PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the using pattern of alternative therapies in the elderly. Method: 197 subjects, persons who were more than 60 years old, we interviewed. We modified and complemented Shin's(2000) instrument in accordance with purpose of this study. Data were analyzed statistically by using SAS program. RESULTS: 1. It was shown that 66.84% of subjects have utilized one or more types of alternative therapy. 2. It was shown that the most frequently used types are acupuncture (48.83%), and ethmoid bone therapy (42.75%). 3. Acupuncture was shown to be the most satisfactory type of therapy (14.50%). 4. There was a significant difference in the use ratio by sex; female 73.47% and male 60.20%. 5. Among users of alternative therapies, the most frequent responses to each question were as follows; 1. Motive of Use - "for complete cure of symptoms" (32.31%). 2. Side effects - "no side effects" (95.97%). CONCLUSION: We found that elderly persons used alternative therapies more frequently than others perpulations. Diet therapy and Hand therapy were most commonly used in older people. Although the elderly use alternative therapy, they cannot place confidence in its scientific reliability. Therefore, we need to examine the effects of alternative therapy.
Acupuncture ; Aged* ; Complement System Proteins ; Complementary Therapies ; Diet Therapy ; Ethmoid Bone ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the using pattern of alternative therapies in the elderly. Method: 197 subjects, persons who were more than 60 years old, we interviewed. We modified and complemented Shin's(2000) instrument in accordance with purpose of this study. Data were analyzed statistically by using SAS program. RESULTS: 1. It was shown that 66.84% of subjects have utilized one or more types of alternative therapy. 2. It was shown that the most frequently used types are acupuncture (48.83%), and ethmoid bone therapy (42.75%). 3. Acupuncture was shown to be the most satisfactory type of therapy (14.50%). 4. There was a significant difference in the use ratio by sex; female 73.47% and male 60.20%. 5. Among users of alternative therapies, the most frequent responses to each question were as follows; 1. Motive of Use - "for complete cure of symptoms" (32.31%). 2. Side effects - "no side effects" (95.97%). CONCLUSION: We found that elderly persons used alternative therapies more frequently than others perpulations. Diet therapy and Hand therapy were most commonly used in older people. Although the elderly use alternative therapy, they cannot place confidence in its scientific reliability. Therefore, we need to examine the effects of alternative therapy.
Acupuncture ; Aged* ; Complement System Proteins ; Complementary Therapies ; Diet Therapy ; Ethmoid Bone ; Female ; Hand ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged

PURPOSE: Recently, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have become one of the major nosocomial pathogens in Korea. However, there have been few studies on the epidemiology of VRE colonization among neonates. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of VRE colonization, risk factors for VRE, and how to control the spread of VRE infection in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Pusan National University Hospital (PNUH). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 192 neonates who were admitted to the NICU of PNUH from March 2006 to March 2007. Surveillance cultures from rectal swabs for detecting VRE were obtained weekly during the study period. We analyzed the prevalence of VRE and various risk factors. RESULTS: The rate of VRE colonization among NICU patients was 25% (48/192). Thirty five of these VRE colonized patients were transferred to the NICU from other local hospitals. Compared with the non-VRE group, the risk factors associated with VRE colonization were lower birth weight, congenital heart disease, applied mechanical ventilation, use of a central venous catheter, chest tubing, a history of surgery, and use of antibiotics. CONCLUSION: VRE colonization among patients admitted to the NICU is rapidly increasing. Monitoring and managing premature neonates from the beginning of the birth process, avoiding many invasive procedures, avoiding antibiotics such as vancomycin and third generation cephalosporin are important for preventing the emergence and spread of VRE colonization in the NICU.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Birth Weight ; Central Venous Catheters ; Colon ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Parturition ; Prevalence ; Respiration, Artificial ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Thorax ; Vancomycin ; Vancomycin Resistance

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Hyperplasia*

BACKGROUND: Fluid overload prior to continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) is an important prognostic factor. Thus, precise evaluation of fluid status is necessary to treat such patients. In this study, we investigated whether fluid assessment using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) can predict outcomes in critically ill patients requiring CRRT. METHODS: A prospective observational study was performed in patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit and who required CRRT. BIA was conducted before CRRT; then, the ratio of extracellular water to total body water (ECW/TBW) was derived to estimate volume status. RESULTS: A total of 31 patients treated with CRRT were included. There were 18 men (58.1%), and the median age was 67 years (interquartile range, 51 to 78 years). Fourteen patients (45.2%) died within 28 days after CRRT initiation. Patients were divided into 16 with ECW/TBW ≥0.41 and 15 with ECW/TBW <0.41. Survival rate within 28 days was different between the two groups (P = 0.044). Cox regression analysis revealed a relationship between ECW/TBW ≥0.41 and 28-day mortality, but it was not statistically significant (hazard ratio, 3.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.9 to 9.8; P = 0.061). Lastly, the area under the curve of ECW/TBW for 28-day mortality was analyzed. The area under the curve of ECW/TBW was 0.73 (95% confidence interval, 0.54 to 0.92), and this was significant (P = 0.037). CONCLUSIONS: Fluid status can be assessed using BIA in critically ill patients requiring CRRT, and BIA can predict mortality. Further large trials are needed to confirm the usefulness of BIA in critically ill patients.
Body Water ; Critical Illness* ; Electric Impedance* ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Male ; Mortality ; Observational Study* ; Prospective Studies* ; Renal Replacement Therapy* ; Survival Rate ; Water

Kinship testing in forensic casework is largely based on a likelihood ratio (LR) approach with short tandem repeat (STR) markers; however, in order to efficiently identify potential relatives in a specific population, the threshold values for kinship prediction should be determined by analyzing the kinship index distributions of the population in question. In this study, 250,000 DNA profiles were simulated using allele frequencies at 20 autosomal STR loci in Koreans, then the LRs were calculated for true close relatives and unrelated pairs. The LR distributions in related and unrelated pairs under a given relationship were compared in 2 sets of 13 Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and 20 STR profiles. Using 13 CODIS STRs, true relatives in parent/child and full-sibling relationships were sufficiently discriminated from unrelated pairs with LR thresholds of 1,000 and 100, respectively. However, the CODIS STRs lacked the discriminatory power to differentiate between related and unrelated pairs in uncle/nephew and first cousin relationships due to high false-positive and false-negative rates with a LR threshold of 10. Increasing the number of STR loci to 20 increased discrimination of close relatives, but high false results remained in uncle/nephew and first cousin relationships. The kinship index data from this study will help make decisions on various kinship testing and familial searching in Koreans.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; DNA ; Gene Frequency ; Humans ; Microsatellite Repeats

No abstract available.
Body Weight* ; Diet* ; Exercise Therapy* ; Humans

covered with liguid nitrozen and pulverized with a pestle. To the powered tissue 5ml of 3.3M formic acid/0.5% Tween 20 was added and centrifuged at 40,000*g for 10 min. An aliquot of supernate was put into C18 sepak minicolumn to eliminates IGF-BPs. Measurement of IGF-I in rat tissues was done by RIA with anti-hIGF-I antibody and hIGF-I(PSIII) standard which was prepared by Drs. L. E. Underwood and J. J. Van Wyk UNC at Chapel Hill, NC, USA and distributed through the National Hormone and Pituitary Distribution Program. Distribution of IGF-I in rat tissue was seen by SDS-PAGE and ligand blotting method. A cDNA library in lambda gt11 of rat liver was used to isolate the cDNA of IGF-I. Phage containing inserts encoding rat IGF-I were identified by hybridization with biotin labeled synthesized oligomer which was the sequence from 1 to 8 aminoacids of known rat IGF-I. The EcoRI inserts were subcloned into PBluescript SK. The nucleotide sequence of both strands was determined by the dideoxy chain termination method. RESULTS: 1)IGF-BPs in tissue extract which could compete with antibody for IGF-I in measureing the IGF-I were eluted at 50Kdalton molecular weight marker using Protein-pak 300SW column. Using C18-sepak minicolumn, IGF-BPs were completely eliminated from tissue extract as much as possible, using Protein-pak 300SW column. 2)The amount of IGF-I in tissues was as folows: liver 575+/-41.6ng/g, lung 552.0+/-40.8ng/g. kidney 503+/-30.8ng/g, heart 449.0+/-30.4ng/g, testis 225+/-18.8ng/g, spleen 146+/-26.4ng/g, muscle 92+/-7.6ng/g and brain 49.0+/-5.8ng/g. The amount of IGF-I in blood was 1403+/-60.8ng/ml. 3)Banding patterns of IGF-BPs in rat tissues extract were obtained using ligand blotting. IGF-BP3 bands at 50 Kdalton molecular weight marker were strongly shown in testis, heart, and lung extracts but not in brain and muscle. IGF-BP1 and 2 band at 30Kdalton molecular weight marker was strongly shown in liver, kidney, spleen, testis, heart and lung. IGF-BP4 band at 21 Kdalton molecular weight marker was weakly shown only in spleen and muscle. 4) The nucleotide sequence of cloned cDNA of rat IGF-I is as follows. 5 10 15 5'----- CC CTT TGC GGG GCT GAG CTG GTG GAC GCT CTT CAG TTC GTG TGT 20 25 30 -GGA CCA AGG GGC TTT TAC TTC AAC AAG CCC ACA GGC TAT GGC- 35 40 45 -TCC AGC ATT CGG AGG GCA CCA CAG ACG GGC ATT GTG GAT GAG------3 CONCLUSION: This study suggests that tissue extraction method for IGF-I from tissues and elimination of IGF-BPs using C18 sepak minicolumn is suitable for measuring in large numbers of samples. Expression of IGF-I and IGF-BPs in multiple tissues suggests some phsiologic function at each tissue level. Subcloning of cDNA of exon 3 and 4 of IGF-I was useful for studying regulation of IGF-IA and IB mRNA in rat tissue.
Animals ; Bacteriophages ; Base Sequence ; Biotin ; Brain ; Carrier Proteins* ; Clone Cells ; DNA, Complementary ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Exons ; Gene Library ; Heart ; Insulin-Like Growth Factor I* ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lung ; Molecular Weight ; Polysorbates ; Rats* ; RNA, Messenger ; Spleen ; Testis

Eosinophilic polymyositis (EPM) is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by eosinophilic infiltration into skeletal muscles. EPM is occasionally associated with a systemic disease, such as hypereosinophilic syndrome, connective tissue disease, or parasitic infection. However, EPM is rarely reported in drug rash with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) syndrome. We experienced a 17-year-old female who presented with EPM with DRESS syndrome associated with taking antitubercular agents.
Adolescent ; Antitubercular Agents* ; Connective Tissue Diseases ; Drug Hypersensitivity Syndrome ; Eosinophilia* ; Eosinophils* ; Exanthema* ; Female ; Humans ; Hypereosinophilic Syndrome ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Polymyositis*