OBJECTIVES: Chronic pain is one of the most common experiences of humans and a typical psychophysiological disorder. The aim of this study was to measure the psychophysiological responses in chronic pain patients using a biofeedback system, and to compare them with the results from normal healthy subjects. METHODS: Forty two patients with chronic pain (17 males and 25 females, average age 44.67+/-11.10 years) and 42 normal healthy controls (17 males and 25 females, average age 45.17+/-10.46 years) participated in this study. Electromyography (EMG), skin conductance (SC), and skin temperature (ST) were recorded using biofeedback system during the 3 phases (baseline, stress, and recovery) of stress reactivity test, and average values of them were calculated. Difference of values between two groups in each corresponding phase was analyzed with independent t-test, and change of values across phases of stress reactivity test was analyzed with paired t-test (all two-tailed, p<0.05). RESULTS: Compared to normal controls, chronic pain patients had higher value of EMG (baseline : 8.10+/-5.97 micronV vs 4.72+/-1.52 micronV, t=-3.56, p<0.01 ; stress : 11.25+/-6.89 micronV vs 8.49+/-4.78 micronV, t=-2.13, p<0.05 ; recovery : 7.12+/-3.77 micronV vs 4.78+/-1.59 micronV, t= -3.70, p<0.01) and SC (baseline : 1.06+/-1.0 micronS vs 0.42+/-0.29 micronS, t=-4.0. p<0.01 ; stress : 1.87+/-2.05 micronS vs 1.03+/-0.86 micronS, t=-2.47, p<0.05 ; recovery : 1.74+/-1.77 micronS vs 0.64+/-0.59 micronS, t=-3.8, p<0.01) in all the 3 phases. But, skin temperature comparison did not reveal significant differences in all the 3 phases between two groups. CONCLUSION: Psychophysiological responses of chronic pain patients in stress reactivity test were different from those of normal healthy controls. These results suggest that sympathetic nervous system is more activated in chronic pain patients.
Biofeedback, Psychology ; Chronic Pain ; Electromyography ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Psychophysiologic Disorders ; Psychophysiology ; Skin ; Skin Temperature ; Sympathetic Nervous System

With an aging population, osteoporotic vertebral collapse is an increasingly common condition. This compression fractures has been considered a benign entity, quite responsive to conservative treatment. In a rare patients, however, a major neurologic complication and painful kyphosis despite conservative treatment can develop. Therefore, the purpose of this present study is to analyze the surgical results of 14 patients with severe back pain, an increasing kyphosis and neurologic deficits caused hy osteoporotic vertebral collapse following minor trauma, who were treated surgically. Presenting signs and symptoms included severe back pain with progression of kyphosis in 6 patients and increasing neural deficit in 8 patients. Of 14 patients, eight patients had an intravertebral cleft sign (vacuum sign). Indications for surgery included increasing kyphotic deformity, intractable pain, or increasing neurologic deficit. There was no correlation between intravertebral cleft sign and neurologic deficit. However, patients who had intravertebral cleft sign had not well respond to conservative treatment. As treatments, combined anterior and posterior fusion in 8, anterior fusion in 4, posterior instrumentation, and wide decompressive laminectomry in one patient, respectively, were carried out. The final correction of the deformity averaged 0.3 degrees. Therefore. correction of kyphosis was not favorably maintained because of variable surgical methods, and sinking of graft bone or instrumentation into the osteoporotic vertebral bodies. However, pain was reduced significantly in all patients. In addition neurological symptoms improved in 7 patients. One patient underwent reoperation with nnterior inierbody tusion together with anterior instrument because of an increasing kyphosis, neurologic. iymptoms and scvcre hack pain following wide decompressive laminectomy. There was no complication relatecl to instruments. The authors strongly helieved that surgical intervention has highly satisfactory results in patients who have intravertehral cleft sign with persistent back pain despite conservative treatment, and proressive or persistent neurologic deficits following osteoporotic vertebral collapse.
Aging ; Back Pain ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Fractures, Compression ; Humans ; Kyphosis ; Laminectomy ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Osteoporosis ; Pain, Intractable ; Reoperation ; Transplants

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell

OBJECTIVES: The present study aims to investigate the effects of physical illness on depression in North Korean Defectors. METHODS: One hundred forty-four North Korean Defectors(20 males, 124 females) and 376 South Koreans 133 males, 243 females) in Incheon Metropolitan areas participated the present study. Face-to-face interview was conducted for demographic information including presence of physical illnesses. To investigate depressive symptoms, all participants were required to complete the Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression scale (CES-D). RESULTS: After controlling gender, age, marital status, educational year, employment status and physical illness, North Korean Defectors showed higher CES-D score than South Koreans(beta=0.449, p<0.001). Within North Korean Defectors, the presence of physical illnesses independently was related to higher CES-D score(beta=0.243, p<0.001). However, within South Koreans, the presence of physical illnesses did not significantly predict CES-D score. North Korean Defectors with physical illness have higher CES-D score than North Korean Defectors without physical illness(26.8+/-13.8 versus 19.7+/-12.7). However, there was no significant differences of CES-D score between South Koreans with physical illness and South Koreans without physical illness(10.3+/-9.8 versus 9.3+/-8.8). CONCLUSION: Compared to South Koreans, North Korean Defector showed higher depressive symptoms independently from gender, age, education, employment, marriage. In addition, only North Korean Defectors showed the relationship between depression and physical illness. Our study suggests that depression should be assessed when North Korean Defectors have physical illness.
Depression ; Employment ; Humans ; Male ; Marital Status ; Marriage

No abstract available.
Bowen's Disease ; Vulva

The Editorial Office of Obstet Gynecol Sci would like to correct the author's name. The Editorial Office apologizes for any inconvenience that it may have caused.

