OBJECTIVES: In this study, we examined the relationship between attachment style, alexithymia, marital satisfaction, and depressive symptoms in married couples. METHODS: We administered the Korean version of Experiences in Close Relationships questionnaire-Revised (K-ECR-R), Korean version of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20K), Revised-Dyadic Adjustment Scale (R-DAS), Korean version of the Beck Depression Inventory (K-BDI), and to 105 men and 115 women in the community. The data was analyzed with correlation analysis between related variables, and the regression analysis method of Baron and Kenny (1986) was used. RESULTS: The current study assumes that alexithymia mediates between attachment style and marital satisfaction, and these factors influence depressive symptoms. The results were as follows : 1) alexithymia mediated perfectly between attachment anxiety style and marital satisfaction and 2) alexithymia, and marital satisfaction had significant influences on depressive symptoms. Attachment avoidance style was excluded for dissatisfaction with the assumption of the regression analysis method of Baron and Kenny (1986). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that attachment style, alexithymia, and marital satisfaction seem to be important factors in depressive symptoms among married people. These results suggest that different interventions according to attachment style may helpful for the enhancement of marital satisfaction and the reduction of the depressive symptoms of married couples.
Affective Symptoms ; Anxiety ; Depression ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Humans ; Male

Nine athletes and ten nonathletes were selected randomly to study the changes of cardiac function during exercise by impedance cardiography. The speed of the treadmill was maintained at 3.4 mph, and its grade was increased by 1% (Balke protocol). The exercise was continued until the target heart rate (THR), 85% of maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max). The measured parameters for pre- and post-exercise were stroke volume (SV), heart rate (HR), and cardiac output (CO). Average stroke volume of athletes at pre-exercise, 71.1 ml, was higher than that of nonathletes, 64.6 ml, and stroke volume of the former at post-exercise, 97.0 ml, was also higher than that of the latter, 85.2 ml. Therefore, despite the lower heart rate, cardiac outputs of athletes at pre- and post-exercise, 4.98 and 16.3 L/min, were higher than those of nonathletes, 4.87 and 14.2 L/min. For the second phase of the study, cardiac outputs of three subjects were measured during the continuous treadmill exercise with newly developed electrodes and shoes for minimizing motion artifact. Though there were several studies measuring cardiac output during continuous bicycle exercise, this is thought to be the first study in the world measuring cardiac output during continuous treadmill exercise without aid of ensemble averaging.
Adult ; *Cardiac Output ; *Cardiography, Impedance ; *Exertion ; Heart Rate ; Human ; Sports Medicine ; Stroke Volume ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary complications including pneumonia and pulmonary edema frequently develop in critically ill surgical patients. Lung ultrasound (LUS) is increasingly used as a powerful diagnostic tool for pulmonary complications. The purpose of this study was to report how LUS is used in a surgical intensive care unit (ICU). METHODS: This study retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 67 patients who underwent LUS in surgical ICU between May 2016 and December 2016. RESULTS: The indication for LUS included hypoxemia (n = 44, 65.7%), abnormal chest radiographs without hypoxemia (n = 17, 25.4%), fever without both hypoxemia and abnormal chest radiographs (n = 4, 6.0%), and difficult weaning (n = 2, 3.0%). Among 67 patients, 55 patients were diagnosed with pulmonary edema (n = 27, 41.8%), pneumonia (n = 20, 29.9%), diffuse interstitial pattern with anterior consolidation (n = 6, 10.9%), pneumothorax with effusion (n = 1, 1.5%), and diaphragm dysfunction (n = 1, 1.5%), respectively, via LUS. LUS results did not indicate lung complications for 12 patients. Based on the location of space opacification on the chest radiographs, among 45 patients with bilateral abnormality and normal findings, three (6.7%) and two (4.4%) patients were finally diagnosed with pneumonia and atelectasis, respectively. Furthermore, among 34 patients with unilateral abnormality and normal findings, two patients (5.9%) were finally diagnosed with pulmonary edema. There were 27 patients who were initially diagnosed with pulmonary edema via LUS. This diagnosis was later confirmed by other tests. There were 20 patients who were initially diagnosed with pneumonia via LUS. Among them, 16 and 4 patients were finally diagnosed with pneumonia and atelectasis, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: LUS is useful to detect pulmonary complications including pulmonary edema and pneumonia in surgically ill patients.
Anoxia ; Critical Care* ; Critical Illness ; Diagnosis ; Diaphragm ; Fever ; Humans ; Lung* ; Medical Records ; Pneumonia ; Pneumothorax ; Pulmonary Atelectasis ; Pulmonary Edema ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Retrospective Studies ; Ultrasonography* ; Weaning

