The purposes of this study were to test the negative association between schizophrenia and rheumatoid arthritis(RA) and to clarify the role of prolactin and estrogen as protective factors in this association. The author compared the prevalence rate of RA between 561 patients with schizophrenia and 222 patients with mood disorder. For investigating the role of estrogen and prolactin, the author checked the plasma prolactin and estradiol level in 80 patients with paranoid schizophrenia and 77 patients with RA. The results were as follows. 1) Epidemiological data The prevalence rate of RA in the schizophrenic group was 0/561 and that of RA in the mood disorder group was 2/222. To compare these results between two groups, the author applied the Binomial test using the average prevalence rate of RA(0.8%) in the general population as a reference rate. The prevalence rate of RA in the schizophrenic group was significantly lower than that of RA in the general population. However, the prevalence rate of RA in the mood disorder group was not significantly different to that of RA in the general population. 2) Comparison of plasma prolactin and estradiol level between two groups. The plasma level of prolactin in the schizophrenic group was significantly higher than that of prolactin in th RA group(p=0.000). However, the plasma level of estradiol in the schizophrenic group was significantly lower than that of estradiol in the RA group(p=0.017). These results were not consistent across gender. To contrast with the results in the female group, which were consistent with the results in the total subjects, for the male group, the plasma levels of prolactin and estradiol in the schizophrenic group were significantly higher than those of prolactin and estradiol in th RA group. These results support the results of previous studies which confirm the negative association between schizophrenia and RA. These results also suggest that the elevation of plasma prolactin level in the patient with schizophrenia has a antirheumatic effect while the elevation of plasma estradiol level in the patients with RA has a anti-schizophrenic effect, and that these effects act as a possible mechanism in the negative association between two disorders. However, these results suggest that this association is specific to female patients.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Epidemiology* ; Estradiol ; Estrogens* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mood Disorders ; Plasma ; Prevalence ; Prolactin* ; Schizophrenia* ; Schizophrenia, Paranoid

No abstract available.
Nevus, Pigmented* ; Vitiligo*

No abstract available.
Pregnancy*

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of anatomic anal stenosis in patients with chronic anal fissure (CAF) and ascertain the results of lateral internal sphincterotomy (LIS) using a new calibrator. METHODS: Ninety-eight adults with CAF and a control group of 40 normal adults underwent anal calibration under spinal anesthesia. The calibrator was a conical design and the diameter was scaled in increments of 1 mm. The calibration was standardized and the reliability of it was assessed by two independent examiners for the same group (n=45). Confounding effects of age, sex, body weight, and height on the anal caliber were studied. The internal sphincter was divided to the level of the dentate line during LIS. RESULTS: The anal caliber was 34.6 +/- 1.4 mm (mean +/- SD) in the control group and 28.7 +/- 3.0 mm (mean +/- SD) in patients with CAF. Excellent correlation was obtained between the two examiners (r=0.958). The confounding effects of age, sex, body weight, and height were not significant. Therefore, anal stenosis was defined as when the measurement was 31 mm or below (mean-2SD of control value). Stenosis was present in 82 of 98 patients (84%) with CAF. Patients with stenosis had an anal caliber of 27.9 +/- 2.5 mm, with a range of 21 to 31 mm. Following LIS, 91 of 98 patients (93%) with CAF attained the normal range, two patients still had stenosis, and five patients had an anal caliber exceeding the normal value. CONCLUSIONS: Anatomic anal stenosis was found in 84% of the patients with CAF. Ninety three percent of these patients attained a normal anal caliber, 2 percent of the patients still had stenosis and 5 percent of the patients had an anal caliber exceeding the normal value after LIS.
Adult ; Anesthesia, Spinal ; Body Weight ; Calibration ; Constriction, Pathologic* ; Fissure in Ano* ; Humans ; Prevalence* ; Reference Values

No abstract available.
Delivery of Health Care* ; Family Practice* ; Humans ; Inpatients* ; Insurance* ; Korea*

