OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop a health information web site evaluation categories with items for diabetes mellitus in order to offer verified health information, and to propose directions for development of web sites. METHODS: A preliminary evaluation categories with items was developed using domestic and foreign web site evaluation standards for health information and through a review of the literature. The evaluation categories with items was composed of 'evaluation for web site attributes' and 'evaluation for content information on diabetes mellitus'. Through expert validity tests and a feasibility test of the preliminary tool, the health information Web site evaluation tool for diabetes mellitus was finalized. RESULTS: This evaluation categories with items included 'evaluation for web site attributes' and 'evaluation for content information on diabetes mellitus'. 'Evaluation for web site attributes' included 8 categories with 28 items. The 'evaluation for content information on diabetes mellitus' included 7 categories with 40 items. 'Evaluation component for content' and 'evaluation of category content' included 4 items on 'accuracy', 6 on 'harmfulness' and 3 on 'comprehensibility'. CONCLUSION: From this study guidelines are propose for providing health information for diabetes mellitus, so that health information providers will be able to offer consumers verified good quality health information themselves.
Diabetes Mellitus*

Computer-Assisted Instruction(CAI) is one kind of teaching method to teach leaners knowledge, attitude, and technical aspect of course contents through utilizing a computer as a learning material. CAI is focused on the concept of interaction and individualized learning. Thus in teaching and learning process CAI is considered the individual differences of learners. And learners can study course contents repeatedly through utilizing courseware. Based on the importance of individualized learning program through utilizing a computer the courseware of infection control was developed to acquire and apply the appropriate knowledge for controlling infection for learners.
Individuality ; Infection Control* ; Learning ; Teaching

We studied the intradural variations of spinal nerve rootlets in 100 cases of Korean adults. The results of the study are as follows ; 1. The incidence of intrasegmental variations (abberrant rootlets) is high in cervical segments and decreased toward lumbosacral segments. The incidence is higher in posterior rootlets than anterior, except cervical sesments. 2. The incidence of intersegmental variations is higher in posterior rootlets than anterior, and generally high in cervical and lumbar segments. 3. We divide the intersegmental variations into supernumerary rootlets, dividing rootlets, and anastomosing rootlets, and among them the incidence of anastomosing rootlets is higher. We divide the anastomosing rootlets into parallel anastomosing rootlets, uniting anastomosing rootlets, and rearrangement anastomosing rootlets. 4. The anterior to posterior anastomosing of spinal nerve rootlet is present in 4 of cases studied.
Adult ; Humans ; Incidence ; Spinal Nerves*

BACKGROUND: The epidermis and adnexal epithelium might express different types of keratin (K) during fetal development. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to observe the distribution of K8/18 in the skin of fetuses and to find out the distinction of expressions of K8/18 during fetal development. METHODS: Immunohistochemical analysis was applied to the skin of the scalp and sole of 42 fetuses ranging from 10 to 39 weeks of gestation. Immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibodies with CAM5.2 using LSAB kit against K8/18 was conducted. RESULTS: In the skin of the scalp, K8/18 was expressed in the periderm and basal layer of epidermis from the 10th week to the 31st week of fetal gestation. K8/18 was expressed in the hair germ, bulge and basal cells of fetal the infundibulum and sebaceous glands. Root sheath cells were weakly positive but matrix cells were negative. The expression of K8/18 was negative in the basal layer of the sole. Merkel cells, which are located in the basal layer and upper dermis, were positive from the 12th week of gestation. Terminal eccrine ducts and acinar cells were positive after the 20th week of gestation. CONCLUSION: K8/18 in the skin of the scalp and sole of fetuses were expressed in different ways. The expression of K8/18 in the basal cells of the sole were negative while basal cells of the epidermis of the scalp were positive transiently from the 12th to the 31st week of gestation. Early hair germ cells and bulge cells were expressed strongly in hair follicles. Terminal eccrine ducts and acini were expressed strongly in the eccrine gland. Merkel cells located in the basal layer and papillary dermis also express K8/18.
Acinar Cells ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Dermis ; Eccrine Glands ; Epidermis ; Epithelium ; Fetal Development ; Fetus ; Germ Cells ; Hair ; Hair Follicle ; Merkel Cells ; Molecular Weight* ; Pregnancy ; Scalp ; Sebaceous Glands ; Skin*

No abstract available.
Desmin* ; Intermediate Filament Proteins* ; Intermediate Filaments* ; Muscle, Skeletal* ; Muscular Diseases* ; Sciatic Nerve* ; Vimentin*

This project developed a neural network based on nursing diagnoses among 98 nursing diagnoses Korea Nurses Association recommended when related factors and clinical signs are entered. This nursing diagnosis system consists of five sub-systems: data-input system from which a nurse can obtain knowledge from experts; data-base system in which nurses can manage statistical data; inference support system which provides learning effect; inference system which increases inference ability of nurses using existing data and nursing diagnoses data; and result-retrieve system in which nurses can look at the outcomes of nursing process. This nursing diagnosis system provides a interface which enables maintenance and revision easier as well as to induce a diagnosis through the communication between the nurse and the patient. In addition, this system makes nurses determine the nursing diagnoses in a more accurate manner by linking the learning effect of the system whit intra-neural network algorithm. This nursing diagnosis system will assist nurses to provide foster and more accurate way to implement nursing diagnosis.
Diagnosis ; Humans ; Information Systems* ; Korea ; Learning ; Nursing Diagnosis* ; Nursing Process* ; Nursing*

