BACKGROUND: The elderly is known to have many different clinical laboratory data compared with the young adults. But, in Korea, such study is lacking. METHODS: We gathered 98 healthy elderly cases and 98 healthy young adult controls who have taken periodic health examination from January 1993 to May 1996 at one hospital and we compared the mean of various clinical laboratory data between the two groups. RESULTS: In both sexes, cholesterol, ESR, glucose were significantly higher in the elderly t,han in the controls and direct bilirubin was significantly lower in the elderly than in the controls(P<0.05). In men, albumin, calcium, hemoglobin were significantly lower in the elderly than in the controls and MCV was significantly higher in the elderly than in the controls(P<0.05). In women, alkaline phosphatase, LDH, triglyceride, GOT, GPT, T3,TSH, phosphate were significantly higher in the elderly than in the controls and total bilirubin, protein, uric acid were significantly lower in the elderly than in the controls(P<0.05). WBC count, platelet count, neutrophil count(%), lymphocyte count(%), eosinophil count (%), monocyte count(%), MCH, MCHC, BUN, creatinine, HDL were not significantly different between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Many clinical laboratory data are different between the elderly and the young adults, and some clinical laboratory data have sexual differences.
Aged* ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Bilirubin ; Calcium ; Cholesterol ; Creatinine ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Glucose ; Humans ; Korea ; Lymphocytes ; Male ; Monocytes ; Neutrophils ; Platelet Count ; Triglycerides ; Uric Acid ; Young Adult*

TO evaluate the histopathologic features of gastric mucosa by Helicobacter pylori (HP), we reviewed 70 endoscopically biopsied chronic gastritis and peptic ulcer. The results are as fonows. l. HP was detected in 923% (48/52) of active gastritis, 8l8% (9/l l) of peptic ulcer and l43% (1/7) of chronic gastritis. The prevalence of HP infection was significantly higher in active gastritis and peptic ulcer than chronic gastritis (P<0005). 2. The infiltration of intraepithelial neutrophil of the 58 HP-positive cases was significantly more than of the l2 HP-negative cases (P<0005). 3. The infiltration of neutrophil and chronic inflammatory cells in the lamina propria of the 58 HP positive cases were significantly more than of 12 HP-negative cases (P<0.005, P<0.01) 4. The gastric epithelium of 58 HP positive case showed characteristic degenerative change, such as epithelial pits (93.l%), irregular surface (84.4%), individua1 cell drop-out (46.5%) and microerosion (27.6%). The similiar changes were not seen in l2 HP-negative cases. In summary, HP is significantly correlated with inflammatory reaction of the gastric mucosa. It is also significantly correlated with the epithelial degenerative changes that is considered to the precursor of peptic ulcer.

No abstract available.
Gastroscopy* ; Humans

This study was undertaken to examine relationship between tooth size and arch dimension in dental crowding. Two groups of dental casts were selected on the basis of dental crowding. One group, consisting of 51 pairs of dental casts (24 male and 27 female), exhibited remarkable dental crowding. A second group, consisting of 60 pairs of dental casts (30 male and 30 female), exhibited little or no crowding. Mean and standard deviation of the following parameters were used to compare two groups: individual and collective mesiodistal tooth diameters, buccal and lingual arch widths and arch area. The following results were obtained. 1. The crowed group revealed larger tooth size than non crowd group. (p<0.01) 2. The crowded group smaller maxillary dental arch dimension than noncrowded group except lingual arch width at canine region. (p<0.01) 3. The crowded group revealed smaller mandibular dental arch dimension than noncrowded group except lingal arch width at second premolar region in the male and buccal arch width at canine, premolar region in the female. (p<0.01) 4. The crowded group revealed smaller arch area than noncrowded group in the female (p<0.01), but there was no significance in the male.
Bicuspid ; Crows ; Dental Arch ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Malocclusion ; Tooth*

