OBJECTIVES: Alzheimer's disease(AD) and mild cognitive impairment(MCI) affect several nervous structures involved with the autonomic nervous system. Association between neuropsychiatric deficits and heart rate variability has been observed. But cardiac autonomic function in AD has been scarcely studied and the results reported are conflicting. We investigated autonomic function in normal control, MCI, AD using heart rate variabil-ity(HRV) technique. METHODS: Time and frequency-domain variability of 5-min R-R interval series was comparatively evaluated in 26 normal control subjects, 22 MCI subjects and 34 AD subjects. Analysis of variance(ANOVA) was used to compare the differences across groups. Correlations between MMSE-KC and HRV components were performed using Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: No significant difference was observed among the groups in time, frequency-domain analysis of HRV (p>0.05). HRV were not found to be significantly correlated with the degree of cognitive impairment. CONCLUSIONS: There were no differences in HRV with MCI, AD subjects when compared with normal controls. Further investigation is required to use HRV technique as noninvasive parameters of MCI and AD.
Alzheimer Disease ; Autonomic Nervous System ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Mild Cognitive Impairment

The prevalence of dermographism in the general population of Korea was studied using a dermographic tester on 1, 074 persons(M: 489, F: 585, M/F= 1/l. 2). The result was summarized as follows: 1. The prevalence of dermographism from the pressure of 4, 800 Gm/sq. cm (pressure 2) was 6. 7%. 2. There were no significant difference in the prevalence between male(6.3%) and female(7%) (p>0. 1). 3, The peak age group of dermographism was third(9.4%), fourth and second decades in decreasing order.
Humans ; Korea ; Prevalence*

BACKGROUND: Interferon alpha-2a has already been shown to be effective in clinical use of virus-originated diseases such as hairy cell leukemia, condyloma acuminatum, and AIDS-related Kaposi's sarcoma. The use of recombinant alpha-interferon may allow common warts to be treated relatively atraumatically and with less incidence of recurrence. OBJECTIVE: We tried to determine the safety and effectiveness of intralesional injections of recombinant alpha-2a interferon in the treatment of patients with common warts. METHODS: A single wart on each patient was weekly injected with 0.75 to 1.5×10(5) IU/25mm2 of interferon for 8 weeks, and the response to treatment was followed up-to 6 months. RESULTS: Clearing of the treated wart at the end of treatment occurred in 5(71%) out of 7 patients and the rest showed no improvement. With evaluation for relapses up-to 6 months after treatment, warts relapsed in 2(40%) out of 5 patients. Therefore, 3(43%) out of 7 patients were completely free of warts 6 months after treatment. CONCLUSION: Intralesional recombinant interferon alpha-2a has a limited therapeutic effect, but may be considered as a therapeutic modality of recalcitrant verruca or when it can be anticipated that destructive techniques or blistering agents will not be tolerated.
Blister ; Humans ; Incidence ; Injections, Intralesional ; Interferon-alpha ; Interferons* ; Leukemia, Hairy Cell ; Recurrence ; Sarcoma, Kaposi ; Warts*

No abstract available.
Female ; Germ Cells* ; Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal* ; Ovary*

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of job stress and social support on the organizational effectiveness of hospital employees and to examine the role of social support in the experience of job stress among the employees. Previous studies have yielded mixed results regarding the role of social support. Some studies provide supporting evidence for the buffering effect of social support, while others do not. Still others report findings about reverse buffering effects. These inconsistent findings are, in part, accounted for by methodological problems such as poor measurement, small sample size, and the existence of high multicollinearity. To examine more rigorously the role of social support in relation to the negative effects of job stress, this study was carefully designed to overcome methodolgical shortcomings found in the past research. In addition, unlike the previous studies, which were concerned mostly with health-related variables as consequences of job stress, in this study, three work-related variables (job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intent to stay) which had close relationships with organizational effectiveness were examined as output variables. The sample used in this study consisted of 353 employees from a university hospital in the suburbs of seoul. Data were collected with self-administered questionnaires and analyzed using canonical analysis and hierarchical regression analysis. The results of this study indicate that; (l) job stress has negative main effects on job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and intent to stay; (2) social support has positive main effects on the same three output variables, (3) social support does not moderate the harmful effects of job stress on the three outcome variables, and (4) the three-way interaction effects of (social support * job stress * gender) and of (social support * job stress * education) are not supported The implications of these findings for the management of human resources are discussed.
Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sample Size ; Seoul

A 24-year-old female who have had pseudoxanthoma elasticum for 14 years, showed brownish, umbilicated papules forming serpiginous pattern on the anterior neck, A skin biopsy specimen from the neck lesion revealed epidermal hyperplasia and perforating canal containing basophilic, necrotic materials and degenerated elastic fibers, also showed short, swollen and irregularly clumped elastic fibers in the lower dermis.
Basophils ; Biopsy ; Dermis ; Elastic Tissue ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Neck ; Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum* ; Skin ; Young Adult

No abstract available.
Hypertension, Portal*

No abstract available.
Toes*

Ten cases of unstable spine were treated with various surgical procedures under control of Halo apparatus and following results wen obtained. 1. Six cases of unstable cervical spine were treated with Halo apparatus and were able to obtain solid fusion for permanent stability. 2. Three cases of tuberculous kyphosis were corrected with halo-pelvic hoop on, and were able to obtain mean correction angle of 42 (65%) with little danger. 3. With halo on, staged operations such as anterior and posterior osteotomy, gradual distraction, anterior and posterior fusion of the spine for correcting deformity were carried out securely. 4. Average duration of halo application was eight weeks, no more twelve weeks, and there was no irreversible complication with halo apparatus per se.
Congenital Abnormalities ; Kyphosis ; Osteotomy ; Spine

PURPOSE: Numerous operative techniques have been developed to correct hypospadias. Tubularized incised plate (TIP) urethroplasty has recently been reported with good results. We analyzed the surgical outcome and complications in children with hypospadias using TIP urethroplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between July 1998 and July 2001, 28 patients with hypospadias were primarily corrected using TIP urethroplasty by one surgeon. The mean age of the patients was 4.2 years. A position of the meatus was coronal in six boys, at the posterior penile shaft in five, glandular in four, penoscrotal in four, at the anterior penile shaft in three, at the midshaft in three and the perineal in three. An 8 or 10 Fr Foley catheter was used as a urethral stent, which was removed at day 12 (10-15). RESULTS: Of the 28 patients, 23 were corrected with TIP urethroplasty only, and the other 5 combined with an onlay island flap. For the management of penile curvature, skin and ventral releases were used in 14 patients; with tunica albuginea placation used in the other 14. Postoperative complications were noted in 3 patients, of whom 2 developed urethrocutaneous fistula and one developed meatal stricture. The cosmetic results were very good in most patients. CONCLUSIONS: TIP urethroplasty can be used for all type of hypospadias. It has advantages, such as an excellent cosmetic appearance, preservation of the urethral plate and a lower complication rate than other urethroplasty techniques. Our results suggest that this technique is recommendable for the management of primary hypospadias as a first choice.
Catheters ; Child ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Female ; Fistula ; Humans ; Hypospadias* ; Inlays ; Male ; Postoperative Complications ; Skin ; Stents ; Urethra