The VATER syndrome is a group of congenital anomalies with a nonrandom tendency for concurrence. Defects include vertebral, anorectal malformation, tracheoesophageal fisutla with esophageal atresia, radial-limb, vascular, and renal abnormalities. The critical period of organogenesis is at or before the sixth or seventh week of gestation. We experienced one case of VATER syndrome in a 1 day old male neonate having vertebral anomalies, esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula to the distal esophageal segment, imperforated anus, left renal dysplasia with hydronephrosis of the right kidney and both hydroureter, patent ductus arteriosus. We report a case of VATER syndrome with brief review of related literature.
Anal Canal ; Critical Period (Psychology) ; Ductus Arteriosus, Patent ; Esophageal Atresia ; Humans ; Hydronephrosis ; Infant, Newborn ; Kidney ; Male ; Organogenesis ; Pregnancy ; Tracheoesophageal Fistula

This study was undertaken to document the effect of transforming growth factor-beta2 (TGF-beta2(TGF-beta2) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on the proliferation of pig retinal pigment epithelial cells (RPE). Whereas bFGF increased the proliferation, TGF-beta2 showed the inhibitory effect on the proliferation The inhibitory effect of TGF-beta2 disappeared in RPE subcultured with 10ng/ml of bFGF. Both TGF-beta2- and bFGF-specific antisense oligonucleotides blocked the autocrine effect of the growth factors. PLC-71 -specific antisense oligonucleotide inhibited the effect of TGF-beta2 and bFGF. Genistein inhibited the effect of TGF-beta2 and bFGF in dose-dependent man, ner. The data suggest the involvement. of in PLC-/1 and tyrosine kinase in signalling.
Epithelial Cells* ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 ; Genistein ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Oligonucleotides, Antisense ; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases ; Retinaldehyde* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta2*

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to investigate the relationship between age of onset in late-life depression and T2 hyperintensities observed in the brain MRI, we tried to see part of pathophysiology of late-life depression. METHOD: The subjects consisted of 18 patients whose first depressive episode occurred before age 50, and 20 patients whose first depressive episode occurred after age 50 years, and 20 agematched controls. Depressive patients were diagnosed according to DSM-IV. Established hyperintensity rating systems were used to analyse the T2 weighted images and blood pressure, cholesterol level, DM, EKG were measured to compare the relationships. RESULTS: 1) Signal hyperintensities on T2 weighted image were more severe in late-life depressive patients whose first depressive episode after age 50 (p<0.05) and there is no significant difference between patients whose first episode before age 50 and age-matched control subjects. 2) Mild signal hyperintensities were observed in all elderly depressed patients and control subjects, but severe hyperintensities were observed in late-onset depression. 3) Signal hyperintensities were related to age, hypertension, blood cholesterol level (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The late onset depressive patients had more white matter hyperintensities on T2 weighted image than early onset depressive patients. this results support previous hypothesis that white matter change is the important biological factor of late-onset elderly depression and old age, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia may be associated with signal hyperintensities.
Age of Onset ; Aged ; Biological Factors ; Blood Pressure ; Brain* ; Cholesterol ; Depression ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Hypertension ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging*

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorders that is characterized by complex behavioral phenotype and deficits in both social and cognitive functions and has been gradually increasing for the past 20 years. However, practically there are some difficulties in diagnosis and treatment due to a limited number of specialist and considerable cost. Emerging technology, especially socially assistive robotics (SAR), has expanded into the evaluation and intervention for children with ASD. SAR refers to a robot that provides assistance to the user in a social interaction setting. SAR becomes a tool that can teach or demonstrate socially desirable behaviors to help children who have trouble expressing themselves to others owing to their underdeveloped communication and social skills as a result of ASD. This paper reviews the use of SAR to assist in the therapy of children with ASD and the extent to which the robots were successful in helping the children in their social, emotional and communication deficits was investigated. The study investigates the different roles that these robots were observed to play with children with ASD by categorizing and the outcome of studies that have been conducted in Korea. Despite the fact that SAR research is still in its formative stages, if rigorous research plans are developed based on clinical usefulness and effectiveness, and if a clinician with specialized knowledge of ASD participates in or evaluates the results of the research, there is the possibility to create a new paradigm for the treatment of ASD.
Autistic Disorder* ; Child ; Autism Spectrum Disorder* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Korea ; Mental Health Services ; Phenotype ; Robotics* ; Specialization