No abstract available.
Mandible*

No abstract available.
Asthma*

OBJECTIVES: Patients with schizophrenia often have a concrete thinking or an impairment in abstract thinking, but there has been a limitation in quantitatively measuring this cognitive function. The aim of the current study was to investigate a deficit in abstract thinking in patients with schizophrenia using the theme identification task. METHODS: Twenty subjects with schizophrenia and 20 healthy volunteers participated in the behavioral study for theme identification. The visual stimuli were composed of a series of pictures, which contained positive or negative emotional situations. Three words, indicating a main theme of the picture, a theme-related item and a theme-unrelated item, respectively, were presented in the bottom of the pictures, and participants had to select a theme. RESULTS: The patient group selected theme words at significantly lower rate in both emotional conditions than the control group (positive, p=0.002 ; negative, p=0.001). Especially, in the negative condition, the patient group more selected theme-unrelated items than the control group (p=0.001). The rates of theme identification were inversely correlated with scores of the Social Anhedonia Scale (positive, r=-0.440, p=0.007 ; negative, r=-0.366, p=0.028). CONCLUSION: Patients with schizophrenia exhibited an impairment in abstract thinking, and it was remarkable in the negative condition. The ability to think abstractly was associated with the severity of social anhedonia. The impairment of abstract thinking may become one of the reasons for poor social functioning in socially anhedonic patients.
Anhedonia ; Humans ; Schizophrenia ; Thinking

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to understand the degree of vitality, meaning in life and self-efficacy and to elucidate the factors influencing this vitality in the nurses of Korea. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey of nurses from 4 hospitals was conducted by convenience sampling. Data collection was conducted through the use of questionnaires which were constructed to include a Vitality Self Test, Purpose in Life Test and Self-efficacy Scale. RESULTS: The degree of vitality in nurses was in the middle range. The nurses of this study had few goals towards meaning in life, and an existential vacuum state. A positive relationship was found between vitality and the research variables. The significant predictors influencing vitality in nurses were meaning in life, self-efficacy, and clinical career, and these variables accounted for 28.7% of the variance in vitality. CONCLUSIONS: This results support that vitality is an important link with meaning in life and self-efficacy. There should be a comprehensive study in the future for in-depth understanding of the vitality of nurses.
Adult ; Analysis of Variance ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Male ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; *Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; *Self Efficacy ; Translating

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to provide evidence for the relationship between health risks and selfreported absenteeism and presenteeism. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of 496 employees of an electric company was conducted. Participants responded to a self-questionnaire including the assessment of 7 health risks (obesity, current smoking, problem drinking, lack of exercise, chronic disease, depressive mood, high stress) and the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment - General Health Questionnaire (WPAI-GH). Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the significance of health risks on work impairment. RESULTS: As a result of the analysis of all the participants, problem drinking (absenteeism) and high stress (absenteeism and presenteeism) were significantly associated with work impairment. In the analysis of a sub-group, current smoking (presenteeism), lack of exercise (absenteeism), and high stress (presenteeism and absenteeism) were significantly associated with reduced productivity among the blue-collar workers. However, the analysis of the white-collar workers showed no significant relationship between health risks and work impairment. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation suggests that employees who have more health risks will experience more absenteeism and presenteeism than employees with fewer risks, and this association is affected by employment type.
Absenteeism* ; Chronic Disease ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Drinking ; Efficiency ; Employment ; Logistic Models ; Questionnaires ; Smoke ; Smoking

No abstract available.
Vasculitis*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The clinical manifestation of Henoch-Schonlein purpura and existance of renal involvement may influence on its course and prognosis. To verify prevention with early administration of steroid, we studied the efficacy of corticosteroid treatment. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We analysed 65 children under 15 years of age with Henoch-Scho nlein purpura according to their age, sex, and seasonal incidence. Forty children showed typical skin lesions, arthralgia and abdominal pain. We have divided them two groups. Group A consisted of 20 children who received 1 mg/kg of prednisolone/perday for 2 weeks and group B did not. We carried out their physical examination and urinalysis monthly for a year. RESULT: The main clinical manifestations were skin rash(100% ), abdominal symptoms(41.5 %), joint symptoms (49.2%), and renal involvement(34%). As for gastrointestinal symptoms, abdominal pain(66.7% ) was most commonly observed one and others were nausea or vomiting (44.7%) and melena(25.9%). The joint involvement was observed mostly in knee(56.3%) and ankle joint(31.3% ), Hematuria was observed in all cases with renal involvement and proteinuria, in 28% of them. The improvement of renal manifestations were noted in 84.2% of them within 4 months. Mild elevation of IgA was more frequently observed in renal involvement group than non-involved group (p< 0.01). There were no significant differences in immonologic parameters such as IgG, IgM, IgE, duration of the acute phase and severity of cutaneous symptoms between two growps. None of steroid treated growp showed progression of nephropathy. Of the 20 non-steroid treated growp, 2(10%) developed nephropathy. Conclusion We may suggest that existance of renal involvement in Henoch-Schonlein purpura influences its course and prognosis.
Abdominal Pain ; Ankle ; Arthralgia ; Child ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin A ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Incidence ; Joints ; Nausea ; Physical Examination ; Prognosis ; Proteinuria ; Purpura* ; Purpura, Schoenlein-Henoch ; Seasons ; Skin ; Urinalysis ; Vomiting

Idiopathic thrombocytupenic purpura is known as an autommune t,hrombocytopenic purpura. It is characterized by either an acute or gradual onset of petechiae or ecchymoses in the skin and mucous membranes, especially in the mouth. Epistaxis, conjunct.ival hemorrhage, hemorrhagic bullae in the mouth, gingival bleeding, melena, and hematemesis may occur. We report a case of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura in a 10-year-old male, who showed multiple petechiie and ecchymoses on both lower extremities, and hemorchagic bullae in the mouth. Periheral blood smear showed decreased platlet count, and in the bone marrow megakeyocytes were incraesed. Bleeding time was increased, but coagulation time was normal.
Bleeding Time ; Bone Marrow ; Child ; Ecchymosis ; Epistaxis ; Hematemesis ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Melena ; Mouth ; Mucous Membrane ; Purpura ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic* ; Skin

No abstract available.
Adrenocortical Carcinoma*