Conventional high-dose antipsychotics tend to result in more side effects, negative symptoms and dysphoria, and at the same time lower the cognitive function which is already impaired in most schizophrenics. Florid psychotic symptoms, negative symptoms and cognitive impairment greatly impede psychosocial performance and eventual reintegration int society. The reduction of symptom and the improvement of cognitive funtions and social skills are therefore central to the psychiatric rehabilitation process. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dose-reduction effects of antipsychotics more than 1,500mg equivalent of chlorpromazine. Fifty-one chronic schizophrenics who maintained high-does antipsychotics for more than three months were randomly assigned to two groups : 20 patients comprised the dose-maintaining group and 31 patients made the dose-reduction group. Over a sixteen weekperiod Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS), Extrapyramidal Symptom(EPS), Nurses' Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation(NOSIE-30), Continuous Performance Test(CPT), Quality of Life(QOL), and haloperidol/reduced haloperidol blood levels were determined at the base line and after 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16 weeks to evaluate the dose reduction effects of high-dose antipsychotics. The results were as follows: 1) Dose-reduction is highly effective in reducing positive and negative symptoms, and general psychopathology. Effects were most prominent at 8, 12, 16 weeks. Among the dose reduction group, positive symptoms in positive symptom group and negative symptoms in negative symptom group were more reduced. 2) Extrapyramidal symptoms showed no significant difference between two groups. But EPS was reduced time after time within two groups. 3) Hit rates of Continuous Performance Test, which indicate attentional capacity, increased significantly after dose reduction. 4) Haloperidol and reduced haloperidol blood levels decreased until the 4th week, after which they were constant. 5) Total scores of Nurses' Observation Scale for Inpatient Evaluation were unchanged between the two groups. But among the indices, social interest and personal neatness were improved in the dose-reduction group and retardation was aggrevated in the dose-maintaining group. 6) Total quality of life scores were unchanged between two groups. But in the dose maintaining group, satisfaction scores of attention, autonomy, and interpersonal relationship decreased progressively. These findings suggest that the dose reduction of antipsychotics for chronic schizophrenics on programs of high-dose antipsychotics were effective. Dose reduction should therefore be implemanted to spread the rehabilitation and improve quality of life for chronic schizophrenics.
Antipsychotic Agents* ; Chlorpromazine ; Haloperidol ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Psychopathology ; Quality of Life ; Rehabilitation

No abstract available.
Extracorporeal Circulation* ; Plasma*

The results with management of urethral stricture are disappointing, with a high rate of early and late recurrence. Recently, the success of internal urethrotomy has made us question the role of open urethroplasty in the management of urethral strictures. Thus a clinical evaluation was made on 26 pediatric patients with urethral stricture in the Department of Urology, National Medical Center, during the period from Sep. 1978 to Aug. 1992. The stricture was incomplete in 15 cases and complete in 11 cases. The length of stricture was less than l cm in 17 cases, 1 to 2 cm in 3 cases, more than 2cm in 3 cases and multiple stricture in 3 cases. The treatment modality of incomplete urethral stricture was internal urethrotomy in 12 cases and urethroplasty in 3 cases regardless of length. Incomplete urethral stricture, internal urethrotomy was carried out in 8 cases with less than 1 cm long stricture and urethroplasty in 3 cases regardless of length. But all complete urethral stricture was carried out urethroplasty initially. The overall out come in incomplete urethral stricture, average urine flow rate ranged from 8.5ml/sec to 11.4ml/sec and incomplete urethral stricture, average urine flow rate ranged from 7.0 ml/sec to 20 ml/sec. We think that visual urethrotomy is a valuable initial method, when stricture is incomplete and urethroplasty is a valuable initial method, when stricture is complete.
Constriction, Pathologic ; Humans ; Recurrence ; Urethral Stricture* ; Urology

