BACKGROUND: Whether the changes of risk factors (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, smoking, alcohol) can precipitate stroke remains unknown, and antecedent infection and psychologic stress are described insufficiently as predisposing risk factors for cerebral infarction. Therefore, we attempted to examine the roles of recent infection, psychologic stress, and the changes of risk factors as potential precipitants in each stroke subtypes. We also tested the temporal relationship between preceding exposure to coldness and stroke onset. METHODS: In this case-control study, 113 consecutive patients with acute cerebrovascular disease (38 small vessel disease, 43 large vessel disease, 11 cardiogenic infarction, 4 infarction of undetermined cause, and 17 intracerebral hemorrhage) and 23 control subjects were evaluated. Changes of the risk factors (and their management) were interviewed. A sign/symptom based questionnaire was used to characterize the prevalence of recent prior infection and exposure to coldness. Psychologic stress was measured with the use of Social Readjustment Rating Scale. RESULTS: The negative change of alcohol drinking was significantly higher in the stroke group. However, there was no significant difference between stroke and control groups in the changes of the other risk factors. The prevalence of previous (within 1 month) infection was significantly higher in the stroke group compared with control subjects (p=0.03). However, there were no significant differences among the stroke subtypes in the prevalence of infection(p=0.08). Upper respiratory tract infections constituted the most common type of infection. The exposure to coldness was significantly higher in the stroke group compared with control subjects (p=0.002). The level of stress within the prior 1 month/1 year was significantly higher in the stroke group than control group (p=0.01). CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that preceding infection, exposure to coldness, psychologic stress, and the negative change of alcohol drinking may be com.
Alcohol Drinking ; Case-Control Studies ; Cerebral Infarction ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Humans ; Infarction ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stress, Psychological* ; Stroke*

The aim of this study was to examine the factors influencing perceived oral health in elderly individuals residing in the community.

No abstract available.
Humans ; Peptic Ulcer*

PURPOSE: It has been known that there are several areas of T2 hyperintensities in normal white matter of brain, such as terminal zones of myelination, ependymitis granularis, ones of posterior internal capsule, and perivascular space. The aim of our study is to demonstrate another region of T2 hyperintensities in normal pediatric age group. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We have studied brain MR for 10 normal volunteers and 35 patients without having intracranial lesions in pediatric age group(3-19 years). RESULTS: In 5 among 45 cases, focal T2 hyperintensities were seen in the parietal periventricular white matter beneath the postcentral gyri. They were noted as poorly defined, 5--10mm sized areas of increased signal intensities on T2 weighted axial images. They were also characterized by bilateral, posteromedially oriented, short band-like or oval areas. Interestingly, they were directly continuous with the T2 hyperintensity of posterior internal capsule. In spite of the relatively high frequency in the pediatric population as in our study, this finding has not been reported in the asymptomatic adults. CONCLUSION: The results show that the bilateral anterior parietal hyperintense areas may be another terminal zones of delayed myelination affecting the parietopontine tract. They should be differentiated from pathologic T2 hyperintensities by their characteristic findings.
Adult ; Brain ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Internal Capsule ; Myelin Sheath ; Rabeprazole*

PURPOSE: 2 TU of PPD HTZ3 has been substituted for 5 TU of PPD RT23 since 1998 in Korea without adequate evaluation. This study was undertaken to evaluate the tuberculin reactivity to 2 TU of PPD RT23 following intradermal BCG vaccination in neonates. The results were compared with the previous report generated with 5 TU of PPD RT23 in 1993. METHODS: Two hundred neonates born from October 1998 to April 1999 in Hanyang University Hospital were vaccinated with O.lmL of BCG(Institute Merieux, France) intradermally and tested for tuberculin response to 2 TU of PPD RT23 three months later. RESULTS: Among the total 200 infants, 31 showed no response on Mantoux test and the remaining 169 infants showed induration in diameter of 7.52.4rnm in bell shaped distribution(155 fullterm infants : 7.7+/-2.3mrn, l4 premature infants :.5.2+/- 2.2mm). When the diameter of induration was equal to or greater than 5 rnm considered for positive tuberculin response, the positive rate of tuberculin response in fullterm infants was 80.7%(146/181 infants) and significantlv greater than 52.6%(9/19 infants) in prernature infants(P=0.0119). CONCLUSION: Tuberculin reactivity to 2 TU of PPD RT23 on infants vaccinated with BCG during neonatal period appears to be lower than that to 5 TU of PPD RT23 reported previously, indicating that a new criteria for tuberculin reactivity to 2 TU of PPD RT23 should be established in future studies.
Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Infant, Premature ; Korea ; Mycobacterium bovis* ; Tuberculin* ; Tuberculosis ; Vaccination*

