No abstract available.
Occupational Health*

No abstract available.
Respiratory System* ; Respiratory Tract Infections* ; Roxithromycin*

BACKGROUND: The enteroviruses are the most common etiologic agent of aseptic meningitis in adults and children. The incidence of enteroviral meningitis in childhood meningitis is up to 80%, but in adults is not known, worldwidely. In Korea, where tuberculosis is endemic, the rapid and accurate diagnostic method for enteroviral meningitis is required especially because early differential diagnosis of viral meningitis from tuberculous meningitis is very important. The aims of this study were the demonstration of enteroviruses from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of adult patients with aseptic meningitis by PCR/Southern hybridization and the verification of the usefulness of PCR/southern hybridization as a rapid diagnostic tool. METHODS: From July 1992 to June 1995, total 34 CSF samples (10 from children, 24 from adults) of patients with aseptic meningitis were studied. As a control group, 15 patients with tuberculous meningitis and 15 patients with bacterial meningitis were studied. Viral RNA was extracted from CSF, reverse transcriptied into cDNA and amplified. The PCR products were Southern hybridizied with enteroviruses-specific digoxigenin-labelled probe. RESULTS: 16/24(66.7%) samples of adult patients with aseptic meningitis were positive for enteroviruses, while in child patients with aseptic meningitis, 9/10(90%) samples were positive. And in one patient, PCR was positive from asymptomatic, onset-7th day CSF sample. CONCLUSION: Enteroviruses were the most common causative organisms of adult aseptic meningitis in Korea. And, this study showed the usefulness of PCR/Southern hybridization of enteroviruses from CSF for etiologic diagnosis of adult aseptic meningitis in subclinical, asymptomatic period.
Adult* ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Child ; Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; DNA, Complementary ; Enterovirus* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Meningitis ; Meningitis, Aseptic* ; Meningitis, Bacterial ; Meningitis, Viral ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Viral ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Meningeal

No abstract available.
Bacteremia*

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the impacts of stroke patients' general and disease-related properties on depression and family support. METHODS: Subjects consisted of 79 persons who were diagnosed with cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction and met the criteria for selection. The Korean version of Beck depression inventory (BDI) and a revision of the family support developed by Cobb were used. Frequency analysis of the subjects' general and medical history properties was conducted, and one way ANOVA was utilized to evaluate the degree of depression and family support with respect to the properties. Pearson's correlation coefficient was conducted to investigate the degree of depression and family support. RESULTS: Participants showed no significant difference in depression based on the subjects' general and disease-related properties (p>0.05), although there were significant differences in family support based on marital status, hobbies and the medical expenses payers (p<0.05). The correlation between family support and depression was r=-0.491 (p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Through the results of this study, it was found that general and disease-related properties would not have any impact on depression while they would affect family support.
Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Cerebral Infarction ; Depression* ; Hobbies ; Humans ; Marital Status ; Stroke*

Purpose: This study examined the effects of the abdominal hollowing technique applied during plank exercises at different shoulder angles between the ground and the humerus on the abdominal muscle activity Methods: The subjects were 36 male volunteers. They were randomized to perform plank exercises or plank exercises using the hollowing technique at 80°, 90°, 100°, and 110° between the ground and the humerus. The abdominis muscles were measured using a surface electromyogram. Independent t-tests examined the changes in the activity of these muscles according to the two exercise methods at each angle. The changes in muscle activity were examined according to the selected angles by one-way analysis of variance. Results: The activity of abdominal muscles was investigated according to the angle between the ground and the humerus during the plank exercise. As a result, the muscle activity increased significantly with decreasing angle in the rectus abdominis, external oblique, and internal oblique·transverse abdominis muscles (p<0.05). In terms of the changes in abdominal muscle activity after hollowing plank exercises at the given angles between the ground and the humerus, an increase in angle resulted in a statistically significant increase in the rectus abdominis muscle activity (p<0.05). The activities of the rectus abdominis, external oblique, and internal oblique/transverse abdominis muscles after hollowing plank exercises showed statistically significant increases (p<0.05) compared to those after plank exercises. Conclusion The hollowing technique and the increase in the angle between the ground and the humerus may be an effective exercise method for increasing the muscle activity of the abdominis muscles.

Purpose: This study examined the effects of the abdominal hollowing technique applied during plank exercises at different shoulder angles between the ground and the humerus on the abdominal muscle activity Methods: The subjects were 36 male volunteers. They were randomized to perform plank exercises or plank exercises using the hollowing technique at 80°, 90°, 100°, and 110° between the ground and the humerus. The abdominis muscles were measured using a surface electromyogram. Independent t-tests examined the changes in the activity of these muscles according to the two exercise methods at each angle. The changes in muscle activity were examined according to the selected angles by one-way analysis of variance. Results: The activity of abdominal muscles was investigated according to the angle between the ground and the humerus during the plank exercise. As a result, the muscle activity increased significantly with decreasing angle in the rectus abdominis, external oblique, and internal oblique·transverse abdominis muscles (p<0.05). In terms of the changes in abdominal muscle activity after hollowing plank exercises at the given angles between the ground and the humerus, an increase in angle resulted in a statistically significant increase in the rectus abdominis muscle activity (p<0.05). The activities of the rectus abdominis, external oblique, and internal oblique/transverse abdominis muscles after hollowing plank exercises showed statistically significant increases (p<0.05) compared to those after plank exercises. Conclusion The hollowing technique and the increase in the angle between the ground and the humerus may be an effective exercise method for increasing the muscle activity of the abdominis muscles.

OBJECTIVE: Arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy(ARVC) is a progressive cardiac muscle disease characterized as progressive fibrofatty replacement of the right ventricle, severe ventricular arrhythmia, and sudden death. However, there is no report of ARVC as a cause of sudden death in Korea. METHODS and RESULTS: Postmortem studies were done to 115 cases of sudden unexplained death at department of legal medicine, school of medicine, Kyungpook national university in year 1999. We identified 7 cases(6%) of typical ARVC with no other identifiable cause of sudden death. The subjects included 5 males and 2 females, ranging in age from 19 to 41 years (mean 29.7 years). All were found dead at bed (5 cases) or workshop (2 cases). Five cases were fibrofatty types and two cases were fatty types. Right ventricular aneurysm, inflammatory infiltrates and left ventricular involvement were found in 4, 2 and 1 cases, repectively. Two cases had family history of sudden death before age 40. No one was suspected of having cardiovascular disease or ARVC before death. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that ARVC in Taegu-Kyungpook area may be more frequent than previously thought. ARVC may be a major cause of sudden unexplained death.
Aneurysm ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Dysplasia* ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Death, Sudden ; Education ; Female ; Forensic Medicine ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Heart Ventricles ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Myocardium

BACKGROUND: During the last three decades, the resistance of S. pneumoniae to penicillin has been rapidly increasing in many parts of the world, especially in Korea. To characterize the clinical features and epidemiology of penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae (PRSP) infections in the community and hospital, as well as to investigate the possible spread of resistant clone, we performed the antimicrobial susceptibility tests, pulsed filed gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and penicillin-binding protein (PBP) profile analysis of PRSP isolates. METHODS: A total 48 PRSP isolates from patients who visited or were admitted to Korea University Guro hospital during the period form July 1998 to June 1999 were studied. Anitimicrobial susceptibility tests for 48 isolates were performed with microbroth dilution method to determine the minimal inhibitory concentration of 11 antibiotics. 39 isolates and 35 isolates were subjected to PFGE and PBP profile analysis, respectively to investigate the genetic relatedness between PRSP isolates. RESULTS: Pneumonia was most common site of infection in the community and the hospital as 50%. There were no significant differences of clinical features and prognosis between community and hospital isolates. But, patients with serious underlying diseases had poor prognosis despite of acquisition site. High level penicillin resistance were observed in 69%, multi-drug resistance were 64.6% of isolates. PFGE showed that 13 of 29 community acquired infection were identical PFGE pattern but not that of 23F Spanish clone. There were various PFGE patterns were observed from community and hospital acquired infection isolates. Some of them were existed in both. PBP profiles showed more diverse, even if in isoaltes of the same PFGE pattern. CONCLUSOIN: In our study, high level penicillin resistance and multi-drug resistance were observed in PRSP clinical isolates. No clinical and prognostic differeces were observed between community and hospital acquired infections. Molecular epidemiology study were suggest the there were various genotypes of PRSP within our society. Some of them were observed in the hospital and community. Therefore, there was an evidence of communication of PRSP clones between the community and hospital.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Clone Cells ; Drug Resistance, Multiple ; Electrophoresis ; Epidemiology ; Genotype ; Humans ; Korea ; Molecular Epidemiology ; Penicillin Resistance ; Penicillin-Binding Proteins ; Penicillins ; Pneumonia ; Prognosis ; Streptococcus pneumoniae* ; Streptococcus*

OBJECTIVE: The golden standard of serodiagnosis of HFRS is IFA(indirect immunofluorescence antibody test). However, positive IFA for IgG antibody does not always correlate with current infection because IFA may be positive due to past exposure to Hantaan virus such as subclincal infection or due to vaccination in endemic area. So supplementary diagnostic method is needed to diagnosis of HFRS with more accuracy. METHODS: In this study, the usefulness of IgG avidity assay with 8 mole/l urea in diagnosis of HFRS was investigated. Serum samples from 45 patients with acute phase HFRS and 79 residents of endemic area, who had HFRS antibody were tested for IgG avidity. RESULTS: The distribution of IgG avidity index of HFRS antibody was different acute phase of HFRS patients from endemic area residents(p<0.001). Patients with acute phase HFRS exhibited lower avidity of Hantaan virus-specific IgG (mode of 64 of avidity index), in contrast endemic area resident had a higher avidity (mode of 4 of avidity index). CONCLUSION: The IgG avidity assay should assist in the diagnosis of acute phase HFRS and may be used to identify recent infection and past exposure to Hantaan virus.
Diagnosis* ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique ; Hantaan virus* ; Hemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin G* ; Serologic Tests ; Urea ; Vaccination