OBJECTIVES: This study was intended to investigate the differences of job stressors between managers and low level employees among white-collar workers. Another objective of this study was to examine whether the effects of job stressors on mental health differ between the two groups. METHODS: Data was obtained from 204 managers and 251 low level employees who were employed in white-collar jobs. Fourteen job stressors and seven job stress variables were measured. RESULTS: Among the 14 job stressors, role overload, job insecurity, and work-family conflict were higher job stressors for the manager group whereas role conflict, work-aptitude incongruity, participation in decision making, and promotion problems were higher job stressors for the low level of employees. There were no differences in job stress scores between the two groups. However, differences in the effects of job stressors on job stress were found between the two groups. For the manager group, job insecurity, work-aptitude incongruity, and work-family conflict significantly affected in explanation of job stress whereas for the low level employees, role underload, peer satisfaction, and environmental problems significantly explaining the job stress variables. CONCLUSIONS: There were significant differences in job stressors between managers and low level employees among white-collar workers. Additionally there were differences in the effects of job stressors on job stress between the two groups.
Decision Making ; Mental Health

Twenty nine cases of wrist tuberculosis were reviewed(19 joint involvement cases and 4 tendon involvement cases) and twenty three cases were followed up more than one and half years. The mean follow up period was 26.7 months. Synovectomies were not satisfactory in cases of joint involvement and they were useful only in cases of tendon involvement. Arthrodesises were used for 16 cases of joint involvement and were satisfactory in 87,5 percent by Robin's criteria. Finger stiffness was most serious complication(initially, 8.7 percent and finally, 34.8 percent) and it is suggested that early motion of fingers after arthrodesis can prevent this complication.
Arthrodesis ; Fingers ; Follow-Up Studies ; Joints ; Tendons ; Tuberculosis ; Wrist

The open Broström procedure is considered the surgery of choice for treating chronic lateral ankle instability. The role of arthroscopy has gained popularity in the surgical treatment of chronic lateral ankle instability, partly for the ability to manage the intra-articular pathology combined with ankle instability. Arthroscopic techniques can be divided broadly into the arthroscopic-assisted Broström technique and arthroscopic all-inside ligament repair. The clinical results of these arthroscopic techniques are similar to open procedures. The arthroscopic technique may be an excellent alternative to the open Broström procedure in treating chronic lateral ankle instability when applying the appropriate indications.

Authors reviewed clinical recordings of 102 patients who were diagnosed as Guillain-Barre syndrome from 1979 to 1983 at Seoul National University Hospital. Among them, eighty-five cases were selected for the clinical study of Guillain-Barre syndrome through application of strict diagnostic criteria. And the following results were obtained. 1) There was a male preponderance (2.5:1) and an apparent predilection for the first and the second decades in this series. 2) Seasonal predilection was in summer and fall over five years. As judged from the uneven monthly incidence rate in each year, some epidemic tendency is likely to be in Guillain-Barre syndrome. 3) Sixty cases (71%) of this series had a history of antecedental events. The onset of neuritic symptoms occurred within one week from the preceding events in twenty-nine cases and one to two weeks in twenty cases. 4) The neuritic symptoms started from lower limbs in fifty cases (59%), upper limbs in eighteen (21%), cranial nerve distribution in six (7%) and developed nearly simultaneously in eleven (13%). 5) Most of the disabilities of the patients were devided into flaccid paralysis of limbs, cranial nerve dysfunction, autonomic dysfunction, respiratory difficulty and sensory abnormalities (paresthesia and myalgia). Autonomic dysfunction was observed in nine cases (11%), respiratory difficulty in thirty-one (37%), sensory abnormality in thirty-two (38%), and cranial nerve dysfunction in forty-seven (55%). 6) Authors devided the crainal nerve dysfunction into facial diplegia which was the most frequent form, bulbar palsy the next, masticatory muscle weakness the third, and ocular paresis the least. 7) There were two cases of Fisher syndrome (2.4%), three cases of polyneuritis cranialis (3.5%), and two cases of recurrence (2.4%) in this series. 8) Two cases (2.4%) died of respiratroy and bulbar dysfunction. Five cases (6%) had residual disability in motor function till six months follow-up.
Bulbar Palsy, Progressive ; Cranial Nerves ; Extremities ; Follow-Up Studies ; Guillain-Barre Syndrome ; Humans ; Incidence ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Masticatory Muscles ; Miller Fisher Syndrome ; Neuritis ; Paralysis ; Paresis ; Recurrence ; Seasons ; Seoul ; Upper Extremity

