PURPOSE: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with cardiovascular disease in Korea has rarely been studied, mostly due to the lack of a psychometrically validated disease-specific instrument. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a cardiovascular specific-HRQOL questionnaire (CD-QOL). METHOD: The CD-QOL was developed and validated as follows; item generation, pilot study, and psychometric tests. Patients were recruited from three-university hospitals. The patients were asked to complete the preliminary questionnaire comprising the content-validated items, SF-36, and CES-D. The NYHA and KASI classifications were used to classify the functional performance of the patients. The data was analyzed using correlation, factor analysis, multidimensional scaling, multitrait/multi-item matrix, ANOVA, and Cronbach's alpha. RESULT: Preliminarily, thirty-nine items were generated. Factor analysisextracted a five-factor solution with a total of twenty-two items. One item was deleted based upon the MDS. The remaining items were moderately correlated with the subscales of the SF-36 and associated with depression measured with the CES-D. The mean scores of patients in NYHA and KASI class I were significantly higher than those in NYHA and KASI class II or/and III, which suggested patients with better functional performance were likely to have a better HRQOL. Cronbach's alphas of the total and subscales were all greater than 0.70. CONCLUSION: The CD-QOL is a easily applicable instrument with excellent psychometric properties of content, criterion, factorial, convergent, and known-groups validity, and internal consistency reliability in Korean patients with cardiovascular disease.
Adult ; Aged ; Cardiovascular Diseases/nursing/*psychology ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Program Evaluation ; Psychometrics ; *Quality of Life ; *Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: Vulnerability marker in biological relatives of schizophrenia may be very useful in identifying the propensity for the development of schizophrenia. This study suggests that the relatives at risk for genetically developing schizophrenia have impairments in several domains of cognition, social function and affective function as a vulnerability marker. METHODS: A neurocognitve function test, a social function test and an affective function test were administered to fifteen healthy relatives from families with two or more patients with schizophrenia (geneticallly high risk subjects). Fifteen healthy controls matched for age and gender were recruited in this study. RESULTS: Compared to the control subject, the genetic high risk subjects performed significantly more poorly in the selective attention and recall memory of neurocognitive function. The high risk subjects also had lower scores in independence-performance and independence-competence of the social function test and emotion control of the affective function test. CONCLUSION: Selective attention, recall memory, independence-performance, independence-competence and emotion control ability may be a valuable marker for genetic study of schizophrenia.
Cognition* ; Humans ; Memory ; Schizophrenia*

The double pylorus is a fistulous communication between gastric antrum and duodenal bulb. It appears to be an acquired lesion in the majority of cases. Upon routine endoscopic procedures, it is frequently seem to occur in males who are either alcoholics, diabetics, those with chronic renal failure, chronic lung disease. If it is no developing complications such as septal rupture, double pylorus is well response to medical treatment. A 51-year-old man who had been taking medication over a long period for the chronic bronchitis was admitted to this hospital because of epigastric soreness and indigestion for 1 month. Endosopic findings showed two large openings of the pyloric channel and gastric ulcer in the channel. We thought that this case was an acquired lesion reasult of repeated gastric ulcer. We report a case of double pylrous with the brief review of literatures.
Alcoholics ; Bronchitis, Chronic* ; Dyspepsia ; Humans ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Lung Diseases ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pyloric Antrum ; Pylorus* ; Rupture ; Stomach Ulcer*

Spontaneous dissection of peripheral arteries unrelated to the aorta is rare. Cases reported in the literature have involved the renal arteries, the coronary arteries, the cerebral arteries, and visceral arteries, in order of incidence. There is no consensus yet on indications for medical or surgical therapeutic modality. As a consequence of the rarity of spontaneous dissection of peripheral arteries, its natural history has been poorly described. A healthy 37-year-old male with normotension was admitted with an acute onset of left flank pain. Physical examination turned out an unremarkable result. Right renal infarction and splenic infarction was diagnosed by abdominal computed tomography. A spiral CT angiogram and angiography showed dissection of main right renal artery and celiac artery with involvement of branches. One year later, he has remained well and normotensive without treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first case of spontaneous renal and celiac artery dissection in normotensive patient in Korea.
Adult ; Angiography ; Aorta ; Arteries ; Celiac Artery ; Cerebral Arteries ; Consensus ; Coronary Vessels ; Flank Pain ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infarction ; Male ; Natural History ; Physical Examination ; Renal Artery ; Splenic Infarction ; Tomography, Spiral Computed

Typhoid fever often manifests hepatic involvement but pleural involvement has rarely been reported to occur as a complication of typhoid fever. One case of typhoid pleurisy, in which Salmonella was isolated from the blood, is presented with the brief review of the literature. A 44 year old female was admitted to the hospital because of high fever, abdominal pain. Typhoid fever was diagnosed by blood culture, Widal test, and liver function test. Chest X-ray and pleural effusion examination demonstrated pleurisy. With the administration of ceftriaxone and pleural aspiration, she became afebrile with subsidence of pleural effusion.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Ceftriaxone ; Female ; Fever ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Liver Function Tests ; Pleural Effusion ; Pleurisy* ; Salmonella ; Thorax ; Typhoid Fever*

