No abstract available.
Pregnancy* ; Purpura*

No abstract available.
Amniotic Fluid* ; beta-Endorphin* ; Female

Reports of bowing and pseudarthrosis of the humerus and clavicle are rare. Most patients with congenital pseudoarthrosis of the clavicle involving the right side and midportion of clavicle tended to heal better than congenital pseudoarthrosis of the tibia. We experienced a patient who had special features in terms of location, pseudoarthrosis pattern, and neurofibromatosis, and report on this case here.
Clavicle* ; Humans ; Humerus ; Neurofibromatoses* ; Pseudarthrosis* ; Tibia

The authors report 33 patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) treated from 1989 to 1995. There were 19 males and 14 females. Median age was 46 years(range: 4-74). Patients were symptomatic for a median of 3.5 weeks. Headache was the most common complaint. Median Karnofsky performance score(KPS) at admission was 70. Twenty-eight of 33 patients had solitary PCNSL and 5 had multiple deposits. Lesion was confined to the supratentorium in 26 patients, 4 in cerebellum, 3 in intra- and extradural spinal cord and 1 in orbit. All patients except two who refused further treatments received whole brain and/or spinal irradiation with or without supplemental tumor boost. Radiation therapy(RT) without systemic chemotherapy was introduced in 17 patients. Systemic chemotherapy was introduced to 13 patients and additional intrathecal chemotherapy in 10 among 13 patients. After follow-up periods ranging from 2 to 70 months, median overall survival period was 56 months in patients treated with RT only and 43 months in those with RT plus systemic chemotherapy(p=0.37). Median progression-free survival period was 48 months in RT group and 21 months in RT plus Chemo group(p=0.05). All 4 patients with intermediate grade PCNSL are still alive: One patient with diffuse small cleaved subtype survived complete response at 41 months and 3 patients with diffuse mixed subtype also survived without recurrence at 25, 51 and 62 months. Median progression-free and overall survival for diffuse large cell subtype(high grade) was 36 and 51 months, respectively. This study proved that it was the histopathologic grade that has exerted a considerable influence on survival period and other variables were not significant factors to overall survival period.
Brain ; Central Nervous System* ; Cerebellum ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Headache ; Humans ; Lymphoma* ; Male ; Orbit ; Recurrence ; Spinal Cord

Redislocation of bipolar hemiarthroplasty is not a simple complication. When redislocation of bipolar hemiarthroplasty occurs, open reduction must be considered. Displacement of the polished tapered femoral stem could occur through the unwanted traction force during the reduction of the dislocated cemented hip arthroplasty as a complication. We experienced displacement of the polished tapered femoral stem during closed reduction of a redislocated cemented bipolar hemiarthroplasty. We suggest that preoperative analysis for the cause and status of the dislocation is essential and open reduction should be considered if closed reduction is not thought to be suitable for a polished femoral stem.
Arthroplasty ; Dislocations ; Displacement (Psychology) ; Hemiarthroplasty ; Hip ; Traction

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by the breast cancer patients in Korea. METHODS: A total of 160 patients with breast cancer answered a questionnaire about CAM use after their diagnosis of breast cancer. All the patients answered a 29-item questionnaire that included about sociodemographic characteristics of the users, the types of CAM, duration of use, the cost, reasons, sources of information and the benefits for using CAM. RESULTS: Most sociodemographic characteristics showed no significant difference between the users and non-users of CAM. Almost four fifth of the patients using CAM were between 40 and 60 years, married and had a high school education or above. The use of any type of CAM was admitted by 58 patients (36%). The most commonly used CAM was "health food" (67%). 9% of CAM users had been using CAM before the diagnosis of breast cancer, 19% since diagnosis of cancer and 70% after their breast surgery. For the duration of CAM usage, 56% patients used CAM less than 12 months. For using of CAM, 44% had spent 100,000 - 500,000 Korean won per month on CAM. For the source of information about the use of CAM, 46% of CAM users mentioned their family members, 30% from friends, 26% from media, 15% from her physician, and 9% mentioned other patients. 80% of the used CAM users do not discus their CAM usage with their physician and they use CAM along with their conventional treatment simultaneously. 69% of the CAM users perceived that CAM was helpful for their recovery and 84% of CAM users said their use of CAM will continue. CONCLUSION: Some of the patients in this study, but 80% of the patients that used CAM do not discus this with their physician during conventional treatment. Therefore, physician should query about CAM and they should be able to recommend the use of proper CAM to their patients.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Complementary Therapies* ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Friends ; Humans ; Korea ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: The strength of each heart beat and the stiffness of large arteries contribute to blood pressure (BP). When the large arteries are stiff and their resistance greater, the afterload increases and this may change the function of the heart. However, the relation between common carotid artery stiffness and heart function in hypertensive patients has not been clarified. METHODS: Two hundred and twenty hypertensive patients underwent transthoracic and carotid echocardiography. Measurements of local arterial stiffness were taken at the right common carotid artery level and stiffness parameter (beta), pressure-strain elasticity modulus and intima-media thickness were calculated. Brachial cuff BP was measured just before starting the carotid study. The patients with any cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, stroke, transient ischemic attack, or carotid stenosis were excluded. RESULTS: Carotid artery stiffness parameter (beta) was correlated with age and left ventricular mass index (p < 0.005). Even though beta was not correlated with LV systolic function, it was inversely correlated with diastolic function as measured by early mitral annular velocity. When the artery was stiffer, early mitral annular velocity (e') decreased (p < 0.001) and the index of left atrial (LA) pressure (early diastolic mitral inflow E velocity/e') increased (p = 0.001). In logistic regression, diastolic dysfunction was affected by age (beta -0.385, p = 0.001), LA volume index (beta 0.175, p = 0.013) and beta (beta -0.273, p = 0.019). CONCLUSION: In hypertensive patients, changes in carotid artery stiffness can affect the diastolic function, independent of age and LA volume index. Therefore, measurements and control of carotid stiffness can play an important role in the prevention of diastolic heart failure.
Arteries ; Blood Pressure ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Carotid Arteries ; Carotid Artery, Common ; Carotid Stenosis ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Echocardiography ; Elastic Modulus ; Female ; Heart ; Heart Failure, Diastolic ; Humans ; Ischemic Attack, Transient ; Logistic Models ; Stroke ; Vascular Stiffness

