PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to measure meaning in life of elderly and to delineate basic data for developing nursing strategies for improving the meaning in life of elderly. METHOD: Subjects were 240 elderly above 65 years old staying in Busan and Kyungnam Province. The data was collected from May to Jun 2004. The instrument was utilizing Elderly Meaning In Life(EMIL) scale developed by Choi et al.(2003). RESULTS: The mean for elderly was 100.4, the range was from 37 to 148. 63.3% of subjects were in existential vacuum. The mean of 1 phase 'acceptance and awareness of self and life' was 36.9, 2 phase 'creative value realization' was 17.8, 3phase 'experiential value realization' was 2.8, 4 phase 'contentedness of past and present' was 43.7. There were significant differences according to the gender, religion, educational level, spouse, spending money, living arrangement and disease. CONCLUSION: On the viewpoint of above results, 63.3% of subjects were in level of existential vacuum, which required logotherapy. Therefore it shows that developing nursing-logotherapy to improve the meaning in life for elderly is demanded.
Aged* ; Busan ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Humans ; Nursing ; Psychotherapy ; Residence Characteristics ; Spouses ; Vacuum

No abstract available.

The hypotensive effect of diltiazem hydrochloride(Herben(R)) was investigated with 32 cases of essential hypertension. Diltiazem, 90-180mg per day, was administer ed in divided doses to each of the subjects for 6 week and the blood pressure lowering effect was assessed, as remarkably effective when the lowering of blood pressure was, 20mmHg or more of systolic pressure and 10mmHg or more of diastolic pressure; as satisfactorily effective when 20mmH or more of systolic pressure or 10mmHg or more of diastolic pressure was lowered; as fairly effective when 10-19mmHg of systolic pressure and 5-9mmHg of diastolic pressure. 1. With above mentioned criteria, diltiazem was remarkably, satisfactorily and fairly effective in 11(37%), 13(43%) and 1(3%) of 30 patients, respectively, while the drug was ineffective in 5(17%). 2. Diltiazem was effective in lowering of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and was effective as a sole agent of as an agent of combination therapy. 3. With diltiazem treatment, the depressed ST segment was conversed to isoelectric line in all of 10 cases which showed ST depression before diltiazem treatment and the elevated ST segment was conversed to isoelectric line in 1 of 2 cases. all of 4 cases with flat T wave and 10 of 12 cases with inverted T wave showed conversion to upright T waves after diltiazem treatment. 4. Undesirable side effects was observed in 2 cases out of 32 cases(6%); 1 case of erythema multiforme-like skin eruption and 1 case of the clinical aggravation of congestive heart failure, in whom the diltiazem administration was discontinued.
Blood Pressure ; Depression ; Diltiazem* ; Erythema ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Skin

Since coronary arteriovenous fistula(CAVF) was first reported by Krause in 1865, more than 400 cases have been reported. It is relatively rare disease and originates more commonly in the right than in the left coronary artery. We report a case of CAVF between right coronary artery and right ventricular inflow tract with significant left to right shunt in a 34-year old female who was admitted for the cardiomegaly on routine chest X-Ray. It was detected by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography, and confirmed by cardiac catheterization and coronary angiography. The opening of the fistula draining into the right ventricle was obliterated with sutures. There was no significant shunt in postoperative cardiac catheterization and coronary angiography.
Adult ; Arteriovenous Fistula* ; Cardiac Catheterization ; Cardiac Catheters ; Cardiomegaly ; Coronary Angiography ; Coronary Vessels ; Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal* ; Female ; Fistula ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Rare Diseases ; Sutures ; Thorax

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate diagnostic role of echocardiography in the patients of acute chest pain with nonspecific ECG findings we have performed prospective study. SUBJECT AND METHOD: 79 out of 101 consecutive patients presenting to the emergency room with symtoms suggestive of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) without diagnostic ECG change were studied. Presence and score of regional wall motion abnormality (RWMA) were assessed according to the American Society of Echocardiography guideline (16 segment model) by two-dimensional echocardiography within 4 hours after arrival. The diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) was confirmed by serial myocardial enzyme assay retrospectively. RESULTS: Of the 28 patients with RWMA, 13 (46%) had non-Q AMI, 8 (28%) had unstable angina, 3 (11%) had posterior AMI. Of the 51 patients with normal wall motion, 10 had gastroesophageal disease, 9 had variant angina, 3 had psychologic disease, 1 had aortic dissection and 1 had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Thus, Presence of RWMA by echocardiography had a sensitivity of 49% and a specificity of 88% for diagnosis of ACS. In 21 ACS patients with RWMA, regional wall motion score was significantly higher in AMI than in unstable angina (3.1+/-1.8 vs 1.0+/-2.2, p<0.05). As for the significant coronary artery stenosis, there was a higher incidence of multivessel disease in the patients with RWMA (64%). CONCLUSION: RWMA by two-dimensional echocardiography in the emergency room is not a sensitive but a specific technique to diagnose ACS patient with nonspecific ECG change, especially in posterior AMI and non-Q AMI.
Acute Coronary Syndrome ; Angina, Unstable ; Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic ; Chest Pain* ; Coronary Stenosis ; Diagnosis ; Echocardiography* ; Electrocardiography* ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Enzyme Assays ; Humans ; Incidence ; Myocardial Infarction ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Thorax*

