PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors influencing depression of participants in the National Supporting Program for Infertile Couples (NSPI) who received a treatment of IVF (in vitro fertilization) or IUI (intra-uterine insemination). METHODS: Using the 2013 NSPI Satisfaction On-line Survey data, secondary data analyses were conducted on 830 cases of IVF and 706 cases of IUI. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, chi2 test, and logistic regression were performed using SPSS/WIN 21.0. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis showed that non-pregnancy status (OR=3.05), unexplained infertility (OR=4.29), relationship trouble with spouse (OR=3.57), and relationship trouble with the in-law family (OR=2.78) were significant factors predicting the depression level in the IUI treatment group. Non-pregnancy status (OR=5.28), childlessness (OR=1.92), financial support helpful hardly or not at all (OR=2.63), relationship trouble with spouse (OR=3.28), relationship trouble with the in-law family (OR=2.83), and unemployment (OR=1.60) were significant factors in the IVF treatment group. CONCLUSION: To reduce infertile women's depression, adequate attention and care need to be paid to these psychological symptoms. It is suggested to develop counseling and couple-therapy along with methods to enhance social support (including that from the in-law's family).
Counseling ; Depression* ; Family Characteristics* ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Financial Support ; Humans ; Infertility ; Insemination ; Logistic Models ; Spouses ; Statistics as Topic ; Unemployment

Rett syndrome is a progressive encephalopathy in females that appears during the first 18 months of the life. A few neurophysiologic investigations of peripheral nerve and electrodiagnostic studies in Rett syndrome has proposed mild distal axonopathy. However, the electrodiagnostic study shows demyelination rather than axonopathy in presenting patient with Rett syndrome. An 11-year-old female had normal birth history, no perinatal problems and normal development until age of 18 months. Developmental regression was recognized by her parent and slowly progressed. At physical examination at her age of 7 years, stereotypic hand movements was present and she could walk with frequent fall. Brain Computed Tomography was not specific and electrodiagnostic study revealed slow conduction velocity in all nerves tested. After follow-up for 4 years, hand wringling was remained and she became to be unable to walk alone. Electrodiagnostic study revealed as follows; 1) Compound muscle action potentials and sensory nerve action potentials in all the nerves tested revealed prolonged distal latency with normal amplitude. 2) F waves were evoked with prolonged latency in the all the nerves tested. 3) H-reflex were absent, bilaterally. 4) Facial motor conduction study and blink reflex showed normal findings. 5) Auditory evoked potential and visual evoked potential studies showed normal findings. These electrodiagnostic study indicates demyelinating neuropathy.
Action Potentials ; Blinking ; Brain ; Child ; Demyelinating Diseases ; Electromyography ; Evoked Potentials, Auditory ; Evoked Potentials, Visual ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; H-Reflex ; Hand ; Humans ; Parents ; Peripheral Nerves ; Physical Examination ; Reproductive History ; Rett Syndrome

Motor point block with phenol solution has the advantage of technical ease, bedside performance, and repetition as necessary in reducing spasticity. To our knowledge, however, complicating stress fracture that occur during the course of treatment after motor point block has not been described. We report the occurance of stress fracture of the head of right talus after motor point block with phenol solution. A 17-year-old boy had a gait disturbance due to excessive plantar flexion and inversion of right ankle by spasticity. Percutaneous motor point block to right tibialis posterior and right gastrocnemius was done with 7% aqueous phenol solution. Just after the block, he began to bear his weight on right heel and physical therapy including gait training was started. He complained of right ankle pain a week after resumption of weight-bearing while walking. Bone scan and magnetic resonance imaging of right ankle revealed stress fracture of talus of right foot. This case illustrated that physiatrists involved in the management of such patients should be aware that secondary stress fractures can occur.
Adolescent ; Ankle ; Foot ; Fractures, Stress* ; Gait ; Head ; Heel ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Muscle Spasticity ; Phenol* ; Talus* ; Walking ; Weight-Bearing

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of providing written information for coronary artery disease on health behavior compliance related self-efficacy, knowledge of disease, anxiety, and educational satisfaction depending on patients' health literacy.METHODS: The participants in this study were 40 patients who underwent coronary angiography or coronary intervention, and depending on the level of health literacy 30 patients were high group and 10 patients were low group. Each group was evaluated on health behavior compliance related self-efficacy, knowledge of disease, anxiety, and educational satisfaction with providing written information.RESULTS: By providing written information in the group with high health literacy, there was a significant difference in health behavior compliance related self-efficacy, knowledge of disease, but there was no significant difference in anxiety variable. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in health behavior compliance related self-efficacy, knowledge of disease, and anxiety by providing written information in the group with low health literacy. Also, there was no significant difference in the educational satisfaction between high and low group of health literacy after providing written information.CONCLUSION: It is necessary to develop educational materials that can be applied to clinical nursing field with considering health literacy of patients with coronary artery disease. In addition to providing written information, it is also necessary to develop other educational intervention programs such as video and personalized counseling that may be helpful for coronary patients with low health literacy and investigate their effectiveness.
Anxiety ; Compliance ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Counseling ; Hand ; Health Behavior ; Health Literacy ; Health Status ; Humans ; Literacy ; Nursing

Glatiramer acetate (GA; Copaxone) has been shown to be effective in preventing and suppressing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the animal model of multiple sclerosis (MS). It has been recently shown that GA-reactive T cells migrate through the blood-brain barrier, accumulate in the central nervous system (CNS), secrete antiinflammatory cytokines and suppress production of proinflammatory cytokines of EAE and MS. Development of EAE requires coordinated expression of a number of genes involved in the activation and effector functions of inflammatory cells. Activation of inflammatory cells is regulated at the transcriptional level by several families of transcription factors. One of these is the nuclear factor kappa B (NFkappaB) family which is present in a variety of cell types and involved in the activation of immune-relative genes during inflammatory process. Since it is highly activated at site of inflammation, NFkappaB activation is also implicated in the pathogenesis of EAE. In this study, we examined whether the inhibition of NFkappaB activation induced by GA can have suppressive therapeutic effects in EAE mice. We observed the expression of NFkappaB and phospho-IkappaB proteins increased in GA-treated EAE mice compared to EAE control groups. The immunoreactivity in inflammatory cells and glial cells of NFkappaB and phospho-IkappaB significantly decreased at the GA-treated EAE mice. These results suggest that treatment of GA in EAE inhibits the activation of NFkappaB and phophorylation of IkappaB in the CNS. Subsequently, the inhibition of NFkappaB activation and IkappaB phosphorylation leads to the anti-inflammatory effects thereby to reduce the progression and severity of EAE.
Animals ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Central Nervous System ; Cytokines ; Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Multiple Sclerosis ; Neuroglia ; NF-kappa B ; Peptides ; Phosphorylation ; Proteins ; T-Lymphocytes ; Transcription Factors

A 7-year-old spayed female Shih Tzu dog was presented for evaluation of recurrent hypoglycemia. Serum insulin levels during hypoglycemia were 35.3 μIU/mL. Ultrasonography and computed tomography showed a mesenteric nodule between the kidney and the portal vein, but no pancreatic mass was observed. During surgery, the nodule had neither anatomical adhesions nor vascular connections to the pancreas. Pancreatic inspection and palpation revealed no abnormalities. Hypoglycemia improved after resection of the nodule.Histopathological examination confirmed the nodule to be an islet cell carcinoma. Although extremely rare, ectopic insulinoma should be considered as a possible cause of insulininduced hypoglycemia in dogs.

Background: A combination of opioids and adjunctive drugs can be used for intravenous patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) to minimize opioid-related side effects. We investigated whether two different analgesics administered separately via a dual-chamber PCA have fewer side effects with adequate analgesia than a single fentanyl PCA in gynecologic pelviscopic surgery. Methods: This prospective, double-blind, randomized, and controlled study included 68 patients who underwent pelviscopic gynecological surgery. Patients were allocated to either the dual (ketorolac and fentanyl delivered by a dual-chamber PCA) or the single (fentanyl alone) group. Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and analgesic quality were compared between the two groups at 2, 6, 12, and 24 h postoperatively. Results: The dual group showed a significantly lower incidence of PONV during postoperative 2–6 h (P = 0.011) and 6–12 h (P = 0.009). Finally, only two patients (5.7%) in the dual group and 18 (54.5%) in the single group experienced PONV during the entire postoperative 24 h and could not maintain intravenous PCA (odds ratio: 0.056, 95% CI [0.007, 0.229], P < 0.001). Despite the administration of less fentanyl via intravenous PCA during the postoperative 24 h in the dual group than in the single group (66.0 ± 77.8 vs. 383.6 ± 70.1 μg, P < 0.001), postoperative pain had no significant intergroup difference. Conclusions Two different analgesics, continuous ketorolac and intermittent fentanyl bolus, administered via dual-chamber intravenous PCA, showed fewer side effects with adequate analgesia than conventional intravenous fentanyl PCA in gynecologic patients undergoing pelviscopic surgery.

