BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal symptoms, such as pain, numbness, and ganglions on involved joints were common problems in repetitive job workers, who exposed to prolonged, repetitive use of the wrist in factory. This study was performed to compare the degree of musculoskeletal symptoms and prevalence of soft tissue mass (esp. ganglion on wrist) in repetitive job group with those of non-repetitive job group and to evaluate the association of development of ganglion and the duration of wrist use. METHODS: Study subjects were 253 workers who work on a brick manufacturing factory and they were composed of 153 non-repetitive job workers and 100 repetitive job workers. Authors conducted a questionnaire survey among workers in the factory and examined their lesions. RESULTS: There were no significant difference statistically in age, level of education and work duration in both groups. It was statistically significant that the degree of wrist use was more frequent in repetitive job group than in non-repetitive job group(P<0.01). Musculoskeletal symptoms, such as pain and numbness on affected joints were more common in repetitive job group than in non-repetitive job group. Affected side was bilateral in three joints and right only in two joints(P<0.01, P<0.05). The prevalence of ganglions in repetitive job group(6 subjects, 6.0%) was much higher statistically than that in the non-repetitive job group(2 subjects, 1.3%). In a comparison of two groups according to the existence of ganglions, no stasistically significant differences were found in age, level of education and work duration. However, duration of wrist use was statistically significant relation with development of wrist ganglions(P<0.05). The 8 subjects with ganglion on wrist all worked on manufacturing part in the factory. The duration of work ranged from two to fourteen years. The affected sides of ganglions on wrist were right in 3 cases and left in 5 cases. Size of ganglions ranged from 0.5 to 3 cm in diameter. Painful symptom in the ganglion was complained by two cases(25%) among 8 cases. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that prolonged, repetitive activities such as carrying a brick, have a tendency to develop musculoskeletal symptoms and ganglions in the workers. Because high prevalence of ganglions in this factory seems to be an important occupational problem among repetitive job workers, further studies on the factors contributing to development of ganglions in this factory are needed.
Education ; Ganglion Cysts* ; Hypesthesia ; Joints ; Prevalence ; Wrist ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was undertaken to obtain better clinical insights and therapeutic approaches to the diverticular diseases of the colon by identifying the clinical characteristics of the right and left colonic diverticular diseases. METHODS: A retrospective analysis was made of 68 colonic diverticular patients treated between August of 1986 and July of 1997. Right colonic diverticular disease was present in 55 patients, left side disease in eight patients, and bilateral disease in five patients. According to the location of the colonic diverticular disease, various clinical parameters such as the nature of the diverticula, age and sex, diagnostic accuracy, and methods of treatment were assessed. RESULTS: The average age of 68 patients in this study was 50.94 years. Fifty two patients were male and sixteen were female. The disease was far more common in the right colon (80.9%) than the left colon (11.7%) and the right colonic diverticular disease was the most common source of confusion in diagnosis from acute appendicitis. Conservative management was tried in 30 of 35 patients above age 50 and obtained a good result without any complication. CONCLUSIONS: There has been a tendency toward increased incidence of annual colonic diverticular diseases in this study. The right colonic diverticular disease was far more common than the left side disease and the disease was more common in the male. In patients above age 50, initial conservative management is a reasonable approach, although early surgical exploration might be better in younger patients. Acute appendicitis should be ruled out before any treatment decision was made.
Appendicitis ; Colon ; Diagnosis ; Diverticulum ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Retrospective Studies*

PURPOSE: The C-14 urea breath test (C-14 UBT) is the most specific noninvasive method to detect Helicobacter (H) pylori infection. We investigated if the C-14 UBT can reflect the presence and degree of H. pylori detected by gastroduodenoscopic biopsies (GBx). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred fifty patients (M:F=83:67, age 48.6+/-11.2 yrs) underwent C-14 UBT, rapid urease test (CLO test) and GBx on the same day. For the C-14 UBT, a single breath sample was collected at 10 minutes after ingestion of C-14 urea (137 KBq) capsule and counting was done in a liquid scintillation counter for 1 minute, and the results were classified as positive ( 200 dpm), intermediate (50~199 dpm) or negative (<50 dpm). The results of CLO tests were classified as positive or negative according to color change. The results of GBx on giemsa stain were graded 0 (normal) to 4 (diffuse) according to the distribution of H. pylori by the Wyatt method. We compared C-14 UBT results with GBx grade as a gold standard. RESULTS: In the assessment of the presence of H. pylori infection, the C-14 UBT global performance yielded sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and accuracy of 92.5%, 88.4%, 97.1%, 88.4% and 91.3%, respectively. However, the CLO test had sensitivity, specificity, PPV, NPV and accuracy of 83.2%, 81.4%, 91.8%, 81.4% and 82.7%, respectively. The quantitative values of the C-14 UBT were 45+/-27 dpm in grade 0, 707+/-584 dpm in grade 1, 1558+/-584 dpm in grade 2, 1851+/-604 dpm in grade 3, and 2719+/-892 dpm in grade 4. A significant correlation (r=0.848, p<0.01) was found between C-14 UBT and the grade of distribution of H. pylori infection on GBx with giemsa stain. CONCLUSION: We conclude that the C-14 UBT is a highly accurate, simple and noninvasive method for the diagnosis of ongoing H. pylori infection and reflects the degree of bacterial distribution.
Azure Stains ; Biopsy ; Breath Tests* ; Diagnosis ; Eating ; Helicobacter pylori* ; Helicobacter* ; Humans ; Scintillation Counting ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Urea* ; Urease

