• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.77-90
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• 1995

The Purposes of this study were to examine plasma homovanillic acid(pHVA) levels and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid(pHIAA) levels in schizophrenics during haloperidol treatment, and to assess the association of pHVA and pHIM levels with their psychopathology and treatment responses. Fourteen patients entered the study and pHVA, pHIAA levels were measured at baseline, first week, second week and fourth week during treatment. Also, plasma haloperidol levels were measured at first week, second week and fourth week. Psychopathology was evaluated with Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale(BPRS) at baseline, 1st week, 2nd week and 4th week. 1) There were significant differences on the duration of illness and total BPRS scores at baseline between higher pHVA group(baseline pHVA level >7.72ng/mL) and lower pHVA group(baseline pHVA level <7.72ng/mL). 2) There was no significant difference on the duration of illness between higher pHIM group(baseline pHIAA level >3.18ng/mL). and lower pHIAA group(baseline pHIAA level <3.18ng/mL). 3) The Means of pHVA levels at 1 st week and 2nd week after treatment decreased significantly in the higher pHVA group and did not change in the lower pHVA group. 4) In the higher pHIAA group, the mean of pHIAA levels at 4th week after treatment decreased significantly, but did not change in the lower pHIAA group. 5) Between the higher pHIVA group and lower pHVA group, the response rates(percentile improvement) after treatment were not different from each other, but there was significant difference on the response rate between the lower pHIAA group and higher pHIM group at 2nd week. 6) There was significant correlation between total BPRS scores and pHVA levels in the higher pHVA group during treatment. The results suggest that repeated measurement of pHVA levels and pHIAA levels following antipsychotic treatment have prognostic significance for response. Also, shcizophrenics whose have relatively nigh levels of pHVA, or relatively low levels of pHIAA before treatment will show a favorable early responses to antipsychotics.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.56-65
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• 2004

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of life of caretaking family members who have a patient with psychiatric disorders. The results will be served as a basic data of ameliorating the quality of life of caregivers. Methods: 78 caretaking family members who have a patient with schizophrenia and 54 caretaking family members who have a patient with alcohol dependence, a total of 132 persons completed the questionnaire, and analyzed. The Korean version of the SmithKline Beecham Quality of Life Scale and the Family Burden Scale were applied. Results: There was no statistically significant correlation between burden and sex, age, income, and duration of living with patients before onset. The male caregiver showed higher quality of life than that of female. It showed statistically significant correlation between age and factor physical well-being and factor activity. 41% of variance of quality of life of caregivers were explained by the stress response, burden, and overall merits of the field of psychiatry, and the tension had the most explanatory power. Conclusion: The chronic illness may give a burden on caregivers, and that decrease the quality of life of caregivers. The longer duration of illness of patients, the lower quality of life of caregivers on competence factor. Therefore, the authors recommend the therapeutic modality must be offered to the caregivers who may experience the stress and burden.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.404-409
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• 1993

Background: There are many retreatment failure patients admitted in National Kongju Tuberculosis Hospital. But there is not satisfactory treatment method for them at present. We think that more attentions and active measures for them are needed. Method: We reviewed sex and age, duration of illness, previously used antituberculosis drugs, drug resistance, extent of disease, reasons for early stopping or irregular medication and schooling of 50 retreatment failure patients admitted in National Kongju Tuberculosis Hospital from April 1992 to February 1993. Results: 1) The male to female ratio was 3:2 and 62% of the patients were between 21 and 40 years of age. 2) Twenty eight cases (56%) had the duration of illness over 10 years. 3) All cases had used most of the antituberculosis drugs. 4) Drug sensitivity test showed resistance to RMP in 46 cases (96%), INH in 40 cases (83%) and other drugs in 3-32 cases (6-67%). 5) Forty eight cases (96%) had far advanced disease on chest P-A film. 6) Twenty eight cases (56%) in primary chemotherapy and twenty one cases (42%) in retreatment had the histories of premature stopping or irregular ingestion of the drug. The reasons for premature stopping or irregular ingestion of the drug were as follows; in primary chemotherapy, 29 cases (75%) were due to 'having no symptoms', while in retreatment, 6 cases (29%) were due to 'having no symtoms', 6 cases (29%) were 'too, busy' and 3 cases (14%) were for 'financial problem'. 7) Twenty seven cases (54%) had at least graduated from high school. Conclusion: Greater efforts are needed to prevent tratment failure. More supports and admission treatment for retreatment failure patients are needed to prevent infection and to treat properly.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.694-699
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• 1993