The reliability of emergency ultrasonographic(US) detection of hemoperitoneum and solid organ injury in blunt abdominal trauma was evaluated retrospectively. From October 1,1995 to August 31,1996,90 patients were included in the study. Ultra- sonographic findings showed a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 97.6%, 97.9%, and 98.1%, respectively, in detecting intraabdominal fluid collection. We believe that US in an emergency center is a quick, safe screening method in the evaluation of blunt abdominal trauma. In our department, US has replaced diagnostic peritonaeal lavage(DPL) and computed tomography(CT) as the screening study of first choice.
Emergencies* ; Hemoperitoneum* ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography*

Jimson weed, also known as Datura stramonium, is a member of the Solanaceae family. Jimson weed was used by American Indians for medicinal and religious purposes. All parts of the Jimson weed plant are poisons, containing the alkaloids atropine, hyoscyamine and scopolamine. So, it is caused by these components to make a anticholinergic toxicity within 6h after ingestion. Initial manifestations include dry mucus membrane, blurred, vision, thirst, difficulty swallowing and speaking, and photophobia, and may be followed by hyperthermia, confusion, agitation, combative behavior, hallucination, urinary retention, seizure and coma. We experienced two patients who developed combative behavior and agitation with pupil dilation caused by Jimson weed. They discharged with improvement after supportive for 2days.
Alkaloids ; Animals ; Atropine ; Coma ; Comb and Wattles ; Datura stramonium* ; Deglutition ; Dihydroergotamine ; Eating* ; Fever ; Hallucinations ; Humans ; Hyoscyamine ; Indians, North American ; Membranes ; Mucus ; Photophobia ; Plants ; Poisons ; Pupil ; Scopolamine Hydrobromide ; Seizures ; Solanaceae ; Thirst ; Urinary Retention

We analyzed records at Chonnam university hospital from Sep. 1. 1993 to Aug. 31. 1996 to assess clinical significance of the foreign body in the gastrointestinal tract. There were 133 episodes consisting of 79 pediatric and 54 adult patients as possible to review. In the pediatric patients, the coin was the most common cause of foreign body ingestion, while adult patients were usually caused by bones and meat. We removed foreign bodies in the oral cavity and oropharynx in 12 cases using direct laryngophanmgoscpy and forcep. Endoscopy was performed successfully in 47 of 51 patients in which was attempted; there were two complications composed of an aspiration pneumonia and a mediastinitis due to esophageal perforation. There were spontaneous passage of foreign bodies in 48 cases. We observed complications in 6 cases in which 4 cases needed operations due to complications. Foreign bodies which pass into the stomach can be observed for development of complications, as 94% of foreign bodies which reach the stomach spontaneously pass. Only 4 patients required interventions, which was done without mortality.
Adult ; Eating* ; Endoscopy ; Esophageal Perforation ; Foreign Bodies* ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do ; Meat ; Mediastinitis ; Mortality ; Mouth ; Numismatics ; Oropharynx ; Pneumonia, Aspiration ; Stomach ; Surgical Instruments

PURPOSE: Sometimes chronic subdural hematoma can be developed following posttraumatic subdural hygroma. The purpose of this study is to investigate its incidence, the duration required for their conversion, and characteristic CT and MR findings of subdural hygroma and chronic subdural hamatoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 8 patients with persistent posttraumatic subdural hygroma which consquently developed chronic subdural hamatoma. The patients were examined with CT initially and foilowed-up with CT in 3 and MR in 5. We analyzed the location of the lesion, the change of the density or signal intensity, the change of the size, and the degree of enhancement and mass effect. RESULTS: The duration required for the formation of hematoma was 48-166 days (mean, 76 days). The characteristic CT findings of subdural hygroma were a crescentric lesion with CSF density along the inner table without contrast enhancement. The mass effect was minimal. The CT findings of chronic subdural hematoma were higher density than that of hygroma in all cases, increase in thickness and size in 3 cases, and contrast enhancement along the inner membrane of the hematoma in 5 cases. The signal intensities of the subdural hygroma were identical to those of CSF on both T1 and T2 weighted images, whereas, those of chronic subdural hematoma were higher. CONCLUSION: The increased signal intensity on T1 weighted MR images and increased attenuation or contrast enhancement of the lesion on CT may suggest the conversion of subdural hygroma into chronic subdural hematoma.
Hematoma ; Hematoma, Subdural, Chronic* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lymphangioma, Cystic ; Membranes ; Subdural Effusion*

