PURPOSE: This study tested a model of hospice volunteer's motivations and outcomes to encourage more volunteer workers to participate in hospice care. METHODS: This included 200 volunteers who attended the Autumn Conference in 2007 and 132 volunteers from five hospice organizations. RESULTS: Volunteers' existential well-being affected an endogenous variable of volunteers' participation in volunteer activities. The durability of volunteer activity was affected by value motivation, the level of participation in volunteer activities and the level of job satisfaction. For volunteers' job satisfaction level, valid endogenous variables included existential well-being, social motivation, understanding motivation and value motivation. The durability of volunteer activities was indirectly affected through three different paths. Volunteers' existential well-being determined the level of their participation in volunteer activities, which in turn affected the durability of such activities. Social motivation influenced volunteers' job satisfaction, and then the durability of volunteer activities. Volunteers' understanding of motivation also influenced their job satisfaction, and then the durability of volunteer activities. CONCLUSION: Based on these results, this study proposes that the durability of volunteers activities could be improved by developing a program to improve volunteers' well-being and by providing volunteers with education on altruistic values, encouraging them to seek intellectual growth, and advocating them to continue volunteer activities based on close relationships with other volunteers.
Hospices ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Motivation ; Quality of Life ; Voluntary Workers

We report a case of basilar artery dissection presenting with subarachnoid hemorrhage, which was successfully treated with self-expandable stent placement and coil embolization, achieving excellent clinical and anatomical outcome. This method can provide protection of the rupture point, collapse of dissected space within the vessel wall, and prevention of further dissection although long-term outcome needs to be seen.
Basilar Artery* ; Embolization, Therapeutic* ; Rupture* ; Stents* ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Two cases of blood blisterlike aneurysm or dorsal bleb of the internal carotid artery (ICA) underwent segmental occlusion of the aneurysmal segment and trapping of the ICA. With this procedure, the causative lesions were successfully excluded from the circulation and moderate to good clinical outcome could be attained. We describe these cases with review of the literature.
Aneurysm ; Blister* ; Carotid Artery, Internal* ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Recently with the development in computer technology and its communication system, many changes have come to the medical field. For example, Picture Archiving and Communication System(PACS) has been used in the medicine experimentally. But this system needs high cost and instrument, so this system is not used in personal generally. Our hospital established the medical forum for health and medical counseling in Computer communication network called HITEL. We analysed the questions about urologic problem especially from Sep, 1994 to Jan, 1997. Most of questions are related to external genitalia and sexually transmitted diseases and most of users were in their 2nd, 3rd and 4th decades and male-predominant. In conclusion, medical counseling using PC communication is an effective method especially in urologic field.
Computer Communication Networks ; Counseling* ; Genitalia ; Humans ; Microcomputers ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases

No abstract available.
Solvents*

No abstract available.
Acidosis* ; Aorta, Thoracic*

From January 1984 to June 1991, we studied testicular relapsed patients among 105 cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia in children who were admitted to the Department of Pediatrics and Yonsei Cancer Center, Yonsei University Severance Hospital. The results were as follows: 1) 15 out of 105 (14.4%) cases of acute lymphocytic leukemia were diagnosed as testicular relapse. According to the prevalence by the age groups, there were no patient under 2 years old, 14 out of 73 (19.4%) in 2~9 years old and 1 out of 26 (3.8%) over 10 years old groups. 2) At initial diagnosis of acute lymphocytic leukemia there were significant correlation between testicular relapse and initial lymphadenopathy (p=0.09), but not with WBC count, hemoglobin level, platelet count, hepatomegaly and splenomegaly. 3) Mean duration to testicular relapse from initial diagnosis of acute lymphocytic leukemia was 3.1+/-1.7 years. 4) Among 15 patients, 7 cases combined with bone marrow or central nervous system relapse. Their survival rate was lower than isolated testicular relapse groups. 5) The 5 years survival rate of testicular relapsed patients was 67% after the combinations of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and orchiectomy.
Bone Marrow ; Central Nervous System ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Hepatomegaly ; Humans ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Orchiectomy ; Pediatrics ; Platelet Count ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma* ; Prevalence ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence* ; Splenomegaly ; Survival Rate

Protrusion of coil loop(s) and subsequent occlusion of the parent artery is one of the dreadful complications during endovascular coil embolization of cerebral aneurysm. Although protrusion of one or two coil loops may not cause adverse events and can be ignored in many instances, it can also compromise the parent artery in some cases with or without thrombus formation. We report a case of rescue balloon reposition of the protruding coil mass back into the aneurysm and recanalization of parent artery during embolization of the anterior communicating artery aneurysm.
Aneurysm ; Arteries ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm* ; Parents ; Thrombosis

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to describe the surgical outcome and determine prognostic factors of thoracic ossified ligamentum flavum(OLF). METHODS: From April 1998 to November 2001, 32 consecutive patients with symptomatic thoracic OLF were treated surgically in our institution. Among them, the authors conducted a retrospective analysis of 28 patients in whom preoperative magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomogram were available. Decompressive laminectomy including removal of OLF mass was performed in each case. Mean follow-up period was 25.2 months, ranged from 3 to 46 months. RESULTS: Twenty-two patients(79%) showed functional improvement, in whom average Nurick Grade changed from 3.6 to 2.5 after surgery. Fifteen of eighteen patients presented with motor weakness, six of seven with leg or back pain and one of three with leg numbness or paresthesia improved respectively. No patient had deteriorated postoperatively. Clinical presentation and preoperative Nurick Grade were significant predictive factors for surgical outcome(p=0.004 and p<0.001, respectively). In addition, combined facet joint hypertrophy and/or compressive anterior element indicated poor prognosis(p=0.008). CONCLUSION: Appropriate evaluation and sufficient surgical decompression for combined compressive elements on imaging study could improve the functional prognosis in thoracic OLF.
Back Pain ; Decompression, Surgical ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypertrophy ; Hypesthesia ; Laminectomy ; Leg ; Ligamentum Flavum* ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Paresthesia ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Spine* ; Zygapophyseal Joint

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of our retrospective study is to evaluate the surgical outcome of patients who underwent unila- teral approach for bilateral decompression surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis and to compare outcomes between geriatric and younger patients. METHODS: We reviewed records of 85 patients with an average age of 64 years at the time of surgery after the unilateral laminotomy for bilateral decompression of degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis between 2005 and 2007. To compare clinical and functional outcomes between younger and geriatric patients, they were divided by age into 2 groups: Group A included patients 65 years of age or older and Group B contained patients younger than 65 years. The study parameters were set to ensure a follow-up period of at least 3 months and hospital records and phone-call review were analyzed for patients' clinical and demographic data, co-morbidity, type of stenosis, clinical and functional outcomes. Clinical outcomes were measured using the scale of Finneson and Cooper and the visual analog scale score for leg and back pain. Functional outcome was assessed with change of walking distance of patients. RESULTS: Follow-up was completed in 80(94.1%) of 85 patients and Group A included 44 patients and Group B did 36 patients. The number of decompressed level showed 2.26 with similar results in both groups(group A, 2.25; Group B, 2.28). The number of co-morbidity was significantly higher incidence of 2.36 in geriatric patients than that of 1.67 in younger individuals. Other demographic data and type of stenosis were similar between two groups. For each back and leg pain, 86.3%(Group A: 86.4%; Group B, 80.6%) and 83.8%(Group A: 90.9%; Group B: 80.6%) had an excellent-to-fair operative result under the scale of Finneson and Cooper. Improvement rate of walking distance was 81.5% of patients and higher in group B(89.3%) than in group A(75.6%), however, there was not statistical significance. Three major complications were occurred in all patient groups, the first patient with chronic renal failure suffered from immediately postoperative epidural hematoma and the second patient had wound dehiscence. The third patient with no improvement was operated with fusion surgery at the other hospital nonetheless she had not improved until now. CONCLUSIONS: The ULBD allowed sufficient and safe decompression of the neural structures and adequate preservation of vertebral stability with acceptable complication rates. This technique could provide a minimally invasive approach for LSS in elderly patients frequently having comorbidities as well as younger one.
Aged ; Back Pain ; Comorbidity ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Decompression ; Dietary Sucrose ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hematoma ; Hospital Records ; Humans ; Incidence ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Laminectomy ; Leg ; Retrospective Studies ; Spinal Stenosis ; Walking