No abstract available.
Glaucoma* ; Manometry* ; Mass Screening*

Both Mycoplasma hominis (M. hominis) and Ureaplasma urealyticum (U. urealyticum) are important genital mycoplasmas which are found in the cervix, vagina and the urogenital tracts of females. It has been associated with various disease states including non-gonococcal urethritis, spontaneous abortion, low birth weight and chorioamnionitis. Moreover they can be transmitted up to 40% of infants born to infected mothers. The culture methods which is commonly used for the determination of above mycoplasmas requires special culture media and can take up to 7 days. Recently the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been successfully applied for the detection of pathogenic microorganisms. In this study, M. hominis and U. urealyticum were determined using PCR in 70 vaginal swabs and 48 urine samples. In a total of seventy vaginal swabs, thirteen (18.5%) and twenty four (34.3%) samples were positive for M. hominis and U. urealyticum, respectively. In forty eight urine samples, M. hominis and U. urealyticum were found in 3 cases (6.3%), respectively. Among vaginal swab and urine samples, one case was found to be coinfectious state. Amplified DNA bands were more frequently found in vaginal swabs than urine samples. This study shows that PCR is a relatively simple, fast and practical tool for the detection of M. hominis and U. urealyticum in a clinical materials instead of culture method.
Abortion, Spontaneous ; Cervix Uteri ; Chorioamnionitis ; Culture Media ; DNA ; Female ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Low Birth Weight ; Infant, Newborn ; Mothers ; Mycoplasma ; Mycoplasma hominis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Pregnancy ; Ureaplasma urealyticum ; Urethritis ; Vagina

No abstract available.

The purpose of this study was to develop and test the validity of standardized Korean nomenclature of the Home Health Care Classification(HHCC), developed by Saba at the University of Georgetown. The four phases of the study were : (1) Two professors and 15 graduate students, who were taking a nursing intervention course, translated the HHCC into Korean. (2)12 nurses with various clinical backgrounds reviewed each nomenclature taking into consideration of the definition and activities, and the Delphi method was used to determine the best appropriate nomenclature for each term; (3)20 academic and clinical experts in nursing were given a questionnaire to rate the validity of each Korean nomenclature using a 5 point Likert scale ranging from very inappropriate to very appropriate; (4) Five members of the Korean Nurses Association Research Committee reviewed the survey results and determined the most appropriate Korean nomenclature for each term of the HHCC. Most of the nomenclatures had a score of more than 4.0, but several terms had a score lower than 4.0. They are Ambulation therapy(3.1.1), Anticipatory grieving(3.11), Sexual patterns alteration(3.17), Nursing care coordination(3. 22), Physical therapist service(3.22), Regular diet(3.33), and Instrumental activities of daily living(3.44). These research results will be included in the nursing vocabulary dictionary to be published by the Korean Nurses Association.
Classification* ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Humans ; Nursing ; Nursing Care ; Physical Therapists ; Vocabulary ; Walking ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Porokeratosis is a disorder of epidermal keratinization which is characterized by the presence of cornoid lamellae. Since the original description of the plaque form of Mibelli, various types of porokeratosis have been reported. OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were aimed at evaluating the clinical and biological features of porokeraosis. METHODS: The hospital charts and slides of 29 patients with porokeratosis were reviewed. Only the cases showing characteristic cornoid lamellae by histopathological examinations were included. RESULTS: Female patients outnumbered the male ones (M:F = 1:2.2). Ages of the onset of porokeratosis varied from infancy to 68 years. Disseminated superficial actinic porokeratosis (DSAP) was the predominant type (22 cases). The Mibelli type was seen in 3 cases and the linear type in 4 cases. Only one case had a family history of porokeratosis. Two patients had complained of pruritus in the lesions, which were the DSAP and linear type, respectively. In that linear type, squamous cell carcinoma developed. Eight patients had other associated diseases. Although 6 patients were treated with CO₂ laser, topical isotretinoin or cryotherapy, the lesions tended to recur, persist or even progress. CONCLUSIONS: Porokeratosis showed various clinical features. DSAP was the predominant type. Two patients complained of itching of the lesions, which were the DSAP and linear types, respeciively. Within that linear type, squamous cell carcinoma developed. We speculate that pruritus might be an ominous sign of malignant transformation of the porokeratosis. We suggest that the Mibelli type and linear type of porokeratosis should be either excised or destroyed, or in widespread cases close follow-up should be mandatory.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cryotherapy ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Isotretinoin ; Male ; Porokeratosis* ; Pruritus

We describe a 38-year-old woman with an adenoma of anogenital mammary-like glands on the left labium major. Adenomas of anogenital mammary-like glands have been rarely reported with various nomenclatures in the English literature. The knowledge of this rare disease entity may be important to diagnose and treat the lesions arising on the anogenital areas.
Adenoma* ; Adult ; Female ; Humans ; Rare Diseases

Digital mucous cysts encompass two pathogenetically distinct entities, the cutaneous myxomatous type and ganglion type. We describe an 8-year-old boy with a digital mucous cyst on the ventral side of the proximal phalanx of the right fifth finger. The case shows characteristic histopathological findings, but in an unusual location.
Child ; Fingers ; Ganglion Cysts ; Humans ; Male

