PURPOSE: For the production and evaluation of the tissue-equivalent phantom. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We used agarous gel and oil as a basic component of the mixture and added Tween 80 for the stabilization of phantoms. We did the test for homogeneity and measured T1 and T2 relexation times of each phantom tube. RESULTS: T1 relaxation time ranged from 642 to 2781 msec and T2 relaxation times from 42 to 157 msec. Each phantom was significantly different in T1 relaxation time and T2 relaxation time (p < .0001). CONCLUSION: Tissue equivalent phantom may provide good information on the optimal sequence before MR imaging of patients and may be valuable if it is used with the patients' MR imaging.
Agar ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging* ; Polysorbates ; Relaxation

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the efficacy and safety of combined subacromial and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia for control of postoperative pain after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. METHODS: Between May 2012 and August 2014, 60 patients who underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with acromioplasty and received patient-controlled analgesia were studied prospectively. Cases were divided into 2 groups: combined subacromial and intravenous infusion group (group A, 30 cases) and solitary intravenous infusion group (group B, 30 cases). The visual analogue scale was used to record the patient's level of pain every 12 hours during postoperative 72 hours and the following 48 hours after the suspension of patient-controlled analgesia. RESULTS: The mean preoperative visual analogue scale score was 7.8 in group A and 7.6 in group B, and the immediate postoperative visual analogue scale score was 7.9 and 8.1 for each group. At postoperative time (From 12 hours to 72 hours after operation), the scores of combined subacromial and intravenous infusion were significantly lower than those of solitary intravenous infusion. Significant difference in the frequency of supplemental analgesic injections was observed between group A and group B (p=0.008). However, no significant difference in complication rate was observed between the two groups (p=0.562). CONCLUSIONS: Combined subacromial and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia after arthroscopic rotator cuff repair is more effective than solitary intravenous infusion without significantly increasing complications. Therefore, combined subacromial and intravenous patient-controlled analgesia could be a effective pain control method.
Analgesia, Patient-Controlled* ; Humans ; Infusions, Intravenous ; Methods ; Pain, Postoperative ; Prospective Studies ; Rotator Cuff*

BACKGROUND: Recent advances have been made in the treatment of acute stroke, but the effectiveness of the new therapies is highly time-dependent. The purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the time from symptom onset to hospital arrival and the total arrival delay time for patients with acute stroke. METHODS: A prospective registry of patients presenting to the ED with signs or symptoms of acute stroke was established at Ewha Womans University Mokdong and Dongdaeumn hospitals from March to December 1999. We analyzed the prehospital delay time(reaction interval and total arrival delay) and factors associated with delayed arrival at the hospital. RESULTS: The study included 256 patients(49% were women) with a mean age of 62+/-13 years. 50.9% of the patients arrived within 3 hours, and 94.9% patients arrived within 24 hours after onset of symptoms of acute stroke. The total arrival delay time was 180 minutes(median time), and the reaction interval was 60 minutes(median time). Transportation by 119 or 129 ambulances was linked to shorter delay(47 minutes). Age, mental status, and degree of disability were statistically significant factors associated with delayed arrival at the hospital. CONCLUSION: Age, mental status, and degree of disability were significant factors associated with delayed arrival at the hospital. For effective treatment of acute stroke patients, increased public awareness to use an ambulance with direct transport to the acute-care hospital required.
Ambulances ; Female ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Stroke* ; Transportation

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the association between Sasang constitution and type A/B personality. METHOD: The subjects for this study were 113 Korean adults living in Kangwon Province, the northeastern part of Korea. The data were collected from March 10 to April 13, 2002 using a structured questionnaire. The instrument for this study were QCSS II (Questionnaire for Sasang Constitution Clsssification II) by Kim et al.(1996), and the Revised Type A/B personality by Eysenck & Fulker(1983). The data were analyzed through the SPSS 10.0 for Windows program using frequency, percentage, x2-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The results of the study are as follows: 1. Of 113 Korean adults, the portion who were Taieum-in, Soeum-in, Soyang-in was 39.8%, 34.5%, 25.7% respectively. 2. For type A/B personality, mixed type was most common, 19.4% of the participants were of type B and 8.0%., type A. 3. For type A/B behavior, mixed type was most common at 47.8% and type A was 2.7%. 4. There were statistically significant differences in the Sasang constitutional type according to BMI (F=14.542, P<.001), and alcohol consumption (F=4.256, P<.018). 5. There were significant difference between type A/B personality and BMI (F=3.592, P<.032). 6. The data shows correlations between BMI and amount smoked per day (r=2.74, P<.004), between BMI and alcohol consumption (r=-.303, P<.008), between BMI and Sasang constitutional type (r= -0.592, P<0.0001), between BMI and type A/B personality (r=285, P<.011), between amount smoked per day and alcohol consumption (r=.-361, P<.001), between alcohol consumption and Sasang constitutional type (r=-.306, P<.019), between perceived health state and type A/A personality (r=.246, P<.011). CONCLUSION: According to the above findings, it can be concluded that further research is need to understand the Sasang constitution for the discipline of Nursing and for nurses to prepare nursing protocols relevant to Sasang constitutional care. Also, Sasang constitution has to be considered in research and practice in the health care delivery system.
Adult ; Alcohol Drinking ; Constitution and Bylaws* ; Delivery of Health Care ; Gangwon-do* ; Humans ; Korea ; Nursing ; Nursing Assessment ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Smoke

