OBJECTIVE: Our purpose was to investigate the relationship between the levels of IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the peritoneal fluid of women with and without endometriosis and infertile women. METHODS: This study is prospective and case-control study in University hospital, enrolled thirty-four women with laparoscopic findings of minimal to severe endometriosis, and thirty-seven women with no visual evidence of pelvic endometriosis and with benign gynecologic disease. IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha levels in peritoneal fluid were determined using commercial ELISA. IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations were compared among women with and without endometriosis, and with infertile and fertile women, and then also compared according the revised American Fertility Society classification. RESULTS: IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations were higher than in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis than in matched normal controls. Cyclic variations in IL-6 concentrations were seen in peritoneal fluid from patients with endometriosis: the concentrations in the secretory phase were significantly higher than those in the proliferative phase. The concentrations were higher than among of infertile women than in fertile women. A significant correlation between IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha concentrations and endometriosis stage III and IV was noted. CONCLUSION: Increased levels of IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha in patients with endometriosis in the peritoneal fluid may be relate to the pathogenesis of endometriosis suggesting that partially contribute to the disturbed immune regulation observed in patients with endometriosis.
Ascitic Fluid* ; Case-Control Studies ; Classification ; Endometriosis* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Female ; Fertility ; Genital Diseases, Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-6* ; Prospective Studies ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

Reconstruction of the auricle is one of the most fastidious fields in plastic and reconstructive facial surgery, because the ear is made up of complex cartilage framework arid its thin skin envelope. Insertion of carved rib cartilage is the most popular method for framework fabrication. But it has some disadvantages such as donor site morbidity, lesser flexibility of rib cartilage, difficulty in carving structure and distortion of cartilage after calving. Furthermore surgeon's talent and sufficient practice are necessary for a satisfactory result. So we introduced the concept of perichondral graft to improve the framework fabrication. In 1972 Skoog and associates reported that free perichondral grafts could be used to produce new cartilage. And several other reports supported the chondrogenesis of free perichondral graft. We molded the human ear using silicone rubbed impression material. And the eat mold was wrapped up in perichodrium of rabbit ear and placed in a subcutaneous pocket in formes of graft and flap. Six and eight weeks later, rabbits were sacrified and the newly formed cartilage framework was harvested. Grossly it showed the same appearance as the human eat and elastic property of normal cartilage. In histologic examination, it showed mature structure of normal cartilage; large lacunae containing spherical chondrocytes surrounded by well defined capsule.
Aptitude ; Cartilage ; Chondrocytes ; Chondrogenesis ; Ear ; Ear Cartilage* ; Fungi ; Humans ; Plastics ; Pliability ; Rabbits ; Ribs ; Silicones ; Skin ; Tissue Donors ; Transplants*

Alkaline Phosphatase ; Animals ; Biological Assay ; Biological Factors ; Bone Matrix ; Bone Morphogenetic Proteins ; Calcium ; Cartilage ; Chromatography ; Collagen ; Collagen Type I ; Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel ; Foreign Bodies ; Guanidine ; Osteogenesis ; Rats ; Sodium ; Tail ; Transforming Growth Factors

OBJECTIVES: The long-term outpatient group psychotherapy with the chronically ill is an effective, expedient therapeutic modality that makes patients maintain medication and improve their symptoms, helps patients resolve emotional conflict, and corrects their maladaptive interpersonal relationship. Therefore, we performed weekly the semi-opened, heterogeneous, long-term(open-ended), outpatient group psychotherapy to be applicable effectively for the chronically ill. The objectives of this study are as follows; first, we introduce therapeutic principles and management methods of the group psychotherapy to be applicable in the clinical environment with the chronically ill; second, we examine the therapeutic factors in each group development stage which are helped by participants, and analyze the characteristics showed in the process of study; third, we verify the appropriateness and the validity of this group psychotherapy and then establish the base of the effective long-term outpatient therapy for the chronically ill that will be settled down as a applicable treatment modality economically and efficiently in the present medical environment of Korea. METHODS: This study was performed in the subject of the chronically ill who attended at the day care program of Community Mental Health Center in Hanam city from January 1998 to June 1999. The participants were 27 patients, but we dropped 7 patients who attended under 6 months because of long-term group. So the last subjects were 20 patients (12 males and 8 females) who attended for 18 months. The 13 therapeutic factors scale was filled out by participants just after each session and the self-report total assessment questionnaire was performed at the time of study-termination and patient-termiation. RESULTS: The ranks of 13 therapeutic factors scale are as follows: in the forming stage, the upper ranks of therapeutic factors were existential factor, guidance of therapists, instillation of hope, altruism, and catharsis in order. And in the storming stage, the upper ranks of therapeutic factors were existential factor, instillation of hope, guidance of therapists, catharsis, and group cohesiveness in order. Lastly in the norming stage, the upper ranks of therapeutic factors were existential factor, altruism, corrective recapitulation, interpersonal learning, and catharsis in order. According to the total assessment questionnaire about group psychotherapy reported by the participants 90% of them were helped, 80% of them had an idea to recommend this program to other patients actively, and 75% of them had an opinion to attend again this program if given for them. And they evaluated positively about the structure of this program and the therapist. CONCLUSIONS: The long-term outpatient group psychotherapy would be applicable effectively to the chronically ill as a economic, efficient therapeutic modality for rehabilitation. It is much more effective for therapist to perceive in detail the therapeutic factors in each group develop-ment stage when he perfoms the group psychotherapy.
Altruism ; Catharsis ; Chronic Disease ; Day Care, Medical ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hope ; Humans ; Korea ; Learning ; Male ; Mental Health ; Mentally Ill Persons* ; Outpatients* ; Psychotherapy, Group* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Rehabilitation

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Psoriasis

In a jaundiced patient, it is important to ascertain as early as possible whether the bile duct is dilated. Ultrasonography, computed tomography & conventional cholangiography are widely accepted methods of determining the size of the extrahepatic bile ducts. But there is a considerable discrepancy among the size of the bile duct as measured from them. So the author analyzed and compared the respective diameters of the bile ducts in Korean normal adults as measured from cadaver, IV cholangiography, ultrasoud and computed tomography. The materials were 45 cases of cadaver, 38 cases of IV cholangiography, 100 cases of ultrasonography & 55 cases of computed tomography. The results were as follows ; 1. The diameters of the bile ducts were 7.58±2.26mm at CHD & 8.04±2.42mm at CBD from cadaver ; 5.38±1.90mm at CHD & 6.58±2.37mm at CBD from IV cholanglography ; 3.24±1.13mm at CHD & 4.71±1.48mm at CBD from ultrasonography ; and 4.56±1.51mm at CHD & 5.87±1.68mm at CBD from computed tomography. 2. The diameter of the bile duct was greatest in cadaver, and then reduced in IV cholangiography, computed tomography and ultrasonography in this orde.r 3. There were no size discrepancy between the diameter of the common hepatic duct and that of the common bile duct. 4. There were no discrepanry of the diameter of the bile duct by sex.
Adult* ; Bile Ducts* ; Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic ; Bile* ; Cadaver ; Cholangiography ; Common Bile Duct ; Hepatic Duct, Common ; Humans ; Ultrasonography

No abstract available.
Antibodies* ; Coxiella burnetii* ; Coxiella* ; Korea* ; Prevalence* ; Q Fever*

Low energy intakes, poor nutritional quality, and low food diversity are among the factors affecting the nutritional status of elderly in Korea. Therefore, a nutrition counseling and education program was conducted to promote dietary change and to improve nutritional status of elderly. The 7 step program consisted of a individual nutrition counseling and weekly or biweekly group nutrition education programs. Pre- and post-test measurings of dietary behaviors, attitudes, nutrition knowledge, and 24-hour dietary recall data were collected. Positive changes in the attitude related to diet were noted, whereas nutritional knowledge scores were not improved. Significant increases were noted in the frequency of vegetable consumption in female and diversity of food consumption in male. The densities of vitamin C(male & female), B1, B2, and niacin, calculated using the INQ(Index of Nutritional Quality), were significantly improved by nutrition counseling and education programs. These results suggest the appropriateness of nutrition intervention programs for the improvement of elderly nutrition.
Aged* ; Community Health Centers* ; Counseling* ; Diet ; Education* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Niacin ; Nutritional Status ; Nutritive Value ; Vegetables ; Vitamins

The elderly are the most rapidly growing segment of the population in Korea and the largest consumers of expensive medical care. It is reasonable to believe that improving the nutritional status would be beneficial to reducing morbidity and to improving the quality of their lives. This study was conducted to assess the health status and the Nutritional Risk Index of the elderly, and to provide the basic data for the Elderly Nutrition Improvement Program at the Public Health Center. One hundred and forty seven(76 males. 71 females) aged 60 years and over living in Suwon, were assessed with anthropometric measurements, body fat analysis, blood pressure measurements, and a set of about health and other related variables. Over half of them had less than a junior middle school education and were considered low income. The percentage of overweight and obese subjects was 33% by the BMI(Body Mass Index), and the prevalence of hypertension was 28%(males) and 31%(females). They had a lot of self-recognized health problems, the male elderly complained about more than the female elderly. In the case of psychological health status, however, the female elderly showed a higher proportions of depression than the male elderly(p<0.05). In social health status, the elderly had good relationships with friends and collegues, whereas they had poor relationships with their families. They had many nutritional risk factors, and smoking was the most prevalent risk factor for the male elderly and anemia was for the female elderly. The results of this study suggest that Elderly Nutrition Improvement Programs should be planned that can be easily followed. It would be helpful to design a program focusing on individual phychological and social health status, this would increase the efficiency of the program.
Adipose Tissue ; Aged* ; Anemia ; Blood Pressure ; Depression ; Education ; Female ; Friends ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Male ; Nutritional Status ; Overweight ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Risk Factors ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Surveys and Questionnaires