The roentgenograms following arthroscopic ACL reconstruction show the enlargement of bone tunnels. Many authors hypothesized the cause of the tunnel enlargement, either mechanical or biological causes. The purpose of this study was to find the factors which affected the enlargement of the tibial tunnel following arthroscopic ACL reconstruction with bone-patellar tendon-bone or hamstring tendon. Sixty patients were reviewed retrospectively for radiographic measurement of tibial tunnel at post-operative one year (27 patients received bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft, 12 patients received bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft and Kennedy LAD-ligament augmentation device, 21 patients received Semitendinosus and Gracilis tendons with Endobutton). Roentgenographic anteroposterior and lateral films were checked and the tunnel was measured by two independent observers using a digital caliper. Statistical analysis was performed using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test. The tibial tunnel enlargement was only related to the position of the fixation of the tibial tunnel. We concluded that tibial tunnel enlargement following arthroscopic ACL reconstruction is attributed to the mechanical effect rather than the properties of grafts and the clinical results.
Autografts ; Humans ; Retrospective Studies ; Tendons ; Transplants

In anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) deficient knee, several treatment methods were recommended. Recently, arthroscopic reconstruction is widely used as the best treatment method. As the graft materials, bone-patellar tendon-bone (BPB) unit is a gold standard material. Whereas, it has many problems. The purpose of this study was to introduce the new arthroscopic ACL reconstruction technique with quadrupled semitendinosus tendon and Endobutton and to evaluate its results. Twenty one patients were prospectively reviewed after ACL reconstruction with quadrupled semitendinosus tendon and Endobutton at one year post-operation. The surgery was performed in the series of graft tendon harvest, graft preparation, tunnel drilling and Endobutton fixation. The outcomes showed improved knee functions. Endobutton technique with quadrupled semitendinosus tendon is useful method for the arthroscopic ACL reconstruction. Stability and functional outcomes were similar to those with patellar tendon but it showed less donor site morbidity, less pitfall of fixation and simple procedure.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament ; Humans ; Knee ; Patellar Ligament ; Prospective Studies ; Tendons* ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants

Controversies about the posterior cruciate ligament continue with regards to total knee arthroplasty. There has been a long debate regarding PLC and its importance seems to be overrated in total knee arthroplasty. Twenty four patients had twenty six total knee replacements with insertion of the PCL substituting Press Fit Condylar modular total knee system with cement, and they were enrolled in a prospective study to assess the clinicoradiological results and measure the femoral roll-back postoperatively. Follow-up ranged from twenty four months to fifty months with an average of thirty two months. The mean HSS score was 92.1 points and the mean range of motion was 122.7 degrees. Twenty five cases(96.1%) showed excellent and good clinical results. The radiologic evaluation based on Knee Society roentgenographic system revealed proper alignment of all components and one significant radiolucent area. The mean femoral roll-back was 2.3mm posteriorly. In the present series, total knee arthroplasties with the Press Fit Condylar modular knee system resulted in excellent relief of pain, excellent range of motion and restoration of function.
Arthroplasty* ; Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Knee ; Posterior Cruciate Ligament ; Prospective Studies ; Range of Motion, Articular

No abstract available.
Follow-Up Studies* ; Pneumonectomy*

PURPOSE: The quality of life of patients who have undergone surgery for carcinoma of the esophagus, breast, or lung has been discussed, however, little is known of the results following radical surgery for gastric cancer. We evaluated the quality of life of patients who had undergone radical surgery for gastric cancer and clarified the factors that influenced the quality of life for patients with gastric cancer. METHODS: We surveyed one hundred and thirty seven patients without recurrence of disease or chronic diseases following gastrectomy for gastric cancer. A questionnaire based on the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-C30 was used to analyse the correlations between six functional scales and nine symptom scales and stage, surgical methods, chemotherapy, and performance status by scoring system. RESULTS: The quality of life following gastrectomy was determined by the stage of the disease at surgery, the surgical method, the application of anticancer chemotherapy, and the patient's own performance status. Patients with more advanced stages had a lower quality of life, and those who underwent total gastrectomy were expected to have a lower quality of life than patients who received subtotal gastrectomy. However there were no differences in the quality of life between patients with gastrojejunostomy and gastroduodenostomy following subtotal gastrectomy. The severity of postoperative weight loss had no influence on the quality of life. Patients undergoing chemotherapy showed higher points in the symptom scale rather than the functional scale. The functional scale and the symptom scale both showed asignificant difference according to the patient's performance status as assessed by the surgeon after a survey of the patient. CONCLUSION: We consider the periodic evaluation of the quality of life following gastrectomy in patients with gastric cancer to be useful in obtaining information concerning the patient's postoperative course and in assessing the therapeutic efficiency of the patient.
Breast ; Chronic Disease ; Drug Therapy ; Esophagus ; Gastrectomy ; Gastric Bypass ; Humans ; Lung ; Quality of Life* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Recurrence ; Stomach Neoplasms* ; Weight Loss ; Weights and Measures

