BACKGROUND: The EuroQol-5 Dimension (EQ-5D) is the most frequently used questionnaire in cost-utility studies such as the quality-adjusted life year measure. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to the relationship between an individual's visual analogue scale (VAS) score and EQ-5D dimensions. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between the EQ-5D and VAS quality of life measures after adjusting for socio-demographic factors in the Korean general population. METHODS: The Fourth Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which is a national representative sample, was used to analyze the impact of the EQ-5D dimensions on the VAS. The known-group construct validity of the VAS was assessed by factors that included age, income and comorbidities. The ordinary linear regression models were applied to test for the effect of the EQ-5D dimensions after adjusting for socio-demographic and clinical factors. RESULTS: We found that the VAS showed good construct validity. The VAS significantly declined as age increased, and as education and income levels decreased. VAS scores decreased for all EQ-5D dimensions as the response level rose. The explanatory power of the VAS increased from 23.0% in the first model, which included only the EQ-5D dimensions and levels, to 25.0% in the full model, which included socio-demographic and clinical factors. CONCLUSIONS: While the EQ-5D dimensions were significant factors in determining the VAS, they did not, however, explain a sufficient amount of variance in the VAS. Further research is required on adding more dimensions to the EQ-5D preference-based instrument.
Comorbidity ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Nutrition Surveys ; Quality of Life ; Quality-Adjusted Life Years

No abstract available.
Haloperidol* ; Humans*

BACKGROUND: the prediction on changes in the lung function after lung surgery would be an important indicator in terms of the operability and postoperative complications. In order to predict the postoperative FEV1 - the commonly used method for measuring changes in lung function- a comparison between the quantitative CT and the perfusion lung scan was made and proved its usefulness. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The subjects included 22 patients who received perfusion lung scan and quantitative CT preoperatively and with whom the follow-up of PFT were possibles out of the pool of patients who underwent right lobectomy or right pneumonectomy between June of 1997 and December of 1999. The FEV1 and FVC were calibrated by performing the PFT on each patient and then the predicted FEV1 and FVC were calculated after performing perfusion lung scan and quantitative CT postoperatively. The FEV1 and FVC were calibrated by performing the PFT after 1 week and after 3 momths following the surgery. RESULTS: There was a significant mutual scan and the actual postoperative FEV1 and FVC at 1 week and 3 months. The predicted FEV1 and FVC(pneumonectomy group : r=0.962 and r=0.938 lobectomy group ; r=0.921 and r=913) using quantitative CT at 1 week postoperatively showed a higher mutual relationship than that predicted by perfusion lung scan(pneumonectomy group : r=0.927 and r=0.890 lobectomy group : r=0.910 and r=0.905) The result was likewise at 3 months postoperatively(CT -pneumonectomy group : r=0.799 and r=0.882 lobectomy group : r=0.934 and r=0.932) CONCLUSION: In comparison to perfusion lung scan quantitative CT is more accurate in predicting lung function postoperatively and is cost-effective as well. Therefore it can be concluded that the quantitative CT is an effective method of replacing the perfusion lung scan in predicting lung function post-operatively. However it is noted that further comparative analysis using more data and follow-up studies of the patients is required.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lung* ; Perfusion* ; Pneumonectomy ; Postoperative Complications

BACKGROUND: Although warts are known to be caused by viruses, one of their peculiarities is that they may be treated by suggestion therspy or hypnosis. This suggests that psychologic or emotional factors influence the hosts response to the virus lesions. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the study was to analyze the role of psychologic factors in the therapeutic response of warts. METHODS: The self-concept scale test(Korean Testing Center) was done in all 61 patients with common wsrts before the cryot.herapy from September 1991 to June 1993. Clinical follow-up data were obtained on 50 patients after 2 months, and then were evaluated usir g the self-eoncept scale in treated vs untreated group. RESULTS: 1. The overall cure rate was 56.0%, being higher in females and patients with high education, 1-3 in number of lesions and no previous treatment history as well as in those with less than 1 year of duration. 2. In the comparison of self-concept scale between treated(n=18) and untreated(n=22) groups, the treated group had remarksble results in moral ethical self, personal self and family self scores (p<0.05). Only 14 items were significantly different between two groups(p<0.05 by Wilcoxon rank sum test). 3. Patients of 20 years or more showed a high cure rate(67.79%, p<0.05 by t-test) and demonstrated significance in total positive self score and its self identity, and satisfaction, self behavior, physical self, moral ethical self and family self scores(p<0.05, by t-test). CONCLUSION: The self-cancept significantly related to the positive aersonality, harmonious family, stable self-esteem and high normal ethics, may influence at least the therapy to the warts in the treated patients in contradistintion to the untreated ones.
Cryotherapy* ; Education ; Ethics ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypnosis ; Warts*

No abstract available.
Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cisplatin* ; Drug Therapy, Combination* ; Female ; Ovary* ; Paclitaxel*

