BACKGROUND: Pain is among the most prevalent symptoms experienced by patients with cancer. Severe pain is incompatible with quality of life. Although cancer pain can be effectively treated in 70-90% of patients with the principle of pain management, between 60% and 70% of cancer patients pain is inadequately treated. Both knowledge and attitudes of medical professionals are important for effective pain management. This study was designed to survey residents knowledge and attitudes toward cancer pain management in order to offer the basic data for researching the problems and education program of cancer pain management. METHODS: In February 1997, we surveyed 116 residents practising in 7 departments of one university hospital, including physicians and surgeons, with a case-oriented questionnaire assessing knowledge and attitudes toward cancer pain management. RESULTS: The percentage of residents choosing the correct answer for knowledge about pain management was, pain in the drug abuser(42.2%), equianalgesic dosing(47.4%), physical dependence(50.9%), WHO analgesic ladder(61.2%), neuropathic pain(62.9%), around the clock dosing(69.8%). The percentage of residents choosing answer for attitude toward cancer pain management ; upper limit to opioid prescription(46.5%), reluctance to prescribe morphine(45.7%), need of education for pain management(99.1%). Fear of side effects was the most frequent reason of their reluctance to prescribe opioids(80.4%.) Physicians had higher level of knowledge than surgeons(P=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows the presence of barriers to adequate pain control in Korea as identified in other countries. There is the lack of konwledge about cancer pain management and doctors are reluctant to prescribe because of negative attitudes towards pain management. This suggests a need for not simply offering knowledge but problemsolving education and training of pain management.
Education ; Humans ; Korea ; Pain Management* ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires

In order to investigate the relationship between stress and fatigue of research workers, we surveyed 246 research workers from September 15 to October 20, 1997. The results were as follows ; 1. Females, 20~29 years of ages, singles are associated with significantly higher stress symptoms and fatigue symptoms 2. The research workers who drink nearly everyday complained significantly lower stress symptoms and fatigue symptoms. 3. The research workers who excercise regularly complained significantly lower stress symptoms and fatigue symptoms. 4. The research workers who are somewhat satisfied by Job and income complained lower stress symptoms and fatigue symptoms. 5. The high risk stress group was 4.5 % of the research workers. The latent stress group was 93.9 % and healthy group was 1.6 %. The research workers belonged to high risk stress group complained significantly higher fatigue symptoms.
Fatigue* ; Female ; Humans

We recently encountered two cases of emphysematous pyelonephritis with abscess formation, which have recovered by only conservative treatment and percutaneous abscess drainage(PAD). Two patients had diabetes mellitus. in the first case, initial CT showed left intrarenal abscess with air-fluid level. In the second case, CT showed right perirenal abscess with air-fluid level. PAD was performed under CT and US guidances, respectively. Both patients were successfully treated with PAD and conservative treatment. Follow up after confirmation of abscess resolution by CT scan and contrast study through the catheter, we removed catheters two months and 40 days after PAD respectively.
Abscess* ; Catheters ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Drainage* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Pyelonephritis* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The purposes of this clinical study are to observe the clinical findings of the high lumbar disc herniation, to analyze the of the posterior approach and to define the surgical indications of the high lumbar disc herniation. We analyzed the 13 cases which were treated at the Deparment of the Orthopaedic Surgery, National Medical Center from March 1988 to December 1992(Mean follow up rate : 17. 2 months). 1. We operated 10 cases by posterior approach and 1 case by anterior approach due to marked degenerative osteophyte. 2. We evaluated the post-operative results by modified Macnab criteria, the 2 cases showed no symptomatic improvement because of respectively associated high lumbar osteophyte and lower lumbar spinal stenosis. 3. On conclusion, suspicion is important in cases of incompatible clinical symptoms and signs of the intervertebral disc herniation. MRI is the most recommended diagnostic tool, because it can provide the high lumbar levels with saggital section image and differentiate herniation from degenerative osteophyte. As for the surgical indications of high lumbar disc herniations, we suggest marked dural compression by disc or sequestered disc materials in MRI, definite neurological complications such as ankle clonus, increased DTR, weakness of quadriceps and hip flexor muscle and severe radiating pain on the anterior thigh. We recommended the posterior approach for the surgical intervention of high lumbar disc herniation except cases marked degenerative osteophytes.
Ankle ; Clinical Study ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hip ; Intervertebral Disc ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Osteophyte ; Spinal Stenosis ; Thigh

