PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the prevalence of depression and determine the relationship of body mass index and perceived health status to depression for elderly women who live alone in the community. METHODS: A total of 175 adults aged over 60 participated in this cross-sectional descriptive study. Perceived heath status was measured using a self-report one-item questionnaire. Body mass index was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. Depression was assessed using the Korean short version of the geriatric depression scale. Hierarchical linear regression was used to identify associations between variables. RESULTS: Approximately 61.7% of elderly women who lived alone were depressed. The mean score for depression was 7.4 (SD 3.39). Hierarchical linear regression showed body mass index (beta=.25, p<.001) and perceived health status (beta=-.26, p<.001) were independently associated with depression adjusting for general characteristics. These two predictors accounted for 12% of the variance in depression. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that obesity and perceived health status are risk factors for depression in elderly women living alone. Therefore, these factors should be considered when developing intervention program for elderly women with depression.
Adult ; Aged* ; Body Mass Index* ; Depression* ; Female ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Residence Characteristics ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to describe the pattern of type D personality, to compare the life style and quality of life between type D personality and non-type D personality patients, and to investigate the factors influencing quality of life in patients with hypertension. METHODS: A cross sectional, descriptive study was used. The participants in this study were 193 outpatients who were diagnosed with hypertension at two university hospitals in urban area, Korea. The data was collected from December, 2006 to January, 2007. Type D personality was measured by the DS-14 scale. RESULTS: The prevalence of type D personality was 83.9%. Patients of type D personality were significantly different in educational status, monthly income, fat intake and exercise, and had a lower overall quality of life than patients of non-type D personality. Under controlled general characteristics and life style factors, multiple linear regression analysis was performed. The most significant factor influencing quality of life in hypertensive patients was type D personality, and this factor explained their quality of life with a variance of 14.8%. CONCLUSIONS: Various programs for psychological intervention are required to control for the distressed personality of patients with hypertension. Further studies should be conducted prospectively on a larger patient population.
Educational Status ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Korea ; Life Style* ; Linear Models ; Outpatients ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life* ; Type D Personality*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper was to examine the relationship between type D personality and cardiovascular disease, and to suggest future research directions. METHOD: A literature search was conducted from the following nine databases: 1) MEDLINE, 2) CINAHL, 3) Pubmed Unrestricted, 4) PsycINFO, 5) KISS, 6) RICHIS, 7) RISS4U, and 8) Nanet. The combinations of the words, "type D personality", "personality", "heart", "cardiovascular", and "coronary" were used for keyword searches to find relevant articles. Twenty eight studies were identified. RESULT: Type D personality has been associated with increased morbidity and mortality in patients with established cardiovascular disease. Type D patients are also at increased risk for impaired quality of life, and seem to benefit less from medical and invasive treatment. CONCLUSION: There is substantial evidence for a relationship between type D personality and clinical outcomes related to cardiovascular disease. Randomized clinical trials are needed to further evaluate the value of controlling type D personality to improve survival and reduce morbidity in patients with cardiovascular disease. Accumulating evidence from this analysis indicates the urgent need to adopt a personality approach in order to optimize the identification of patients at risk for stress related cardiac events.
Aged ; Cardiovascular Diseases/*psychology ; Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; *Personality ; Risk Factors ; *Stress, Psychological

PURPOSE: The purposes of this study were to identify the level of health literacy and to determine its impact on disease-related knowledge and adherence to self-care in adults with hypertension. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study in which patients with hypertension were recruited from outpatient hypertension clinics in Seoul, Korea from December, 2009 to February, 2010. A total 186 patients completed series of questionnaires to assess health literacy, disease-related knowledge, and adherence to self-care. Hierarchical linear regression was used to determine whether health literacy was associated with disease-related knowledge and adherence to self-care. RESULTS: Seventy-one (38.2%) and seventy-two (38.7%) patients had inadequate and marginal health literacy, respectively. In hierarchical linear regression, health literacy independently predicted disease-related knowledge (beta= .43, p < .001) and adherence to self-care (beta= .37, p < .001) after controlling for age, education level, having a job or not, and body mass index. CONCLUSION: These findings show that health care providers need to pay attention to patients with hypertension who have inadequate health literacy. Further, it is recommended to develop and implement new strategies for assessing health literacy in clinical practices. Interventions to improve health literacy could promote disease-related knowledge and adherence to self-care in patients with hypertension.
Adult ; Health Literacy ; Health Personnel ; Health Status ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Linear Models ; Outpatients ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Self Care

No abstract available.
Methicillin Resistance* ; Methicillin* ; Staphylococcus*

No abstract available.
Child* ; Hemagglutination* ; Humans ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Pneumonia* ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between psychosocial factors and symptom experience of patients with cardiovascular disease over a 6-month follow-up period. METHOD: Baseline data for each of the 138 patients were collected. Eighteen patients were dropped for a final total of 120 patients in the present study. To monitor patients' symptom experience after discharge, each patient was interviewed by telephone, and interviewed directly with a questionnaire at each clinic visit. RESULTS: Mean scores for hostility, anger, anxiety, and depression were 51.63, 22.87, 48.95, and 41.21, respectively. Mean scores for the level of symptom experience at discharge, 3 months and 6 months after discharge were 32.83, 24.79, and 26.70, respectively. There were significant differences in the level of hostility by gender, BMI, job, and monthly income. Also the differences in the level of anxiety and depression were statistically significant according to gender and existence of spouse. In the regression analysis, depression was identified as the significant factor associated with symptom experience at discharge, 3 months, and 6 months after discharge. CONCLUSION: This study presented baseline data to elucidate whether psychosocial factors were associated with the progression of cardiovascular diseases. Accordingly, it suggests that nurses need to take into consideration psychosocial factor as well as physiological factor in symptom management for patients with cardiovascular disease.
Ambulatory Care ; Anger ; Anxiety ; Cardiovascular Diseases* ; Depression ; Follow-Up Studies* ; Hostility ; Humans ; Psychology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Spouses ; Telephone

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of butorphanol on the Bispectral Index (BIS) during the administration of intravenous anesthesia with propofol and remifentanil. METHODS: Forty adult patients, ASA I-II, scheduled for an emergency laparoscopic appendectomy were studied. The doses for the anesthetics were adjusted to keep the BIS value between 40 and 50. After 20 minutes of stable anesthesia, the subjects were randomly allocated to receive intravenous saline (control group) or 0.02 mg/kg butorphanol (butorphanol group). The BIS values, mean arterial pressure, and heart ratewere recorded every five minutes for a period of 20 minutes. RESULTS: The mean BIS values after butorphanol administration were not significantly different from the values following the administration of saline, throughout the observation period. No patients were able to recall explicitly any events under anesthesia. No significant changes in mean arterial pressure and heart rate were noted after butorphanol administration. CONCLUSIONS: Butorphanol given to prevent postoperative pain does not modify the BIS value during anesthesia maintained with remifentanil and propofol.
Adult ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Intravenous* ; Anesthetics ; Appendectomy ; Arterial Pressure ; Butorphanol* ; Emergencies ; Heart ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Pain, Postoperative ; Propofol*

Cauda equina syndrome is a well-known but rare complication of spinal anesthesia. An 80-year-old man was scheduled for both herniorrhaphy. Spinal anesthesia was performed at the L3-4 interspinous space with 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine 12 mg. Eight hours after anesthesia, the patient complained bilateral sensorimotor deficits of the lower extremities and peroneal region. Urinary and fecal incontinence were also observed. MRI and myelography showed severe central spinal stenosis at L3-4 and L4-5. EMG showed cauda equina syndrome. Seven weeks after the procedure, left decompressive subtotal laminectomy L2-L5 was done. The patient still complains the neuropathic pain in the both lower extremities and ambulates using a walker. The local anesthetic was injected into thecal sac between maximum stenoses, and it is likely that there was poor upward spread leading to maldistribution of local anesthetic and resultant local anesthetic toxicity.
Aged, 80 and over ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Spinal ; Bupivacaine ; Cauda Equina ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Fecal Incontinence ; Herniorrhaphy ; Humans ; Laminectomy ; Lower Extremity ; Myelography ; Neuralgia ; Polyradiculopathy ; Spinal Stenosis ; Walkers

Herpes zoster in childhood is uncommon, but it is more common in association with immunosuppression. Maternal varicella infection during pregnancy and varicella occurring in the newborn represent risk for childhood herpes zoster. However, some controversies persist on risk factors, diagnosis, and the natural history of childhood disease. We report a 10-year-old healthy boy with shingles and review the risk factors, prognosis, and treatment of pediatric zoster.
Chickenpox ; Child ; Herpes Zoster ; Humans ; Immunosuppression ; Infant, Newborn ; Natural History ; Pregnancy ; Prognosis ; Risk Factors