BACKGROUND: It goes without saying for the importance of pre-hospital care in EMS system. At present 119 rescuers take charge of the majority for the pre-hospital care in Korea. But the present activity and job satisfaction of 119 rescuers is not studied. METHOD: The authors analyzed the questionnaire from the 98 rescuers had taken the lessons on emergency medical technician training program at the Central Fire Fighting School, Cheonan city. We used a Likert's five stage barometer for the analysis of job satisfaction. RESULTS: On regional distribution of rescuers 29.6% was in metropolitan city and 70.4% was from each province. On sexual distribution male was 93%, average age was about 30 years old. The academic background was commonly below the high school graduation. Sixty-one of 98 rescuers (62.2%) was married. The monthly mean income is 1.07 million Won. There was a statistical difference of the monthly mean income between the age, sex, and the period of work (p<0.05). The average duration of job was 27 months. In most cases. the patients or relatives decided the evacuation hospital (89.8%). 67.0% of rescuers answered the necessity of emergency communication system during transport. The serious problems during transport were the lack of manpower, the knowledge of emergency care, the deficit of emergency equipment and telecommunication system. The priority of decision for evacuation hospital is the presence of special medical team, the severity of patients, the presence of modern hospital. The emergency equipment of ambulance was satisfactory in general. Almost all the rescuers (99.0%) want continuous education and 92.7% of them want at the emergency center or general hospital twice a year. The degree of job satisfaction was the job of special knowledge and skills, the professional work and self-assurance in order. CONCLUSION: 119 rescuers were gratified generally at the job satisfaction. But it was poor at work condition. The authors think that a government office and the korean society of Emergency Medicine must hard work for the improvement of work condition and the administration of continuous education.
Adult ; Ambulances ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Education ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medical Services ; Emergency Medical Technicians ; Emergency Medicine ; Fires ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction* ; Korea ; Male ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Telecommunications

Mental retardation (MR) is classically deficits in adaptive behavior and manifest during the developmental period. The causes of mental retardation were not understood in many cases. This study was undertaken to identify the etiologies of mentally retarded children enrolled in a special educational institution under the hypothesis that clarifying causes of MR can not only provide basic epidemiological data on MR in Korea, but also imply possibly preventable measures to avoid MR in some cases. In this study, complete medical history was taken in addition to a thorough individual physical examination with collection of urine specimens for metabolic screening tests including ferric chloride, DNPH, nitrosonaphthol, nitroprusside, CTAB, and reducing substance tests in 259 mentally retarded children aged between 3 through 18 year old. The cytogenetic, molecular genetic, and endocrine studies wire performed in 14 children with high clinical suspicion of chromosomal abnormalities and congenital hypothyroidism. Dysmorphism syndromes were delineated using computer software software program. Definite or presumptive etiological diagnosis has been made in 122 (47%) mentally retarded children, Among three major identifiable causes, perinatal brain damage resulted from difficulties in labor, prematurity, kernicterus, and neonatal sepsis, was most commonly found in 57 children (22%), followed by chromosomal abnormalities including Down's syndrome and fragile-X syndrome in 35 children (13.5%), and dysmorphism syndrome in 10 children (3.9%) in order. Other identifiable causes for mentally retarded children were listed as autism (2.3%), endocrine & hereditary metabolic disease (1.9%), central nervous system malformations, neurophakomatoses (1.9%), and postnatal accidents, poisoning, infection (1.5%). In conclusion, aforementioned data suggested that one fourth of MR can be avoided or treated by making efforts to improve peri, postnatal care and early detection. Routine urinary metabolic screening tests for inborn errors cannot be justified though CTAB test showed high specificity for the diagnosis of mucopolysaccharidosis. Some mentally retarded children's families need genetic counselling since Mendelian inherited disorders are culpable for causing MR in some children.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Adolescent ; Autistic Disorder ; Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Child* ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Classification* ; Congenital Hypothyroidism ; Cytogenetics ; Diagnosis ; Down Syndrome ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Kernicterus ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Mentally Disabled Persons* ; Metabolic Diseases ; Molecular Biology ; Mucopolysaccharidoses ; Nitroprusside ; Physical Examination ; Poisoning ; Postnatal Care ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sepsis

Nevus flammeus is benign but cosmetically devastating congenital vascular malformation whose past treatments have been marred by unacceptable complication or by unacceptable ineffectiveness. The argon laser is a therapeutic device which has been newly applied to this condition. Blue-green argon light is absorbed by the intraluminal red hemoglobin molecule, leading to the destruction of blood vessels. This study was undertaken to evaluate the therapeutic effect, to look for complications caused by the argon laser on nevus flammeus and to investigate the prognostic values of the color, the degree of blanching and the histological pattern of lesion after laser treatment. All patients were treated with Coherent Radiation Model No. 1,000 Laser with a spot size of 1mm diameter. The power range was 1.8W (irradiance of 229W/cm2), the pulse duration was 0.4 second and the repetition rate was 120 impulses per minute. The result was evaluated according to the criteria of Gilchrest(Table 1). Among the 109 patients who have been treated between November, 1981 and July, 1982 at the Department of Dermatology, Seoul National University Hospital, data from the 49 patients who could be followed up was evaluated and analyzed. (countinued..)
Argon* ; Blood Vessels ; Dermatology ; Humans ; Laser Therapy* ; Nevus* ; Port-Wine Stain* ; Seoul ; Vascular Malformations

