OBJECTIVES: Insomnia is significantly influenced by the pre-sleep arousal, self efficacy, sleep hygiene, depression and anxiety. The authors tried to explore how these factors are related with the clinical features of sleep. METHODS: Fifty three patients diagnosed as insomnia by DSM-IV criteria were studied. They filled up the pre-sleep arousal scale(PSAS), sleep efficacy scale(SES), sleep hygiene awareness and practice scale, BDI, and state and trait anxiety scales. RESULTS: 1) The mean values of sleep-related variables were as follows : Sleep latency,136.89 minutes ; frequences of awakening during a night, 2.28 ; minutes to get back to sleep, 42.70 ; total sleep time, 180.19 minutes ; duration of illness, 72.00 months. 2) The mean scores of scales were as follows : PSAS(cognitive), 22.40 ; PSAS (somatic), 17.32 ; SES, 20.16 ; sleep hygiene knowledge, 25.96 ; caffeine knowledge, 59.78 ; sleep hygiene practice, 42.12 ; BDI 18.2 ; state anxiety, 41.24 ; trait anxiety ; 44.50. 3) In the subjects with superimposed depression, the mean frequency of awakening during a night and the mean pre-sleep arousal scale score were higher than in those without depression. 4) Frequency of awakening were correlated positively with a PSAS(a tight tense feeling in your muscle) and sleep hygiene awareness. PSAS(cognitive) were correlated positively with a PSAS(somatic). BDI correlated positively with a PSAS item(a jittery, nervous feeling in your body)and a SES item(not allow a poor night's sleep to interfere with daily activities). Anxiety scales were correlated positively with sleep hygiene practice scale sleep and PSAS were correlated negatively with SES. CONCLUSIONS: The mean scores of PSAS, SES, sleep hygiene awareness and practice scale, BDI, state and trait anxiety scales of insomniacs were correlated either positively or negatively in insomnia patients. These factors seem to contribute to the development and maintenance of insomnia.
Anxiety* ; Arousal* ; Caffeine ; Depression* ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; Hygiene* ; Self Efficacy* ; Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders* ; Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation ; Weights and Measures

BACKGROUND: As single donor platelets (SDP) has been increasingly used, the quality of SDP, especially apheresis-induced platelet activation, has become a major issue. This study evaluated the activation of SDP platelets prepared with three different cell separators that are currently being used at the Korean Red Cross. METHODS: CD62p, CD63 and CD42 were measured in 35 units of SDP prepared with Amicus (Baxter, Deerfield, IL, USA), MCS+ (Haemonetics, Braintree, MA, USA), or Trima (Gambro BCT, Lakewood, USA) using flow cytometry. RESULTS: Expression of CD62p gradually increased with storage time, but no difference in expression was noted between cell separators. Expression of CD63 also increased with storage time and platelets prepared with the Amicus displayed significantly higher CD63 expression 72 and 120 hours after collection compared to those prepared with MCS+ and Trima. Expression of CD42b tended to decrease with storage time, but this was only significant for Amicus 120 hours after collection. No difference in CD42b expression was noted between cell separators. CONCLUSIONS: Platelet activation increased with storage time, and platelet activation was more pronounced in the platelets prepared with the Amicus. However, because in vitro results of platelet activation does not necessarily reflect in vivo platelet function and survival, additional studies are needed to clarify clinical effectiveness of activated platelets.
Blood Platelets* ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Platelet Activation* ; Plateletpheresis* ; Red Cross ; Tissue Donors

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted for development of the Korean version of the Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Checklist civilian version (PCL-C) by evaluating its reliability and validity for the North Korean defectors population. METHODS: A total of 69 North Korean defectors participated in this study. All patients were recruited from the psychiatric outpatient or inpatient ward. We categorized the participants into two groups according to the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) diagnosis of PTSD (PTSD, n=32 ; Non-PTSD, n=37). All Subjects completed psychometric assessments, including the PCL-C, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-PTSD), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). RESULTS: Findings provided support for psychometric properties of the Korean version of the PCL-C. The PCL-C showed good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha=0.93), and a significantly positive correlation with CAPS and MMPI-PTSD (r=0.47, r=0.61, respectively). The optimal cutoff point of PCL-C for the North Korean defectors was at a total score of 56 with sensitivity and specificity of 0.88, and 0.50, respectively. CONCLUSION: Overall, the Korean version of the PCL-C appears to be a valid and reliable measure of PTSD symptoms among the North Korean defectors.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Inpatients ; MMPI ; Outpatients ; Psychometrics ; Reproducibility of Results* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic*

