To identify the drug abuse status and its determinant factors in high school boys in Taegu, the study was performed from April to May, 1995. Study population were selected by cluster sampling method and total 5,665 students replied to the self-administered questionnaire survey(2,207 in academic high school, 3,458 in business high school). The major findings were as follows; The proportion of drinking, smoking experience was 55.0%, 45.8%, respectively, and the proportion of current drinker, current smoker was 27.2%, 27.5%. The drinking, smoking experience rate of second grade students was higher than first grade and it was higher in business high school boys. The proportion of a stimulant, a hallucinogen, hemp leaf cigarets experience was 3.2%, 1.6%, 0.1%, respectively. Drug abuse had significant association with home environment(lower economic status, frequent move, death of father or mother, apart from family), parents environment(parents' indifference, parents' drinking and smoking, etc.), school life(lower school grades, intimate friend's drug abuse, etc.), generous attitude to drug abuse, higher level of stress. Students who replied that the law prohibited immature person(students) from drinking and smoking showed lower drug abuse rate. In multiple logistic regression analysis, second grade students, business high school students, parents' indifference, lower school grades, intimate friend's drug abuse, no recognition of the fact that the law prohibits high school students from drinking and smoking, generous attitude to drug abuse, higher level of stress were significantly related with alcohol abuse and smoking. Other drugs abuse were related with above factors. On consideration of above findings, to prevent students from drug abuse, we have to try together in house, school, and society.
Alcoholism ; Cannabis ; Commerce ; Daegu* ; Drinking ; Fathers ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Logistic Models ; Male* ; Mothers ; Parents ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Substance-Related Disorders*

BACKGROUND: Lumbar plexus block by posterior approach has been used for thigh and hip surgery and unilateral low back pain and/or low extremity pain control. We measured the needle depth from the skin to the lumbar plexus and its relation with body indices in Korean. METHODS: Forty-eight (male 35, female 13) patients with unilateral low back pain and/or low extremity pain received lumbar plexus block by the posterior approach known as "psoas compartment block". We measured the distance from the skin to the lumbar plexus with the aid of a nerve stimulator and evaluated its relation to body mass indices such as weight, height, abdominal circumference and body mass index (BMI; kg/m2). RESULTS: The distance described above was 7.42 +/- 0.82 cm (range 6.0-9.5 cm) in males and 7.18 +/- 1.24 cm (range 5.3-10.0 cm) in females. Its relation to body weight was greater than with other body indices. The Pearson's coefficient between the distance and body weight was 0.745 in males and 0.842 in females. The predicted distance (cm) was 4.23 + 0.0471 x weight (kg) in males (adjusted R2 = 0.532) and 1.25 + 0.0975 x weight in females (adjusted R2 = 0.682). CONCLUSIONS: Body weight is the most important factor for prediction of the distance from the skin to the lumbar plexus. The distance was about 6-10 cm in korean patients.
Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Extremities ; Female ; Hip ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; Lumbosacral Plexus* ; Male ; Needles* ; Sagittal Abdominal Diameter ; Skin ; Thigh

We experienced a case of primary aldosteronism due to adrenal adenoma. The patient was 45-year old female, whose main complaints were weakness, headache, and fatigue. By use of abdominal CT scan, ultrasonogram, adrenal angiogram and by result of clinical laboratory findings, we conculuded the diagnosis of adrenal adenoma, and confirmed it by surgical and pathologucal findigs. The clinical sympyoms disappeared after left adrenalectomy, and laboratory findings of renin, aldosterone, electrolutes were normalized but hypertension persisted, so she has been managed by antihypertensives.
Adenoma ; Adrenalectomy* ; Aldosterone ; Antihypertensive Agents ; Diagnosis ; Fatigue ; Female ; Headache ; Humans ; Hyperaldosteronism* ; Hypertension* ; Middle Aged ; Renin ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Granuloma Annulare* ; Granuloma* ; Herpes Zoster*

No abstract available.

Somatosensory evoked potentials(SSEP's) are commonly employed to monitor cerebral and spinal cord function in patients with various lesions in the nervous system. In this study, we evaluated SSEP's as a means of measuring not only neurophysiological function but also the alteration of blood folw in the territory of cerebral ischemia. We examined SSEP's and regional cerebral blood flow(rCBF) in the bilateral suprasy1vian gyri following unilateral middle cerebral artery(MCA) occlusion in 15 cats(Group II). The duration of arterial occlusion was 30 minutes followed by 1 hour of recirculation. Five additional cats served as sham-operated groups(Group I). The animals in Group II were divided into 2 subgroups according to the change of the observed rCBF in the ipsilateral hemisphere. Immediately after MCA occlusion, rCBF decreased from around 50 to 14mg/100g/min. Decreased rCBF was remained below 20ml/100g/min throughout the ischemic period in 6 cats(Group IIb), and in the remaining 9 cats, the decreased rCBF was increasing during ischemia although the blood flow was subnormal(Group IIa). The recovery of rCBF during recirculation was faster in Group IIa than in Group IIb. In Group IIa and IIb, there was a significant slowing of the interpeak latency between dorsal column nuclei(Fz) and the major negative deflection(MN) (P<0.05) in the ipsilateral hemisphere and a precipitous decrease in the amplitude of the ipsilateral P1-MN complex immediately after occlusion(P<0.05). In Group IIb the suppressed SSEP's did not show any recovery during ischemia, and recovered late during recirculation. In Group IIa the suppressed SSEP's tended to recover during recirculation. In Group IIa the suppressed SSEP's tended to recover during ischemia and recovered early during recirculation. SSEP's were not completely abolished throughout the experiment in any experimental grup. The relationship between the changes in rCBF and amplitude of SSEP's in the ipsilateral hemisphere was significant(r=0.943, P<0.05) during occlusion of the middle cerebral artery in Group IIa. However there was not any other relationship in the other groups or among other wave components. These results indicate that the suppression of SSEP's and their failure to recover during focal cerebral ischemia correlate with the lack of collateral circulation. Furthermore, SSEP's can be useful means to evaluate the reversibility of cerebral ischemia, which may be decided by existence of collateral circulation. And it appers that the time threshold for abolition of SSEP's is more than 30 minutes in focal cerebral ischemia in the cat.
Animals ; Brain Ischemia* ; Cats ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Collateral Circulation ; Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory* ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Nervous System ; Spinal Cord

