The Temperament and Character of Korean Male Conscripts with Military Maladjustment-A Preliminary Study

OBJECTIVE: Recently, an increasing number of Korean male conscripts have been retiring because of military maladjustment despite the presence of qualifying medical and psychological screening tests in the Korean army. These problems suggest the presence of a common personality problem. To further examine this possibility, the present study used Cloninger's psychobiological model to investigate the temperament and character of soldiers suffering from military maladjustment. METHODS: Seventy-nine maladjusted male conscripts and eighty-seven controls enrolled at the 1596th unit from April 2011 to June 2012 participated in the present study. To measure participant personality, we used the Korean version of the Temperament and Character Inventory, Revised-Short. We used logistic regression analysis to examine the association between TCI-RS scores and risk of military maladjustment. RESULTS: The maladjustment group had a lower rank, socioeconomic status, education level, and a shorter duration of military service than the control group. The harm avoidance and self-transcendence scores were significantly higher in the maladjustment group, with lower scores for reward dependence, persistence, self-directedness, and cooperativeness scores. However, of these measures, only low cooperativeness was associated with an increased risk of military maladjustment. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that a low level of cooperativeness can predict military inadequacy. Maladjusted male conscripts may have different personality characteristics from normals. To validate our results, further follow-up or cohort studies with a larger sample will be required.

Treatment Results of Sinonasal Sarcomas : 20 Cases in Asan Medical Center / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Sinonasal sarcomas are relatively rare tumors, accounting for only about 1 percent of all sinonasal malignancies. The purpose of this study is to analyze the clinical features, treatment modalities and outcomes, survival and prognostic factors of sinonasal sarcomas. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 20 patients who were diagnosed and treated for sinonasal sarcomas between July 1993 and June 2006. Potential prognostic factors including age, tumor size, histology and adjuvant treatment were evaluated. RESULTS: According to histologic subtype, twenty cases consisted of 7 rhabdomyosarcomas, each 2 cases of spindle cell sarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, angiosarcoma, and each 1 case of fibrosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, hemangiopericytoma, peripheral neuroectodermal tumor, myxoid sarcoma, osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma. The mean follow-up period was 61 months. Fourteen patients (65%) had undergone surgical approach with adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Four patients (20%) had undergone surgical treatment only. Two patients (15%) had undergone chemotherapy or radiotherapy. At 5 years, the overall survival rates of sinonasal sarcomas were 65%. The survival rates according to the treatment modality were 100% (surgery only), 66% (surgery with adjuvant chemotherapy or radiotherapy), and 33% (chemotherapy or radiotherapy), respectively. The overall recurrence rates of the sinonasal sarcomas were 25%. The univariate analysis showed that the treatment modality and surgical margin are important prognostic factors for survival. CONCLUSION: The 5-year survival rate of sinonasal sarcomas was 65%. Early diagnosis and wide excision with safe resection margin are important for the treatment of sinonasal sarcomas.

Treatment of Meniere's Disease with Low-Concentration Intratympanic Gentamicin Injection / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Intratympanic gentamicin injection is used as one of the treatment modalities for medically intractable Meniere's disease. But the ideal dosage and concentration of gentamicin were not established in consideration of therapeutic efficacy and the risk of postoperative hearing loss. We analyzed the clinical outcome of low-concentration intratympanic gentamicin injection in patients with Meniere's disease. And we also tried to find factors anticipating for the response to treatment. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: A retrospective review was conducted on 45 subjects who had been diagnosed as 'definite' Meniere's disease (AAO-HNS, 1995) and had no response to medical treatment over 3 months in our clinic. The concentration of gentamicin was 7 mg/cc, which was very low compared with previous studies. We reviewed postoperative changes on vertigo, tinnitus and hearing by questionnaire and pure tone audiometry. We also analyzed preoperative patients' characteristics for acquisition of predictive factors of treatment response. RESULTS: Vertigo was completely disappeared in 37 (82%) patients and there was no vertigo improvement in 8 (18%) patients despite multiple injections. Tinnitus was controlled in 11 (24%) patients, and aggravated in 4 (8%) patients. A significant postoperative hearing loss over 10 dB occurred in only 6 (13%) patients. Preoperative patients' hearing threshold, frequency of vertigo, functional level and finding in electrical test, such as electrocochleogram, were not different regarding treatment response. CONCLUSION: Low-concentration gentamicin was enough to control vertigo and could reduce the risk of postoperative hearing loss in patients with Meniere's disease.