No abstract available.
Duodenal Obstruction*

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

BACKGROUND: Hand-foot-mouth disease (HFMD) is mainly caused by the infection of coxsackievirus A16. But recently several epidemics of HFMD with meningitis or myocarditis due to enterovirus 71 have been reported in Southeast Asia. It was necessary that the possibility of enterovirus 71 epidemic in Korea should be ruled out. This study was designed for the determination of causative agents of HFMD in Cheju province in the spring of 1998. METHODS: Serum specimens were collected from 45 pediatric patients with HFMD at Cheju Hankook Hospital in March and April,1998. Virus isolation was performed with RD cell culture through up to three passages. Reverse transcription-PCR and nucleotide sequencing were performed by the method of Oberste et al.(J Clin Microbiol 1999;37:1288-93). The serotypes of viral isolates were determined by BLAST program of National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S.A. RESULTS: Virus could be isolates from 4 patients, whose age was ranged from 11 months to 3 years. All of 4 viral isolates showed about 430-bp product of RT-PCR using primers 011 and 012. The serotype showing the highest similarity with the nucleotide sequences of all of these viral isolates was coxsackievirus A16. CONCLUSIONS: The causative enteroviral agent of HFMD in Cheju province in the spring of 1998 was coxsackievirus A16. We could not detect enterovirus 71 from the patients' sera in Cheju Province in the spring of 1998.
Asia, Southeastern ; Base Sequence ; Biotechnology ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Enterovirus ; Humans ; Jeju-do* ; Korea ; Meningitis ; Myocarditis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction

The concept of bipolar disorder is an ongoing process, still in evolution, although its roots can be found from ancient Greek. Until recently, it was believed that no more than 1% of the general population has bipolar disorder. But literature on the lifetime prevalence of the bipolar spectrum disorder suggests rates of 4-5%. Bipolar spectrum disorder is a longitudinal diagnosis characterized by abnormal mood swings comprising some of the following cross-sectional clinical states: mania, hypomania, mixed states, hyperthymic temperament, major depressive episode, and depressive mixed state. Failure to recognize subthreshold expressions of mania, such as hypomania, cyclothymia, and hyperthymia, contributes to the frequent under-diagnosis of bipolar disorder. There are several reasons for the lower rate of recognition of subthreshold manic symptoms, when compared to the analogous pure depressive one. These include the lack of subjective suffering, enhanced productivity, egosyntonicity, diurnal and seasonal rhythmicity associated with many of the manic and hypomanic symptoms, and the psychiatrists' difficulty in differentiating with personality disorders. In addition, most patients with bipolar spectrum disorder seek treatment for depression, rather than mania or hypomania. Therefore clinicians often miss the diagnosis of bipolar spectrum disorder. The recent 10 years of researches have suggested that 30-55% of patients with major depressive disorder are actually identified with broader spectrum of bipolar disorders. However, 48% of patients of bipolar disorder consulted 3 or more professionals before receiving a correct diagnosis, and 10% consulted 7 or more for their first diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Several studies have documented that patients often wait as long as 10 years for the correct diagnosis of bipolar spectrum disorder. This delay in diagnosis often has substantial adverse results. Patients do not get the appropriate treatment to alleviate their symptoms. They may even get treatments that exacerbate their symptoms, such as prescription of antidepressants precipitating mania and producing rapid cycling. The concepts of hypomania, cyclothymia, mixed state, depressive mixed states, hyperthymic temperament are the new areas of studying mood disorders in recent 20 years. The authors will review the studies on various subtypes of bipolar spectrum disorder with their historic aspects, and introduce the suggested screening tests for bipolar spectrum disorder in clinical practice.
Antidepressive Agents ; Bipolar Disorder ; Classification ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder, Major ; Diagnosis ; Efficiency ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Mood Disorders ; Periodicity ; Personality Disorders ; Prescriptions ; Prevalence ; Seasons ; Temperament

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

No abstract available.
Arteries* ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Mothers*

