INTRODUCTION: In traditional society, the roles of housewives were to do housework, to look after her children and to give her family emotional stability. With rapid social and economic change, the traditional sense of value changes and the concepts of sexual roles, too. However, they are in a transition period yet. These discord and tension followed by role change appeared as the form of psychological instability or social pathological problem in modern family. Thus, this study aimed to avaluate the effect of employment on depression of housewives who play importent roles in family and their commumity. METHODS: From May to July 1996, the questonnaires were distributed to 179 housewives who have university education background(including community college), and have one or more children and live in Bundang-Ku of Sungnam city, making a distinction between working housewives and nonworking housewives. Regarding the subjects of this study, the non-working housewives are restricted to full-time housewives who have no job, and working housewives who have full-time job. As tools of measurement, we used BDI questionnaires consisted of 15 items in Korean. We performed statistical analysis among the data by means of SPSS/PC+. We analyzed statistical data for significance using one-way ANOVA and analyzed categorical data for significance using S-test. RESULTS: The average score on BDI for working housewives was 12.22(standard deviation 7.42) and this is rather higher than that of non-working housewives(10.80, standard deviation : 7.42). But the number of children increased, the BDI score were higher significantly in both groups. And the BDI score was high in working Housewives groups whose husbands had professional job or dommerce job, whose family system is a multi-generation family, and who feel a lot of fatigue after work. In case of non-working housewives, the BDI score was high with age(especially between 50-59), duration of marriage, lower income and Duvalls family life cycle 6, 7. CONCLUSIONS: There is no difference in depression tendency between working housewives and nonworking housewives. But in case of working housewives, some factors have influence on their depression tendency, the number of children, husbands job, family type, degree of fatigue after work. And in case of non-working housewives, the factors are the number of children, age, duration of marriage, income, family life cycle.
Child ; Depression* ; Education ; Employment ; Fatigue ; Gyeonggi-do ; Housekeeping ; Humans ; Marriage ; Seoul* ; Spouses ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Prosthetic valve endocarditis(PVE) is not infrequent and one of the serious complications of cardiac valve replacement despite advances in antimicrobial therapy, diagnostic techniquens and surgical procedures. Although the incidence of PVE may be declining, the absolute number of cases of this infection is increasing. In patients with a prosthetic valve, fever, a regurgitant heart murmur, peripheral manifestations of infective endocarditis and postitive blood cultures, the diagnosis of PVE is evident. We have reviewed our experience with 13 patients with PVE from October 1976 through August 1983. During this period valve replacements were performed in 686 patients, with an infection rate of 1.9%. PVE currently accounts for approximately 14% of the total number of cases of infective endocarditis seen at Seoul national University Hospital. PVE occurred more often after multiple valve replacement than after replacement of single valve alone. Blood cultures were positive in 69% cases of PVE. Systemic emboli could be seen in 54% of patients with PVE and overall mortality was about 23%.
Diagnosis ; Endocarditis* ; Fever ; Heart Murmurs ; Heart Valves ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mortality ; Seoul

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate the comparability and accuracy of body temperatures measured at three different sites: rectum, axilla and between skin and mattress in the newborn infants. METHODS: 168 term and preterm infants admitted to NICU at Kyungpook University Hospital were enrolled in the study. Glass and digital thermometers were used for the simultaneous measurement of rectal, axilla and skin-to-mattress temperatures. RESULTS: Among three different body temperatures measured by glass thermometer, the rectal temperatures recorded the highest in the bassinet, while no differences were found in the incubator. Rectal temperature by glass thermometer agreed most closely with axillary temperature by digital thermometer. The digital thermometers took significantly less time to measure temperatures from rectum and axilla than glass thermometer. Phototherapy did not influence body temperature measured in the incubator. CONCLUSION: In the bassinet, axilla temperature measured by a digital thermometer was as reliable as rectal temperature measured by a glass thermometer. Skin-to-mattress temperature provides an accurate, safe and easily accessible alternative site while infants are in the incubator.
Axilla ; Body Temperature ; Glass ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Incubators ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn* ; Infant, Premature ; Phototherapy ; Rectum ; Skin ; Thermometers

Diffuse leukoencephalopathy is a well-known complication of methotrexate in intrathecal or high dose intravenous administration, especially when it is combined with cranial radiation therapy. However, low dose intravenous methotrexate induced leukoencephalopathy has not been reported previously. A 46-year-old female was administered intravenous methotrexate and 5-fluorouracil with oral cyclophosphamide after a modified radical mastectomy for breast cancer. After six cycles of chemotherapy, she developed rapidly progressing dementia and upper motor neuron signs. Brain MRI showed bilaterally symmetric white matter lesion without gadolinium enhancement. Laboratory investiga-tion showed no evidence of brain metastasis. This case suggests that low dose intravenous methotrexate can induce dif-fuse leukoencephalopathy.
Administration, Intravenous ; Brain ; Breast Neoplasms ; Cyclophosphamide ; Dementia ; Drug Therapy ; Female ; Fluorouracil ; Gadolinium ; Humans ; Leukoencephalopathies* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mastectomy, Modified Radical ; Methotrexate* ; Middle Aged ; Motor Neurons ; Neoplasm Metastasis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The myogenic response was originally described as a contraction of a blood vessel that occurred following an increase in intravascular distending pressure. Conversely, a reduction in intravascular pressure produces myogenic vascular relaxation. Recent attention has focused on the potential role of this myogenic mechanism in the control of tone in the resistance vasculature, and in particular on how this mechanism may contribute to the increased vascular resistance seen in hypertension. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the role of myogenic tone in the generation and/or maintenance of hypertension. MATERICAL AND METHODS: Myogenic tone was developed by stretching of the basilar arteries of WKY (istar Kyoto rat) and SHR (spontaneously hypertensive rats). Contractile responses, PKC (protein kinase C) immunoblots and translocation of PKC and RhoA were measured. In the presence of extracellular Ca2+ the stretching of the resting vessel evoked a myogenic contraction in the basilar arteries of SHR and WKY. Myogenic tone was significantly greater in SHR than in WKY. However, in the absence of extracellular Ca2+, stretching evoked a myogenic contraction in SHR, but not in WKY. The stretch-induced myogenic tone was inhibited by nifedipine. The effect of nifedipine was similar in both SHR and WKY rats. H-7, calphostin C and Y-27632, also inhibited stretch-induced myogenic tone in both SHR and WKY. The inhibitory effects of these drugs were greater in SHR than in WKY. Immunoblotting showed rho A and PKC alpha were translocated from the cytosol to the cell membrane with stretching in both SHR and WKY. PKC beta, however, was translocated to the cell membrane with stretching in SHR, but not in WKY. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that stretch-induced myogenic tone is significantly greater in SHR than in WKY. Furthermore, the increase in amount and/or activity of PKC beta and ROK (rhoA-associated kinase) may be a key mechanism accounting for the enhanced myogenic tone in SHR.
1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine ; Basilar Artery ; Blood Vessels ; Cell Membrane ; Cytosol ; Hypertension ; Immunoblotting ; Nifedipine ; Phosphotransferases ; Protein Kinase C* ; Protein Kinases* ; Rats, Inbred SHR* ; Rats, Inbred WKY ; Relaxation ; rhoA GTP-Binding Protein ; Vascular Resistance

PURPOSE: To date, much research has been performed for amelioration of secondary brain damage after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. We investigated the antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of post-ischemic low-dose total-body irradiation (TBI) on transient global cerebral ischemia. METHODS: The gerbils were divided into six groups (8 gerbils in each group): group I and II, sham operation; group III and IV, 10-minutes ischemia without TBI; group V and VI, 10-minutes ischemia with TBI at 10 minutes after reperfusion. The activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the brains of group I, III, and V at 4 hours after reperfusion were measured. In the brains of group II, IV, and V, the levels of MPO and MDA were measured and the hippocampal areas were stained with hemotoxylineosin (H-E) and TUNEL at 5 days after reperfusion. RESULTS: The activity of Cu/Zn SOD in group V was significantly increased compared to that in group III, but their activities were significantly lower than that of group I. The MPO and MDA levels in groups V and VI were significantly lower than those in group III and IV. The percent dead neurons found in the hippocampal CA1 region by using H-E staining was significantly lower in group VI than in group IV. The number of TUNEL positive cells in the hippocampal CA1 region was significantly lower in group VI and in group IV. CONCLUSION: Anti-oxidative and anti-inflamatory responses induced by post-ischemic low-dose TBI may reduce secondary neuronal damage following 10 minutes of transient global cerebral ischemia.
Brain ; Brain Ischemia* ; CA1 Region, Hippocampal ; Gerbillinae* ; In Situ Nick-End Labeling ; Ischemia ; Malondialdehyde ; Neurons ; Peroxidase ; Reperfusion ; Superoxide Dismutase

