No abstract available.
Blood Coagulation* ; Pulmonary Embolism* ; Tissue Plasminogen Activator*

No abstract available.
Ear*

No abstract available.
Dinoprostone* ; Suppositories*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the resilience and quality of life (QoL) of patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and the factors influencing QoL. METHODS: A sample of 85 outpatients who had been diagnosed with NHL were included in a descriptive study. The instruments used were the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Lymphoma (FACT-Lym) version 4. RESULTS: The mean resilience score of the patients was 73.11±15.81 out of 100. The total mean QoL score was 130.23±20.70 out of 168, the highest category was physical well-being with a mean item score of 21.80±5.03, the lowest was emotional well-being with a mean item score of 19.28±3.95. Resilience and QoL were positively correlated (r=.65, p<.001). Regression analysis revealed that the QoL of the patients was explained by resilience, gender, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status. These variables explained 53% of the variance of QoL. CONCLUSION: The results of this study confirmed the importance of resilience for QoL among patients with NHL and the relevant factors that affect QoL. This can be used as a basis for nursing interventions for NHL patients.
Humans ; Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin ; Nursing ; Outpatients ; Quality of Life

Antibodies, Antinuclear ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Autoimmune Diseases ; Biopsy ; Brain ; Butterflies ; Drug Therapy ; Endothelium ; Female ; Humans ; Immune System ; Liver ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphoma ; Maxilla ; Middle Aged ; Oncogenic Viruses ; Sjogren's Syndrome

Aplastic anemia is characterized by a failure of blood cell production resulting in varying degrees of pancytopenia with a markedly hypocellular bone marrow. Most cases of aplastic anemia are acquired, but the disease may also occur as the result of inherited abnormalities. In 50-65% of cases, however, the etiology is unknown. For acquired forms of aplastic anemia, a variety of causative factors, including radiation, viruses, chemicals and drugs, have been implicated. Antithyroid drugs(Carbimazole, Methimazole, Propylthiouracil) are usually listed among agents associated with the development of agranulocytosis, but aplastic anemia rarely follows their use. The first case of aplastic anemia followmg propylthiouracil was reported by Marte~lo et al. in 1967 and the second case was by Aksoy and Erdem in 1968. Recently, we experienced two cases of aplastic anemia following propylthiouracil therapy due to Graves disease, so we report here these cases with literature review.
Agranulocytosis ; Anemia, Aplastic* ; Blood Cells ; Bone Marrow ; Graves Disease ; Methimazole ; Pancytopenia ; Propylthiouracil*

Although congenital syphilis can be prevented with prenatal screening, the disease remains problematic. Currently, there are no cases that describe hematuria and pneumonia related to congenital syphilis. We report a case of congenital syphilis that involved nephrotic syndrome and pneumonia alba in a 22-day-old male infant whose mother did not receive adequate prenatal care. The congenital syphilis diagnosis was confirmed with a serologic test and the patient recovered with penicillin treatment. Clinical findings may be subtle in neonates and delayed recognition occurs frequently, thus complete prenatal screening is critical for congenital syphilis prevention. Immediate serologic testing should be performed to obtain a differential diagnosis if an infant is delivered by a mother that has not received appropriate prenatal examinations.
Diagnosis ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Exanthema* ; Hematuria* ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Mothers ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Penicillins ; Pneumonia* ; Prenatal Care ; Prenatal Diagnosis ; Serologic Tests ; Syphilis, Congenital*

BACKGROUND: It is most physiologic to measure the diffusing capacity of the lung by using oxygen, but it is so difficult to measure partial pressure of oxygen in the capillary blood of the lung that in clinical practice it is measured by using carbon monoxide, and single-breath diffusing capacity method is used most widely. However, since the process of withholding the breath for 10 seconds after inspiration to the total lung capacity is very hard to practice for patients who suffer from cough, dyspnea, etc, the intrabreath lung diffusing capacity method which requires a single exhalation of low-flow rate without such process was devised. In this study, we want to know whether or not there is any significant difference in the diffusing capacity of the lung measured by the single-breath and intra-breath methods, and if any, which factors have any influence. METHODS: We chose randomly 73 persons without regarding specific disease, and after conducting 3 times the flow-volume curve test, we selected forced vital capacity(FVC), percent of predicted forced vital capacity, forced expiratory volume within 1 second(FEV1), percent of forced expiratory volume within 1 second, the ratio of forced expiratory volume within 1 second against forced vital capacity(FEV1/FVC) in test which the sum of FVC and FEV1 is biggest. We measured the diffusing capacity of the lung 3 times in each of the single-breath and intra-breath methods at intervals of 5 minutes, and we evaluated which factors have any influence on the difference of the diffusing capacity of the lung between two methods[the mean values(ml/min/mmHg) of difference between two diffusing capacity measured by two methods] by means of the linear regression method, and obtained the following results: RESULTS: 1) Intra-test reproducibility in the single-breath and intra-breath methods was excellent. 2) There was in general a good correlation between the diffusing capacity of the lung measured by a single-breath method and that measured by the intra-breath method, but there was a significant difference between values measured by both methods(l.0l+/-0.35ml/min/mmHg, p<0.01) 3) The differnce between the diffusing capacity of the lung measured by both methods was not correlated to FVC, but was correlated to FEV1, percent of FEV1, FEV1/FVC and the gradient of methane concentration which is an indicator of distribution of ventilation, and it was found as a result of the multiple regression test, that the effect of FEV1/FVC was most strong(r=-0.4725, p<0.01) 4) In a graphic view of the difference of diffusing capacity measured by single-breath and intra-breath method and FEV1/FVC, it was found that the former was divided into two groups in section where FEV1/FVC is 50~60%, and that there was no significant difference between two methods in the section where FEV1/FVC is equal or more than 60% (0.05 +/-0.24ml/min/mmHg, p>0.1), but there was significant difference in the section, less than 60%(-4.5+/-0.34ml/min/mmHg, p <0.01). 5. The diffusing capacity of the lung measured by the single-breath and intra-breath method was the same in value(24.3 +/-0.68ml/min/mmHg) within the normal range(2%/L) of the methane gas gradient, and there was no difference depending on the measuring method, but if the methane concentration gradients exceed 2%/L, the diffusing capacity of the lung measured by single-breath method became 15.0+/-0.44ml/min/mmHg, and that measured by intra-breath method, 11.9+/-0.5 1ml/min/mmHg, and there was a significant difference between them(p<0.01). CONCLUSION: Therefore, in case where FEV1/FVC was less than 60%, the diffusing capacity of the lung measured by intra-breath method represented significantly lower value than that by single-breath method, and it was presumed to be caused largely by a defect of ventilation- distribution, but the possibility could not be excluded that the diffusing capacity of the lung might be overestimated in the single-breath method, or the actual reduction of the diffusing capacity of the lung appeared more sensitively in the intra-brerath method.
Capillaries ; Carbon Monoxide* ; Carbon* ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Exhalation ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Lung* ; Methane ; Oxygen ; Partial Pressure ; Total Lung Capacity ; Ventilation ; Vital Capacity