PURPOSE: 2009 Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus was identified in March 2009 and subsequently caused worldwide outbreaks. We described the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of H1N1 influenza infection. METHODS: We used retrospective medical chart reviews to collect data on the visiting patients from a single institute. H1N1 infection was confirmed in specimens with the use of a RT-PCR (real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay). RESULTS: 6,836 patients had H1N1 RT-PCR test, and 2,781 were confirmed with H1N1 virus infection. 158 patients (5.7%) had hospital treatment and inpatients were significantly younger (5.4+/-3.3 years) than outpatients (7.5+/-3.9 years) among H1N1 virus confirmed patients. Oxygen, steroid, immunoglobulin, ventilator treatment was provided in a substantial proportion among pneumonia patients accompanying wheezy respiration. In addition more intensive care was needed in patients accompanying segmental, lobar, interstitial, mixed pneumonia and lung effusion (27.2%) than patients with bronchopneumonia (7.3%) among H1N1 virus infection confirmed patients. Seventy-one infants had oseltamivir treatment out of 83 infants under 1 year, and no significant side effects and complications were identified. CONCLUSION: In 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1), hospital treatment was needed in younger patients. Early intensive care was needed in pneumonia patients accompanying wheezy respiration, and patients accompanying segmental, lobar, interstitial, mixed pneumonia and lung effusion.
Asthma ; Bronchopneumonia ; Child ; Disease Outbreaks ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Infant ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; Influenza, Human ; Inpatients ; Critical Care ; Lung ; Oseltamivir ; Outpatients ; Oxygen ; Pandemics ; Pneumonia ; Respiration ; Retrospective Studies ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Ventilators, Mechanical ; Viruses

Diabetic calcaneal insufficiency avulsion (CIA) fracture are unusual injury. The treatment may be challenging due to the low healing potential from diabetes or Charcot neuroarthropathy, so far. The poor surgical outcomes and surgical failures from treatment of the traumatic calcaneal avulsion fractures were associated with poor bone stock, lack of proper fixation, and the wound problem. Thus, the proper treatment for diabetic CIA fracture was still controversy. This report described two cases of diabetic CIA fracture treated with fixation of fracture fragment and calcaneal tenodesis. In both cases, fracture fragments were re-avulsed despite of fixation. Through investigation for the fate of fracture fragment from these cases, we discussed the proper treatment strategy in diabetic CIA fracture.
Tenodesis ; Wounds and Injuries

A case of spasmodic torticollis in a 48-year-old man cured by micovascular decompression of the spinal accessory nerve with selective dorsal cervical rhizotomy of the first and second cervical nerves. The 11th nerve was compressed by the posterior inferior cerebellar artery originating from the vertebral artery at the C1 level. After intraoperative identification of each posterior rootlets of C1 and C2 nerves exclusively related with the involved sternocleidomastoid muscle(SCM) using the monopolar electric nerve stimulator, microvascular decompression with selective dorsal cervical rhizotomy was done using the Teflon felt and electrobipolar coagulator. The patient was significantly relieved from symptoms 1 week after operation.
Accessory Nerve ; Arteries ; Decompression ; Humans ; Microvascular Decompression Surgery* ; Middle Aged ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Rhizotomy ; Torticollis* ; Vertebral Artery

A heterozygous GTG to ATG (Val297Met) mutation was detected in a patient with inherited protein C deficiency and deep vein thrombosis. Cosegregation of the mutation with protein C deficiency was observed through a family pedigree study. Molecular models of the serine protease domains of wild type and mutant protein C were constructed by standard comparative method. Val 297 was found to be located in the hydrophobic core of the protein. Although the substitution of Met for Val does not greatly alter the hydrophobicity of the protein, it introduces a bulkier side chain, which yields steric hindrance between this residue and adjacent residues, such as Met364, Tyr393, Ile321, Ile323, and Val378. It seems that the Met can not fit into the tight packing into which it is trapped, thereby probably inducing misfolding and/or greater instability of the protein. Such misfolding and/or instability thereby eventually disturbs the catalytic triad, in consistent with the observed type I deficiency state.
Adult ; Base Sequence ; Female ; Human ; Male ; Middle Age ; Models, Molecular* ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Pedigree ; Point Mutation* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction/methods ; Protein C/genetics* ; Protein C/chemistry* ; Protein C Deficiency/genetics* ; Protein Conformation ; Serine Endopeptidases/genetics ; Serine Endopeptidases/chemistry* ; Venous Thrombosis/genetics