PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a six week self-help empowerment strategy program on the empowerment status, pain intensity, physical function, joint flexibility and depression status in rheumatoid arthritis patients. METHOD: The subjects of the study consisted of a convenience sample thirteen rheumatoid arthritis patients. Data was collected from July to November, 2001. All patient received a self-help empowerment strategy program, once a week for six weeks. RESULT: After receiving the self-help empowerment strategy program, the empowerment status increased significantly, the pain intensity and the depression score decreased significantly and the level of physical function significantly improved but the flexibilities of shoulders, knees and ankles were not significantly changed. CONCLUSION: Further studies need to be done to determine the feasibility of implementing empowerment strategy and its possibility as an effective intervention program for decreasing pain intensity and depression score and improving the physical function.
Ankle ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Depression ; Humans ; Knee ; Power (Psychology)* ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Self-Help Groups ; Shoulder

No abstract available.
Child* ; Colon* ; Constipation* ; Enema* ; Fecal Incontinence* ; Humans

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the factors associated with work related injuries of nurses in small and medium sized hospitals. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with nurses in eight hospitals from October 2007 to January 2008. A questionnaire was designed to collect information on nurses' work related injuries, and individual and job related characteristics. The response rate was 65.1%. Data from 294 nurses were analyzed. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to determine factors associated with work related injuries. Result: Of the 294 nurses, 19.1% (n=56) responded as having at least one injury during their job performance. The logistic regression analysis revealed that the significant factors influencing work related injuries were job satisfaction, stress recognition, and hospital's location. Nurses with a higher job satisfaction were less likely to experience work related injuries (OR=0.58). Nurses with a higher stress recognition (OR=2.57) and those working at hospitals in metropolitan cities (OR=3.28) were more likely to experience work related injuries. CONCLUSIONS: The result of this study indicated that a substantial proportion of nurses in small and medium sized hospitals had experienced injuries related to nursing job. Interventions to prevent work related injuries among nurses should take into account the job satisfaction, stress recognition, and hospital characteristics.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Job Satisfaction ; Logistic Models ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: With the process of neoangiogenesis being linked to the growth and metastasis of various tumors, anticancer therapeutics with a basis in the suppression of neoangiogenesis has recently been receiving attention. In this study, we tried to clarify the immunoreactivities of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), major angiogenic inducer and thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), major angiogenic inhibitor in human Wilms' tumor and its clinicopathological significance. MATERAILS AND METHODS: Utilizing immunohistochemical staining, we assessed the immunoreactivities of VEGF and TSP-1 in archival tissues of 29 Wilms' tumors and 25 normal kidneys. Also, we assessed the relationship between expression of each factor and clinicopathological parameters in 29 cases of Wilms' tumors. RESULTS: Immunoreactivities of VEGF and TSP-1 were detected mainly in the cytoplasm of the tubular cells in normal kidneys. In Wilms' tumors, whereas VEGF was detected in the cytoplasm of the tumor cells and peritumoral stromal tissues, but TSP-1 only in the peritumoral stromal tissues. Immunohistochemical expression patterns of each factor were divided into two groups according to the area of immunoreactivity (negative:<10%, positive: > OR =10%). VEGF immunoreactivity was detected in 25 (100%) normal kidneys and in 20 (69%) Wilms' tumors. However, TSP-1 immunoreactivity was detected in 24 (97%) normal kidneys and in 3 (10%) Wilms' tumors. Therefore, although no significant difference was observed between the expressions of VEGF and TSP-1 in normal kidney, the TSP-1 immunoreactivity was significantly lower than VEGF immunoreactivity in Wilms' tumors. A relatively higher rate of positive expression of TSP-1 was observed in the patients with no demonstrable lymph node metastasis. Also, as for the VEGF, maximal diameter of the tumor was larger in the positive expression group. However, it proved otherwise for TSP-1 as the negative expression group demonstrated tumors with larger maximal diameters. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that the TSP-1 immunoreactivity was significantly lower than VEGF immunoreactivity in Wilms' tumors, and disease progression has a tendency to be found in the VEGF-positive cases and TSP-1 negative cases. We suggest that the growth and metastasis of Wilms' tumor may be influenced mainly by TSP-1 decrease rather than VEGF increase.
Cytoplasm ; Disease Progression ; Humans ; Kidney ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Thrombospondin 1 ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A* ; Wilms Tumor*

