No abstract available.
Arthrogryposis*

PURPOSE: We wanted to determine the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) for patients with clinically-suspected but equivocal acute appendicitis, and we wanted to evaluate the differences of the sensitivity and specificity of CT according to the period of time from onset of the signs and symptoms to the performance of CT. METHODS: A retrospective study was done on 273 patients who visited our hospital for acute abdominal pain from Jan. 2003 to Dec. 2005, and they could not be excluded as suffering from acute appendicitis by their symptoms nor signs. RESULTS: Forty-three (15.8%) of the 273 patients did not undergo operation because their condition was not diagnosed as acute appendicitis and 190 patients were diagnosed as acute appendicitis by CT. The other 40 patients underwent diagnostic laparotomy because acute appendicitis could not be confirmed and any other diagnosis could not be made. The patients were classified into 6 groups according to the period of time from the onset of symptoms and signs to the performance of CT. The sensitivity of CT after 48 hours was statistically significantly increased as compared to performing CT before 48 hours (92.3% vs. 75.8%, respectively; P=0.023). CONCLUSION: Forty-three (15.8%) of the patients with clinically- suspected but equivocal acute appendicitis avoided unnecessary laparotomy by undergoing CT. The sensitivity was increased for diagnosing acute appendicitis by CT when it was performed after 48 hours from the onset of symptoms and signs, but caution may be needed during interpretation because of the false positives (2 patients;4.7%) could due to secondary change of other diseases
Abdominal Pain ; Appendicitis* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

PURPOSE: Today's clinical nurses deal with complex problems that need accurate evidence for practice and decision making. In this study the effectiveness of an EBP education program was examined. METHODS: A pre-posttest design was used for this study and participants were 46 nurses working at a tertiary hospital located in Suwon, Korea. Date collection was done before and after the education program, from July 27 to October 2, 2015. Data were analyzed using paired t-test and ANCOVA with SPSS 21.0. RESULTS: There were significant differences in scores before and after the EBP education program for EBP readiness: belief (t=-5.65, p<.001), implementation(t=-2.89, p=.006), competence (t=-4.21, p<.001), and for evidence-based decision making (t=-16.25, p<.001) by the nurses. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that the EBP education program has positive effects on EBP belief, implementation, competence and evidence-based decision making. In the future, it is necessary to reinforce the content of the program in the clinical workplace and to provide continuous education for clinical nurses.
Decision Making* ; Education* ; Evidence-Based Practice* ; Gyeonggi-do ; Korea ; Mental Competency ; Tertiary Care Centers

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the current status of diabetes management and the predictors for poor glycemic control in an urban area. METHODS: This study included 1,138 community-dwelling adults (> or =50 years) with diabetes, of which 584 participated in the diabetes care survey. Logistic regression was used to identify the factors predicting poor glycemic control (hemoglobin A1c[HbA1c]> or =7%) in the total sample and to evaluate the relationship between the history of diabetes management checkup and poor glycemic control in the diabetes care survey sample. RESULTS: Of the 1,138 patients, 53.2% had blood pressure less than 130/80 mmHg, 41.7% had fasting glucose between 70 and 130 mg/dL, 48.6% had HbA1c below 7.0%, 60.1% had triglycerides below 150 mg/dL, 41.4% had low density lipoprotein cholesterol below 100 mg/dL, and 59.1% had normoalbuminuria (urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio <30 mg/g creatinine). Of the 584 patients completing the diabetes care survey, 63.9% had one or more lipid tests, 32.0% had one or more HbA1c tests, 43.8% had one or more microalbuminuria tests, and 42.5% had one or more fundoscopic examinations annually. Female gender (odds ratio [OR], 1.71; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.23-2.36), duration of diabetes (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.06-1.09), and alcohol use (OR, 1.40; 95% CI, 1.06-1.85) were associated with an increased risk for poor glycemic control while age (OR, 0.97; 95% CI, 0.96-0.99) and antihypertensive medication (OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.50-0.83) were associated with a decreased risk. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that glycemic control is likely to be poor in urban areas. We need to develop appropriate community-based strategies to achieve optimal glycemic control and prevent diabetes complications.
Adult ; Blood Pressure ; Cholesterol ; Cholesterol, LDL ; Diabetes Complications ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Fasting ; Female ; Glucose ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated ; Humans ; Lipoproteins ; Logistic Models ; Triglycerides

