This study was designed to investigate clinical characteristics and outcome of patient with suicidal attempt. A retrospective analysis by chart review of 130 cases of patients with suicidal attempt who visited emergency department of Dankook University Hospital from January 1998 to December 1998. The results were as follows; 1. The ratio of patients with suicidal attempt to total patients who visited emergency department was 0.7%. The highest suicidal attempt rates were among aged 20-39. The gender ratio is similar. 2. Suicidal attempt were more common in summer, July, Friday, evening. 3. The most common place of suicidal attempt was home. 4. Drug ingestion was the most common method of suicidal attempt. Drug used for suicidal attempt were agricultural drug including organic phosphorus and carbamate, and therapeutic drug. 5. Common motives of suicidal attempt were marriage conflict, family conflict. 6. The intensity of will to die was more strong in old aged male. 7. Suicidal attempt associated with alcohol drinking was 39.2%. 8. Common symptoms or signs of intoxication were neurological and gastrointestinal.
Alcohol Drinking ; Eating ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Family Conflict ; Humans ; Male ; Marriage ; Phosphorus ; Retrospective Studies

No abstract available.
Genes, ras* ; Humans

PURPOSE: To describe that Computer image recognition technique is more accurately and less invasive than other methods, which using contact lens with a search probe or electrodes for record of eye movements. METHODS: A reference marker which was infrared was attached to the center of the forehead of the patients and the infrared light was illuminated to both eyes. Video image sequences were recorded using digital CCD camera and the captured image frames (640 X 480) were processed using a image analysis program. From which each image frame captured, pupil area was saperated using difference of brightness in pupil and iris. And then the pupil center was determined by calculating the center-of-mass of black pixels to meet the pupil threshold criteria. RESULTS: In a post-processing process, we could acquire horizontal and vertical eye position and velocity data. Inverse fast fourier transformation(FFT) and digital filtering algorithm were applied to filter out noise due to limited resolution of the CCD camera and sampling rates. Experimental result showed that the system could detect about 0.2mm positional location and 30Hz horizontal and vertical eye movements simultaneously. CONCLUSIONS: We could accurately measure and record two dimensional eye movements of patients (horizontal and vertical simultaneously) in real time with some head movements.
Electrodes ; Eye Movements* ; Forehead ; Head Movements ; Humans ; Iris ; Noise ; Pupil

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Pregnant Women* ; T-Lymphocytes*

PURPOSE: Thyroid cancer is rare in childhood. Although thyroid cancer is biologically more aggressive in children because of the high incidence of lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis when compared with that of adults, the prognosis is better. This study investigated the prognosis of pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer with 15 years or greater follow-up and we consider the proper treatment of pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer. METHODS: From January, 1979 to December, 1994 during 16 years, 17 patients younger than 17 years old and who underwent thyroid surgery for well differentiated thyroid cancer at the Department of Surgery at Presbyterian Medical Center were retrospectively reviewed by the medical records and they were interviewed by telephone. RESULTS: Total thyroidectomy was performed in 4 patients (23.5%), subtotal thyroidectomy was performed in 10 patients (58.8%) and lobectomy was performed in 3 patients (17.7%). The mean follow-up period was 23.5 years (range: 15~28.2 years) and recurrence was found in 7 cases (41.3%). Five cases (29.5%) showed locoregional recurrence and 2 cases (11.8%) showed distant metastasis. Postoperative radioiodine (¹³¹I) therapy was done in 6 cases (35%) and 6 cases (35%) underwent radioiodine therapy as a therapeutic modality for metastasis. CONCLUSION: The pediatric well differentiated thyroid cancer in this study showed high rates of lymph node metastasis at the time of diagnosis and a high recurrence rate, but the prognosis was good (100% overall survival rate during the follow-up period). Therefore, total thyroidectomy, radical lymph node dissection and postoperative radioiodine therapy are considered the initial patient management. This aggressive therapeutic management can decrease of the recurrence rate and increase the therapeutic effect. A radioiodine scan and thyroglobulin can used for follow-up.
Adult ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymph Nodes ; Medical Records ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Protestantism ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Telephone ; Thyroglobulin ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms* ; Thyroidectomy

PURPOSE: To compare the actual and expected refractive errors of intraocular lens (IOL) implantation with vitrectomy in various conditions. METHODS: One hundred sixty-five eyes were divided into five groups: Group 1 had cataract extarction and IOL implantation only, Group 2 had cataract extraction and IOL implantion after vitrectomy, Group 3 had cataract extraction and implantation of an IOL with vitrectomy, Group 4 had cataract extraction and IOL implantaion with vitectomy and scleral encircling, and Group 5 had cataract extraction and IOL implantaion with vitrectomy and intraocular gas injection. The actual and expected refractive errors of IOL implantation were compared. RESULTS: Mean myopic shift was 0.15 diopter for group 1, 0.22 diopter for group 2, 0.20 diopter for group 3, 1.40 diopter for group 4, 0.91 diopter for group 5. CONCLUSIONS: Vitrectomy alone has no influence on refractive error but when scleral encircling or intraocular gas injection were performed with vitectomy, there were statistically significant myopic shifts.
Cataract ; Cataract Extraction ; Lens Implantation, Intraocular* ; Lenses, Intraocular* ; Refractive Errors* ; Vitrectomy*

