PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify quality of sleep and health-promoting behaviors in rotating-shift nurses and to explore the influence of health promoting behaviors on quality of sleep. METHOD: Participants were 161 staff nurses working in an irregular three shift system in one of three general hospitals located in Kyungpook province. Data were collected using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II and were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: The majority of the participants had very poor quality of sleep and performed a low level of health promoting behaviors. In terms of health promoting behaviors, nutrition and stress management significantly influenced quality of sleep of these nurses. CONCLUSION: Results indicate the importance of encouraging rotating-shift nurses to enhance their health promoting behaviors in order to improve quality of sleep.
Circadian Rhythm ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Health Promotion ; Health Status ; Hospitals, General ; Life Style ; Sleep Wake Disorders

A case of left temporal gliosarcoma is reported. The patient was a 40-year old man who had headache, behavior change, dysphasia, and mental confusion for about 2 months duration. On brain CT, a large partially cystic mass with homogeneous enhancement was located at left temporal lobe and associated with remarkable peritumoral edema and mass effect. Angiographic tumor vascularity was faintly visualized. Surgical subtotal resection of the tumor and post-operative radiotherapy offered transient symptomatic improvement, being followed within several months by clinical deterioration and regrowth of the tumor on brain CT. Light microscopic studies of the H & E and special stained specimens showed two different components within the tumor in a mixed fashion, i.e. intermingled glioblastoma multiforme and fibrosarcoma. Electron microscopic study of the sarcomatous cells disclosed intracytoplasmic Weibel-Palade-like bodies, a specific marker of endothelial cells. The fibrosarcomatous component of gliosarcoma is believed to be originated from malignant transformation of the hyperplastic endothelial cells within the anaplastic glioma. Literature concerned with gliosarcoma is reviewed.
Adult ; Aphasia ; Brain ; Edema ; Endothelial Cells ; Fibrosarcoma ; Glioblastoma ; Glioma ; Gliosarcoma* ; Headache ; Humans ; Radiotherapy ; Temporal Lobe

Campomelic syndrome is a very rare skeletal dysplasia with a characteristic pattern of deformity involving the proximal and distal extremities, pelvic and shoulder girdles, thoracic cage and palate. Respiratory compromise often leads to death in early infancy. Etiology has not been determined although evidence suggests genetic heterogeneity. Cytogenetic study revealed high incidence of a 46,XY karyotype in phenotypic females. Recently, we had experienced a case of campomelic dysplasia at amenorrhea 30weeks and termination was done, so we report with a brief review of literature.
Amenorrhea ; Campomelic Dysplasia* ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Cytogenetics ; Extremities ; Female ; Genetic Heterogeneity ; Humans ; Incidence ; Karyotype ; Palate ; Shoulder

In clinical practice a serious sciatic nerve injury may result from an errornous injection of commonly used antibiotics and other therapeutic or prophylactic agents into the gluteal region which can occur at any age, especially common in infants, children and small debilitated patients. Although many isolated cases and several large series of injuries have been reported, the pathogenesis, pathology and its physiology of injection injury of the peripheral nerves in man have been poorly studied. This experimental study was conducted in order to observe the changes and degree of the functional disability of the sciatic nerve following injection of various drugs such as Rheumapyrine, Chloromycetin, Penicillin and physiological normal saline solution. Fourty-three normal adult rabbits were divided into four groups depending on injected materials and also divided into two groups of acute and chronic stages. The drugs were injected into the right sciatic nerve intraneurally and around the left sciatic nerve perineurally. For the functional study in the nerve, contractability of the calf muscle was recorded on a physiograph at intervals of 1, 3, 5, 15 and 30 minutes after the injection of the drugs. Rheobase, chronaxie and strength-duration curve of both extensor and flexor muscles of fet were recorded and measured on a chronaxie meter at intervals of 1, 2, 3 and 4 weeks after the injection. The physiogram showed the greatest reduction in contractability of the muscles in Rheumapyrine, moderate reduction in Penicillin and the least reduction in Chloromycetin group. In the measurements of rheobase and chronaxie there were marked increase of values in group of Rheumapyrine injection. There was no significant differences in values among the group of Penicillin, Chloromycetin and saline injections in comparison with those in the control group. In the analysis of strength-duration curve, it showed a pattern of complete denervation in 3 cases and a pattern of partial denervation in 3 out of 8 cases with Rheumapyrine injection, and a pattern of partial denervation in 3 out of 6 cases with Penicillin and 2 out of 8 cases with Chloromycetin injection. There was no significant differences in values of rheobase, chronaxie and strength-duration curve as time elapsed following the injury. It was postulated the functional and physiological disabilities were developed after the injection when there was a severe degree of nerve damages on the basis of histopathological study.
Adult ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Buttocks ; Child ; Chloramphenicol ; Chronaxy ; Denervation ; Humans ; Infant ; Muscles ; Pathology ; Penicillins ; Peripheral Nerves ; Physiology ; Rabbits ; Sciatic Nerve* ; Sodium Chloride

BACKGROUND: Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is a clinically and genetically heterogeneous disorder. Connexin32 (Cx32) gene mutations on Xq13.1 cause the X-linked form of CMT disease, and PMP22 gene duplication on 17p11.2-p12 causes CMT1A. The aim of the present study is to determine the clinical and electrophysiological characteristics between X-linked CMT patients with Cx32 missense mutations and CMT1A patients with PMP22 duplications. METHODS: We screened for 17p11.2-p12 duplication, and for point mutations in Cx32 genes of 48 Korean CMT families. Both neurological examination and nerve conduction studies were performed in all patients. RESULTS: Frequency of CMTX (6.3%) in our study was similar to Japanese, and was lower than those in European peoples. CMTX patients displayed no man-to-man transmission, and had cranial nerve involvement. CMTX patients showed more wide range of motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities than CMT1A patients. We found one family with axonal neuropathy and two families with demyelinating neuropathy in CMTX patients. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that mutations in Cx32 are probably less frequent in Asian CMT patients than European patients, and CMTX neuropathy is intermediary between CMT1 and CMT2. In addition, inheritance pattern and cranial nerve involvement are useful in differentiating CMTX from CMT1A with duplication.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Axons ; Cranial Nerves ; Gene Duplication ; Humans ; Inheritance Patterns ; Mutation, Missense* ; Neural Conduction ; Neurologic Examination ; Point Mutation

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It is critical to distinguish benign from malignant thyroid nodule and to select a patient for surgery. Fine needle aspiration cytology(FNAC) and various radiologic techniques are used in the evaluation of thyroid nodule. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of preoperative FNAC, ultrasonography(US) and computed tomography(CT) in thyroid nodule, and to identify the reliable factors of radiologic imaging in the differential diagnosis of thyroid nodule. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Retrospectively, we reviewed 34 patients among 50 patients with thyroid nodule who were evaluated by FNAC, US and CT and operated on at our Department from June 1995 to December 1998. By comparing the preoperative FNAC results, US and CT findings with postoperative pathologic diagnosis, the results were as followed. RESULTS: Overall diagnostic accuracy of FNAC, US, and CT was 84.4%, 88.2%, 79.4%. Solid nature, ill defined margin, calcification, lymphadenopathy on US imaging indicated the possibility of malignancy. Solid nature, ill defined margin, lymphadenopathy on CT imaging indicated the possibility of malignancy. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that FNAC has a high sensitivity(75.0%) and specificity(93.8%) rate and it is therefore a valuable initial diagnostic procedure. US has higher diagnostic accuracy than computued tomography.
Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Diagnosis* ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Nodule* ; Ultrasonography*

Systemic lupus erythematosus and myasthenia gravis are autoimmune disorders in which genetic, environmental and hormonal as well as immunological factors have been implicated. We experienced a case of 24 year-old female patient developed SLE(anemia, leukopenia, facial malar rash, high titers of anti-DNA and anti-nuclear antibody) 3 years following successful therapeutic thymectomy for myas thenia gravis. A review of the world-wide literature revealed 8.3% to 24.3% association between myasthenia gravis and SLE. However there has been no controlled epidemiological study to prove a real association between these two disease. The differential diagnosis of fatigue and fever in patient with SLE should always include the possibility of myasthenia gravis.
Diagnosis, Differential ; Exanthema ; Fatigue ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Immunologic Factors ; Leukopenia ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Mya ; Myasthenia Gravis* ; Thymectomy ; Thymoma* ; Young Adult

"Fetus in fetus" is a rare pathologic feature consisting of a parasitic twin included within the body of the other twin, which most likely arises from inclusion of a monozygotic, diamniotic twin pregnancy. The exact embryogenesis of fetus in fetus is controversial. Some investigators propose that it is a highly organized teratoma. Since the condition was first described by Meckel in the late 18th centry, approximately 100 cases have been reported in the literature. Most cases present as an abdominal mass during the first year of life, with a few cases being detected prenatally by ultrasound examination. So we report one case of fetus in fetus detected by ultrasound examination prenatally.
Embryonic Development ; Female ; Fetus* ; Humans ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy, Twin ; Research Personnel ; Teratoma ; Ultrasonography

The peripheral neuroblastomas are malignant neoplasms that originate from the adrenal gland and sympathetic nervous tissues. They usually occur in childhood. They exhibit such malignant features that they metastasize early to lung, liver, bone, rarely skull and other structures. The patients with peripheral neuroblastoma have short duration of symptom and short survival period. They reveal the characteristic light microscopic features that resemble other small cell carcinomas. The establishment of final diagnosis of peripheral neuroblastoma needs various special stainings for small cell carcinomas, and the electron microscopic findings are the most reliable. The authors recently experienced a case of peripheral neuroblastoma in a 26-year-old man which involved right frontoparietal skull vault. The only chief complaint was a local non-tender mass at right frontoparietal scalp. Neither headache nor any neurological deficits was detected. Simple skull X-ray revealed a punched out radiolucency at right frontoparietal bone and brain CT showed a superficial elliptical high density mass that enhanced strongly. The mass was totally removed by wide craniectomy. The tumor invaded and penetrated the dura but the arachnoid membrane. At the tumor bed was not invaded by the tumor. The tumor was confirmed as peripheral neuroblastoma by various special stainings for small cell carcinomas. Following surgical resection of the mass, post-operative radiotherapy was offered(4800 rads for about 5 weeks). The patient aggrevated progressively and showed numerous metastases to such bones as lumbar vertebrae, pelvis and humerus to became paraplegic. 8 months after the operation, the patient died.
Adrenal Glands ; Adult ; Arachnoid ; Brain ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; Diagnosis ; Headache ; Humans ; Humerus ; Liver ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Lung ; Membranes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neuroblastoma* ; Pelvis ; Radiotherapy ; Scalp ; Skull

Post-thoracotomy syndrome is a condition characterized by pain that continues for more than 2 months after a thoracotomic procedure. Some patients suffer from devastating chest pain despite receiving multimodal treatment such as analgesics, antidepressants, anticonvulsants and nerve blockers. Spinal cord stimulation has been reported to be a promising relief for the intractable neuropathic pain. A 60-year-old man who had been suffering from post-thoracotomy pain for 20 years showed relief of pain after spinal cord stimulation. Spinal cord stimulation thus seems to be a viable option for patients who do not respond to conventional pain management therapy.
Analgesics ; Anticonvulsants ; Antidepressive Agents ; Chest Pain ; Combined Modality Therapy ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Nerve Block ; Neuralgia ; Pain Management ; Spinal Cord ; Spinal Cord Stimulation ; Stress, Psychological