PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify the spiritual well-being and spiritual care of hospice team members. METHOD: Between December 2005 and February 2006, a questionnaire was given to 192 hospice team members. The instruments used in this study were the Spiritual Well-Being Scale(SWBS) developed by Paloutzian, & Ellison(1984), and a Spiritual Care Performance Scale developed by the authors. RESULTS: The levels of spiritual well-being were relatively high: significantly lower in the 25-29 years old, in the unmarried, and in the 1-2 million won income groups, and significantly higher in Protestants, Catholics, clergy, and volunteers. The levels of performance of spiritual care were intermediate; significantly higher in clergy, and those with 10 or more years of experience. There was a positive correlation between: levels of spiritual well-being and age; levels of spiritual well-being and performance of spiritual care; and levels of performance of spiritual care and age. The factors affecting the levels of spiritual well-being included religion, age, and performance of spiritual care. The factors affecting the levels of performance of spiritual care were the years of hospice experience and spiritual well-being. CONCLUSION: Because there was a positive correlation between levels of spiritual well-being and performance of spiritual care, there is a need to develop a strategies to increase the spiritual well-being of hospice team members.
Clergy ; Hospice Care ; Hospices* ; Humans ; Protestantism ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Single Person ; Spirituality ; Volunteers

We report on an unusual case with infiltrating extradural spinal angiolipoma. Most spinal angiolipomas involve the thoracic spine and infiltrating ones are also located mainly at the thoracic levels rather than lumbar lesion. In particular, there are few cases of lumbar extradural infiltrating type spinal angiolipoma. One case is that of a 52-year-old female with infiltrating extradural spinal angiolipoma involving lumbar 4 (L4) vertebra, who underwent a L4-5 laminectomy and surgical removal of the tumor. We achieved satisfactory results with surgical treatment of the patient. Spinal angiolipoma has a benign course with a good postoperative outcome.
Angiolipoma* ; Female ; Humans ; Laminectomy ; Middle Aged ; Spine*

Few cases of macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) or reactive hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) during the acute febrile phase of Kawasaki disease (KD) have been reported. We report on a case of a 19 month-old girl with MAS or reactive HLH during the course of KD. Despite immunoglobulin and steroid therapy, she showed persistent fever with hepatosplenomegaly and evidence of hemophagocytosis in the bone marrow. A high index of suspicion for clinical features associated with MAS is necessary for KD patients in order to provide appropriate treatment.
Bone Marrow ; Fever ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Lymphohistiocytosis, Hemophagocytic ; Macrophage Activation ; Macrophage Activation Syndrome ; Macrophages ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; Organic Chemicals

PURPOSE: Enterovirus 71, one of the enteroviruses that are responsible for both hand-foot-and-mouth disease and herpangina, can cause neural injury. During periods of endemic spread of hand-foot-andmouth disease caused by enterovirus 71, CNS infections are also frequently diagnosed and may lead to increased complications from neural injury, as well as death. We present the results of our epidemiologic research on the clinical manifestations of children with CNS infections caused by enterovirus 71. METHODS: The study group consisted of 42 patients admitted for CNS infection by enterovirus 71 between April 2009 and October 2009 at the Department of Pediatrics of 5 major hospitals affiliated with the Catholic University of Korea. We retrospectively reviewed initial symptoms and laboratory findings on admission, the specimen from which enterovirus 71 was isolated, fever duration, admission period, treatment and progress, and complications. We compared aseptic meningitis patients with encephalitis patients. RESULTS: Of the 42 patients (23 men, 19 women), hand-foot-and-mouth disease was most prevalent (n=39), followed by herpangina (n=3), upon initial clinical diagnosis. Among the 42 patients, 15 (35.7%) were classified as severe, while 27 (64.3%) were classified as mild. Factors such as age, fever duration, presence of seizure, and use of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) were statistically different between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that patients with severe infection caused by enterovirus 71 tended to be less than 3 years old, presented with at least 3 days of fever as well as seizure activity, and received IVIG treatment.
Central Nervous System Infections ; Child ; Encephalitis ; Enterovirus ; Fever ; Herpangina ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous ; Korea ; Male ; Meningitis, Aseptic ; Pediatrics ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures

PURPOSE: To investigate the measured values of the talus in Koreans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We measured 88 tali from 44 cadavers that have been donated between December 2012 and December 2015. Of the cadavers, 27 were male and 17 were female. Their mean age was 73 years. The length and width of the talus were measured using a digital goniometer and vernier caliper. RESULTS: The values of cadaveric measurement, mean maximal width and length, width and length of the dome anterior, width and length of the posterior facet, height and length of the trochlear medial facet, and height and length of the trochlear lateral facet were 43.6±2.6 mm, 56.5±3.3 mm, 32.5±2.0 mm, 42.2±2.7 mm, 22.2±2.2 mm, 34.7±2.0 mm, 15.3±1.3 mm, 33.3±2.9 mm, 25.3±3.3 mm, and 30.8±2.4 mm for men and 38.9±1.6 mm, 53.6±2.4 mm, 27.9±2.1 mm, 37.4±3.2 mm, 20.6±0.8 mm, 31.9±1.2 mm, 13.6±2.6 mm, 28.4±2.5mm, 24.9±2.1 mm, and 28.9µ1.4 mm for women, respectively. The size of the talus showed an accuracy of 86% when anteroposterior diameter was greater than 59 mm. A difference in the size of the right and left talus was not observed. The mean inclination and declination angles were 24.4°±4.2° and 28.2°±5.4° for men, and 24.6°±3.6° and 24.7°±6.7° for women (p=0.980, p=0.018), respectively, at least 15°, which showed a big difference for every object up to 37°. CONCLUSION: This paper, to the best of our knowledge, is the first study to measure the talus in Koreans. There were differences by gender and ethnicity in the in measured talus values. The measurements were smaller than European-Americans and greater than Japanese.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cadaver* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Talus*

PURPOSE: While pediatric observation units (POU) have become a common practice in hospitals throughout developed countries, there has been no report about POUs in Korea so far. The aims of this study were to analyze our one-year's experience of the POU and to decide which disease entities are suitable for the POU. METHODS: All children admitted from March 2006 to February 2007 to the POU at the Department of Pediatrics in Our Lady of Mercy Hospital were included in this study. Data were collected from retrospective reviews of their medical records. RESULTS: There were a total of 1,076 POU admissions. Median age of patients was 2.4 years and median length of hospital stay 14.0 hours. The most common diagnoses were gastroenteritis (42.7%), pharyngotonsillitis (19.1%), bronchiolitis (7.8%), pneumonia (5.5%) and febrile seizure (5.2%). Overall, 7.5% of the POU patients required subsequent inpatient admissions due to hospital stays of longer than 48 hours. The disease entities that were most likely to require inpatient admission were pneumonia (17.0%), febrile seizure (12.5%) and asthma (11.5%). Diseases that allowed successful discharge from the POU were gastroenteritis (4.6%), upper respiratory tract infection (5.8%), such as otitis media and pharygnotonsillitis and seizure disorder (6.4%). Compared with the previous year when the POU was not in operation, there was a statistically significant reduction in the average length of hospital stays (from 4.69 to 3.75 days), as well as a rise in the bed turnover rate (from 78.8 to 98.2 patients/ bed). CONCLUSION: Our study shows that the POU is efficient for the management of children with certain acute illnesses. Based on this study, we suggest that the POU be used as a new modality which links between the outpatient, inpatient, and emergency departments in the field of pediatrics in Korea.
Asthma ; Bronchiolitis ; Child ; Day Care, Medical ; Developed Countries ; Diagnosis ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Epilepsy ; Gastroenteritis ; Humans ; Inpatients ; Korea* ; Length of Stay ; Medical Records ; Otitis Media ; Outpatients ; Pediatrics ; Pneumonia ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures, Febrile

Imipramine, a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA), is used for the treatment of non-polar depression and nocturnal enuresis in children in whom an organic pathology has been excluded, anxiety disorders, and neuropathic pain. Clinical toxicity following the treatment of TCAs, including imipramine, is well known. The anticholinergic effects initially present include a dry mouth, ileus, dilated pupils, urinary retention, and mild sinus tachycardia. The central nervous system toxicity includes delirium, agitation, restlessness, hallucinations, convulsions, and CNS depression or coma. However, the most life-threatening toxicity remains the development of cardiac dysrhythmias. Conduction delays such as QRS and corrected QT prolongation, wide QRS complex tachycardia, and the Brugada electrocardiographic pattern have been reported. Sodium bicarbonate decreases QRS widening and suppresses dysrhythmias by providing excess sodium to reverse the TCA-induced sodium-channel blockade and possibly by binding directly to the myocardium. There are no pediatric case reports on imipramine or other TCA associated toxicity in Korea. Here, we describe a patient who presented with convulsions, tachycardia with a wide QRS complex, a Brugada electrocardiographic pattern, and anuresis associated with an accidental overdose of imipramine and the outcome of treatment with sodium bicarbonate.
Anxiety Disorders ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Central Nervous System ; Child ; Coma ; Delirium ; Depression ; Dihydroergotamine ; Electrocardiography ; Hallucinations ; Humans ; Ileus ; Imipramine ; Korea ; Mouth ; Myocardium ; Neuralgia ; Nocturnal Enuresis ; Psychomotor Agitation ; Pupil ; Seizures ; Sodium ; Sodium Bicarbonate ; Tachycardia ; Tachycardia, Sinus ; Urinary Retention