No abstract available.
Chest Pain* ; Thorax*

We analyzed neurodevelopmental outcome data of 36 selected studies. Data of individual studies were pooled by birth weight group: <800g, <1.000g, <1.500g and by time period of birth year: Period I (pre-intensive care era), 1960-67:Period II (beginning period of intensive care), 1968-76: and Period III (established period of intensive care), 1977-87. In all weight groups, survival and intact outcome rates based on live birth have progressively improved over the three period. The major neurodevelopmental handicap rate of the <1,500g decreased in Period III vs. Period I and Period II (66,70, and 45 per 1,000 live births in I, II, and III, respectively). However, the major handicap rate in the <800g and the <1,000g live births increased: in the <800g, from 48 per 1,000 live births in Period II to 101 in Period III and, in the <1000g, from 28 per 1,000 live births in Period I to 67 in Period II and 73 in Period III. Increases in major handicap rate in two lower weight groups were predominantly the effect of increasing number of survivors over these periods and had little to do with the change in handicap rates in the survivors. In the <1,500g, the magnitude of reduction in handicap rate in the survivors was sufficient to overwhelm the effect of increased survival, resulting in a reduction in the number of major handicapped children. We conclude that based on the currently avaiable reports, neonatal intensive care has provided very low birth weight infants with a reduction in mortality, an increase in intact outcome, and decrease in the number of major neurodevelopmentally handicapped children. We try to estimate the trend of major neurodevelopmental handicap and intactoutcome of infants with birth weights <1,500g in Korea and speculate that major handicap rate have progressively increased over the three period in spite of increase in intact outcome.
Birth Weight ; Disabled Children ; Humans ; Infant* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight* ; Intensive Care, Neonatal* ; Korea ; Live Birth ; Mortality ; Parturition ; Survivors

PURPOSE: Factors affecting the response to surfactant replacement therapy are considered as types of surfactant, and strategies of treatment including prophylactic vs rescue therapy, single vs multiple doses, methods of mechanical ventilation, and modes of surfactant delivery. Among those factors, response to surfactant replacement therapy according to the modes of surfactant delivery was rarely studied in the world. In preterm infants with RDS, we studied the efficacy and adverse effects of surfactant replacernent therapy according to the differences in the modes of surfactant delivery. METHOD: Preterm infant weighing 500-2,500g with RDS who required assisted ventilation were divided into two groups. One group is as follows five fractional doses with five positional changes after removal from ventilator by feeding tube technique. The other group is as follows; two fractional doses with two positional changes by side-port adaptor technique. Of the 30 infants enrolled, 15 were randomly assigned to each group. We compared the respiratory indices, chest radiologic response, clinical outcome after surfactant replacement, and adverse effects during dosing procedure. RESULT: There were no diffrences of patient profile between two groups. There were significant improvernent in FiO2, a/APO2, MAP, OI, and chest radiologic response following surfactant replacement therapy in both groups. No significant differences were noted in the adverse effects during dosing procedure and incidence of complication. CONCLUSION: In initial phase of RDS treatment with surfactant replacement therapy, two fractional doses with two positional changes by side-port adaptor technique improve respiratory indices, radiologic response without dernonstrable harmful effects as five fractional doses with five positional changes after removal from ventilator by feeding tube technique, however two fractional dosing procedure is more recommendable because of #more simple and convenient procedure.
Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Respiration, Artificial ; Thorax ; Ventilation ; Ventilators, Mechanical

We studied the effects of chronic hyperoxia (>95% oxygen for 14 days) in change of body weight, wet to dry lung weight ratio, and morphologic changes of lung tissue compared with that of room air (21% oxygen for 14 days) in Sprague-Dawley neonatal rat pups. The results were as follows: 1) In neonatal rat pups exposed to room air (normoxia group), body weight of initial 3 days of neonatal rat pups was 9.18 0.18g, and body weights of developing rat pups exposed to room air for 7, 10, 14 days were 14.07 1.90, 17.00 2.09, 23.07 1.93g respectively. In neonatal rat pups exposed to hyperoxia (hyperoxia group), body weight of initial 3 days of neonatal rat pups was 9.35 0.80 g, and body weights of developing rat pups exposed to hyperoxia for 7, 10, 14 days were 11.06 1.31, 12.64 1.77, 15,41 1.65 g respectively. These results suggest that changes of body weight in developing rat pups were stunted significantly in the hyperoxia group compared with normoxia group during 14days-experiment (p<0.01). 2) No appreciable difference of wet to dry lung weight ratio was noted at initial 3 days of neonatal rat pups between normoxia group and hyperoxia group, but considerably increased wet to dry lung weight ratio was noted significantly at 7 days of exposure in the hyperoxia group compared with the normoxia group (p<0.05). The difference of wet to dry lung weight ratio was not significant at 10, 14 days of exposure between normoxia group and hyperoxia group. These results suggested that relative water content of wet lung was at a peak at 7 days of exposure in hyperoxia group. 3) The lung from developing rat pups exposed to room air for 7 days had many small alveoli and numerous septal buds. However, in the lung from developing rat pups exposed to hyperoxia for 7 days, presence of pink staining material within the lumen of the air spaces (proteinaceous edema fluid) and increased interstitial cellularity due to infiltration by macrophages and neutrophils was observed, and these findings suggested acute exudative lung injury. 4) In most lungs from developing rat pups exposed to room air for 14 days, much increased alveolarization including the secondary septal bud formation was observed. However, in most lungs from developing rat pups exposed to hypeoxia for 14 days, increased septal and interstitial cellularity and thickness and interstitial fibrosis were observed significantly compared with normoxia group (p<0.01). In conclusion we could make a experimental animal model which had similar histopathologic finding of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in human infant and this model will be useful for research of pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
Animals ; Body Weight ; Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia ; Edema ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Hyperoxia* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Lung Injury ; Lung* ; Macrophages ; Models, Animal ; Neutrophils ; Oxygen ; Pulmonary Edema ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

No abstract available.
Stents* ; Trachea*

No abstract available.
Ductus Arteriosus, Patent* ; Humans ; Indomethacin* ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature*