BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis is the most common metabolic bone disorder. Osteoporosis has emerged as a leading public health problem with elderly persons and its detection is important for prevention and treatment of fracture. this population-based study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence and risk factors of osteoporosis in the elderly women. METHODS: One hundred thirty eight women aged 60 years or older in rural area were investigated with questionnaires and measurements of height, weight. Bone mineral density(BMD) measurements of lumbar spine and femoral neck were made with dual energy X-ray absorptiometry(DEXA). The World Health Organization criteria for diagnosis of osteoporosis using the manufacturer's young adult population mean and our study young population mean have been applied. Our study's young adult population mean was derived using normal premenopausal 37 women aged 30~45 years. RESULTS: The prevalence of osteoporosis was 45.7% for lumbar spine, 13.0% for femoral neck by the manufacture's young adult mean and 63.0% and 34.8% by our study young adult population mean, respectively. Weight and smoking were associated with lumbar spine BMD. Age was associated with femoral neck BMD. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that the prevalence of osteoporosis is dependant on reference population mean and measurement site.
Aged* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Femur Neck ; Humans ; Osteoporosis* ; Prevalence* ; Public Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spine ; World Health Organization ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to understand the meaning of mind control as it is understood by elderly persons in Korea. METHOD: This study was conducted by engaging three elderly persons who are over the age of sixty five and presently residing in Seoul. Several in depth interviews were conducted with these individuals from March 2003 until November 2003. The contents of the interviews were analyzed using the Giorgi Method (1985), which places the emphasis on discovering meaning within the phenomenological context of an individual's experience. RESULTS: The analysis of the contents revealed the following four components with regard to the meaning of mind control for elderly persons (1) Settling the mind (2) Gradual lowering of expectations and hope for the success of offspring, (3) Having good thoughts and acting accordingly, and (4) Making up one's mind to follow the 'natural flow of life'. CONCLUSION: By allowing a wider and deeper understanding of the meaning of mind control for elderly persons the results of this study provide a basis for improving the care of elderly with a holistic perspective.
Aged* ; Hope ; Humans ; Korea* ; Life Change Events ; Seoul

PURPOSE: This study was a descriptive survey research to identify whether characteristics of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, their knowledge about diabetes, and self-care behavior impacted on the level of diabetic retinopathy. METHODS: Participants were 133 patients who had type 2 diabetes mellitus and were being seen at a hospital in Korea. The scale for knowledge about diabetes had 24 items, the scale for self-care behavior, 20 items, and the level of diabetic retinopathy was classified according to the international clinical diabetic retinopathy severity measurement standards. RESULTS: The influence of the independent variables on the level of diabetic retinopathy showed that age, job, time since onset of Diabetes Mellitus, regular ophthalmologic examinations, and systolic blood pressure were identified as factors affecting the level of diabetic retinopathy. The explanation power of this regression model was 23.0% and it was statistically significant (F=5.42, p<.001). CONCLUSION: Early education about occurrence of diabetes related diseases, specifically diabetic retinopathy should be provided for patients from younger ages. Moreover, for disease management, social support is needed from co-workers and friends. Efforts to encouraged prevention and delay of diabetic retinopathy should include control of blood sugar and blood pressure.
Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2* ; Diabetic Retinopathy* ; Disease Management ; Education ; Friends ; Humans ; Korea ; Self Care

No abstract available.
Radiation, Ionizing

BACKGROUND: More attention is given to oxidative hypothesis which causes atherosclerosis to be recognized as inflammatory response. The relationship between serum ferritin which catalyzes lipid peroxidation and high sensitivity C-reactive protein which reflects vascular inflammation was investigated among adults in a health promotion center. METHODS: The study group consisted of 297 men and women (men 86, women 211) who visited the health promotion center of a hospital in Seoul to have a health checkup from October 1, 2004 to April 1, 2005. These subjects answered the questionnares and were measured in the following; blood tests, brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity and several anthropometric measurements. Statistical analysis was performed on 111 subjects after exclusion of those subjects who were taking antihypertensive agents or antidiabetic agents, and who had acute inflammatory diseases, acute liver diseases, anemia, and who had a WBC > or =11,000x10(3)/mm3 or a serum ferritin > or =200 ug/L or a ABI (Ankle Brachial Index) <0.9. RESULTS: The average serum ferritin concentration of men against women was 132.57+/-43.12 ng/ml to 78.23+/-38.10 ng/ml which means that men have about 1.7 times as high concentration than women (P<0.001). Serum ferritin was significantly correlated with high sensitivity C-reactive protein (r=0.332). Even in multiple stepwise regression analysis, there was a independent relationship between serum ferritin and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (beta=0.138, P=0.010). When we analyzed with distinction of sex, this relationship in women was constant (beta=0.131, P=0.031), but serum ferritin in men just showed the trend of correlation with BMI (beta=9.510, P=0.059). CONCLUSION: There is a significant relationship between the increase of serum ferritin and high sensitivity C-reactive protein in healthy women; furthermore, studies in men need to be confirmed.
Acute Disease ; Adult ; Anemia ; Antihypertensive Agents ; Atherosclerosis ; C-Reactive Protein ; Female ; Ferritins ; Health Promotion ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Hypoglycemic Agents ; Inflammation ; Lipid Peroxidation ; Liver Diseases ; Male ; Oxidative Stress ; Pulse Wave Analysis