Dermographism is an exaggerated triple response of Lewis and appears as a lineat wheal with a flare at a site in which skin is briskIy stroked with a firm object. The etiology and pathogenesis of dermographism are uncertain but passive transfer tests are sometimes poeitive. The active serum factor has been characteiized as Ig E in some patients. In this experimental study, we tried passive transfer of dermographism with the sera of the patients with dermographism. Twelve dermographic patients' sera were tested to fourteen normal healthy persons and two asymptomatic dermographic persons, total number of thirty nine cases. Only two recipients were passively transferred but they showed positive responses to all sera tested, two and three respectively. This result suggests that not only serum factor but also recipient's factor(s) may be concerned in passive transfer of dermographism.
Humans ; Intradermal Tests ; Skin ; Stroke

This study was undertaken to elucidate any quantitative abnormalities of T cells and T subsets(helper/inducer T cell: T cell and suppressor/cytotoxic. T cell; Tsc cell) in the peripheral blood and cutaneous lesion in patients with atopic dermatitis by using monoclonal antibodies, and to ascertain whether there are any relations bctwcen such immunologic abnormalities and the severity of the disease. Thirty seven patints(19 male, 18 female) were entered in this study, who vistited the Departement of Dermatology of Seoul National University Hospital frnrn February 1985 to November 1985. The control group comprised fifteen healthy children (8 male, 7 female). The peripheral blood samples of 30 patients and the skin biopsy specirnens of 29 patients were examinecl. Both were examined in 22 patients. The results showed that there was a quantitative abnormality in pcripheral blood Tsc cells in patients with atopic dermatitis and it could be related to the severity of the disease. The predominance of T cells seemed to be relatecl to the pathogenesis of atopic dematitis.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Biopsy ; Child ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Dermatology ; Humans ; Male ; Seoul ; Skin ; T-Lymphocytes*

The ultrasonography is a very useful diagnostic procedure in obstetric & gynecologic mass. so we anlayzedtotal 153 cases of pelvic ultrasonogram with pathologic diagnoses. The results were as follows: 1. The ages ofpatients were distributed from 16 to 70 years-old, and the third decade was the most prevalent. 2. Of 153 cases,the ovarian masses were 85 cases, the tubal ones were 49 cases, and the uterine were 19 cases. 3. Of 85 ovarianmasses, physiologic ovarian cysts were 44 cases, and cystic teratoma were 14 cases. Of 49 tubal masses, tubalpregnancies were 35 cases and the most prevalent. Of 19 uterine masses, leiomyomas were 11 ases and the mostprevalent. 4. Of 153 cases, the echo-complex masses were 103 cases, the cystic ones were 34 cases, and the solidones were 19 cases. 5. The characteristic findings of frequent masses were as follows: (1) The physiologic ovariancysts were 44 cases, and show mainly cytic or pure cystic masses in 42 cases. (2) The ectopic pregnancy were 36cases, and show echo-complex masses in 21 cases, and cul-de-sac fluid echo in 22 cases. (3) The cystic teratomaswere 1 cases, and reveal mainly cystic or pure cystic masses in 10 cases, and calcification with posterioracoustic shadowing in 6 cases. (4) The uterine leiomyoma were 11 cases, and reveal solid mass with abnormaluterine contour in 8 cases. (5) The malignant or borderline malignant lesions were 6 cases. (6) Of 153 cases, thepathologic diagnosis was possible in 98 cases(64.1%).
Diagnosis ; Female ; Leiomyoma ; Ovarian Cysts ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Ectopic ; Shadowing (Histology) ; Teratoma ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver*

The term "osteoma cutis" is limited only to primary cutaneous ossification in which there is no evidence of Albrights hereditary osteodystrophy in either the patient or his farnily. We herein present a case of osteorna cutis in a 2-year-old male. He had had multiple hard plaques on the extremities since birth and had not had the evidences of Albrights hereditary osteodystrophy and signs of secondary cutaneous ossification such as trauma, injection, previous skin lesions and abnormal laboratory findings. The histopathologic findings revealed bony spicules with numerous osteocytes, cement lines, Haversian canals, osteoblasts and osteoclasts.
Child, Preschool ; Extremities ; Haversian System ; Humans ; Infant* ; Male ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoclasts ; Osteocytes ; Osteoma* ; Parturition ; Skin

This study was undertaken to elucidate any quantitative abnormalities of Tlymphocyte subsets (helper/inducer T cell; T cell and suppressor/cytotoxic T cell: T cell) and IgE levels in the peripheraI blood in atopic dermatitis patients by using monoclonal antibodies and enzyme immunoassay, respectively. In addition we have tried to ascertain whether there are any correlations betveen such immuiiologic abnormalities and the severity of the disease. The results showed that there were significant decrease in the mean percentage of T Cells and increase in the mean value of T/T cell ratios in patients with atopic dermatitis. These changes seem to relate to the severity of the disease when evaluated as groups. A significant increase in the mean value of serum IgE was found in atopic dermatitis patients and the change was related to the severity of the disease. But increase of serum IgE level did not correlated closely with the T cell abnormalities in each patients.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Dermatitis, Atopic* ; Humans ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Immunoglobulin E* ; T-Lymphocyte Subsets* ; T-Lymphocytes

A 15-year-old female patient had malignant atrophic papulosis(Degos' disease) that affected the skin and probably intestinal tract. She had multiple erythematous papules with porcelain-white atrophic centers on the trunk and extremities. Also she suffered from intermittent nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain. She received appendectomy for abdominal pain 2 months ago. Histopathologic studies showed atrophic epidermis and necrobiotic dermis. There were endothelial thickening, fibrinoid necrosis of bload vessels, perivascular lymphocytic infiltation in the lower dermis. She was treatd with acetyl salicylic acid and dipyridamole, but there was no improvement.
Abdominal Pain ; Adolescent ; Appendectomy ; Dermis ; Dipyridamole ; Epidermis ; Extremities ; Female ; Humans ; Malignant Atrophic Papulosis* ; Nausea ; Necrosis ; Salicylic Acid ; Skin ; Vomiting