BACKGROUND: Because systolic and diastolic dysfunction frequently coexist in acute myocardial infarction(AMI), we hypothesize that a combined measure of ventricular performance using Doppler echocardiography may be more sensitive and time-saving diagnostic tool for the evaluation of patients presenting with cardiogenic chest pain. METHOD AND RESULTS: Seventy-one patients with AMI (47 male, 59+/-11 years) and 45 patients with normal coronary artery (29 male, 52+/-11 years) were included in the study for measurement of cardiac performance index and established parameters of ventricular function using conventional echo-Doppler methods. a new derived index of cardiac performance: (ICT+IRT)/ET, was obtained by subtracting ejection time(ET) from the interval between cessation and onset of the mitral inflow velocity to give the sum of isovolumic contraction time(ICT) and isovolumic relaxation time(IRT). The mean value of the index was significantly different between normal and AMI(p<0.01). The degree of inter-group overlap was smaller for the index compared to other parameters. within functional groups, the value of the index did not appear to be related to heart rate, mean arterial pressure and the degree of mitral regurgitation. CONCLUSION: cardiac performance index is a conceptually new, simple and reproducible Doppler index of combined systolic and diastolic myocardial performance, and it is useful as screening test for patients with cardiac dysfunction due to AMI.
Arterial Pressure ; Chest Pain ; Coronary Vessels ; Echocardiography, Doppler ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Male ; Mass Screening* ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Myocardial Infarction* ; Relaxation ; Ventricular Function

No abstract available.
Maxillary Sinus Neoplasms* ; Maxillary Sinus*

No abstract available.
Cerebral Palsy* ; Humans

Purpose: This study examined the effects of a person-centered fall prevention program for older adults with dementia in long-term care hospitals. Methods: A nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. The study sample included 42 older adults with dementia (experimental group: 21, control group: 21) and 42 caregivers (experimental group: 21, control group: 21). The program comprised 48 sessions held over 12 weeks and included exercise intervention with resistance and balance, dance walking (45~60 min, three times/week), cognitive and emotional intervention (35~50 min, once per week), and person-centered fall prevention education (10 min, once per week). The program for caregivers consisted of six educational sessions (i.e., fall prevention competency enhancement and person-centered care strategy education, 80 min, once per week) for six weeks. Data were collected before participation and 12 weeks after program completion from February 18 to May 12, 2019. Data analysis was conducted using the chi-square test, t-test, and Mann―Whitney U test with SPSS/WIN 21.0. Results: The experimental group of older adults with dementia showed significant improvement in physical and cognitive functions, and a decrease in depression, and behavioral and psychological symptoms, when compared with the control group. caregivers in the experimental group exhibited significant improvement in fall-related knowledge and person-centered care of older adults with dementia compared to the control group. Conclusion The study findings indicate that this program was effective as a nursing intervention for fall prevention among older adults with dementia in long-term care hospitals.

No abstract available.
Classification* ; Dermatoglyphics* ; Yersinia*

PURPOSE: This study was to examine the effects of Taping therapy on the deformed angle of the foot and pain in hallux valgus patients. METHOD: The subjects were 24 feet from 15 patients who were diagnosed withhallus valgus at the orthopedic department of K University Hospital in Seoul. Taping therapy was conducted 15 times overall during a four-week period. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and t-test. RESULT: The deformed angle of the foot of the hallus valgus patients significantly improved from 21.95(4.38) to 18.75(4.80) after Taping therapy. Pain significantly decreased from 4.73(1.56) to 3.45(2.21) after Taping therapy. CONCLUSION: The result shows that Taping therapy is effective in improving the deformed angle of the foot and in decreasing pain in the hallux valgus patients.
Adult ; Female ; Hallux Valgus/*therapy ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; *Orthotic Devices ; Pain

BACKGROUND: Biodegradable microspheres are a useful method of drug delivery because they are both injectable and biodegradable. Previous work in our group has characterized implantable preparations of local anesthetics in pellets for prolonged regional anesthesia. In this paper we evaluated injectable suspensions of lidocaine-polymer microspheres for extended period of percutaneous sciatic nerve blockade in rats. METHODS: Microspheres were prepared using poly (lactide-co-glycolide) loaded with 50 wt% lidocaine by a solvent evaporation method. In vitro release rate of lidocaine from microspheres was determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Percutaneous blockade of the rat sciatic nerve was performed, and sensory blockade of the nerve was assessed using an analgesiometer. RESULTS: Lidocaine was released in a controlled manner in vitro. In general 60% of the drug released in the first day, 80% in two days. Sciatic nerve blockade duration ranged from 8 to 12 hours. Incorporation of dexamethasone 0.05 wt% into the microspheres resulted in significant prolongation of block. CONCLUSION: Prolonged percutaneous blockade of peripheral nerve is achieved using biodegradable polymeric lidocaine microspheres.
Anesthesia, Conduction* ; Anesthetics, Local ; Animals ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Dexamethasone ; Lidocaine* ; Microspheres* ; Peripheral Nerves ; Polymers* ; Rats ; Sciatic Nerve ; Suspensions