Lumbar braces, cast jackets and lumbar corsets are commonly prescribed for the relief of low back pain or the prevention of instability of lumbar or lumbosacral vertebrae. These devices have been presumed to achive their effect by (1) decreasing movement at the involved intervertebral joints, (2) shifting a portion of the load from the spine to the rest of the trunk by compressing the abdomen, (3) decreasing lumbar lordosis and therefore, mechanical stress on the spine and (4) providing sufficient support to allow relaxation of the muscles of the trunk. But it is doubtful that lumbar braces or corsets significantly decrease movement between lumbar vertebrae. To maintain the stability of the lumbar and lumbosacral spine, abdominal muscles and intrinsic muscles of the back play an important role. When these muscles weaken the lumbar lordosis becomes exaggerated possibly bringing about degenerative changes in the articular processes and approximation of the spinous processes. In severe cases results in the so-called kissing spine which causes low back pain. The pain may be relieved by use of lumbo-sacral corsets or knight braces, which diminish lordosis. However, there has been no scientific report on adequate types of braces, duration of use or muscle weakness resulting from its use as yet. The prupose of this study is to provide a theoretical braces for, planning adequate prevention and early treatment, so that labour loss from retirement or change of job due to low back pain could be minimized, permitting early return to employment and resumption of activities of daily living. In other words, this study concentrates on the indications for use and selection of which will produce optimum results in the treatment of patients with low back pain. The EMG was taken immediately after admission, and after 3 weeks of bed rest accompanied by pelvic traction with or without heating, and also it was taken after 6 weeks of use of brace. The results obtained from this study were as follows; 1. After bed rest the EMG activities were increased in back muscles, such as longissimus dorsi, multifidus and iliocostalis lumborum and in abdominal muscles of internus abdominis while decreased in rectus abdominis. 2. There has been no significant change after use of corset in acute cases while the muscle activities. were increased after use of lumbar corset in chronic cases. 3. Rectus abdominis was most senstively influenced by bed rest or use of brace both in acute and chronic cases. And it was the last to recover probably because it does not contract in ordinary alow walking. 4. Knight brace was considered to be preferable to lumbar corset in acute cases with evidence of weakness in abdominal muscles by EMG. 5. There was no difference between bed rest and use of brace in patients who had radiculopathy with functional difficulties or not.
Abdomen ; Abdominal Muscles ; Activities of Daily Living ; Animals ; Back Muscles ; Bed Rest ; Braces ; Employment ; Heating ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Joints ; Lordosis ; Low Back Pain ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Muscle Weakness ; Muscles ; Paraspinal Muscles ; Radiculopathy ; Rectus Abdominis ; Relaxation ; Retirement ; Spine ; Stress, Mechanical ; Traction ; Walking

No abstract available.
Adolescent* ; Humans ; Love*

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to analyze industrial workers' stresses from physical symptoms, PWI, JCQ and tasks in classification of Sasang constitutions. METHOD: Data were collected from industrial workers in J Province from May 2003 to June 2003. Questionnaires were distributed and collected on the day of their physical examination. Collected data were analysed through chi2-test. RESULT: Health-related characteristics showed that most of smokers and drinkers were Taeumins and this result was statistically significant. Physical symptoms related to constitutions indicated that GI and neurologic symptoms are significantly more frequent in Soeumin. The percentage of subjects with moderate risk was high in order of Soyangin, Taeumin and Soeumin while the percentage of subjects with high risk was high in order of Soeumin, Taeumin and Soyangin. CONCLUSION: Through this study, Lee Jae Ma's theory was be confirmed compatible with disease characteristics. However, research with more various subjects and variables needs to be made.
Classification ; Constitution and Bylaws* ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Physical Examination ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was to identify the state of recognition and experience of love, sex knowledge and self-esteem targeting girls who attended middle and high schools. METHOD: Data was collected from 391 girls of middle and high schools from Aug. 2004 to Nov. 2004. The collected data was analysed through t-test, and ANOVA. RESULT: The average age of the girls of this study was 16.9 years, and 31.6% of them discussed sex with their parents. The girls' experiences with love were hand-holding(80.8%) the most, and shoulder to shoulder(68.5%), arm in arm(67.8%), hugging(57.0%) and kissing(37.9%) in sequence, while coitus and pregnancy appeared in 0.8% of the cases. The score of sex knowledge was 68.8 and self-esteem was 74.4. Self-esteem was related to age and discussing sex with their parents. CONCLUSION: As the results above show, the majority of girl-students were mostly knowledgable about friendship and love expressions. At school and home, society's support and encouragement are required so that sex education at a young age and a positive self-concept may be formed.
Arm ; Coitus ; Female ; Friends ; Humans ; Love* ; Parents ; Pregnancy ; Sex Education ; Shoulder

