BACKGROUND: An intensive and ongoing surveillance program is effective for preventing the hospital infections. but it is time-consuming to detect all cases of hospital infections. So, labratory-based surveillance was performed with the aid of personal computer. The software 'MICRO' that coded and used privately was written in FoxPro 2.0 code. METHODS: All results of the microbiologic culture were stocked in the software and hospital infections were detected by review d an positive microbiology reports and daily ward rounds with examination of patient progress notes. If there was any suggestion or evidence of outbreak of hospital infections the data were analyzed by the 'MICRO' and reported to hospital infections control committee. RESULTS: We detected the outbreak of nosoccmial pneumonia due to a putative single species of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the neurosurgical ward at May, 1996. The suggestive outbreak of wound infections in the 7th ward at April, 1966 was denied by the 'MICRO'. The possible outbreak of 10th ward at May, 1996 was detected. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a surveillance method that identifies excessive rates of positive culture on patient location culture site, and organism indentification using the 'MICRO'. We were able to monitor patient-to-patient cross-infections and possible breakdowns in proper technique, and expect suggestive outbreak of infections early. These results demonstrate that computer analysis of positive culture rates by 'MICRO' is a sensitive and time-efficient method for detecting potentially preventable hospital infections.
Cross Infection* ; Humans ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Microcomputers* ; Pneumonia ; Wound Infection

No abstract available.
Adipose Tissue* ; Apoptosis ; Lipodystrophy*

No abstract available.
Epidermal Cyst

This study was designed to investigate the difference of somatization and hypochondriacal trends between labor workers and managerial workers. The subjects consisted of 302 workers who were employed at 13 small scale industries in a city of Kyung Kee province. Data collection was done from February 25, 1993 to March 10, 1993. Symptom Check List-90-Somatization(SCL) and Illness Attitude Scale(IAS) which are composed of self-report questionnares were used as measuring instruments. The results were as follows: 1. Mean scores of SCL-90-R-Somatization in labor workers were significantly higher than those in managerial workers and there were significant differences in 7 subscales (pain in heart or chest, nausea of upset stomach, muscle soreness, trouble breathing, hot or cold spells, numbness, lump sensation in throat between to two groups. 2. There was no significant difference in mean scores of illness attitude Scales between labor workers and managerial workers. However, among the subscale of IAS mean scores of "hypochondriacal beliefs" and "effects of symptom" in labor workers, the mean scores of IAS in labor workers were significantly higher than those in managerial workers. 3. When compared by educational level, middle school graduates and college graduates of labor workers showed significantly higher mean scores of SCL than those of managerial workers. 4. When compared by employment duration, labor workers who worked less than 5 years showed significantly higher mean of SCL and IAS than those of managerial workers. 5. There were no significant differences in mean scores of SCL and IAS between the levels of subjectively evaluated environmental conditions by the workers themselves of the illumination, organic solvent, noise and dust.
Data Collection ; Dust ; Employment ; Heart ; Humans ; Hypesthesia ; Lighting ; Myalgia ; Nausea ; Noise ; Pharynx ; Respiration ; Sensation ; Stomach ; Thorax ; Weights and Measures

No abstract available.
Chlamydia* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Pneumonia*

Iron deficient state occurs commonly in the athlets, and the cause may be inadequate iron intake, loss of iron from sweat, blood loss of gastrointestinal tract, and hematuria. The age of the athletes ranged from 11 to 17 years old. I messured red blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and related hematologic factors in the 32 adolescent female athletes and 21 female controls. a hematologic comparison was perfomed between the athletes and controls. The results obtained were as follows: 1) A value of hemoglobin were 11.6+/-1.4g/dl in the athletes and 12:4+/-0.8g/dl in controls (p<0.05). 2) Hematocrits were 34.1+/-3.4% in the athletes and 37.4+/-2.3% in controls (p<0.05). 3)A value of red bolld cell distribution width values were 13.9+/-2.1% in the athletes and 12.2+/-1.1% in controls (p<0.05). 4) Serum iron was 87.7+/-30.3ug/dl in the athletes and 121.8+/-39.0ug/dl in controls (p<0.001). 5) Total iron binding capacity was 445:6+/-31.8ug/dl in the athletes and 384:6+/-54.2ug/dl in controls (p<0.001). 6) Mean transferrin saturation values were 19.7+/-6.9% in the athletes and 32.5+/-10.8% in control (p<0.001). 7) Ferritin was 14.5+/-10.0ng/ml in the athletes and 33.9+/-13.9ng/ml in controls (p<0.001). 8) The duration of exercise was 4.8+/-2.5 years in the stage III iron deficiency, whil 3.0+/-2.0 years in normal group in iron deficient state (p<0.05).
Adolescent* ; Athletes* ; Erythrocyte Count ; Female* ; Ferritins ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Hematocrit ; Hematuria ; Humans ; Iron* ; Sweat ; Transferrin

