BACKGROUND: Along with the recent greater number of medical devices for the elderly in the market, there has been a parallel increase in the number of clinical trials for these devices. It is uncertain, though, whether the target population has the awareness and understanding of these clinical trials and the possible adverse events of the devices. METHODS: A total of 147 elderly subjects (mean age, 65.8+/-8.3 years; 39 males) responded to the questionnaire. A pilot study during the development of the questionnaire was conducted in 2009 with the actual survey taking place from June to November 2011. The questionnaire included 22 items-10 items on awareness and understanding of the clinical trial; 4 items on the understanding of adverse events; and 8 items on demographical characteristics. RESULTS: Of the responders, 62.5% had participated in at least one clinical trial and had heard about the clinical trials through a doctor, newspaper, or television. And 63.3% of the responders understood that the purpose of the trial was to show efficacy and safety for the medical device. There were significant differences on the awareness of the trial by gender and life level. However, there was no statistically significant difference in adverse events awareness. CONCLUSION: Although elderly subjects participate in clinical trials, it seems they do not receive enough information when involved in clinical trials of medical devices. In the future, before these trials are carried out, medical device companies need to ensure that they provide their elderly subjects with better education and information.
Aged ; Dietary Sucrose ; Health Services Needs and Demand ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Periodicals ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Pilot Projects ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Television

Fractures of the proximal humerus occur more frequently in older patients but are seen in all ages and emerge epiphyseal separations. The objectives of treatment are restoration of all involved structures to normal anatomical state and a completely functional limb in the shortest time possible. One part and two part fractures were indicated in conservative treatment and surgical treatment in most of three, four part fractures. The results of treatment of forty four cases according to Neer's classification were analysed at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Chonbuk National University Hospital from Mar. 1978 to Dec.1985. The results were as follows. 1. The prevalent age distribution was third and fifth decade(48%) . 2. The most common cause of injury was slip down(14 cases, 32%). 3. The most frequent cases of the fractures in Neer's classification were two part fractures(22 cases, 50%). 4. Thirty one cases(71%) were treated by conservative treatment, twelve cases(27%) by open reduction and 1 case(2%) by prosthesis. 5. Good results were in 23 cases(52%) of one and two part fractures, fair in 17 cases(39%) and poor in 4 cases(9%) of two, three and four part fractures.
Age Distribution ; Classification ; Clinical Study ; Extremities ; Humans ; Humerus ; Jeollabuk-do ; Orthopedics ; Prostheses and Implants ; Shoulder Fractures

A nineteen year-old boy with progressive enlargement of the joints and distal extremities, clubbing, coarse facial features and hyperhidrosis was investigated. In physical examination, thickening of the scalp with furrowing (cutis verticis gyrata) and greasy thickening of skin (pachyderma) was prominent. His endocrine profile was normal. Radiological studies demonstrated bilateral symmetrical periosteal new bone formation with acroosteolysis and incidental microadenoma of pituitay gland. After extensive investigation to exclude systemic and endocrine causes, the patient was diagnosed as pachydermoperiostosis (PDP). PDP is a rare syndrome manifested clinically by finger clubbing, extremity enlargement, hypertrophic skin changes, and periosteal bone formation. The pathogenesis of the disorder has not been clarified though few endocrine abnormalities were seen. To aware of these clinical phenotype would help to differentiate PDP from acromegaly.
Acro-Osteolysis ; Acromegaly ; Extremities ; Fingers ; Humans ; Hyperhidrosis ; Joints ; Male* ; Osteoarthropathy, Primary Hypertrophic* ; Osteogenesis ; Phenotype ; Physical Examination ; Scalp ; Skin ; Young Adult*

Klinefelter syndrome is the most common form of male hypogonadism. It is characterized by small, firm testis, gynecomastia, a variable degree of eunuchoidism, azoospermia, elevated gonadotropin level. Increased frequency of diabetes mellitus, breast cancer, empysema, chronic bronchitis, varicose vein, germ cell neoplasia occurs in Klinefelter syndrome. We report a 19 year-old male patient with diabetes mellitus in association with Klinefelter syndrome, which was confirmed by chromosome analysis. The patient is being treated with insulin for diabetes mellius and with testostrone replacement for Klinefelter syndrome.
Azoospermia ; Breast Neoplasms ; Bronchitis, Chronic ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Eunuchism ; Germ Cells ; Gonadotropins ; Gynecomastia ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Insulin ; Klinefelter Syndrome ; Male ; Testis ; Varicose Veins

No abstract available.
Ear* ; Humans ; Tissue Donors* ; Transplants*

The current study evaluated DSM-IV psychiatric diagnoses and investigated the psychological characteristics of sexual offenders by using the Hypersexual Behavior Inventory(HBI), Sexual Addiction Screening Test (SAST), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Fifty male sexual offenders and 36 male healthy controls completed the psychiatric diagnosis and 30 of the 50 male sexual offenders completed the psychological tests listed above. Thirty-two of the 50 sexual offenders were patients with paraphilias, these sexual offenders had been admitted by the Ministry of Justice to the Institute for Forensic Psychiatry in Gongjui-si due to sexual violence. Participants displayed high lifetime rates of psychiatric disorders: 32 (64%) had paraphilias, 16 (32%) had depressive disorders, 10 (20%) had anxiety disorders, 9 (18%) had impulse control disorders, 6 (12%) had schizophrenia, 2 (4%) had bipolar disorders, and 16 (32%) had personality disorders or some other Axis II disorder. Scores for the sexual offenders were significantly higher both on the HBI and the SAST than the comparison group. Scores for the sexual offenders were also higher for the BDI and the BAI as compared to the control group, but this difference was not statistically significant. Results indicate that sexual offenders may have sexual addictions and be hypersexual. In addition to depressive and anxious psychopathologies, they also seem to have sexual psychopathologies. These results suggested that the psychopathology of sexual offenders may be different than that of a control group.
Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Bipolar Disorder ; Criminals ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Forensic Psychiatry ; Humans ; Disruptive, Impulse Control, and Conduct Disorders ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Mental Disorders ; Paraphilic Disorders ; Personality Disorders ; Psychological Tests ; Psychopathology ; Schizophrenia ; Sex Offenses ; Social Justice

Crypt glandular infection theory is accepted as an explanation of anal fistula's major cause. However, the pathogenesis of an anal fistula in Crohn's disease is different from that of a conventional anal fistula because a Crohn's anal fistula is caused by ulceration which, in turn, is caused by transmural inflammation of the rectal wall due to Crohn's disease. The difficulty with operating on anal fistulas in Crohn's disease lies in the fact that healing of the wound is inhibited because of continuous inflammation of the anorectal tissue due to Crohn's disease. Hence, there is a high possibility of incontinence due to sphincter muscle injury. Especially, because almost all Crohn's disease patients have frequent defecation and diarrhea, the patients will suffer more if incontinence occurs. Nowadays, even with increased understanding of the etiology of Crohn's disease, new medications, and aggressive surgical approaches, the result of treatment is still not satisfactory. Recently, since Korean eating habits have changed to include more western-style food in the diet, inflammatory bowel disease, such as Crohn's disease, is expected to increase. Consequently, the number of cases of anal fistulas in Crohn's disease is also expected to increase. The authors reviewed 20 confirmed cases of anal fistulas in Crohn's disease, which were treated from January 1993 to December 1995 at Song-Do Colorectal Hospital. The results are as follows: 1) Anal fistulas in Crohn's disease were present in 20(0.6%) of the 3378 cases of anal fistulas treated during the time period considered. 2) The male to female ratio for these 20 cases was 2: 1, and the most Prevalent age group was the 3rd decade, followed by the 2nd decade, the 4th decade, and the 5th decade in that order. 3) Three cases of anal fistulas whose origins could be explained by crypt glandular infection theory and which did not involve the rectum healed, although the healing was delayed. 4) Seventeen cases of anal fistulas whose origins could not be explained by crypt glandular infection theory and which involved the rectum did not heal after the operation. he results of the study show that anal fistulas whose origins can be explanined by crypt glandular infection theory and which do not involve the rectum can be cured by conventional fistula surgery. However, perirectal fistulas whose origins can not be explained by crypt glandular infection theory and which involve the rectum do not heal. Because there is the possibility of incontinence after a conventional operation, it is suggested that, in the cases of perirectal fistulas in Crohn's disease, better results, although not completely satisfactory, can be obtained by long-term seton drainage and diversion colostomy.
Colostomy ; Crohn Disease* ; Defecation ; Diarrhea ; Diet ; Drainage ; Eating ; Female ; Fistula ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Inflammatory Bowel Diseases ; Male ; Rectal Fistula* ; Rectum ; Ulcer ; Wounds and Injuries

