No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Infant*

Three hormonal systems show decreasing circulating hormone concentrations during normal aging : (1) estrogen(in menopause), and testosterone (in andropause), (2) dehydroepiandrosterone and its sulfate (in adrenopause), and (3) the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor 1 axis (in somatopause). Throughout the adult life, all physiological functions gradually decline. There is a diminishing capacity for cellular protein synthesis, an decline in immune function, an increase in fat mass, a loss of muscle mass and strength, and a decrease in bone mineral density. Physical changes during aging have been considered physiologic, but there is evidence that some of these changes are related to the decline in the hormonal activity. Various hormonal replacement strategies have been developed, but many of their aspects remain controversial, and increased blood hormone levels in aging individuals to those found during the mid-adult life have not been uniformly proven to be safe and of benefit.
Adult ; Aging* ; Bone Density ; Dehydroepiandrosterone ; Female ; Hormone Replacement Therapy* ; Humans ; Menopause ; Testosterone

A microsporidian parasite Enterocytozoon bieneusi is the most common microorganism recognized in AIDS patients, and slow scientific progress is attributed to our inability to propagate the parasite. We report upon the development of a system of propagation using the pig biliary system. The parasite spores were continuously detected in the bile samples post onset of spore shedding in the gall bladder, which suggests that this organism maintain persistent infection in the biliary system and that the hepatobiliary tree may represent a reservoir of infection. In conclusion the biliary tree is an adequate niche for the propagation of E. bieneusi. This work has also resulted in the development of a procedure of ultrasound-guided cholecystocentesis for aspirating biles. This is a simple and non-surgical procedure, and creates no signs of clinical complications in the livers and the gall bladders after dozens of separate attempts. Thus, this is a very useful and safe technique for the aspiration of bile from live animals.
AIDS-Related Opportunistic Infections/*parasitology ; Animals ; Bile/parasitology ; Biliary Tract/*parasitology ; DNA, Protozoan/analysis ; Disease Models, Animal ; Enterocytozoon/*growth & development/physiology ; Feces/parasitology ; Gallbladder/parasitology/ultrasonography ; Immunosuppression/veterinary ; Microsporidiosis/*parasitology ; Paracentesis/methods/veterinary ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary ; Specimen Handling/methods/veterinary ; Spores, Protozoan/isolation & purification/physiology ; Swine

Treatment of peptic ulceration by suppression of gastric aeid, secretion with the histamine H,-receptor antagonist, cimetidine is now well established. Prior to the availability of ranitidine, cimetidine was the only histamine H2-receptor antagonist available for treatment of duodenal and gastric ulceration. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of ranitidine and cimetidine in accelerating the healing of duodenal ulcer. The therapeutic trials comparing ranitidine with cimetidine in a total of 44. out-patients with endoscopically diagnosed duodenal ulcer ivere entered into the study. 28 patients were treated with ranitidine 150mg twiee daily, and 16 patients with cimetidine 200 mg 4 times daily for 4 weeks. Overall endoscopic healing rates were 75%, on ranitidine and 64.3% on cimetidine, and so ranitidine appears to be slightly more effective than cimetidine although too small numbers af patients were studied to detcet any difference between drugs. Aa ranitidine is effective with administration twice daily, patient compliance may be better than with the 4 times daily treatment regimen adopted with cimetidine, though has not yet to be adequately demonstrated. There were no significant side-effects, either ranitidine or cimetidine, to the administration of the drug, except a case of dyspepsia on cimetidine regimen.
Cimetidine ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Dyspepsia ; Histamine ; Humans ; Outpatients ; Patient Compliance ; Peptic Ulcer* ; Ranitidine ; Stomach Ulcer

