Dizziness is a common problem in older people, with a reported prevalence of 13-38%. A large percentage of patients with dizziness develop secondary psychiatric disorders over the course of their disease. In particular, clinical depression and anxiety are significant health problems for older adults. We investigated the relationship between dizziness and psychological distress (depression and anxiety) in elderly patients with dizziness, and the relationship with psychological symptoms after managing the dizziness. This study enrolled 126 patients with dizziness, who were 65 years or older. Dizziness and the psychological symptoms of all patients were measured using the Korean Version of the Vestibular Disorders Activities of Daily Living Scale (K-VADL), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) before and after management. We found a significant decrease in the BDI and STAI state scores after treatment with a reduction in the K-VADL score. For the STAI, the decrease in the score was relatively small after management. Nevertheless, there were significant correlations between the K-VADL score and both the BDI and STAI scores before and after management. Therefore, in the management of elderly patients with dizziness, a psychiatric approach should be considered and psychological support may be needed after managing the dizziness.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is known to be a potent inflammatory mediator, especially in allergic inflammation. However, the exact role of PAF in the pathogenesis of rhinosinusitis has not been clearly established. To understand the role of PAF in the pathogenesis of rhinosinusitis, it is necessary to develop an animal model of PAF-induced rhinosinusitis. The aim of this study was to develop a rat model of rhinosinusitis induced by intranasally applied PAF. Fifty microliters of 16 microg/mL PAF was applied intranasally through each naris in 4-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats, and the same amount of vehicle was applied in control rats. At 1, 3, or 5 days, the animals were painlessly sacrificed, and the nasal cavity and sinuses were prepared for histologic investigation. The histologic sections were examined in a blind manner for the appearance of neutrophil clusters in the sinonasal air space, and the numbers of eosinophils, areas of epithelial loss, goblet cells, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)-positive inflammatory cells in the mucosa. Neutrophil clusters were observed in the air space, and the number of eosinophils, areas of epithelial loss, goblet cells, and iNOS-positive inflammatory cells in the mucosa were increased significantly in the PAF-applied rats. The amount of inflammation varied according to the time interval, showing a peak at day 3. We conclude that intranasally applied PAF induces rhinosinusitis in rats. The histologic evidence of rhinosinusitis revealed the appearance of neutrophil clusters in the sinonasal air space, infiltration of eosinophils and iNOS-positive inflammatory cells in the mucosa, areas of epithelial loss, and goblet cell hyperplasia in the epithelium. This rat model of PAF-induced rhinosinusitis may be applied for better understanding of the role of PAF in the pathogenesis of rhinosinusitis.

-This study examined whether or not a pretreatment with dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has an effect on indomethacin-induced gastric mucosal damage. The DHEA group, male Sprague-Dawley rats, was administrated with DHEA orally at a dose of 4 mg/day for one week before inducing gastritis with indomethacin (50 mg/kg, p.o.). Histological assay, lipid peroxidation assay, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and Catalase activities were determined. Interestingly, it was found that the DHEA pretreatment attenuated the gastric lesion area induced by indomethacin. Rather, the pretreatment with high dose of DHEA led to submucosal edema, leukocyte infiltration in submucosa and mucosal necrosis. The levels of MDA in the DHEA pretreatment were also higher than those in the rats given with vehicle pretreatment. This suggests that the DHEA pretreatment deteriorates severe inflammation in indomethacin-induced gastritis. DHEA supplementation significantly increased SOD activity in the gastric mucosa. However, the catalase and GPx activities were not altered by DHEA. The co-administration of DHEA with an indomethacin might not offer a protective effect against the acute gastritis induced by indomethacin.

This study evaluated the habitability of operators for main control room fires in nuclear power plants. Fire modeling (FDS v.6.0) was utilized for a fire safety assessment so that it could determine the performance of the smoke ventilation and operator habitability with the main control room. For this study, it categorized fire scenarios into three cases depending on the conditions in the HVAC system. As a result of fire modelling, it showed that Case 1 (with HVAC) would give rise to the worst situation associated with the absolute temperature, radiative heat flux, optical density, and smoke layer height as deliberating the habitability and smoke ventilation. On the other hand, it showed that Cases 2 (w/o HVAC) and 3 can maintain much safer situations than Case 1. In the case of temperature at 820 s, Cases 2 and 3 were up to approximately 63% greater than Case 1 in the wake of ignition. In addition, the influence of radiative heat flux of Case 1 was even larger than Cases 2 and 3. That is, the radiative heat fluxes of Cases 2 and 3 were approximately 68% higher than Case 1. Furthermore, when it comes to considering the optical density, Case 1 was approximately 93% greater than Cases 2 and 3. Accordingly, it expected that the HVAC system can influence a the performance on the smoke ventilation that can be sustainable for operator habitability. On the other hand, it revealed an inconsecutive pattern for the smoke layer height of Cases 2 and 3 because supply vents and exhaust vents were installed within the same surface.

dB respectively (pϽ0.001). Comparison of the frequency specific postoperative PT-ABG for PORP and TORP subgroups, PORP subgroup obtained statistically significant better hearing results at 0.5 kHz vs 4 kHz. Two simple anterior perforation and 2 recurrence cholesteatoma were detected as postoperative complications. There were no extrusions of prostheses. CONCLUSION: Cartilage island graft tympanoplasty prevents retraction pockets / cholesteatoma reformation and prosthesis extrusion with good anatomic and audiologic results in advanced middle ear pathologies.