Background: After the introduction of more potent antituberculous drugs and the nation-wide tuberculosis management the prevalence rate and mortality rate of pulmonary tuberculosis has been reduced continuously. But we still experienced many patients who succumbed to this disease. So we investigated the causes of treatment failure and death of patients with pulmonary tuberculosis to delineate the problems in the management of these patients. Methods: Retrospective analysis of medical records of 55 patients who died of pulmonary tuberculosis in Kyung-Hee University Hospital during the period of Mar. 1979-Feb. 1990. Results: 1) Average duration of illness was $11.9{\pm}10.1$ years. 2) The mortality rate of in-patients with pulmonary tuberculosis was 2.09%. 3) 47.3% of patients had been treated more than twice and the sputum positive rate was 52.7%. 4) Causes of death were acute respiratory failure(56.4%), asphyxia by hemoptysis(14.6%), cor pulmonale(9.1%), tension pneumothotax(7.3%), vital organ involvement(9.1%) and coexisting diseases(3.5%). Conclusion: Many of these patients had long duration of illness, persistant sputum AFB and high incidence of acute respiratory failure as a fatal complication. It seemed that patient's neglect of their disease and inadequate treatment had caused aggravation of tuberculosis.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.20-33
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• 2023

Objectives: This study is designed to statistically analyze the features of patients who visited to Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion at OO Korean Medicine Hospital for 3 years. Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients at Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion at OO Korean Medicine Hospital using IBM SPSS ver. 27.0 for Windows. Results: 1. In the analysis of the total number of patients, those in their 30s accounted for the highest percentage, male patients had a higher rate. 2. In the analysis of KCD-8 code, spinal stenosis and fractures in areas other than the spine were the most common in the 70s and older, and cervical sprains were the most common in other. 3. In the analysis of the number of hospitalizations, patients classified as illness or higher age had more re-hospitalization than patients classified as injury or lower age in first-time care. 4. In the analysis of hospitalization duration, patients classified as illness, female or higher age had longer hospitalization duration than patients classified as accident, male or lower age in first-time care. Conclusion: We expect that the results of this study would be used as reference materials for analyzing medical consumption condition of Department of Acupuncture and Moxibustion.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.730-735
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• 1993

BOOP is a clinopathologic entity consisting of a flu-like illness, late inspiratory crackles, and pathologically granulation tissue plugs within lumens of small airways sometimes with complete obstruction of small airways and granulation tissue extending into alveolar ducts and alveoli with a variable degree of interstitial infiltration of mononuclear cells and accumulation of foamy macrophages in alveolar spaces in a patch distribution, and preservation of background architecture of the lung. It has patch infiltrates roentgenographically, and restrictive ventilatory defect pysiologically such as decreased vital capacity. and diffusing capacity. The BOOP has been observed in the context of collagen vascular disease, and other autoimmune disease secondary to treatment with penicillamine, bleomycin, acebutolol and amiodarone, following the inhalation of toxic fumes, after several infections including measles, pertussis and influenza and idiopathic. Clinically, response to coricosteroid therapy is good and relapse dose not occur if sufficient theraphy is good. A flu-like illness occurs in one third, cough in one third, cough with dyspnea in the remaining patients. Hemoptysis are rare. The physical examination reveales dry crackles in the majority of the patients with BOOP but rarely associated with wheezing. The duration of illness is less than 2 months in 75% of patients. With a brief review of literature, we report a case of the BOOP which is good response to steroid, but frequent relapse and assoicated with wheezing.

• Anxiety and mood
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2010

Objective : This study compared the psychological stresses of depressed patients' families with those of schizophrenic patients' families. We investigated the influence of depressive patients' clinical features and their families' demographic characteristics on the families' depressive symptoms and stresses. Methods : Participants were 23 family members of depressed patients and 20 family members of schizophrenic patients. We measured the patients' clinical features (duration of illness, number of previous hospitalizations, and satisfaction with medication), and each family member's socioeconomic status and psychological characteristics (depressive mood, anxiety, family stress, and stress response), analyzing the data via independent t-test, chi-square test, and correlation and hierarchical multiple regression analyses. Results : The depressed patients' average clinical global impression (CGI) was significantly higher than that of the schizophrenic patients. The depressed patients' family members showed stress responses significantly higher than those of schizophrenic patients' family members. Furthermore, in depressed patients, frequency of hospitalization was positively correlated with family members' stat anxiety. For both patient types, family stress was positively correlated with the patient's severity of illness and the family's state anxiety, trait anxiety, and stress response ; socioeconomic status was positively correlated with the family's depressive symptoms ; the family's state anxiety positively correlated with the family's trait anxiety and stress response ; and the family's trait anxiety positively correlated with the family's stress response. Socioeconomic status predicted the family's depressive symptoms, and socioeconomic, illness severity and stress response predicted family stress. Conclusion : These findings suggest that both depressed patients' families and schizophrenic patients' families suffer from psychological stress. The study data also have important clinical implications, in that families of depressed patients need psychiatric intervention, as well as the patients themselves. In particular, family intervention should focus on psycho-education and stress coping strategies.

