OBJECTIVES: Our aims of this study is to analyze the clinical characteristics and the prognos is of the disease which develops in patient swith chronic liver disease as acutely exacerbated hepat it is accompanied by myosit is. Finally we try to identify and is olate the causative agent. METHODS: The patient swith chronic liver diseases, who developed muscle weakness and paralysis, were classified to group A or group B, according to the level of creatinine kinase ( CK) activity. The group A consists of patients with less than 3-fold increase of normal CK activity and the group B includes patients with over 3-fold increase of it. We evaluated clinical characteristics, blood chemistry, clinical course, and causes of deathin patients of study groups, compared with those of patients with chronic liver disease with normal CK activity as controls. The causative agent was suggested by conventional culture and RT-PCR analysis in two cases of group B. RESULTS: 1. There was no significant differences in age, sex, underlying disease, or liver function test bet ween control and study group ( control and group A or B) before entry. 2. The clinical symptoms and signs , such as drowsy mental state, generalized weakness/myalgia caused by hepatic encephalopathy and myositis , occurred frequently in the study group. 3. Significant elevation of aspartic acid transaminase (AST ) and alaninetr ans aminase ( ALT ) was noted in Group B. AST / ALT ratio is over 2 in group A or B. Synthetic function of the liver such as prothrombin time ( PT ) or serum albumin level is significantly decreased. Blood urea nitrogen ( BUN) and creatinine were increased as a result of impaired renal function. 4. Culture of coxs ackievirus was positive by immunofluor escence as say IFA) as a caus ative agent and also was positive in reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) analys is using universal primer of enterovirus in two recent cases of group B. 5. Death rate increased significantly in study group, compared with that of control group ( 20.7% versus 5.6%). Major cause of death, 12 patients died of which, is hepatic failure. CONCLUSION: The patients with chronic liver disease abruptly developed a exacerbated hepaticdys function and muscle paralysis and/or weakness. This exacerbated hepatitis accompanied by myositis was suggested to be caused by coxsackie B viral infection. Furthermore, this infection increase deathrate and resulted in poor prognosis. Thus, further study should be continue to confirm the causative agent and classify the subtype.
Aspartic Acid ; Blood Urea Nitrogen ; Cause of Death ; Chemistry, Clinical ; Creatinine ; Enterovirus ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver Failure ; Liver Function Tests ; Liver* ; Mortality ; Muscle Weakness ; Myositis* ; Paralysis ; Phosphotransferases ; Prognosis ; Prothrombin Time ; Serum Albumin

BACKGROUND: Patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer are often treated with radiation alone or in combination with chemotherapy. Both modalities have a potentially damaging effect on pulmonary function. In order to examine changes in the cardiopulmonary exercise function of patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer before and after conventional radiotherapy, we conducted a prospective study involving patients with such cancer, that had received radiation therapy. METHODS: Resting pulmonary function test, thoracic radiographic finding and cardiopulmonary exercise test(CPET) were assessed prior to and 4 weeks following radiation therapy in 11 male patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Patient with endobronchial mass were excluded. RESULTS: The forces vital capacity(FVC), forced expiratory volume in 1 second(FEV1)and maximal voluntary ventilation(MVV) did not decreased between before and 4 weeks after radiation but the diffusing capacity(DLCO) had decreased by 11% 4 weeks after radiation, which was not statistically significant. No changes in maximal oxygen consumption(VO2max), carbon dioxide production(VCO2), exercise time and work load were attributed to radiation therapy. Follow up cardiopulmonary exercise testing revealed unchanged cardiovascular function, ventilatory function and gas exchange. No difference in cardiopulmonary exercise test performance was observed between pre- and post-radiation. CONCLUSION: Cardiopulmonary exercise function did not decrease within the short-term after the radiation of patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.
Carbon Dioxide ; Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung* ; Drug Therapy ; Exercise Test ; Follow-Up Studies ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; Male ; Oxygen ; Prospective Studies ; Radiotherapy ; Respiratory Function Tests