Non-nasal T/NK-cell lymphoma(TNKCL) without nasal cavity invasion is a subtype of angiocentric T-cell lymphomas showing the biphenotype of the T-cell and NK-cell. This tumor is characterized by the absence of clonal rearrangement of the T-cell receptor gene, frequent association with Epstein- Barr virus(EBV), poor clinical course, and common extranodal invasion. Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is characterized by repetitive spontaneaus abortion, thrombocytopenia, thrombotic symptoms and the positivity to the antiphospholipid antibody. Our patient was a 35-year-old woman with skin lesion on her face. Previously, she had been diagnosed of APS. Histopathological, immunohistochemical and serologic studies could disclose EBV-associated non-nasal TNKCL.
Adult ; Antibodies, Antiphospholipid ; Antiphospholipid Syndrome ; Female ; Genes, T-Cell Receptor ; Humans ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; Nasal Cavity ; Skin ; T-Lymphocytes ; Thrombocytopenia

BACKGROUND: A pathogenesis of skin-homing lymphoid cells in primary cutaneous T-eell lymphoma(CTCL) has not been elucidated, CLA(cutaneous lymphocyte-associated antigen) defined by HECA-452 monoclonal anfibody has been proposed as the novel skin-homing receptors of infiltrative lymphocytes in atopic dermatitis and graft-versus-host disease. Accordingly, CLA may be a determinant explaining about the skin-homing properties of lymphoid tumor cells in CTCL. OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to investigate the immunohistochemical expression of CLA in the lesional tissue specimens of cutaneous lymphomas. METHODS: Immunohistochemicslly, we examined the expression of CLA, E-selectin, ICAM-1 and LFA-1 antigens in the tissue specimens taken from the skin lesions and lymph nodes of the 22 patients with cutaneous lymphomas and the 20 control subjects with non-cutaneous lymphomas. Results : 1. The expression rate of CLA was 40.9% in the skin specimens of cutaneous lymphomas. We could not fad any expression of CLA in non-cutaneous lymphomas. 2. CTCL showed a more frequent expression of CLA(80%) than cutaneous B-cell lymphomas (CBCL)(8.3%). We found more frequently CLA+ high endothelial venules in non-cutaneous lymphomas(40%) than in cutaneous lymphomas(9.1%). 3. CLA and E-selectin were more frequently expressed in primary CTCL(100%, 83.3%) than in secondary CTCL(50%, 0%). 4. The positivity to ICAM-1 and LFA-1 antigens was higher in primary cutaneous lymphomas (72.7%, 81.8%) than in secondary forms(9.1%, 9.1%). Conclusion : CLA and E-selectin may represent the pivotal skin-homing receptor of infiltrative tumor cells and vascular counter-receptor in primary CTCL, respectively. Also, ICAM-1 and LFA-1 may have a role in the primary cutaneous infiltration of lymphoma cells as the additional cofactors.
Dermatitis, Atopic ; E-Selectin ; Flavin-Adenine Dinucleotide ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Humans ; Intercellular Adhesion Molecule-1 ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphocyte Function-Associated Antigen-1 ; Lymphocytes ; Lymphoma* ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Skin ; Venules