BACKGROUND: Inducible MLS(B) (macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B) resistance in staphylococci is not detected by standard susceptibility test methods. Failure to identify inducible MLS(B) resistance may lead to clinical failure during clindamycin therapy. We determined the prevalence of inducible MLS(B) resistance in erythromycin-resistant staphylococcal isolates. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We evaluated all 2,792 non-duplicate staphylococcal strains: 1,402 Staphylococcus aureus and 1,390 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) isolated from May 2008-June 2009 at one-unoversity hospital. Testing for inducible MLS(B) was accomplished by the disk approximation test (D-test) in accordance with the recommendations of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). RESULTS: Of the 2,792 staphylococcal isolates, 892 S. aureus isolates and 740 CoNS isolates were resistant to erythromycin. Among the 892 erythromycin-resistant S. aureus isolates, the overall prevalence of inducible MLS(B) was 21.3% (16.2% of MRSA and 76.3% of methicillin-susceptible S. aureus). Among the 740 erythromycin-resistant CoNS isolates, the overall prevalence of inducible MLS(B) was 16.5% (16.0% of methicillin-resistant CoNS and 18.7% of methicillin-susceptible CoNS). The D-test was positive in 88.8% of S. aureus and 28.4% of CoNS isolates, which were erythromycin-resistant and clindamycin-susceptible. CONCLUSIONS: There are some variations in the prevalence of inducible MLS(B) resistance in clinical staphylococcal isolates. It is important that clinical laboratories report inducible MLS(B) resistance for erythromycin-resistant and clindamycinsusceptible staphylococcal isolates.
Clindamycin ; Erythromycin ; Methicillin Resistance ; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus ; Prevalence ; Staphylococcus ; Staphylococcus aureus

No abstract available.
Bone Marrow/*metabolism/pathology ; Calcium Oxalate/chemistry/metabolism ; Humans ; Hyperoxaluria/*etiology ; Kidney Calculi/etiology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nephrectomy/*adverse effects ; Pancytopenia/*pathology ; Recurrence ; Renal Insufficiency/etiology ; Thyrotropin/blood

No abstract available.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Blood Chemical Analysis/instrumentation ; Blood Platelets/*cytology/physiology ; Female ; Flow Cytometry/*instrumentation/standards ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Platelet Count/*instrumentation/standards ; Reference Values ; Republic of Korea ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Amino-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) is a well-established prognostic factor in heart failure (HF). However, numerous causes may lead to elevations in NT-proBNP, and thus, an increased NT-proBNP level alone is not sufficient to predict outcome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of two acute response markers, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) and heart-type fatty acid binding protein (H-FABP), in patients with an increased NT-proBNP level. METHODS: The 278 patients were classified into three groups by etiology: 1) acute coronary syndrome (ACS) (n=62), 2) non-ACS cardiac disease (n=156), and 3) infectious disease (n=60). Survival was determined on day 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 60, 90, 120, and 150 after enrollment. RESULTS: H-FABP (P<0.001), NT-proBNP (P=0.006), hsCRP (P<0.001) levels, and survival (P<0.001) were significantly different in the three disease groups. Patients were divided into three classes by using receiver operating characteristic curves for NT-proBNP, H-FABP, and hsCRP. Patients with elevated NT-proBNP (≥3,856 pg/mL) and H-FABP (≥8.8 ng/mL) levels were associated with higher hazard ratio for mortality (5.15 in NT-proBNP and 3.25 in H-FABP). Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed H-FABP was a better predictor of 60-day mortality than NT-proBNP. CONCLUSIONS: The combined measurement of H-FABP with NT-proBNP provides a highly reliable means of short-term mortality prediction for patients hospitalized for ACS, non-ACS cardiac disease, or infectious disease.
Acute Coronary Syndrome/blood/*diagnosis/mortality ; Aged ; Area Under Curve ; Biomarkers/blood ; C-Reactive Protein/*analysis ; Fatty Acid-Binding Proteins/*blood ; Female ; Humans ; Kaplan-Meier Estimate ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain/*blood ; Peptide Fragments/*blood ; Prognosis ; Proportional Hazards Models ; ROC Curve