No abstract available.
Case-Control Studies* ; Health Promotion* ; Risk Factors*

BACKGROUND: Thread lift is a minimally invasive procedure for facial rejuvenation, but complications of thread lift have been reported. The purpose of this study was to evaluate outcomes and safety associated with elastic lift in relation to midface and upper mandibular region lifting. METHODS: Thirty-eight patients with sagging and laxity of the facial skin treated with elastic lift from September 2015 to October 2015 were enrolled in this study. Treatment was performed following the manufacturer's recommended protocol that called for 300 treatment lines. To evaluate elastic lift safety, a retrospective chart review was conducted. We used an automatic skin diagnosis system to evaluate the efficacy of elastic lift. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients were female, and one patient was male. The mean age of the patients was 40.4 years, and their mean follow-up period was 3 months. There were no major complications manifesting in removal of the elastic thread during the follow-up period. The median skin laxity grade score was 5 (3-6) before surgery; the median skin laxity grade score was 3 (2-4) 3 months post-surgery, resulting in a statistically significant difference in skin grade score (P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Facial rejuvenation using elastic lift is an effective and safe procedure in select patients with midface ptosis and moderate jowls.
Diagnosis ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lifting ; Male ; Rejuvenation* ; Retrospective Studies ; Skin

No abstract available.
Stroke*

We report a case of a healthy 38-year-old man presenting with insufficiency fracture of proximal tibia associated with unrecognized osteoporosis. Radiologic bone DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) assessment revealed osteoporosis, but the patient displayed no apparent risk factors for insufficiency fractures and osteoporosis except for a history of smoking. Following right proximal tibial open reduction and internal fixation, the patient commenced smoking cessation and began taking alendronate.The patient was treated for gait rehabilitation, which included quadriceps strengthening exercises and his condition improved with independent walking. This report highlights an unusual site of proximal tibial insufficiency fractures and the potential effect of smoking on low bone mineral density in a young male patient.

We report a case of a healthy 38-year-old man presenting with insufficiency fracture of proximal tibia associated with unrecognized osteoporosis. Radiologic bone DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) assessment revealed osteoporosis, but the patient displayed no apparent risk factors for insufficiency fractures and osteoporosis except for a history of smoking. Following right proximal tibial open reduction and internal fixation, the patient commenced smoking cessation and began taking alendronate.The patient was treated for gait rehabilitation, which included quadriceps strengthening exercises and his condition improved with independent walking. This report highlights an unusual site of proximal tibial insufficiency fractures and the potential effect of smoking on low bone mineral density in a young male patient.

PURPOSE: To investigate the role of the posterior vitreous detachment as a factor affecting visual acuity after laser treatment on macular edema in eyes with branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO). METHODS: We retrospectively studied the medical records of 55 BRVO patients who were treated with argon laser photocoagulation for macular edema. The eyes were classified as those with posterior vitreous detachment (PVD, group I, 21 eyes) and those with no or partial PVD (group II, 34 eyes). The visual acuity before and after laser treatment was compared according to the posterior vitreous status. RESULTS: The eyes with visual acuity gaining two or more lines, final visual acuity of 0.5 or better, and mean change of visual acuity after laser treatment were 66.0%, 38.1%, and 1.8 lines in group I and 41.2%, 32.4%, and 1.6 lines in group II, respectively (p>0.05). Factors responsible for no change or decrease of visual acuity after laser treatment were macular ischemia, macular degeneration or exudate, and epiretinal membrane. CONCLUSIONS: PVD can be a prognostic factor for macular edema with BRVO. We should carefully examine for the presence of PVD in eyes with BRVO.
Argon ; Epiretinal Membrane ; Exudates and Transudates ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Light Coagulation ; Macular Degeneration ; Macular Edema* ; Medical Records ; Retinal Vein Occlusion ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity ; Vitreous Detachment