No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Ethical Review*

The purpose of this study was to assess how job stiess affects the nursing performance of emergerncy room nurses. Data were collected from 210 emergency room nurses at 20 general hospitals, with more than 200 beds, in Pusan, Taegu and Kungbuk province, between October 5 and October 15, 1998. The instruments used for this study were the job stress scale which was developed by Mae Ja, Kim and Mi Ok, Gu(1984), and nursing performance of nurses scale developed by Kwi Ae, Chung(1989). Data Analysis was done using t-test, ANOVA, Tukey test, and Pearson Correlation. The results were as follows : 1. The highest rank of job stress items, emergency room nursing were as follows with lessening order when physicians delegate their clinical responsibilities to nurses(M=3.12+/-0.69). The most stressed factor among the nursing works was reported as night duty(M =2.99+/-0.87). 2. The mean score of nursing performance items, to prevent patient from falling or other injury(M = 3.69+/-0.50). 3. Our study reveals that there was statistically significant negative correlation relationship between stress level and emergency room nursing performance(r= -0.14, p=0.0454), in other words, the more stress the nurses experienced, the weaker their nursing performance became. Two factors, heavy work load(r=0.30, p=0.0001), and poor compensation(r =0.15, p =0.031). were negativly related to nursing performance. 4. The study revealed that the group with monthly income experienced less stress(F=2.71, p= 0.0461). Also, the degree of stress was significantly lower in the group with work experience (F=3.01, p=0.0313). Stress varied according to position superintendent nurse showed a lower level of stress than lay nurses and change nurses (F=2.93, p=0.0349). 5. There was significant difference in the degree of nursing perfnrm~nre according to religion (F= 3.97, p=0.0088). In conclusion, there was statistically significant negative correlations between job stress and nursing performance, so there is need for special consideration in nursing administration in terms of reducing the job stress in emergency nursing. Suggestions based on this study as follows. 1. Further study is necessary to examine variables that influence job stress and nursing performance. 2. The expem~ntaI study is needed for an effectiveness of systerrntic and in-lividual effort in order to reduce or manage nurses'stress in the emergency room.
Busan ; Daegu ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Nursing ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Nursing* ; Statistics as Topic

We performed this study to investigate the distribution of axes of astigmatism, the occurrence and amount of astigma- tism among pediatric population aged from 1 to 15 years who have visited our clinic from January to December 1997. After routine ophthalmologic examination to rule out any organic abnormality, the cycloplegic refraction was performed with 0.5-1.0% atropine on 529 eyes. Out of 529 eyes, astigmatism was found in 356 eyes (67.3%) with the highest incidence in 15-year-old group being 87.0%. Among 356 eyes with astigma- tism, with-the-rule astigmatism was found in 322 eyes (90.4%); against-the-rule, 30 eyes (8.5%); oblique, 4 eyes (1.1%). With-the-rule astigmatism occurred far more frequently found than against-the-rule in all age groups. As to the type of astigmatism classified by the state of refractive errors,hyperopic astigmatism was found in 144 eyes (40.4%); myopic,136 eyes (38.3%); mixed, 76 eyes (21.3%). Of the total of 356 eyes with astigmatism, astigmatism of 1.0 diopter or less was found in 181 eyes (50.8%).
Adolescent ; Astigmatism* ; Atropine ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra* ; Child* ; Humans ; Incidence

We experienced a case of Turner variant in 17 year old girl. She showed normal appearance except short stature. The patient was born at term with a birth weight of 2200g and her height was below the 3 percentile at admission. Thelarche appeared at the age of 13 years. FSH and LH levels were elevated, estradiol was within normal range, but progesterone level was decreased, bone age was 14 to 15 year old, and the small sized uterus was detected by abdominal ultrasonogram. Karyotype analysis revealed 46,XXp+(Xqter-->Xp22::Xp22-->Xqter). Her height didn't grow properly despite serial growth hormone therapy, because her epiphyseal growth plate was nearly closed.
Adolescent ; Birth Weight ; Estradiol ; Female ; Growth Hormone ; Growth Plate ; Humans ; Karyotype ; Progesterone ; Reference Values ; Turner Syndrome ; Ultrasonography ; Uterus

