No abstract available.
Hydrocortisone* ; Methoxyhydroxyphenylglycol* ; Plasma*

PURPOSE: The study was done to identify relations among sense of humor, self-esteem, and performance in nurses. METHODS: Data were collected by questionnaires from 198 nurses in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. Measures were sense of humor, self-esteem, and performance. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients, t-test, ANOVA, and stepwise multiple regression with SPSS/WIN 13.0 version. RESULTS: This study shows that performance of nurses has significant difference according to age, marriage, education level, income and clinical experience. The performance of nurses has positive correlation with their sense of humor and self-esteem. The higher clinical experience, sense of humor, and self-esteem they have, the better performance they make. The factors that affect performance of nurses are clinical experience, sense of humor and self-esteem. The degree of explanation is 36.5%. CONCLUSION: Knowing that sense of humor and self-esteem of nurse are significant factors which can cause nurses' better performance, we suggest an education program that can help nurses to develop and manage their sense of humor.
Marriage ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To evaluate the relationship between MR changes of the nucleus pulposus and the time interval after traumatic disc herniation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: T2-weighted MR images of 132 patients with back pain and/or sciatica were reviewed. The changes of signal intensity, central cleft and height of the nucleus pulposus were used as criteria of disc degeneration and they were graded as normal, mild, moderate and severe degrees of degeneration. Putting these criteria together we provided integrated grade of degeneration of the nucleus pulposus(grade 0-3). To get the preliminary data for normal and age-related disc degeneration, we measured the disc height by age groups and disc levels and analyzed the realtionship between the age of the patients and the signal intensity, cleft and height in normal disc levels of the 132 patients. In 68 patients of 88 levels disc herniation, we analyzed the relationship between symptom duration and the degree of degeneration. Among these 68 patients we selected 14 patients(16 levels) who were under 30 years of age and had history of recent trauma to minimize data distortion from age related degeneration and ambiguity of initiation point of degeneration. In this group we analyzed the relationship between the time period after traumatic disc herniation and the degree of degeneration. RESULTS: The age of the patient had close relationship with the grade of signal intensity, central cleft, and disc height and grade of degeneration of the nucleus pulposus in normal discs. in 88 levels of herniated discs, the duration of symptom and degree of degeneration showed moderate correlation. In 14 patients of disc herniation who were under 30 years old and had trauma history in recent 2 years, grade 1 disc degeneration occured in average 3.7 months after trauma. CONCLUSION: Although it was difficult to proceed statistical analysis in the last group because of small patients number, the degree of degeneration of nucleus pulposus had close relationship with the duration after traumas or duration of symtoms.
Adult ; Back Pain ; Humans ; Intervertebral Disc Degeneration ; Intervertebral Disc Displacement ; Sciatica

No abstract available.
Chorionic Gonadotropin* ; Female ; Humans ; Humans* ; Hypertension* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second* ; Pregnancy*

Since the first description of the trisomy 9p in 1970, over one hundred cases have been described with the advanced chromosomal banding technique. Clinical findings include growth and mental retardation and facial dysmorphism. Crucial determinants of the classical features of this syndrome lie within the distal half of the chromosome 9 short arm. But this syndrome has not been reported in Korea, we are reporting a boy diagnosed by clinical features and chromosomal study that is trisomic for a partial short arm of a chromosome 9. A brief review of the literature is included.
Arm ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 9 ; Humans ; Intellectual Disability ; Korea ; Male ; Trisomy

OBJECTIVES: This study was for analyzing the research about international marriage immigrant women and a trial to find the right direction for future research. METHODS: Sixty articles published from June, 2004 to June, 2009 were reviewed and analyzed according to the general characteristics, major of author, and theme of health domains. RESULTS: Most of them were master's thesis(71.7%) and journals(21.7%) and doctoral dissertation(6.7%) have been published mostly after thesis. Among 83.3% for quantitative research, descriptive(33.3%) and descriptive correlation(41.7%) methods were the most used and there were some qualitative researches(16.7%). The most frequently used data gathering method was questionnaire(81.7%) and the next was interview(16.7%). The major rates of the author were 61.7% for social welfare and 2.1% for nursing. The investigated variables in social health domain were adaptation(28.3%), and communication(1.7%). In psychological health domain, marriage satisfaction(16.7%), life satisfaction(11.7%), and depression(10.0%) were most researched. Utilization of medical center(5.0%) and health promotion behavior(1.7%) were investigated in physical health domain. CONCLUSIONS: Above this, most articles were researched about the adaptation of international marriage immigrant women. But the life in foreign countries can cause physical and psychosocial unhealthy conditions, so many-sided health related researches are supposed to be conducted for adaptation and prevention health problems of international marriage immigrant women.
Emigrants and Immigrants ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Marriage ; Social Welfare

BACKGROUND: Pigment production and acidification of ribose are most frequently used biochemical tests for the differentiation of three enterococcal species carrying vanC genes such as Enterococcus gallinarum, Enterococcus casseliflavus, and Enterococcus flavescens. However, pigment production may occasionally be negative in E. casseliflavus, and some of E. casseliflavus may be negative or delayed reaction with ribose fermentation test. So, we performed this study to find out biochemical tests capable of distinguishing the strains possessing vanC genotypes. METHOD: A total of 17 enterococci composed of 14 clinical isolates with motility or pigment positive strains and three ATCC strains(E. gallinarum ATCC 49573, E. casseliflavus ATCC 25788, and E. flavescens ATCC 49997) Were tested by multiplex PCR of the vanC genes(vanC-1, vanC-2 and vanC-3)and various biochemical tests. RESULTS: Among the 17 isolates including three ATCC control strains, four were genotyped as VanC-1, 11 were VanC-2, one were vanC-2/3, and any of vanC genes were not detected in one clinical isolate, respectively, Among the enterococci with vanC genotype, acid production from alphaD-cyclodextrin and hippurate hydrolysis were positive only in VanC-1 gneotype(E. gallinarum), acid production from glycerol and methyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside were positive only in vanC-2 genotype(E. casseliflavus), and acid production from rhamnose and pigment production were negative only in VanC-1 genotype. Acid production from alphaD-cyclodextrin was negative only in vanC-2 genotype. The positive rate of ribose fermentation of VanC-1, VanC-2, and VanC-2/3(E. flavescens) genotype were 100%, 82%, and 0%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Acid production from rhamnose, alphaD-cyclodextrin, betaD-cyclodextrin, glycerol and methly-alphaD-mannopyranoside, pigment production, and hippurate hydrolysis test were useful biochemical tests for differentitating E. gallinarum form E. casseliflavus. The production of acid from alphaD-cyclodextrin, glycerol, methyl-alpha-D-mannopyranoside and were suitable biochemical tests for differentiating E. casseliflavus from E. flavescens.
Enterococcus ; Fermentation ; Genotype ; Glycerol ; Hydrolysis ; Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Phenotype* ; Rhamnose ; Ribose

Recently, we experienced a patient with a B cell leukemia which could not be classified as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), prolymphocytic leukemia (PL) or follicular lymphoma in leukemic phase. He is a 58-year-old male and suffered from progressive lymphadenopathy at both inguinal and cervical areas. His blood film showed lymphocytosis (79%), and the cells were heterogeneous in size and shape. Twenty-five percent of the lymphocytes had nuclear irregularities or cleavages unlike the lymphocytes of CLL In which the cells often shows monomorphic features, small size with scanty cytoplasm and round nucleus. The bone marrow trephine biopsy specimen showed a diffuse pattern of infiltration of atypical Iymphoid cells. The lymph node histology showed atypical lymphoid colls proliferated as wide mantles around non-neoplastic appearing germinal centers. The immunophenotype of circulating lymphocytes in peripheral blood showed strong reactivity with CD5, CDl9 and CD20 without expression of CD2, CD3, CD7, CD10, CD22 and CD23. Although this case resembled CLL, the laboratory features showed major differences, notably in the Peripheral blood morphology, histology Patterns and the membrane Phenotype. By combining these data, we diagnosed this case as a leukemic phase of mantle cell lymphoma.
Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Cytoplasm ; Germinal Center ; Humans ; Leukemia, B-Cell ; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell ; Leukemia, Prolymphocytic ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphocytes ; Lymphocytosis ; Lymphoma, Follicular ; Lymphoma, Mantle-Cell* ; Male ; Membranes ; Middle Aged ; Phenotype

No abstract available.
Myasthenia Gravis* ; Pregnancy*

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the level of knowledge of stroke and heart attack (HA) symptoms and risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in rural elderly people who are at risk for CVD. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A total of 444 adults over the age of 60 living in a rural province of Korea with at least one CVD risk factor participated in this survey. RESULTS: A total of 72.5% of the participants had hypertension and 28.4% had diabetes, whereas approximately 40% exhibited over two CVD risk factors. The mean knowledge scores for HA symptoms (4.3/9) were lower than scores for stroke symptoms (5.8/9), and the mean knowledge score for risk factors was 7.3/11. Stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that old age, low level of education, and low income level were the determining factors for low knowledge levels of stroke and HA symptoms as well as CVD risk factors. A low perceived risk of stroke or HAs also predicted a low knowledge of CVD risk factors. CONCLUSION: Community-wide public campaigns are needed, which are designed to help elderly people in rural areas with low education levels and socioeconomic status at risk for CVD to improve the awareness of stroke and HA.
Adult ; Aged ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Heart ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Risk Factors ; Social Class ; Stroke ; Surveys and Questionnaires