No abstract available.
Eating ; Functional Food ; Hypertrichosis ; Minoxidil

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: Recently the populations of patients receiving implant surgery are greatly increase for maintaining oral health. PURPOSE: This study was conducted for implanted patients to assess the chewing ability patient satisfaction level and changes in quality of life before and after the implant surgery. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The current study subjected 109 adult patients, older than 20 years of age, who received implant surgery from December, 2006 to October, 2007 at the 6 dental clinics located at Daegu and Ulsan metropolitan cities. Twice of surveys were conducted for the patients before and after receiving the dental implant surgery. RESULTS: As the motivation of receiving implant surgery, 45.9% of the patients selected the surgery for the chance of "chewing function recovery", and "failure of treatment and complications" was found to be the most worrisome at the time of surgery by recording 38.5%. The satisfaction level before the implant surgery scored 30.37, while the score was increased to 45.01 after the surgery by showing a significant difference before and after receiving the surgery (P < .001). Regard on the surgery, 91.8% of the patients responded as "Satisfy", and 89% of the study subjects responded that they have willingness to recommend the surgery to their families and friends. The chewing ability score measured by using the surveys on edible foods, the score before the surgery was 15.24, while the score was increased to 19.11 after the surgery by showing a significant difference before and after receiving the surgery (P < .001). The quality of life score was also found to be increased to 11.17 after the surgery from 9.99 before the surgery by showing a significant difference (P < .001). CONCLUSION: In a future, the studies on the numbers of implanted loss teeth and the location of tooth loss are necessary, more long-term follow study are needed, and it is thought to be necessary to enlarge the sample size of subjects in conducting the studies.
Adult ; Dental Clinics ; Dental Implantation ; Dental Implants ; Friends ; Humans ; Mastication ; Motivation ; Oral Health ; Patient Satisfaction ; Quality of Life ; Sample Size ; Tooth ; Tooth Loss

Multiple primary tumors are defined as cases involving primary malignant tumors of different histologic origins in one person. The absolute number of reported cases of double primary malignant tumors has increased in recent years diagnostic procedures. Primary adenocarcinoma of duodenum is a rare disease and represents less than 0.5% of all gastrointestinal malignancies. Therefore, synchronous multiple primary cancers of the stomach and duodenum are very rare. Recently, we experienced a case of triple primary malignant tumors of different site originating from the stomach, duodenum and cervix in 71- year-old woman. She had had radiation therapy and chemotherapy for squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix 8 years previously. We performed subtotal gastrectomy and pancreaticoduodenectomy with radical lymph node dissection. She remained healthy without any evidence of recurrence 12 months after the operation.
Adenocarcinoma ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cervix Uteri ; Drug Therapy ; Duodenal Neoplasms* ; Duodenum ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision ; Pancreaticoduodenectomy ; Rare Diseases ; Recurrence ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

No abstract available.
Obesity, Morbid* ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infant, Newborn*

OBJECTIVES: In this study, we examined the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Toronto Mindfulness Scale (K-TMS), a brief self-report measure to assess state mindfulness. METHODS: We administered the K-TMS, Beck Depression Inventory, Experiences Questionnaire (K-EQ), Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), Positive Affect and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS), and Rumination-Reflection Questionnaire (RRQ) to 205 university students and conducted exploratory factor analyses (EFA), confirmatory factor analyses, and correlation analyses among the related variables. RESULTS: The K-TMS demonstrated high internal consistency, and its corrected item-total correlations ranged from .37 to .73. Exploratory factor analyses resulted in a two-factor solution (curiosity, de-centering), based on an examination of the scree plot and eigenvalues, which was structurally similar to the original TMS scale. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that a correlated 2-factor model, with correlated error terms, showed an adequate fit to the data. The K-TMS was positively correlated with de-centering (r=.304, p<.01), as measured by the EQ, with reflective self-awareness (r=.334, p<.01), as assessed by the K-RRQ, and with positive affect (r=.302, p<.01), as assessed by he PANAS. There were no significant relationships between the K-TMS and depression, and the correlation between the K-TMS and the MAAS was not significant. CONCLUSION: These results show the K-TMS is a promising measure of mindfulness state, with good psychometric properties. Further study of the relationship between the K-TMS and mental health is needed.
Appointments and Schedules ; Depression ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Psychometrics ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Reproducibility of Results

No abstract available.
Asthma* ; Humans ; Prednisolone* ; Theophylline*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to verify the effects of a Qigong prenatal education program on anxiety, depression and physical symptoms in pregnant women. METHOD: The subjects were a total of 40 pregnant women who received regular prenatal care at S hospital. Twenty people were enrolled in the Qigong prenatal education program and were assigned to the experimental group. The other 20 people who received regular prenatal care only were the control group. The Qigong prenatal education program was given to the experimental group once a week and 2 hours per session for 4 weeks. Anxiety, depression and physical symptoms were collected by a self-administered study questionnaire at the pre- and post test. RESULT: There were no significant differences in subjects' general characteristics or pretest scores of study variables at the pretest indicating both groups were homogeneous. Differential t-tests were used to test the effects of the Qigong prenatal education program on study variables. Pregnant women who received the Qigong prenatal education program had a lower level of depression than those who did not attend(t=2.23, p=.03). There were no significant differences on anxiety and physical symptoms. CONCLUSION: The Qigong prenatal education program was effective in alleviating depression during pregnancy. However, further study is needed to replicate the results with a greater sample size and to investigate the long term effects of the program on the labor and delivery process.
Anxiety* ; Depression* ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women* ; Prenatal Care ; Prenatal Education* ; Qigong* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sample Size