Typhoid fever often manifests hepatic involvement but pleural involvement has rarely been reported to occur as a complication of typhoid fever. One case of typhoid pleurisy, in which Salmonella was isolated from the blood, is presented with the brief review of the literature. A 44 year old female was admitted to the hospital because of high fever, abdominal pain. Typhoid fever was diagnosed by blood culture, Widal test, and liver function test. Chest X-ray and pleural effusion examination demonstrated pleurisy. With the administration of ceftriaxone and pleural aspiration, she became afebrile with subsidence of pleural effusion.
Abdominal Pain ; Adult ; Ceftriaxone ; Female ; Fever ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Liver Function Tests ; Pleural Effusion ; Pleurisy* ; Salmonella ; Thorax ; Typhoid Fever*

From April, 1983 through April, 1989, we have treated histologically proven 21 patients with oligodendroglima using 6 MV linear accelerator at the Division of Radiation Therapy, Kangnam St. Mary's Hospital Catholic University Medical College. These are 8% of the irradiated 246 primary brain tumors during the same period. To investigate influencing factors on the survival of irradiated 21 patients with oligodendroglioma, we analyzed the cerebral location of the nvolvements, initial symptoms, CT findings and survival rates, retrospectively. One case was lost to flow up and excluded from survival data. Of the 21 patients, thirteen were male and 8 female. Ages ranged from 5 to 68 years with a median age of 38 years. Radiation doses varied from 3960 cGy to 6480 cGy and were given for 5 to 8 weeks. All but one were supratentorial. The involvement of the frontal and parietal lobes were 10 (48%) patients in each and temporal lobe in 8 (38.1%). Histological diagnosis was made by stereotactic biopsy in 3 and postoperatively in 18. The type of surgery was divided into partial, subtotal and total resection in 7,9 and 2 cases respectively. In 6 cases, chemotherapy was also tried during or after radiation therapy. Major presenting respectively in decreasing order. In CT analysis, low density (62%), cystic mass (33%), calcification (66%) and positive contrast enhancement (42.8%) were observed as the highest frequency. Mean survival duration after radiation therapy was 38 months (K-M methods). We could not achieve statistically significant factors influencing on the survival rate after radiation therapy for oligodendrogliomas by one or two tail test.
Biopsy ; Brain Neoplasms ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Oligodendroglioma* ; Parietal Lobe ; Particle Accelerators ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Temporal Lobe

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were to identify the intake and following process for subjects at high risk of transition to schizophrenia and to examine the neurocognitive, social, and emotional functions of the subjects compared with healthy controls. METHODS: Symptomatic individuals judged at high risk for schizophrenia ('clinical high risk') within Youth Clinic were assessed and followed up. They performed a neurocognitive function test, a social function test and an affective function test. Twenty healthy controls were recruited in this study. RESULTS: Among eighty-two subjects contacted through the Youth clinic, sixteen subjects were judged as the clinical high risk group. Fourteen subjects among the clinical high risk group showed deficits in several domains of neurocognitive functions, such as visual recall memory, verbal short term memory and executive function. Social and affective functions are also impaired in the clinical high risk group compared with healthy controls. Two of 15 subjects (13%) developed a psychotic disorder within 6 months. CONCLUSION: This study illustrates the state of follow-up study for a clinical high risk group. Despite low numbers and short durations, some impairment of several functions in the clinical high risk group suggests possible predictors of psychosis.
Adolescent* ; Executive Function ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Memory ; Pilot Projects* ; Psychotic Disorders ; Schizophrenia*

Gall bladder of a common carp is taken in some areas of Asia as a traditional medicine for improvement of their general health problems like hypertension, poor visual acuity, and impotence. Many cases have been reported on acute hepatitis, acute renal failure, gastrointestinal problems and neurological symptoms following ingestion of raw carp bile juice. We experienced a case of anuric ARF, acute hepatitis, and rhabdomyolysis that developed after indigestion of raw carp bile juice, not yet seen in previous studies. In this case, anuric state of patient was resolved after 4 days with continuous renal replacement therapy. Thus we report this case with review of literature.
Acute Kidney Injury ; Asia ; Bile ; Carps ; Dyspepsia ; Eating ; Erectile Dysfunction ; Hepatitis ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Male ; Medicine, Traditional ; Renal Replacement Therapy ; Rhabdomyolysis ; Urinary Bladder ; Visual Acuity

Eight patients with intracranial tumors or arteriovenous malformation (AVM)s which were less than 3 cm in diameter were treated by a technique of stereotactic radiotherapy during the 4 months period from July 1988 through October 1988 at the Division of Radiation Therapy, Kang-Nam St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic University Medical College. The patients were diagnosed as AVMs in 3 cases, acoustic neurinoma, craniopharyngioma (recurrent), hemangioblastoma, pineocytoma, and pituitary microadenoma in each case. There are several important factors in this procedure, such as localization system, portal, field size, radiation dose, and perioperative supportive care. It is suggested that stereotactic radiotherapy may be performed safely with a radiation dose of 12-30 gy. So this noninvasive procedure can be used to treat unresectable intracranial tumors or AVMs. Of these, clinical symptoms had been regressed in AVMs in 2 cases at 3 months and 2 months after Stereotactic radiotherapy, one of whom was confirmed slightly regressed on the follow-up angiogram. And also craniopharyngioma and pineocytoma was minimally regressed on 3 month follow-up CT.
Arteriovenous Malformations ; Craniopharyngioma ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemangioblastoma ; Humans ; Neuroma, Acoustic ; Particle Accelerators* ; Pinealoma ; Portal System ; Radiotherapy*