OBJECTIVES: This study intended to determine significant factors that influence the health-related quality of life ("HRQoL"; EuroQol 5 Dimension health-related quality of life (EQ_5D) & EuroQol visual analogue scale (EQ_VAS)) of the elderly in Korea. METHODS: This study was based on 3,903 subjects aged 65 years or more who participated in the Fifth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES V), 2010~2012. The HRQoL was analyzed by various factors (general characteristics, health habits, mental health, chronic diseases, nutrient intakes). SPSS statistics for complex samples (Windows ver. 21.0) was used. RESULTS: The HRQoL was higher in the males, those with higher educational level or higher income level while it was lower in those belong to single households. In particular, the EQ_5D was significantly higher in the group who reported walking practice, moderate physical activity (male), and the group who reported no vigorous physical activity (female). The EQ_VAS was significantly higher in the group who reported walking practice. Both EQ_5D and EQ_VAS were significantly lower in the group with stress, melancholy, suicidal thinking, and osteoarthritis. EQ_5D was significantly lower in the group with < 75% Estimated Energy Requirements (EER) in energy intake, and with < Estimated Average Requirements (EAR) in iron or niacin intake. A stepwise regression analysis revealed that i) higher educational level (male), and good self-rated health status significantly increased the EQ_5D, ii) age, alcohol intake (male), melancholy (female), suicidal thinking, osteoarthritis, and niacin intake deficiency (male) significantly decreased the EQ_5D, iii) higher income level (male) and good self-rated health status significantly increased the EQ_VAS, and iv) age (male), stress, suicidal thinking (female) and osteoarthritis significantly decreased the EQ_VAS. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggested that general characteristics, mental health, osteoarthritis, and niacin intake were associated with the HRQoL. Prospective research of long-term control is needed to establish the causal relationship between factors and the HRQoL.
Aged* ; Chronic Disease* ; Energy Intake ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Iron ; Korea ; Male ; Mental Health* ; Motor Activity ; Niacin ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Osteoarthritis ; Quality of Life* ; Thinking ; Walking

BACKGROUND: Plasmapheresis or plasma exchange is the procedure to remove various pathogenic materials from the circulation of patients and retransfuse the formed elements into the doners with type specific fresh frozen plasma or albumin for the replacement of the withdrawn plasma. METHODS: In order to evaluate clinical experience of plasma exchange, we examined a total of 133 plasma exchange procedure on 25 patients of January 1993 - May 1994 in Kyungpook national university hospital. RESULTS: The results are as follows: 1. There were 8 kinds of diseases and the most frequent diseases was Guillian-Barre syndrome(l 2 cases) and the decreasing order was CIDP(6 cases), multiple myeloma(2 cases), acute fulminant hepatitis(1 case), mushroom poisoning(1 case), lupus nephritis(l case), TTP(I case) and myasthenia gravis(l case). 2. The patient's age ranged from 13 to 65 years. 3. There were 14 males and 11 females and the sex ratio was 1.3:1. 4. We had got clinical improvement in 16 of 25 cases, especially most dramatic effect in Guillian-Barre syndrome. CONCLUSION: To achieve more successful outcome of plasma exchange, we should select patients with restrict application, prevent rebound phenomenon with intense practice, choose what kind of replacement fluid to consider patient's clinical condition and check serological parameter with clinical evaluation to monitor effectiveness of treatment.
Agaricales ; Female ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Male ; Plasma Exchange* ; Plasma* ; Plasmapheresis ; Sex Ratio

To elucidate the biologic significause of hepatocyte B core antigen (HBcAg) expression and its relation to the natural course of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, we tried to correlate the patterns of HBcAg with the HBV replication state and with disease activity in 40 needle biopsies performed on hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) carriers aged from 15 to 46 years. In 32 of 40 cases, HBcAg was present in the hepatocyte nucleus (nHBcAg), in the cytoplams (cHBcAg) or in both (mixed). Pure nHBcAg was seen only in minimal hepatitis, but a diffuse pattern of expression of cytoplasmic HBcAg and mixed cytoplasmic and nuclear expression of HBcAg were seen in active hepatitis. There was also a good correlation between liver HBcAg and serum HBeAg. Cases in which HBcAg expression were observed were positive for serum HBeAg (81%) and the cases negative for HBcAg were all positive for serum anti-HBe.
Biopsy

We evaluated 1,000 consecutive endometrial curettage samples obtained over a 30 month period. The clinico-pathologic correlation was analysed according to Hendrickson's five criteria based on the practical view. The causes of uterine bleeding in decreasing order of occurrence were as follows: 1) hormonal imbalance lesions (49.2%) encompassing glandular and stromal breakdown suggesting anovulatory bleeding, proliferative phase endometrium, and disordered proliferative endometrium, 2) pregnancy associated lesions (24.2%), 3) organic lesions (13.5%), 4) endometrial hyperplasia (6.9%), and 5) inadequate specimen (6.2%). According to age, pregnancy related lesions were most frequent in the third decade. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth decades, hormonal imbalance lesions were the most common cause. In approximately 30% of the samples, there were two or three morphologic patterns such as anovulatory bleeding with an endometrial polyp, postabortal bleeding with inflammation, and glandular-stromal dissociation with a polyp, which suggested there was a variable histologic morphology in the same disease spectrum. Using immunohistochemical techniques we studied the hormonal dependency of bcl-2 oncoprotein in anovulatory bleeding, endometrial hyperplasia, and proliferative endometrium. 70% of anovulatory bleeding specimens showed weak positivity in the epithelial cytoplasm, and all cases of endometrial hyperplasia and carcinoma showed a strong positivity. These results suggest that there is a estrogenic hormonal dependency of apoptosis in the endometrium.
Apoptosis ; Biopsy* ; Curettage ; Cytoplasm ; Endometrial Hyperplasia ; Endometrium* ; Estrogens ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; Inflammation ; Polyps ; Pregnancy ; Uterine Hemorrhage*

No abstract available.
Meconium* ; Peritonitis*

No abstract available.
Arnold-Chiari Malformation* ; Diagnosis* ; Prenatal Diagnosis* ; Ultrasonography*

Itching is a rare symptom in neurological disease. Paroxysmal symptom is uncommon in neuromyelitis optica (NMO) or multiple sclerosis. We describe a 45-year-old woman who presented with paroxysmal pruritus in association with relapse of NMO on two separate occasions. Cervical MRI showed a lesion at a level corresponding to the dermatomal site of the itching. Paroxysmal pruritus could be a predictive symptom of relapse in NMO unless there are other comorbid causes such as systemic diseases, allergy, drug reaction, or emotional stress responsible for the itching.

Lumbosacral radiculoplexopathy in colon cancer treatment is a very rare but serious complication after radiation. We report here a 66-year-old man with slowly progressive lower limb weakness which arose 30 years after local radiation treatment for colon cancer. Electrophysiological studies revealed signs of denervation confined to the lower limbs. Other causes were excluded by clinical presentation, serological, cerebrospinal fluid and imaging studies. This case shows that delayed radiation-induced lumbosacral radiculoplexopathy can occur 30 years after the initial treatment.
Colonic Neoplasms

Myometrial pregnancy developing in an previous cesarean section scar is the rarest of all ectopic pregnancy and provavly one of the most dangerous because of the risk of rupture and hemorrhage. For a young patient wanting to maintain her fertility, an earlier diagnosis and more conservative treatment are highly desirable. We present a case of an ectopic pregnancy embedded in the myometrium of a previous cesarean section scar in which the patient preserved her fertility through more noninvasive method, transvaginal ultrasound-guided Methotrexate injection.
Animals ; Cesarean Section* ; Cicatrix* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Fertility ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Methotrexate* ; Mice ; Myometrium* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic* ; Rupture

The purpose of this study was to analyse the nutrient intake of the elementary students participating in the School lunch program and to compare the amount of the plate waste generated in two school foodservice operations that were located in an urban(school A) and a rural area(school B), respectively. A plate waste analysis was conducted for each menu item to separate and quantify food waste discarded in service phases of each operation. The SPSS 10.0 for window was used for data analysis. Non-parametric test (Mann-Whitney) was adopted to determine if significant differences existed in amounts of food waste generated in school A and school B. An average of 415 meals, including 43 adult meals, were served daily in school A, while an average of 177 meals, including 24 adult meals, were served daily in school B. Throughout the study the percentage of plate waste in vegetable dishes was high in both school. The food served to the students in school A met most of the RDA set by Korean Nutrition Association except vitamin A, while that served to the students in school B satisfied RDA in all aspects. Between 10-20% of the nutrients served were discarded as plate waste(school A : 11-27%; school B : 5-14%). Students in school B took significantly more niacin than students in school A did. It should be noted, though, that the RDA was still met in both schools except the vitamin A in case of school A, even after considering the plate waste. The research results suggested that school foodservice dieticians should evaluate the acceptability of menu items based on food waste per meal, and help increase the students' awareness of the environmental impact of food waste. Further, teachers, parents and dieticians should be encouraged to provide environmental education to the students that focused on the reduction of food waste.
Adult ; Education ; Humans ; Lunch ; Meals ; Niacin ; Nutritionists ; Nutritive Value* ; Parents ; Statistics as Topic ; Vegetables ; Vitamin A