No abstract available.
Nephrolithiasis* ; Uric Acid*

BACKGROUND: In Korea, tuberculosis is resistant to isoniazid (INH) and/or rifampicin (RIF) in more than 10% of cases. To prevent the spread of resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains, it is crucial to develop more rapid resistance detection methods. METHODS: To determine the feasibility of using direct sequencing for detecting INH- and RIF-resistant strains, the katG gene, the regulatory region of the inhA gene, and the 81-bp hot-spot region of the rpoB gene from 95 culture isolates and 46 respiratory specimens were sequenced. Total 141 culture isolates were classified by conventional drug susceptibility testing (DST) as INH(R)/RIF(R) (N=30), INH(R)/RIF(S) (N=23), INH(S)/RIF(R) (N=15), and INH(S)/RIF(S) (N=73). RESULTS: Compared with phenotypic DST, the overall sensitivity and specificity of sequencing were 83.0% (44/53) and 96.6% (85/88), respectively, for INH resistance, and 93.3% (42/45) and 100% (96/96), respectively, for RIF resistance. The rates were similar between culture isolates and respiratory specimens. Interestingly, three specimens with inhA -15C>T mutation were susceptible to INH by conventional DST. CONCLUSIONS: Detection of mutations in the katG codon 315, the inhA regulatory region, and the hot-spot region of rpoB would be useful for rapid detection of INH and RIF resistance in Korea.
Antitubercular Agents/*pharmacology ; Bacterial Proteins/*genetics ; Catalase/*genetics ; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial ; Genotype ; Humans ; Isoniazid/*pharmacology ; Mutation ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis/*genetics/isolation & purification ; Oxidoreductases/*genetics ; Republic of Korea ; Rifampin/*pharmacology ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sequence Analysis, DNA/*methods

The aim of this study was to evaluate the foodservice management practices in elementary school in order to provide basic information for an efficient foodservice management. A self completed questionnaire survey of 912 schools in Korea was undertaken. Survey questionnaires consisted of 4 parts including general background, foodservice practices, purchasing practices and the status of cooking facilities and equipments. The main results of the empirical survey were as follows. 1. Elementary schools categorized by location were in urban areas (38.2%), provincial areas (48.0%) and in isolated areas (13.8%). 2. Conventional schools were 72.4% of the total followed by commissary management schools(23.5%) and commissary schools(4.1%). 3. The major factors considered for menu planning were nutritional adequacy(77.4%), preference of children(50.8%), food cost(46.0%), and cooking facilities & equipments in order. 4. The average cost of school lunch in provincial areas was 1494.8+/-224.9 won followed by in isolated areas (1337.0+/-793.3won) and in large cities (1271.4+/-308.1won). The average food cost of lunch was approximately 950won with no significant difference by location of schools. 5. 60% processed food were purchased through retailers in schools located in provincial and isolated areas, whereas 6.6% in schools located in urban areas. Food groups such as meat and its processed food, poultries, fish & shellfish, fruits and vegetables were more purchased through wholesalers in schools located in urban areas than in provincial and isolated areas. 6. Cereals including rice were regularily purchased once a month, whereas of other food items were found to be daily purchased in school located in urban and provincial areas.
Edible Grain ; Cooking ; Fruit ; Humans ; Korea ; Lunch ; Meat ; Menu Planning ; Poultry ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Shellfish ; Vegetables

PURPOSE: In this study, we attempted to provide an evidence for the effects of meridian acupressure on relieving and preventing constipation in the institutionalized elderly. METHODS: The research design was a non-equivalent control group, non-synchronized design. The subjects consisted of 31 institutionalized elderly (experimental group: 16, control group: 15). The experimental group was given meridian acupressure for 10 minutes daily for 2 weeks. The data was analyzed by the chi2-test, Fisher's exact test, t-test and repeated measures ANOVA. RESULTS: The number of bowel movements per week of the experimental and control group performed meridian acupressure verified by repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed that interaction existed between the meridian acupressure availability and the measurement point (F=98.183, p<.001). Repeated measures analysis of variance to compare the changes in Bristol stool form scale scores of the experimental and control group performed meridian acupressure revealed that interaction existed between the meridian acupressure availability and the measurement point (F=48.896, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study show the meridian acupressure is a useful nursing intervention on constipation in the institutionalized elderly.
Acupressure* ; Aged* ; Analysis of Variance ; Constipation* ; Humans ; Massage ; Meridians ; Nursing ; Research Design

