The Effect of Spiritual Well-being on the Mental Health of the Cho-Sun Tribal Women Residing in P.R. of China / 영남의대학술지

BACKGROUND: Spirituality has been an important part of Transpersonal Psychology and is believed to have a large effect on the mental health because it has been systematized. The aim of this study was to determine the level of spiritual disposition on human beings along with its effects on one's mental health. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study targeted 400 women residing in Youn-Gil city of JiLin Prov., which is a district of the Cho-Sun tribe in China. Their spiritual well-being was studied using the Spiritual Well-being Scale-Korean Version. The spiritual well-being scale consists of 2 sub-scales of religious well-being and existential well-being. The study was evaluated using a lie scale, psychotic trend, and a combined anxiety-depression scale. The results were considered to be factors of one's mental health. The correlation between the spiritual well-being and each tendency was analyzed by regression analysis. RESULTS: The total score of the Cho-Sun tribal women according to the spiritual well-being scale was 68.29 which was much less than the 100.65 of Korean Christian women. There was no significant correlation between the spiritual well-being and the Lie trend. However, it was found that 86% (344) of Cho-Sun tribal women scored above 70 in the Lie trend with a mean score of 74.57 which is higher than normal populations. Regarding the correlation between the spiritual well-being and psychotic trend, the psychotic trend became significantly higher when the religious well-being was at a high level. On the other hand, the psychotic trend became significantly lower when the existential well-being was at a high level. Regarding the correlation between the spiritual well-being and anxiety, the anxiety was significantly higher when the religious well-being was at a high level. However, the anxiety level was significantly low when the existential well-being was at a high level. Regarding the correlation between the spiritual well-being and depression, the depression level was somewhat significantly high when the religious well-being was at a high level. However, the depression level was significantly low when the existential well-being was at a high level. CONCLUSION: This study evaluated the effects of spiritual well-being on a person's mental health among Cho-Sun tribal women in Youn-Gil city of JiLIn Prov., P.R. of China. The results found that the religious well-being, which is a sub-scale of spiritual well-being, had negative effects while the existential well-being had positive effects on the mental health. These results proved that a person's religious disposition had negative effects on their mental health in a communitarian society.

A comparative study of clinical effects following treatment of class II furcations using allograft and PR with and without bioabsorbable membrane / 대한치주과학회지

The present study evaluated of regeneration effect of platelet rich plasma on the treatment of classII furcation involvement, with allograft in humans. The control was treated without bioabsorbable membrane, and the test was treated with bioabsorbable membrane. Pocket depth, clinical attachment level, and gingival recession were measured at baseline, postoperative 3, 6months. Both groups were statistically analyzed by Wilcoxon signed Ranks Test & Mann-whitney Test using SPSS program (5% significance level). The results were as follows: 1. The change of pocket depth and clinical attachment level in both groups was decreased significantly at 3, 6months. (p<0.05) 2. The change of gingival recession in both groups was increased significantly at 3, 6months than at baseline. (p<0.05) 3. The change of pocket depth and clinical attachment level in both groups was increased significantly at 3, 6months, but there were no statistically or clinically significant differences with both groups. 4. The change of gingival recession in both groups was increased significantly at 3, 6months, but there were no statistically or clinically significant differences with both groups. 5. The significant reduction of the pocket depth and clinical attachment level exhibited marked changes at 3 months in both groups. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that there are no statistically or clinically significant differences between with and without bioabsorbable membrane on treatment of classII furcations using allograft and PRP

Two Cases of Neurilemmoma of the Cervical Vagus Nerve Including IntracapsularEnucleation of Nerve Preservation / 대한이비인후과학회지

Neurilemmomas is benign tumor originating from all kinds of cranial nerve except optic nerve and olfactory nerve, spinal nerve root and peripheral nerve. It superficially resembles neoplasm of fibroblastic origin, but has distinctive histological pattern and arise from the neuroectodermal sheath of schwann. Approximately 25% to 40% of all neurilemmomas are found in the neural structure of the head and neck. The tumor mostly develops in the acoustic nerve and there are several reports of neurilemmonas originating form tongue, pharynx, lip, larynx and palate etc. However, reports of Neurilemmoma originating from cervical vagus nerve have been extremely rare. We experienced two cases neurilemmoma of cervical vagus nerve that were treated with different surgical methods. In the first case, the tumor was extirpated by sacrificing the nerve trunk and in second case, it was enucleated by preserving the neural pathway using the microsurgical technique.

