The purpose of this study was to produce proper nutrition and foodservice through positive intervention for diet-refusal patients who has difficulties in adaptation to hospital diet, and to contribute to hospital management with the focus of fast recovery. The survey was conducted using questionnaires between July 18 and August 17, 2000. The subjects were consisted of 24 diet-refusal patients who were hospitalized in St. Mary's Hospital except the patients hospitalized for the purpose of operation or pre-therapy tests. Also chart reviews were conducted. The statistical analysis of data was done by SAS/win 6.11 package to determine descriptive analysis and paired t-test and Pearson's correlation. The summary of study results is as follows : 1. Most of the subjects was receiving chemotherapy. The leading place for offering private food was from patient's home. Subjects worried about delayed recovery from illness due to nutritional problems caused by extreme fasting. The problems were in order of anorexia, nausea and vomiting during therapy process. 52.4% of subjects ate hospital diet after positive intervention. 2. Major reasons of hospital diet-refusal patients' dissatisfation were in order of expeness, dissatisfation, serum total protein levels were significantly lower(p<.05). 3. Serum Alb(p<.05), Hb(p<.05), Hct(p<.05) and TLC(p<.001) levels showed significantly negative correlations with fasting duration. With these results, it is concluded that a major cause of malnutrition among patients is to last fasting.
Anorexia ; Diet* ; Disulfiram* ; Drug Therapy ; Fasting ; Humans ; Malnutrition ; Nausea ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Vomiting

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an information protocol for anxiety and nursing satisfaction of family caregivers. The caregivers were caring for a family member who had a CVA (cerebrovascular accident) and who had been admitted to the ICU (intensive care unit). METHOD: The research design was a non-equivalent control group non-synchronized design. Data were collected from April 1 to October 31, 2005 at D hospital in Busan City. The participants were 40 family caregivers of patients with a CVA admitted to the ICU. Caregivers in the experimental group participated in the information protocol for 30 min. Both groups were pre-tested before the intervention for two variables, anxiety and nursing needs. The post-test of both groups included anxiety and nursing satisfaction. The instruments used in this study were the Spielberger's state anxiety inventory (1976) and the nursing satisfaction scale developed by Molter (1979). RESULTS: Anxiety scores were significantly lower and nursing satisfaction scores were significantly higher for caregivers in the experimental group compared to those in the control group. CONCLUSION: The information protocol was effective in reducing anxiety and increasing the level of nursing satisfaction of family caregivers caring for an ICU patients with a CVA.
Anxiety* ; Busan ; Caregivers* ; Humans ; Nursing* ; Research Design ; Stroke*

BACKGROUND: The perception of sleep time in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is not well understood, some studies have reported that subjects with OSA have abnormal sleep perception. We hypothesized that the severity of OSA would affect the sleep perception of patients with OSA and investigated the associated factors that affect the sleep perception in OSA. METHODS: Four hundred and sixty eight subjects with OSA were included in present study. Subjects with OSA were divided, depending upon their sleep perception. The first group included individuals who underestimated their time spent sleeping, the second group included those who did not underestimate their sleep time. The underestimation of sleep time is defined as the perceived total sleep time being less than 80% of that measured in polysomnography (PSG). All participants were analyzed their demographics, PSG parameter and questionnaires such as Beck Depression Inventory, Epworth Sleepiness Scale. RESULTS: Of 468 participants, 179 (38.2%) subjects were included in the group that underestimating sleep. Gender (female, odds ratio [OR]=2.01, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.25–3.22), depression (OR=1.75, 95% CI=1.03–2.97) and proportion of slow wave sleep (OR=0.98, 95% CI=0.96–0.99) were related to the underestimation of sleep. CONCLUSIONS: The underestimation of sleep in OSA is not directly related to OSA severity. Gender, psychiatric disorder, and sleep architecture are associated with the underestimating sleep in OSA.
Demography ; Depression ; Humans ; Odds Ratio ; Polysomnography ; Retrospective Studies ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and effect of various cryopreservation method on the survival and the cytoskeletal stability of metaphase II mouse oocyte. METHODS: Mouse ovulated oocytes were collected and cryopreserved by a modified slow-freezing method with 1.5 M 1,2-propanediol (PrOH)+0.1 M sucrose or by vitrification using cryo loop and EM grid with 40% ethylene glycol+0.6 M sucrose. Four hours after thawing, intact oocytes were fixed and stained with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-conjugated monoclonal anti-beta-tubulin antibody to visualize spindle and propidium iodide (PI) to visualize chromosome. Spindle morphology was classified as follows: normal (barrel-shaped), slightly and absolute abnormal (multipolar or absent). RESULTS: Survival rate of the frozen-thawed oocytes in vitrification group was significantly higher than that of slow-freezing group (62.7% vs. 24.4%, p<0.01). Vitrification with cryo loop showed significantly higher survival rate than that with EM grid (67.7% vs. 53.5%, p<0.05). On the other hand, proportion of normal spindle and chromosome configurations of the frozen-thawed oocytes between two vitrification group was not significantly different. CONCLUSION: For mouse ovulated oocytes, vitrification with cryo loop may be a preferable procedure compared to slow-freezing method. Further study should be needed to investigate developmental competency of frozen-thawed mouse oocytes.
Animals ; Cryopreservation* ; Fluorescein ; Hand ; Metaphase ; Mice* ; Oocytes* ; Propidium ; Propylene Glycol ; Sucrose ; Survival Rate ; Vitrification