BACKGROUND: Recently, the molecular pathologic investigation for clonality in lymphomas has been introduced and has gained a role in the diagnosis of lymphomas. In fact, the clonality test using TCRGR phenomenon has been done by Southern blot analysis (SBA) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for molecular pathologic diagnosis of T cell lymphomas. However, it is difficult to perform SBA with paraffin embedded specimens or with samples of small skin biopsies. OBJECTIVE: We investigated the efficacy of PCR amplification of TCR gene in paraffin em-bedded cutaneous T cell lymphomas. METHODS: Iii this study, the clonality was assessed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis of T cell receptor gamma (TCR) gene from the DNA extracts obtained from paraffin em-bedded tissues (PET) of malignant T cells, B cell lymphomas, and benign cutaneous T cell proliferative disorders. Heteroduple-x-analyses were also performed to rule out the false positives. RESULTS: Among the total of 62 cases analyzed, monoclonality was observed in 4 out of 10 mycosis fungoides, 7 out of 9 cutaneous T cell lymphomas excluding mycosis fungoides, 1 out of 3 angiocentric lymphomas, 2 out of 2 lymphomatosis papulosis, 1 out of 7 large plaque parapsoriasis, and 1 out of 2 T cell lymphomas in other organs. No monoclonality was observed in 9 inflammatory cutaneous diseases, 5 small plaque parapsoriasis, 4 cutaneous B cell lymphomas, and 11 B cell lymphomas in lymph nodes. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the PCR method and heteroduplex analysis used in this study were not only practical but also efficacious for the diagnosis of cutaneous T cell lymphomas using tissues embedded in paraffins.
Biopsy ; Blotting, Southern ; Diagnosis ; DNA ; Gene Rearrangement* ; Genes, T-Cell Receptor ; Heteroduplex Analysis* ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphoma ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Cutaneous ; Mycosis Fungoides ; Paraffin ; Parapsoriasis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell* ; Skin ; T-Lymphocytes

No abstract available.
Alprostadil* ; Lower Extremity* ; Thromboangiitis Obliterans*

Postpartum thyroiditis is a common but frequently unrecognized disorder, affecting approximately 5% of women during the first 12 months after delivery. It is characterized by transient hyperthyroidism occurring about 14 weeks postpartum followed by transient hypothyroidism at 19 weeks postpartum. Our aim is to investigate the prevalence of positive antimicrosomal antibody in women 3 months postpartum and an association of antimicrosomal antibody with symptomatic and biochemical thyroid disorders. We used data collected from 205 women who visited Dankook University Hospital in 3 months postpartum, Our results showed that the rate of positive antithyroid microsomal antibody was 12.7% in women 3 months postpartum and the prevalence of biochemical hyperthyroidism and biochemical hypothyroidism with positive antithyroid microsomal antibody women 3 months postpartum were 26.9% and 19.2%, respectively. The prevalence of postpartum biochemical thyroid dysfuncion 3 months postpartum was 13.7%. There was no relationship between any of the following factors and thyroid antibody status: fetal distress, birth weight and infant sex, matemal age, experiences and mode of delivery, previous medical disease(such as pstrointestinal and psychotic diseases), experiences of previous abortions, gestational age and past history of thyroid diseases.
Abortion, Induced ; Birth Weight ; Female ; Fetal Distress ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Hyperthyroidism ; Hypothyroidism ; Infant ; Postpartum Period* ; Postpartum Thyroiditis* ; Prevalence ; Thyroid Diseases ; Thyroid Gland

No abstract available.
Cardiopulmonary Bypass*