The author studied 20 healthy adults (20 hands) as a control and 30 patients (40 hands) with carpal tunnel syndrome to evaluate the clinical usefulness of measuring nerve conduction velocity after wrist flexion in diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. The median nerve conduction velocity over wrist to finger segment was measured before and after wrist flexion for 1, 2 and 5 minutes, using belly-tendon method for motor nerve distal latency (MNDL) and antidromic method for sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV). The results were as follows: 1. In control group, MNDL increased in 1 hand and SNCV decreased in 2 hands after wrist flexion. In patient group, MNDL increased in 2 hands and SNCV decreased in 3 hands after wrist flexion. 2. In both control and patient group, there were no significant changes in mean values of SNCV and MNDL between before and after wrist flexion. 3. Phalen's wrist flexion test was positive in 5 percent of control and 60 percent of patient group. 4. Tinel's sign was present in 10 percent of control and 33 percent of patient group.
Adult ; Carpal Tunnel Syndrome* ; Diagnosis ; Fingers ; Hand ; Humans ; Median Nerve ; Methods ; Neural Conduction* ; Wrist*

PURPOSE: To compare contrast sensitivity and color vision after implantation of a clear intraocular lens (IOL) and a yellow-tinted IOL in diabetic retinopathy patients. METHODS: In the 50 eyes of 25 diabetic patients with non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, clear IOLs were implanted in 25 eyes, and yellow-tinted IOLs were implanted in 25 fellow eyes. Three months after the surgery, contrast sensitivity function was measured with a vision contrast test system, and color discrimination was tested using the Farnsworth Munsell 100-hue test. RESULTS: Eyes implanted with yellow-tinted IOLs had significant differences in contrast sensitivity values compared to those of fellow eyes implanted with clear IOLs in both the moderate diabetic retinopathy group (6.0 cycles per degree) and the severe diabetic retinopathy group (throughout all spatial frequencies except 12.0 cycles per degree). The yellow-tinted IOL did not modify chromatic discrimination compared with that of the clear IOL. In the blue-yellow axis error score, however, there were significant differences between the clear IOL and the yellow-tinted IOL. CONCLUSIONS: With progressing diabetic retinopathy, the yellow-tinted IOL provided better contrast sensitivity than the clear IOL. The yellow-tinted IOL improved color vision in the blue-yellow chromatic axis without causing chromatic discrimination defects.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Color Vision ; Contrast Sensitivity ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Eye ; Humans ; Lenses, Intraocular ; Vision, Ocular

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to evaluate changes in the management and 5-year survival rates of patients with oral cancer in our department over a 30-year period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated the patient distributions, treatment methods, method of neck dissection according to cancer stage, and 5-year survival rates for 700 oral cancer patients over the periods of 1982-1996 (256 patients), 1999-2006 (248 patients), and 2007-2011 (196 patients). RESULTS: Stage IV patients were the largest group in all of the time periods evaluated. Although surgery and radiotherapy were the most common methods in all periods (over 50%), the prevalence of patients who underwent concomitant chemoradiotherapy increased from 7.0% to 16.2%. The use of radical neck dissection decreased from 43.0% to 5.3%, while conservative surgical methods increased from 24.1% to 76.3%. Lastly, the overall 5-year survival rate increased from 31.6% to 63.5% during the study period. CONCLUSION: Although the 5-year survival rate reached the same level as that of other developed countries during the course of our study, most patients continue to come to the hospital with stage IV disease. In order to increase the 5-year survival rate of oral carcinoma, it may be necessary to improve public education and social efforts relevant to early diagnosis.
Chemoradiotherapy ; Developed Countries ; Early Diagnosis ; Education ; Humans ; Mouth Neoplasms* ; Neck Dissection ; Neoplasm Staging ; Prevalence ; Radiotherapy ; Survival Rate*

OBJECTIVE: Cranial nerve dysfunction is common after endovascular treatment of a cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistula and sometimes this symptom persists. We reviewed the treatment outcomes of the patients with cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistula and who were treated with endovascular technique, and we analyzed the characteristics of those patients who had cranial nerve palsy after treatment. METHODS: Between May 2003 and July 2010, 25 patients were treated by an endovascular technique at our institution. Their medical records were reviewed and we analyzed their data, including the clinical presentation, the neurological deficits, the radiographic features and the treatment outcomes. RESULTS: In our series, a total of 25 patients (28 cases) received endovascular treatment. There were four male patients and twenty one female patients with an age range of 26-78 years (mean age : 57.4 years). Complete occlusion was observed in nineteen cases (67.9%) and 5 cases (17.9%) showed near complete occlusion. Additional procedures were required for four cases with fistulas that were partially occluded by previous treatment. Twenty four patients (96%) showed improved symptoms during the follow up and only one patient suffered from persistent symptoms. Procedure-related complications were observed in 2 cases. New cranial nerve palsy was observed in four patients (16%) and two patients experienced aggravation of their existing cranial nerve palsy. One of them had persistent deficits at the final follow up. CONCLUSION: Sufficient occlusion and avoidance of over-compaction of coils are important to prevent cranial nerve palsy when performing endovascular treatment of cavernous sinus dural arteriovenous fistulas.
Cavernous Sinus ; Caves ; Central Nervous System Vascular Malformations ; Cranial Nerve Diseases ; Cranial Nerves ; Endovascular Procedures ; Female ; Fistula ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies

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.
Epidermis* ; Urocanic Acid*