No abstract available.
Adult* ; Humans ; Molecular Epidemiology* ; Oxalobacter formigenes* ; Seoul*

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether radial rigidity measured using RigiScan(R) represents the intracorporeal pressure effectively. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From January 1998 to May 1999, total of 23 patients with erectile dysfunction were evaluated by RigiScan(R) and duplex ultrasonography after the intracorporeal injection of prostaglandin E1. Peak systolic velocity and end diastolic velocity were measured by duplex ultrasonography and then the resistance index was calculated as (peak systolic velocity-end diastolic velocity)/(peak systolic velocity). Radial rigidity of penile tip and base was measured by RigiScanR . The results were analyzed statistically by PC-SPSS version 7.5. RESULTS: There were statistically significant correlations between radial rigidity of penile tip and base and the resistance index by Spearman's correlation analysis, respectively (r=0.680, p<0.001)(r=0.703, p<0.001). When radial rigidity of penile tip and base exceeded 60% of maximum, radial rigidity of penile tip and base again correlated well with the resistance index, respectively (r=0.659, p=0.020)(r=0.759, p=0.011). Based on clinically determined degree of erection, radial rigidity of penile tip and base represented the intracorporeal pressure effectively. CONCLUSIONS: Radial rigidity measured by RigiScan(R) represents the intracorporeal pressure effectively.
Alprostadil* ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Humans ; Male ; Ultrasonography

To investigate the attitude towards the security, privacy, and confidentiality of health information, authors surveyed patient, physician, nurse, medical student, nursing student, medical record manager, and health management student groups. Most of the subject hoped that the health information should be treated as a secret. They answered that the information could be shared for the social good when necessary, the ownership and the right to decide the disclosure should belong to patient, and patient should be allowed to access their own information with certain degree of regulation. More than half of the clinical workers answered that they have disclosed patient' s secret for non-medical reasons within a year but they denied any potential harm to their patients. Patients expected that their health information were being securely treated, gave the lowest grade to security violation risk, and showed the most generous attitude towards disclosing and sharing their information than other groups. However, when they are asked the same questions for detailed items such as identification, diagnosis, cause of admission, past medical history and so forth, they showed the strictest attitude to most of the situations and items to disclose their information. Different attitudes toward the information security among the different social groups was demonstrated as a potential cause of social conflict. The attitude change of the patients with the different level of granularity of questions suggests that investigators should be cautious when they conduct and interpretate the attitude toward the security, privacy, and security aspects of health information.
Confidentiality* ; Diagnosis ; Disclosure ; Hope ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Ownership ; Privacy* ; Research Personnel ; Students, Medical ; Students, Nursing

Mixed squamous cell carcinoma and papillary carcinoma in the thyroid gland is a very rare malignant tumor characterized by rapidly progressive clinical course and radioresistance. A 63-year-oid woman had mixed squamous cell carcinoma and papillary carcinoma in the thyroid gland diagnosed by fine needle aspiration cytology (FNA), and the diagnosis was confirmed by histological examination. She had complained of a fixed, egg-sized mass of the anterior neck with hoarseness for 1 year. The findings of FNA consisted of sheets and clusters of polygonal epithelial cells with hyperchromatic, pleomorphic nuclei and eosinophilic, abundant, laminated cytoplasm. These findings were consistent with squamous cell carcinoma. Also, foci of papillary carcinoma were noted, and the cells exhibited nuclear groovings and intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusions. Total thyroidectomy specimen showed a diffusely infiltrating tumor in the left thyroid which was composed of mixed papillary carcinoma and well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. In junction between two components, squamous metaplasia of papillary carcinoma was noted.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Child* ; Cytoplasm ; Diagnosis ; Eosinophils ; Epithelial Cells ; Female ; Giant Cell Tumors ; Giant Cells ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental* ; Hoarseness ; Humans ; Inclusion Bodies ; Metaplasia ; Neck ; Ribs ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroidectomy

No abstract available.
Stroke*

PURPOSE: We intended to compare with the effectiveness of conservative and immediate surgical management of iatrogenic ureteral injuries according to the types of injury. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 32 cases with iatrogenic ureteral injuries resulting from obstetric and gynecologic procedures from June 1986 to October 1997. The age of these patients ranged from 24 to 76 years(mean age 50.7). RESULTS: The types of procedure resulting in iatrogenic ureteral injuries were radical hysterectomy in 16 cases(50.0%), abdominal hysterectomy in 8 cases(25.0%), cesarean section in 5 cases(15.6%), salpingoophorectomy in 1 case(3.1%) and radiation therapy in 2 cases(6.3%). The types of urethral injury were urethral obstruction in 18 cases(56.3%), ureterovaginal fistula in 9 cases(28.1%) and ureterocutaneous fistula in 5 cases(15.6%). As the initial treatment, conservative treatments were in 17 cases(56.7%) and surgical treatments were in 13 cases(43.3%). The result of surgical treatment as the initial treatment was good in all cases, but the failure rate of conservative treatment was 35.2%. CONCLUSIONS: Generally conservative treatment is the first recommendable method in iatrogenic urethral injuries with delayed diagnosis, but early definitive operative repair may be more feasible and preferable method in selected cases regardless of types of urethral injury.
Cesarean Section ; Delayed Diagnosis* ; Female ; Fistula ; Humans ; Hysterectomy ; Medical Records ; Pregnancy ; Ureter* ; Urethral Obstruction

PURPOSE: To determine whether the preoperative residual urine fraction(RF) correlates with the change in the maximal flow rate(Qmax) in patients treated for benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH). MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February 1995 to June 1999, 81 men aged 54 to 82 years (mean: 65.4 +/- 6.7 years) with BPH were examined with Qmax and residual volume using uroflometry and ultrasonography, respectively, before and after transurethral resection of the prostate. The RF was defined as the postvoiding residual/premicturition volume x100. Statistical analysis was performed by simple linear regression using SPSS. RESULTS: The magnitude of improvement in Qmax postoperatively was greatest in patients who had preoperative Qmax < 12mL/sec and RF > 25, followed by Qmax < 12mL/sec and RF < 25, Qmax > 12mL/sec and RF > 25, and Qmax > 12mL/sec and RF < 25. The extent of improvement in Qmax in patients had a value < 12mL/sec was significantly better than that in patients who had a value > 12mL/sec. Among patients who had a Qmax > 12mL/sec preoperatively, the improvement in those who had an RF > 25 was significant better than that in patients who had an RF < 25. CONCLUSION: We suggest that RF and Qmax may have the value as indicator for surgery of benign prostatic hyperplasia preoperatively. The higher RF and Qmax, the poorer postoperative Qmax are anticipates in the patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Humans ; Linear Models ; Male ; Prostate ; Prostatic Hyperplasia* ; Residual Volume ; Transurethral Resection of Prostate* ; Ultrasonography

PURPOSE: We investigated whether psychological factors could influence on the symptoms of chronic prostatitis based on general population that have not previously been examined or treated. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between August and November 2000, we randomly selected 100 male residents in the area of Chung-nam including Daejoen city. The participants completed self- administered questionnaires. Based on our inclusion criteria, 87 participants were included in this study. RESULTS: Scores of Beck Depression Inventory of participants with higher pain and urinary symptoms domain scores were significantly higher than those with lower pain and urinary symptoms domain scores of the National Institutes of Health-chronic prostatitis symptom index (p=0.001 and p=0.028, respectively). However, anxiety did not influence on the symptoms of chronic prostatitis based on the results of State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. Based on the results of Bem Sex Role Inventory, masculinity score of participants with higher urinary symptoms domain scores were significantly lower than those with lower urinary symptoms domain scores (p=0.042). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that psychological problems may involve in an early stage of chronic prostatitis and have a causative role in chronic prostatitis.
Academies and Institutes ; Anxiety ; Depression ; Gender Identity ; Humans ; Male ; Masculinity ; Prostatitis* ; Psychology ; Surveys and Questionnaires

This study was done to evaluate the effect of Ca source using fish (Tilapia mossambica) scales on the bone metabolism. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, 4 weeks of age, were fed low-calcium diet (0.15% Ca) for 2 weeks. The rats on the low-calcium diet were further assigned to one of following three groups for an additional 4 weeks: 1) Ca-depletion group (LoCa) given 0.15% Ca diet (CaCO3), 2) Ca-repletion group (AdCa) given 0.5% Ca diet (CaCO3), 3) Ca-repletion diet (AdFa) received 0.5% Ca diet (Ca source from Tilapia mossambica scales). Serum parathyroid (PTH) and calcitonin showed no differences among experimental groups. Whereas LoCa group elevated the turnover markers, serum ALP and osteocalcin, and urinary deoxypyridinoline (DPD), AdCa and AdFa groups reduced their values. Elevation in the femoral weight, ash and Ca contents was observed in AdCa and AdFa groups. Bone mineral density was increased in AdCa and AdFa groups by 25-26% compared with LoCa group. These data demonstrate that Ca repletion with either Ca source from Tilapia mossambica scales or CaCO3 is similarly effective in the improvement of bone turnover markers and BMD, suggesting the usefulness of Tilapia mossambica scales in the prevention of bone loss compared with CaCO3.
Amino Acids ; Animals ; Biomarkers ; Bone Density ; Calcitonin ; Calcium ; Diet ; Humans ; Male ; Osteocalcin ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Tilapia ; Weights and Measures

BACKGROUND: Assessment of left ventricular function with conventional 2-dimensional echocardiography (2D echo) remains largely qualitative and subjective because the manual tracing of endocardial borders is laborious and tedious. An automatic border detection (ABD) echo has been recently developed that permits real-time measurements of chamber areas and cardiac function. METHODS: To determine usefulness of ABD echo, left ventricular cross-sectional areas were automatically measured from the parasternal short-axis image in 25 cases including 9 cardiac patients, and compared with those by off-line analysis of the conventional 2D echo image. RESULTS: In on-line ABD analysis, short axis end-diastolic area averaged 13.1+/-2.2cm2, end-systolic area 5.3+/-1.3cm2 and fractional area change 59.4+/-9.0% and off-line manual analysis yielded corresponding values of 14.7+/-2.5cm2, 6.2+/-1.3cm2, and 57.1+/-7.1%. The end-diastolic and end-systolic areas by both methods were significantly different, respectively. Left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic area and fractional area change obtained from ABD echo correlated significantly with those of off-line measurements(r=0.897, p<0.001 ; r=0.505, p<0.01 ; r=0.427, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Thus, these facts suggest that ABD echo is useful for on-line continuous measurement of chamber areas and cardiac function.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Echocardiography* ; Humans ; Ventricular Function, Left