Purpose: This study was conducted to assess the efficacy of prophylactic gingival grafting in the mandibular anterior labial area for preventing orthodontically induced gingival recession. Methods: Eight mongrel dogs received gingival graft surgery at the first (I1) and third (I3) mandibular incisors on both sides based on the following group allocation: AT group (autogenous connective tissue graft on I1), AT-control group (contralateral side in the AT group), CM group (xenogeneic cross-linked collagen matrix graft on I3) and CM-control group (contralateral side in the CM group). At 4 weeks after surgery, 6 incisors were splinted and proclined for 4 weeks, followed by 16 weeks of retention. At 24 weeks after surgery, casts were made and compared with those made before surgery, and radiographic and histomorphometric analyses were performed. Results: Despite the proclination of the incisal tip (by approximately 3 mm), labial gingival recession did not occur. The labial gingiva was thicker in the AT group (1.85±0.50 mm vs.1.76±0.45 mm, P>0.05) and CM group (1.90±0.33 mm vs. 1.79±0.20 mm, P>0.05) than in their respective control groups. Conclusions The level of the labial gingival margin did not change following labial proclination of incisors in dogs. Both the AT and CM groups showed enhanced gingival thickness.

The Palatal masticatory mucosa was widely used as a donor site in periodontal and implant surgery. but there were relatively few studies investigating the thickness of the palatal mucosa in dentate subjects. The purpose of this study was to study the thickness of palatal masticatory mucosa in korean subjects by direct clinical technique. Forty systemically and periodontally healthy subjects(20 males:20 females) participated in this study. A bone sounding method using a periodontal probe with minimal anesthesia and a prepared clear acrylic stent was utilized to assess the thickness of palatal mucosa at 24 measurement points defined according to the gingival margin and mid palatal suture. The results are as follows; 1. Mean thickness of palatal masticatory mucosa was 3.5+/-0.4mm. and no gender differences were identified in the thickness of palatal masticatory mucosa. 2. The thickness of palatal masticatory mucosa increased from canine to second molar area(with the exception of the first molar area). canine and first molar areas were significantly thinner than other areas(P<0.05). 3. The thickness of palatal masticatory mucosa significantly increased in the sites farther from the gingival margin towarding the mid-palate(P<0.05). The results suggest that within the limits of the present study, premolar area appears to be the most appropriate donor site for soft tissue grafting procedures.
Anesthesia ; Bicuspid ; Humans ; Molar ; Mucous Membrane* ; Stents ; Sutures ; Tissue Donors ; Tissue Transplantation ; Transplants

Variant surface antigens (VSAs) encoded by pir families are considered to be the key proteins used by many Plasmodium spp. to escape the host immune system by antigenic variation. This attribute of VSAs is a critical issue in the development of a novel vaccine. In this regard, a population genetic study of vir genes from Plasmodium vivax was performed in the Republic of Korea (ROK). Eighty-five venous blood samples and 4 of the vir genes, namely vir 27, vir 21, vir 12, and vir 4, were selected for study. The number of segregating sites (S), number of haplotypes (H), haplotype diversity (Hd), DNA diversity (π and Θw), and Tajima’s D test value were conducted. Phylogenetic trees of each gene were constructed. The vir 21 (S=143, H=22, Hd=0.827) was the most genetically diverse gene, and the vir 4 (S=6, H=4, Hd=0.556) was the opposite one. Tajima’s D values for vir 27 (1.08530, P>0.1), vir 12 (2.89007, P<0.01), and vir 21 (0.40782, P>0.1) were positive, and that of vir 4 (−1.32162, P>0.1) was negative. All phylogenetic trees showed 2 clades with no particular branching according to the geographical differences and cluster. This study is the first survey on the vir genes in ROK, providing information on the genetic level. The sample sequences from vir 4 showed a clear difference to the Sal-1 reference gene sequence, whereas they were very similar to those from Indian isolates.
Antigenic Variation ; Antigens, Surface ; DNA ; Genetic Variation ; Haplotypes ; Humans ; Immune System ; Plasmodium vivax* ; Plasmodium* ; Republic of Korea* ; Trees ; United Nations