BACKGROUND: There has been little research done on the factors associated with snoring among adults in Korea. METHODS: Subjects for this cross-sectional study were 1940 adults aged 20 to 80 years who had visited the health promotion center at one university hospital in Chungcheongnam-do for general health check-ups. Standard interviews, anthropometrics, and biochemical studies were conducted. Habitual snoring was defined as snoring more than 4 days per week. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the associations between habitual snoring and age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia. RESULTS: The prevalence of habitual snoring was 13.9%. The proportion of problem drinkers, current smokers, BMI equal to or greater than 25 kg/m2, abdominal obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL-cholesterolemia increased significantly with increasing frequency in snoring (P<0.05). Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that habitual snoring was independently associated with the 50-59 years age group, male, current smokers, abdominal obesity, hypertension and low HDL-cholesterolemia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that habitual snorers are at increased risk for individual risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases. Prospective studies are needed to further examine the causal relationship between habitual snoring and cardiovascular diseases.
Adult ; Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; Body Mass Index ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hypertension ; Hypertriglyceridemia ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Snoring ; Waist Circumference

Group B streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis in developed countries. This article reviews the neonatal invasive GBS disease, maternal GBS colonization, and prevention strategies in the context of recent epidemiological changes in Korea. Although Korean neonates had been supposed to have low incidence of invasive GBS disease, GBS has been recently reported to be the most common cause of invasive neonatal infection after 1990s. Among Korean pregnant women, GBS carriage rate in the vagina and rectum has been reported to be much lower than that in Western countries. However, it has increased in recent studies. For decision making about preventive strategy for neonatal GBS disease in Korea, further studies are required in terms of the incidence of neonatal GBS infection and serotype distribution. In addition, studies about maternal carriage rate and serotype distribution have to be continued.
Colon ; Decision Making ; Developed Countries ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea ; Meningitis ; Pregnant Women ; Rectum ; Sepsis ; Streptococcus ; Streptococcus agalactiae ; Vagina

Monosymptomatic enuresis(bed-wetting without other symptoms) is a common problem in children, affecting 15% of five-year-olds and occurring more frequently in boys than in girls. Because it is usually caused by a physiologic maturational delay, the prevalence decreases with age. Children with enuresis have a small bladder capacity. Failure to awake to the micturition urge is not necessarily related to being a "deep sleeper", and children with enuresis may pass urine involuntarily because of the immature central nervous pathways. As the CNS pathways matures with age, most children are more easily aroused from sleep. There is strong evidence of a genetic predisposition for enuresis. Children with enuresis must be evaluated to reveal any underlying physiologic conditions or disease states, such as urinary tract infection or structural abnormality. Once these are ruled out, the goal is to stop the bed-wetting while preserving the child's self-esteem. However, before treatment of enuresis, concurrent problems, such as daytime enuresis and urgency or chronic constipation, should be managed. For the treatment of enuresis, the child wears a moisture alarm-a small, portable, transistorized device-to bed. The alarm sounds or vibrates when wet, awakening the child. Drug therapy for enuresis includes desmopressin, which decreases the urine volume, and imipramine and oxybutynin, which inhibit bladder contraction. Both delayed urinary control and current enuresis are associated with a markedly increased risk of behavioral, emotional, and academic problems.
Child ; Constipation ; Deamino Arginine Vasopressin ; Drug Therapy ; Enuresis* ; Female ; Genetic Predisposition to Disease ; Humans ; Imipramine ; Prevalence ; Problem Behavior ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Tract Infections ; Urination

Malignant melanoma is considered as one of the tumor originated from precancerous melanosis and predilected in the iris and choroid. The Authors experienced a case of malignant melanoma affecting the upper palpebral conjunctiva in 39 year old female. The tumor mass was excised radically and followed by X-Ray therapy. Slight opacities of lens body is developed after X-ray irradiation.
Adult ; Choroid ; Conjunctiva* ; Female ; Humans ; Iris ; Melanoma* ; Melanosis ; X-Ray Therapy

Improvements in therapy have resulted in increasing numbers of children being successfully treated for cancer. However the aggressiveness of therapy & uncertainty about prognosis are associated with many adverse effects, psychological as well as physical for both the child & family. The purpose of this study were to measure the degree of perceived uncertainty, self-efficacy & coping, and then to examine the relationship between the perceived uncertainty, self-efficacy & coping in parents of children cancer patients. The subjects of this study consist of 140 parents with pediatric cancer, registered at pediatric cancer ward & Out Patient Department. Data was collected from July 1st to August 15th 1998. The tools used in this study were Mishel's the Parents' Perception of Uncertainty Scale(28item, 4 likert scale), Shere's Self-Efficacy Scale)17item, 5 likert scale) & Folkman & Lazarus Ways of Coping Checklist)34 items, 4 likert scale). Data was analyzed by t-test, Anova, Pearson Correlation co-efficient. Results of this study are summarized as follows : 1. Parents perceived their uncertainty to be slightly high(Mn 2.41). The degree of perceived uncertainty by the four components were followed as : lack of clarity(2.60), unpredictability(2.59), ambiguity(2.51) & lack of information(1.90). The degree of perceived uncertainty of parents with pediatric cancer revealed to be influenced significantly by the family outcome, reliability about health care provider & perceived severity of illness. 2. The range of parents' self-efficacy was measured from 35 to 85 point, so revealed slightly high. The degree of self-efficacy related to be influenced significantly by the sequency of child birth, family religion & degree of perceived support. 3. The degree of parents' coping was measured slightly high(Mn 2.78). The degree of coping related to be influenced significantly by the sequency of child birth, number of sible & degree of perceived support. 4. parents' uncertainty was related inversely to the parents' self-efficacy(r=-.38, p<.001) & coping(r=-.26, p<.001). And also parents' self-efficacy was positively related to coping(r=.56, p<.001). From the above results, it can be concluded that predicting & controlling parents' uncertainty with children cancer are necessary to improve positive coping strategies. This information may be used as a foundation for developing nursing interventions to decrease perceived uncertainty & to foster self-efficacy & coping for parents with children cancer.
Child* ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Nursing ; Parents ; Parturition ; Prognosis ; Uncertainty* ; Child Health