Some of the proteins of mycobacteria are preferentially associated with the cell wall and are powerful immunogens, and humoral antibody responses to these mycobacterial antigens may occur in patients with tuberculosis. In this study, Triton X-100 solubilized protein (TSP) antigen was isolated from Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv by overnight shaking with 1% Triton X- 100/PMSF and 10-90% ammonium sulfate precipitation. IgG and IgM antibody levels against TSP, crude protein from the unheated cultrue filtrate (CF#) and 30 kDa antigens were determined in the sera of 80 patients with pulmonary tuberculosis and 99 healthy controls with PPD (+) and (-). High IgG reactivity to TSP and CF antigen was observed in tuberculosis patients. Mean IgG antibody titers against all of three mycobacterial antigens were differed significantly (P<0.01) between patients and controls but IgM showed no difference. By the cut-off value adding 2 standard deviation to the mean absorbance of controls, the sensitivity and specificity of the IgG antibody to TSP antigen were 93.9% and 77.5%. The specificity to TSP antigen was a litttle higher than those obtained by CF and 30 kDa antigen. From the above results, the TSP antigen may be useful for the serodiagnosis of tuberculosis.
Ammonium Sulfate ; Antibody Formation ; Cell Wall ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulin M ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Neptune* ; Octoxynol* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Serologic Tests ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*

OBJECTIVES: The purposes of the study were to develop a questionnaire for dietary habit survey for Korean adults, and unify the terms related to dietary habits. METHODS: The Delphi method by 43 professionals on dietary habit research was applied to unify the terms. RESULTS: With regard to results on terms related to dietary habit, the respondents recorded the highest percentage (90.7%) of selecting the term "dietary habits" and also the highest percentage (76.7%) of choosing "dietary habits" for English. The biggest percentage of the respondents chose "individual dietary behaviors repeatedly formed and habitualized under the social, cultural, and psychological influence in the group" as the concept of dietary habits. The Delphi survey for the development of a questionnaire resulted in the first questionnaire of 31 items, the second one of 27 items, and the third one of 25 items. The validity of questionnaire items was tested with content validity ratios (CVR). The items whose CVR value was 0.29 or lower were eliminated or revised, because the minimum CVR value needed to test validity was 0.29. To test the reliability of questionnaire items, test-retest method was performed in 163 adults. According to the Kappa coefficient in the range of 0.314-0.716, all of the 25 items were in the reliability scope. A survey was taken with 702 adults to finally revise and supplement the third questionnaire whose validity and reliability were tested. CONCLUSIONS: Through those processes, a questionnaire for adults' dietary habit survey was finally completed. The significance of the study lies in the development of the first questionnaire on dietary habits equipped with both validity and reliability in South Korea.
Adult* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Food Habits* ; Humans ; Korea ; Surveys and Questionnaires*

PURPOSE: This study was to verify the effects of spiritual care module education programs by applying it to nurses. METHOD: The study employed a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design in a quasi-experimental basis. Subjects were 93 nurses (46 in an experimental group and 47 in a control group) with more than two years clinic experience, attending a bachelor program of K University, in I city, Korea. The program consists of courses with 2.5 hours per week for seven weeks. RESULT: Scores of spiritual needs and spiritual nursing competence increased significantly in the experimental group. The score of spirituality and spiritual well-being also increased in the experimental group, but not significantly. CONCLUSION: The spiritual care module education program was considered to be an effective nursing intervention education course. Nurses educated with this program seemed to perform better nursing interventions for subjects facing difficulties or confusion by helping them restore and cope with those problems by themselves. Therefore, it is recommended that spiritual care module education should be settled as a regular course of nursing college with consideration to the corrections and supplements mentioned in this study.
Education* ; Korea ; Mental Competency ; Nursing ; Spirituality

The effects of pretreatment of Co-Cr alloy, including two adhesive primers that contain either MDP or MAC-10, and silicoating on the bond. The results obtained as follows : Strength of 4-META/MMA-TBB resin were investigated using FT-IR SEM, and EDAX. in the SEM observation of surface morphologies, the sandblasted specimen exibited a very rough surface, whereas the surfaces of the two groups primed with either MDR or MAC-10 were covered with a layer of primer, and the surface morphology of the silicoated specimen remained almost the same after sandblasting. Before the thermocycling tests, the group treated with MDP demonstrated the highest mean tensile bond strength and the sandblasted group showed the lowest bond strength. After 20,000 themocyling, the mean tensile bond strength of the sandblasted group exhibited a 50% reduction in bond strength, while the other showed a 20~30% reduction. Observation of the metal-resin interface revealed that in all groups the resin permeated the rough surface formed by sandblasting thereby producing a mechnical bond between the metal and the resin, It was also found that thermocycling resulted in a gap formation at the metal-resin interface of the specimens, and the sandblasted group exhibited a larger gap width than the other groups. in fracture mode, all specimens indicated a cohesive fracture within the resin before thermocycling. However, thermocyling produced adhesive failure at the edge of the resin-metal interface in most specimens, The sandblasted group, which exhibited the lowest bond strength after thermocycling, also demonstrated the largest area of adhexive failure.
Adhesives ; Alloys*

We observed 2 cases of multiple trichoepithelioma, which occured in 25-year- old male and 20-year-old female. They visited our department for multiple skin rashes on the face of 8 years duration in male and 7 years' duration in female patient. Both of them have similar skin lesions characterized by multiplel waxy gshiny, skin colored, firm papules scattered on the nasolabial folds, both eyelids and forehead. Each one of them has a history of similar skin lesions in the family. Literatures are briefly reviewed for discussion of clinical and histopathologicl findings in this disease.
Exanthema ; Eyelids ; Female ; Forehead ; Humans ; Male ; Nasolabial Fold ; Skin ; Young Adult