The effects and roles of social support and stressors (stressful life events and chronic strains) on psychosocial distress were examined in a model with data from a sample of the white-collar workers (N = 416) in Korea. The findings of this study present that mean levels of psychosocial distress were higher' in the female, youth, unmarried and divorced, and low economic status (monthly income). The analysis also shows that, as expected, stressful life and chronic strains as stressors are positively related to occurrence of psychosocial distress, and social support is negatively related to psychosocial distress. Further, the contribution of social support to predicting psychosocial distress is greater in magnitude than that of stressful events, chronic strains, and sociodemographic variables. There is no evidence that social support buffers the impacts of stressors on psychosocial distress, rather social support takes a role of main or direct effects on psychosocial distress. Therefore, the strength of the social support is an important and meaningful strategy to prevent from stress and mental, physical illness.
Adolescent ; Buffers ; Divorce ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Change Events ; Single Person

The effects of multiple exposures to pesticides on plasma cholinesterase(ChE) activities and urinary p-nitrophenol excretion were evaluated in rats. Rats were received single dose i.p. with LD50/100(mg/kg) of organophosphorous(OP), organophosphorous-organochroline(OP-OC), organophosphorous-carbamate(OP-CAB), organophosphorous-organoarsenate(OP-OA) pesticides for 4 consecutive days. In repeated administration of pesticides, plasma ChE activities were decreased, but urinary p-nitrophenol were increased after the first injection and then decreased gradually. The recovery rates of ChE activities and p-nitrophenol excretion at 48 hours after the fourth infection were delayed in comparison with the baseline value of 24 hours before the first injection. Statistical significances were found between OP and other groups except OP-OA group after the second injection in plasma ChE activities, but in urinary p-nitrophenol excretion there was statistical significance only between OP and OP-CAB.
Animals ; Cholinesterases* ; Pesticides* ; Plasma* ; Rats*

BACKGROUND: Steroid myopathy is an unexpected side effect to the prolonged therapeutic use of steroids. To treat steroid myopathy, the followings are recommended; reduction of the steroid dose, usage of a nonfluorinated steroid, and conversion to an alternate day regimen. As muscle loading is encouraged in maintaining normal muscle properties, it is also apparent that physical exercise may be useful in the prevention and treatment of steroid myopathy. METHOD: The experiment was designed to investigate the effects of exercise on steroid myopathy. Rats being treated with triamcinolone acetonide (TA) (5 mg/kg/day) for 7 days exercised on a treadmill (speed 20m/min, 30 min/day, 3 days/week) for 2 weeks. The extensor digitorum longus (EDL) and soleus were then examined histochemically and ultrastructurally. RESULTS: Rats treated with TA showed significant loss of body and muscle weight. In the TA treated group, cross-sectional areas of type II fibers of both EDL and soleus were decreased in comparison with the controls. Necrotic changes were found only in type II fibers of the soleus. Recovery from the weight loss with type II fiber atrophy was more pronounced in the exercise group than that of the sedentary group, but was not significant statistically. Ultrastructural abnormalities, that consisted of subsarcolemmal mitochondrial accumulation, mitochondrial vacuolation, increased number of mitochondria in autophagic vacuoles, and dilatation of sarcoplasmic reticulum, were seen in TA treated muscles. These injuries were significantly reduced by the exercise, however, complete recovery could not be seen. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that treadmill exercise for 2 weeks partially ameliorate steroid myopathy in.
Animals ; Atrophy ; Dilatation ; Exercise* ; Mitochondria ; Muscles ; Muscular Diseases* ; Rats ; Sarcoplasmic Reticulum ; Steroids ; Triamcinolone Acetonide ; Vacuoles ; Weight Loss

