PURPOSE: This descriptive correlation study was done to identify the hardiness, coping behavior, and organizational commitment of general hospital employees and show how these variables affect increases in role performance and problem solving ability to have a positive influence on organizational harmony. METHODS: A quantitative, descriptive research design was used with a sample of 368 employees working in general hospitals in M and C cities. A survey was used to collect the data. RESULTS: The score for perception of hardiness of general hospital employees was 2.85, and coping behavior was 2.40, both out of a possible 4 points, and organizational commitment, 3.03 out of a possible 5 points. There were statistically significant positive correlations between hardiness and coping behavior (r=.33, p<.001), also between hardiness and organizational commitment (r=.51, p<.001), and also between coping behavior and organizational commitment (r=.22, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that hardiness, coping behavior, and organizational commitment in general hospital employees have positive correlations, and thus hospital administrators should explore ways of increase individual employee hardiness and coping behavior, and make efforts to harmonize their organizations by enhancing organizational commitment.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Hospital Administrators ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Problem Solving ; Research Design ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to analyze and clarify the concept of 'motivation for vocational rehabilitation in persons with mental disabilities'. METHODS: A hybrid model was used to analyze the concept of motivation for vocational rehabilitation in persons with mental disabilities. The model included a comprehensive literature review and field study. Field study was conducted through in-depth interviews with 5 persons with mental disabilities who had employment experience and participant observation in rehabilitation facilities. RESULTS: The concept of motivation for vocational rehabilitation in persons with mental disabilities was found to be a complex phenomenon having meaning in two dimensions: Goal-oriented and cognitive dimensions. Five attributes and fourteen indicators were defined. Motivation for vocational rehabilitation in these persons was defined as a recognition of the need to get a job, and the willingness and confidence to get and keep a job in order to achieve normal life, happiness, economic stability, and their value. CONCLUSION: The findings from this study will contribute to the development of assessment tools and nursing interventions to reinforce the motivation for vocational rehabilitation in persons with mental disabilities.
Employment ; Happiness ; Humans ; Mentally Disabled Persons ; Motivation* ; Nursing ; Occupations ; Rehabilitation ; Rehabilitation, Vocational*

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the effects of the BeHaS exercise program consisting of exercise, education, and cognitive supports on the hand strength, depression and life satisfaction in institutionalized elderly people with CVA. METHOD: A quasi-experimental design with an experimental group (n=18) and a control group (n=18) was used. The elders in the experimental group participated in the program once a week for eight weeks. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square and t-test with SPSS /Win 18.0. RESULTS: Hypothesis 1 was supported as the hand strength of the elders in experimental group significantly increased compared to those in the control group. Hypothesis 2 was also supported as depression scores for elders in the experimental group significantly decreased compared to those in the control group. Hypothesis 3 was supported as life satisfaction scores for elders in the experimental group significantly increased compared to those in the control group. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that the BeHaS exercise program can play a useful role in improving depression and life satisfaction in institutionalized elderly people with CVA.
Aged ; Depression ; Hand ; Hand Strength ; Humans

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have documented increased release of endothelin(ET) during acute attack of asthma. The purpose of this study is to observe the link between plasma level and urinary excretion of each and changes during acute exacerbation. METHOD: Plasma and 24 hour urine were collected from sixteen asthmatics during acute exacerbation, twice ; first day of symptomatic exacerbation and two weeks after treatment. Controls were ten healthy normal subjects. All patients were treated with corticosteroid and beta-2 adrenergic agonist on admission. ET was determined by radioimmmunoassay and had 100% cross reactivity with ET-1, 67% with ET-2, 84% with ET-3, and 8% with Big-ET. RESULTS: Plasma ETs were significantly elevated during acute attack of asthma compared with those in remission and controls. However, there was no significant changes in urine ET concentrations or total ET amounts in 24 hour urine during exacerbation upto two weeks. Those levels of urine ET in asthmatics were still higher than controls. ET concentrations in plasma or urine were not correlated with pulmonary functional parameters and hypoxemia. CONCLUSION: The findings suggests that increased plasma ETs are related with exaggerated release during acute asthma. Urinary ET excretion is increased in asthma. However, urine ET changes during exacerbation should be observed in a larger and longer scale.
Adrenergic Agonists ; Anoxia ; Asthma* ; Endothelin-2 ; Endothelins* ; Humans ; Plasma*