This study was designed to explore the effectiveness of education to improve self-care of stroke patients with three types of character health locus of control and constitution. A total of 56 patients were selected by convenience sampling at one oriental hospital. The teaching of self-care was conducted by the researcher. The self-care performance was measured for 10 days. The data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA and Scheffe method as post hoc test. The result of this study are as follows : 1. The self-care performance by patients characteristics : Age and education had impact on the self-care performance. The level of self-care performance of young and high educated patients was high, gender, religion, occupation, monthly income, and the paralyzed side, however, didn't have influence on the self-care performance. 2.. The self-care performance of patients with three types of constitution : There was no statistical significance on the self-care performance of patients group by constitution, However, average score of self-care performance of patients with So-Um was high. 3. The self-care performance of patients with three types of health locus of control : There was no statistical significance on self-care performance of patient group by health locus of control. 4. The correlation between the constitution and the health locus of control : There was no statistical significance on the introverted and chance health locus of control of patients with three types of constitution. However, there was a statistically significant relationship between the powerful others health locus of control and So-Yang. Even though there was no statistically significant self-care performance of patients with So-Um, there was a clinical significance on the high score of self-care performance of patients with So-Um as compared with the self-care performance of the patients. The health locus of control didn't have influence on the self-care performance of patients. There was a statistically significant relationship between the powerful others health locus of control and So-Yang. Therefore, this study suggest the need to develop the nursing intervention to improve the self-care of stroke patients with the powerful others health locus of control and So-Yang, Furthermore, the longitudinal research is needed to determine the effectiveness of training to imp.
Constitution and Bylaws* ; Education* ; Humans ; Internal-External Control ; Nursing ; Occupations ; Self Care ; Stroke*

PURPOSE: We investigated the effects of mirodenafil, a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor developed in South Korea, on the female rat bladder in a partial bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-six female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: the control group, BOO without medication group, BOO with mirodenafil 1 mg/kg group, and BOO with mirodenafil 4 mg/kg group. Mirodenafil was administered orally for 2 weeks after the induction of BOO. Two weeks after BOO, the rats in each group underwent cystometry under urethane anesthesia. After cystometry, the bladder was excised to perform immunohistochemical staining for connexin 43. RESULTS: The three BOO groups showed significant increases in mean bladder weight compared with the control group. Baseline pressure, threshold pressure, and maximum contraction pressure were not significantly different between the four groups. Although the contraction interval was decreased in all BOO groups compared with the control group, it was prolonged in the two groups treated with mirodenafil compared with the untreated BOO group. In the immunohistochemical examination, connexin 43 staining intensity in the lamina propria increased in the three BOO groups compared with the control group. The two groups treated with mirodenafil, however, showed decreased connexin 43 staining compared with the untreated BOO group. CONCLUSIONS: Mirodenafil may increase the contraction intervals of female rat bladders in a partial BOO model. Decreasing bladder overactivity by mirodenafil may be related to intracellular communication mechanisms involving connexin 43.
Anesthesia ; Animals ; Connexin 43 ; Contracts ; Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 5 ; Female ; Humans ; Mucous Membrane ; Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors ; Pyrimidinones ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Republic of Korea ; Sulfonamides ; Urethane ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Bladder Neck Obstruction ; Urinary Bladder, Overactive