As gastroduodenoscopy performed more frequently, case reports of human echinostomiasis are increasing in Korea. A Korean woman presented at a local clinic with complaints of abdominal pain and discomfort that had persisted for 2 weeks. Under gastroduodenoscopy, two motile flukes were found attached on the duodenal bulb, and retrieved with endoscopic forceps. She had history of eating raw frog meat. The two flukes were identified as Echinostoma hortense by egg morphology, 27 collar spines with 4 end-group spines, and surface ultrastructural characters. This report may prove frogs to be a source of human echinostome infections.
Animals ; Duodenal Diseases/*parasitology ; Duodenum/*parasitology ; Echinostoma/*isolation & purification ; Echinostomiasis/*diagnosis ; Endoscopy ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged

Diffuse leiomyomatosis of the esophagus is a rare condition and usually extends from the mid-esophagus to the proximal third of the stomach. Macroscopically, there is a marked diffuse thickening of the esophageal wall, with or without nodularity, predominantly affecting the circular muscle coat. Microscopically, the disorder is characterized by the loss of the normal orientation of the smooth muscle fibers of all three layers. We report a case in a 37-year-old woman which was incidentally discovered at exploratory thoracotomy.
Female ; Humans

PURPOSE: To report the related factors of posterior capsule rupture and the difference of postoperative visual prognosis after phacoemulsification by analyzing clinical features of the surgery performed by ten novice ophthalmologists. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated electronic medical records of 326 patients (412 phacoemulsification cases) who underwent surgery by novice ophthalmologists certified by the Board of Ophthalmology after a resident training program. RESULTS: The number of cataract surgeries performed by each surgeon within the ophthalmology fellowship period (6 months - 2 years) ranged from 16 to 75 eyes, and perioperative posterior capsule ruptures occurred in 64 of 412 eyes (15.5%). Factors such as age, sex, laterality, axial length and clinical courses were not related to the rate of posterior capsule rupture. Nucleosclerosis was significantly related to the posterior capsule rupture rate and was especially higher in the group with a grade higher than five compared to that in the groups with a grade less than 5 based on the Lens Opacities Classification System III (p = 0.033). Factors of surgeon's subspecialty, nucleofractis method, and period between residency and the fellowship were not related to the posterior capsule rupture rate, except when considering anesthetic methods. The posterior capsule rupture rate was less frequent in the retrobulbar surgery group than the topical surgery group (p = 0.046). Postoperative visual outcomes were significantly different at postoperative day one and one month (p = 0.023, 0.022, respectively) but not at postoperative two months (p = 0.059). CONCLUSIONS: Phacoemulsifications performed by novice ophthalmologists showed a statistically significant difference in posterior capsule rupture rate between nucleosclerosis and anesthesia groups. Postoperative visual outcome differed at postoperative day one and one month but not after two months postoperatively.
Anesthesia ; Cataract ; Classification ; Education ; Electronic Health Records ; Fellowships and Scholarships ; Humans ; Internship and Residency ; Learning Curve ; Ophthalmology ; Phacoemulsification* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture* ; Specialization

PURPOSE: To report the related factors of posterior capsule rupture and the difference of postoperative visual prognosis after phacoemulsification by analyzing clinical features of the surgery performed by ten novice ophthalmologists. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated electronic medical records of 326 patients (412 phacoemulsification cases) who underwent surgery by novice ophthalmologists certified by the Board of Ophthalmology after a resident training program. RESULTS: The number of cataract surgeries performed by each surgeon within the ophthalmology fellowship period (6 months - 2 years) ranged from 16 to 75 eyes, and perioperative posterior capsule ruptures occurred in 64 of 412 eyes (15.5%). Factors such as age, sex, laterality, axial length and clinical courses were not related to the rate of posterior capsule rupture. Nucleosclerosis was significantly related to the posterior capsule rupture rate and was especially higher in the group with a grade higher than five compared to that in the groups with a grade less than 5 based on the Lens Opacities Classification System III (p = 0.033). Factors of surgeon's subspecialty, nucleofractis method, and period between residency and the fellowship were not related to the posterior capsule rupture rate, except when considering anesthetic methods. The posterior capsule rupture rate was less frequent in the retrobulbar surgery group than the topical surgery group (p = 0.046). Postoperative visual outcomes were significantly different at postoperative day one and one month (p = 0.023, 0.022, respectively) but not at postoperative two months (p = 0.059). CONCLUSIONS: Phacoemulsifications performed by novice ophthalmologists showed a statistically significant difference in posterior capsule rupture rate between nucleosclerosis and anesthesia groups. Postoperative visual outcome differed at postoperative day one and one month but not after two months postoperatively.
Anesthesia ; Cataract ; Classification ; Education ; Electronic Health Records ; Fellowships and Scholarships ; Humans ; Internship and Residency ; Learning Curve ; Ophthalmology ; Phacoemulsification* ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Rupture* ; Specialization

No abstract available.
Nose* ; Papilloma, Inverted* ; Paranasal Sinuses*