Behcet's syndrome has been known as a disease which has the triple symptoms such as recurrent orogenital ulceration and eye inflammation. The syndrome is now recogninized as a multisystem disease involving mucocutaneaous, cardiovascular, central nervous system, renal, articular and gastrointestinal system. The vascular involvement in Behcet's disease has been reported since Mischima first described the case in 1961, four types of vascular lesion are recognized ; arterial occlusion ; aneurysm ; venous occlusion ; and varices. Venous occlusion are frequently observed, most commonly in the inferior or superior vena cava. We report a case of Behcet's disease manifested as superior vena cava syndrome due to thrombus on both brachiocephalic veins.
Aneurysm ; Behcet Syndrome* ; Brachiocephalic Veins ; Central Nervous System ; Inflammation ; Superior Vena Cava Syndrome* ; Thrombosis ; Ulcer ; Varicose Veins ; Vena Cava, Superior*

We made a mistake in our recently published article.

Spontaneous pneumothorax is a known, but relatively rare complication of pulmonary metastases of sarcoma. A 19-year-old man was presented with chest pain and dyspnea for three days and was diagnosed as left pneumothorax. After bleb resection, microscopic examination revealed metastatic osteosarcoma forming subpleural fistula and dystrophic calcification. Four years ago, he had had limb salvage operation and chemotherapy for osteosarcoma of left femur. After two and a half years he had a bleb resection for right pneumothorax without any evidence of metastasis. Six months later, he was found to have a 4x3cm sized lung mass in the right lower lobe. After lobectomy, he was diagnosed as pulmonary metastasis of osteosarcoma. Pneumothorax is the common complication of metastatic osteosarcoma to the lung and it may be presented before the pulmonary metastasis is clinically evident. It is important to recognize a pneumothorax of the patients with osteosarcoma as a possible sign of metastases.
Blister ; Chest Pain ; Drug Therapy ; Dyspnea ; Femur ; Fistula ; Humans ; Limb Salvage ; Lung ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Osteosarcoma* ; Pneumothorax* ; Sarcoma ; Young Adult

Polyarteritis nodosa is systemic necrotizing vasculitis of medium and small-sized arteries and results in variable manifestations due to ischemia of the involving organs. Diagnosis can either be made pathologically by demonstrating necrotizing vasculitis of arteries or angiographycally by demonstrating small arterial aneurysm. We experienced a case of PAN with dilated cardiomyopathy, confirmed by clinical feature, renal biopsy, angiography and echocardiography.
Aneurysm ; Angiography ; Arteries ; Biopsy ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated* ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography ; Ischemia ; Polyarteritis Nodosa* ; Vasculitis

OBJECTIVES: Dementia has emerged as a leading public health problem in elderly persons, and its early detection is important for the treatment of curable cases, and in the educational support for other family members. Although dementia screening tests are available, they have not gained widespread use in community or primary care settings. Our goal was to validate the Time and Change (T and C) Test, -including its validity and reliability in patients, and to assess it as a simple, standardized method for the screening of dementia in the rural elderly. METHODS: The participants in this study comprised of 59 patients from an urban hospital and 405 persons from a rural community aged 65 years or older. The time test evaluated the understanding of clock hands indicating 11: 10, and the change test the ability to make 1, 000 Won from a group of coins, consisting of one 500, seven 100, and seven 50 Won coins. The T and C ratings were validated against a reference standard based on the physician? diagnosis of the patients. The convergent validity in relation to other cognitive measure, test-retest agreement, and inter-observer reliability were assessed. To assess the relationship between the Korean Mini-Mental State Exam (K-MMSE) and the T and C Test, the mean K-MMSE scores were compared with the results of the T and C Test in the elderly from a rural community. RESULTS: The T and C Test had a sensitivity and specificity of 73.0, and 90.9%, and positive and negative predictive values of 93.1, and 66.7%, respectively. The test-retest and inter-observer agreement rates were both 95%. The K-MMSE scores and T and C Test were significantly related in the elderly from a rural community (p< 0.01). The T and C Test was not influenced by the educational status. The Time and Change Tests took a mean of 6.3 and 12.7 seconds, respectively, to complete. CONCLUSION: The T and C Test is a simple, accurate and reliable, performance-based tool in the screening for dementia. Because it is quick, and easy-to-use, it is hoped the T and C Test will be used for the widespread cognitive screening of aging populations.
Aged* ; Aging ; Dementia* ; Diagnosis ; Educational Status ; Hand ; Hope ; Hospitals, Urban ; Humans ; Mass Screening* ; Methods ; Numismatics ; Primary Health Care ; Public Health ; Reproducibility of Results ; Rural Population ; Sensitivity and Specificity