PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to identify the mediating effects of job satisfaction between internal marketing and organizational commitment of nurses in small and medium-sized hospitals. METHOD: Data were collected from 208 nurses in 8 small and medium-sized hospitals and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and structural equation model (SEM) with the PASW 18.0 and AMOS 18.0 programs. RESULTS: There were positive relationships among all three variables, internal marketing, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. There was a mediating effect of job satisfaction between internal marketing and organizational commitment. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that strategies which could enhance the job satisfaction of nurses should be developed by mangers in small and medium sized hospitals. Further study is needed on other factors which may influence nurses' job satisfaction and organizational commitment especially, in small and medium sized hospitals.
Job Satisfaction ; Marketing ; Negotiating

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to identify the mediating effects of self-efficacy between academic stress and college adjustment in first year nursing students. METHOD: Data were collected from 396 first year nursing students from 3 junior colleges and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations and structural equation model (SEM) with PASW 18.0 and AMOS 18.0 programs. RESULTS: There was a negative relationship between academic stress and college adjustment but a positive relationship between self-efficacy and college adjustment. There was a partial mediating effect of self-efficacy between academic stress and college adjustment. CONCLUSION: The results indicate a need to develop programs that effectively promote the self-efficacy of first year nursing students to decrease academic stress and maximize college adjustment. Further studies are needed in which other factors that could affect college adjustment are examined.
Humans ; Negotiating ; Self Efficacy ; Students, Nursing

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to identify the mediating effect of organizational citizenship behavior between job embeddedness and turnover intention in hospital nurses. METHODS: Data were collected from 241 nurses in 3 tertiary hospitals and 2 secondary hospitals in Daegu and analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations and structural equation model (SEM) with the PASW 18.0 and AMOS 18.0 program. RESULTS: There were negative relationships between job embeddedness and turnover intention (r=-.53, p<.01), and organizational citizenship behavior and turnover intention (r=-.39, p<.01) but a positive relationship between job embeddedness and organizational citizenship behavior (r=.39, p<.01). There was a partial mediating effect of organizational citizenship behavior between job embeddedness and turnover intention (chi2=91.02, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that organizational citizenship behavior has a mediating effect on the relationship between job embeddedness and turnover intention in hospital nurses, suggesting that enhancing organizational citizenship behavior is required. in order to promote job embeddedness and reduce turnover intention.
Intention ; Negotiating ; Tertiary Care Centers

OBJECTIVE: Over the last several years, immunotherapy has become one of the most promising therapeutic options for cancer. This study aims to summarize the updates on cancer immunotherapy focusing on immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as programmed cell death-1 (PD-1), programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4) inhibitors, which have received attention as new anticancer therapeutic agents. METHODS: A literature survey was carried out on PubMed to identify high-impact papers on cancer immunotherapy from 2010. The most recent data on clinical efficacy and safety have been included highlighting the response characteristics to recently approved immunotherapeutic agents. RESULTS: In various cancers, immune checkpoints are a means for cancer cells to evade the immune system. Furthermore, CTLA-4 and PD-L1 can be overexpressed, allowing malignant cells to evade T-cells. Numerous clinical trials have been performed to seek appropriate indication of these products in various cancer types. Among them, the most conspicuous types are melanoma, non-small-cell lung cancer, and head and neck cancer. The approval of ipilimumab by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commenced a new era of cancer immunotherapy. This was followed by the approval of nivolumab and pembrolizumab. Currently, combination therapies are being investigated for various cancer types. CONCLUSION: In this study, we reviewed recently reported scientific and clinical evidence for currently approved immune checkpoint inhibitors. Although these novel checkpoint inhibitors are ever evolving for cancer therapies, there exist limitations that need to be overcome, indicating the necessity for further studies aiming to improve their efficacy, toxicity, and cost.

With society's increasing interest in weight control and body weight, we investigated the association between psychological factors and body image misperception in different age groups of adult Korean women with a normal weight. On a total of 4,600 women from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2009, a self-report questionnaire was used to assess body weight perception and 3 psychological factors: self-rated health status, stress recognition, and depressed mood. Through logistic regression analysis, a poor self-rated health status (P = 0.001) and a higher recognition of stress (P = 0.001) were significantly associated with body image misperception and this significance remained after controlling for several sociodemographic (Model 1: adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.31-2.00), health behavior and psychological factors (Model 2: aOR, 1.59; 95% CI, 1.29-1.96; Model 3: aOR, 1.36; 95% CI, 1.01-1.84). Especially, highly stressed middle-aged (50-64 yr) women were more likely to have body image misperception (Model 2: aOR, 2.85; 95% CI, 1.30-6.26). However, the correlation between depressed mood and self-reported body weight was inconsistent between different age groups. In conclusion, self-rated health status and a high recognition rate of severe stress were related to body weight misperception which could suggest tailored intervention to adult women especially women in younger age or low self-rated health status or a high recognition rate of severe stress.
Adult ; Age Distribution ; Aged ; Aging/psychology ; Body Dysmorphic Disorders/*epidemiology/*psychology ; Body Image/*psychology ; *Body Weight ; Comorbidity ; Depression/*epidemiology/*psychology ; Female ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Psychology ; Reference Values ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Self Report ; Women's Health/statistics & numerical data ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: Recent studies suggest new mechanisms of Botulinum toxin (BoNT) other than inhibiting acetylcholine (ACh) release from nerve terminals. The aim of this study was to determine whether other mechanisms for BoNT exist, so that it directly inhibits smooth muscle contraction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Guinea pig antral muscle strips were studied in vitro after 2 hours of exposure to Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT/A). Contractile responses to electric field stimulation (EFS), high K+ (60 mM) and ACh (100 microM) were evaluated 24 and 48 hours after antral intramuscular injection of BoNT/A or vehicle. RESULTS: BoNT/A inhibited muscular contraction caused by high K+ and ACh. Contractile responses to low (1 & 4 Hz) and high (8 & 20 Hz) frequency EFS of antral muscle strips 24 and 48 hours after antral intramuscular injection of BoNT/A were significantly inhibited. CONCLUSION: The ability of BoNT/A to directly inhibit antral muscular contractility suggests a new mechanism for the pharmacologic actions of BoNT-direct inhibition of muscular contraction.
Acetylcholine ; Animals ; Botulinum Toxins* ; Botulinum Toxins, Type A* ; Guinea Pigs* ; Guinea* ; In Vitro Techniques ; Injections, Intramuscular ; Muscle Contraction ; Muscle, Smooth ; Pharmacologic Actions ; Pyloric Antrum