BACKGROUND: There has been reports which suggest that the morphologic feature of ventricular premature complex(VPC) might reflect the cardiac state. METHODS: To test this, we studied retrospectively the association between the morphologic feature of VPC(shape and duration) and cardiac state(structural and functional) by analysing the records of ECG(179 cases) obtained from reviewing echocardiogram performed in our hospital from 1988 to early 1991. Group 1(n=84) had VPC-QRS complexes with either smooth and uniterruped contour or narrow(<0.04 sec) notching and group 2(n=95) demonstrated VPC with broad(> or =0.04 sec) notching or shelves. Without taking into account of either the presence of the type of the underlying cardiac disease and other constitutional disease state, we classified the type of VPC on ECG according to the above criteria and analysed its simple association with cardiac size and functional state on echocardiogram. RESULTS: In group 1, 68 of 84 cases with a VPC had no notching. In group 2, the VPC-QRS duration was greater than group 1(0.154+/-0.022 vs 0.141+/-0.011 sec(mean+/-S.D.), p=0.0001).Left ventricular end-diastolic diameter(LVED) and ejection fraction(EF) showed a significant difference between the two groups(5.12+/-0.64 vs 5.72+/-0.95cm, p=0.0003 and 65.89+/-10.84 vs 60.82+/-15.5%, p=0.012 respectively). In group 2, 50 of 95 cases(53%) showed ejection fraction less than 64%. By defining left ventricular structural dilatation and functional impairment on echocardiogram as LEVD greater than 5.5cm and EF less than 64% respectively, the sensitivity and specificity of VPC morphology was 60% and 74% respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that a broadly(> or =0.04 sec) notched VPC of long duration(> or =0.15 sec) is a simple and reliable 12-lead ECG marker for an abnormal structural and functional state of the heart(dilatation and hypokinetic left ventricle), irrespective to underlying cardiac disease, while a VPC with smooth contour or narrow(<0.04 sec) notching with short duration(<0.15 sec) reflects a normal sized heart with normal systolic function.
Dilatation ; Electrocardiography ; Heart ; Heart Diseases ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore the barriers to and factors facilitating the operation of patient safety incident reporting systems. METHODS: A qualitative study that used a methodological triangulation method was conducted. Participants were those who were involved in or responsible for managing incident reporting at hospitals, and they were recruited via a snowballing sampling method. Data were collected via interviews or emails from 42 nurses at 42 general hospitals. A qualitative content analysis was performed to derive the major themes related to barriers to and factors facilitating incident reporting. RESULTS: Participants suggested 96 barriers to incident reporting in their hospitals at the organizational and individual levels. Low reporting rates, especially for near misses, were the most commonly reported issue, followed by poorly designed incident reporting systems and a lack of adequate patient safety leadership by mid-level managers. To resolve and overcome these barriers, 104 recommendations were suggested. The high-priority recommendations included introducing reward systems; improving incident reporting systems, by for instance implementing a variety of reporting channels and ensuring reporter anonymity; and creating a strong safety culture. CONCLUSIONS: The barriers to and factors facilitating incident reporting include various organizational and individual factors. As an important way to address these challenging issues and to improve the incident reporting systems in hospitals, we suggest several feasible methods of doing so.
Electronic Mail ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Leadership ; Patient Safety ; Reward ; Risk Management

Acute interstitial pneumonia is a fulminant disease of unknown etiology that usually occurs in a previously healthy person and produces the histologic findings of the organizing phase of diffuse alveolar damage. We experienced an autopsy case of acute interstitial pneumonia of unknown etiology. The patient was a 48 year old man who had been healthy and had not been exposed to organic dusts or other toxic materials. The chief complaints represented were dyspnea and a dry cough for several weeks before hospitalization, and the chest radiographs showed bilateral interstitial infiltrates. Patchy consolidation of air space was also identified and ground-glass attenuation similar to those described in ARDS was detected on high-resolution computed tomography. Steroid pulse therapy, mechanical ventilation, and antibiotics for superimposed bacterial infection were performed, but the symptoms did not improve and the patient died of generalized respiratory insufficiency and severe hypoxemia 2 1/2 months after hospitalization. At autopsy the macroscopic and microscopic findings were confined mainly to the lungs. On the whole, both lungs were firm in consistency and the external surface showed a cobblestone appearance. The cut surface showed almost complete replacement of the normal lung parenchyma with gray to yellow fibrous tissue with a little residual functional area remaining. The pathology of both open lung biopsy and autopsy tissue showed marked hyperplasia of type II pneumocytes, hyaline membrane formation, thickening of the alveolar wall due to extensive fibroblast proliferation, and relatively abundant young collagen deposition in the interstitium. An immunohistochemical stain for cytokeratin revealed epithelial hyperplasia and showed that the alveolar spaces were markedly shrunken by fibrous tissue.
Anoxia ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Autopsy* ; Bacterial Infections ; Biopsy ; Collagen ; Cough ; Dust ; Dyspnea ; Fibroblasts ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Hyalin ; Hyperplasia ; Keratins ; Lung ; Lung Diseases, Interstitial* ; Membranes ; Middle Aged ; Pathology ; Pneumocytes ; Pulmonary Fibrosis ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Respiration, Artificial ; Respiratory Insufficiency