BACKGROUND: Circardian variation in the onset of cardiovascular events includig sudden cardiac death, myocardial infarction and ventricular arrhythmias has been discribed. The frequency of ventricular premature complexes has also been reported to demonstrate a pattern consisting of a daytime peak and nightime nadir. We tried to see if the same circardian pattern is found in dilated cardiomyopathy patients. We have also studed how various modifying factors such as left ventricular ejection fration and ACE inhibitor use may affect the circardian pattern. METHOD: 24-hour ambulatory electrocaridiographic monitorings were performed in 50 dilated cardiomyopathy patients and 20 control subjects. Patients were prospectively divided in 2 groups based on LVEF and ACE inhibitor use. RESULTS: In dilated cardiomyopathy patients, the expected morning increase in VPC frequency is absent and show a peak in evening. This pattern is not correlated with heart rate. Evening peak is more prominent in low LVEF group and ACE inhibitor non-user group. CONCLUSION: In dilated cardiomyopathy patients, VPC frequency show a peak in the evening.
Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Cardiomyopathy, Dilated* ; Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Myocardial Infarction ; Prospective Studies ; Ventricular Premature Complexes*

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of QiGong gymnastics exercise program in the physiopsychological parameter inessential hypertension. The design of the research was a one group pretest-posttest design. A total of 20 patients with hypertension who were from forty to sixty-five years old participated in the study. The Qi Gong gymnastics program was carried out twice a week for thirty minutes or forty minutes for six weeks from 22, Sep. to 31, Oct. in 1997. In order to evaluate the effect of the QiGong gymnastics program physiological parameter(blood pressure, pulse rate, FVC, FEV1, Epinephrine, Norepinephrine, Cortisol) and psychological parameter(self-efficacy, Life satisfaction) were measured before and after the exercise program. Collected data was analyzed by the paired t-test with SAS package. The result are as follows: 1) There were significant decrease in systolic blood pressure and diastolic pressure, but there was no significant change in pulse rate. 2) There were no significant difference in FVC and FEV1. 3) There were significant decrease in epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol. 4) There were significant improved in general self-efficacy and life satisfaction. 5) The effect of QiGong gymnastics program by measurement time on blood pressure and pulse rate were as follows: In a systolic blood pressure was gradually significant decreased from 1 week to 6 weeks and diastolic blood pressure was significantly decreased after 4 weeks. But there was no significant in pulse rate. This results suggest that QiGong gymnastics are an appropriate nursing intervention for clients with hypertension. For further research is necessary to reevaluate the effect with a letter experimental design and longer period than 8 weeks for the QiGong gymnastics program.
Blood Pressure ; Epinephrine ; Gymnastics* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Hypertension* ; Norepinephrine ; Nursing ; Qi* ; Qigong* ; Research Design

No abstract available.
beta-Endorphin* ; Exercise* ; Pain Threshold* ; Plasma*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify exercise environments and social support associated with exercise behaviors in middle-aged women. METHOD: Subjects were 207 women aged between 41 and 59 yr in an urban community. The research instruments utilized in this study were exercise stages, exercise environments, exercise partners and social support scale. Subjects were given a self-report questionnaire. Data was analyzed using the SPSS Win program. RESULT: The subjects were in the stages of precontemplation (3.4%), contemplation (25.1%), preparation (40.6%), action (5.8%), and maintenance (25.1%). Subjects who engaged in regular exercise were 30.9%. The mean score of the exercise environment was 6.34. The mean score of social support was 21.28, and 65.7% of subjects had exercise partners. The score of the exercise environment was significantly associated with the exercise stage (p=.01). The number of exercise partners of regular exercise groups was significantly greater than that of non-regular exercise groups (p=.00). The score of social support of regular exercise groups was significantly greater than that of non-regular exercise groups (p=.00). The score of social support was significantly associated with the exercise stage (p=.00). CONCLUSION: Exercise environments and social support need to be considered in planning exercise programs to improve exercise behavior among middle-aged women.
Adult ; Attitude to Health ; *Exercise ; Female ; *Health Behavior ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Questionnaires ; *Social Support ; Urban Population ; Women's Health

A 56 year old female was admitted because of the right upper quadrant mass for 4 days. She complained of intermittent colicky RUQ pain, fever and chills. So diagnostic procedures was performed: Blood chemistry testings. Ultrasonography. Barium enema, Liver scan, Hepatobiliary scan, ERCP and Abdomen CT, which diagnosed as gall bladder carcinoma. So explolaparotomy was performed and gross operative finding was gall bladder carcinoma with metastatic lymph node and cystic duct stone. So cholecystectomy, hemigastrectomy and anterior segmentectomy of right liver was done. But the biopsy result was cystic duct stone, cholecystitis and gall bladder empyema.
Abdomen ; Barium ; Biopsy ; Chemistry ; Chills ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystitis* ; Cystic Duct* ; Enema ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Liver ; Lymph Nodes ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Middle Aged ; Ultrasonography ; Urinary Bladder

Esthetics ; Facial Asymmetry ; Genioplasty ; Humans ; Jaw ; Orthognathic Surgery ; Osteotomy ; Rhinoplasty ; Seoul ; Surgery, Oral ; Surgery, Plastic