PURPOSE: This study was performed to investigate the prevalence of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) nasal carriage in Korean children attending day care centers. METHODS: During September and October 2009, a survey for nasal carriage of S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) was conducted among children attending day care centers located in Seoul with questionnaire survey for evaluation of risk factors of acquisition of MRSA was obtained from their guardians. A culture of the anterior nares swabs using enrichment broth was executed for isolating S. aureus and oxacillin susceptibility was assessed by the disk diffusion method. RESULTS: Out of the 428 children enrolled whose mean age was 55 months old, 163 (38.1%) were colonized with S. aureus. Of the 163 isolates, 40 (24.5%) were MRSA. The nasal carriage rate of S. aureus showed an increasing trend with increase of age. Based on the answer to the questionnaire, 9.2% and 3.6% of children had a recent history of hospitalization and surgery, respectively, and approximately 40% of children had a history of prescription of antibiotics within 1 year prior to enrollment. Of the 428 subjects, 40 (9.3%) were MRSA nasal carriers. CONCLUSION: S. aureus and MRSA carriage rate of children attending day care center in Korea was 38.1% and 9.3%, respectively. Continued surveillance for nasal carriage rate of S. aureus and MRSA (especially community-associated MRSA) is mandatory.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Child ; Colon ; Day Care, Medical ; Diffusion ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Korea ; Methicillin Resistance ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Oxacillin ; Prescriptions ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Risk Factors ; Staphylococcus ; Staphylococcus aureus

In this paper, we provide an overview of statistical models for haplotype-based association studies, and summarize their features based on the design matrix. We classify the design matrix into the two types: direct and indirect. For these two kinds of matrices, we present and compare characteristics using a simple hypothetical example, and a real data set. The motivation behind this study was to provide practitioners with an improved understanding, to facilitate the informed selection of the appropriate haplotype-based model and to improve the interpretability of the models.
Case-Control Studies ; Dataset ; Haplotypes ; Models, Statistical ; Motivation

When thinking about priority setting in access to healthcare resources, decision-making requires that cost-effectiveness is balanced against medical ethics. The burden of disease has emerged as an important approach to the assessment of health needs for political decision-making. However, the disability adjusted life years approach hides conceptual and methodological issues regarding the claims and value of disabled people. In this article, we discuss ethical issues that are raised as a consequence of the introduction of evidence-based health policy, such as economic evidence, in establishing resource allocation priorities. In terms of ethical values in health priority setting in Korea, there is no reliable rationale for the judgment used in decision-making as well as for setting separate and distinct priorities for different government bodies. An important question, therefore, is which ethical values guiding the practice of decision-making should be reconciled with the economic evidence found in Korean healthcare. The health technology assessment core model from the European network for Health Technology Assessment (EUnetHTA) project is a good example of incorporating ethical values into decision-making. We suggest that a fair distribution of scarce healthcare resources in South Korea can be achieved by considering the ethical aspects of healthcare.
Cost of Illness ; Delivery of Health Care ; Ethical Analysis ; Ethics ; Ethics, Medical ; Health Policy ; Health Priorities ; Judgment ; Korea* ; Quality-Adjusted Life Years ; Resource Allocation ; Technology Assessment, Biomedical ; Thinking