BACKGROUND: With the rapid growth of the elderly population, osteoporosis has become a major health problem worldwide. Although health knowledge and self-efficacy are important assets to facilitate healthy behaviors and disease prevention, such information as it relates to individuals and their bone health is limited. The purpose of this study was to assess the levels of knowledge, self-efficacy, and health behaviors on promoting bone health in middle-aged Korean women. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional survey study. A convenience sampling of middle-aged women (> or =40 years) was done at a community health center in Korea. Bone mineral density was measured by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry with the DEXXUM T. The level of knowledge was measured with the Knowledge of Osteoporosis Scale, and self-efficacy with the Osteoporosis Self-efficacy Scale. A questionnaire for bone health behaviors was developed for this study. Collected data were analyzed through descriptive methods, independent t-test, analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation analysis. RESULTS: A total of 150 middle-aged women whose mean age was 59.8+/-11.5 years participated in the study. Most (74%) were menopausal. Less than one-quarter of participants (22.7%) had osteoporosis and less than half (42%) had osteopenia based on the T-score at the left femur neck site. Level of knowledge (mean score, 10.35) and self-efficacy (mean score, 47.67) ranged from low to moderate. Intake of calcium and vitamin D-rich foods was insufficient in our subjects. Bone health behaviors had significant positive relationships with knowledge (r=0.22, P=0.008) and self-efficacy (r=0.29, P<0.001) on promoting bone health. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that educational interventions are needed to enhance knowledge and confidence and to encourage middle-aged women to engage in bone health behaviors.
Absorptiometry, Photon ; Aged ; Bone Density ; Bone Diseases, Metabolic ; Calcium ; Community Health Centers ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Femur Neck ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis ; Self Efficacy ; Vitamins

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Osteoporosis* ; Uterine Prolapse*

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to compare the postural habits, body image, and peer attachment of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis and healthy adolescents, and to examine the correlation between body image and peer attachment in each group. METHODS: Eighty-three adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis and 83 healthy adolescents were recruited from 4 middle schools located in W city. Data were collected from November 22 to December 6 2010 using a structured questionnaire including items about postural habits, body image, and peer attachment. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi2-test, independent t-test and Pearson Correlation Coefficient. RESULTS: Compared to healthy adolescents, adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis were more likely to use one hand, to lean back while seated, and to put weight on one leg while standing. The score for body image was significantly lower for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis compared to healthy adolescents, but peer attachment was not significantly different between the two groups. Body image was significantly correlated with peer attachment only for the adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis. CONCLUSION: Interventions to promote balanced postural habits in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis are needed. Information on body image and peer attachment for these adolescents should also be considered when developing interventions.
Adolescent ; Body Image ; Hand ; Humans ; Leg ; Posture ; Scoliosis ; Child Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Meningococcal infectioni may range from a simple upper respiratory infection to fulminating systemic diseases such as meningitis, septcemia, endotoxin shock and disseminated intravascular coagulation. This paper reports on systemic meningococcal disease which were collected from Department of Pediatics. Yonsei University Medical College. From May, 1953 to April, 1976. Following results were obtained from this observation : 1. No striking differences were noted between boys(25 cases, and girls(27 cases) in incidence. 2. The most of cases appeared in winter and spring. 3. The clinical features may be summarized as follows : The most common compliants are fever (60%) and poor responsivess (77%) even coma. The meningeal signs (73%), skin rash (69%), vomiting (65%) and convulsion(42%) are prominent features oe disease. 4. Leukocytosis with neutrophilia was present in 80% of patients. Leukopenia or normal count were noted in 20% of patients, in the peripheral blood. 5. Ninety percent of patients revealed finding of meningitis on spinal tap. Mostly purulent type. 6. Poor prognostic signs inelude changes of mental state such as coma or semicoma, when there was no signs of meningitis on CSF at admissinn, when meningococci was found in blood culture only, normal leukocyte count or leukopenia in peripheral blood. 7. The mortality was 23% of patients and the most of expired patients were dead within 48 hours after initiation of therapy.
Coma ; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation ; Exanthema ; Fever ; Humans ; Incidence ; Leukocyte Count ; Leukocytosis ; Leukopenia ; Meningitis ; Meningococcal Infections* ; Mortality ; Shock ; Spinal Puncture ; Strikes, Employee ; Vomiting