BACKGROUND: Microlymphocytotoxicity test is most widely used for HLA Class l typing but almost all laboratories depend on imported HLA Class 1 typing trays. Matching criteria for the selection of HLA- matched platelets to treat platelet refractoriness is not as strict as for bone marrow transplantation. Therefore, with the acquisition of various antisera against high frequency HLA antigens, self-made HLA typing trays can be used for HLA typing of HLA-matched platelet donors. METHODS: 140 samples obtained during placental delivery were tested for the presence of HLA antibodies against a well-characterized panel of 90 cells. Specificity of HLA antisera were determined by evaluating the correlation coefficient r of the 2 x 2 table, x2 test. Antisera strength was evaluated by the strength index. RESULTS: HLA antibodies were detected in 25 samples by primary screening and 23 samples also showed a positive reaction in secondary screening(16%). Among 23 samples, 1 1 antisera were of reagent grade quality and 7 were monospecific antisera. DISCUSSION: Imported HLA typing trays can be replaced by harvesting HLA antisera against HLA antigens which are relatively common in Koreans through continuous HLA antibody screening using gushed out blood during placental delivery. (Korean J Blood Transfusion 10(1): 53-60, 1999)
Antibodies ; Blood Platelets ; Blood Transfusion ; Bone Marrow Transplantation ; Histocompatibility Testing ; HLA Antigens ; Humans ; Immune Sera ; Mass Screening ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tissue Donors

PURPOSE: To describe the characteristics of the disabled patients visiting the eye clinic in our institute. METHODS: We carried out a retrospective analysis of 35 cases in our clinic from April 2004 to June 2008 using the McBride disability evaluation. We investigated the clinical features and the causes of disorders through visual acuity, visual field and ocular motility. RESULTS: Thirty-three (94.3%) of the 35 patients had disabilities due to trauma; twelve (34.3%) of them were caused by traffic accidents, and 21 (60%) of them were due to blows or lacerations. Other causes of disability were glaucoma and retinal break (5.8%). Nine patients (25.7%) had abnormal findings in the visual field examination, and nine other patients (25.7%) had limitations in ocular motility. Twenty-eight patients (80%) had decreased visual acuity, and nine (25.7%) had multiple symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Considering the contribution of disability estimation of visual field and ocular motility in McBride disability evaluations, we considered the importance of repetitive examinations and evaluations. When patients complained of unexplained decreased visual acuity with no anatomical abnormalities, multifocal ERG and multifocal VEP should be considered in order to distinguish it from malingering or functional visual loss.
Accidents, Traffic ; Disability Evaluation ; Eye ; Glaucoma ; Humans ; Lacerations ; Malingering ; Retinal Perforations ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity ; Visual Fields

No abstract available.
Humans ; Nursing*

The chest wall and breast asymmetry varies from severe pectus deformities to an isolated breast hypoplasia. In addition to the chest abnormality, a natural-looking breast is the aesthetic challenge in women. Considering that the most common indication of operations is an aesthetic one, any procedures leaving much scars and deformities at the donor site aren't preferred by patients. A 31-year-old female had a 4 x 10 x 2.5 cm sized pectus-excavatum deformity on her right chest, and a slightly hypoplastic breast compared with the left one. The nipple of her right breast was located supero-medially and pectoralis muscles were preserved to some degree at the right side. Through a bilateral submammary and subxiphoid incision, the deformed cartilage was resected from 3th to 7th rib bilaterally and chondrotomy was done at the sternum partially. After this modified Ravitch's technique, two-metal pins were fixated between right 4th~5th ribs and left 4th rib, and the depressed sternum was elevated over the metal pins. The deficient volume of her right breast was corrected by inserting a siliconegel breast implant (120 cc) submuscularly to restore a adequately projected breast. The results of twelve months' follow-up demonstrated a symmetric and well- projected breast. There were no significant chest wall depression or capsular contracture. Restoring a fundamental bony structure would decrease the amount of augmentation needed in the soft tissues. And a silicone-gel breast implant may be used as an the alternative material for whose axillary fold is preserved to some degree.
Adult ; Breast Implants ; Breast* ; Cartilage ; Cicatrix ; Congenital Abnormalities* ; Contracture ; Depression ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Nipples ; Pectoralis Muscles ; Ribs ; Sternum ; Thoracic Wall* ; Thorax* ; Tissue Donors