PURPOSE: This study examined the relationships among menopausal symptom, self-efficacy, health promoting behaviors, and investigated factors affecting health promoting behaviors of teachers with middle-aged women experiencing menopause. METHODS: From September to October 2012, a convenience sample of 252 subjects aged 40 to 60 years was recruited from 8 elementary schools, 3 middle schools and 5 high schools. The data analysis was done by ANOVA and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: Menopausal symptom of subjects was slightly lower than general middle aged women and the average level of health promoting behaviors was similar to general middle aged women. Health promoting behaviors were differentiated by severity of menopausal symptom, not by menstruation state. Menopausal symptom was negatively related to health promoting behaviors. The most significant factor affecting health promoting behaviors was self efficacy (14.3%). The combination of self efficacy, menopausal symptom, and elementary school teachers accounted for 20.1% of health promoting behavior. CONCLUSION: When developing health promotion program for teachers with middle-aged women, such program should consider self-efficacy, menopausal symptom, and school type.
Aged ; Climacteric ; Female ; Health Promotion ; Health Status ; Humans ; Menopause ; Menstruation ; Middle Aged ; Self Efficacy ; Statistics as Topic

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the status of health care in acquired vision impairments. Methods: Data of 511 subjects who had recruited in National Survey of the Disabled Person of 2017 were analyzed.Collected data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, x 2 test, Fisher's exact test with SPSS 25.0 version. Results: The mean age was 68.4 years. 39.1% of the subjects lived alone, and 97.4% of the subjects were unable to decipher the braille. The prevalence of chronic diseases was high blood pressure (56.2%), diabetes (32.7%), and osteoarthritis (25.2%). 54.5% of the subjects experienced stress in their daily activities. In addition, 14.1% of the subjects thought they had a thought of suicide in the last year. The major needed health informations were related with disease and healthy life. In order to manage chronic diseases, they had continuously treated, but they did not receive proper management regarding mental health. There was a lack of exercise in health promotion behaviors in acquired vision impairments. Conclusion For the health management of people with acquired vision impairments, it is needed that the exercise and health education programs should be developed for people who cannot understand the braille. Also, it is needed for them to manage the mental health.

OBJECTIVE: Rheumatoid arthritis, the most common form of arthritis, is typically characterized by induced inflammatory pain in joints. Recent studies have reported on the expression of pain receptors such as transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and acid sensing ion channel 3 (ASIC3), which are related to pain induction and regulation. This study was conducted to investigate the expression of TRPV1 and ASIC3 in response to the analgesic effect of an arthritis treatment in a collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). METHODS: Mice were divided into 3 groups: Control, CIA, and CIA with arthritis treatment. Mice received intraperitoneal injection with 10 mg/kg infliximab and 10 mg/kg meloxicam five times per week for 3 weeks. Mechanical hyperalgesia, histologic examination of the feet, serum levels of inflammatory cytokine such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), and interleukin-17 (IL-17), TRPV1 and ASIC3 expression were investigated. RESULTS: The serum levels of IL-6 and IL-17 were lower in the treatment group (73.77+/-10.11 pg/mL and 26.75+/-7.17 pg/mL, respectively) compared to the CIA group (p<0.001). Histological analysis showed decreased synovial cell proliferation, leukocyte infiltration, and cartilage destruction in the treatment group compared with the CIA group. The CIA group that underwent arthritis treatment showed a significantly increased withdrawal threshold of mechanical nociception on the hind paw and increased expression of TRPV1 and ASIC3 compared to the CIA group. CONCLUSION: Arthritis treatment resulted in an anti-inflammatory and analgesic effect through upregulation of the activity of TRPV1 and ASIC3 in CIA mice.
Animals ; Arthritis* ; Arthritis, Experimental ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Cartilage ; Cell Proliferation ; Collagen* ; Foot ; Hyperalgesia ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Interleukin-17 ; Interleukin-6 ; Ion Channels ; Joints ; Leukocytes ; Mice ; Nociception ; Nociceptors* ; Up-Regulation ; Infliximab