To evaluate the ultrastructural changes and the mechanism causing liver injury by lead, light and electron microscopic(LM and EM) examination using Timm sulphide silver method(TSM) was done. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into a control and 3 experimental groups. The experimental groups were orally administered 0.5% lead acetate(LA). Group 1 received a one time dose of 10 ml of LA by gastric intubation. Groups 2 and 3 continuously received LA instead of drinking water. The control group was composed of 3 rats in each group which did not receive any treatment. Rats of group 1, 2 and 3 and control were sacrificed at 1/2, 1, 1 1/2 hours, 2 days, and at 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 weeks later, except group 3. Before sacrifice, they were perfused with 0.1% sodium sulphide and 2.5% glutaraldehyde through the abdominal aorta for TSM. The liver was taken for LM and EM examinations. Blood lead concentration began to increase from the 2nd day up to 3.29 microgram/ml at 2nd week, and the urinary delta-ALA level showed a steady increase from the 2nd day. LM and EM examination of liver revealed that absorbed lead granules in group 1 were transported into sinusoidal spaces, Kupffer cells, and the hepatocytes within 1 hour and then disappeared 1/2 hour thereafter. In group 2 deposited lead was found in the hepatocytic cytosol bound to mitochondria. That in turn inhibited mitochondrial respiration with resultant mitochondrial swelling at the 1st week and thereafter at 6th week myelin figure formation and condensation of mitochondria, and peroxisomes were increased at 8th week. Based on these results it can be concluded that a transient intake of subletal dose of LA is biotransformed completely by periportal hepatocytes within 1 1/2 hours, but excessively accumulated lead can induce liver cell injury due to lipid peroxidation of membrane by direct toxic effect of lead and by products of lipid peroxidation. We postulate that lead acetate triggers presumably primarily mitochondrial membrane injury and then other organellar changes may play a role in disturbance of a network of interacting of key events capable of causing cell death.
Rats ; Animals

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to analyse the activities and status of infection control nurses (ICNs) and the trends of them since the first full-time ICN had been appointed in 1991. METHODS: Questionaries were mailed to 164 general hospitals with more than 300 beds. 85 hospitals were responded (51.8%) from 17June to 11 November 2003. RESULT: Full-time ICN was employed in 37.5%, 88.8% hospitals employed only one ICN regardless full-time or part-time ICN. ICNs spent time on surveillance (40.7%), teaching (29.4%), and meeting et al (30.3%). Surveillance was practice (67.5%), but surgical site surveillance was done in 12.1%. Personal characteristics and IC activities were significantly different between full-time and part-time ICNs. No of ICNs were increased by the national regulation and policy making. ICNs have improved the efficacy of infection control (IC) and abolished many wasteful ICs, The intensity of surveillance and the number of hospitals keep on hospital environmental control guidelines were increased. CONCLUSION: The number of ICNs was lower than 1980s' recommendation. The regulation on the ratio of ICN to beds should be added. The general features and activities of ICNs have been improved since 1991. However, to step up IC, the reward and support systems for ICN should be established.
Cross Infection ; Hospitals, General* ; Humans ; Infection Control* ; Policy Making ; Postal Service ; Reward

Two hundreds fifty seven cases of normal mammogram were analysis for classification of types of breasts.Ranging from 20 to 79 years of age, mean age was 45 years. Two projections, craniocaudal & mediolateral, were used. Age, nutrient condition, familial tendency and hormonal factors influence to breats hisologically. Normalbreats were classified into the standard (9.75%), ductal (71.7%), glandular (6.2%) and atrophic (12.4%) types.Ductal type was further subclassified into intraductal, periductal and mixed types. Atrophic type was susbdividedinto fibrous and fatty, Standard type was observed in younger women, instead of atrophic type was seen in olderage group, especially after menopause. Periductal type was most common (65.4%), Glandular type was mostly intwenty to thirty year group. According to increase of age, gladular or ductal type transformed into atrophic type.
Classification ; Female ; Humans ; Menopause

Thermography is a sensitive and reliable method for diagnosis of radiculopathy. Skin temperature alterations of the involved dermatome named thermatone are diagnostic for sensory root involvement in radiculopathy which can be demonstrated by thermography. Digital infrared thermographic imaging system using computer is development and could measure thermal difference more exactly without hazards or discomforts to patient. Authors present 186 cases of thermographic evaluation in herniated lumbar disc disease by digital infrared thermographic imging system and the results are evaluated with literature review.
Diagnosis ; Humans ; Radiculopathy ; Skin Temperature ; Thermography