Active infective endocarditis, involving native, is often complicated by conduction abnormalities. These conduction disturbances are considered to represent an extension of the infection from the valve to the annulus, and to the surrounding myocardium. We describe a case of a 59-year-old woman who presented with dyspnea due to staphylococcal endocarditis, which was complicated by a complete heart block.
Dyspnea ; Endocarditis ; Endocarditis, Bacterial* ; Female ; Heart Block* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Myocardium

Neurofibromatosis 1(NF-1, Von Recklinghausen disease) and Neurofibromatosis 2(NF-2, bilateral acoustic neurinoma) have been established as distinct disorders by the National Institutes of Health(NIH) Consensus Development Conference in 1988. We recently have encountered a patient of NF-2 who develop multiple intracranial and spinal tumors 12 years after the surgical treatment of Schwannoma of lumbar nerve roots. The tumors were right acoustic neurinoma, left cerebellopontine angle(CPA) meningioma, multiple intracranial meningiomas, intraorbital glioma, multiple ependymomas of the brain stem and cervical spinal cord, and meningiomas of cervical nerve roots. We present this case with a review of reported cases of neurofibromatosis.
Academies and Institutes ; Acoustics ; Brain Stem ; Ependymoma ; Glioma ; Humans ; Meningioma ; Neurilemmoma ; Neurofibromatoses* ; Neurofibromatosis 2* ; Neuroma, Acoustic ; Spinal Cord

A statistical study on 135 cases of acute poisoning who were treated in Pediatric department of Soon Chun Hyang College Hospital from May, 1974 to August, 1980 was performed. The results are as follows: 1. Seasonal incidence was more prevalent in summer. (from June to August, Table 2) 2. It occurred more frequently in male than female and high incidence was noted in 1 to 3 year-old age group(Table 5). 3. The causative chemicals were found to be 58 kinds & the commonest chemical was insecticides which were 16.3% of all cases. Rodenticides and tranquilizers(11.9%), D.D.S. (5.1%), kerosence(3.7%) were the next common causatvie agents. And drugs were more frequent than non-drug agents(Table. 3). 4. Accidental poisoning was more frequent than therapeutic and suididal purpose(Table 6). 5. It occurred most frequently during 3 to 6 O'lock in the afternoon and especially from 6 to 9 O'lock in morning and in the evening in the 0 to 1 year-old age. 6. There were complications which were aspiration pneumonia(3 cases). Corrosive pharyngitis (1 cases) and anoxic brain damage(1 cases) respectively. And death occurred in 1 cases due to insecticide.
Brain ; Child* ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Insecticides ; Male ; Pharyngitis ; Poisoning ; Rodenticides ; Seasons ; Statistics as Topic*

Pheochromocytomas can arise wherever chromaffin cells are found, and most of them(90%) are in one or both adrenal glands. But they may be located anywhere along the sympathetic chain and rarely in aberrant sites. One of the common extra-adrenal sites from which these tumors can arise is a collection of para-aortic and para-ganglion cells around the origin of the inferior mesenteric artery. We experienced a case of extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma located at the organ of Zukerkandl in a 21-year-old female patient with abdominal colic and paroxysmal hypertension, whose symptoms and blood pressure returned to normal after successful surgical excision of the tumor.
Adrenal Glands ; Blood Pressure ; Chromaffin Cells ; Colic* ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Mesenteric Artery, Inferior ; Pheochromocytoma* ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Assessment of aerobic capacity (VO2max) is one of the essential components in exercise prescription for health promotion and maintenance. This study was conducted to compare the validity of four exercise tests to assess aerobic capacity in young adult male subjects by comparing them to the values measured from maximal ergometer exercise test (criterion VO2max). METHODS: Twenty young healthy adult males (M+/-SD=21.1+/-1.5 years) volunteered as subjects. Criterion VO2max was calculated and printed out automatically by computerized analysis system of expired air samples collected during maximal ergometer exercise test. VO2max was estimated for each subject from heart rate at submaximal workloads on the cycle ergometer using the Astrand-Rhyming nomogram(A/R) and Fox protocol(FOX) and the computerized multiple extrapolation method (XTP). The score got from Havard step test(H/S) was used to compare the validity. The validity of the procedures was based on the evaluation of the predicted VO2max (from A/R, FOX, XTP, and H/S) versus the criterion VO2max via the calculation of constant error (CE=mean difference for predicted minus criterion VO2max), r value, standard error of the estimate[SEE=SD(1-r2)(1/2)], total error [TE=(sigma(predicted VO2max - criterion VO2max)(2)/n)(1/2)]. RESULTS: In relation to criterion VO2max, the XTP and A.R underpredicted (XTP: 40.8 ml/kg/min SD=4.1; A/R: 37.3 ml/kg/min SD=5.0) and the H/S and FOX overpredicted (H/S: 48.0 ml/kg/min SD=5.9: FOX 46.3 ml/kg/min SD=5.5). Dunnett post-hoc procedures revealed that there were significant (P<0.05) mean differences (CE) for VO2max from A/R versus criterion. The validity coefficients for VO2max derived from XTP, H/S, A/R, and FOX were 0.68, 0.53, 0.50, and 0.49, respectively. TE of the XTP, FOX, H/S and A/R, which accounts for the effects of both the CE and SEE, were 5.73, 6.13, 6.75, and 8.87, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the XTP is recommended first for estimation VO2max in young adult males. It is also considered that further studies about female and other age groups are necessary.
Adult ; Exercise Test* ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Male ; Prescriptions ; Young Adult