The present study was carried out to clarify the anatomical changes of lumbar intervertebral discs by aging. Anterior height, posterior height, anteroposterior diameter of intervertebral discs were measured on 512 normal plain lateral radiographs of lumbosacral spine. And the indices of disc wedging and relative disc height were calculated. There was a cephalocaudal gradient of increase in the indices of disc wedging in all age groups. The indices of relative disc height were constant at all lumbar levels. These suggest that the lower disc is more wedge shaped and the height of discs changes in the constant ratio with that of vertebral body.
Aging* ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc* ; Spine

PURPOSE: The admission rates for pediatric asthma are increasing annually and are partially responsible for the increased rates of readmission. Selections of children with a high-risk of readmission and aggressive treatments of them may improve treatment outcome and cost- effectiveness. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the risk factors affecting readmission in cases of bronchial asthma in children. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 95 cases under 14 years of age who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics, Kyung-Hee University, from March 1996 to February 1997 and divided them into readmission and first admission group. RESULTS: Readmission cases were 52 (55%). Age, sex, duration of admission, duration of oxygen therapy, serum IgE concentration, duration of symptoms prior to admission and severity of asthma were not statistically significant compared with those of the control group (t-test) (P>0.05). Use of prophylactic agents, family history of allergic diseases and past history of bronchiolitis were significant (P<0.05), but age under 4 years and sex were not significant (X2-test). Age under 4 years, history of bronchiolitis, and history of previous hospital admission for asthma were significant (P<0.05), but sex, severity of asthma, history of frequent upper respiratory tract infection, family history, and the use of prophylactic agents were not statistically significant (P>0.05) as independent risk factors. CONCLUSION: Age under 4 years, past history of bronchiolitis, and history of previous hospital admission for asthma were significant risk factors for hospital readmission. Further study needs to be done to decrease the readmission rates.
Asthma* ; Bronchiolitis ; Child ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin E ; Medical Records ; Oxygen ; Patient Readmission ; Pediatrics ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Risk Factors* ; Treatment Outcome

Clinical study was carried out on the 64 hemodialysis patients(HD) with chronic renal failure who had been treated from December 1992 to July 1993 in Yeungnam University Hospital. The following results were obitained. In hematologic parameters, MCH was 28.8±2.0pg, and MCV was 92.4±4.7fl. Result revealed normochromic and normocytic anemia. Mean values of serum ferritin were 657.4±292.0ng/ml in men and 511.5±370g in women. Mean values of serum iron were 145.5±63.7µg/dl. Mean values of transferrin saturation was 61.6±28.4%. Serum frerritin, serum iron and transferrin saturation were higher in HD group than normal reference. In erythropoeitin treatment group, Hb and Hct were significantly higher than non-erythropoietin treatment group. Amount of transfusion was significantly higher in non-erythropoietin treatment group than erythropoeitin treatment group(p<0.05). Values of iron, transferrin saturation were significantly higher in abnormal liver function test(LFT0 hemodialysis group than normal LFT group(p<0.05). Transfusion amounts revealed positive correlation with ferritin(r=0.4675), transferrin satruation (r=0.3823) and iron(r=0.3386) (p<0.05).
Anemia* ; Clinical Study ; Erythropoietin* ; Female ; Ferritins ; Humans ; Iron ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Liver ; Male ; Renal Dialysis ; Transferrin