenance effects on the severity and distress while LFB has only those on the severity.
Baths ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Female ; Foot ; Humans ; Lavandula ; Massage ; Pilot Projects ; Prevalence ; Sensation ; Water

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to propose a theoretical model of hope commonly held by the cancer patients just after surgery, under the assumptions that hope of those patients is not only realistic and disease oriented but in dialectical circulation. METHOD: A theoretical model was generated through 4 steps: exploring a hope structure by synthesizing the relevant hope structures expressed in Kim and Tae's studies, in-depth literature review, examining the meanings of the concepts consisted of the structure in use and their causal relations in logical adequacy, proposing a theoretical structure through synthesizing the causal relations, and diagramming the structure. RESULTS: The proposed theoretical model involves concepts such as Cancer Related Uncertainty (CRU), Efforts to Find out the Possibility of Cure or Recovery (EFPCR), and Hopefulness or Hopelessness. The 'EFPCR' is stipulated as 'Behaviors Related to Looking for Evidences or Cues (BRLEC)' and 'Formation of Cognitive Schema (FCS)'. In the model, Hopefulness is directly influenced by 'CRU in low', which is affected by 'FCS in good' from the result of EFPCR started with 'CRU in increase' while 'CRU with increase' from the result from EFPCR has direct effect on Hopelessness. CONCLUSION: The theoretical model would be used to enhancing hope of the cancer patients in post-operation.
Cues ; Hope* ; Humans ; Logic ; Models, Theoretical* ; Uncertainty

The family value is expected to play a crucial role in adjusting a new environment for the family, especially in the critical situation as having a child with cancer in the family. The purpose of the study was to analyze the family values of the family with cancer children in order to offer descriptive data, which will facilitate family adjustment with cancer children. The survey was conducted from July 18, 2000 to August 30, 2000 and the analysis included 309 parents of the children who have been diagnosed as cancer, 18 years of age or less, and treated either hospitalized or at the outpatient clinics. Two instruments were used to measure family value. The modified form of General family value scale was 18 items with a 5 points of Likert response format (Cronbach alpha= .78) and Family value scale was developed for the study with 12 items on a 5 points of Likert response format(Cronbach alpha= .73). The data analysis utilized SAS 6.12 for percentage, frequency, Mean, and t-test of demographic characteristics and mean, F score, ANOVA, and Duncan follow-up test of variable relationships. The study findings were as follows. 1) In General family value, the fathers gave the higher scores to 'The children should live with their parents'(M=4.01), and 'A parents and their children are like one body' (M=3.91). The item with lowest score was 'Its not impossible for man to have extramarital relationship'(M=1.92). The mothers thought the most important items were 'A parents and their children are like one body'(M=3.79), and 'A wife needs to be patient to keep harmony of the family' (M=3.56), and the item with lowest score was 'Its not impossible for man to have extramarital relationship'(M=1.44). 2) The mean scores of the mothers were higher than the fathers for all items in family value with cancer children, while fathers gave more points for items in general family value. Both of parents gave the highest score to 'The health of the family is most important to me'(M=4.85 for fathers, M=4.97 for mothers), and followed by 'The husband and wife need to be patient and understand each other to overcome the difficulties'. The item with lowest scores was 'The parents can have conflicts in making decisions since their child was sick'(M=3.34 for fathers, M=3.37 for mothers). 3) There were significant differences between fathers and mothers in items of General family value; fathers gave more points to the items of 'The children should live with their parents', 'Its essential to hold the ceremony to respect their forefathers', 'Its not impossible for man to have extramarital relationship', 'A woman with two daughters should have one more baby to succeed the generation', 'The husbands are responsible for the household economy', and 'When his mother and wife dont get along, the man should be on his mothers side'. However, there was no significant difference between fathers and mothers in items of Family value with cancer children. 4) The general family value was significantly different by the birth order of cancer children, mothers age, mothers education level, and types of payment. On the other hand, the family value with cancer children was significantly different by the age of cancer children, period of illness, period after completing treatment, family type, the number of family members, and the number of total children.
Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Birth Order ; Child* ; Education ; Family Characteristics ; Fathers ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hand ; Humans ; Mothers ; Nuclear Family ; Parents ; Spouses ; Statistics as Topic ; Child Health

