No Abstract Available.
Fatigue* ; Humans ; Male*

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of family mealtime and family structure on family functioning and early adolescents’ depression. Methods: A survey was conducted with a sample of 275 middle school students in the Gangdong-gu district, Seoul. APGAR scores and Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) scale were used to measure family functioning and depression level, respectively, along with six more questions to collect data on family structure, family mealtimes, and adolescents’ reasons for avoiding family meals. Statistical analyses including t-test, one-way ANOVA and twoway ANOVA were employed to examine the influence of family mealtime, family structure and sex on family functioning and depression levels. Results: The analyses revealed that family structure and environmental factors, such as parental presence and educational attainment did not influence family functioning or adolescent depression, while variables related to family mealtime influenced both depression level and family functioning. Results also showed that females were more vulnerable to depression. Conclusion It was concluded that having family time during meals improves family functioning and helps decrease depression levels of adolescent family members. Therefore, parents should take care that they have regular family mealtimes with children, especially female children, during their adolescence.

No abstract available.
Humans

BACKGROUD: The use of video display terminal(VDT) is growing rapidly. The purpose of this study was to examine detailed symptoms related to VDT use, factors related to symptoms of VDT users. METHODS: 852 bank clerks using VDT who visited to a haspital in Pusan were enrolled in this study. Collected data ineluded age, sex, symptoms associated VDT, weekly VDT usage time, distance from head to hard distance from eyes to VDT, angle to VDT. RESULTS: The prevalence of symptoms related to VDT use was 27.0 percent. Symptoms involved visual (19.9%), musculoskeletal(10.8%), neurological system (0.5%). The prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms of women was higher than men. The prevalence of visual symptoms of subjects less than 30 years of age was higher than those of 31 years and over. The prevalence of subjects with more than one symptoms was 33.7 percent; subjects with visual and musculoskeletal symptoms were most common. Angle to VDT af group having symptoms related to VDT use was 5.1+/-22.6 degrees while those without was -0.5+/-17.0 degrees(P<0.05). Weekly mean VDT usage time of group having symptoms related to VDT use was 25.0(3.0- 90.0) hours while thase without were 11.0(0.5- 100.0) hours<0.01). In order of fvequency subjects having visual, musculoskeletal, and neurolagical symptoms, angle to VDT and weekly mean VDT usage time were increased CONCLUSIONS: Factors related to symptoms of VDT users were weekly VDT usage time and angle to VDT. The prevalence of symptoms related to VDT use was 27.0 percent.
Busan ; Computer Terminals ; Female ; Head ; Humans ; Male ; Prevalence

No abstract available.
Counseling

BACKGROUND: Biochemical markers have been proposed as sensitive indicators of high bone turnover and for monitoring response to osteoporosis treatment. We conducted a retrospective study to investigate the pattern of biochemical markers of bone metabolism (urinary deoxypryridinoline(D PYD), serum osteocalcin) across menopausal transition in women. METHODS: We measured the urinary excretion of D PYD, serum osteocalcin and BMD in 44 premenopausal and age matched 44 postmenopausal women who visited a tertiary hospital from May 1, 1997 to July 31, 1997. Each values between premenopausal and postmenopausal women were anaysed with paired t-tests. Pearson's correlation coefficients were performed to assess the relationships between the three values. RESULTS: Urinary excretion of D-PYD in postmenopausal women (12.103+/-2.27 nM/mM creatinine) was higher than in premenopausal women (9.322+/-2.53 nM/mM creatinine) (P<0.05). Serum osteocalcin in postmenopausal women (12.8698+/-3.1 ng/ml) was higher than in premenopausal women (9.0949+/-2.7 ng/ml) (P<0.01). BMD in postmenopausal women (0.9979+/-0.1863 g/cm2) was lower than in postmenopausal women (1.1845+/-0.1591 g/cm2) (P<0.01). The serum osteocalcin level was positively correlated with D-PYD (r=0.547, p<0.01). Urine excretion of D-PYD was negatively correlated with BMD (r= 0.36, p<0.01). Serum osteocalcin was negatively correlated with BMD (r= 0.427, P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Urinary D-PYD excretion and serum osteocalcin were increased, but BMD was decreased significantly in postmenopausal women. Urinary D-PYD, serum osteocalcin, and BMD were significantly correlated with each other in women.
Biomarkers ; Bone Density ; Female ; Humans ; Menopause ; Metabolism ; Osteocalcin* ; Osteoporosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Care Centers

Good assessment is crucial for feedback on curriculum and to motivate students to learn. This study was conducted to perform item analysis on the Medical Education Assessment Consortium clinical knowledge mock examination (MEAC CKME) (2011–2016) and to evaluate several effects to improve item quality using both classical test theory and item response theory. The estimated difficulty index (P) and discrimination index (D) were calculated according to each course, item type, A (single best answer)/R (extended matching) type, and grading of item quality. The cut-off values used to evaluate P were: >0.8 (easy); 0.6–0.8 (moderate); and <0.6 (difficult). The cut-off value for D was 0.3. The proportion of appropriate items was defined as those with P between 0.25–0.75 and D ≥0.25. Cronbach α was used to assess the reliability and was compared with those of the Korean Medical Licensing Examination (KMLE). The results showed the recent mean difficulty and decimation index was 0.62 and 0.20 for the first MEAC CKME and 0.71 and 0.19 for the second MEAC CKME, respectively. Higher grade items evaluated by a self-checklist system had better D values than lower grade items and higher grade items gradually increased. The preview and editing process by experts revealed maintained P, decreased recall items, increased appropriate items with better D values, and higher reliability. In conclusion, the MEAC CKME (2011–2016) is deemed appropriate as an assessment to evaluate students' competence and prepare year four medical students for the KMLE. In addition, the self-checklist system for writing good items was useful in improving item quality.
Curriculum ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Education, Medical ; Humans ; Licensure ; Mental Competency ; Students, Medical ; Writing

PURPOSE: This study investigated the relationship among types of attribution tendencies, academic stress, coping efficacy, and academic adjustment in medical students and identified the means by which the academic adjustment of medical students can improve. METHODS: Four hundred forty-two subjects from 2 medical schools in Korea were analyzed; 202 were male, 206 were female, and 34 did not identify their gender. We surveyed their academic adjustment, attribution tendencies, academic stress, and coping efficacy. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, and stepwise multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The male group scored higher on academic adjustment, internal attribution tendency, and coping efficacy but lower on academic stress than the female group. Coping efficacy and internal attribution tendency affected the academic adjustment positively while academic stress influenced it negatively. CONCLUSION: The study indicates that students with higher scores on coping efficacy and internal attribution tendency and who have lower scores on academic stress tend to adjust better academically in medical school. Therefore, these findings may be helpful for medical schools in designing effective academic adjustment programs to improve coping efficacy and internal attribution tendency and reduce academic stress. Further, these findings have important implications for planning learning consultation programs, especially in Year 1.
Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Learning ; Male ; Schools, Medical ; Students, Medical

BACKGROUND: The nonthyroidal illness syndrome, alternately known as the euthyroid sick syndrome, usually occurs in individuals who have non-thyroidal illness of varying severity. Most prominent is the generally used name the 'low triiodothyronine (T3) syndrome', but recently authors have experienced a case of non-thyroidal illness syndrome in a patient with liver cirrhosis with difficult differential diagnosis from central hypothyroidism. Therefore, we report it with a review of the literature. CASE: A 39-year old female came to our outpatient clinic due to liver cirrhosis. During symptomatic treatment, her pitting edema was changed into non-pitting. She had low levels of serum T3, free thyroxine (FT4) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) by third-generation assay. The thyroid function test results were same after dopamine was discontinued. To rule out central hypothyroidsm, 24-hour urinary free cortisol was measured and was within normal limits with 41.9microgramml/day (reference intervals 21-85microgram/ml/day). She became worse, then died as a results of hepatic encephalopathy and hepatorenal syndrome complicated from liver cirrhosis. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with nonthyroidal illness, the degree and the rate of reduction in thyroid hormone levels appears to be correlated with the severity of nonthyroidal illness and may predict prognosis in some cases including severe liver diseases. Low serum levels of T3, FT4, TSH in patients with severe non-thyroidal illness should be distinguished from levels in patients with central hypothyroidism. Central hypothyroidism can often be ruled out in patients with severe nonthyroidal illness syndrome by evaluating appropriate elevated levels of cortisol.
Adult ; Ambulatory Care Facilities ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Dopamine ; Edema ; Euthyroid Sick Syndromes ; Female ; Hepatic Encephalopathy ; Hepatorenal Syndrome ; Humans ; Hydrocortisone ; Hypothyroidism* ; Liver Cirrhosis* ; Liver Diseases ; Liver* ; Prognosis ; Thyroid Function Tests ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyrotropin ; Thyroxine ; Triiodothyronine

BACKGROUND: There are a number of people who use mobile phones. The effect of mobile phone on human body is controversial. In Korea, there were few studies about the effect of using of mobile phone on human health. So, We studied the relationship between usual mobile phone usage and health-related factors including blood pressure, body mass index, and hemoglobin. METHODS: In this study, the 165 mobile phone users and 165 mobile phone non-users who visited to the department of family medicine, Pusan National University Hospital from November 1998 to December 1998 were enrolled. RESULTS: there were no differences in body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, hemoglobin between mobile phone users and non-users. Total usage duration of mobile phone was not correlated with above health-related factors. CONCLUSION: The usual mobile telephone usage was not associated with blood pressure, body mass index, and hemoglobin.
Blood Pressure* ; Body Mass Index* ; Busan ; Cellular Phone ; Human Body ; Humans ; Korea ; Telephone*