PURPOSE: The aim of the study is to determine whether late preterm infants from normal oral GTT (glucose tolerance test) but positive GCT (glucose challenge test) mothers are associated with adverse postnatal outcome. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed from singleton infants who were born at 34(+0)-36(+6) weeks between January 2008 and December 2012 and prenatally checked at CHA Gangnam Medical Center. Infants were categorized into three groups according to the results of 50 g oral GCT and 100 g oral GTT; NG group (normal glucose tolerance group, n=603) vs. GIG group (gestational impaired glucose tolerance group; infants of normal oral GTT but positive GCT mothers, n=77) vs. GDM group (gestational diabetes group, n=52). Neonatal outcomes were compared among the three groups. RESULTS: GIG group showed significantly increased incidence of jaundice compared to NG group (9.6% vs. 19.5%, P=0.031). The number of old mothers (> or =35 years at delivery) was significantly higher in GIG group compared to NG group (27.5% vs. 33.8%, P=0.006). After stratification by maternal age, GIG group showed significantly increased respiratory diseases compared to NG group (44% vs. 65.4%, P=0.04). Hypocalcemia and feeding problem increased across the groups (NG vs. GIG vs. GDM; 13.3% vs. 26.9% vs. 32.0%, P= 0.024; 6.0% vs. 11.5% vs. 20.0%, P=0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: Late preterm infants of normal oral GTT but positive GCT mothers, especially in older mother, have increased risk of postnatal morbidities such as respiratory distress, jaundice, hypocalcemia or feeding intolerance. Thus, careful follow up may be needed in this group since antepartum period.
Diabetes, Gestational* ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine* ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glucose ; Glucose Intolerance ; Humans ; Hypocalcemia ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Jaundice ; Mass Screening* ; Maternal Age ; Mothers* ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies

Medicolegal autopsy is a vital tool for obtaining reliable injury mortality data. This study statistically analyzed data obtained from medicolegal autopsies performed in Korea in 2013. The aim of this study was to analyze various aspects of the 4,861 deaths that were categorized as unusual in Korea in 2013. A total of 4,861 deaths were analyzed by gender, age, manner of death, and cause of death. Of the 4,861 deaths, 3,542 (73.3%) were of men and 1,302 (26.7%) were of women. With respect to the manner of death, 54.4% were recorded as unnatural deaths, 38.8% were natural deaths, and 6.9% had unknown causes. Of the 2,642 unnatural deaths, 45.0% were determined to be accidental deaths, 26.3% suicidal, 16.9% homicidal, and 11.8% undetermined. Of the total number of unnatural deaths, 42.1% were trauma-related deaths, for which falling down accounted for 33.8%. Asphyxiation accounted for 16.0% of unnatural deaths, and of these, the predominant cause was hanging (58.8%). In addition, 14.4% of deaths were due to drowning, 12.9% poisoning, 11.0% thermal injuries, 1.8% complications arising from medical procedures, and 0.8% electrocution, starvation, or neglect. Among the 1,886 natural deaths, heart diseases accounted for 52.0% and vascular diseases accounted for 16.9%. Of the 196 deaths among children under the age of 10 years, 41.8% were recorded as unnatural deaths, 45.1% were natural deaths, and 1.5% had unknown causes.
Autopsy* ; Cause of Death ; Child ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Drowning ; Female ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Mortality ; Poisoning ; Starvation ; Vascular Diseases

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Mutations in the F-box only protein 7 (FBXO7) gene are the cause of autosomal recessive parkinsonian-pyramidal syndrome. Herein, we report a patient with a novel FBXO7 mutation with a unique clinical presentation. A 43-year-old male visited our hospital with complaints of progressing gait disturbance since a generalized tonic clonic seizure. There were no past neurological symptoms or familial disorders. Neurological examination revealed bradykinesia, masked face, stooped posture, parkinsonian gait, and postural instability. The bilateral uptake by dopamine transporters was nearly abolished, as determined by N-(3-[18F]fluoropropyl)- 2β-carbon ethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane positron emission tomography (18F-FP-CIT PET). Next-generation sequencing revealed a heterozygous c.1066_1069delTCTG (p.Ser356ArgfsTer56) frameshift variant and a heterozygous c.80G>A (p.Arg27His) missense variant of the FBXO7 gene. The patient’s specific clinical features, medication-refractory parkinsonism and seizures further broaden the spectrum of FBXO7 mutations. The nearly abolished dopamine transporter uptake identified by 18F-FP-CIT PET is frequently found in patients with FBXO7 mutations, which is different from the usual rostrocaudal gradient that is observed in patients with Parkinson’s disease.

Medicolegal autopsies are a vital tool for obtaining reliable injury mortality data. This study statistically analyzed the data obtained from medicolegal autopsies performed in Korea in 2014. A total of 5,324 deaths were analyzed by sex, age, manner of death, and cause of death. With respect to the manner of death, 56.3% were recorded as unnatural deaths, 38.4% were natural deaths, and 5.3% had unknown causes. Of the 2,998 unnatural deaths, 41.0% were determined to be accidental deaths; 28.1%, suicidal; 16.1%, homicidal; and 14.8%, undetermined. Of the total number of unnatural deaths, 38.8% were trauma-related, wherein falls accounted for 32.7%. Asphyxiation accounted for 16.3% of unnatural deaths; of these, the predominant cause was hanging (59.4%). In addition, 15.0% of the unnatural deaths were due to drowning; 14.8%, poisoning; 11.3%, thermal injuries; 2.5%, complications arising from medical procedures; and 0.4%, electrocution, starvation, or neglect. Among the 2,042 natural deaths, heart diseases accounted for 49.0% and vascular diseases accounted for 17.3%. Of the 170 deaths among children under the age of 10, 38.8% were recorded as unnatural deaths, 54.1% were natural deaths, and 7.1% had unknown causes.
Autopsy* ; Cause of Death ; Child ; Data Interpretation, Statistical ; Drowning ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Korea* ; Mortality ; Poisoning ; Starvation ; Vascular Diseases

BACKGROUND: Systemic hypertension produces varying degree of LVH which is associated with increased cardiovascular morbidiity. Previous studies have documented regression of LVH with various antihypertensives including calcium channel blockers, except diuretics and vasodilators. Recently echocadiographic assessment of the change of left ventricular mass(LVM) after antihyertensive therapy have been reported to offer prognostic cardiovascular information. The aim of this echocardiographic study is determining the influence of nicardipine, a calcium channel blocker, on the change of LVM in patients with essential hypertenison. METHODS: Left ventricular mass(LVM) and left ventricular mass index(LVMI) were measured by M-mode echocardiography in 15 patients with essential hypertension. Nicardipine, a calcium channel blocker, was administered for 6 months and two echocardiographies were done before and after administering, respectively. RESULTS: In the 15 patients treated for 6 months, systolic and diastolic pressure remained very significantly decreased compared with pressure before before therapy(135+/-15mmHg vs 168+/-26mmHg, and 86+/-7mmHg vs 105+/-16mmHg, both p<0.01). Concomitantly both LVM and LVMI decreased significantly(209+/-49g vs 235+/-71g, and 116+/-6g/m2 vs 131+/-38g/m2,both p<0.05). And no change was noted in left ventricular cavity size, demonstration that LVM reduction was due to regression of hypertrophy. CONCLUSION: This study showed that nicardipine produced a significant decrease in blood pressure, LVM, and LVMI over the 6 months period. And large and longterm controlled studies are needed for the clarification of the association between nicardipine and regression of LVH in hypertensive patients.
Antihypertensive Agents ; Blood Pressure ; Calcium Channel Blockers ; Calcium Channels ; Diuretics ; Echocardiography ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Hypertrophy ; Nicardipine* ; Vasodilator Agents