PURPOSE: This study was to identify the relationship among self-management, economic stability, self-esteem, self-achievement and predictor of the self-achievements in elders. METHODS: A total of 294 subjects aged between 60 and 92 were selected through convenient sampling. Data were collected by self-reported questionnaire from May to June, 2008. Collected data were analysed by the SPSS/WIN 15.0 program. RESULTS: Self-management, economic stability, self-esteem, self-achievement were positively correlated. The most significant predictor of self-achievement in elders were self-management and self-esteem. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that self-achievement is influenced by self-management and self-esteem and needed for aged well.
Self Care ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Ovarian Neoplasms*

We describe a case of typical cytophagic histiocytic panniculitis occuring in 10-year-old male. He had recurrent subcutaneous nodules, fever, pancytopenia and abnormal liver function tests since 5 months of his age, and recently showed hemorrhagic diathesis. The histologic picture showed lobular histiocytic panniculitis with "bean bag" cytophagic cells.
Child ; Fever ; Hemorrhagic Disorders ; Humans ; Liver Function Tests ; Male ; Pancytopenia ; Panniculitis*

PURPOSE: This study was to identify the effects of self-foot reflexology on urinary incontinence symptoms, vaginal contraction and daily life discomfort of middle-aged women. METHOD: A quasi-experimental design was used. The subject were 39 middle-aged women with urinary incontinence, who were composed of 18 women in the experimental group, while 21 were in the control group. In the experimental group, self-foot reflexology was applied for 30 minutes, three times a week for 4 weeks. The obtained data were analyzed by using the Mann-Whitney U test of SPSS. RESULT: 1. Frequency(U=78.00, P=.001), amount(U=65.00, p=.001) and the situation score(U=81.00, P=.002)of urinary incontinence were reduced significantly in the experimental group as compared to the control group. 2. Maximum pressure(U=33.50, p=.000), mean pressure(U=38.00 p=.000) of vaginal contraction were improved significantly in the experimental group as compared to the control group. 3. Daily life discomfort in the experimental group was reduced whereas that of the control group was increased(U=63.00, p=.000) significantly. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that self-foot reflexology is an effective method for reducing urinary incontinence symptoms and daily life discomfort and for increasing pressure of vaginal contraction of middle-aged women. Therefore self-foot reflexology can be considered as a independent nursing intervention for urinary incontinence.
Female ; Humans ; Massage* ; Nursing ; Urinary Incontinence*

PURPOSE: This study was carried out to identify and re-establish the professional identity in clinical nurses. METHOD: From Dec. 1999, for 4 months, the study had been conducted by narrative analysis method based on hermeneutic principles. Subjects were ten nurses with 3-4 years of nursing experience at a university hospital. The data were collected and transcribed through narrative interviews. RESULT: As a result, the maternal role was identified as the most dominant discourse in which nurses formed their identity. Subjects felt that a maternity is socio-culturally needed in case of nursing. Reconstruction of professional identity consists of 3 stages, Telling, Retelling and Rebuilding. At first, nurses felt confused by skeptism of the profession, interpersonal difficulties, and heavy work loads. However, during the interviews, nurses recognized that nursing is not regarded as significant, effort to make nursing meaningful were small, and there was a lack of understanding others. From this new insight, they re-established a new image of nursing "through better understanding of others, seeking knowledge, and making positive efforts towards qualified nursing". CONCLUSION: The above narrative interviews may help nurses reflect and contextually interpret themselves, so that a new identity could be established. Furthermore researchers can obtain new insight from the subjects, while the subjects form a new nursing image from self-reflection.
Nursing

Real-time ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy in 137 solid breast masses was performed. Sonographic findings were categorized into three group and aspirates were categorized into three cytologic groups. The cytologic result was reported benign masses (cytologic group 1) in 71 cases (52%), malignant masses (cytologic group 2 and 3) in 44 cases (32%) and insufficient specimens in 22 cases (16%). Insufficient specimens were treated as benign masses. Excisional biopsy in 44 malignant masses and 3 benigh masses according to cytologic results, clinical findings and follow up study was performed. The result was reported 41 malignant masses and 6 benign masses. Based on cytologic criteria, sensitivity for detection of malignancy was 93% and specificity was 94%. In conclusion, the high specificity provided by ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy could markedly reduce unnecessary surgical excisions for benign masses and it should be routinely performed, since it can give physical and emotional benefits to patients and lead to earlier and cost effective diagnosis of breast cancer.
Biopsy ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle* ; Breast Neoplasms ; Breast* ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Ultrasonography