OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to develop and validate a scale for measuring the negative effects of job stress on an individual, its family, and its community. METHODS: Based on open-ended questions, interviews, and expert comments, 73 preliminary scale items consisting of 12 factors were assembled. The initial survey was administered to 344 employees in order to conduct item analyses, reliability tests, and factor analyses of the stress assessment scale. The results of the factor analyses indicated that an 8 factor model comprising 43 items was most meaningful. For the final survey, data were obtained from 2732 employees. RESULTS: Factor analysis of the final survey data showed that the developed 8 factor model was appropriate for its intended use. Results of correlation analyses showed that the assessment scale was significantly related to stress response, thereby confirming convergent validity, and was related to various criteria including life satisfaction, hope, optimism, and subjective happiness, thereby confirming criterion-related validity. CONCLUSION: A scale useful in the assessment of negative effects on job stress on workers and on their community members including their families was developed and validated.
Happiness ; Hope ; Humans ; Optimism

Anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia is inherited as an X linked recessive trait. This disor der is characterized by hypotrichosis, hypodontia and hypohidrosis. The diagnosis is often delayed until the first or second year of life, after repeated episodes of potentially damaging high fever. In the newborn period, the diagnosis is more difficult, but early diagnosis is of importance in ensuring that the appropriate enivironment and medical measures be taken to avoid uncontrolled hyperthermia. We have experienced a case of anhidrotic ectoclermal dysplasia in an8-day-old male patient who showed charecteristic features including hypotrichosis, peeling or scaling of the skin, recurrent fever and a characteristic face. A skin biopsy from the right palm revealed no sweat gland strutures. A brief rview with related literature is also presented.
Anodontia ; Biopsy ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Ectodermal Dysplasia* ; Fever ; Humans ; Hypohidrosis ; Hypotrichosis ; Infant, Newborn ; Male ; Skin ; Sweat Glands

During antipsychotic drug treatment, clinicians occasionally encounter sudden attacks of oculogyric crisis (OGC) and/or paroxysmal perceptual alteration (PPA) which occur mostly in the afternoon or early evening lasting for minutes to hours and are eventually remitted with rests or short sleep and/or medications such as benzodiazepines, anticholinergics and so forth. Moreover, these attacks are usually accompanied with psychiatric symptoms such as various modalities of hallucinations and illusions, delusions, obsessive thoughts, panic attacks, agitation as well as autonomic symptoms. These accompanying psychiatric symptoms can be perceived as a worsening of psychiatric symptoms if the clinician does not understand the symptoms due to the side effects of antipsychotic drugs, which may result in increasing the dosage of antipsychotics instead of reducing doses or switching to less offending drugs. On the other hand, patients could easily recognize the symptoms as the adverse effects of drugs. This literature review and case-series study is aimed to raise awareness of OGC and PPA by providing clinical cases and author's views with the literature reviews about concepts, recognitions and managements from the works of Japanese authors who first reported the clinical importance of these attacks, particularly PPA.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Benzodiazepines ; Cholinergic Antagonists ; Delusions ; Dihydroergotamine ; Hallucinations ; Hand ; Humans ; Illusions ; Panic Disorder ; Schizophrenia

This study explored long-term changes in self-report auditory verbal hallucinations (AVHs) among patients with schizophrenia taking clozapine. Forty-four patients who were evaluated more than twice and were above the mild severity category on the Hamilton Program for Schizophrenia Voices Questionnaire (HPSVQ) were enrolled. The mean observation period was 492.5±350.1 days (median, 452 days). The mean total, physical, and emotional factor scores on the HPSVQ were significantly reduced from baseline to the final observations except for one item “interference with life,” which was not significantly reduced. Regarding the time-dependent longitudinal changes modeled using linear mixed-effect regression, the total and physical factor scores showed significant changes during the first year, but the emotional factor score did not satisfy a more stringent level of significance. Female gender was negatively associated with the reduction in total and physical factor scores. The duration of treatment with clozapine also had a negative relationship with the reductions in all three scores.
Clozapine ; Female ; Hallucinations ; Humans ; Schizophrenia ; Voice

Background: Postmenopausal status increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, and C-reactive protein (CRP) constitutes an independent cardiovascular risk factor. This study aimed to investigate the factors associated with increased high-sensitivity CRP (hs-CRP) level in postmenopausal women. Methods: We included postmenopausal women without laboratory test results that suggested acute inflammation who participated in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2016 and 2017. The participants were divided into high and low hs-CRP groups (cutoff value, 3.0 mg/L). We investigated factors that influenced the hs-CRP level with logistic regression analysis. Results: The total number of subjects was 2,739, of whom 76.4% had low hs-CRP levels and 23.6% had high hs-CRP levels. The mean age and body mass index were higher in the high than in the low hs-CRP group. In the simple logistic regression analysis, high hs-CRP level was associated with smoking, whereas low hs-CRP level was associated with aerobic exercise, use of oral contraceptives, and history of pregnancy in postmenopausal women. When the analysis was adjusted for confounding variables, histories of smoking and pregnancy had a statistically significant association with high hs-CRP level. Conclusion This study showed that the important modifiable risk factors of elevated hs-CRP level in postmenopausal women of Korea include obesity, smoking, and lack of aerobic exercise, but well-controlled prospective investigations should be considered.

We experienced a case of anomalous origin of right pulmonary artery from the ascending aorta associated with pulmonary atresia, ventricular septal defect, absence of left pulmonary artery and multiple major aortopulmonary collateral artery (MAPCA). At ten month of age, left pulmonary artery creation with unifocalization and right pulmonary artery banding were performed as the first stage, followed by coil embolization of right MAPCA 1 month later, and 1 year later, the total correction was done. After total repair, the patient showed good postoperative course, and excellent angiographic and hemodynamic results at 1 year follow-up study.
Aorta* ; Arteries ; Embolization, Therapeutic ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Septal Defects, Ventricular ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Pulmonary Artery* ; Pulmonary Atresia

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and tolerability of the combination of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with clozapine-treated schizophrenia. METHODS: Patients with clozapine-treated schizophrenia during five years of pre-determined period were recruited from Electronic Medical Record. Clinical effects of acute ECT on psychotic symptoms were investigated. We also tried to identify predictive variables requiring maintenance treatment of ECT. RESULTS: Fourteen patients received ECT and clozapine and sixteen were treated with clozapine alone. In the ECT group, which could be refined as clozapine-resistance, PANSS total score was significantly reduced by 19.0±9.9 points, corresponding to a reduction rate of 18.5±8.3%. The clinical remission defined as 20% PANSS reduction criteria was achieved at 42.9%. The subscale factors were significantly reduced, among which the negative symptom was the least. There was no difference in demographic and clinical information between patients receiving and not receiving maintenance ECT, and not all patients seemed to need maintenance ECT if clozapine is continued. CONCLUSION: Combination of ECT and clozapine in patients with clozapine-resistant schizophrenia resulted in a rapid and substantial reduction of psychotic symptoms. Further studies are needed to improve the effectiveness and tolerability of ECT.
Clozapine* ; Electroconvulsive Therapy* ; Electronic Health Records ; Humans ; Schizophrenia*

We experienced a case of aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva dissecting into the ventricular dseptum. This dissection was induced by paravalvular leakage after aortic and mitral valve replacement. This 37-year-old male was admitted via emergency room due to progressive dyspnea. He had undergone aortic valve replacement(carbomedic(R) 23 mm) and mitral valve replacement(carbomedic(R) 31 mm) due to aortic regurgitation and mitral regurgitation about 6 years prior to admission and followed up regularly. The diagnosis was made by transthoracic and transesophageal echocardiography and reconfirmed by root aortography. The inlet of the ventricular septal aneurysmal sac was repaired by one layer suture with 3-0 prolene of the endocardium, epicardium and homograft muscle shoulder altogether. Postoperative course was uneventful and the patient was discharged on the 11th postoperative day.
Adult ; Allografts ; Aneurysm* ; Aortic Valve ; Aortic Valve Insufficiency ; Aortography ; Bays ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Endocardium ; Humans ; Male ; Mitral Valve ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Pericardium ; Polypropylenes ; Shoulder ; Sinus of Valsalva* ; Sutures ; Ventricular Septum*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The genetic polymorphism of transforming growth factor-beta1 (TGF-beta1) at codons 10 and 25 which influences the production of TGF-beta1 is related to fibrogenesis in the lung and liver. We evaluated the genetic polymorphism at codons 10 and 25 in controls and in patients with liver cirrhosis (LC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Blood samples were collected from controls (n=35), patients with LC (n=64), and HCC (n=49). Genomic DNA was isolated and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done for a segment including codons 10 and 25. The results of direct sequencing for PCR products were compared between the controls and the patients. RESULTS: There was no genetic polymorphism at codon 25 and three types of genetic polymorphism at codon 10. The leucine homozygous genotype (CTG/CTG) at codon 10 was more common in patients with LC than the controls (p=0.01) and especially in patients with LC caused by HBV (p=0.004). The polymorphism at codons 10 in patients with HCC was similar to the controls. However, leucine homozygous genotype was more common in patients with HCC of uninodular morphology than those of massive morphology (p=0.007). CONCLUSIONS: The genetic polymorphism of TGF-beta1 at codon 10 might be associated with LC and morphology of HCC. The potential usefulness of TGF-beta1 genotyping needs further studies in large scale.
Adult ; Aged ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular/*genetics ; Codon/genetics ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Cirrhosis/*genetics ; Liver Neoplasms/*genetics ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Polymorphism, Genetic ; Sequence Analysis, Protein ; Transforming Growth Factor beta/*genetics ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1

PURPOSE: Prediction of neurologic outcome in survivors after cardiac arrest is difficult. In particular, since therapeutic hypothermia has emerged as the standard treatment for post cardiac arrest syndrome, the prediction has been more difficult. Methods for prediction of neurologic prognosis include the general neurologic examination, SSEPs, EEG, serum biomarkers, and so on. Among these, EEG was recommended for detection of non-convulsive seizure since early phase of post cardiac arrest syndrome. However, the relationship between EEG finding and neurologic outcome is not yet clear. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study using a prospectively collected hypothermia database. We collected EEG findings during hypothermia and other data from January 2010 to December 2012. The EEG findings were classified according to five patterns as extremely low voltage, continuous slow wave, burst suppression, status epilepticus, and other. We analyzed the relationship between EEG pattern and one-month CPC score after cardiac arrest. RESULTS: During the study period, 121 patients were enrolled in the hypothermia database. Among these patients, 84 patients underwent EEG during hypothermia and were enrolled. The EEG patterns of enrolled patients were 20 extremely low voltage, 39 generalized slow wave, 15 burst suppression, 8 status epilepticus, and 2 alpha coma. None of the periodic, status eplilepticus, and alpha coma pattern patients showed a good neurologic outcome (CPC 1 or 2). Two of 20 extremely low voltage and 28 of 39 continuous slow wave pattern patients recovered to good neurologic outcome. CONCLUSION: Burst suppression and status epilepticus EEG pattern during hypothermia treatment showed an association with poor neurologic outcome.
Biomarkers ; Coma ; Electroencephalography* ; Heart Arrest ; Humans ; Hypothermia* ; Hypothermia, Induced ; Neurologic Examination ; Observational Study ; Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest* ; Prognosis* ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Seizures ; Status Epilepticus ; Survivors