No abstract available.
Blood Platelets* ; Leukocytes* ; Plateletpheresis*

No abstract available.
Hepacivirus* ; Hepatitis C* ; Hepatitis* ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver* ; Prevalence*

No abstract available.
Antigens, Surface* ; Leukemia*

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate trends in home-visit nursing care by agencies' characteristics under the national long-term care insurance system. METHODS: Cochran-Mantel-Haenzel tests were conducted, using data drawn from the nationwide long-term care insurance claim database of the Korean National Health Insurance Corporation from 2009 to 2011. RESULTS: The number of home-visit nursing care agencies has decreased continuously since 2009. There were also similar trends in the total amount of service provided by home-visit nursing care agencies, the number of recipients, the number of employees, and payments. This study showed that there were statistically significant differences in the trends in home-visit nursing care by agencies' characteristics. Despite the overall downward trend, there were some increases in the percentage of home-visit nursing care provided by agencies which were established by individuals, located in large cities, and which combined home-visit care with home-visit bathing. CONCLUSION: Home-visit nursing care agencies are responsible for providing community-based healthcare services. For past three years, however, they have not been utilized to their full potential. Understanding the trends in home-visit nursing care by agencies' characteristics is important to develop utilization strategies for home-visit nursing care.
Delivery of Health Care ; Home Nursing ; Insurance, Long-Term Care ; Long-Term Care ; National Health Programs ; Nursing Care

PURPOSE: The study purposes were to construct and test structural equation modeling on the causal relationship of community residents' perceived quality of care, image, and role performance with satisfaction, intention to (re)visit and intention to recommend hospital. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 3,900 community residents from 39 district public hospitals. The questionnaire was designed to collected information on personal characteristics and community awareness of public hospitals. Community awareness consisted of 6 factors and 18 items. The data were collected utilizing call-interview by a survey company. Research data were collected via questionnaires and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0 and AMOS version 20.0. RESULTS: Model fit indices for the hypothetical model were suitable for the recommended level: chi2=796.40 (df=79, p <.001), GFI=.93, AGFI=.90, RMSR=.08, NFI=.94. Quality of care, image, and role performance explained 68.1% of variance in community awareness. Total effect of quality of care process factors on satisfaction (path coefficients=3.67), intention to (re)visit (path coefficients=2.67) and intention to recommend hospital (coefficients=2.45) were higher than other factors. CONCLUSION: Findings show that public hospitals have to make an effort to improve community image through the provision of quality care, and excellent role performance. Support for these activities is available from both Central and Local Governments.
Adult ; Aged ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Hospitals, Public ; Humans ; Intention ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Middle Aged ; *Perception ; *Personal Satisfaction ; *Quality of Health Care ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: There is concem about the rising incidence of skin cancer. However, few articles have reported the change in the clinical and epidemiological aspects of skin cancer. OBJECTIVE: We performed this study in order to clarifiy the recent changes in cutaneous premalignant and malignant lesions. METHODS: A statistical analysis was made using 101 cases of cutaneous premalignant lesions and 205 cases of ma]ignant tumors out of a total number of 20,175 new outpatients that visited the Department of Dermatology at the Seoul National University Hospital during a 6 year period(1990-1995). RESULTS: The frequency of premalignant lesions was 0.50% and that of malignant tumors was 1.02%. The frequency showed an increasing tendency compared to previous reports. In the premalignant lesion cases, actinic keratosis was most common and represented a figure of 82.2%. Among the malignant tumors, basal cell carcinoma was most frequent at 24.4%. Age, sex and anatomical site distribution of basal cell carcinoma, malignant melanoma was no different. The mean age of squamous cell carcinoma was greater than in previous reports and main preceding lesions were actinic keratosis and cheilitis. The frequency of lymphoma was markedly increased but the reason for this remains to be determined. CONCLUSION: Our findings showed the continous increasing incidence of skin cancers and emphasize the need for public eduacation, early diagnosis and proper treatment.
Carcinoma, Basal Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cheilitis ; Dermatology ; Early Diagnosis ; Humans ; Incidence ; Keratosis, Actinic ; Lymphoma ; Melanoma ; Outpatients ; Seoul ; Skin Neoplasms ; Statistics as Topic*