BACKGROUND: It has been suggested that diabetic patients are under high oxidative stress and plasma MDA concentration is a reliable marker for oxidative stress. However, some studies showed that plasma MDA is not a good marker for oxidative stress. Reeently, the total radical-trapping antioxidant parameter (TRAPc) has been proposed as a marker for the overall antioxidant property of plasma samples. Therefore, in this study, we tried to evaluate whether MDA and TRAPc are reliable markers of the oxidative stress-antioxidant system or not. METHODS: The plasma samples from 67 type 2 diabetic patients and 31 normal subjects were collected. The plasma MDA, protein-bound SH groups, uric acid and vitamin C were determined by fluorophotometry or spectrophotometry. Plasma vitamin E concentration was analyzed by HPLC. Calculated TRAP (TRAPc) were determined by the proposed calculation methods. RESULTS: 1. Diabetic patients had significantly lower TRAPc, compared with normal subjects. 2. SH groups, uric acid, vitamin C and vitamin E were not different between the two groups. 3. MDA and MDA/TG were significantly higher in diabetic subjects. CONCLUSION: From the results of this study, TRAPc seems to be a reliable parameter of overall plasma antioxidant system and the plasma MDA may be used as a marker of oxidative stress, but further long-term logitudinal studies are needed.
Ascorbic Acid ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Fluorophotometry ; Humans ; Oxidative Stress ; Plasma ; Spectrophotometry ; Uric Acid ; Vitamin E ; Vitamins

No abstract available.
Benzalkonium Compounds* ; Dermatitis, Contact*

Cutaneous metastasis from the tumors of internal organs is rare, but often gives a clue to diagnosis. Metastasis to the abdominal skin including umbilicus has frequently originated from a tumor of the large bowel, ovary, stomach and pancreas. We report two cases of metastatic adenocarcinoma developed on the abdominal wall. One at the umbilicus clarified the origin as a pancreatic carcinoma, and the other at the sites of previous laparascopy and paracenthesis was originated from an ovarian cancer.
Abdomen ; Abdominal Wall ; Adenocarcinoma* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Ovary ; Pancreas ; Skin* ; Stomach ; Umbilicus

No abstract available.
Antigens, Surface* ; Oncogenes*

Recently, we experienced a patient with a B cell leukemia which could not be classified as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), prolymphocytic leukemia (PL) or follicular lymphoma in leukemic phase. He is a 58-year-old male and suffered from progressive lymphadenopathy at both inguinal and cervical areas. His blood film showed lymphocytosis (79%), and the cells were heterogeneous in size and shape. Twenty-five percent of the lymphocytes had nuclear irregularities or cleavages unlike the lymphocytes of CLL In which the cells often shows monomorphic features, small size with scanty cytoplasm and round nucleus. The bone marrow trephine biopsy specimen showed a diffuse pattern of infiltration of atypical Iymphoid cells. The lymph node histology showed atypical lymphoid colls proliferated as wide mantles around non-neoplastic appearing germinal centers. The immunophenotype of circulating lymphocytes in peripheral blood showed strong reactivity with CD5, CDl9 and CD20 without expression of CD2, CD3, CD7, CD10, CD22 and CD23. Although this case resembled CLL, the laboratory features showed major differences, notably in the Peripheral blood morphology, histology Patterns and the membrane Phenotype. By combining these data, we diagnosed this case as a leukemic phase of mantle cell lymphoma.
Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Cytoplasm ; Germinal Center ; Humans ; Leukemia, B-Cell ; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell ; Leukemia, Prolymphocytic ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphocytes ; Lymphocytosis ; Lymphoma, Follicular ; Lymphoma, Mantle-Cell* ; Male ; Membranes ; Middle Aged ; Phenotype

No abstract available.
Humans

No abstract available.
Cicatrix* ; Hepatitis C, Chronic* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Interferons ; Ribavirin*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to survey the current status of mental health education and need for mental health education enhancing protective factors in the elementary schools. METHODS: We surveyed 10 school health teachers and 328 fifth- and sixth-grade students using 19- and 20-item questionnaires, respectively. RESULTS: All of the teachers and 65.2% of the students replied that they were either teaching or being taught mental health in school. Topics covered suicide, depression, school violence, and Internet addiction. All of the teachers and 84.1% of the students expressed the need for mental health education enhancing protective factors in school. Both groups replied that two sessions are enough. The teachers preferred role play and discussion as teaching methods, and audiovisual materials and computer as instructional media. The students preferred lecture and role play as teaching methods, and audiovisual materials and smartphone as instructional media. Both groups ranked self-esteem, parent-child relationship, peer relationship, and emotional regulation as the most important topics to be covered in the education. CONCLUSION: There is a high demand for mental health education enhancing protective factors. Therefore, it is recommended to develop educational programs enhancing protective factors by enabling formal and informal learning using smartphone.
Depression ; Education* ; Health Education ; Humans ; Internet ; Learning ; Mental Health* ; Needs Assessment ; Parent-Child Relations ; School Health Services ; School Nursing ; Suicide ; Teaching ; Violence ; Smartphone

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop a decision support system that helps school nurses manage health problems they encounter while caring for the elementary and secondary school students, and evaluate usability of it. METHODS: Knowledge was aquired by literatures review and interviews with senior school nurses and was validated by another group of school nurses. The Omaha System was used as a standardized nursing terminology to describe nursing diagnoses and interventions. The system was developed under the Windows environment. C++ was used as a program language and MS Structured Query Language as a database. To investigate usability of the system, 30 school nurses in elementary and secondary schools were recruited and asked to apply it to nursing problems they encountered in actual students care setting. RESULTS: The decision support system with seven major signs and symptoms was developed. It automatically makes a nursing diagnosis based on the input data, and also provides nursing interventions with evidence. It was proven that the system was very useful for school nurses to manage students` health problems. CONCLUSION: The system will contribute to development of expert knowledge concerning student's health problems and improve the quality of school nursing and professionalism.
Expert Systems ; Humans ; Nursing ; Nursing Care* ; Nursing Diagnosis ; Nursing Process ; School Nursing

BACKGROUND: Paramedian approach is more useful than midline approach when degenerative changes are encountered in the interspinous structure and when ideal positioning of the patient can not be achieved. The purpose of this study was to determine the guideline of depth from skin to subarachnoid space by midline or paramedian approach in Korean adult. METHODS: The distance from skin to subarachnoid space was measured in 47 patients recieving spinal anesthesia by midline approach and 30 patients by paramedian approach at L3-4 level. RESULTS: The mean depth to subarachnoid space was 5.44+/-0.47 cm in midline approach. In paramedian approach by 18.0degrees of caudal and 18.5degrees of lateral angle, mean depth was 6.24+/-0.60 cm. There were significant correlation between depth and weight, and depth and ponderal index. In ages over 50 years old, difficult cases were significantly more in midline approach than in paramedian approach. CONCLUSIONS: Measurement of factors as weight or ponderal index can be used to predict the depth. Paramedian approach is more useful than midline approach in ages over 50 years old.
Adult* ; Anesthesia, Spinal* ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Needles* ; Punctures* ; Skin ; Subarachnoid Space