BACKGROUND: Epidural morphine has side effects, especially pruritus, nausea, and vomiting. Butorphanol has been added in studies to reduce these side effects in post cesarean patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the side effects and analgesic efficacy when a combination of epidural morphine and butorphanol was administered in patients having combined local anesthetic and opioid epidural infusion. METHODS: Sixty patients having epidural anesthesia for cesarean section were randomly divided into two groups. Group M (n=30) received a bolus of 0.25% bupivacaine 4 ml, morphine 2 mg, and saline 0.75 ml, whereas group B (n=30) received a bolus of 0.25% bupivacaine 4 ml, morphine 2 mg, and butorphanol 1.5 mg (0.75 ml). Continuous epidural infusion was done by Two-day Infusor containing either 0.25% bupivacaine 75 ml, morphine 5 mg, and saline 20 ml in group M or 0.25% bupivacaine 75 ml, morphine 5 mg, butorphanol 4 mg (2 ml), and saline 18 ml in group B. We compared the side effect and analgesic effect of group M to those of group B for 2 days. RESULTS: The incidence of pruritus and vomiting were reduced significantly in group B (p<0.05). There were no significant differences between both groups in the incidence of nausea or other side effects as well as no differences in analgesic effect. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the addition of butorphanol to morphine in combined local anesthetic and opioid epidural infusion for postoperative analgesia decreases the occurrence of pruritus and vomiting without significant increase of other side effects and adverse effect on analgesia.
Analgesia ; Anesthesia, Epidural ; Bupivacaine ; Butorphanol* ; Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infusion Pumps ; Morphine* ; Nausea ; Pregnancy ; Pruritus ; Vomiting

No abstract available.
Colony-Stimulating Factors* ; Transplantation*

The number of spinal injuries are now increasing with the high speed of automobile and industrial development. It is a general trend to treat the spinal injuries more actively in recent years, Among 135 spinal injury patients who were admitted to this hospital from August 1,1972 to August 31,1978, twenty six cases of spine fractures and fracture-dislocations who was treated with surgical measures were evaluated and analysed. Short summary of the followings observed is as follows: 1. Out of 26 patients, there were 22 male and 4 female cases. The ratio between male and female was 5.5:1. The majority (16 cases, 62%) was found in the age group of 20 to 40 years. 55.4% of the cases was caused by traffic accident. 2. The most common site of the lesion was cervical spine (9 cases, 35%) and the most common mechanism of injury was flexion and rotation (10 cases, 38%). 3. Our surgical measures were mainly the early anatomical reduction and anterior and posterior spinal fusion followed by external immobilization. 4. Among 26 cases, 34% had complete paralysis and 31%, incomplete paralysis. Complete or partial recovery was observed in 22% of the completely paralysed cases and in 87% of the imcompletely paralysed cases. 5. The initial recovery of spinal cord injury was observed from 1 to 25 days postoperatively (average 15 days).
Accidents, Traffic ; Automobiles ; Clinical Study ; Female ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Industrial Development ; Male ; Paralysis ; Spinal Cord Injuries ; Spinal Fusion ; Spinal Injuries ; Spine

No abstract available.
Kidney* ; Rhabdomyolysis* ; Transplantation*

BACKGROUND: Clean dermatologic procedures create wounds with a low risk of infection (usually up to 5%). Whether the use of topical antibiotics is advocated, with regard to its efficacy and safety issues such as antibiotic resistance and sensitizing potential, is controversial. Fusidic acid, a topical antibiotic against gram-positive bacteria, is a rare sensitizer and commonly used in postprocedure care in Korea. OBJECTIVE: This is a retrospective study aimed at comparing the efficacy and safety between fusidic acid and petrolatum for the postprocedure care of clean dermatologic procedures. METHODS: Patients were treated with either fusidic acid or petrolatum ointment, applied on the wound created during clean dermatologic procedures such as biopsy of the punch, incisional, excisional, and shave types. The efficacy, adverse events, and subjective level of satisfaction were retrieved from medical records. RESULTS: A total of 414 patients with a total of 429 wounds were enrolled. The overall rate of adverse events was 0.9%, and the rates of adverse events in the fusidic acid group and the petrolatum group were 1.4% and 0.5%, respectively (p=0.370). There was no wound discharge, pain, tenderness, swelling, induration, or dehiscence in both groups. The patients' self-assessment of the wound was not significantly different between the two treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Our findings support the hypothesis that the routine prophylactic use of topical antibiotics is not indicated for clean dermatologic procedures. We recommend the use of petrolatum in the postoperative care of clean dermatologic procedures because of its equivalent efficacy and superior safety profiles.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Biopsy ; Dermatologic Surgical Procedures ; Drug Resistance, Microbial ; Fusidic Acid* ; Gram-Positive Bacteria ; Humans ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Petrolatum* ; Postoperative Care ; Retrospective Studies* ; Self-Assessment ; Wound Healing ; Wounds and Injuries