PURPOSE: This study was a prospective longitudinal study to identify changes in quality of life in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). It was based on Roy's adaptation model. METHODS: The questionnaires were administered before HSCT, 30 and 100 days after HSCT. Of the 48 potentially eligible patients, 44 (91.7%) participated in the study and 40 (90.9%) completed the questionnaires at 100 days after HSCT. Multilevel analysis was applied to analyze changes in quality of life. RESULTS: Overall, quality of life showed a decreasing tendency from pre-HSCT to 100 days after HSCT. The adaptation level of participants was compensatory. Type of conditioning was the significant factor influencing quality of life before HSCT (beta00=79.92, p <.001; beta01= - 12.64, p <.001) and the change rate of quality of life (beta10= - 1.66, p =.020; beta11=2.88, p =.014). Symptom severity (beta20= - 1.81, p =.004), depression (beta30= - 0.58, p =.001), social dependency (beta40= - 0.35, p =.165), and loneliness (beta50= - 0.23, p =.065) had a negative effect on changes in quality of life. Symptom severity and depression were statistically significant factors influencing changes in quality of life. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, the development of nursing intervention is needed to improve quality of life in patients undergoing allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in the early immune reconstruction period. The interventions should include programs to enhance coping capacity and programs to help control symptom severity and depression. Also these interventions need to be started from the beginning of HSCT and a multidisciplinary approach would be helpful.
Adult ; Aged ; Dependency (Psychology) ; Depression ; Female ; *Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Loneliness ; Longitudinal Studies ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multilevel Analysis ; Neoplasms/therapy ; Prospective Studies ; *Quality of Life ; Severity of Illness Index ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Transplantation, Homologous

PURPOSE: This study compared the effect of two oral care agents on preventing stomatitis and discomfort for acute leukemic patients. METHODS: A total of forty patients was enrolled and randomly assigned to sodium bicarbonate or chlorhexidine group. WHO oral toxicity scale was used for measuring stomatitis and Beck's subjective oral discomfort scale for evaluating oral comfort. Data was collected from August 2009 to February 2010. The data was analyzed using Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and Mann-Whitney test. RESULTS: Data analyzed was thirty five one. The incidence of stomatitis was 47.4%, 68.8% in sodium bicarbonate and chlohexidine group respectively. The onset of stomatitis was about the 10th and 9th day after chemotherapy initiation, and the duration was 8.0 and 8.67 day respectively. The severity of stomatitis was highest on the 21st day after chemotherapy initiation. There were no statistical differences in the status of stomatitis and the levels of oral comfort during treatment periods. CONCLUSION: Nurses should routinely assess oral cavity and encourage patients to do oral care actively from second to third week after chemotherapy initiation. Also sodium bicarbonate agent can be recommended to for preventing stomatitis.
Chlorhexidine ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mouth ; Sodium Bicarbonate ; Stomatitis

PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was to identify useful predictors for diagnosing bacterial meningitis and performing CSF studies in febrile infants three months or younger. METHODS:Six hundred and fifty two febrile infants with a rectal temperature > or =38.0 degreesC presented from January 2003 to April 2008 and were retrospectively studied. The total white blood cell count (WBC), band count, absolute neutrophil count (ANC), quantitative C-reactive protein (CRP) and blood cultures were performed on admission. The clinical variables associated with bacterial meningitis were analyzed. RESULTS:In patients with bacterial meningitis, the clinical variables including CRP (P= 0.036), band count (P=0.037), ANC (P=0.036) and age (P=0.001) were significantly different. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve was 0.969 for CRP, 0.946 for the band count, 0.765 for the ANC and 0.235 for age. A CRP cutoff point of 8 mg/dL was determined to maximize both the sensitivity and specificity (sensitivity 83%, specificity 95%, likelihood ratio 16.6). A CRP concentration of <7 mg/dL "ruled-out" bacterial meningitis, with a likelihood ratio of 0.17, a posttest probability of <0.1% and negative predictive value 91%. A CRP concentration greater than 9 mg/dL had a much higher likelihood ratio (20.1) than the band count (16.6) and ANC (2.2). CONCLUSION:The CRP concentration was a useful laboratory test for the differential diagnosis of bacterial meningitis among febrile infants three months of age or younger. A CRP concentration of<7 mg/dL effectively ruled out bacterial meningitis; a value > or =9 mg/dL increased the clinical suspicion of bacterial meningitis and the need for CSF evaluation.
Aged ; C-Reactive Protein ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Fever ; Humans ; Infant ; Leukocyte Count ; Meningitis ; Meningitis, Bacterial ; Neutrophils ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to assess the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Coping and Adaptation Processing Scale-Short-Form in patients with cancer. METHODS: The original scale was translated into Korean using Brislin's translation model. The Korean Short-Form and the Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy-General were administered to 164 Korean patients with cancer using convenience sampling method. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 23.0. Construct validity, criterion validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency reliability of the Korean Coping and Adaptation Processing Scale-Short-Form were evaluated. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis supported the construct validity with a four-factor solution that explained 60.6% of the total variance. Factor loadings of the 15 items on the four subscales ranged .52~.86. The four-subscale model was validated by confirmatory factor analysis (Normed χ2=1.38 (p=.013), GFI=.92, SRMR=.02, RMSEA=.05, TLI=.94, and CFI=.95), and criterion validity was demonstrated with the Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy-General. Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency of the total scale was .83 and ranged .68~.81 for all subscales, demonstrating sufficient test-retest reliability. CONCLUSION: The Korean version showed satisfactory construct and criterion validity, as well as internal consistency and test-retest reliability.
Humans ; Methods ; Reproducibility of Results*

No abstract available.
Down Syndrome

PURPOSE: Recently, the number of late preterm infants are increasing, and they are prone to have many clinical problems. The purpose of this study is to emphasize the importance of perinatal care for the late preterm infants and their mothers. METHODS: Total admitted numbers of late preterm infants were 547 (from 464 mothers) and of term infants were 1,514 (from 1,470 mothers) in NICU, at Chonnam National University Hospital January 2014~December 2015. Maternal and neonatal mortality rate were calculated in the total admitted numbers. Exclusion criteria were death or transfer during admission, congenital anomaly, and etc. The enrolled numbers of late preterm infants were 493 (from 418 mothers) and of term infants were 1,167 (from 1,123 mothers). Retrospective chart review was conducted. In mothers, demographics, underlying illness, and obstetric complication, and in newborns, demographics, hospital days and morbidity were compared between late preterm group and term group. RESULTS: Maternal mortality rate was not different. However, neonatal mortality rate was higher in late preterm infants. In mothers of late preterm group, there was no difference in demographic characteristics, but the rates of autoimmune disease and obstetric complication were higher. In infants of late preterm group, body size was smaller, artificial conception and C-section rate were higher, and one and five-minute Apgar scores were lower, and hospital duration was longer. And the incidence of respiratory distress, transient tachypena of newborn, intraventricular hemorrhage and metabolic abnormalities were higher, but the incidence of meconium aspiration syndrome was lower compare to the term infant group. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal mortality was not different. However, neonatal mortality was higher in late preterm infants. In late preterm group, the mothers had higher rate of autoimmune disease and obstetric complication, and the infants had higher morbidity compare to the term group. When the obstetrician decides on delivery time in high risk pregnancy, maternal medical condition and neonatal outcome should be considered.
Autoimmune Diseases ; Body Size ; Demography ; Fertilization ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant Mortality ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Jeollanam-do ; Maternal Mortality ; Meconium Aspiration Syndrome ; Mortality ; Mothers ; Perinatal Care ; Pregnancy, High-Risk ; Premature Birth ; Retrospective Studies

Transarterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a common treatment modality to locally manage hepatocellular carcinoma. Liver abscess and bile duct injury are common complications of TACE. However, hepatobronchial fistula is a rare complication. Herein, we report a case of lung abscess due to hepatobronchial fistula after TACE. A 67-year-old man, who had underwent TACE 6 months ago, presented cough and bile-colored sputum. He was diagnosed with lung abscess and hepatobronchial fistula. We performed endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography; however, there was no improvement in his symptoms. Thereafter, partial hepatectomy and repair of fistula were successively conducted.
Aged ; Bile Ducts ; Bronchial Fistula ; Carcinoma, Hepatocellular ; Chemoembolization, Therapeutic ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cough ; Fistula* ; Hepatectomy ; Humans ; Liver Abscess ; Lung Abscess* ; Lung* ; Sputum

BACKGROUND: Although a number of visual evoked potentials (VEPs) studies have been performed to elucidate the pathophysiology of migraines, their results have been controversial. We studied the pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (PRVEPs) during long periods of stimulation to show whether or not PRVEPs in migraines are abnormal. METHODS: Patients were divided into two groups; Group 1 (migraine with aura; MWA, n=29) and Group 2 (migraine without aura ; MOA, n=32) according to the International Headache Society criteria. PRVEPs were performed in both groups and in healthy volunteers (n=62). PRVEPs were averaged in 100 responses for a total duration of 10 minutes after an initial 3 minutes during stimulation and were analysed in terms of latencies and peak to peak amplitudes of N1-P1 and P1-N2 peaks. RESULTS: Amplitudes of PRVEPs in migraines showed significant increases compared to normal subjects (p<0.001), and amplitudes of PRVEPs in MWA showed significant increases compared to those in MOA (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: These results are explained by cortical hypoexcitability and hyper-responsiveness in migraine and by additional cortical hyper-responsiveness (another hyper-responsiveness) in MWA compared to MOA. We suggest that serotonergic and noradrenergic hyperactivity could be responsible for cortical hypoexcitability and hyper-responsiveness in a migraine brain. Another hyper-responsiveness in MWA could also be thought of as some evidence for cortical neuronal abnormality in MWA in addition to serotonergic and noradrenergic hyperactivity in a migraine brain. (J Korean Neurol Assoc 19(3):239~244, 2001)
Brain ; Epilepsy ; Evoked Potentials ; Evoked Potentials, Visual ; Headache ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Migraine Disorders* ; Neurons*

PURPOSE: To compare the image quality between swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT) and spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), especially in eyes with media opacity. METHODS: Forty eyes without media opacity and 60 eyes with media opacity (30 eyes with cataract, 20 eyes with vitreous opacity, and 10 eyes with corneal opacity) were included in this study. SD-OCT and SS-OCT 6 x 6 macular scans were taken by a single operator. For image quality analysis, a total of 200 OCT images were subjectively graded by two trained retina specialists and measured quantitatively using the image quality factor (QF) built into the OCT devices. RESULTS: Compared to conventional SD-OCT, SS-OCT had statistically significantly better subjective and objective grades in the normal group, as well as each of the media opacity groups (p-value < 0.001). In both the subjective and objective grades, there was no significant difference according to the types of media opacity (QF: p = 0.188, subject grading scale [SGS]: p = 0.635) and the degree of media opacity (Group I: 20 < or = QF < 50, Group II: 0 < or = QF < 20; QF: p = 0.088, SGS: p = 0.051) in the superiority of image quality of SS-OCT to SD-OCT. CONCLUSIONS: In this media opacity patient population, swept-source OCT is a superior diagnostic tool when compared with SD-OCT in both objective and subjective assessments, even in the ocular media opacity. This result may be useful in diagnosis and progression detection of retinal disease in media opacity eyes.
Cataract ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Retina ; Retinal Diseases ; Specialization ; Tomography, Optical Coherence*

BACKGROUND: Desmosomes are cell-cell adhesion complexes that provide mechanical integrity to keratinocytes by linking them to keratin intermediate filaments. Desmosomes are composed of two major transmembrane proteins, desmoglein and desmocollin. In humans, four desmoglein isoforms have been identified: Dsg1, Dsg2, Dsg3, and Dsg4. Desmogleins are Ca2+-dependent adhesion molecules and play important parts in the formation and maintenance of desmosomes. Desmoglein-1 is the main skin-associated desmosomal cadherin. It is expressed throughout the epidermis, but most prominently in the differentiated layers. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to observe the distribution pattern of desmoglein-1 in the skin and oral mucosa during fetal development. METHODS: Skin was obtained from the sole and scalp of 35 fetuses, ranging from 10 to 37 weeks of gestational age. Immunohistochemical staining was performed on paraffin embedded tissue using anti-human monoclonal antibody against desmoglein-1. RESULTS: Expression of desmoglein-1 in the epidermis appeared in the upper layer of the sole, but the basal layer was negative at the 10th gestational age. Thereafter, stratification began with stronger expression in the middle layer than in the basal layer of the sole and scalp epidermis. Expression in the middle spinous layer is stronger in the fetal period than in other layers of the epidermis. Expression in the superficial layer seemed to increase in later stages. Expression of desmoglein-1 in hair was strong in the infundibulum, inner root sheath, sebaceous glandular epithelium, and eccrine duct epithelium. Expression of desmoglein-1 in oral lip mucosa was very weak or negative in the upper half of the mucosal epithelium, though the lower half was strongly positive, while the skin side of the mucosa was similar with the sole skin. CONCLUSION: Desmoglein-1 may play a complementary role in the maintenance of epithelial integrity along with other desmogleins, because desmoglein-1 distribution is slightly different from that of desmoglein-3 in epidermis, hair and mucosa in fetal skin development.
Desmogleins ; Desmosomes ; Epidermis ; Epithelium ; Fetus ; Gestational Age ; Hair ; Humans ; Intermediate Filaments ; Keratinocytes ; Keratins ; Lip ; Mouth Mucosa ; Mucous Membrane ; Paraffin ; Protein Isoforms ; Proteins ; Scalp ; Skin