A muscular calf is esthetically unappealing in Asian women. Treatment by liposuction alone has poroven to be difficult due to a small amount of fat. We established a new method of transecting half of the gastrocnemius tendon in order to improve the contour of the calf. Thirty-five patients were operated on during the past 3 years. The medial or lateral half of the gastrocnemius tendon was cut using an endoscopic-guided 3M AGEE blade through a 1cm-sized incision. The portion of the muscle above the site of the transection was elevated from the underlying soleus muscles. We checked the calf circumference and evaluated the clinical results at 6 months postoperatively. An average 10% reduction in calf circumfernce was measured, showing a significant esthetic improvement. There were no significant changes in gait analysis or in the Cybex test. There were no specific complications related to the procedure. Through our clinical experience in 35 cases, we were able to prove that tenotomy is a effective, simple and easy method without severe morbidity.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Female ; Gait ; Humans ; Lipectomy ; Muscles ; Tendons ; Tenotomy*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Drug Therapy ; Humans ; Radiotherapy

PURPOSE: This study was to confirm the effect of acupressure on the emesis control and the weight change among pediatric cancer patients receiving anti-cancer chemotherapy. METHOD: Forty pediatric cancer patients, receiving the induction stage of chemotherapy with MTX and vincristine, were divided into control(n=20) and the intervention group(n=20). Both groups received regular anti-emesis medication, but the intervention group was added acupressure maneuver for 5 minutes on P6 point for 3 times a day for 5days: before chemotherapy, lunch and dinner by investigator during the hospitalization and by mother at home. The instruments for this study were Rhode's(1986) Index of nausea, vomiting and retching(INVR), Cas electric scale and pamphlet developed by researcher. RESULT: Significant differences in the degree of nausea and vomiting were observed between the control and the intervention group as measured by INVR(t=4.73; p=.01). Repeated measures ANOVA also shows that the group effect was significant(F=22.39, P=.01) as was the time effect(F=380.35, P=.01). The group by time interaction was also significant(F=5.27, P=.01). Acupressure maneuver was apparently effective in reducing the degree of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. There were also statistically significant weight loss noted in the control group than the intervention group(t=5.42, p=.01). CONCLUSION: Acupressure on P6 point shows an effective adjunct maneuver in reducing the degree of nausea and vomiting and conserving the weight in pediatric cancer patients. Therefore, it is proposed that acupressure should be applied as supportive nursing intervention strategies to relieve chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting and to prevent weight loss in pediatric cancer patients.
Acupressure* ; Drug Therapy* ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Lunch ; Meals ; Mothers ; Nausea ; Nursing ; Pamphlets ; Research Personnel ; Vincristine ; Vomiting ; Weight Loss ; Child Health