BACKGROUND: Direct wet mount examination of vaginal secretion, widely applied for the diagnosis of Trichomonas vaginalis infection in woman patients, is rapid and economical. However, the sensitivity of this technique is not so high. In this study enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) was employed for the detection of serum anti-T. vaginalis IgG antibodies from vaginal trichomoniasis patients. METHODS: Eighty sera from trichomonoasis patients who visited a Dr. Yoon Kyong's Obstetric & Gynecologic Clinic in Songnam and 30 non-infected healthy men were tested for detection of anti-T. vaginalis IgG antibody. Soluble lysate and excretory-secretory antigen prepared by mixing of six isolates of T. vaginalis, and lysate from one isolate(KT4) were used as antigen for ELISA. RESULTS: The sensitivity of ELISA using lysate of six isolates was 95.0%, and the sensitivity of the lysate from KT4 and mixed excretory-secretory antigen from 6 isolates were 86.4% and 76.3%, respectively. Specificities of ELISA by three 93.3%, 96.3% and 92.0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: It is suggested that ELISA using mixed lysate of T. vaginalis six isolates could be useful tools for the diagnosis of trichomoniasis.
Antibodies ; Diagnosis ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G* ; Male ; Trichomonas vaginalis ; Trichomonas*

The purpose of this study was to assess the use of food materials at elementary school in Busan area and provide school meal management with basic data to improvement of guideline. A survey was done by e-mail with a set of questionnaires, which was responeded by 122 dietitians in elementary school foodservice. The results were as follows; Sixty percent of the dietitians though to the general imported food materials had to use. Regarding mean score of using the imported food materials; safety was 2.12/5.00, freshness 2.48/5.00, sanitation 2.68/5.00, nutrition 2.73/5.00, preference 2.93/5.00, external form 3.09/5.00, package 3.12/5.00, and price 3.63/5.00. Thirty seven percent of the dietitians had purchase the pro-environment farm products(PEFPs) and 32.0% of them purchased those products for the students' health. But 52.4% could not purchase to the PEFPs because of expensive price. They had negative opinions about deficient supplying of PEFPs 4.51/5.00, too expensive price 4.34/5.00, and the truth or false in source of PEFPs 3.96/5.00. Most of them perceived that using the PEFPs had to apply the step by step. Among of them, 33.9% had the knowledge of PEFPs, but 16.4 of them did not know to the PEPPs. 57.4% of them hoped to purchase the food materials through a center of supporting school meal servcie(it called non-profit-making organizations).
Busan* ; Electronic Mail ; Hope ; Humans ; Meals ; Nutritionists* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Sanitation

Objectives: Due to the prolonged coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, prioritizing the safety and well-being of essential workers, who play a vital role in enabling contactless living, is paramount. This study aims to check oral health status and related factors in platform workers. Methods: The participants, who are platform workers in Seoul, were divided into three occupations: replacement driver, parcel, and delivery. The survey included oral examination and health-related questionnaires from August to November 2022. Finally, 204 platform workers in Seoul participated in the study. The socio-demographic characteristics of participants, such as sex, age, education level, and health behavior, were analyzed. A chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were performed to investigate the socio-demographic factors related to the need for dentures. Results: Most participants were men (97.5%), and in the age of 50s (33.8%). In total, the proportion of the need for dentures was 40.2%. It was high in the group of parcel, the 50s age group, and people without experience of the oral exam last year (P<0.05). The probability of needing dentures was 9.7 times higher in the 50s than in the 30s, and 2.3 times higher in the group without oral exam experience last year than the group with that experience. Conclusions Among the platform workers in Seoul, age and oral examination were related factors for denture needs. To promote the oral health of platform workers, the policy to increase oral examination should be implemented.

BACKGROUND: Lipoprotein(a)[Lp(a)] is a subspecies of low-density lipoprotein and has been shown to be associated with pathogenesis of thrombosis-related disease. It is already known that patients with diabetic nephropathy are usually complicated by vascular complications such as coronary artery diseases and cerebrovascular accidents. According to the recent data, Lp(a) level tends to be increased as the proteinuria is increased and renal function are decreased. We evaluated the Lp(a) level to know whether its level is correlated to the severity of diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: We investigated Lp(a) levels in eighty-one patients with Type 2 (non-insulin-dependent) diabetic patients. They were divided into four groups according to the level of urinary albumin excretion and serum creatinine level: Group 1 (n=30): normal renal function + urine microalbumin or=1.5mg/dL. Blood samples were obtained during the morning in the fasting state and separated serum from the it and reserved at -70degrees C. Lp(a) concentration was checked by one-step sandwich ELISA test. All grouped data were expressed as mean+/-SD. ANOVA and unpaired t-test was used to assess the statistical difference between any two means. RESULTS: Lp(a) levels were 30.2+/-4.6mg/dL in Group 1, 42.7+/-8.2mg/dL in group 2, 73.4+/-19.7mg/dL in group 3, and 80.7+/-14.8mg/dL in group 4. The level of Lp(a) in group4, group 3, and group 2 was significantly higher than that of group 1 respectively (P=0.009, 0.001, 0.038). However, no significant correlation was observed between the level of Lp(a) and that of total cholesterol, triglyceride and total lipid in all groups. CONCLUSIONS: these results indicate that Lp(a) concentrations are increased in the patients with diabetic nephropathy with microalbuminuria or overt proteinuria. So, the presence of albuminuria may be the important determinant for the elevated Lp(a) level in diabetic nephropathy.
Albuminuria ; Cholesterol ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Creatinine ; Diabetic Nephropathies* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Fasting ; Humans ; Lipoprotein(a)* ; Lipoproteins* ; Proteinuria ; Stroke ; Triglycerides ; Urinalysis

PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of interferon alpha therapy with or without prednisolone in children with chronic hepatitis B. METHODS: Twenty-eight children (22 boys, 6 girls, mean age 130 months) had seropositive results for HBsAg, HBeAg and HBV DNA; 11 had chronic persistent hepatitis and 17 had chronic active hepatitis. The patients were divided into two groups depending upon their inflammatory activity on liver biopsy, pretreatment serum ALT levels and HBV DNA levels. Fourteen children (group 1: chronic active hepatitis, ALT > or = 100 IU/L and HBV DNA < or = 100 pg/300 microliter) received interferon alpha 2a 5 MU/m2 of body surface three times weekly for 6 months. Fourteen children (group 2: chronic persistent hepatitis or chronic active hepatitis with ALT < 100 IU/L or HBV DNA > 100 pg/300 microliter) received prednisolone in decreasing daily doses of 60 mg/m2, 40 mg/m2, and 20 mg/m2, each for 2 weeks, followed after 2 weeks by interferon alpha 2a on the same schedule. At the end of therapy, 3 end points were analyzed: HBeAg seroconversion, serum ALT normalization rate and clearance of serum HBV DNA. RESULTS: At the end of treatment, HBe antigen-to antibody seroconversion was higher but not more significant in group 1 than group 2 (71.4% vs. 50.0%). Only one patient in group 2 who lost HBeAg, also cleared HBsAg. ALT normalization was similar in both groups (64.3% in group 1 vs. 55.6% in group 2). Clearance of serum HBV DNA was observed in 78.6% of patients in group 1 and 64.3% in group 2, but no significant differences. Complete response was similarly achieved in both groups (57.1% in group 1 vs. 50.0% in group 2). Interferon alpha therapy with prednisolone priming was well tolerated and all children finished therapy. CONCLUSION: The combined therapy with prednisolone followed by interferon alpha may be safe and effective in inducing a serological and biochemical remission of the disease in approximately 50% of children with chronic hepatitis B and with a high level of viral replication and less active disease. However, a controlled study should be performed to confirm these results.
Appointments and Schedules ; Biopsy ; Child* ; DNA ; Female ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B, Chronic* ; Hepatitis, Chronic* ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha* ; Interferons ; Liver ; Prednisolone*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the treatment results and prognostic factors after radiotherapy in stage IIB uterine cervix cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the records of 90 patients with stage IIB uterine cervix cancer who received radiotherapy between 9/94 and 12/99. Age was ranged from 28 to 79 years (median 57). Tumor size was > or = 4 cm in 64 patients. Preteatment SCC level was measured in 76 patients. Twenty nine patients received conventional radiotherapy (QD) and the others received modified hyperfractionated radiotherapy (BID). Only 7 patients in BID had tumor size <4 cm. All patients received high dose rate brachytherapy (4 Gy x 7 or 5 Gy x 6). No patient received concurrent chemotherapy during radiotherapy. Follow up period was ranging from 9 to 76 months (median 38). RESULTS: The 5-year overall and disease free survival rates were 73.4% and 71.6%, respectively. Local recurrences occurred in 10% of patients, and distant metastasis in 18.9%. There was a significant correlation between OS/DFS and tumor size (<4 cm; OS 95.2%, DFS 91.4%, > or = 4 cm; OS 63.4%, DFS 63.4%). Pretreatment SCC level was one of prognostic factors only in univariate analysis. CONCLUSION: With modified hyperfractionated radiotherapy, there was very low local recurrence rate (6.6%) and high 5-year overall and disease free survival rate (75.4% and 70.5%), which is comparable to results after concurrent chemoradiotherapy in bulky, locally advanced stage IIB uterine cervix cancer.
Brachytherapy ; Cervix Uteri* ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Radiotherapy* ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies