PURPOSE: This study is designed to test the effects of a full body massage on Apgar score, postpartum mother's childbirth experience, and mother-infant attachment for primipara during labor. METHOD: Data were collected using a quasi-experiment method (nonequivalent control group, pre-post test design) from November 1, 2001 to July 31, 2002. The subjects for this experiment consist of 28 women in the experimental group and 29 in the control group, out of 57 primipara hospitalized at the U OB & GYN hospital in Inchon. A 20 minute full body massage was given to the experimental group on each of three delivery phases (latent, active, and transition), and a conventional delivery care to the control group. The experimental tools for the study are Apgar score scale developed by Apgar(1958), postpartum mother's childbirth experience scale developed by Marut and Mercer(1979), and mother-infant attachment scale developed by Cropley et al(1981). The data collected were analyzed using t-test, chi2 test, and ANCOVA on the SPSS program. RESULT: The results of the experiment are as follows: One minute(t=6.756, p=.000; F=9.181, p=.004), and five minute(t=6.129, p=.000; F=7.918, p=.007) Apgar score are increased significantly. Postpartum mother's childbirth experience is significantly increased(t=11.691, p=.000; F=11.741, p=.001). Verbal touch score(t=5.256, p=.000; F=7.169, p=.010), skin touch score(t=11.332, p=.000; F=27.073, p=.000), and total score(t=12.105, p=.000; F=30.104, p=.000) of postpartum mother's childbirth experience are significantly increased, but not for eye touch score(t=3.236, p=.002; F=.800, p=.375). CONCLUSION: This study shows that a full body massage has a significant positive effect on Apgar score, postpartum mother's childbirth experience. and mother-infant attachment. Therefore, it is suggested that the full body massage might be used clinically to help primipara during labor.
Apgar Score* ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Female ; Humans ; Incheon ; Massage* ; Parturition* ; Postpartum Period ; Skin ; Child Health

PURPOSE: This study was to test the effects of a full body massage on labor pain and delivery stress reaction for primipara during labor. METHOD: This study employed a quasi- experimental method(nonequivalent control group, pre-post test design). The subjects of this study were 57 primipara hospitalized at the U OB & GYN hospital in Inchon from November 1. 2001 to July 31, 2002. 28 women were assigned to the experimental group and 29 to the control group. The experimental group was given 20 minutes full body massage for each of three delivery phases. The control group was given conventional delivery care. The levels of labor pain were measured by the Visual Analogue Scale and the expression scores of the labor pain and the levels of delivery stress reaction were measured by pulse rate, respiration rate, and blood pressure, and State-Anxiety Scale. Data were analyzed using the repeated measures analysis of covariance(ANCOVA), t-test, X(2)- test, simple ANCOVA with SPSS program. RESULT: There was no interaction effect between time and group(F=.370, p=.693), but significant time effects were found for subjective labor pain(F=3.840, p=.028). There was no interaction effect between time and group(F=.112, p=.894), but significant group effects were found for objective labor pain(F=12.299, p=.001). There was no interaction effect between time and group for PR(F=.172, p=.843), RR(F=.626, p=.539), SBP(F=.089, p=.915), DBP(F=.748, p=.479), but significant group effects were found for SBP(F=7.547, p=.008). The level of status anxiety of the experimental group was significantly lower than the control group(F=11.787, p=.001). CONCLUSION: This study showed that the full body massage has partially positive effect on labor pain and delivery stress reaction. Therefore this study suggested that the full body massage might be used clinically to help primipara during labor.
Anxiety ; Blood Pressure ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Female ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Incheon ; Labor Pain* ; Massage* ; Pregnancy ; Respiratory Rate

