The Associations of Coping Mechanism with Arterial Stiffness in Hwa-Byung Patients

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to assess the relationship between stress coping mechanisms and the risk of atherosclerosis in patients with Hwa-Byung. METHODS: The Korean version of the Ways of Coping Checklist (WOCC) was administered to 50 patients with Hwa-Byung (49.1+/-10.1 years, 6 males). Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and serum cholesterol level were assessed in all participants. RESULTS: After controlling for age, sex, diagnosis of hypertension, Body Mass Index (BMI), and serum cholesterol level, the score of seeking social support in coping strategies was negatively correlated with right and left baPWV (r=-0.356, p=0.016; r=-0.373, p=0.012, respectively). In addition, the score of active coping mechanism was negatively correlated with both sides of baPWV (r=-0.383, p=0.009; r=-0.389, p=0.008, respectively). CONCLUSION: The seeking social support and active coping mechanism were inversely related to the severity of arterial stiffness in Hwa-Byung patients. Therefore, our result may suggest a possibility that coping strategies in Hwa-Byung patients are associated with the risk of atherosclerosis.

The Associations of Coping Mechanism with Arterial Stiffness in Hwa-Byung Patients

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to assess the relationship between stress coping mechanisms and the risk of atherosclerosis in patients with Hwa-Byung. METHODS: The Korean version of the Ways of Coping Checklist (WOCC) was administered to 50 patients with Hwa-Byung (49.1+/-10.1 years, 6 males). Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and serum cholesterol level were assessed in all participants. RESULTS: After controlling for age, sex, diagnosis of hypertension, Body Mass Index (BMI), and serum cholesterol level, the score of seeking social support in coping strategies was negatively correlated with right and left baPWV (r=-0.356, p=0.016; r=-0.373, p=0.012, respectively). In addition, the score of active coping mechanism was negatively correlated with both sides of baPWV (r=-0.383, p=0.009; r=-0.389, p=0.008, respectively). CONCLUSION: The seeking social support and active coping mechanism were inversely related to the severity of arterial stiffness in Hwa-Byung patients. Therefore, our result may suggest a possibility that coping strategies in Hwa-Byung patients are associated with the risk of atherosclerosis.

Osteonecrosis of the Jaw in Korean Woman with Osteoporosis Treated with Oral Bisphosphonate: Case Report

The prevalence of osteoporosis was increased. Bisphosphonates are effective medications for osteoporosis because these are increasing bone mineral density and lowering the risk of fractures. Recently, bisphosphonate associated osteonecrosis of the jaws has been well documented. Most reports relate to complications resulting from intravenous bisphosphonate therapy. Oral bisphosphonates have a good safety profile in the treatment of osteoprosis. A few cases were reported about oral bisphosphonates associated osteonecrosis, and we could not find Korean case in literatures. The aim of this repot is to present a Korean women case of osteonecrosis of the jaw associated with oral bisphosphonate treatment for osteoprosis.

The study on the development of relative value in medical treatment of the oral and maxillofacial surgery

The aim of this study is to evaluate the reasonableness of the medical fee on oral and maxillofacial surgery field according to surgeon's opinions and actual conditions. The medical fee has significant influence on hospital income, the supply and distribution of medical manpower, quality and facilities of medical services. Questionnaire survey was sent to 86 oral and maxillofacial surgeons who worked more than 3 years in general hospital. Among them, 25 doctors replied the 109 answers survey and the average of treatment time and physician work relative value on each category was calculated. And the health insurance cost (that has been applied since 2003) was compared with the questionnaire results. And finally we investigated items that health insurance system did not include in oral and maxillofacial field but actually performed in oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic. The result was that the medical fee did not properly reflect physician work relative value of actual treatments. In case of complicated extraction, work relative value needed 3.5 times enhancement of present value. For simple impacted tooth extraction 1.8 times, for impacted tooth extraction including odontomy 1.7 times, and for fully impacted tooth more than 2/3 of it located into the alveolar bone, 1.8 times enhancement needed. In respect of the present physician work relative value, hemimandibulectomy with neck lymph node dissection for the malignancy is appropriated as 3.3 times of open reduction and internal fixation for the mandibular fracture, but the questionnaire result showed 25 times discrepancy. In conclusion, this research shows the need for intervention that health insurance included items and legal relative medical value must act in union with treatment in clinic to reduce the imbalance between them.

A Convenient Method of Adenosine Administration for Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to observe the success rate, the average of total admininstration doses and the complications associated with a convenient method of adenosine administration for paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT). METHODS: A non-blind, randomized, prospective study was conducted during the 30 months from January 1999 to June 2001. We enrolled 65 cases during this period. The number of cases in the standard method group was 35, and that in the mixed method group was 30. In the standard method group, 6 mg of adenosine was administered intravenously; therefore, 15~20 ml of normal saline was immediately flushed. This method is usually used and recommended. In the mixed method group, 6 mg of adenosine had been previously mixed with 15 ml of normal saline was administered intravenously without any additional manipulation. We evaluated the success rate, the average successful doses, and the complications of each group. RESULTS: The success rate was 80% in the standard method group and 85.7 % in the mixed method group, but this difference was not statistically significant (Chi square test, p=0.39). The average of total admininstration doses were 10.3+/-6.3 mg in the standard method group and 11.0+/-6.5 mg in the mixed method group, but this difference is not statistically significant (student t-test, p=0.07). There was no remarkable complication in the mixed method group. CONCLUSION: The mixed method was effective and more convenient than the standard method. A further, larger study is required.