• Childhood Kidney Diseases
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2017

Purpose: Febrile urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the commonest bacterial infections in children. The purpose of this study is to investigate the clinical characteristics of the first episode of febrile UTI occurring in children over 5 years compared to those in infants younger than a year. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 10 patients over 5 years, having febrile UTI, and 25 controls under 1 year. Clinical characteristics including symptoms at admission, the time interval between symptom onset and hospital visit and/or diagnosis, duration of fever, urinalysis, and other laboratory and imaging test results were compared between the two groups. Results: Most patients in the control group showed only high fever at the time of presentation to the hospital. However, 60% of the case group had fever along with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as abdominal and flank pain, vomiting, as well as relatively mild pyuria. The case group showed a longer duration between symptom onset and hospital visit and/or diagnosis. Conclusions: Delay in diagnosis and initiation of treatment of UTI increases the risk of permanent renal scarring and associated complications. Therefore, early diagnosis and treatment of febrile UTI is vital for very young infants, as well as children considering that febrile UTI could be an important cause of febrile illness in children over 5 years.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.79 no.4
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• pp.267-273
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• 2016

Background: Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disorder with several clinical presentations. This study was undertaken in the Azeri Turkish population in Iran, to investigate gender differences in the age at onset and diagnosis, age of death, and duration of illness of CF. Methods: The data of 331 CF patients from 2001 to 2015 was surveyed. Parameters including age, sex, ${\Delta}F508$ mutation, age at onset, age at diagnosis, age of death and clinical presentations were evaluated for both sexes, using descriptive analysis. The association of gender with these variables was studied using logistic regression, chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test by SPSS version 18. Odds ratio with a confidence interval of 95% and $p{\leq}0.05$ was considered statistically significant. Results: The study included 191 males (57.7%) and 140 females (42.3%), all showing statistically significant difference (p<0.001). Age duration differed between genders. Male and female patients were further under 9 and 4 years, respectively. The occurrence of ${\Delta}F508$ mutation was 0.51 times more in females than in males. Age, diagnosis and sex were closely associated: males were diagnosed at a significantly later age than females (p=0.05). While this compression performed based on clinical presentations, males with respiratory disease had a later median age at diagnosis than females at lifespan (p=0.001). The risk of infertility in males was approximately two times greater than in females (p=0.02). Conclusion: These findings indicate gender differences in CF patients. Future studies are needed to establish other differences and evaluate the causes for the gender variations.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.37-50
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• 1999

The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors of osteoporosis. The data were collected from women who visited Physical Examination Center of a university hospital located in Taejon during the period of September 1997-August 1998. The sample was divided into two groups(the osteoporosis group of 44 cases and the control group of 66 cases). The results were summarized as follows ; 1. Sociodemographic characteristics(education and family income) and BMI showed no significant difference between the osteoporosis group and the control group. 2. There was no significant difference in coffee, unbalanced diet, diet method and meal habit between the osteoporosis group and the control group. 3. The osteoporosis group reported more incidence of operative menopause due to hysterectomy and oophorectomy, but this was not statistically significant. There was no significant difference in use of oral pill use, past disease and family history of fracture between the osteoporosis group and the control group, but the odds ratio(OR 3.11, 95% CI : 1.30-7.41) of present illness was statistically significant in the osteoporosis group. 4. There was no significant difference in the reproductive history including number of delivery and abortion and feeding method between the osteoporosis group and the control group. 5. The osteoporosis group showed significant results of lower menopausal age, shorter duration of menstruation and longer duration after menopause compared to the control group. 6. The osteoporosis group reported significantly lower level of physical activity in such variables as work activity and walking time. 7. A logistic analysis showed that shorter period of menstruation, lower level of physical activity, non-alcohol drinking group, and presence of disease were related to the possibility of occurring of osteoporosis.