The objective of this study is to examine the correlation between the tolylene concentration in the work environment of organic solvents and the concentration of hippuric acid in urine of workers exposed toluene, and to acquire the fundamental materials of workers' health care and to assist the assessment of the biological permissible exposure limit. The control groups are 72 workers who had never been exposed to toluene and the case groups are 101 workers who had been exposed to toluene. This study was conducted to examine the correlation between the concentration of toluene in work environment and workers' hippuric acid concentration, to investigate the complaint difference of subjective symptoms by means of questionnaire, between the case groups and control groups. The results and conclusions are as follows: 1) The highest mean concentration of toluene in the air is 544.13+/-7.75 ppm in the Printing Department of mixing organic solvents. The concentrations of the others are 463.27+/-5.24 ppm in Department of mixture for organic solvents, and 393.56+/-45.69 ppm in the Printing Department(1), and 248.38+/-45.16 ppm in the Printing Department(2), and 159.38+/-18.51 ppm in the Printing Department(3). 2) The highest mean concentration of hippuric acid in urine is 6034.84+/-1298.35 mg/l in the Printing Department with mixing organic solvents. The concentrations of the others are 4798.44+/-784.53 mg/l in Department of mixture of organic solvents, and 2883.06+/-701.90 mg/l in the Printing Department(1), and 1449.98+/-905.19 mg/l in the Printing Department(2), and 598.52+/-299.43 mg/l in the Printing Department(3). 3) As the toluene concentration in the work environment becomes higher, the concentration of hippuric acid in urine also becomes higher. It is found that the coefficient of correlation between toluene concentration and the concentration of hippuric acid are positive (r=0.868, Y=7.18X+349.57). 4) It is found that the case groups complain of much more subjective symptoms than the control groups.
Delivery of Health Care ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Solvents ; Toluene*

PURPOSE: This study was to explore the postnatal care experiences among first time Chinese immigrant mothers living in Korea. METHODS: Data were collected by focus group interviews with 12 first time Chinese immigrant mothers utilizing 3 focus groups. After obtaining written informed consent from all participants, each session of the focus group was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed by content analysis to identify major themes. RESULTS: Four major themes for postnatal care experiences were extracted from the data as follows. 1) Range over traditional, modern, Korean or Chinese postnatal care, 2) Struggle with newborn care, 3) Another struggle with breastfeeding, and 4) Difficulties in becoming a mother as an immigrant. CONCLUSION: Based on their postpartum care experiences, it is concluded that participants requested more professional practical and individualized education/training for successful breastfeeding and newborn care. Health care providers need to develop and implement integrated support and mentoring programs that include information and peer support system for the first time Chinese immigrant mothers living in Korea. This would decrease the difficulties of becoming a mother.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Breast Feeding ; Emigrants and Immigrants* ; Focus Groups ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn ; Informed Consent ; Korea* ; Mentors ; Mothers* ; Postnatal Care* ; Qualitative Research

PURPOSE: This study aimed to describe knowledge status of current research related to maternal adaptation of women immigrants by marriage in Korea. METHODS: Eighteen quantitative current researches published from January, 2006 to August, 2014 that met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. These 18 articles finally selected for systemic review from 5,168 articles. All current researches included the mother within one year after childbirth and one variable related to maternal adaptation at least. RESULTS: Variables related to psychological adaptation (48.1%) were mostly studied. In detail, parenting stress (17.3%) and parenting competency (15.4%) were frequently surveyed. Also, social support (7.7%), husband rearing support (5.8%) of relational adaptation, and acculturation (3.8%) of cultural adaptation were importantly studied. In addition, frequently used instruments for each study variable were analyzed and evaluated. As major results, parenting stress and parenting efficacy were significantly influenced by social support or husband rearing support and acculturation, and had an effect on parenting behaviors. Various maternal education programs were effective in improving maternal role confidence or parenting efficacy and decreasing parenting stress. CONCLUSION: Nursing intervention programs for improving maternal adaptation should focus on decreasing parenting stress and increasing parenting efficacy by improving social support and acculturation level of women immigrants by marriage in Korea.
Acculturation ; Adaptation, Psychological ; Education ; Emigrants and Immigrants* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Marriage* ; Mothers ; Nursing ; Parenting ; Parents ; Parturition ; Spouses

PURPOSE: This study was to identify the relationship among clinical nurse's job overload, self-efficacy, emotional exhaust and turnover intention. METHODS: The study was conducted through a survey on 537 clinical nurses in five general hospitals. The data were collected by self-reporting questionnaires and analysed by the SPSS/WIN 17.0 program using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: The mean score of turnover intention was 3.04. Turnover intention according to age, total career, job objective, and work off showed significant differences. The significant positive correlations between emotional exhaust and turnover intention (r=.531, p<.001), job overload and turnover intention (r=.514, p<.001) were found. The significant factors influencing turnover intention were emotional exhaust (beta=.488, p<.001), career (beta=.175, p<.001), job overload (beta=.119, p=.003), and number of night (beta=.117, p=.002), which accounted for 40.3% of the variance. CONCLUSION: Thought this result, nursing managers should analyze the reasons for high turnover intention, focusing on the main factors affecting turnover intention and consider the solutions to decrease the turnover intention.
Hospitals, General ; Intention ; Personnel Turnover ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was aimed to investigate the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of the patients with acute bronchiolitis who visited in 146 Emergency Departments (EDs) in Korea in 2012. METHODS: We used the NEDIS (National Emergency Department Information System) database to obtain all children with acute bronchiolitis who visited ED under the age of 3 between January 1, 2012 and December 31, 2012. RESULTS: Totally 18,313 children with acute bronchiolitis were enrolled at this study. The male to female ratio was 1.55:1 and mean age was 10 months. The peak proportion was 17.3% in November during the whole year. The most common chief complaints were fever (38.5%), cough (37.4%), dyspnea (9.5%), gastrointestinal symptom (6.7%), and wheezing (2.5%). The most common accompanying disease was pneumonia (13.3%). The rate of hospital admission and intensive care unit admission were 34.5% and 0.3%, respectively. A predictor for admission via ED was respiratory difficulty. CONCLUSION: These data expand our understanding of clinical characteristics of patients with acute bronchiolitis who visited all ED in Korea in 2012.
Bronchiolitis* ; Child ; Cough ; Dyspnea ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Korea* ; Male ; Pneumonia ; Respiratory Sounds

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to reevaluate the prognostic factors by investigating the clinical and biological parameters concerned malignant gestational trophoblastic tumor in patients with hydatidiform mole. METHODS: From March 1995 to February 2000, 41 patients admitted to department of the Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yonsei University College of Medicine who were diagnosed with pathologically-proven gestational trophoblastic disease were selected. Parameters such as age, gravida, parity, presence of theca lutein cyst, ratio of uterine size to gestational age, hCG level, DNA ploidy, S-phase fraction were compared between malignant gestational trophoblastic tumor group and spontaneous remission group. RESULTS: Considering the clinical prognostic factors, the patients were divided into two age groups; the first group consisted of those older than 40 years of age and the second control group consisted of those under 40. The number of patients older than 40 in the spontaneous remission group and malignant gestational trophoblastic tumor group were 4(15.4%) and 7(46.7%), respectively, showing a significantly higher number in the group over 40years. Other parameters such as gravida, parity, presence of theca lutein cyst, ratio of uterine size to gestational age, hCG level, DNA ploidy, S-phase fraction showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The progression rate from hydatidiform mole to malignant gestational trophoblastic tumor was significantly higher in patients over 40 years of age. Therefore, more aggressive therapeutic approach should be considered in such patients.
DNA ; Female ; Gestational Age ; Gestational Trophoblastic Disease ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Hydatidiform Mole* ; Lutein ; Obstetrics ; Parity ; Ploidies ; Pregnancy ; Remission, Spontaneous ; Trophoblastic Neoplasms* ; Trophoblasts*

Background: A national immunization program (NIP) to prevent disease and reduce mortality from vaccine preventable diseases (VPD) is very important. Methods: We analyzed only the anaphylaxis cases that occurred between 2001 and 2016 that Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) determined had a definite causal relationship with a vaccine. The clinical symptoms were assessed according to the Brighton Collaboration case definition (BCCD) level. Results: During the period, there were 13 cases of vaccine-related anaphylaxis. The median age was 9 years (range, 1 month to 59 years). The incidence of anaphylaxis per million doses was 0.090 in 2005, 0.079 in 2012, 0.071 in 2013, 0.188 in 2015, and 0.036 in 2016. Of those cases, 23.1% were influenza vaccines, and 76.9% were BCCD level 2. Epinephrine was used in 46.2%. Conclusion Vaccine-related anaphylaxis seems to have been very rare in the past, but health care professionals must always be aware of anaphylaxis.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the preliminary effects of school-based short term mental health awareness and school bullying prevention programs. METHODS: From April to December 2013, the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Promotion team of Seoul National Hospital conducted school-based short term social skill training (N=56, 4 sessions), mental health awareness (N=84, 4 sessions) and school bullying prevention programs (N=171, 1 session) in elementary and junior high schools located in Seoul. The changes in the subjects before and after the program were assessed. RESULTS: The a social skills training program improved the 'helping' behaviors in boys (t=-2.355, p<.05) and 'sharing' (t=-3.223, p<.01), 'cooperation' (t=-2.235, p<.05), and 'comforting' (t=-2.830, p<.01) behaviors in girls, assessed using the Prosocial Behavior Questionnaire. The mental health awareness program improved 'general health awareness' (t=2.620, p<.05), measured using the Korean General Health Questionnaire. The school bullying prevention program resulted in decreased 'self esteem' (t=3.769, p<.01), measured using the Self Esteem Scale and decreased 'anger' (t=4.198, p<.01), assessed using the Novaco Anger Scale. CONCLUSION: The results of our preliminary analysis suggest that school-based mental health awareness and school bullying prevention programs may be effective even when conducted for a short term. Future investigation is necessary in order to validate the long term effects of these programs.
Adolescent ; Anger ; Bullying* ; Child ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Mental Health* ; Self Concept ; Seoul ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: The age distribution of patients with moyamoya disease (MMD) forms two characteristic peaks in children and adults. It is well known that hemorrhagic presentation is more frequent in adults, while hemorrhage is rare in children. There is controversy in the management of adult-onset MMD and its natural course is not well defined. We investigated the clinical features and outcomes of adult onset MMD to clarify its characteristics. METHODS: Fifty patients with MMD whose first manifestation appeared later than 15 years of age were studied retrospectively. The first manifestations were divided into ischemic and hemorrhagic categories. The types of reattack and their frequencies according to treatment type, as well as the differences between probable (unilateral) and definite (bilateral) MMD, and current clinical outcomes by the Modified Rankin Scale were investigated. RESULTS: The mean follow-up duration was 24.4+/-25.9 months. The female/male ratio was 1.5. The most frequent age of onset was in the 4th decade. Ischemia was more frequent (58%) than hemorrhage (40%) at the initial presentation. Reattack occurred in 20 (41%) patients and more frequently in the ischemic type (55%) than the hemorrhagic (20%). Patients with probable MMD had a later onset age (39 vs. 31.5 years old) and more frequent reattacks (50%) than patients with definite MMD (38%). Reattack occurred in 2 patients (9.5%) among 21 patients who received surgical revascularization during mean follow-up of 15.1+/-21.7 months. One patient had ischemic reattack and the other had hemorrhagic reattack after operation. Thirty five (71%) of 50 patients had good outcomes but 3 patients with hemorrhagic reattacks had poor outcomes (6%). CONCLUSIONS: Probable and definite MMD have some differences in clinical features such as onset age and reattack. Regardless of initial manifestations, most of the adult MMD patients had good outcomes. However, patients with recur-rent attacks had worse outcomes than those without reattacks, especially of the hemorrhagic type. Therefore, revention of rebleeding should receive more attention in the management of adult MMD.
Adult ; Age Distribution ; Age of Onset ; Child ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Moyamoya Disease* ; Prognosis* ; Retrospective Studies

Both vein and arterial involvements with various manifestations in Beh et's disease is defined as vasculo-Beh et's disease. Venous lesions such as thrombosis or varices are more common than arterial lesions. Aneurysms or arterial steno-occlusion involving large intracranial arteries are very rare. We report two cases of vasculo-Beh et's disease involving intracranial arteries. The one case presented with carotid-cavernous sinus fistula due to internal carotid aneurysm, and the other case was accompanied by cerebral infarct due to intracranial arterial stenosis.
Aneurysm ; Arteries* ; Carotid-Cavernous Sinus Fistula ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Thrombosis ; Varicose Veins ; Veins