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between personality traits, using the Five-Factor Model, and characteristics and motivational factors affecting specialty choice in Korean medical students. METHODS: A questionnaire survey of Year 4 medical students (n=110) in July 2015 was administered. We evaluated the personality traits of Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness by using the Korean version of Big Five Inventory. Questions about general characteristics, medical specialties most preferred as a career, motivational factors in determining specialty choice were included. Data between five personality traits and general characteristics and motivational factors affecting specialty choice were analyzed using Student t-test, Mann-Whitney test and analysis of variance. RESULTS: Of the 110 eligible medical students, 105 (95.4% response rate) completed the questionnaire. More Agreeableness students preferred clinical medicine to basic medicine (p=0.010) and more Openness students preferred medical departments to others (p=0.031). Personal interest was the significant motivational factors in more Openness students (p=0.003) and Conscientiousness students (p=0.003). CONCLUSION: Medical students with more Agreeableness were more likely to prefer clinical medicine and those with more Openness preferred medical departments. Personal interest was a significant influential factor determining specialty choice in more Openness and Conscientiousness students. These findings may be helpful to medical educators or career counselors in the specialty choice process.
Adult ; Choice Behavior ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; *Medicine ; *Motivation ; *Personality ; Republic of Korea ; *Specialization ; *Students, Medical ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The 16 cases of patient with Hodgkin's disease admitted to Department of Pediatrics. Yonsei Cancer Center, Collage of Medicine, Yonsei University during 15 years from January 1975 to December 1989 were reviewed on the basis of clinical charicteristics, treatment and survival rate. The results were summerized as follows. 1) The mean age of patients was 7.6 4.1(range 2~15 years of age). 2) The clinical symptoms and signs were fever (50%), cervical lymphoadenpathy (44%), weight loss(25%), night sweat sweat(19%), hepatomegaly (13%) in order. 3) The stage by Ann Arbor classification revealed Stage I (19%), Stage II (37%), Stage III (19%), stage IV (25%). 4) The histologic subtype of the 14 cases confirmed by Rye Classification revealed that mixed cellularity type (57%) was the most common and lymphocyte predominant type (28%), nodular 5) The seven patients were treated by combind modality therapy, and the six patients by chemotherapy only and the three patients by radiotherapy only. 6) Overall 5 year survival rate was 69% in all patients, and 100% in Stage I, II, 67% in Stage III, but the patients of Stage IV were all died within 7 months.
Classification ; Drug Therapy ; Fever ; Hepatomegaly ; Hodgkin Disease* ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Pediatrics ; Radiotherapy ; Secale ; Survival Rate ; Sweat

BACKGROUND: As the number of malaria patients has increased in Korea, the number of blood donors who are diagnosed as malaria after donation has also increased. And during 1997~2001, ten cases of transfusion-transmitted malaria were reported. We investigated the transfusion safety of blood that was donated by malaria patients before diagnosis. METHODS: For a total of 2,552 malaria patients diagnosed in 2001, blood donation history of past one year before diagnosis was inquired at the beginning of 2002. Then we inquired informations about recipients of the hospitals through the regional Red Cross blood centers. we also inquired development of malaria after transfusion for the recipients in the August of 2002. Malaria antibody test results of donated blood were also analyzed to determine the status of immunity of donors in Seoul, Gyeonggi and Gangwon area. RESULTS: Among 2,552 malaria patients, 162 (6.3%) patients had donated within one year before diagnosis and they were all man. Their blood was processed into 292 units of blood components and supplied to 90 hospitals, where it was transfused 286 patients. Among these 286 patients, no one was diagnosed as malaria until time of database retrieving. Among 162 malaria patient, enzyme immunoassay malaria antibody test results of 107 (66.0%) patients were available, and all were negative. CONCLUSION: No one has developed malaria among the recipients transfused with blood that was donated by malaria patients before diagnosis. Therefore, the infectivity of blood donated before malaria diagnosis is thought to be very low. As antibody to malaria was not produced in some of malaria patients before diagnosis, this finding could be useful for the study of immunology of malaria infection.
Allergy and Immunology ; Blood Donors ; Diagnosis* ; Gangwon-do ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Korea ; Malaria* ; Red Cross ; Seoul ; Tissue Donors

OBJECTIVE: Use of quantitative computed tomography (CT) to evaluate bone mineral density was suggested in the 1970s. Despite its reliability and accuracy, technical shortcomings restricted its usage, and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) became the gold standard evaluation method. Advances in CT technology have reduced its previous limitations, and CT evaluation of bone quality may now be applicable in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to determine if the Hounsfield unit (HU) values obtained from CT correlate with patient age and bone mineral density. METHODS: A total of 128 female patients who underwent lumbar CT for back pain were enrolled in the study. Their mean age was 66.4 years. Among them, 70 patients also underwent DXA. The patients were stratified by decade of life, forming five age groups. Lumbar vertebrae L1-4 were analyzed. The HU value of each vertebra was determined by averaging three measurements of the vertebra's trabecular portion, as shown in consecutive axial CT images. The HU values were compared between age groups, and correlations of HU value with bone mineral density and T-scores were determined. RESULTS: The HU values consistently decreased with increasing age with significant differences between age groups (p<0.001). There were significant positive correlations (p<0.001) of HU value with bone mineral density and T-score. CONCLUSION: The trabecular area HU value consistently decreases with age. Based on the strong positive correlation between HU value and bone mineral density, CT-based HU values might be useful in detecting bone mineral diseases, such as osteoporosis.
Absorptiometry, Photon* ; Back Pain ; Bone Density* ; Female ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Methods ; Osteoporosis ; Spine*