STUDY DESIGN: The indications of the lumbosacral spinal fusion has been very controversial. The posterior lumbar interbody fusion has the popularity of the spinal fusion: coaption of large surface areas of cancellous bone without shear forces, anatomic restoration and maintenance of more normal dimensions of the joint space, total discectomy as preparation for the fusion, and the accomplishment of better neural decompression without creating instability of the spine. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the long-term results of the surgical management of degenerative lumbar disease by the modified transdiscal posterior lumbar interbody fusion technique using cancellous chip graft were analyzed. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: The disadvantages of classical posterior lumbar interbody fusion has a injury of nerve root by extensive retraction with the insertion of peg grafts into the disc space, compression of root by graft retropulsion, inadeguate removal of annulus fibrosus and end plates from excessive bleeding from venous plexus of spinal canal and from vertebral cancellous bone. MATERIALS & METHOD: Author's 43 cases who had transpedicular instrumentation and modified transdiscal PLIF using cancellous chip graft since 1989 in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Korea University Hospital were analyzed, retrospectively. After preparation of the interspace has been complete by total discectomy, removal of the cartilaginous end plates and perforation of the cortical plates using the ring curette, cancellous chip grafts are inserted into the interspace with the Funnel technique. The structural success of each fusion was documented by sequencial radiographs. The criteria for fusion included: homogenous amalgamation of the fusion mass and vertebral bodies, trabeculation, mass configuration, and no motion demonstrable by hyperflexion studies. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Stable fusion was obtained in 39 patients(91%) at post-operative 6 months. 2. Clinically no patient developed neurologic deficit after fusion and 41 patients (95.3%) had good results by Gill's criteria. 3. No significant complications influencing operative result were observed except minor complications such as paralytic ileus, transient dysuria and superficial infection. 4. In conclusion, modified transdiscal PLIF procedure using cancellous chip graft showed excellent clinical and radiological results to achieve spinal fusion and the procedure is technically feasible and should be considered more widely employed.
Decompression ; Diskectomy ; Dysuria ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Intestinal Pseudo-Obstruction ; Joints ; Korea ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Orthopedics ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Canal ; Spinal Fusion ; Spine ; Transplants*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Fever* ; Humans ; Parents*

Here, we report an autopsy case of an unusual hanging that was misinterpreted as a case of homicidal strangulation, as th body was found on the scene of a house fire. A 29-year-old unmarried woman hanged herself from the gas pipe using a bath towel. Subsequently, the pipe broke and a fire broke out after an explosion. However, as the initial postmortem investigation revealed the absence of cherry-pink lividity and as a burnt bath towel was found around her neck, this case was misunderstood as a case of arson after homicidal strangulation. The cause and manner of death in this case were finally determined based on the autopsy findings of ligature marks that are typically noted in cases of hanging and the presence of a burnt electric lock and a broden gas pipe that were noted at the suicide scene.
Adult ; Autopsy ; Baths ; Explosions ; Female ; Fires* ; Firesetting Behavior ; Humans ; Ligation ; Neck ; Single Person ; Suicide

BACKGROUND: To compare the diagnostic usefulness of dobutamine stress echocardiography(DSE) and 99mTc-methoxyisobutyl isonitrile SPECT (MIBI SPECT), two studies were performed simultaneously. METHOD: Fifty-six consecutive patients undergoing coronary angiogram and MIBI SPECT for clinical indications without clincal evidence of myocardial infarction were studied prospectively. During the DSE, MIBI was injected at peak stress, and post-stress images of MIBI SPECT were required on hour later. Both echocardiographic and MIBI SPECT images were visually analysed in a blind fashion. RESULTS: On the basis of coronary angiographic findings, the sensitivites of the DSE and MIBI SPECT (n=36) were 89% and 86%, respectively. The specificities of those (n=20) were 90% and 85%, respectively. Among 33 patients without resting perfusion defect on MIBI SPECT, resting regional wall motion abnormalities on DSE were found in only one patient, whereas, resting perfusion defect on MIBI SPECT were found in 9 patients among 41 patients without resting regional wall motion abnormalities on DSE. Among 17 patients who had resting perfusion defects with partial reversibility on MIBI SPECT, resting wall motion abnormalities were present in 11 patients and five of them showed improvement in the regional wall motion during low dose dobutamine infusion. CONCLUSION: Both dobutamine stress echocardiography and MIBI SPECT are useful methods in the detection of the coronary artery disease, however, MIBI SPECT seems to overestimate the regional ischemic myocardium with contractile reserve that can hardly be evaluated with MIBI SPECT.
Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Dobutamine* ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Stress* ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardium* ; Perfusion ; Prospective Studies ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

No abstract available.
Coronary Artery Disease* ; Coronary Vessels* ; Dobutamine* ; Echocardiography, Stress* ; Humans ; Myocardium* ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*