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to identify the age-related differences in risk perception of breast cancer and the age-related differences in predictors of risk perception. METHOD: The subjects were 553 women aged from 15 to 64 who lived in Seoul, Kwang-Ju, Jeon-nam province. Data was collected by self-reported questionnaire surveys using convenience sampling. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, F-test with Scheffe test, and stepwise multiple regression with SPSS-Win 10.0 version. RESULT: Risk perception of breast cancer was different by age group. Especially, risk perception in teenagers and the 50~64 years group was lower than the other groups. Additionally, general fear of breast cancer, information seeking style, experience, and knowledge were different between the age groups. The results of multiple regression analyses predicting risk perception indicated the following significant predictors: general fear and knowledge in all the subjects, general fear and experience in the 20~29 years group, and general fear in the other age groups. CONCLUSION: These results suggested that the construction of educational messages for breast cancer prevention and early detection should be designed differently for each age group.
Adolescent ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Female ; Gwangju ; Humans ; Jeollanam-do ; Seoul ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Purposes: This study was designed to explore the stage distribution of subjects according to stage of change for calcium intake and for exercise, and to identify factors that could discriminate among subjects in various stages. METHODS: The sample consisted of 142 subjects who had taken bone mineral densitometry tests. The instruments used in this study were the Stage Placement Instrument for Calcium Intake and Exercise, the Osteoporosis Health Belief Scale and the Osteoporosis Knowledge Test, and the Osteoporosis Self Efficacy Scale. Data were analyzed using chi square, ANOVA, and discriminant analysis by using the SPSS 12.0 program. RESULTS: For calcium stages, economic level, calcium knowledge, positive social norms for calcium intake, & educational level showed high standardized canonical discriminant function coefficients. For exercise stages, exercise efficacy, susceptibility, exercise benefit, educational level, positive social norm to exercise, educational level, and exercise barrier showed high standardized canonical discriminant function coefficients. CONCLUSION: This study implies that bone mass promoting program incorporating a stages of change model can be applied as useful nursing intervention.
Bone Density ; Calcium ; Densitometry* ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Nursing ; Osteoporosis ; Self Efficacy

No abstract available.
Family Practice* ; Humans

One hundred and thirty trimethoprim-resistant R plasmids derived from of Escherichia coli isolated from clinical specimens and feces of healthy collegians were examined for incompatibility, EcoRI endonuclease restriction fragment pattern, and Southern hybridization with DHFR I, II, III, V, and VII probe. 1. Most trimethoprim-resistant R plasmids were resistant to ampicillin, tetracycline, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, and kanamycin, and showed multiple drug resistance and various antimicrobial resistance patterns. 2. Trimethoprim-resistant R plasmids ranged from 90 to 50 kilobase and 42.3% of R plasmids tested were classified to incompatibilty group Inc FI, Inc FII or Inc FIV, 3. Among 48 random selected R plasmids from various origin, 14 R plasmids (including 9 of 14 Inc FII plasmids and 3 of 14 Inc FI plasmids) hybridized with DHFR VII oligonucleotide probe but others did not respond to any of DHFR probes used. 4. Most R plasmids showed various EcoRI endonuclease fragments and different reaction sites by Southern hybridization. Six plasmids showed identical or nearly identical molecular weight, EcoRI endonuclease fragment patterns and different sites of Southern hybridization. But 2 Inc FII plasmids derived from urine and feces showed identical pattern. These findings, if confirmed by further studies, suggest that normal flora E. coli can act as reservoir of resistant genes and, consequently, as a factor in the dissemination of these genes among enteric pathogens and need to be examined further.
Ampicillin ; Chloramphenicol ; Deoxyribonuclease EcoRI ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; Escherichia coli* ; Escherichia* ; Feces ; Gentamicins ; Immunodeficiency Virus, Feline ; Kanamycin ; Molecular Biology* ; Molecular Weight ; Plasmids ; R Factors ; Tetracycline ; Trimethoprim Resistance* ; Trimethoprim*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the characteristics of the user of complementary?alternative therapies(CAT) and to identify the important predictive factors associated with them. METHOD: This study included 142 patients attending outpatient rheumatology clinics of D Hospital in Busan between July and August in 2001. The multiple logistic regression model was developed to estimate the likelihood of user or nonuser of CAT. RESULT: The duration of illness and chance score of health locus of control were found to be significant factors through the estimated coefficients of using CAT. Duration of illness is longer and chance score of health locus of control is higher in patients who have used CAT in past than that of nonuser. When the model performance was evaluated by comparing the observed outcome with predicted outcome, the model correctly identified 95% of user of CAT and 31% of nonuser. CONCLUSION: In this survey, duration of illness and chance score of health locus of control are found to be significant factors in predicting utilization of CAT. Nurses who care for rheumatoid arthritis patients should take consideration into health locus of control in planning health education programs.
Animals ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Busan ; Cats ; Complementary Therapies* ; Health Education ; Humans ; Internal-External Control ; Logistic Models ; Morinda ; Outpatients ; Rheumatology

No abstract available.