No abstract available.
Depression* ; Humans

No abstract available.
Aging* ; Hormone Replacement Therapy*

Recent development of dignostic tools such as video-endoscopy, chromoscopy, magnifying endoscopy, and endoscopic ultrasonography has made it possible to do the accurate staging of colorectal cancer. Dysplasia confined to mucosa or upper one-third of submucosa of rectal wall can be treated with mucosal resection or local resection for cure. The involvement of perirectal lymph node by cancers can be confirmed by endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine needle aspiration cytology (EUS-FNA). Positron emission tomography is useful for the detection of recurrent and metastatic tumor after surgical resection. Colonoscopy is cost-effective for the screening of cancer, however, But the virtual colonoscopy with MR or CT can play the role of colonoscopy without risk. Stool DNA test is a promising tool. In addition to traditional diagnostic tools such as colonoscopy, CT and pathology, emerging knowledge from molecular biology of cancer gives information on predicts the prognosis of colorectal cancer patients.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Colonography, Computed Tomographic ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms* ; Diagnosis* ; DNA ; Endoscopy ; Endosonography ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Mass Screening ; Molecular Biology ; Mucous Membrane ; Pathology ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Prognosis

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify relationships between depression, family support, and rehabilitation-motivation in patients with cerebrovascular accident. METHOD: The data were collected from 'S' hospital in Seoul from Feb. 1, 2004 to Apr. 30, 2004. The data were analyzed using a SPSS 10.0 program for descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression. RESULT: The results were as follows: The mean rehabilitation-motivation was 119.89, which was slightly high. The rehabilitation-motivation was influenced by religion, education level, occupation, economic status, treatment fee, duration of hospitalization, level of language ability and ADL. Rehabilitation-motivation has showed correlation with family support (r=.538, p=.000) and depression (r=-.417, p=.000). The variables related to rehabilitation-motivation were identified as family support, level of ADL, occupation, depression, and education level, using stepwise multiple regression. They were accounted for 57% of predictability of the rehabilitation-motivation, with the family support the highest at 29.3%. CONCLUSION: With increasing post stroke patients in Korea, we need to pay more attention to the rehabilitation of them. This study indicates that health professionals need to focus on the intervention especially in increasing family support and in decreasing depression of the patients with cerebrovascular accident.
Activities of Daily Living ; Depression* ; Education ; Fees and Charges ; Health Occupations ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Korea ; Language ; Occupations ; Rehabilitation ; Seoul ; Stroke*

Mothers with cerebral palsy children have much stress that is related to the care of children with cerebral palsy and to other household duties, and this state of the mother has an effect on the cerebral palsy child and on other household member. Mothers in such stressful situations use various coping patterns. The purpose of this study was as follows : to develop instruments that can be used for measuring the stress and coping patterns of mothers with cerebral palsy children, and to test a hypothetical model on the relationship between the mother's stress, her coping patterns and the variable affecting the stress and coping patterns. The result of this study can be summarized as follows : 1. The stress scale was composed of 44 items and Cronbach's alpha was .94, and the coping pattern scale was composed of 19 items and Cronbach's alpha was .80. The mean score of stress scale was 136.12 out of a total of 220, and the mean score of the coping scale was 72.87 in a total of 95. 2. In test of the hypothetical model, it was found that extra-care demand, the support of the husband, the degree of handicap, health status and self-esteem had statistically significant influence on the mother's stress(r=.285,-.262,-.133,-.126). And the support of the husband, formal support, informal support, and economic status were found to have statistically significant influence on the mother's coping patterns(r=.412, .178, .178, .138).
Cerebral Palsy* ; Child* ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Mothers* ; Spouses ; Child Health

Sleep disordered breathing is highly prevalent in the elderly and affects older men and women similarly. Nocturia, cardiovascular diseases, cognitive impairment, traffic accidents and repeated falls are common manifestations of sleep apnea in the elderly and sleep study may be indicated in these patients. When a sleep study is planned, reliable markers of respiratory efforts and a tibial EMG should be included because central sleep apneas and periodic leg movements are common in the elderly patients. Although cardiovascular morbidity and mortality seem to be lower in the elderly than in middle-aged adults, these may not be as low as commonly believed. Excessive daytime sleepiness, cognitive dysfunction and nocturia can be improved by effective treatment with continuous positive airway pressure and a therapeutic trial should be recommended to all symptomatic patients. It is still unclear whether sleep apnea in older adults is a specific entity or the same disease as in younger adults. Further clinical research is warranted.
Accidents, Traffic ; Adult* ; Aged ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Continuous Positive Airway Pressure ; Female ; Humans ; Leg ; Male ; Mortality ; Nocturia ; Sleep Apnea Syndromes* ; Sleep Apnea, Central