BACKGROUND: The recently developed nucleic acid amplification methods may provide us with very sensitive, specific and rapid tests for the detection of M. tuberculosis. So the aim of this study was to compare the commercial Amplicor M. tuberculosis kit and our in-house polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with the conventional culture and direct AFB staining method. Materials and METHODS: Among the total of 2,340 clinical specimens, 1,314 sputum samples were tested for the presence of M. tuberculosis by Amplicor PCR and 1,026 sputum samples were tested by in-house PCR performing with resin matrix preparation and DNA extraction, synthesized primer pair, detection using agarose gel electrophoresis. RESULTS: One hundred-seventeen specimens were positive by Amplicor PCR, 105 were positive by in-house PCR, 185 were positive by culture. The sensitivity of the Amplicor PCR for all of the specimens and for smear-positive and smear-negative specimens was 92.9%, 97.9% and 88.2%, respectively after discrepant analysis. The sensitivity of the in-house PCR for all of the specimens and for smear-positive and smear-negative specimens was 80.0%, 93.6% and 65.5%, respectively after discrepant analysis. The specificity of the Amplicor PCR and in-house PCR for all of the specimens was 97.9% and 99.0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Amplicor PCR was more sensitive than in-house PCR, but there was another problems such as high false positive rate and high cost. So PCR may certainly become very useful in microbiological laboratories if PCR method is selected according to the laboratory conditions.
DNA ; Electrophoresis, Agar Gel ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Sputum* ; Tuberculosis

No abstract available.
Intensive Care Units* ; Critical Care*

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between self-concept and self-care activities of the cerebral palsied adolescents and to gain the baseline data for development of effective rehabilitation nursing intervention program of the cerebral palsied adolescents. The design of this study was a descriptive correlational study. The subjects of the study were 160 cerebral palsied adolescents attending at special schools located in Seoul and Kyonggi and rehabilitation centers located in Seoul. Kyonggi and Kyongnam province. The data was collected from May 20 to July 20, 2000, The instrument used for this study were the self-concept scale(50items 4point scale) and self-care activities scale(29items 4point scale). Self-Concept Scale had developed by Fitt(1965), which was standardized by Chung(1968) and modified by Kim(1984). Self-Care Activities Scale developed by the researcher throughout the consulting of expert and pilot study on the basis of ADL check list developed by Kang(1984) and LDSQ-3(Lambeth Disability Screening Questionnair-3) developed by Na et al. (1995). The data was analyzed by the SPSS/PC + program using frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA & Scheffe test and Pearson's correlation coefficient. The results of this study were as follows: 1. The mean score of self-concept was 138.55+/-17,20(range: 50-100), which the item mean score was 2,77+/-0.34((range: 1-4). The score of subarea of the self-concept was the highest score in family self (3.01+/-0.54) and the lowest score in physical self (2.52+/-0.42). 2. The mean score of self-care activities was 95.25+/-21.69(range: 29-116), which the item mean score was 3.28+/-0.75(range:1-4). The score of subarea of the self-care activities was the highest score in feeding(3.75+/-0.59) and the lowest score in walking(2.64+/-1.21). 3, There were statistically significant difference in the score of self-concept according to the age (F=3.24, P= .04), the grads(F=4.36, p= ,01), and types of cerebral palsy (F=2.42, P=,03). 4. There were statistically significant difference in the score of self-care activities according to the age(F=8,29, P= .00), the grads (F=16.05, P= ,00), types of living place (F=6.46, P= .00), types of cerebral palsy(F=48.92, P= .00), whether or not receiving a rehabilitation therapy (t=-3.64, P= .00), whether or not receiving a vocational training (t=2.14. p= .03), and whether or not using a device (t=-7.42, P= .00). 5. There was not significant correlation between self-concept and self-care activities(r= .08 1. P= .311).
Activities of Daily Living ; Adolescent* ; Cerebral Palsy ; Gyeonggi-do ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Pilot Projects ; Rehabilitation ; Rehabilitation Centers ; Rehabilitation Nursing ; Self Care* ; Seoul

The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of the humor intervention program, administred to the hemodialysis patient as an adaptive coping mechanism. The research design was non-equivalent control group non-synchronized design. The study method had been done by investigating the experimental group and control group through the questionnaire on 36 patients who had been out patient hemodialysis room at B hospital in Pusan from August 18 to September 15, 1998. The humor intervention program consisted of 1 TV comedy, 1 home video and 1 comedy film. The humor intervention program was provided to the experimental group for 20-30 minute 3 times every other day at hemodialysis room. Dependent variables were measured by Spielberger's State Anxiety Inventory, Zung's Self Rating Depression Scale, Lefcourt & s Humor Coping Scale. The analysis of the collected data had been done for the hemogeneity test in which general characteristics of the experimental group and the control group had been tested by chi- test and the hemogeneity test had been tested by t-test before using the humor intervention program which is for anxiety, depression and coping of humor. To test the hypothesis the t-test had been given for the difference of anxiety, depression and coping of humor between the two groups. The result were summarized as follows: 1. Anxiety score in the experimental group and control group was not significant difference. 2. Depression score in the experimental group and control group was not significant difference. 3. Coping of humor score in the experimental group and control group was not significant difference. In conclusion, even though humor intervention program did not have any efficient effect on hemodialysis patients in reacting to anxiety, depression and coping humor, it caused very positive reactions from patients, and it also reducted anxiety of patients among the experimental group a little bit. If this program could be sufficiently applied according to the character of every patients with a little bit different appliences such as selection of humor intervention program, frequency and period, it will be used as an efficient the humor intervention program.
Anxiety* ; Busan ; Depression* ; Humans ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Renal Dialysis* ; Research Design

No abstract available.
Adenomyoma* ; Humans ; Infant* ; Intestine, Small* ; Intussusception*

No abstract available.
Hepatic Veins*

OBJECTIVES: We investigated the effects of changes in obesity and life style factors, such as cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, and exercise, on the changes in blood pressure and serum cholesterol among Korean men. METHODS: This study included 7,205 healthy male employees in the steel manufacturing industry. Each subject underwent health examination in 1994 and was re-examined in 1997. The study subjects were classified into four categories, according to changes in body mass index (BMI) (loss; stable; mild gain; severe gain), cigarette smoking (quitter; non-smoker; smoker continued; smoker started), alcohol drinking (quitter; non-drinker; drinker continued; drinker started) and exercise (more exercise; continuous regular exercise; continuous irregular or no exercise; less exercise), respectively. We evaluated the relationship between the categories of change in those independent variables and the changes in blood pressure and serum cholesterol, adjusted for BMI in 1994 and age by analysis of variance. RESULTS: The change in systolic blood pressure was positively associated with the changes in BMI (p<0.001) and drinking (p=0.001), but negatively with smoking (p=0.004), compared to the first category of each independent variables. The systolic blood pressure was significantly less increased in the continuous smoking group than quitter or non-smoker. The changes in diastolic blood pressure and serum cholesterol appeared to have statistically significant linear relationships only with the change in BMI. The change in exercise showed a marginal significance with diastolic blood pressure (p=0.088). CONCLUSIONS: These prospective data emphasize the importance of obesity as a determinant of the changes in blood pressure and serum cholesterol. In addition, the changes in smoking and drinking habits can affect systolic blood pressure.
Alcohol Drinking ; Blood Pressure* ; Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol* ; Drinking ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Humans ; Life Style* ; Male ; Obesity ; Prospective Studies ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Steel*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Reye Syndrome*

No abstract available.
Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular* ; Tetralogy of Fallot*

This study adopts the phenomenological approach in order to explore the experience of urinary felt by the small island women and to find the meaning and structure of their experience, for the further understanding of them. This study succeeded in detecting five topics and three basic structure from eight participants, and followings are the comprehensive statement of them. The five topics include neglect of care after childbirth, unavoidable life in the tidal flat, shame which cannot be expressed even to their husbands, endless anxiety toward the expected future, and sad(dilemmatic) lived experience. The basic structure is that small island women who have urinary incontinence are apt to regard their disease as a natural destiny of women who fail to get adequate care after childbirth, and something to be endured to live in the seashore. They think of urinary incontinence as something so shameful that they cannot reveal it even to their husband and family. They believe that it even changes their personality since they must always stay alert in order to cope with the situation; for example, when it takes place unexpectedly, like too often to go to toilet, to change the underwears, to wake up in the middle of the night to go to toilet, to try not to laugh loudly, or to have showers. In addition, they accept it as a natural process of aging and incurable disease, and they consider themselves already ruined on the way of becoming uglier. They show dilemmatic abandonment: give it up unwillingly but at the same time think it is natural for others too. The unique experience of small island women with urinary incontinence implied in those statement are inseparable with the specific conditions for survival in the island. Unlike other diseases, it is considered the result of traditionally poor care after childbirth. However this misunderstanding that it is a natural phenomena for all the women who experience childbirth and aging and thereby incurable leads to an undesirable attitude toward urinary incontinence. According to the analysis, environmental conditions specific for small islands make the women there have distinct and unique experience concerned with urinary incontinence. Consequently, the future nursing plan for urinary incontinence in the small island area must be made and enforced with the consideration of these specific phenomenological meanings. Modern Korean nursing has basically been centered to hospital or urban areas. Besides, nursing intervention has long depended upon the research of western countries. This research, however, shows how greatly the regional and cultural characteristics influence the understanding of a certain disease, and is expected to make more specific and in-depth nursing approach enable for those who have urinary incontinence in small islands.
Aging ; Anxiety ; Cultural Characteristics ; Female ; Humans ; Islands ; Nursing ; Parturition ; Shame ; Spouses ; Urinary Incontinence*