For over a thousand years, various substances have been applied to the skin to treat pain. Some of these substances have active ingredients that we still use today. However, some have been discontinued due to their harmful effect, while others have been long forgotten. Recent concerns regarding the cardiovascular and renal risk from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and issues with opioids, have resulted in increasing demand and attention to non-systemic topical alternatives. There is increasing evidence of the efficacy and safety of topical agents in pain control. Topical analgesics are great alternatives for pain management and are an essential part of multimodal analgesia. This review aims to describe essential aspects of topical drugs that physicians should consider in their practice as part of multimodal analgesia. This review describes the mechanism of popular topical analgesics and also introduces the most recently released and experimental topical medications.

Background: Among various diseases that accompany pain, complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is one of the most frustrating for patients and physicians. Recently, many studies have shown functional and anatomical abnormalities in the brains of patients with CRPS. The calcium-related signaling pathway is important in various physiologic processes via calmodulin (CaM) and calcium-calmodulin kinase 2 (CaMK2). To investigate the cerebral mechanism of CRPS, we measured changes in CaM and CaMK2 expression in the cerebrum in CRPS animal models. Methods: The chronic post-ischemia pain model was employed for CRPS model generation. After generation of the animal models, the animals were categorized into three groups based on changes in the withdrawal threshold for the affected limb: CRPS-positive (P), CRPS-negative (N), and control (C) groups. Western blot analysis was performed to measure CaM and CaMK2 expression in the rat cerebrum. Results: Animals with a decreased withdrawal threshold (group P) showed a significant increment in cerebral CaM and CaMK2 expression (P = 0.013 and P = 0.021, respectively). However, groups N and C showed no difference in CaM and CaMK2 expression. Conclusions The calcium-mediated cerebral process occurs after peripheral injury in CRPS, and there can be a relationship between the cerebrum and the pathogenesis of CRPS.

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a challenging condition for pain management specialists. The prevention of herpes zoster (HZ) and subsequent PHN in individuals aged 50 years and older, via the development of new vaccines, is an ongoing research project. The live zoster vaccine (LZV, Zostavax®) was the first proof of concept that vaccination could prevent HZ, but LZV cannot be used in various immunecompromised patients. This led to the development of a new non-live recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV, Shingrix®). This RZV has shown promising results in many clinical trials, with high reactogenicity and similar systemic adverse effects compared to those of LZV. The National Advisory Committee on Immunization has recommended LZV as a standard vaccine for HZ prevention in adults ≥ 50 years of age, but no studies directly comparing the safety and efficacy of RZV and LZV vaccines have been conducted. This article reviews the brief history, efficacy, and safety of the two vaccines and discusses the advantage of RZV over LZV based on the available literature.

Background: We aimed to investigate the effect of epidural polydeoxyribonucleotide (PDRN) on mechanical allodynia and motor dysfunction in a rat model of lumbar foraminal stenosis (LFS). Methods: This study was conducted in two stages, using male Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were randomly divided into eight groups. In the first stage, the groups were as follows: vehicle (V), sham (S), and epidural PDRN at 5 (P5), 8 (P8), and 10 (P10) mg/kg; and in the second stage, they were as follows: intraperitoneal PDRN 8 mg/kg, epidural 3,7-dimethyl-1-propargilxanthine (DMPX) (0.1 mg/kg), and DMPX (0.1 mg/kg). The LFS model was established, except for the S group. After an epidural injection of the test solutions, von Frey and treadmill tests were conducted for 3 weeks. Subsequently, histopathologic examinations were conducted in the V, S, P5, and P10 groups. Results: A total of 65 rats were included. The P8 and P10 groups showed significant recovery from mechanical allodynia and motor dysfunction at all time points after drug administration compared to the V group. These effects were abolished by concomitant administration of DMPX. On histopathological examination, no epineurial inflammation or fibrosis was observed in the epidural PDRN groups. Conclusions Epidural injection of PDRN significantly improves mechanical allodynia and motor dysfunction in a rat model of LFS, which is mediated by the spinal adenosine A2A receptor. The present data support the need for further research to determine the role of epidural PDRN in spinal stenosis treatment.