BACKGROUND: A mummy is a dead body of a human being or an animal that has been preserved artificially or naturally from decaying. Because the natural environment of Korea isn't appropriate for mummification and Korean people haven't artificially made mummies, mummies were rarely studied in Korea. METHODS: On September 6, 2002, a well-preserved female mummy was found in the grave of a family in Kyunggi-do. She was submitted to a thorough autopsy examination along with the review of genealogical documents. RESULTS: The mummy died in winter. She was pregnant and the fetal head was observed at the vaginal orifice. The uterine wall was ruptured, and the peritoneum was discolored, probably by hemorrhage. Histologically, the gastric mucosa was well preserved. On the smear cytology of gastrointestinal material and the fluid from the coffin, pollens and parasitic eggs were observed. The woman seemed to be death from hypovolemic shock due to uterine rupture during the 2nd phase of labor. CONCLUSION: From this case, we concluded the causes of the woman's mummification included the cold and dry circumstance at the time of her death, and the thick mortared wall of the grave that completely isolated the body from the outside.
Animals ; Autopsy ; Eggs ; Female ; Gastric Mucosa ; Gyeonggi-do ; Head ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Korea ; Mummies ; Ovum ; Paleopathology ; Peritoneum ; Pollen ; Pregnant Women* ; Shock ; Uterine Rupture

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that cardiovascular risk is associated with cognitive impairments in clinically stable late-life depression. METHODS: A total of 59 clinically stable late-life depression patients over age 60 were enrolled in a cross-sectional study. Evaluation tools used in this study include Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, Geriatric Depression Scale, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Framingham general cardiovascular disease risk profile and the cognitive function battery designed for this study. Correlation analysis, analysis of variance and analysis of covariance were performed. RESULTS: Patients with higher cardiovascular risk performed significantly poorer in the domains of executive function and short-term or long-term memory. In models adjusted for age, sex, education, 10% higher cardiovascular risk was associated with poorer executive function. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested that cardiovascular risk could be a significant factor associated with poor executive function in clinically stable late-life depression and the management which is necessary as a component of treatment planning. This pilot study provided good prospects for future studies to document this relationship on larger samples.
Anxiety ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression* ; Education ; Executive Function ; Humans ; Memory, Long-Term ; Pilot Projects*

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) is an inflammatory disease in the murine central nervous system (CNS) and has long been used as an animal model for human multiple sclerosis. Development of EAE requires coordinated expression of a number of genes that are involved in the activation and effector functions of inflammatory cells. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is a member of the beta-galactoside-binding lectin family and plays an important role in inflammatory responses through its functions on cell activation, cell migration or inhibition of apoptosis. We investigated the functional role of Gal-3 in EAE mice following immunization with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG)35-55 peptide. During the peak stage of EAE, the localization of Gal-3 in inflammatory cells markedly increased in subarachnoid membranes and perivascular regions of CNS. In contrast, Gal-3 was weakly detected in cerebrum and spinal of the recovery stage of EAE. Consistent with this finding, western blot analysis revealed that Gal-3 expression was significantly increased at the peak stage while it was slightly decreased at the recovery stage in the CNS. In addition, the population of CD11b+ macrophage expressing Gal-3 in spleen of EAE mice was markedly increased compared with control mice. In fact, most of activated macrophages isolated from spleen of EAE mice expressed Gal-3. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the over-expression of Gal-3 in activated macrophages may play a key role in promoting inflammatory cells in the CNS during EAE.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Movement ; Central Nervous System ; Cerebrum ; Encephalomyelitis, Autoimmune, Experimental ; Galectin 3 ; Humans ; Immunization ; Macrophages ; Membranes ; Mice ; Models, Animal ; Multiple Sclerosis ; Myelin-Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein ; Spleen