This study was designed to test the effects of a full body massage on uterine contraction, length of labor, type of delivery, and drug intervention for primipara during labor. Data were collected using a quasi-experiment method (nonequivalent control group, pre-post test design) from November 1, 2001 to July 31, 2002. The subjects of this experiment consisted of 28 women in the experimental group and 29 in the control group, out of 57 primipara hospitalized at the U OB & GYN hospital in Inchon. The experimental group was given a 20 minute full body massage for each of the three delivery phases (latent, active, and transition). The control group was given conventional delivery care. Three (3) parameters were analyzed in this experiment. (1) The interval, duration, and strength of uterine contraction, using an electric tocodynamometer (2) The elapsed time for stage 1 and stage 2 labor. (3) The types of deliveries and drug interventions, using postpartum medical records The data collected were analyzed using the repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), t-test, and X(2) test of the SPSS program. The results of the experiment are as follows: 1) Uterine contraction interval was signifi- cantly reduced (F=3.210, p=.050). Duration of uterine contraction showed significant increase only during the transition phase (t=-2.319, p=.023). Strength of uterine contraction showed no significant difference. 2) Total length of labor was significantly shortened (t=-5.245, p=.000). The length of 1st stage labor was signifi- cantly shortened (t=-5.164, p=.000), with latent phase showing (t=-4.709, p=.000), active phase (t=-2.973, p=.005), and transition phase (t=-2.031, p=.047). The length of 2nd stage labor showed no significant difference. 3) The number of natural deliveries were significantly increased (X(2)=13.127, p=.004). 4) The number of drug interventions were significantly fewer (X(2)= 4.493, p=.034). In conclusion, this study shows that a full body massage has a significantly positive effect on uterine contraction interval, length of labor, type of delivery, and drug intervention. Therefore, this study suggests that a full body massage be used clinically to help primipara during labor.
Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Female ; Humans ; Incheon ; Massage* ; Medical Records ; Postpartum Period ; Uterine Contraction*

The authors present their experience with continuous intracranial pressure(ICP) measurements in 6 adult patients suffering from hydrocephalus. The patients showed atypical symptoms and signs and/or were in complicated situations to decide CSF shunt surgery. The role of ICP measurements in a decision of shunt surgery has been found in those cases. The ICP pattern of plateau waves in conjunction with B-waves could be regarded as an indication of shunt therapy in the light of clinical results.
Adult ; Humans ; Hydrocephalus* ; Intracranial Pressure

The purpose of this study is to assess abdominal sensation after free TRAM flap for breast reconstruction. 74 patients underwent breast reconstruction with free TRAM flap by authors and were followed up to check the sensation on abdomen following the surgery at the out patient clinic. They are compared with 20 female volunteer controls. Abdomens were divided into 13 zones, and assessed for superficial touch, superficial pain, temperature, two-point discrimination, and vibration. For all five sensory modalities, subjects were found to have decreased sensation in the umbilical and infraumbilical regions. This was statistically significant compared with controls. Division following pedicle dissection showed more reduction of sensation than non-dissection side. Both Inguinal areas below the donor site closure also showed markedly decreased sensation. Sensation on most area of abdomen recovered in postoperative 1 year, however, there were remained hypoesthesia in umbilical and infraumbilical area after post operative 1 year. This study clearly demonstrates that there is a significant and persistent reduction in abdominal sensibility following free TRAM flap surgery.
Abdomen* ; Breast* ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Female ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Mammaplasty* ; Sensation ; Tissue Donors ; Vibration ; Volunteers

No abstract available.
Classification* ; Risk Factors* ; Trophoblastic Neoplasms* ; Trophoblasts*

Accidents, Occupational ; Accidents, Traffic ; Brain ; Diagnosis ; Facial Bones ; Female ; Frontal Bone ; Frontal Sinus ; Headache Disorders ; Humans ; Male ; Maxilla ; Nose ; Postoperative Complications ; Sex Ratio ; Surgery, Oral

Collagen ; Head ; Maxilla ; Maxillary Fractures ; Maxillary Sinus ; Mouth ; Mucous Membrane ; Nasal Cavity ; Neck ; Orbit ; Postoperative Complications ; Zygoma

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The prognosis of chronic liver disease is closely related to the development of hepatic fibrosis. Liver biopsy is the gold standard method to assess inflammatory activity and fibrosis stage, but this is associated with morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of serum hyaluronic acid, 7S domain of type IV collagen and AST/ALT ratio as markers of hepatic fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B and cirrhosis. METHODS: This study included 100 patients with chronic hepatitis B and cirrhosis. Liver biopsy and histopathologic classification were done. Serum hyaluronic acid and 7S domain of type IV collagen were measured by one step sandwich binding protein assay and radioimmunoassay using polyclonal antibody to 7S domain of type IV collagen, respectively. RESULTS: The serum concentrations of hyaluronic acid, 7S domain of type IV collagen and AST/ALT ratio in the cirrhosis group (139 +/- 98.4 ng/mL, 6.9 +/- 3.5 ng/mL, 1.6 +/- 1.5) were significantly higher (p<0.01) than those in the normal and fatty liver group (20.2 +/- 12.5 ng/mL, 3.5 +/- 0.5 ng/mL, 0.7 +/- 0.3), mild hepatitis group (32.3 +/- 52.7 ng/mL, 3.9 +/- 1.4 ng/mL, 0.7 +/- 0.4), and moderate to severe hepatitis group (68.2 +/- 72.3 ng/mL, 5.3 +/- 2.4 ng/mL, 0.8 +/- 0.4). At the cutoff value of 77 ng/mL for hyaluronic acid and 6.3 ng/mL for 7S domain of type IV collagen and 0.62 for AST/ALT ratio, the sensitivities were 81.8%, 63.6%, 90.9% and specificities were 87.3%, 88.6%, 53.1% for discriminating cirrhosis (fibrosis score: 4) from the mild to severe fibrosis (fibrosis score: 0-3). CONCLUSIONS: Serum hyaluronic acid, 7S domain of type IV collagen and AST/ALT ratio measurement may be clinically useful as markers of hepatic fibrosis in chronic hepatitis B and cirrhosis.
Adult ; Alanine Transaminase/*blood ; Aspartate Aminotransferases/*blood ; Biological Markers/blood ; Collagen Type IV/*blood ; Female ; Hepatitis B, Chronic/blood/*pathology ; Humans ; Hyaluronic Acid/*blood ; Liver/*pathology ; Liver Cirrhosis/blood/*pathology ; Male ; Prognosis ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare form of heart failure affecting women between the last month of pregnancy and the first five months after delivery. The etiology and prognostic factors of PPCM remains poorly understood, although some risk factors have been described. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In order to characterize the features of PPCM, clinical and echocardiographic data, obtained from 19 patients who fulfilled diagnostic criteria of PPCM, from January 1996 to march 2001, were retrospectively analyzed. We divided the sample into 2 groups, which were classified according to clinical and echocardiographic improvements. (Group I; patients who improved, Group II; patients who did not improved, or deteriorated). RESULTS: Patients with PPCM (n=19, age: 32+/-5 yrs, NYHA Class: II-IV, LVEF: 34.1+/-8.8%, follow-up period: 14.2+/-16.3 months) had a high frequencies of the following clinical factors: Anaemia (16/19, 84.2%); Pre-eclampsia (11/19, 57.9%); Multiparity (11/19, 57.9%); aged over 30 yrs old at delivery (11/19, 57.9%). During follow up, 10 patients improved to NYHA Class I, 8 patients failed to improve, or deteriorated, and 1 patient died due to ventricular fibrillation. Group II (n=9, age: 31+/-3 yrs, follow up LVEF: 38.8+/-12.9%), as compared to Group I (n=10, age: 33+/-6 yrs, follow up LVEF: 56.4+/-6.4%), had greater left ventricular end-systolic dimension (LVESD, 53.0+/-7.7 mm vs 45.9+/-4.8 mm; p<0.05). CONCLUSION: PPCM has a high rate of progression to dilated cardiomyopathy. Therefore, in pregnant women with common clinical findings of PPCM, including anemia, pre-eclampsia, multiparity and old age at delivery, the initial echocardiographic assessment for cardiac function is essential, and serial follow-up is required.
Anemia ; Cardiomyopathies* ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Parity ; Peripartum Period* ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Ventricular Fibrillation