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the fatigue of the mothers of the hospitalized children's mothers in descriptive study. METHOD: Two hundred eighty three mothers who take care of the hospitalized children in three University hospitals were enrolled from June, 1 to October, 30, 2003. Data were collected using a questionnaire titled "Symptom Table on Fatigue Perception" designed by the Fatigue Research Committee of Japan, consisted of a total 30 items categorized into three sub-dimensions: the physical, the psychological and the neuro-sensory. SPSS was used for the analysis of data with 0.05 of significance. RESULT: 1) The mean average fatigue score of subjects was 1.94(SD:.48): the physical fatigue revealed the highest value with a mean of 2.19(SD:.57), followed by psychological fatigue with a mean score of 1.85(SD:.52), neuro-sensory fatigue with a mean of 1.79(SD:.51). 2) With the respect to the general characteristics of hospitalized children and mothers, there were statistically significant differences in the mothers' fatigue perception by the child sex(t=-2.697, p=.008), the character of child(F=9.032, p=.000), the child condition compared to pre-hospitalization(F=3.523, p=.031), with or without support in domestic households(t=-1.981, p=.049), the amount of sleeping time(t=2.704, p=.007), and with or without of night-time sleep disturbance because of the child hospitalization(t=2.082, p=.038). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that health care professional need to be aware of the persistent presence of the maternal fatigue related to the child hospitalization and the factors worsen the degree of the fatigue.
Child ; Child, Hospitalized ; Delivery of Health Care ; Fatigue* ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Japan ; Mothers* ; Child Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Malignant rhabdoid tumor (MRT) is a rare and highly aggressive neoplasm of infancy and childhood. Although it was originally described and most frequently reported in the kidney, it may occur in various extra-renal sites such as the liver, thymus, and soft tissue. In the last decade primary central nervous system (CNS) MRTs have been reported in both the supra- and infratentorial compartments. Patients with CNS MRT were generally below the age of two and reports in adults are extremely rare. This is a case of primary cerebellar MRT in a 24-year-old woman, who had presented with intermittent headache, vocal cord palsy, and cerebellar dysfunctions such as abnormal finger to nose test and tandem gait. By magnetic resonance imaging scan, a well-enhancing solid mass was demonstrated at the posterior fossa filling the 4th ventricle, which extended into the medulla and cervical cord via the foramen of Magendie. Histologically, the monotonous polygonal tumor cells were arranged in diffuse sheet with occasional hemorrhagic necrosis. The nuclei were vesicular and eccentrically located due to eosinophilic, PAS-positive, intracytoplasmic inclusions with prominent nucleoli. They were diffusely or focally immunoreactive for vimentin, neurofilament, cytokeratin, GFAP, synaptophysin, and smooth muscle actin, while epithelial membrane antigen and desmin were negative. Ultrastructurally, the polyhedral tumor cells were densely packed with primitive intercellular junctions. Scanty fibrillar intermediate filaments were intermingled with cellular organelles. Postoperatively, craniospinal irradiation and systemic chemotherapy have been done and she has been free of tumor recurrence during the 13 months' follow-up periods.
Actins ; Adult* ; Central Nervous System ; Cerebellar Diseases ; Cerebellum* ; Craniospinal Irradiation ; Desmin ; Drug Therapy ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Fingers ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gait ; Headache ; Humans ; Intercellular Junctions ; Intermediate Filaments ; Keratins ; Kidney ; Liver ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Mucin-1 ; Muscle, Smooth ; Necrosis ; Nose ; Organelles ; Recurrence ; Rhabdoid Tumor* ; Synaptophysin ; Thymus Gland ; Vimentin ; Vocal Cord Paralysis ; Young Adult

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of sensory stimulation therapy on the physical growth and behaviors of infants accommodated at two Korean orphanages. METHOD: Thirty-eight full term infants were assigned to a control (n=20) or an experimental (n=18) group within 14 days of birth. In addition to routine orphanage care, infants in the experimental group received 15 minutes of massage twice a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks. RESULT: Compared to the control group, the experimental group had gained significantly more weight and had larger increases in length and head circumference after the 4-week intervention period. In addition, the experimental group showed significantly better behavioral performance in the scoring of habituation (e.g., light), motor (e.g., motor maturity), and state range (e.g., peak of excitement, rapidity of build-up) behavioral clusters of Brazelton's NBAS. CONCLUSION: These data demonstrate that sensory stimulation therapy may facilitate the physical and behavioral development of the newborn infants placed in the orphanages.
Head ; Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Massage ; Orphanages ; Parturition ; Child Health

Epoxy resins,which are irritant and allergen, are now used for surface coatings, electrical insulations, adhesives, and construction industry throughout the world. However, epoxy resin contact dermatitis has not been reported in the Korean literature. We report two cases of epoxy resin contact dermatitis which were occupationally related. They have been in the same work, painting dye and resin mixtures on the glasses for decoration. They showed positive patch test reactions to epoxy resin 1, and their own materials containing resins and accelerators which were proved to be -countinue-
Adhesives ; Construction Industry ; Dermatitis, Contact* ; Eyeglasses ; Glass ; Occupations ; Paint ; Paintings ; Patch Tests

A 51-year-old female developed a distinctive perioral rash, conisting of discrete or confluent erythematous papules for one and a half years. Histopathologic examiriation revealed upper dermal granulomas admixed with lymphoytes. Pieces of hair shaft were staincd peri-dish by AFB in the center of granuloma, which might play a role in the formation of the granuloma She also had used corticosteroid ointment intermittently duririg this time. There were no associated systemic abnormalities. The lesions resolved after two month treatment with oral corticosteroid and tetrac cline.
Dermatitis, Perioral* ; Exanthema ; Female ; Granuloma ; Hair ; Humans ; Middle Aged