Changes of Antioxidant Enzyme Activities of Rat Brain in the Stress-Related Responses / 대한정신약물학회지

Renin-Angiotensin system (RAS) has been suggested as one of important factors in stress-related responses, and also suggested to be a pro-oxidant in mammals. Studies about antioxidant activity changes in brain by systemic administration of angiotensin II (Ang II) may be valuable data in the clarification of pathogenesis and development of treatment modalities for the psychologic stress-induced somatic disease, such as stress-induced hypertension. We examined, therefore, antioxidant defense changes in the brain induced by Ang II. Antioxidant enzyme activities including superoxide dismutase (SOD), contents of glutathione (GSH), and lipoperoxidation (LPO) were measured in the dissected specimens of the brain regions after subcutaneous injection of human Ang II. In this study, peripheral administration of Ang II decreased LPO in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, striatum, hypothalamus of Sprague-Dawley rats. Ang II increased activities of SOD, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase in the hippocampus and striatum. Borderline-hypertensive rats (BHR), a well-known animal model for stress-induced hypertension, showed some differences in the Ang II-induced antioxidant activity changes, comparing with SD rats. In the BHR, peripheral administration of Ang II significantly decreased the activities of antioxidant enzymes and contents of GSH, increased LPO contents in the various regions of brain. These results suggested that oxidative stress on the brain due to Ang II may be greater in the BHR than SDs, and RAS may be one of important pathophysiologic factors for stress-induced hypertension in BHR.

Effects of Growth Hormone Releasing Hexapeptide(GHRP-6) on Rat Anterior Pituitary Cell Culture / 대한소아내분비학회지

PURPOSE: GH-releasing peptide(GHRP-6) was shown to possess strong GH-releasing activity both in vitro and in vivo. Chemically,GHRP-6 has no primary sequence homology with GHRH. The GH releasing activity of GHRP-6 has been demonstrated in several animal species including humans. GHRPs could have a considerable physiological and clinical useful for treatment of GH deficient and/or non GH deficient short children in the near future. The aim of this study was to evaluate the GH-releasing activity of GHRP-6 in anterior pituitary cell culture and compared to that of GHRH . METHODS: Spraque-Dawley rats were decapitated and pituitary glands were collected in ice-cold PBS. The anterior pituitaries were minced into small fragments and dissociated by enzymatic digestion. These pituitary cells were suspended in Dulbecco' modified Eagle' medium(DMEM) with fetal calf serum at a concentration of 106cells/mL and then plated onto multiwelled dishes at a density of 1.5*05 cells per 6 well plate. GHRP-6 treated group(10-8, 10-7, 10-6 M), GHRH treated group(10-8, 10-7, 10-6 M) and combined GHRP-6 and GHRH treated group were classified. After replacement of each GHRP and/or GHRH+GHRP, the released GH were measured with RIA in 10 min, 20 min, and 30 min. RESULTS: 1) GHRH(10-8) treatment increased GH release by 15.8+/-3.9ng/mL in 0 min., 69.8+/-4.3ng/mL in 10 min. 78.3+/-5.0ng/mL in 20 min. and 67.8+/-7.2ng/mL in 30 min. In case of GHRP-6(10-8M) treatment increased GH release by 11.0+/-1.4 in 0 min., 90.3+/-12.2 in 10 min., 78.3+/-4.5ng/mL in 20 min. and 78.0+/-4.8ng/mL in 30 min. The released GH levels were markedly increased in 10 min. after GHRP-6 and were not singificantly different from that of GHRH. 2)GHRP+GHRH(10-7M+10-8M) treatment increase GH release by 8.8+/-1.5ng/mL in 0 min., 37.8+/-9.3ng/mL in 10 min., 41.3+/-8.1ng/mL in 20 min. and 40.0+/-7.9ng/mL in 30 min. The released GH levels after GHRP+GHRH treatment was not markedly increased statistically compared to GHRH only. CONCLUSION: GHRP-6 could release GH in rat anterior pituitary cell culture and the released GH amounts were not significantly different from that of GHRH. There was no synergistic additive effect in GHRP+GHRH in rat pituitary cell culture.

A Clinical Study of Parathyroid Gland Tumors / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Parathyroid gland tumor is a relatively rare disease in Korea. The purpose of our study is to assess the clinical features, diagnostic tools and therapeutic results. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Seven patients with parathyroid gland tumor were analyzed retrospectively. They were diagnosed and received surgical therapy in our hospital from 1995 to 1999. The patients were all female with mean age of 45.3 years (in the range of 21-64 years old). We used ultrasonography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, parathyroid scan and 18F-FDG positron emission tomograph (PET) to identify the location of parathyroid gland neoplasm. RESULTS: All patients received proper surgical management. Three patients were diagnosed as parathyroid carcinoma, three as parathyroid adenoma and one patient as cavernous hemangioma. Two patients were found as recurrent tumor, Parathyroid carcinoma recurred in one patient, and parathyroid hyperplasia occurred in patient who was previously diagnosed as parathyroid adenoma. CONCLUSION: The results would he a useful guideline for better diagnostic strategies, proper surgical management and follow-up study for recurrence in the parathyroid gland tumor.