Information on work stress and mental health status of industrial workers was required for optimum staffing and health care management. This study dealt with the relationship between mental health status examined by PSI(psychiatric symptom index) and socio-demographic variables. Especially this study attempted to find relevant determinants of the stress and mental health through multiple stepwise regression analysis based on data obtained from 687 occupational workers. The findings of this study were as follows; Mean scores of symptom dimension were higher in youth, female, more educated, unmarried and divorced, and workers in the noisy condition and short duration in job. And it showed high scores in long duration in job for anxiety; college educated for anger; unmarried for cognitive disturbance. The factors affecting the mean scores of psychiatric symptom index were varied according to the types of symptom; age, sex and duration in job for anxiety; age, sex, living with parent, education and marital status for anger; sex and marital status for depression; noisy condition and sex for cognitive disorder.
Adolescent ; Anger ; Anxiety ; Delivery of Health Care ; Depression ; Divorce ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Marital Status ; Mental Health* ; Parents ; Single Person

This study was conducted to understand health status by general characteristic, and to find out relationship between social support and worker's health status. Health status was measured using SF-36(Medical Outcome Study Short Form 36), a 36 item self administered Instrument. The finding of this study were as follow; Mean scores of health status by sex were higher in male. The younger worker reported good health on physical functioning and role limitation-physical than did the older worker, but the older worker reported good health on social functioning and mental health. Mean scores of health status were higher in high income and white worker. When the relationship between social support and health status, social functioning, role limitation-emotion, mental health, vitality, general health were significantly related. Therefore we reviewed the evidence that socio-economic condition are associated with health status in this study, and that the strength of the social support was a important to maintain health.
Humans ; Male ; Mental Health ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care)

BACKGROUND: It is well known that atrial fibrillation is common cardiac arrythmia in old age and poses a definitive risk factor of cerebral infarction. Therefore, effective treatment of atrial fibrillation is very important in the prevention of cerebral infarction. However, oral anticoagulant medication for the prevention of embolic ischemic stroke may be dangerous due to cerebral hemorrhage side effects. METHODS: This is a controlled case study designed to identify the risk factors in a large numbers of stroke and atrial fibrillation patients and to assess those patients with atrial fibrillation as a high risk group for cerebral infarction. All patient discharged from Chonnam National University Hospital were identified over a 42 month period who met our case standards of atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke (n=62), and compared them with the control groups who were discharged with atrial fibrillation without stroke(n=68). We excluded the atrial fibrillation due to valvular heart disease, ischemic heart disease and congestive heart failure during the selection of subjects. RESULTS: Subjects and the controls were characteristically similar with common past medical histories of diabets, smoking, and hyperlipidemia. Sex, familial history, left ventricular hypertrophy in 2D-echocardiogram were also similar in both groups, however differences did exist. Subjects were significantly older than controls(68.9 : 63.9, p<0.001) and more likely to have a history of hypertension(56.5% : 23.5%, p<0.001) and left atrial enlargement(>40mm)(52.6% : 29.0%, p<0.001). Each of these 3 factors were assinged a measure of 1 point as a risk score, ischemic embolic stroke was found in 4 out of 28 patients(14.3%) with a risk score of 0, in 16 out of 39 patients(41.0%) with a risk score of 1, in 29 out of 41 patients(70.7%) with a risk score of 2, in 8 out of 11 patients(72.7%) with a risk score of 3. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the above results, a subject having more than two risk factors should be regarded as a high risk group for cerebral infarction and the long term anticoagulant therapy for the prevention of stroke may also be necessary even though some complications are present.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atrial Fibrillation* ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Cerebral Infarction* ; Heart Failure ; Heart Valve Diseases ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; Jeollanam-do ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Patient Selection ; Risk Factors* ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Stroke

No abstract available.
Gelatin* ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Entecavir is a synthetic nucleoside analogue, cyclopentyl guanine nucleoside, which has a potent antiviral effect and the least viral breakthrough in hepatitis B virus (HBV) replication. Entecavir has been available in Korea since 2007 but there are few reports on its effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the virological response (VR) and biochemical response (BR) to entecavir in HBV patients at 3, 6 and 9 months after treatment with entecavir. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three chronic hepatitis B patients who took entecavir for at least 9 months were enrolled. We investigated VR and BR by retrospectively reviewing medical records. Patients who satisfied the following criteria were chosen: 1) initial alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels = 1.5upper limit of normal (ULN) and 2) initial HBV DNA levels = 5 log10 copies/ml. We measured ALT levels every 3 months until month 9. HBV DNA was measured every 2 or 3 months by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. RESULTS: Most patients taking entecavir showed good BR (ALT < 40 IU/L). The BR rates were 61%, 73% and 67% at months 3, 6 and 9, respectively. VR (HBV DNA < 5 log(10) copies/ml or 2 log lower than initial HBV DNA) rates were 82%, 91% and 91% at months 3, 6 and 9, respectively. Undetectable HBV DNA (HBV DNA < 4 log(10) copies/ml) rates were 49%, 73% and 85% at months 3, 6 and 9, respectively. Two patients presented with virological breakthrough without adverse effects until month 9. CONCLUSIONS: Entecavir showed good BR and VR from month 3 and these effects continued through the 9-month observation period. This suggests that entecavir is also a good choice for the first line treatment of chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Further studies are needed to determine the long-term efficacy and drug resistance of entecavir in Korean CHB patients.
Alanine Transaminase ; DNA ; Drug Resistance ; Guanine ; Hepatitis B virus ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Retrospective Studies

A palpable breast lump is the most frequent symptom of breast cancer. At the same time, metastatic lymph nodes can be palpable in the axilla. Breast cancer can sometimes present as an isolated axillary adenopathy without any clinically detectable breast tumor. The incidence of an occult primary tumor with axillary metastases is very low, 0.4% of the breast cancer patients in the collective data. A metastatic carcinoma found in an axillary node should be treated as a breast cancer, because the breast is the most common primary site and because breast cancer is a curable disease with proper management. Between July 1993 and June 1996, 523 breast cancer patients underwent surgery in Asan Medical Center. Among them, 7 patients (1.3%, 7/523) presented with metastatic axillary lymphadenopathy without clinical evidence of a breast tumor or any other primary tumor. The median age of these 7 patients was 49 years (range 39~62 years). The mean size of palpable lymph nodes was 3.7 cm. A histological diagnosis of metastatic adenocarcinoma was obtained by excision in 5 patients and by fine needle aspiration cytology in 2 cases. The findings of the preoperative mammography was normal in 5 patients showed a dense breast in one patient was suspicious in one patient (14%, 1/7). Preoperative ultrasonography detected a suspicious tumor in two patients (28%, 2/7). The primary treatment was a modified radical mastectomy in 6 patients and an axillary dissection with whole breast radiotherapy in one patient. A breast cancer was found in the mastectomy specimen of 4 of 6 patients (66%): one invasive ductal, one invasive lobular, one DCIS, and one LCIS tumor. No tumor was found in two mastectomy samples.The median number of involved metastatic lymph nodes was 2 (range 1~25). The staging was IIA (TxN1M0, T0N1M0) in 4 patients, IIB (T2N1M0) in 2 patients, and IIIA (TxN2M0) in one patient. Four patients were positive for hormone receptors, 2 were negative, and one was unknown. All the patients were treated with postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy, radiotherapy or hormone therapy; no recurrence has been found in these patients to date. We conclude that axillary metastases without clinical evidence of a primary breast tumor represents a unique clinical entity of breast cancer, and it should be treated as a breast cancer to avoid unnecessary labaratory or radiological efforts to find the primary site.
Adenocarcinoma ; Axilla ; Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Carcinoma, Intraductal, Noninfiltrating ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Chungcheongnam-do ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lymph Nodes* ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Mammography ; Mastectomy ; Mastectomy, Modified Radical ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Ultrasonography

Gallbladder carcinoma is the most common primary hepatobiliary carcinoma and the fifth most common malignancy of the GI tract. The most common type of gallbladder carcinoma is adenocarcinoma. Squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder is rarer and is responsible for up to 12.7% of gallbladder tumors. A 78-year-old man was incidentally suspected of having a gallbladder mass on an abdominal CT scan and underwent laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Pathology results confirmed the mass as a squamous cell carcinoma. Here we report a case of keratinizing squamous cell carcinoma of the gallbladder and review the literature.
Adenocarcinoma ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic ; Gallbladder ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Humans ; Keratins