Atypical antipsychotics have more beneficial effects than conventional antipsychotics, particularly with regard to negative symptoms, cognitive functions, and also have a superior side effect profile. Although with such advantages, the use of the atypical antipsychotics cause numerous complications such as hypertension, increase of insuline, diabetes mellitus due to gain in weight, hyperprolactinemia, sexual dysfunctions, cardiovascular symptoms as well as noncompliance due to the previously mentioned side effects and high medical expenses which burden individual and governments. Now is the time to consider both advantages and disadvantages to balance out gains and losses in using the atypical antipsychotics. Blind trust or exclusive decision in using the atypical antipsychotics are unsuitableness. The decision on the use of the medicine must be the one that balances out its general advantages and disadvantages and its appropriateness must be decided upon a full consideration of its pharmacology, efficacies and side effects.
Antipsychotic Agents* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Hyperprolactinemia ; Hypertension ; Insulin ; Neurobehavioral Manifestations ; Pharmacology

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*

Lentigo maligna melanoma(LMM) is the least common type of melanoma. LMM is almost exclusively located on sun-exposed skin of the head and neck. We describe a case of lentigo maligna melanoma evolved from lentigo maligna in 82-year-old man. Five years ago, the patient developed a brownish pigmented lesion on the left cheek. The lesion progressed slowly, and several months ago, a black pigmented patch was developed in the periphery of the brownish pigmented patch. Histopathologic examination of the lesions revealed findings consistent with lentigo maligna and lentigo maligna melanoma.
Aged, 80 and over ; Cheek ; Head ; Humans ; Hutchinson's Melanotic Freckle* ; Lentigo* ; Melanoma* ; Neck ; Skin

The Laugier-Hunziker syndrome is a rare syndrome characterized by macular hyperpigmentation of the lips and buccal mucosa associated with melanonychia. Onset is usually in adult life and no consistent systemic associations have been reported. Here we report a 39-year-old wonam with a longitudinal pigmented band on a finger and pigmented macules on the lip. We suggest that this is the first report in Korea and the syndrome is presumably more common than recognized.
Adult ; Fingers ; Humans ; Hyperpigmentation ; Korea ; Lip ; Mouth Mucosa

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune hemolytic anemias are characterized by autoantibodies recognizing antigens on the Individual's own red blood cells, resulting in immune- mediated hemolysis. Blood transfusions have been regarded as hazardous in patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) because of potential intensification of hemolysis and a presumed high incidence of alloimmunization. METHODS: We examined the pretransfusion and posttransfusion hemoglobin levels in 6 patients with autoantibodies in their sera, which showed panagglutinations with all bloods tested in the compatibility testing. They received 'least' incompatible blood because of inability to find compatible blood. RESULTS: When we compared pretransfusion hemoglobin level with posttransfusion hemoglobin level, in 5 of 6 patients with AIHA, the hemoglobin levels were increased after red cell transfusion. 4 patient who did not respond to transfusion therapy initially had an increase in hemoglobin level after steroid treatment. Any signs or symptoms indicating hemolytic transfusion reaction were not observed ducting the transfusion period in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The decision to transfuse in AIHA should consider multiple factors including the patient's clinical status, the potential benefit of transfusion, the potential response to other therapeutic modalities, but must never be regarded as contraindicated, even though the compatibility test may be strongly incompatible.
Anemia, Hemolytic* ; Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune ; Autoantibodies ; Blood Group Incompatibility ; Blood Transfusion ; Erythrocyte Transfusion* ; Erythrocytes* ; Hemolysis ; Humans ; Incidence

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune hemolytic anemias are characterized by autoantibodies recognizing antigens on the Individual's own red blood cells, resulting in immune- mediated hemolysis. Blood transfusions have been regarded as hazardous in patients with autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) because of potential intensification of hemolysis and a presumed high incidence of alloimmunization. METHODS: We examined the pretransfusion and posttransfusion hemoglobin levels in 6 patients with autoantibodies in their sera, which showed panagglutinations with all bloods tested in the compatibility testing. They received 'least' incompatible blood because of inability to find compatible blood. RESULTS: When we compared pretransfusion hemoglobin level with posttransfusion hemoglobin level, in 5 of 6 patients with AIHA, the hemoglobin levels were increased after red cell transfusion. 4 patient who did not respond to transfusion therapy initially had an increase in hemoglobin level after steroid treatment. Any signs or symptoms indicating hemolytic transfusion reaction were not observed ducting the transfusion period in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The decision to transfuse in AIHA should consider multiple factors including the patient's clinical status, the potential benefit of transfusion, the potential response to other therapeutic modalities, but must never be regarded as contraindicated, even though the compatibility test may be strongly incompatible.
Anemia, Hemolytic* ; Anemia, Hemolytic, Autoimmune ; Autoantibodies ; Blood Group Incompatibility ; Blood Transfusion ; Erythrocyte Transfusion* ; Erythrocytes* ; Hemolysis ; Humans ; Incidence