OBJECTIVE: Because endometriosis is difficult to diagnose and has a high recurrence rate after treatment, a reliable serum marker of endometriosis is necessary. Therefore, the aim of this study is to measure the serum levels of CA125 and CA19-9 in patients with endometriosis before and after treatment and during recurrence, and to assess the usefulness of these levels in the diagnosis, clinical follow up and prediction of recurrence in endometriosis. METHODS: Eighty-eight patients who visited the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Ewha Mokdong Hospital from January 1994 to December 1998 and were diagnosed as endometriosis by laparoscopy or explo-laparotomy were enrolled as subjects. A retrospective analysis of serum CA125 and CA19-9 levels at 1 month before and 3 to 6 months after initiation of treatment was done. RESULTS: The serum CA125 and CA19-9 levels of endometriosis group(81.0+/-252.5, 36.6+/-53.4 ; mean+/-2SD, U/ml) before treatment was significantly higher than control group(11.6+/-12.8, 9.4+/-8.6)(p<0.05). Overall sensitivity rate for CA125, CA19-9 levels and both was 53.4%, 42.9% and 64.3% respectively. The sensitivity rate for endometriosis, stage 3 and 4(85.4%, 55.0%) was significantly higher than that, stage 1 and 2(p<0.05). The serum CA125 level in endometriosis group showed a significant increment according to stages(p<0.05) while the serum CA19-9 level showed an increasing trend(p=0.055) and both levels decreased significantly after treatment(p<0.05). The serum CA125 level was also higher at recurrence after treatment(p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The serum CA125 and CA19-9 levels are a useful marker for diagnosing severity of disease, monitoring efficacy of treatment and predicting recurrence in endometriosis.
Biomarkers ; Diagnosis ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Laparoscopy ; Obstetrics ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Abortion, Spontaneous* ; Chorion* ; Chorionic Villi* ; Female ; Humans ; Pregnancy

No abstract available.
Autopsy* ; Statistics as Topic*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between organizational socialization and intention to leave, and to identify factors affecting on intention to leave in operating room nurses. METHODS: This study used a descriptive design. Seventy operating room nurses recruited from three hospitals under the same management style, in-service educational system, and working conditions agreed to participate in this study, and completed self-administered questionnaires of the organizational socialization and the intention to leave questionnaire. Respondents were classified by career as advanced beginner, competent practitioner, proficient practitioner and expert practitioner by Benner's stages of nursing proficiency. Data were analyzed with t-test, ANOVA with multiple comparisons, Spearman correlation, and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: Nurses unsatisfied with the current in-service continuous education had lower organizational socialization and higher intention to leave. In advanced beginners, job performance was lowest and organizational commitment was highest. In expert practitioners, intention to leave was highest. Organizational commitment, interpersonal relationship, identity and burnout were associated with intention to leave. Mutual trust, burnout, and interpersonal relationship were predictors of intention to leave explained 20.8% of variance. CONCLUSION: The career ladder program to enhance nurses' organizational socialization and intention to stay should be established and expanded for well-experienced operating room nurses.
Career Mobility ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Education ; Hospitals, University* ; Intention* ; Nursing ; Operating Rooms* ; Socialization*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Hypoglycemia* ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn* ; Iron*

This study was purosed to investigate maternal and fetal clinical parameters effecting on maternal serum alpha-fetoprotein(MSAFP) levels at late normal singleton pregnancies. The subjects of this study were 171 pregnant women with gestational age of 36 to 42 weeks, and didn`t have any medical or gynecologic diseases. They delivered fetuses within three days after blood test of MSAFP. MSAFP levels were measured by enzyme-immunoassay. The analysed clinical parameters included fetal sex, fetal weight, gestatioal age, maternal age, gravidity, parity, maternal weight and maternal total weight gain during pregnancy. The results were as follows: At uncomplicated late pregnancies, 1. Male fetus bearers had higher MSAFP(mean: 191.8 ng/ml, SD: 80.8 ng/ml, n=79) than female-fetus bearers(mean 153.6 ng/ml, SD 73.0 ng/ml, n=92)(p=0.0014). 2. Multiparas had higher MSAFP(mean: 192.7 ng/ml, SD: 77.9 ng/ml, n=80) than nulliparas(mean: 152.3 ng/ml, SD 75.1 ng/ml, n=91)(p=0.0007). 3. MSAFP did not have correlation with maternal age, maternal weight, maternal total wight gain during pregnancy, gestational age, fetal weight. According to the above results, fetal sex and parity are the factors that influences MSAFP levels at uncomplicated late pregnancies. So MSAFP values should be interpreted with cautions.
Female ; Fetal Weight ; Fetus ; Genital Diseases, Female ; Gestational Age ; Gravidity ; Hematologic Tests ; Humans ; Male ; Maternal Age ; Parity ; Pregnancy* ; Pregnant Women ; Weight Gain

