BACKGROUND: Job holders are groups that have suffered from chronic stressful condition. Nowadays, occupational stress are increasing due to Korean economic crisis. Therefore, this study was designed to evaluate the stress scores of several kinds of jobs, the relationship between the amount of stress and mental health status, factors associated with stress. METHODS: Among workers who had visited a medical college hospital, Taejeon, Korea, for regular health evaluation from April 1 to June 30 1998, we selected 50 clerks, 50 industrial workers, 50 professionals, 50 service or salesmen and 50 public servants in the survey. A total of 159 workers were evaluated as subjects excluding those who had answered in adequately to the questionnaire. Stress scores were measured by Korean-translated BEPSI(Brief Encounter Psychosocial Instrument) and Bae Jong Myun's 30-items SRRQ(Social Readjustment Rating Questionnaire). Mental health status were checked by Korean-translated SCL-90-R(Symptom checklist-90-Revision). RESULTS: The average BEPSI score of workers was 2.07+/-0.72. The mean score of female workers was 2.27+/-.70 and it was obviously higher than male worker's score of 1.85+/-.66. 20-29 year age group and over 40 year age group's amount of stress were obviously higher than 30-39 year age group. The low education level group had higher stress score than those with high education level but the amount of stress showed no significant difference in the monthly income, job tenure, number of family members to support, hobby and religion. According to occupation, clerks, industrial workers, service or salesmen's stress scores were higher than those of professional or public servants. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation has showed that there is a correlation between the amount of job holder's stress and mental health including somatimtian, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation and psychotism Therefore, we conclude that the best way to stay in good menta
Anxiety ; Daejeon ; Depression ; Education ; Female ; Hobbies ; Hostility ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Mental Health* ; Occupations ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Wells' syndrome or eosinophilic cellulitis is an uncommon cutaneous disorder characterized by recurrent erythematous and edematous plaques that often resemble acute cellulitis. The characteristic microscopic findings are diffuse dermal eosinophilia with marked edema, and flame figures consisting of amorphous or granular eosinophilic material around collagen bundles of the dermis. Etiology and pathogenesis are unknown, but the disease has been found to be associated with infections, arthropod bites, drug administration, surgery and hematologic disorders. We report the case of a 55-year-old man with pancreatic carcinoma who was presented with an asymptomatic erythematous to brownish subcutaneous nodule on the left buttock of several days' duration. A biopsy specimen taken from the erythematous to brownish nodule showed many flame figures and diffuse infiltration of eosinophils in the dermis and subcutaneous fat tissue. The rapid resolution of the skin lesion with chemotherapy of the pancreatic carcinoma supports a relationship between the two conditions.
Arthropods ; Biopsy ; Buttocks ; Cellulitis ; Collagen ; Dermis ; Drug Therapy ; Edema ; Eosinophilia ; Eosinophils ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Skin ; Subcutaneous Fat

Psoriasis is a relatively common disorder that affects at least 1-2% of the population, however, the pathogenesis is not fully understood yet. Histopathologically, psoriatic lesion is characterized by hyperplasia of keratinocyte, intraepidermal neutrophil accumulation and activated T lymphocyte infiltration in the dermis. Among many cytokines, IL-8 is known to play a role for the activation and migration for neutrophil and T lymphocyte and for the proliferation of keratinocyte. We performed immunohistochemical staining with anti-IL-8 monoclonal antibody for the active lesion, stable lesion and normal-looking skin of ten psoriatic patients and ten healthy controls. Strong expression of IL-8 in the epidermis and dermis was noted from the active as well as stable psoriatic skins. In the normal-looking skin of the psoriatic patients, only faint expression which is not different from healthy control skin, was noted. These observations indicate that the expression of IL-8 is increased in psoriatic lesion, and IL-S is important for the initiation and maintenance of psoriasis.
Cytokines ; Dermis ; Epidermis ; Humans ; Hyperplasia ; Interleukin-8* ; Keratinocytes ; Lymphocytes ; Neutrophils ; Psoriasis ; Skin*

Aplasia cutis congenita is a rare disorder characterized by localized or generalized absence of skin at birth. Group 4 in Friden's classification, which is associated with embryologic malformations including myelomeningocele, encephalomeningocele, omphalocele, gastroschisis. The authors have experienced a case of aplasia cutis congenita of right frontal scalp associated with bony defect, forming encephalocele in a newborn. We reported this case with brief review of literatures.
Classification ; Ectodermal Dysplasia* ; Encephalocele ; Gastroschisis ; Hernia, Umbilical ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Meningomyelocele ; Parturition ; Scalp ; Skin

PURPOSE:To evaluate the role of unenhanced CT in diagnosing the acute appendicitis. METHOD AND MATERIALS: We retrospectively analyzed conventional contrast-enhanced abdominal CT scans of 197 normal patients and barium enemas of 26 out of the 197 patients. Additional unenhanced CT scans of right lower abdomen were performed on 30 patients who were suspected of having acute appendicitis;barium enema was performed in 26 patients. RESULTS: in the analysis of the conventional CT scans, we could detect 132(67%) normal appendicies. On barium enema of 26 out of 197 patients, abruptly narrowed appendix was visualized in 5 cases and luminal irregularity in 4 cases but all 26 cases showed normal appendix on CT. In the 30 cases of unenhanced CT, all appendicies were visualized. Among 12 Cases which were proved as acute appendicitis, barium enenma was done in 10 case;abruptly narrowed appendix was shown in 3 and luminal irregularity in 1. Among 18 cases which were diagnosed as normal appendix, nonvisualization of appendix' was in 1 case, abruptly narrowed lumen in 3, and luminal irregularity in 9. CONCLUSION:Unenhanced CT in the area of the cecum may be an effective and safe diagnostic tool for acute appendicitis.
Abdomen ; Appendicitis* ; Appendix ; Barium* ; Cecum ; Enema* ; Humans ; Phenobarbital ; Retrospective Studies ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.
Hemangiosarcoma* ; Neoplasm Metastasis*

Elastofibroma is a rare disease which presents as a slowly-growing, solid, ill-defined fibroelastic mass occuring almost exclusively in elderly women and arising mainly from the connective tissue between the lower part of the scapula and chest wall. Of the 270 cases of elastofibroma which have been reported, 170 cases had developed in Japanese patients. Despite the fact that there have been only two case reports in Korea, there might be a higher prevalence of elastofibroma in Korea than expected because of geographical similarity. We experienced a case of elastofibroma occurring in a 56-year-old man. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of elastofibroma in Korean dermatologic of literature.
Aged ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Connective Tissue ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Rare Diseases ; Scapula ; Thoracic Wall

For the reconstruction of skin defects after remoral of cutanous tumors in the nasal area, local flaps or full-thickness skin grafts can be utilized depending on the size and site of the defectg. Burows graft, which is, variant of the full-thickness skin graft, makes use of the skin nearby as the donor site, minimizes deformity of the recipient site, maximizes ireservation of skin, easily aligns relaxed skin tension line, and is thus one of the methods with a good esultant color and texture match. A pigmented basal cell carcinoma on the nasal bridge in a 51-year old male was remaved by 4 serial sections of Mohs micrograplic surgery and was then successfully enstructed using a Burows graft.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell* ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Mohs Surgery* ; Skin ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants*

We report a medullary carcinoma of the thyroid gland with a coexisting occult sclerosing papillary carcinoma. This rare case, in that the two types of carcinoma are completely separated and not intermixed together, is different from the previously reported mixed follicular and parafollicular cell carcinomas of the thyroid gland, so-called "differentiated thyroid carcinoma, intermediate type". The two separate tumors of the present case are undoubtedly of coincidental double primaries, and it can be a assumed that at least some of the mixed follicular and parafollicular cell carcinomas are results of collision of carcinomas derived from two embryogenetically different cell types.

No abstract available.
Nipples*