Few are familiar with the gluconeogenesis that occurs in the intestine under fasting or the influence of insulin. Recently, however, studies that revealed the function of intestinal gluconeogenesis as a regulatory process for glucose homeostasis and appetite were described. The intestine produces about 25% of total endogenous glucose during fasting and regulates energy homeostasis through communication with the brain. Glucose produced via intestinal gluconeogenesis is delivered to portal vein where periportal neural system senses glucose and sends a signal to the brain to regulate appetite and glucose homeostasis. Moreover, studies uncovered that intestinal gluconeogenesis contributes to the rapid metabolic improvements induced by gastric bypass surgery.
Appetite ; Bariatric Surgery ; Brain ; Fasting ; Gastric Bypass ; Gluconeogenesis ; Glucose* ; Homeostasis ; Insulin ; Intestines* ; Metabolism* ; Portal Vein

PURPOSE: To propose a conceptual design of a novel source for intensity modulated brachytherapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The source design incorporates both radioactive and shielding materials (stainless steel or tungsten), to provide an asymmetric dose intensity in the azimuthal direction. The intensity modulated intravascular brachytherapy was performed by combining a series of dwell positions and times, distributed along the azimuthal coordinates. Two simple designs for the beta-emitting sources, with similar physical dimensions to a 90Sr/Y Novoste Beat-Cath source, were considered in the dosimetric feasibility study. In the first design, the radioactive and materials each occupy half of the cylinder and in the second, the radioactive material occupies only a quater of the cylinder. The radial and azimuthal dose distributions around each source were calculated using the MCNP Monte Carlo code. RESULTS: The preliminary hypothetical simulation and optimization results demonstrated the 87% difference between the maximum and minimum doses to the lumen wall, due to off-centering of the radiation source, could be reduced to less than 7% by optimizing the azimuthal dwell positions and times of the partially shielded intravascular brachytherapy sources. CONCLUSION: The novel brachytherapy source design, and conceptual source delivery system, proposed in this study show promising dosimetric characteristics for the realization of intensity modulated brachytherapy in intravascular treatment. Further development of this concept will center on building a delivery system that can precisely control the angular motion of a radiation source in a small-diameter catheter.
Brachytherapy* ; Catheters ; Feasibility Studies* ; Steel

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the functional status and health service accessibility of the disabled children in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methods: The research design for this study was a descriptive survey using convenience sampling using questionnaires. A total of 184 subjects were used to analysis. Data were analyzed using SPSS program version 22.0 to conduct independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA tests, χ2 tests, and multiple regressions. Results: The disabled children had more difficulty accessing health services compared to those without any disabilities. Factors negatively influencing health service accessability were inadequate drugs or medical equipment (t=2.18, p=.031), inability to afford transportation(t=3.00, p=.003), and inability afford the medical costs (t=2.54, p=.012). Also, Mother’s anxiety (β=-.50, p<.001) and child’s education experience (β=.22, p=.029) were identified as the influencing factors on the barriers to health care services. The relevant variables showed 30.5% influence (F=16.60, p<.001) on the barriers to health care services in disabled children. Conclusion The findings indicate that in order to enhance the disabled children‘s accessibility to health services, governmental support for transportation and medical costs are needed. In addition, it is necessary to promote the mental health of mothers raising children with disabilities.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Cancer-induced bone pain (CIBP) is one of the most common pains in patients with advanced neoplasms. Because of treatment-associated side effects, more than half of cancer patients are reported to have inadequate and undermanaged pain control. New mechanism-based therapies must be developed to reduce cancer pain. Quetiapine is a commonly used atypical antipsychotic drug. We report a study of the potential analgesic effects of quetiapine in a mouse model of CIBP and examine the mechanism of bone pain by analyzing the expression of various nociceptors. METHODS: Fifteen male C3H/HeN mice were arbitrarily divided into five groups: control and, CIBP with no treatment, quetiapine treatment, opioid treatment, and melatonin treatment. The mice were tested for mechanical hyperalgesia by determining the nociceptive hind paw withdrawal pressure threshold. Tissues from tibia were removed and subjected to quantitative and qualitative evaluations of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1), TRPV4, acid-sensing ion channel 1 (ASIC1), ASIC2, and ASIC3 expression. RESULTS: Paw withdrawal pressure threshold was improved in the quetiapine treatment group compared with the CIBP group. Expression of TRPV1, TRPV4, ASIC1, ASIC2, and ASIC3 in the CIBP with quetiapine treatment group was significantly lower than that in the CIBP group. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest an analgesic effect of quetiapine in the CIBP animal model and implicate TRPV and ASICs as potential targets for cancer pain management.
Animals ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Humans ; Hyperalgesia ; Ion Channels ; Male ; Melatonin ; Mice* ; Models, Animal ; Nociceptors ; Pain Management ; Quetiapine Fumarate* ; Tibia

Methods: Using a common data model of electronic medical records at a university medical center in South Korea, the study populations were extracted if the depressive patients were treated either with antidepressants only or along with antipsychotics. The suicidal risks were compared with the Kaplan-Meier plot and log-rank test, and the risk factors were accessed using the Cox proportional hazard model. Results: All demographic characteristics were similar in the monotherapy group taking only antidepressants and the combination therapy group taking antipsychotics with antidepressants, except for the smoking characteristic (p=0.023). The combination therapy group showed a lower suicidal risk [hazard ratio=0.58, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.282–1.190] compared to the monotherapy group, which was not significant (p=0.138). Conclusion The combination therapy had no beneficial effects on reducing the suicidal risk in patients with depressive symptoms. This study is meaningful in that it is the first attempt to explore a psychiatric behavior/symptom using real-world data based on a common data model of general electronic medical records as well as narrative textual data.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical findings and mortality of gastric perforation between preterm and term infants. METHODS: The medical records of neonates, admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Dongsan Medical Center for gastric perforation between July 1992 and June 2012, were reviewed retrospectively. The admission records of clinical findings and mortality were reviewed and statistically analyzed between preterm and term infants. RESULTS: Nine infants were diagnosed with neonatal gastric perforation. Of the nine infants, the number of term infants was five and the number of male was eight. Of the four infants diagnosed with spontaneous gastric perforation, the number of preterm and term infants was three and one respectively. The anatomical location of perforation was greater curvature in all four preterm infants. However, various sites such as greater curvature (three infants) and antrum (two infants) were observed in five term infants. Mortality rate was tended to be lower in preterm infants compared to term infants, without statistical significance (25.0% vs. 40.0%, P>0.1). There was no mortality in four infants diagnosed with spontaneous gastric perforation. However, two infants diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) all died. CONCLUSION: There was no significant difference in clinical findings and mortality of gastric perforation between preterm and term infants. The prognosis of spontaneous gastric perforation was good, however, mortality rate was tended to be higher in NEC than other causes (P=0.083).
Enterocolitis, Necrotizing ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Male ; Medical Records ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: The aims of this study are to evaluate psychological impact and quality of life according to the cancer diagnosis and mutation status in Korean families with BRCA mutations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen affected carriers (AC), 16 unaffected carriers (UC) and 13 healthy non carriers (NC) from 13 BRCA mutation families were included in the study. Outcomes were compared with regard to depression (Beck Depression Inventory), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, STAI), optimism (Reevaluation of the Life Orientation test, LOT-R), knowledge of hereditary ovarian cancer, and quality of life (QoL) (SF-36v2 Health Survey, physical component score [PCS], mental component score [MCS]) among three groups. RESULT: Level of depression, optimism, and PCS were similar in AC, UC, and NC. Anxiety score was elevated in all three groups. MCS was significantly low in AC than in UC and NC (P =0.009, P =0.017). Knowledge of hereditary breast and ovarian cancer was high in AC than NC (P =0.001). MCS was significantly related to whether patient was affected by cancer (P =0.043) and has occupation (P = 0.008) or not in multivariable analysis. CONCLUSION: From this cross sectional study, psychological adverse effect was not related to the carrier status of BRCA mutation. Elevated anxiety in BRCA family members was observed but, independent to affection and the type of genetic mutation. AC showed low mental QoL. Further effort to understand psychological impact and QoL of genetic testing in BRCA family members is required for follow-up in clinical aspects.
Anxiety ; Breast ; Depression ; Genetic Counseling ; Genetic Testing ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Occupations ; Orientation ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Quality of Life