OBJECTIVES: This prospective study was performed to determine effects of clozapine treatment on the quality of life of treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients. METHOD: Subjects were 18 patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia. Patient's PANSS, BPRS and Simpson-Angus Rating Scale was assessed at 9 time points: baseline, the 2th, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 16th, and 20th weeks of treatment. We chose to use the Quality of Life Scale (QLS) developed by Heinrichs and associates to evaluate the effect on the quality of life. The QLS was scaled at every month of treatment. RESULTS: Eighteen of twenty-three patients completed the five months trial of clozapine. Three PANSS factors (positive, negative, general) and BPRS total scores showed a significant improvement at the fifth month of clozapine treatment. The adverse effects of clozapine did not show a significant improvement. After five months of clozapine treatment, there were an increase of 52.69% in the total QLS score and a significant improvement of two QLS factors (interpersonal relations, intrapsychic foundation). Particularly two PANSS factors(negative, general) had a significant correlation with the QLS score. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that clozapine treatment has a positive effect on quality of life of treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients.
Clozapine* ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Quality of Life* ; Schizophrenia

Total 8,341 pregnant women who visited Obstetric Clinic Cheil General Hospital from Jaunary 1991 to July 1992 were screened for HBsAg. Sixty five women with positive HBsAg who delivered healthy babies during that period and their infants are included in the study. HBsAg, Anti-HBs, Anti-HBc, HBeAg and Anti-HBe were tested by radioimmunoassay and hepatitis B virus DNA were studied by polymerase chain reaction technique in both mothers' and babies serum. The results were as follow: 1) Among 8,341 pregnant women who were screened for HBsAg 374 were asymptomatic carriers(4.5%). 2) The newborn babies born to 65 mothers who were positive HBsAg showed HBsAg in 4.6%, HBeAg 75.0%, anti-HBc 98.4% and hepatitis B virus DNA in 26.2%. 3) It showed discordance of HBeAg/anti-HBe, with hepatitis B virus DNA in newborn infants. 4) Follow up study at 8~20 months showed HBeAg and hepatitis B virus DNA in 2 infants out of 20.
DNA ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hepatitis B e Antigens ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens ; Hepatitis B virus* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Mothers* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Pregnant Women ; Radioimmunoassay

To identify the neonates at the risk of having meconium aspiration syndrome, the perinatal characteristics and finding of fetal heart rate monitorings in 366 neonates who had meconium-stained amniotic fluid were retrospectively reviewed. The results were as follows; 1) Overall incidence of MAS was 0.7%. 2) Mortality rate of MAS was 5.8%. 3) The mean Apgar scores at 1-and 5-minute were significantly different in the two groups with and without meconium aspiration sydrome (MAS)(p<0.001). 4) PROM, postterm delivery and IUGR were the major obstetric risk factors associated with MAS. 5) Although severe variable decelaeration and decreased variability on FHR monitoring were present more often in the group with MAS, it showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. 6) The presence of above findings on monitoring and thick meconium in amniotic fluid should alert clinicians to the possibility of a fetus that requires intervention.
Amniotic Fluid ; Female ; Fetal Growth Retardation ; Fetal Heart* ; Fetus ; Heart Rate, Fetal* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant, Newborn ; Meconium Aspiration Syndrome* ; Meconium* ; Mortality ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors

No Abstract Available.
Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins* ; Polyethylene*

PURPOSE: School-age children spend more than half of the day at school and teachers or school nurses are responsible for managing students with asthma during school hours. Thus, the teachers' knowledge about asthma is very important for the care of asthmatic school children. METHODS: Total 159 teachers were asked to fill out questionnaire on their knowledge about asthma and their personal profiles. The survey was administered by mail. The questionnaire includes 17 items about pathophysiology, symptoms, precipitating factors, treatment, care and prognosis, which were to be answered by either 'true' or 'false'. The correct or incorrect answers were examined data was statistically analyzed by SPSS. RESULTS: Most teachers were in their thirties (54.7%) and years of teaching experience were from six to fifteen years (50.4%). The teachers who experienced asthma students were 23.6%, and 12.6% were either asthma patients or had asthma patients in their family. They had knowledge about precipitating factors of asthma, but, the knowledge was not correct in detail. Only 34% teachers knew what to do and where to contact in case of asthma attack among the students. Teachers' demographic and professional factors did not affect the knowledge about asthma, except their working experience as school nurses and/or with school nursing asthmatic students. CONCLUSION: The survey results demonstrated that their teachers' knowledge about asthma was not sufficient enough to take good care of the asthmatic students at school including emergency management. Asthma education for the school teachers is required and efficient educational programs for the teachers should be developed.
Asthma ; Child ; Education ; Emergencies ; Humans ; Postal Service ; Precipitating Factors ; Prognosis ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; School Nursing

PURPOSE: Airway inflammation is a characteristic feature of asthma. Sputum analysis can be used as a non-invasive tool to assess severity of the airway inflammation. This study was performed to compare relationships between sputum eosinophils to other parameters of airway inflammation and to evaluate the clinical utility of sputum eosinophils and ECP in childhood asthma. METHODS: Twenty one ashtmatic children and age matched control subjects without history of allergy were enrolled in this study. Their age was from 21 months to 15 years old. The study was performed from January to April of 2001. Ultrasonically nebulized hypertonic saline was used to induce sputum from children. The children were pre-treated with bronchodilator and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was monitored thought-out the procedure. Sample were analysed for total cell count, differential cell count and for concentrations of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP). RESULTS: Asthmatic subjects had a significantly higher proportion of blood eosinophils than the control subjects (279.8+/-187.7/mm3 and 26.5+/-18.5/mm3, P<0.01). Correspondingly, percentages of eosinophil and concentration of ECP were 5.10+/-8.79% and 99.85+/-70.10 microL/L in asthmatic and 0.20+/-0.42% and 1.02+/-2.54 microL/L in control subjects (P<0.01 and P<0.01). Serum eosinophils have no correlation with sputum eosinophils or sputum ECP. There was no correlation between sputum eosinophils and ECP either. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the proportion of eosinophils and the level of ECP in induced sputum may be sensitive and accurate means of assessing the airway inflammation in childhood asthma, and their relationships with serum eosinophils or serum ECP are to be studied further.
Adolescent ; Asthma* ; Cell Count ; Child ; Eosinophil Cationic Protein* ; Eosinophils* ; Humans ; Hypersensitivity ; Inflammation ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Sputum*

Alveolar soft-part sarcoma is a rare malignant neoplasm. It occurs most commonly in the deep tissue of the extremity, particularly in the anterior aspect of the thigh. It usually presents as a slow-growing, painless mass with little functional impairment. Because of the relative lack of symptoms, it may be easily overlooked. The course of the disease tends to be long but unrelenting, and local recurrences are frequent. There were no lifetime cures in the reported cases. This tumor is relatively unknown to orthopaedic surgeons, and a wider knowledge of its characteristics may lead to its more frequent recognization, Recently, two cases of alveolar soft-part sarcoma were encountered on the orthopaedic department of Dong-kang Hospital, Ulsan. In case 1, the tumor was found in the vastus lateralis muscle; and in case 2, vastus intermedius muscle. The authors will present these cases in detail to provide a glance at this very rare but more frequently recognizable tumor, the alveolar soft-part sarcorna.
Extremities ; Quadriceps Muscle ; Recurrence ; Sarcoma ; Sarcoma, Alveolar Soft Part ; Surgeons ; Thigh ; Ulsan

Heterotopic brain tissue usually involves extracranial midline structures of the head and neck such as nose, nasopharynx, and oral cavity. Its occurrence in the non-midline structures, including middle ear, is rare. We described a 50-yr-old-man with heterotopic glial tissue in the middle ear and mastoid bone. The patient presented with progressive hearing loss for 8 yr. There was no history of congenital anomalies, trauma, or ear surgery. Computed tomography revealed a mass-like lesion with soft tissue density occupying the middle ear cavity and mastoid antrum. At the operation, a graywhite fibrotic mass was detected in the epitympanic area. Mesotympanum and ossicles were intact. The patient underwent left simple mastoidectomy with type I tympanoplasty. During operation, definite cranial bone defect or cerebrospinal fluid leakage was not found. Histologically, the lesion was composed of exclusively mature, disorganized glial tissue with fibrovascular elements in a rather loose fibrillary background. Glial tissue showed diffuse positive reaction for glial fibrillar acidic protein and S100 protein on immunohistochemical study.
Audiometry ; Brain/pathology ; Brain Diseases/*pathology ; Choristoma/*diagnosis ; Ear, Middle/*pathology ; Human ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Mastoid/*pathology/surgery ; Middle Aged ; Neuroglia/*pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: The flowcytometric analysis of HLA-B27 gives more objective results and is performed more rapidly than traditional serologic methods. We have used a flowcytometric method using only anti-HLA-B27 monoclonal antibody, but it gave frequently borderline mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) results. The authors compared the method using anti-HLA-B27 antibody (HLA- ABC-m3, Serotec) with the Becton Dickinson (BD) method which uses different HLA-B27 antibody (GS145.2) with CD3 antibody. METHODS: The 59 patients that requested HLA-B27 testing were measured by two methods. In the former method, the mononuclear cells were stained with HLA-B27-FITC and the MFIs were determined in lymphocytes. In the BD method, the whole blood was directly stained with CD3-PE and HLA-B27-FITC. The MFIs were determined in the CD3+ cells, and compared with the MFI of the standard. For the cases showing discrepancy in the two methods or borderline values, the HLA-ABC typing was done. RESULTS: Of 21 showing discrepancy, 10 samples had undergone HLA typing. Among nine samples that were positive by the Serotec method but negative by the BD method, four samples were B7, one B40, one B54 and three B7 CREG negative. One that was negative by the Serotec method but positive by the BD method was confirmed as HLA-B27. CONCLUSIONS: The Serotec method showed significant overlap between the MFIs of HLA-B27 and non B27 samples that resulted in a relatively low efficiency compared with the BD method. The discrepant results of the two methods seem to be due to maily the specificity of the antibody used.
Fluorescence ; Histocompatibility Testing ; HLA-B27 Antigen* ; Humans ; Lymphocytes ; Sensitivity and Specificity

No abstract available.