PURPOSE: To compare clinical characteristics of ganglions in hand & Foot. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen cases of ganglions located in foot and fifty-five cases in hand. Excised from Mar.1988 to Apr.2003, were included in the study. The clinical characteristics and recurrence ratio were evaluated RESULTS: The mean size of 2.2 cm in hand and 2.5 cm in foot. The most common area of ganglions are dorsum of foot and wrist. The cosmetic problem of palpable mass is the primary chief complaint of ganglions on hand and the pain is that of foot. The recurrence was found in 5 cases in hand and 4 cases in foot. The recurrence was related to incomplete excision of ganglion in foot and the large size of ganglion and incomplete excision of ganglion in hand. CONCLUSION: recurrence ratio in the cases of foot is higher than that of hand. The ganglions in foot and hand need to treated by meticulous surgical excision to prevent the recurrence.
Foot* ; Ganglion Cysts* ; Hand* ; Recurrence ; Wrist

This study both measured and compared the mesopic contrast sensitivity function and the visual acuity in both normal and amblyopic eyes from amblyopic children using an ACV (visual acuity analyzer). Twenty one amblyopic children (mean age, 8.48 years; S.D., 1.68 years), 11 strabismic amblyopes and 10 anisometropic amblyopes, were tested. Based on a display of the standard optotypes, the minimal contrast level, at which the optotypes were correctly read for all sizes of displays from a distance of 1m, was measured. The contrast ranged from 1% to 99% and the spatial frequencies ranged from 0.6 to- 30cpd using a Landolt ring composed of low (0.6- 2.9 c.p.d.), intermediate (3.0 - 12.9 c.p.d.) and high level (13.0- 30.0 c.p.d.) frequencies. As the visual acuity decreased, the mesopic contrast sensitivity function decreased along the contrast sensitivity axis. However, the peak sensitivity was noted at the same spatial frequencies. A comparison between the normal eye and the corresponding amblyopic eye showed that under mesopic conditions, the contrast sensitivity functions decreased more in the intermediate spatial frequencies than in the other spatial frequencies. The mesopic contrast sensitivity function decreased in the amblyopic eyes, which suggests the possibility of its use an adjunct to an evaluation of amblyopia.
Amblyopia/*physiopathology ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; *Contrast Sensitivity ; Female ; Human ; Male ; Visual Acuity

PURPOSE: To determine the normal reference range of pulsatile ocular blood flow (POBF) values in healthy Korean subjects and to find out the factors that may affect them. METHODS: A total of 280 eyes of 280 normal subjects were included in this study. Best corrected visual acuity (BCVA), intraocular pressure (IOP), axial length, POBF, systemic blood pressure, and pulse rate were measured. The mean, standard deviation, range, and the 5th and 95th percentiles of POBF were calculated, and the influences of various parameters to POBF were determined by multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: The mean POBF value was 766.0+/-221.6 microliter/min in men and 1021.1+/-249.5 microliter/min in women. The 5th and 95th percentiles for POBF values were 486.0 microliter/min and 1140.0 microliter/min in men and 672.0 microliter/min and 1458.0 microliter/min in women. The POBF values were significantly influenced by gender, mean blood pressure, pulse rate, and axial length. CONCLUSIONS: Even though the POBF values were influenced by gender, BP, and axial length, we could define the normal reference range of POBF in healthy Koreans.
Adult ; *Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Blood Pressure/physiology ; Eye/*blood supply ; Female ; Heart Rate/physiology ; Humans ; Intraocular Pressure/physiology ; Korea ; Male ; Pulsatile Flow/*physiology ; Reference Values ; Tonometry, Ocular/methods

BACKGROUND: The false positive signals of a continuous monitoring blood culture system (CMBCS) increase the reporting time and laboratory cost. This study aimed to determine the highly relevant variables that discriminate false positive signals from true positive signals in a CMBCS. METHODS: Among 184,363 blood culture sets (aerobic and anaerobic), the signal-positive samples according to a BACTEC FX system (Plus Aerobic/F, BDA; Plus Anaerobic/F, BDN) and BacT/Alert 3D system (Standard Aerobic, BSA; Standard Anaerobic, BSN) between April 2010 and November 2013 were classified into two groups: false positive or true positive signals. The data of 15 parameters between the two groups were then statistically compared. RESULTS: Among total blood cultures, the positive rates of CMBCS signals according to BDA, BDN, BSA, and BSN were 4.9%, 2.8%, 3.8%, and 3.2%, respectively. The false positive rates of CMBCS signals according to BDA, BDN, BSA, and BSN were 0.6%, 0.1%, 0.1%, and 0.1%, respectively. The blood volume, detection time, time interval between admission and test, C-reactive protein concentration, leukocyte count, delta neutrophil index, and mean peroxidase index showed statistically significant differences between the two groups. CONCLUSION: There were no variables with diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for discriminating the two groups. Therefore, analysis of bacterial growth curves produced by CMBCS is needed for early and effective detection of false positive signals.
Blood Volume ; C-Reactive Protein ; Leukocyte Count ; Neutrophils ; Peroxidase