The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of follow-up care for stroke survivors on primary caregivers' quality of life. Quasi-experimental research was conducted in which an experimental group and a control group-each of 15 stroke survivors and their primary caregivers-were consecutively sampled. Data collected from July to September, 1999 by interview using a structured questionnaire with both the experimental and the control groups. After a month, the two groups were given the same questionnaire. The experimental group was also given a telephone follow-up every week for a month, as well as a home visit. The survey instruments used in this study were Saha and Cooper's Modified Barthel index (11 items) for checking the stroke survivors' level of activities of daily living, and a modified form of Jeong's Quality of life (18 items) for primary caregivers' QOL level. The obtained data were analyzed by percentage, t-test. chi-test. Kruscal-Wallis test, Spearman correlation coefficient by SAS/PC program. The results were as follows: 1. There was no significant difference in the stroke survivors' ADL level. though the level of the experimental group was higher than that of the control group. 2. There was a statistical difference in the before and after treatment of the primary caregivers' QOL level. In conclusion. the follow-up a care program had useful effect on the quality of life of primary caregivers.
Activities of Daily Living ; Caregivers ; Follow-Up Studies* ; House Calls ; Humans ; Quality of Life* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Stroke* ; Survivors* ; Telephone

Hantavirus is a genus of the Bunyaviridae family causing two serious diseases, hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). Puumala virus is a member of hantavirus originally found in Europe, and its natural reservoir is Clethrionomys glareolus. It is also associated with the hurnan disease nephropathia epidemica, a milder form of HFRS. To identify the hantaviruses in bats, bats were collected from Jeong-Sun, Won-Joo, Chung-Ju and Hwa-Cheon area in Korea, and nested RT-PCR was performed with serotype specific primer from M segment. Interestingly, Puumala virus was detected in bats (Rhinolophus ferrum-equinum) only from Won-Joo. The 327 bp nested RT-PCR product, was sequenced. The sequence database search indicates that the sequence is homologous to the published sequence of Puumala viruses. The sequence similarities were ranged from 71% to 97%. The highest sequence similarity was 97% with Puumala virus Vranicam strain, and the lowest was 71% with Puumala virus K27 isolate. Puumala virus Vranicam strain was isolated from a bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) in Bosnia-Hercegovina. Puumala virus K27 was isolated from human in Russia. This analysis confirms that bats (Rhinolophus ferrum-equinum) in Korea are natural reservoir of Puumala virus.
Arvicolinae ; Base Sequence ; Bunyaviridae ; Chiroptera* ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Europe ; Hantavirus ; Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; Humans ; Korea* ; Puumala virus* ; Russia ; Sequence Analysis*

No Abstract Available.
Adult* ; Capsulorhexis* ; Cataract* ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Naringin, one of the flavonoids in citrus fruit peels, is known to have antioxidant and hepatotonic effects in animal studies. We evaluated the effect of naringin on 1) blood lipid profiles, 2) regression of fatty streak of aorta, and 3) liver toxicity in diet-induced hypercholesterolemic rabbits. METHODS: New Zealand White Rabbits (2.0 - 2.5 Kg) were divided to three groups; group without treatment, group treated with 100 mg/kg/d or 500 mg/kg/d naringin, and group treated with 1 mg/kg/d or 20 mg/kg/d lovastatin. They were fed on 0.25% or 1.0% cholesterol-containing diet for 8 weeks and then sacrificed. Blood samples were collected for measurement of total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, triglyceride, serum GOT and GPT. Aortas and livers were harvested for evaluation of fatty streak and pathologic examination. RESULTS: 1)Feeding of 1% cholesterol diet for eight weeks significantly increased the cholesterol level upto 20 folds. Neither lovastatin nor naringin did lower these marked hypercholesterolemia. But both naringin (500 mg/kg/d) and lovastatin (1 mg/kg/d) significantly reduced the area of fatty streak by 75% and 58%, respectively. Naringin was more effective in inhibition of fat infiltration into liver than lovastatin which showed hepatotoxicity as increase of serum GPT level (p=0.01). 2)Feeding of 0.25% cholesterol diet for eight weeks significantly increased the cholesterol level upto 17 folds. Total cholesterol and triglyceride levels tended to decrease by treatment with naringin (500 mg/kg/d) and lovastatin (20 mg/kg/d), but this decreases were not statistically significant. However, areas of fatty streak significantly decreased by treatment with naringin and lovastatin by 64 and 82%, respectively (p<0.05). Microscopic analysis revealed that foam cell infiltration into intima was significantly reduced by naringin and lovastatin. In contrast to lovastatin, naringin significantly reduced the level of serum GPT (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Like lovastatin, naringin has strong antiatherogenic action which may not be associated with its very mild lipid lowering action. In contrast to lovastatin, naringin does have hepatoprotective effect.
Animals ; Aorta ; Cholesterol ; Citrus ; Diet ; Flavonoids ; Foam Cells ; Hypercholesterolemia ; Liver ; Lovastatin ; Rabbits* ; Triglycerides