BACKGROUND: An association between obesity and asthma has been reported. The prevalence of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), results of skin prick tests, body mass index (BMI), and asthma symptoms were examined in schoolchildren. METHODS: The results of BMI (kg/m2) determination, skin prick testing, spirometry, asthma questionnaires, and methacholine challenge tests were obtained in a cross-sectional survey of 667 schoolchildren. The methacholine concentration causing a 20% fall in FEV1 (PC20) was used as the threshold of AHR. If the PC20 was less than 16 mg/mL, the subject was considered to have methachloine mediated AHR. RESULTS: The mean BMI was 17.1+/-0.09 kg/m2. The prevalence of AHR was 42.7%. The sensitization rate to common inhalant allergens was 30.3%. PC20 in children with BMIs >or=17.1 kg/m2 was significantly lower than that in children with BMIs 17.1 kg/m2. The mean BMIs of boys and girls were not significantly different. The levels of PC20 by sex were not different. The children were grouped by sex into percentile of BMI. PC20 in boys was lower in the obese group than in the non-weight and overweight groups (p<0.05). PC20 in boys and girls with atopy was significantly lower than in those without atopy. In a multiple logistic regression model that included all of the children and adjusted for confounding variables, independent associations with AHR were seen with BMI, asthma symptoms, and atopy . CONCLUSIONS: BMI had an association with AHR in school-age boys.
Sex Factors ; *Schools ; Risk Factors ; Questionnaires ; Obesity/*physiopathology ; Methacholine Chloride/*pharmacology ; Male ; Korea/epidemiology ; Hypersensitivity, Immediate/epidemiology/physiopathology ; Humans ; Health Surveys ; Female ; Comorbidity ; Child ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity/epidemiology/*physiopathology ; Body Mass Index ; Asthma/*physiopathology ; Age Factors

OBJECTIVES: The in-training examination (Performance Examination, PE) for psychiatric residents in Korea was launched 5 years ago by the Korean Neuropsychiatric Association (KNPA). This article analyzes 5-year accumulated data on the PE, and tries to make some suggestions for further development of the PE. METHODS: The 5-year data, previously utilized for the generation of formal annual reports were reanalyzed, with an emphasis on longitudinal trends. RESULTS: The analyses indicated the following; 1) Higher-year residents earned definitely higher scores than their lower-year colleagues on the PE. This trend was especially prominent in the area of psychopharmacology-biological psychiatry, geriatric psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry, and the emergency-organic psychiatry. There was no year-related performance difference in the area of psychoses. 2) In the area of anxiety-somatization disorder, psychophysiological disorder, and geriatric psychiatry, the residents in the university-affiliated hospitals outperformed those in the specialized psychiatric hospitals. 3) Through analyzing multiple-times examinees, it was found that their first-and second-time performances were moderately correlated, and that their ranks tended to improve, demonstrating a continuously improving performance according to the training year. CONCLUSION: These result suggested that the KNPA PE is a feasible measure for the estimation of an individual resident's performance as well as the adequacy of the environment provided by the training institutes.
Academies and Institutes ; Adolescent ; Adolescent Psychiatry ; Child ; Child Psychiatry ; Geriatric Psychiatry ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Korea ; Psychophysiologic Disorders ; Psychotic Disorders