The effects and safety of using oral Nicardipine(NCP, Perdipine(R)) a calcium blocking agent of the dihydropyridine derivative, were assessed in 29 patients(14 males, 15 females, mean age 56.3 years) with essensed hypertension with complications of left ventricular hypertrophy and/or hypertensive retinopathy. The patients with a sitting blood pressure(BP) of more than 160/100mHg at 4th week while off all antihypertensive agents, were entered into the study and recieved NCP, 20mg tid for 2 weeks, BP being measured once every week. NCP significantly reduced. The systolic BP from 179.5+/-18.2mmHg to 143.4 +/-18.2mmHg, the diastolic BP from 112.9+/-16.2mmHg to 93.1+/-10.4mmHg and the mean BP from 135.2+/-11.7mmHg to 110.0+/-9.9mmHg(mean+/-S.D. of weekly BP for 4 weeks)(P<0.001). Fall in systolic, distolic and mean BP was 35.1+/-15.1mmHg, 20.0+/-8.3mmHg and 25.3+/-10.2mmHg, respectively. A fall in systolic BP of more than 20mmHg, in diastolic BP of more than 10mmHg and in mean BP of more than 13mmHg was obtained in 86.2%, 89.6% and 86.2% of the cases, respectively. The heart rate did not change with oral NCP. The side effects were headache, facial flushing, dizziness and palpitation, but they were tolerable. These finding suggest that NCP is an effective and safe drug for the treatment of sustained essential hypertension.
Antihypertensive Agents ; Calcium ; Dizziness ; Female ; Flushing ; Headache ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Hypertensive Retinopathy ; Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular ; Male ; Nicardipine*

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary tuberculosis(TB) is still prevalent and remains a significant clinical problem for the elderly. However, the disease presents in many ways, and there are frequent adverse drug reactions that may prevent the early diagnosis and treatment of elderly TB patients compared to the young. The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not there are any differences in the clinical feature of pulmonary tuberculosis(TB) in both the diagnosis and treatment between the young (less than 64 years) and the elderly (65 years and more). METHODS: The medical records of 125 young and 70 elderly pulmonary TB patients, who were diagnosed with and treated for pulmonary TB at the Seoul Municipal Boramae Hospital from November 1991 to January 1997, were analyzed retrospectively. RESULTS: Anorexia(12% vs. 31.4%), general weakness (20.0% vs. 54.3%), dyspnea(21.6% vs. 37.1%) and an abnormal mentality (0.8% vs. 15.7%) were more frequent presenting symptoms in elderly TB patients, whereas hemoptysis (32.8% vs. 10.0%) and fever (BT>37℃ 58.4% vs. 35.7%) were more frequent in the young. The elderly had a higher number of cardiovascular and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases as underlying illnesses. In chest PA, there were no differences in the location of the TB lesion, but the appearances were initially diagnosed more frequently as pneumonia or lung cancer (8.8% vs. 30.0%, p<0.05) in the elderly. There was no difference in the detection rate of acid fast bacilli(AFB) in the sputum between the two groups. There were no differences in the treatment response and follow-up loss. However, adverse drug reactions (13.6% vs. 45.7%, p<0.05), and changes in medication (4.9% vs. 25.7%, p<0.05) during treatment occurred more frequently in the elderly. One among the 125 young patients died from tuberculosis whereas 6 among the 70 elderly patients died from the disease. CONCLUSION: Because the clinical and radiological presentations were more atypical, a sputum AFB smear and culture should be done immediately in the elderly who are TB. The elderly experienced more frequent adverse drug reactions and mortality during treatment, but the response to treatment was good and rapid.
Aged* ; Diagnosis ; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions ; Early Diagnosis ; Fever ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Lung Diseases, Obstructive ; Lung Neoplasms ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Pneumonia ; Retrospective Studies ; Seoul ; Sputum ; Thorax ; Tuberculosis ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary*