The purposes of operative treatment in unstable thoracolumbar and lumbar spine fractures are anatomical reduction and stabilization of the fractures and thus promote neurological recovery and early rehabilitation. To achieve these goals, complete preoperative assessment and recognition of the fracture pattern is necessary in addition to good surgical technique. The authors analyzed 47 cases of thoracolumbar and lumbar spine fractures operated from Jan. 1989 to Dec. 1991 at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, National Medical Center. All cases were classified according to Denis classification and in deciding the appropriate surgical approach, fracture type, stability, neurologic status and degree of deformity were all considered. Anterior approaches were performed in 23 cases of burst fracture and 3 cases of fracture-dislocation, and posterior approaches were performed in 1 case of compression fracture, 7 cases of burst fracture, 4 cases of seat-belt type injury and 5 cases of fracture-dislocation, In 3 cases of burst fracture and 1 case of fracture-dislocation, both anterior and posterior approaches were combined. With the analysis of postoperative changes in sagittal and coronal angle, translation and degree of rotation, we evaluated the results of operative reduction in terms of restoring normal anatomical configuration of injured spinal segments. So we tried to find the attributing factors in the operative reduction of the thoracolumbar and lumbar spine fractures and suggest the proper surgical approach that provides better reduction and stabilization.
Classification ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Fractures, Compression ; Rehabilitation ; Spine

No abstract available.
Hematoma* ; Orbit*

We herein describe a case of a 55-year-old healthy woman with localized primary thymic amyloidosis presented as a mediastinal mass, found incidentally by chest radiography. Computed tomography revealed a 4.1 cm soft tissue lesion with nodular calcification in the left anterior mediastinum. The resected specimen was a well-defined lobulating mass with calcification. Microscopically, the mass was consisted of amorphous eosinophilc hyalinized substances involving the thymus and intrathymic lymph nodes. These eosinophilic substances showed apple-green bi-refringence under polarized light after staining with Congo red. In immunohistochemical study, they were positive for kappa and lambda light chains and negative for amyloid A. There was no evidence of systemic amyloidosis in clinical investigations. A final diagnosis of localized primary thymic amyloidosis was made.
Amyloid ; Amyloidosis ; Congo Red ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Light ; Lymph Nodes ; Mediastinum ; Middle Aged ; Thorax ; Thymoma ; Thymus Gland

No abstract available.
Diskectomy*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationships among nursing students' knowledge, attitudes to advance medical directives and ethics values. METHODS: The study was a cross-sectional and descriptive survey, carried out with 232 students from two schools of nursing, one located in B and C city. Student nurses' knowledge, attitudes for advance medical directives and ethics values were measured using structured self-report questionnaires. Data were analyzed using t-test or one-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficients. RESULTS: The scores for knowledge, attitudes for medical advance directives were 7.18 and 3.07, and for ethics values, 3.47. Nursing students' knowledge and attitude showed a significant difference depending on grade. Nursing students' ethics values showed significant differences depending on whether a study on ethics had been completed. A positive correlation was observed between nursing students' knowledge, attitudes for advance medical directives and ethics values. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that basic data for the development of an effective education program on ethics is important in establishing a positive attitude toward advance medical directives and the appropriate ethical values in student nurses.
Advance Directives ; Education ; Ethics ; Humans ; Nursing ; Students, Nursing

PURPOSE: This study was aimed to explore the work experience of nurses who transitioned from the patient nursing department to administrative departments.METHODS: The participants were 11 nurses who had worked in departments of human resources, education and training, medical insurance review, information technology, and quality improvement. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews done between December 2017 and July 2018 and were analyzed in terms of Giorgi's phenomenological methodology. The research question was ‘What kind of experience did you have as you transition to a new role from a nurse to a hospital administrative nurse? What are the challenges in carrying out a new role? How do you overcome obstacles and adjust to being a hospital administrative nurse?’RESULTS: The main essence of the administrative nurses' work adjustment experience is represented by six components; 1) Beginning of a new challenge in conflict, 2) Running into barriers, 3) Struggling to take root, 4) Recognizing changes in the hospital, 5) Gradually adjusting to change, 6) Becoming a proficient hospital administrative nurse.CONCLUSION: Based on these findings, it is essential to create systems that enable administrative nurses to adjust to their work without confusion, and continuously develop programs to enhance their competence.
Education ; Humans ; Insurance ; Mental Competency ; Nursing ; Qualitative Research ; Quality Improvement ; Running

The simultaneous occurrence of primary glomerulonephritis in identical twins has been rarely reported previously. It has suggested that genetic factors may play an important role in the pathogenesis of primary glomerulonephritis. We describe a pair of 17-year-old identical twin brothers with asymptomatic proteinuria, one with histologically proven minimal change disease and the other with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. HLA typing in twin brothers revealed an identical phenotype consisting of A25, A33, B44, B54, Cwl, Cw7, DR7 and DRB1. To our knowledge, this is the first case of glomerulonephritis in identical twins in Korea.
Adolescent ; Glomerulonephritis ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental* ; Histocompatibility Testing ; Humans ; Korea ; Nephrosis, Lipoid* ; Phenotype ; Proteinuria ; Siblings* ; Twins, Monozygotic*

OBJECTIVE: The pharmacotherapy of bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (BP-NOS) has been insufficiently studied. The aim of this prospective naturalistic study was to explore the effectiveness of lamotrigine adjunctive treatment in patients with BP-NOS. METHODS: Data from 50 patients diagnosed with BP-NOS were analyzed. On the basis of the prospective mood chart methodology, the efficacy of lamotrigine adjunctive treatment was assessed by changes in the mean Clinical Global Impressions-Bipolar Version (CGI-BP) depression scores. A paired t-test was used to test the statistical significance of the changes in CGI-BP depression scores. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (RM ANOVA) with simple effect analysis was performed to explore the sequential changes during a 52-week period. Cohen's d was calculated to measure the magnitude of the treatment effects on the changes in depression severity. Time to lamotrigine discontinuation was also calculated using the Kaplan-Meier estimates. Lamotrigine-associated adverse events were monitored every two weeks. RESULTS: A significant decrease, with a large effect size (Cohen's d=1.6), in the mean CGI-BP depression scores was associated with lamotrigine adjunctive treatment in intent-to-treat analysis (t=8.7, df=49, p<0.001). Twenty-four patients (48.0%) completed 52-week lamotrigine adjunctive treatment. Analysis of the data obtained from those completing the treatment revealed a large effect (Cohen's d=4.0) on improvement in the severity of depression (t=16.8, df=32, p<0.001). Sixty percent of patients achieved remission (n=30), and 64% of patients (n=32) showed some clinical response to lamotrigine adjunctive treatment. The mean time to lamotrigine discontinuation was 31.3+/-3.1 weeks (CI=25.2-37.4). Lamotrigine adjunctive treatment was well tolerated, with no serious rashes reported. CONCLUSION: Lamotrigine seems to be effective in the management of depressive symptoms in BP-NOS. Long-term use of lamotrigine was generally safe and well tolerated. Large-scale controlled trials might be needed to confirm the findings of this naturalistic study.
Bipolar Disorder ; Depression ; Exanthema ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Triazines

Patterns of abnormality in regional cerebral perfusion and its relation to clinical severity were evaluated with 29 brain injury patients with neurologic symptoms using 99mTc-HMPAO single photon emission tomography(SPECT). The findings were compared with computed tomography done within 48 hours of each SPECT study. The initial SPECT study was done within 3days of injury in 10 cases, between 4days and 3 weeks in 7 cases and after over 3 weeks in 12 cases. Nineteen patients underwent both SPECT and CT after a mean interval of 1 to 2 months. SPECT could detect abnormal perfusion in patients with nonspecific CT finding, and especially, SPECT was significant in chronic stage patients. SPECT detected more lesions than CT in size and number. There were a total of 54 supratentorial SPECT lesions in all. Ninity one percent(49/54) of these were of regional hypoperfusion, while 5 lesions(9%) showed focal hyperperfusion. The lesions were most often localized in the frontal and temporal lobes. Cerebellar diaschisis was observed in 55%(16/29) of patients, The degree of perfusion abnormality was quantified by product of differential percents activity and size factor. The degree of perfusion abnormality(SPECT grade) correlates well with clinical grade(P<0.01). And clinical improvement correlate well with follow up SPECT(P<0.05). Conclusively, SPECT can defect brain perfusion abnormality not found by CT. SPECT may be useful as a complementary study in the evaluation of head injury patient.
Brain ; Brain Injuries ; Craniocerebral Trauma* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head* ; Humans ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Perfusion* ; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime ; Temporal Lobe ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

With the recent increase of coronary artery disease in Korea, coronary arteriography israpidly gaining importance as a diagnostic procedure in the management of ischemic heart disease in this country. In order to delineate normal angiographic anatomy of the coronary arteries in Korean adults, the author reviewed 63 normal or near normal coronary angiograms out of 113 consecutive cases done at the cardiac laboratory of Yonsei University Severance Hospital from February, 1976 through September, 1982 and obtained the following results. 1) The diameter of the main stems of the left and the right coronary arteries measured 2.7-6.3mm(mean, 4.0mm) and 2.1-6.0mm(mean, 3.6mm) respectively, and the length of the left main stem measured 0-23mm(mean, 9.3mm). 2) The conus branch was visualized to originate from the proximal right coronary artery in 50 cases(79.4%), and in the other 13(20.6%) in whom the conus branch was not visualized, it was assumed to have a separate ostium directly from the aortic root. 3) The sinus node artery originated from the right coronary artery in 35 cases(55.5%) and from the left circumflex 20(31.7%). The remaining 8 cases(12.7%) appeared to have dual blood supply. 4) The artery to the A-V node arose from the proximal part of the posterior descending artery as a branch of the right coronary artery in 59 cases(93.7%) and of the left circumflex in only 4(6.3%), and the pattern of the A-V node blood supply coincided with the dominancy(crossing the crux of the heart and giving rise to the posterior descending artery) of the right or the left circumflex arteries. 5) In 33 cases(52.4%), both of the arteries to the SA and the AV nodes arose from the right coronary, and in 19(30.2%), the SA node artery came from the right, whereas the AV node artery originated from the left circumflex. 6) The number of ramifications(furcation) of the main left coronary artery was two in 53 cases(83.1%), three in 9(14.3%), and four in 1(1.6%). 7) The number of diagnoal branches of the left anterior descending artery was one in 34 cases(54%), two in 28(44.4%) and 3 in 1(1.6%).
Adult* ; Angiography ; Arteries ; Atrioventricular Node ; Conus Snail ; Coronary Angiography* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Vessels* ; Heart ; Humans ; Korea ; Myocardial Ischemia