Ultrasonic Bone Densitometer by Measuring the Speed of Sound / 의학물리

An ultrasonic bone densitometer has been developed by measuring speed of sound signal transmitted and received on the skin, not through the horizontal axis but through the vertical one in tissue. The SOS(speed of sound) method measuring the time difference between the ultrasound signals reflected from the both sides of surface of bone could produce more precise result compared with the BUA(broadband ultrasound attenuation) method measuring the frequency difference. Middle finger is selected to be the best measurement position in order to increase the accuracy, after due consideration that the thickness of flesh at the down part of thumb shows too much variation although the ratio of the receiving signal is higher than the other fingers. The measured value by using SOS method shows almost the same result as compared with the conventional DEXA method.

Comparison of Common Clinical Chemistry Analyte Levels between Greiner Bio-One Vacuette Tube and Glass Tube / 임상검사와정도관리

BACKGROUND: Serum separator tubes were introduced 25 years ago and are widely used in the clinical laboratory for collection of blood. Recently, the plastic serum separator tube has become available for blood collection for lightening and flexibility and suitability for automation. However few studies have been reported on stability of the common analytes in this tube. METHODS: We evaluated the concentrations of seventeencommonly ordered analytes: aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), total protein, albumin, sodium, chloride, calcium, phosphorus, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, potassium, uric acid, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), total cholesterol, glucose, creatinine in sera separated in plain glass tubes (no gel) and in sera separated in the plastic Greiner Bio-One Vacuette tubes containing serum separator gel (Greiner Bio-One, Kremsm?nster, Austria) by Toshiba 200-FR Neo. RESULTS: Results were analyzed using two-tailed paired t-tests and Bland-Altman plots. Results from 9 common analytes (glucose, total cholesterol, BUN, potassium, LDL-cholesterol, inorganic phosphorus, calcium, sodium, chloride) were statistically different between glass tube and plastic Greiner Bio-One Vacuette tube, but the differences were not considered to be clinically significant. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the plastic Greiner Bio-One Vacuette tubes are suitable for collection of blood and storage of serum for common analytes.

Reversal of Marrow Fibrosis Following Imatinib Mesylate Therapy in a Patient with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Who Was Refractory to Interferon-alpha

No abstract available.

Detection of Human Papillomavirus Type 16 and 18 in Cervical Specimens by Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction / 대한임상병리학회지

BACKGROUND: Some types of human papillomavirus (HPV) play a major role in the pathogenesis of cervical cancer. Several dozens of studies on the association of HPV with cervical neoplasm have been done since the first detection of HPV 16 and 18 directly from cervical cancer patients in 1983. Approximately 90 types of HPV have been identified so far and the number of oncogenic HPV types is still growing. In this study, we examined the occurrence of oncogenic HPV infections in patients with cervical lesions. Method : Two hundred twenty cervical swab specimens were collected during a 3 year period (1996-1999). Processed specimens were tested for HPV type 16 and 18 by polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: HPV type 16 was detected in the cervical swab specimens as follows: 19 (51.4%) of 37 cervical cancer patients, 19 (30.2%) of 63 high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, 5 (9.6%) of 52 low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion, none in 6 atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance and 3 (4.8%) of 62 normal cervices. Conclusion : The positive rate for HPV type 16 increased according to the degree of cervical malignancy.

Usefulness of Family Counseling

BACKGROUND: Family counseling is an essential part of family practice in which patients are cared in psychosocial dimension as will as in physical dimension and the family is dealt with as a whole unit. However, it is little applied in practice. The department of family medicine has made efforts to activate family counseling. This study was done to estimate the patients response on the effect of family counseling that we have performed, and to investigate what clinical problems counseling was held and in what situations the counseling was perceived to be useful by the patients. We hope this study will be useful to establish some useful data and ideas for the development of family counseling in family practice in Korea. METHODS: The subjects of this study are 53 households who received family counseling at the department of family medicine from Oct. 1, 1994 to May 31, 1995. 64 households received counseling during this peroid, but 11 persons who could not be reached by the phone were excluded. Patients demographic charateristics, patients chief complaints, physicians assessrnent on the complaints and major prolems presented in the counseling sessions were identified from the medical records. Patients own estimation of the effect of counseling and the reasons for termination of counseling were inquired through the telephone interview. Finally the association between the usefulness of counseling and some factors was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Subjects were predominently women(84.9%), especially middle aged. The most common chief complaint was headache complained by 10 subjects (18.9%), and the second and the third were abdominal pain complained by 8 (15.1%) and chest discomfort complained by 7(13.2 %), respectively. The list of physicians assessment included depression(34.0%), physical symptom per se without any assessment(20.8%), family problem(15.1%), somatization(13.2%), and anxiety(9.45). More than half of the subjects(60.4%) had only one session, 26.4% two sessions and 7.5% more than 4 sessions. The most common problem presented in the counseling was marital conflict(28.3%), the second was trouble with in-laws(15.1%), and the third was chronic illness in the family(9.4%). 32.1% replied that the counseling was very helpful, 28.3% somewhat helpful, 17% little helpful, 20.8% never helpful, and 1.9% not sure. The session was experienced to be more useful in the group of duration of symptom less than 6 months, than in the group of longer duration(p<0.05), and in the group with motivation for counseling than in the group without motivation(p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: About 60% of subjects replied the counseling was useful to them. Symptom duration and patients motivation to participate in counseling showed significant association with the effect of family counseling.

Usefulness of Family Counseling

BACKGROUND: Family counseling is an essential part of family practice in which patients are cared in psychosocial dimension as will as in physical dimension and the family is dealt with as a whole unit. However, it is little applied in practice. The department of family medicine has made efforts to activate family counseling. This study was done to estimate the patients response on the effect of family counseling that we have performed, and to investigate what clinical problems counseling was held and in what situations the counseling was perceived to be useful by the patients. We hope this study will be useful to establish some useful data and ideas for the development of family counseling in family practice in Korea. METHODS: The subjects of this study are 53 households who received family counseling at the department of family medicine from Oct. 1, 1994 to May 31, 1995. 64 households received counseling during this peroid, but 11 persons who could not be reached by the phone were excluded. Patients demographic charateristics, patients chief complaints, physicians assessrnent on the complaints and major prolems presented in the counseling sessions were identified from the medical records. Patients own estimation of the effect of counseling and the reasons for termination of counseling were inquired through the telephone interview. Finally the association between the usefulness of counseling and some factors was statistically analyzed. RESULTS: Subjects were predominently women(84.9%), especially middle aged. The most common chief complaint was headache complained by 10 subjects (18.9%), and the second and the third were abdominal pain complained by 8 (15.1%) and chest discomfort complained by 7(13.2 %), respectively. The list of physicians assessment included depression(34.0%), physical symptom per se without any assessment(20.8%), family problem(15.1%), somatization(13.2%), and anxiety(9.45). More than half of the subjects(60.4%) had only one session, 26.4% two sessions and 7.5% more than 4 sessions. The most common problem presented in the counseling was marital conflict(28.3%), the second was trouble with in-laws(15.1%), and the third was chronic illness in the family(9.4%). 32.1% replied that the counseling was very helpful, 28.3% somewhat helpful, 17% little helpful, 20.8% never helpful, and 1.9% not sure. The session was experienced to be more useful in the group of duration of symptom less than 6 months, than in the group of longer duration(p<0.05), and in the group with motivation for counseling than in the group without motivation(p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: About 60% of subjects replied the counseling was useful to them. Symptom duration and patients motivation to participate in counseling showed significant association with the effect of family counseling.

Clinical study on thyroid diseases in outpatients of family practice

No abstract available.