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the safety of fetal delivery through placental incision in a placenta previa pregnancy. METHODS: We examined the medical records of 80 women with singleton pregnancy diagnosed with placenta previa who underwent cesarean section between May 2010 and May 2015 at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chungbuk National University Hospital. Among the women with placenta previa, those who did not have the placenta in the uterine incision site gave birth via conventional uterine incision, while those with anterior placenta previa or had placenta attached to the uterine incision site gave birth via uterine incision plus placental incision. We compared the postoperative hemoglobin level and duration of hospital stay for the mother and newborn of the two groups. RESULTS: There was no difference between the placental incision group and non-incision group in terms of preoperative and postoperative hemoglobin change, the amount of blood transfusions required by the mother, newborns with 1-min or 5-min Apgar scores below 7 points or showing signs of acidosis on umbilical cord blood gas analysis result of pH below 7.20. Moreover, neonatal hemoglobin levels did not differ between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Fetal delivery through placental incision during cesarean section for placenta previa pregnancy does not negatively influence the prognosis of the mother or the newborn, and therefore, is considered a safe surgical technique.
Acidosis ; Anemia, Neonatal ; Blood Transfusion ; Cesarean Section ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Female ; Fetal Blood ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Infant, Newborn ; Length of Stay ; Medical Records ; Mothers ; Obstetrics ; Parturition ; Placenta Previa* ; Placenta* ; Pregnancy ; Prognosis

Hair graying is an obvious sign of human aging. Although graying has been investigated extensively, the mechanism remains unclear. Here, we reviewed previous studies on the mechanism of graying and seek to offer some new insights. The traditional view is that hair graying is caused by exhaustion of the pigmentary potential of the melanocytes of hair bulbs. Melanocyte dysfunction may be attributable to the effects of toxic reactive oxygen species on melanocyte nuclei and mitochondria. A recent study suggests that bulge melanocyte stem cells (MSCs) are the key cells in play. Graying may be caused by defective MSC self-maintenance, not by any deficiency in bulbar melanocytes. Our previous study suggested that graying may be principally attributable to active hair growth. Active hair growth may produce oxidative or genotoxic stress in hair bulge. These internal stress may cause eventually depletion of MSC in the hair follicles. Taken together, hair graying may be caused by MSC depletion by genotoxic stress in the hair bulge. Hair graying may also be sometimes caused by dysfunction of the melanocytes by oxidative stress in the hair bulb. In addition, hair graying may be attributable to MSC depletion by active hair growth.
Aging ; DNA Damage ; Hair Follicle ; Hair* ; Humans ; Melanocytes ; Mitochondria ; Oxidative Stress ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Rivers* ; Stem Cells

OBJECTIVE: The prevalence of gout has increased so accurate diagnosis and constant treatment is important in its management. The purpose this study was to examine the current trends in the diagnosis and treatment of gout patients in Korea. METHODS: We enrolled patients who were diagnosed as having gout and received treatment in university hospital between 2005 and 2008. From the survey, we assessed and analyzed the patient's baseline characteristics, clinical aspects of gout attack, medical institution and specialized department in the first gouty attack, medical institution and specialized department where the gout was initially diagnosed, methods of diagnosis, treatment during gout attack, and knowledge about gout in patients. RESULTS: A total of 136 patients were included in this study, out of which 123 (90.4%) were male and the mean age was 55.2 (range 25~85) years. When patients experienced the first gout attack, the most common medical institution that they attended was a private clinic and the most common specialized department was orthopedics. Medication by oral route was the major method (80.9%) used for the treatment of gout, and the most common medication was a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) in 55.9%, allopurinol in 38.2% and colchicine in 20.6% of patients. Many gout patients inappropriately received allopurinol following signs of gout arthritis attack, with little information specifically about gout. CONCLUSION: In our survey, many gout patients received inadequate medications for the treatment of gout and had little knowledge about the disease. For the adequate treatment of gout, patients and doctors need to be educated sufficiently.
Allopurinol ; Arthritis ; Colchicine ; Gout ; Humans ; Male ; Orthopedics ; Prevalence