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine whether or not the shed endometrial tissues in menstrual fluid (MF) have adhesive potentials, using human amniotic membrane (AM). METHODS: The MF from 20 patients with regular menstruation was collected with Wallace catheter by aspiration from the uterine cavity on the second or third day of the menstrual period. The AM was obtained from the placenta of term delivery without any complication. The MF was washed and diluted fivefold with Hams F-10 medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. The cell suspension was placed on either epithelial layer (EP) or extracellular matrix layer (ECM) of the AM. After 5 days of culture, the adhesion sites were observed under a stereomicroscope. For histological observation, each cultured AM was prepared for the serial paraffin section. RESULTS: The adhesion sites of endometrial tissues in MF were found both ECM (20/20) and EP (11/20) of the AM. The size of adhesion sites in each AM were highly variable from microscopic to macroscopic size. CONCLUSION: We found that the shed endometrial tissues in MF have adhesive potential to epithelial layer in addition to extracellular matrix layer of amniotic membrane. This adhesive potential may be related to pathogenesis of endometriosis. We suggest that this culture system can be useful as an in-vitro model for endometriosis.
Adhesives* ; Amnion* ; Catheters ; Endometriosis* ; Extracellular Matrix ; Female ; Humans ; Menstruation ; Paraffin ; Placenta

Congenital myotonic dystrophy is an inherited, autosomal dominant disease that results in a progressive wasting of the skeletal muscle, and sometimes heart and smooth muscles in human. In the newborn period, an affected infant is profoundly weak, has difficulty in sucking and swallowing, and may have severe respiratory difficulties. Myotonia is not a feature of the condition at this stage. Motor development is usually delayed in these children, and they may show some signs of mental retardation. Generally, the condition improves through the early years but deteriorates during late childhood and adolescence, when the 'adult' features of the disease gradually emerge. The gene defect responsible for myotonic dystrophy has proved to be a region of unstable fragment of DNA on chromosome 19. An expansion of a CTG(cytosinethymine-guanine) repeat in the 3'-untranslated region of a protein kinase gene contributes to the development of myotonic dystrophy. We have diagnosed and experienced a case of congenital myotonic dystrophy in a neonate with the chief complaint of respiratory difficulty and apnea. So we report the case and the brief review of related literatures.
Adolescent ; Apnea ; Child ; Chromosomes, Human, Pair 19 ; Deglutition ; DNA ; Heart ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Intellectual Disability ; Molecular Biology* ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Muscle, Smooth ; Myotonia ; Myotonic Dystrophy* ; Protein Kinases

BACKGROUND: Self-inflicted dermatosis is a kind of self-inflicted skin disease. Most Vietnam veterans from Korea have visited the Veterans Hospitals for dermatological examination to determine the relationship between their skin diseases and Agent Orange. We were suspicious of the possibility that several Vietnam veterans intentionally produced their own skin lesions. OBJECTIVE: We conducted this study to determine the clinical characteristics of self-inflicted dermatoses of Korean Vietnam veterans. METHODS: From January, 1999 to December, 2007, a total 24 Vietnam veterans who were diagnosed as having self-inflicted dermatoses during their dermatological examinations at our hospital were included in this study. We investigated their clinical presentation, the laboratory examinations, the pathologic examinations, the medical records and the associated diseases. RESULTS: Itching was the most common subjective complaint and the duration of the itching was as follows; 20 to 30 yrs (50.0%), 1 to 10 yrs (25.0%), 10 to 20 yrs (20.8%) etc. The skin lesions were all multiple, and the involved area was as follows; upper extremities (83.3%), trunk (75.0%), lower extremities (70.8%) etc. There were two categories of clinical skin presentation. The first was the cases with lesion that were thought to be made by physical trauma such as stinging or excoriation, and the second more common cases had lesions that were thought to be made by chemical agents (70.8%). These cases resembled allergic or toxic irritant dermatitis and the lesions were composed of vesicles, erosions, ulcers and crusts that were within an arm's reach. Only 4 cases admitted to intentionally inflicting their skin lesions because of intense itching, and the others denied that they made the skin lesions by themselves. Skin biopsies were carried out in 19 of the total 24 cases, and the most common finding was spongiotic dermatitis (57.8%). CONCLUSION: This study showed the distribution and characteristics of self-inflicted dermatoses, and the study provides fundamental data for dermatologists to assess patients with self-inflicted dermatoses.
2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic Acid ; 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid ; Biopsy ; Bites and Stings ; Citrus sinensis ; Dermatitis ; Dermatitis, Irritant ; Hospitals, Veterans ; Humans ; Intention ; Korea ; Lower Extremity ; Medical Records ; Pruritus ; Skin ; Skin Diseases ; Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin ; Ulcer ; Upper Extremity ; Veterans ; Vietnam

PURPOSE: Esophageal tolerance is needed to guide the safe administration of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). We evaluated comprehensive dose-volume parameters of acute esophageal toxicity in patients with spinal metastasis treated with SRS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From May 2008 to May 2011, 30 cases in 27 patients with spinal metastasis received single fraction SRS to targets neighboring esophagus. Endpoints evaluated include length (mm), volume (mL), maximal dose (Gy), and series of dose-volume thresholds from the dose-volume histogram (volume of the organ treated beyond a threshold dose). RESULTS: The median time from the start of irradiation to development of esophageal toxicity was 2 weeks (range, 1 to 12 weeks). Six events of grade 1 esophageal toxicity occurred. No grade 2 or higher events were observed. V15 of external surface of esophagus was found to predict acute esophageal toxicity revealed by multivariate analysis (odds radio = 1.272, p = 0.047). CONCLUSION: In patients with spinal metastasis who received SRS for palliation of symptoms, the threshold dose-volume parameter associated with acute esophageal toxicity was found to be V15 of external surface of esophagus. Restrict V15 to external surface of esophagus as low as possible might be safe and feasible in radiosurgery.
Esophagus ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Radiation Tolerance ; Radiosurgery*