OBJETIVE: To assess the effects of progesterone and acetyl-L-carnitine used after treated with IsolateR gradient before semen cryopreservation-thawing on sperm parameters and membrane integrity. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April 2001 to July 2001, ten normal male partner of couples who were visited in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics. the semens were treated with IsolateR gradient before cryopreservation, spermatozoa was incubated with progesterone (1, 5 and 10 micrometer), acetyl-L-carnitine (2.5, 5 and 10 micrometer), or both (progesterone, 1 micrometer; and acetyl-L-carnitine, 5 micrometer) for 30 min. RESULTS: There were no differences in sperm parameters and vital stain among isolate only treated group, progesterone (1, 5 and 10 micrometer), acetyl-L-carnitine (2.5, 5 and 10 micrometer) and both (progesterone, 1 micrometer; and acetyl-L-carnitine, 5 micrometer). But, in high concentration of acetyl-L-carnitine (10 micrometer) treated group, sperm parameters and vital stain were decreased. The statistical method was used ANOVA (Kruskal-Wallis test) and p value was <0.01. CONCLUSIONS: Neither progesterone nor acetyl-L-carnitine show to be protective effect on the cryodamage assessed by sperm parameters and vital stain (eosin-Y stain) in normal sperm. High concentration of acetyl-L-carnitine (10 micrometer), however, was harmful effect on cryoprevention.
Acetylcarnitine* ; Cryopreservation ; Family Characteristics ; Fertilization in Vitro ; Humans ; Male ; Membranes* ; Progesterone ; Semen ; Spermatozoa*

No abstract available.
Electrons* ; Negotiating* ; Positron-Emission Tomography* ; Semantics*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of the platform switching concept on an implant system and peri-implant bone using three-dimensional finite element analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two three-dimensional finite element models for wide platform and platform switching were created. In the wide platform model, a wide platform abutment was connected to a wide platform implant. In the platform switching model, the wide platform abutment of the wide platform model was replaced by a regular platform abutment. A contact condition was set between the implant components. A vertical load of 300 N was applied to the crown. The maximum von Mises stress values and displacements of the two models were compared to analyze the biomechanical behavior of the models. RESULTS: In the two models, the stress was mainly concentrated at the bottom of the abutment and the top surface of the implant in both models. However, the von Mises stress values were much higher in the platform switching model in most of the components, except for the bone. The highest von Mises values and stress distribution pattern of the bone were similar in the two models. The components of the platform switching model showed greater displacement than those of the wide platform model. CONCLUSION: Due to the stress concentration generated in the implant and the prosthodontic components of the platform switched implant, the mechanical complications might occur when platform switching concept is used.
Crowns ; Dental Implant-Abutment Design ; Dental Implants ; Finite Element Analysis*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of a case management program on range of motion, pain, depression and self efficacy in community-dwelling older women with knee arthritis. METHODS: The research design was one-group pre and post-test design with 40 participants with knee arthritis who agreed to participate in the 12-week case management program. Data were collected four times, before and after 4, 8 and 12 weeks. RESULTS: Repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant differences between before and after the service in range of motion, pain, depression and self efficacy. Significant improvements from the baseline to 4 weeks after the service were observed in the measurements of range of motion, pain, depression and self efficacy. There were no significant differences in range of motion, pain and depression between 4 and 12 weeks after the services. CONCLUSION: This study represents the first effort showing that a case management program can have positive outcomes on range of motion, pain, depression and self efficacy for older women with knee arthritis. More research using a control group pre-post test design considering time lapse is needed in order to examine more accurately the effects of case management programs for knee arthritis.
Arthritis* ; Case Management* ; Depression ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Female ; Health Services* ; House Calls* ; Humans ; Knee ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Research Design ; Self Efficacy