This study has been conducted to identify and describe conceptual systems of uncertainty using qualitative data from a written association test with open ended questions of "Please list three items in order, as they occur to you, when you think about uncertainty". Two open ended questions were added to help the grouping process of the concepts to be more reliable. 336 listed words were collected from 53 non-patients(nurse, professionals, nurse-students, students) and 65 patients. And data analysis involved three levels of increasing complexity and abstractedness, which involved a grouping process of "concept" with "meaning and value" to encompass a more abstract grouping with greater scope. The initial level grouping of the 336 listed words yielded 28 distinct categories: change, time, life, health and illness, relationships, family and person, event, trenscendental being, luck, hope and expection, positive emotion, negative emotion, action, self, nature, information, society, success and failure, non-predictiveness, anxiety, conflict, powerlessness, vagueness certainty not known, undoubtful, incorrectness, undetermined, indefinite. In the 2nd level of abstraction with 28 distinct categories, change/ time/ life/ health and illness/ relationships/ family and person/ event/ trenscendental being classified under the category of objectivity of uncertainty. Self under the category of subjectivity of uncertainty. Luck/ hope and expection/ positive emotion/ negative emotion/ and action were categorized under the category of consequences, and nature under the category of natural environment. Information/ society/ success went into the category of social environment. Unpredictability/ anxiety/ conflict/ powerlessness/ vagueness/ certainty not known/ undoubtful/ incorrectness/ undetermined/ indefinite were classified into the category of concomittent. And finally, the 3rd level of abstraction, with 7 categories, yielded 3 categories of person/ environment/concomittent. The results are significant to refine the concept of uncertainty. These understanding will facilitate the development effective methods of nursing to the uncertainty in chronic illness.
Anxiety ; Chronic Disease ; Hope ; Humans ; Nursing ; Social Environment ; Statistics as Topic ; Uncertainty*

Primary retroperitoneal mucinous tumor is very rare. In the worldwide literature, only 14 cases have been reported. Herein, we report two cases of retroperitoneal mucinous tumor found at laparotomy. The patients were females, aged 24 and 21 years, respectively. They had bilateral normal ovaries. Histologically, one was mucinous cystadenoma and the other showed borderline histology. The connective tissue wall resembling ovarian stroma was noted in one case. The pathogenesis was discussed.
Female ; Humans

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between body fat percentage (BFP) and N-K cell activity (NKCA) in Korean breast and rectal cancer patients just after diagnosis. METHODS: With 35 subjects enrolled between November 2002 and May 2003, Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis was used to estimate BFP. FACS Analysis was used to measure N-K cell activity. The relationships between BFP and NKCA were identified by using curve estimation, simple regression, and multiple regression. RESULTS: The mean BFPs of the subjects and all the sub-groups were higher than acceptable BFPs. Both the mean NKCAs of male and female subjects were lower than that of healthy women. NKCA was explained by BFP with a 14.9% variance in the total subjects (p<.05). There were significant negative relationships between BFP and NKCA after controlling age, type of cancer, and stage of cancer while no significant relationship was found after controlling for gender. The relationships between BFP and NKCA in the sub-groups of female, breast cancer, and stage I, and II were significant. The relationships between male, rectal cancer, and the stage III, and VI sub-groups were not identified, but they revealed a mild to moderate steep in curve estimation. CONCLUSION: Weight reduction could prevent the risk and advancement of breast and rectal cancer in Koreans.
Adult ; Aged ; Body Fat Distribution ; Breast Neoplasms/*diagnosis/psychology ; Cytotoxicity, Immunologic ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Female ; Humans ; Killer Cells, Natural/*immunology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Rectal Neoplasms/*diagnosis/psychology