This study was undertaken at the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chonnam University Medical School, to investigate the association between some of the risk factor and the incidence of intrauterine fetal growth restriction(IUGR). The studied population was selected from patients who admitted at Chonnam University Hospital during January, 1992 through May, 1997, with following criteria, Korean, singletone pregnancy with live birth and known gestational weeks with 28 or more. And then, the risk factors were analyzed in terms of maternal factor, placental factor, and fetal factor. The following results were obtained. 1) The incidence of IUGR was 6.1%. 2) The incidence of IUGR was higher at young aged mother and nullipara. 3) Only 39.1% of etiologic factors for IUGR was found to have known causes. According to the risk factors for IUGR, hypertensive disorder during pregnancy, anemia, cardiac disease, leukemia, and pulmonary tuberculosis were associated with increased incidence of IUGR. 4) The relative risk of IUGR was much higher in neonates born with congenital anomalies. 5) According to the placental causes of IUGR, placenta previa and placenta abruption showed some association with IUGR.
Anemia ; Fetal Development* ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Gynecology ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Jeollanam-do ; Leukemia ; Live Birth ; Mothers ; Obstetrics ; Placenta ; Placenta Previa ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors ; Schools, Medical ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary

To determine whether liposome-encapsulated tobramycin is less toxic than commercial tobramycin and the threshold dose of liposome-encapsulated tobramycin required to produce toxic reactions when it was injected intravitreally in rabbit, we used liposome-encapsulated tobramycin, tobramycin in PBS, mixture of tobramycin and liposome-encapsulated saline, liposome-encapsulated saline and normal saline respectively. After those were injected, we examined the histologic findings and the functional changes of the retina. The final results are summarized as follows; 1. When tobramycin was injected intravitreally alone, there was no toxic reaction of the retina histologically and functionally with dosage 500 micro gram of commercial tobramycin, but dosage more than 750 micro gram produced toxic reaction. 2. When liposome-encapsulated tobramycin was injected intravitreally, there was toxic reaction of the retina histologically and functionally with dosage 1500 micro gram of tobramycin. 3. When a mixture of tobramycin and liposome-encapsulated saline was injected intravitreally, there was similar toxic reaction as tobramycin used alone with dosage more than 750 micro gram of tobramycin. Liposome-encapsulated saline and normal saline did not produce toxic reaction. The above results indicate that liposome encapsulation markedly reduces the ocular toxicity of tobramycin and that as mnch as dosage 1000 micro gram of liposome-encapsulated tobramycin may be tolerated by the intravitreal route in the rabbit eye. Therefore, the results of this study offer some hope that we may use the method of intravitreal injection of liposome-encapsulated tobramycin safely and effeciently for the treatment of bacterial endophthalmitis in near future.
Endophthalmitis ; Hope ; Intravitreal Injections ; Liposomes ; Rabbits* ; Retina* ; Tobramycin*

Behcet's disease is a chronic, multi systemic disorder which is more frequently seen in the Mediterranean basin, Middle East, and Far East. One thousand four hundred fifty four patients, who had visited the Behcet's Disease Specialty Clinic of Yonsei Universtiy, College of Medicine from November, 1983 to December, 1990, were grouped into 4 groups by Shimizu's classification, and their clinical and epidemiological characteristics were evaluated. 1. The disease occurred more often in women than men, and the mean age of onset was 29.0 years old. 2. About 85% of the patients were from Seoul, Kyunggi, and lnchon. 3. The number of new patients has increased yearly. 4. By the Shimizu classification, incomplete type was most common. 5. The most frequent major symptom was oral ulcer (97.5%), and the most frequent minor symptom was arthritis (29.5%). The most frequent initial symptom was oral ulcer (78.1%). 6. The mean interval between the initial symptom and ocular symtom was 44 months. 7. Ocular lesions appeared in 239 patients, and occurred more often in men than women. Their mean age was 28.2 years old, and the most common ocular symptom was iritis (64.0%). 8. About 30% of the patients had corrected visual acuity of 0.01 or worse at their first visit. Visual acuity was worsened in 50.9% of the eyes followed for over 24 months. 9. Twenty nine Behcet's disease patients with refractory ocular involvement were treated with Cyclosporin A (CYA), and visual acuity was improved in 52.7% of the patients treated over 6 months with CYA.
Age of Onset ; Arthritis ; Classification ; Cyclosporine ; Far East ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Iritis ; Male ; Middle East ; Oral Ulcer ; Seoul ; Visual Acuity

No abstract available.
Fetal Blood* ; Humans* ; Oxygen* ; Phagocytes*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the triage and length of stay of cancer patients who visited an emergency department in a cancer center. METHODS: Aretrospective descriptive study design was used. Data were collected from medical records of patients who visited an emergency room from March 7 to June 30, 2016. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and Kruskal-Walis tests. RESULTS: In total, 2,699 cancer patients visited the emergency room excluding cases with insufficient records. The mean age was 58.7±18.7 years, and males were 47.0% and 56.0%, respectively. In triage, 184 (6.8%) were ‘emergency’ patients, 823 (30.5%) were ‘urgent’, and 1,692 (62.7%) were the most ‘non-emergency’ patients. The average stay of length in the emergency room was 5.79±7.69 hours. CONCLUSION: These findings show that development of triage tool and communication system with staff are needed to reduce overcrowding and length of stay of the emergency department.
Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Humans ; Length of Stay* ; Male ; Medical Records ; Triage*

Chronic abdominal pain (CAP) in children and adolescents remains one of the pathogenetically ambiguous disorders and a great trouble to their caretakers as well as patients. Although the symptom does not usually lead to a crucial problem, the parents may be terribly worried, the child may be in distress, and the practitioner may be concerned about ordering tests to confirm a serious occult disease. Systemized diagnostic approaches are needed to overcome this unique difficulty. The presence of red flag symptoms or signs is a general indication to pursue diagnostic testing for organic etiologies of CAP on the basis of specific symptoms in an individual case. Functional abdominal pain can be normally diagnosed when there are no red flag symptoms or signs. According to the Rome III criteria for pediatric functional gastrointestinal disorders, functional disorders of CAP can be classified into functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome, abdominal migraine, and chronic functional abdominal pain syndrome. Cyclic vomiting syndrome and pathologic aerophagia are also major functional causes of CAP. Modern concepts of the pathogenesis of functional abdominal pain include brain-gut interaction, visceral hypersensitivity, autonomic dysfunction, and psychosocial factors. In addition, psychiatric disorders, presented with red flag symptoms or signs, may induce the CAP in children and adolescents. We introduce practical and systemized diagnostic approaches by illustrating clinical cases of CAP in children and adolescents.
Abdominal Pain ; Adolescent ; Child ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Dyspepsia ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; Migraine Disorders ; Parents ; Rome ; Vomiting