BACKGROUNDS: Gamma band oscillatory activity is considered to be related to congnitive functions and illustrates that the concept of event-related oscillations bridges the gap between single neurons and neural assemblies. An event-related gamma oscillation is the time - locked responses of specific frequency, and can be identified by computing the amplitude frequency characteristics of the averaged event-related potentials(ERPs) after stimulation. OBJECTIVES: We purposed to present experimental paradigm to investigate @-band oscillation activities from the recording of ERPs by using auditory oddball paradigm and investigate the difference of @-band activity between schizophrenia and normal controls. METHODS: The ERPs resulting from auditory stimuli with oddball paradigm in a group of schizophrenics(n=11) and also a group of age-, sex- and handedness matched normal controls, were recorded by 128 channel EEG. The @-band oscillatory activities were calculated by using time-frequency wavelet decomposition of the signal between 20 and 80Hz. The @-band oscillatory activities of both groups were compared by t-test. RESULTS: The @-band oscillatory of the leads Fz,Gz and Pz of both groups were represented well in the time - frequency maps. Significant increases of the @-band activity in normal controls compared with schizophrenics were observed around 160 msec. 350msec. and 800 msec after stimulation. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that the increment in @-band oscillatory activity during cognitive operations and decreased @-band activity in schizophrenics may be associated with the cognitive dysfunctions and the pathophyiology of the schizophrenia.
Electroencephalography ; Evoked Potentials* ; Functional Laterality ; Neurons ; Schizophrenia

Incompetent internal os of cervix is treated with McDonald or Shirodkar cerclage after 14 weeks of gestation. In rare case, after 20 weeks of gestation fetal membrane is bulging into vaginal cavity, but cerclage in that period is risk factor for preterm labor and preterm premature rupture of membranes. So many complications are reported in that period. So many experiences for reducing fetal membranes into uterine cavity were performed. We report a case of amnioreduction in prolapsed fetal membranes after McDonald cerclage, and delivered in 33 weeks of gestation with brief review of literature.
Cervix Uteri ; Extraembryonic Membranes ; Female ; Membranes* ; Obstetric Labor, Premature ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors ; Rupture

BACKGROUND: The current various case-finding instruments for detecting depression in Korea are too cucumbersome and time-consuming for routine use in primary care or student and soldier groups because of too many questions. We carried out this study in order to investigate the validity of the two-question case-finding instrument for detecting depression easily in the primary care or the mentioned groups. METHODS: We selected one boy high school in Seoul and 155 sophomer students answered the questionnaire by self-report. The questionnaire included two questions about depressed mood and anhedonia: (1) "During the past month, have you often been bothered by feeling down, depressed or hopeless?" (2) "During the past month, have you often been bothered by little interest or pleasure in doing things(e.g., studying, playing or talking with friends) ?". And then a resident of family medicine interviewed them and made a diagnosis for depression using the diagnostic criteria of DSM-IV. Simultaneously we compared the test characteristics of a two-question case-finding instrument with those of a previously validated Beck Depression Inventory as a currently world-wide used screening instrument for depression. RESULTS: The prevalence of major depression as determined by the interview was 6.6%(10 of 151). The two-question case finding instrument had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.663-internal consistency, a sensitivity of 100%, a specificity of 54.6%, a positive likelihood ratio of 2.20 and a negative predictive value of 1.00.(A "yes" answer to either of the two questions was considered a positive test.) And the BDI had a sensitivity of 90%, a specificity of 68.1%, a positive likelihood ratio of 3.63 and a negative predictive value of 0.99(cut-off point=15). Area under the ROC curves of the two-question case-finding instrument was 0.882, greater than that of the BDI, 0.834. CONCLUSIONS: The test characteristics of a two-question case-finding instrument were higher compared to those of BDI for major depression. Therefore, the two-question case-finding instrument is a useful measure for detecting depression and less time-consuming in primary care and certain groups.
Adolescent ; Anhedonia ; Depression* ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening* ; Military Personnel ; Pleasure ; Prevalence ; Primary Health Care ; ROC Curve ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Seoul ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: A great deal of attention has been paid to comorbid personality disorders in obsessive-compulsive disorder not only from the theoretical perspectives but also from the clinical aspects related to the prediction of the treatment response. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relations of the symptoms dimensions in OCD to the comorbid personality pathology. METHODS: One-hundred thirty subjects with OCD completed Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (YBOCS) and Personality Disorder Questionnaire-4+ (PDQ-4+). Factor scores of symptom dimensions yielded from a factor analysis of 13 categories in YBOCS symptom checklist were inspected how to be related with the presence of any personality disorder and the PDQ scores for cluster A, B, and C personality pathology. RESULTS: The PDQ total score was significantly correlated with aggressive/sexual/religious obsessions, hoarding, and symmetry/ordering dimensions. The hoarding and repeating/counting dimensions were correlated with cluter A pathology, the symmetry/ordering dimension was with cluster B pathology, while the obsessions dimension was globally related to personality disorders of all the clusters. CONCLUSION: These findings add the evidence of the heterogeneity of OCD. The presence of pure obsessions, hoarding, and symmetry/ordering dimensions may need a close screening for comorbid personality disorders and individualized therapeutic strategies.
Checklist ; Mass Screening ; Obsessive Behavior ; Obsessive Hoarding ; Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder* ; Pathology* ; Personality Disorders ; Population Characteristics