The incidence of duodenal diverticulum found incidentally during upper gastrointestinal roentgenographicexamination varies between 2% and 5%. The majority of cases occur along the medial aspect of the second portion of the duodenum, within 2.5cm of the ampulla of Vater. The majority of duodenal diverticula are asymptomatic, but insome cases, complications such as diverticulitis, hemorrhage, perforation, and fistula formation occur in thethird and fourth portions of the duodenum. We describe a case of giant diverticulum of the transverse duodenum,revealed by UGI and angiography, massive gastrointestinal bleeding in a 80-year-old patient.
Aged, 80 and over ; Ampulla of Vater ; Angiography ; Diverticulitis ; Diverticulum* ; Duodenum* ; Fistula ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Incidence

PURPOSE: To assess the diagnostic accuracy and clinical efficacy of noncontrast spiral CT in patients withsuspected acute appendicitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over a six-month period, 100 patients with suspected acuteappendicitis were prospectively evaluated with noncontrast spiral CT. All scans were obtained from the lower bodyof L3 to the symphysis pubis, with 5mm or 10mm collimation and pitich of 1 or 1.5, and without intravenous or oralcontrast material. Diagnosis was established by means of surgical or clinical follow-up. Prospective diagnosisbased on CT findings was compared with surgical results and clinical follow-up. RESULTS: Acute appendicitis wasconfirmed in 47 of 100 patients. On the basis of the basis of the CT findings, SI patients were prospectivelyinterpreted as positive for appendicitis, but in six the diagnosis was false-positive. Two of the 47 with acuteappendicitis were prospectively interpreted as normal. The preoperative diagnosis of acute appendicitis was, thus,45 true-positive, 47 true-negative, six falsepositive and two false-negative, yielding a sensitivity of 96%, aspecificity of 89%, an accurace of 92%, a positive predictive value of 88%, and a negative predictive value of96%. Using CT, an alternative diagnosis was established in 14 patients. CONCLUSION: Noncontrast spiral CT is auseful technique for diagnosing acute appendicitis.
Appendicitis* ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Tomography, Spiral Computed*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate neural correlates associated with recovery of motor function over 6 months in patients with basal ganglia (BG) stroke using acetazolamide (ACZ) stress brain-perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). METHODS: Medical records of 22 patients presenting first-ever BG stroke were retrospectively reviewed. Regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebrovascular reserve (CVR) were measured for 9 regions in each cerebral hemisphere (primary motor cortex, supplementary motor area, premotor cortex, prefrontal cortex, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, BG, and thalamus). The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) motor score was used to assess motor function. RESULTS: After ACZ injection, CBF of all regions of interest (ROIs) increased compared with baseline. Baseline CBF of all ROIs was not significantly correlated with changes in FMA upper or lower motor score. However, multivariate analysis revealed CVR was significantly associated with change in FMA upper score in the ipsilateral primary motor cortex (R2=0.216, p=0.017), the ipsilateral parietal lobe (R2=0.135, p=0.029), and the contralateral primary motor cortex (R2=0.210, p=0.041). CONCLUSION: CVR in the bilateral primary motor cortex and ipsilateral parietal lobe was associated with restoration of upper motor function 6 months after BG stroke. SPECT is a readily available imaging modality useful in studying brain residual function in patients with BG stroke.
Acetazolamide ; Basal Ganglia* ; Brain ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; Cerebrum ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Motor Cortex ; Multivariate Analysis ; Occipital Lobe ; Parietal Lobe ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Recovery of Function ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke* ; Temporal Lobe ; Tomography, Emission-Computed ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*

OBJECTIVE: To investigate neural correlates associated with recovery of motor function over 6 months in patients with basal ganglia (BG) stroke using acetazolamide (ACZ) stress brain-perfusion single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). METHODS: Medical records of 22 patients presenting first-ever BG stroke were retrospectively reviewed. Regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebrovascular reserve (CVR) were measured for 9 regions in each cerebral hemisphere (primary motor cortex, supplementary motor area, premotor cortex, prefrontal cortex, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, BG, and thalamus). The Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) motor score was used to assess motor function. RESULTS: After ACZ injection, CBF of all regions of interest (ROIs) increased compared with baseline. Baseline CBF of all ROIs was not significantly correlated with changes in FMA upper or lower motor score. However, multivariate analysis revealed CVR was significantly associated with change in FMA upper score in the ipsilateral primary motor cortex (R2=0.216, p=0.017), the ipsilateral parietal lobe (R2=0.135, p=0.029), and the contralateral primary motor cortex (R2=0.210, p=0.041). CONCLUSION: CVR in the bilateral primary motor cortex and ipsilateral parietal lobe was associated with restoration of upper motor function 6 months after BG stroke. SPECT is a readily available imaging modality useful in studying brain residual function in patients with BG stroke.
Acetazolamide ; Basal Ganglia* ; Brain ; Cerebrovascular Circulation ; Cerebrum ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Motor Cortex ; Multivariate Analysis ; Occipital Lobe ; Parietal Lobe ; Prefrontal Cortex ; Recovery of Function ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke* ; Temporal Lobe ; Tomography, Emission-Computed ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon*