BACKGROUND: Dementia has emerged as a leading public health problem with elderly persons and its early detection is important for treatment in curable cases. Although dementia screening tests are available, they are still complex and time consuming in practice and therefore difficult to use. Our goal was to validate the time and change(T&C) test, a simple, standardized method for detecting dementia in the elderly populations. METHODS: Participants were 59 patients aged 65 years or older at an urban hospital from November 1 to December 31, 2001. The time test evaluated the understanding of clock hands indicating 11:10, and the change test the ability making 1,000 Won from a group of coins consisting one 500 Won, seven 100 Won, seven 50 Won. T&C ratings were validated against a reference standard based on physician`s diagnosis. Test-retest reliability and inter-observer reliability were assessed. RESULTS: The T&C test had a sensitivity of 73.0%, specificity of 90.9%, positive predictive value of 93.1%, and negative predictive value of 66.7%. Test-retest and inter-observer agreement rates were 95% and 95%, respectively. The T&C test was not influenced by education. The time and change tests took a mean of 7.5 seconds and 19.6 seconds to complete respectively, and was acceptable to participants. When timed cut points were added, the T&C test had a sensitivity of 86.5%, specificity of 40.9% and test-retest and inter-observer agreement rates were 77.3% and 81.8%, respectively. CONCLUSION: The T&C test is a simple, accurate reliable, performance-based tool for detection of dementia in the elderly.
Aged* ; Dementia* ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Hand ; Hospitals, Urban ; Humans ; Mass Screening* ; Numismatics ; Public Health ; Sensitivity and Specificity

No abstract available.
DNA Restriction Enzymes* ; DNA* ; Ribotyping* ; Staphylococcus aureus* ; Staphylococcus*

No abstract available.
Epidemiologic Studies* ; Methicillin Resistance* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus* ; Plasmids*

No abstract available.
Epidemiologic Studies* ; Methicillin Resistance* ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus* ; Plasmids*

No abstract available.
Meningitis*

The status of renal replacement therapy in Korea as follows ; 1) The response rate to questionaire was 57.9% of the 226 hemodialysis centers in Korea and data file was sent in the 62.4% of responder. 2) The number of dialysis center was 226 and the number of hemodialysis machine was 3,507 and annual increasing rate were 8,7%, 14.0%, respectively. 3) The total number of ESRD patients was 20,244 and prevalance and incidence of ESRD were 431.9 and 101.1 patients per million population(ppm). 4) The proportion of renal replacement therapy was hemodialysis(HD) 53.3%, peritoneal dialysis(PD) 17.196, renal transplants(KT) 29.5%. 5) The proportion of long-term and elderly patients was markedly increased comparing 1985 (long term dialysis 20% vs. 2%, over 60 year old patients 26.2% vs. 13.8%. 6) The primary cause of renal disease was diabetic nephropathy 34.09o, chronic glomerulone-phritis 20.8%, hypertensive nephropathy 15.7%. 7) The mean BMI(body mass index,' kg/M)in over 18 year old patients was 20.7+/-2.7 kg/M in the HD and 22.23.0 kg/M in the PD. 71.9M of HD patients and 73.2% of PD were in the normal range (18.5-24.9). 8) The fistula survival rate was 6 month 93.4%, 1 yr 91.7%, 3 yr 87.6%, 5 yr 84.7%. 9) The cause of death were cardiac disease 31.8%, miscellaneous 23.5%, vascular disease 17.2%, infection 14.2%, liver disease 1.2%, social cause 5.9%.
Adolescent ; Aged ; Automatic Data Processing ; Cause of Death ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; Dialysis ; Fistula ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Korea* ; Liver Diseases ; Middle Aged ; Reference Values ; Renal Dialysis ; Renal Replacement Therapy* ; Survival Rate ; Vascular Diseases

Granulocytic sarcoma is an uncommon extramedullary localized tumor composed of granulocytic precursor cells. The majority of cases have been reported in association with acute myeloid leukemia(AML) especially in children, but infrequently may occur in patients with myeloproliferative disorders or myelodysplastic syndromes. Most common sites of involvement were bone, soft tissue, lymph nodes and skin, but gastrointestinal tract, testis, central nervous system are also involved rarely. We present an unusual case of granulocytic sarcoma of the intracranium and the retro-orbital soft tissue occurring in a patient with concurrent myelodysplastic syndrome, diagnosed by brain magnetic resonance images and ultrasound guided needle biopsy.
Biopsy, Needle ; Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Child ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Granulocyte Precursor Cells ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes* ; Myeloproliferative Disorders ; Sarcoma, Myeloid* ; Skin ; Testis ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: This study was founded to identify perception and ways of coping with stress according to classification of Sasangin(4 constitutions). METHOD: The subjects were 258 regular students who majored in oriental medicine in Jechon and Seoul. Data was collected by 3 types of questionnaires for 3 months; Perceived stess, ways of coping, Questionnaires of Sasang Constitution Classification (QSCC II). Data analysis was conducted by SPSS version 10. RESULT: 1) Difference of perceived stress in Sasangin: Perceived stress by the Sasangin indicated that Soeumin perceived more stress than Soyangin and Taeumin(P=0.013). 2) Different method in coping with stress of Sasangin: It was found that Soeumin didn't make use of emotional coping way according to the analysis(P=0.040). 3) Relationship between ways of coping for stress and perceived stress in Sasangin: It was shown that as Soeumin perceived stress so higher than Soyangin and Taeumin, they tended to use the solving problem-method therefore it was shown to have a negative correlation(P=0.044). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, it was found that there were differences of Sasangin in perceived stress and ways to cope with it. The dose relationship between the perception and coping method of stress was found.
Classification ; Constitution and Bylaws ; Humans ; Medicine, East Asian Traditional ; Seoul ; Statistics as Topic ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Hantaan and related viruses have been implicated as causative agents for a diverse group of human diseases known collectively as "hemorrhagic fevers with renal syndrome" (HFRS). Outbred SD rats obtained within 24 hours after birth were inoculated by intracerebral (the first group) or intramuscular routes (the second group) with 10(9.5)/ml DL50 of Hantaan seed virus suspension in 0.02 ml and 0.1 ml, respectively. Brain, lung, liver, kidney and spleen were used for virus antigen detection by immunofluorecence and histopathologic examination. In the first group, immunofluorescent intensity of virus antigen was increased in all organs (especially brain) and persisted until time of death(day 9). The histopathologic changes were relatively mild in brain and spleen and unremarkable in liver, lung and kidney. In the second group, immunofluorescent intensity of virus antigen was markedly increased in brain until time of death(day 17), but decreased in other organs. The histopathologic findings, such as meningoencephalitis, interstitial pneumonitis with focal hemorrhage, and lymphoid hyperplasia of splenic white pulp were much prominent compared to the first group. However, those of liver and kidney were unremarkable. The chronology of virologic and pathologic findings in Hantaan-infected suckling rats suggests a possible immune-mediated mechanism in disease pathogenesis.
Humans ; Rats ; Animals

No abstract available.
Amylases* ; Child* ; Encephalitis, Arbovirus* ; Humans