OBJECTIVES: Investigators reported that schizophrenies have deficits in semantic processing. However, it is unclear which brain area is associated with semantic processing dysfunction in schizophrenia. This study was designed to explore the activated brain areas associated with semantic processing in schizophrenic patients compared with controls. METHODS: Twelve patients with schizophrenia and twelve healthy controls were studied under two different visual task conditions. Subjects were required to respond to a specific semantic category in a specific figure among word-figure stimuli during the first task, and to respond to a specific figure among figure-only stimuli during the second task. Brain activation during each task was measured using [15O]H2O PET. Activated brain areas were analyzed by subtraction methods using SPM99 in each group. RESULTS: In healthy control group, the left superior temporal gyrus, left premotor area and left cerebellum were activated during semantic processing along with activation of the left inferior temporal gyrus which is a main semantic processing area. But activation of the main semantic processing area in patient group was more posteriorly than controls. In contrast with control group, lateralized activation pattern to the left and cerebellar activation were not observed in patient group. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that patient's deficit in elaboration due to early semantic processing, decreased efficacy due to the loss of lateralization and decreased modulatory ability due to the loss of cerebellar activation may be involved in the characteristics of brain activation patterns in schizophrenia. This distorted semantic processing in schizophrenia may play a role as one of the basic determinants in thought disorder.
Brain* ; Cerebellum ; Humans ; Research Personnel ; Schizophrenia* ; Semantics*

PURPOSE: A tracheostomy is an important, life-saving procedure to maintain a patent airway. Our aim was to evaluate the effects and safety of tracheostomies done by emergency physicians. METHODS: This was a retrospective study conducted in the emergency intensive care unit (ICU) of a regional emergency medical center. We enrolled consecutive patients who had a tracheostomy in the emergency ICU between November 2004 and September 2008. We collected data on demographic characteristics, diagnosis at admission, the indication for a tracheostomy, time from intubation to tracheostomy, weaning success, time from tracheostomy to weaning, hospital stay, survival discharge, and complications. We divided the patients into two groups: the EM group included patients who had a tracheostomy done by an emergency physician; the OL group had it done by an otolaryngologists. We then made between-groups comparisons. RESULTS: One hundred forty six patients were enrolled in this study. Of the 146 patients, 94 were included in the EM group and 52 in the OL group. There was no significant difference in the demographic characteristics except age, diagnosis at admission, indication of tracheostomy, time from intubation to tracheostomy, weaning success, time from tracheostomy to weaning, hospital stay, and survival discharge between the two groups. There was no significant difference in demographic characteristics? or in the incidence of complications between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Tracheostomy done by emergency physicians are as effective and safe as ones done by otolaryngologists.
Emergencies ; Emergency Medicine ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intensive Care Units ; Intubation ; Length of Stay ; Otolaryngology ; Postoperative Complications ; Retrospective Studies ; Tracheostomy ; Treatment Outcome ; Weaning