BACKGROUND: Left ventricular hypertrophy is a major cardiovascular risk factor for sudden death, acute myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure. The left ventricle is generally thought to adapt to sustained arterial hypertension with increased total peripheral resistance by developing concentric hypertrophy. In recent years, the echocardiogrphy has been developed as a noninvasive method for evaluation of left ventricular geometry and left ventricular mass. However, left ventricular adaptation to hypertension has been shown to be more complex than expected. In fact, many patients with mild to moderate hypertension exhibit normal left ventricular mass and wall thickness, other hypertensive patients have eccentric ventricular hypertrophy that is not related to systolic dysfunction, but rather to increased cardiac output and preload and in some hypertensive patients absolute and relative wall thickness is increased with normal ventricular mass(concentric remodeling). There are differences in the hemodynamics, systolic function and diastolic function in each group. METHODS: From september 1992 to August 1994, in 144 patients with untreated essential hypertension and 50 age and gender matched normal adults studied by two-dimensional, M-mode and Doppler echocardiography. In the present study we used echocardiographically derived left ventricular mass and relative wall thickness to assess the patterns of ventricular geometric adaptation to systemic hypertension and their relations to systemic hemodynamics, left ventricular load and contractile performance. RESULTS: Hypertensive group was 144 cases(M:F=68:76), the mean age 56+/-13years. Normotensive group was 50 cases(M:F=22:28), the mean age 52+/-9years. Among hypertensive patients, left ventricular mass index and relative wall thickness were normal in 42 cases(29%), 24 cases(17%) had increased relative wall thickness with normal ventricular mass(concentric remodelin),48 cases(33%) had both increased relative wall thickness and ventricular mass(concentric hypertrophy), 30 cases(21%) had increased left ventricular mass with normal relative wall thickness(eccentric hypertrophy). Concentric hypertrophy and normal left ventricle group are more common in untreated hypertensive patients in Korea. Systemic hemodynamics showed tendency to paralleled ventricular geomety. In groups with concentric remodeling and hypertrophy, perpheral resistance was increased. Cardiac index was midly increased in eccentric hypertrophy. Diastolic dysfunction was prominent tn concentric hypertrophy. CONCLUSION: Each patterns of left ventricular geometry had different systemic hemodynamics, ventricular pressure overload and ventricular volume overload. Therefore, appropriate selection of antihypertensive agent for the patients with each patterns of hypertrophy reduce the left ventricular hypertrophy and may improve the prognosis.
Adult ; Cardiac Output ; Death, Sudden ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Heart Failure ; Heart Ventricles ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Hypertrophy ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular* ; Korea ; Myocardial Infarction ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors ; Vascular Resistance ; Ventricular Pressure

Fresh-cut foods have been widely used in the school foodservice industry due to their convenience and saving effects of labor and working hours. This study evaluated the effectiveness of using fresh-cut foods in school foodservice with respect to cost efficiency, customer satisfaction, employee satisfaction, and productivity. First, in terms of cost efficiency, the cost of the fresh-cut food per meal price significantly increased by 2.6% via the new production plan. Meanwhile, the costs of labor and food wastes significantly decreased by 3.0% and 0.3%, respectively, after implementing the new plan. Second, customer satisfaction towards foodservice significantly increased, from 2.94 points prior to the new plan to 3.45 points. Third, foodservice productivity such as of the number of meals per full-time equivalent employee increased by 5.7 meals, from 143.0 meals to 148.7 meals after intervention. The productivity index of work hours for producing a meal also increased and was reflected by a work time reduction of 0.77 minutes, specifically from 4.25 minutes to 3.48 minutes. The labor cost per meal also decreased by 29.9 won, from 331.91 won to 301.97 won, but there was no significant difference. Through these results, we identified that using pre-process foods in school foodservice has positive effects on labor saving, customer satisfaction, and employee work satisfaction.
Efficiency ; Humans ; Meals

Leiomyorrw is the mest cunmon in the uterine hunor. Smooth muscle tumors of the female genital taact arise mostly from the uterine myometrium and only rarely from the broad ligament. We experienced a cases of huge leiomyoma of the broad ligarnent with secondary cystic degeneration. In the respect of rarity, we report this case with a brief review.
Animals ; Broad Ligament* ; Female ; Humans ; Leiomyoma* ; Mice ; Myometrium ; Round Ligaments ; Smooth Muscle Tumor

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to find out factors affecting job stress and job satisfaction of nurses working at the welfare centers. METHODS: This study was performed with 140 nurses who were working at or had retired within 1 year from general welfare centers in Seoul during the period from March 29 to February 29 2004. We used a questionnaire asking about general characteristics. work characteristics. stress factors and job satisfaction. We analysed 103 subjects who replied to the questionnaires. RESULTS: The mean job stress level was 2.84 out of 5 and. as for the sub-factors of job stress. income was 4.19, career development 3.69, service environment 3.26 and support system 1.90. The mean job satisfaction level was 3.32 out of 5 and. as for the sub-factors of job satisfaction, job control was 3.58, efficiency of organization 3.27, job burden and responsibility 2.92 and role ambiguity 2.25. When the nurses' job stress was compared according to their general and work characteristics. stress level was significantly high in nurses who had a short experience. were working at the department of senior welfare center. or were the only staff at their workplace (p<0.05). In addition. satisfaction level was significantly high in nurses who were working at the department of senior welfare center and medical welfare team. were the only staff at their workplace or had a heavy work load (p<0.05). According to the results of multiple regression analysis. job stress level was influenced by age (R2=0.212, p<0.01). and job satisfaction level by the number of staffs and work load (R2=0.272, p<0.1). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study suggest that good atmosphere should be made up to communicate between the departments at the workplace in order to lessen job stress and enhance job satisfaction of nurses working at welfare centers. In addition. role division and job duties among special staffs should be reviewed in order to achieve high efficiency in performing job duties.
Atmosphere ; Job Satisfaction* ; Seoul ; Surveys and Questionnaires