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.

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

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

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

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.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of healthcare disparities in the individuals with acquired vision impairments. Methods: This study is a qualitative research using thematic analysis. Data were collected from January to March 2024 through one-on-one semi-structured interviews with a total of 11 individuals with acquired vision impairments. Results: The analysis revealed 5 main themes and 19 subthemes. The identified main themes were physical injury and aggravation, psychological tension, difficulty maintaining a healthy lifestyle, mastery of self-management and emergence of social requirements. Conclusion The findings of this study contribute to a deep understanding of the health management experiences of individuals with acquired vision impairments. Additionally, this study identifies their healthcare needs and provides directions for rehabilitation nursing and health promotion behaviors. It is necessary to explore methods for developing tailored health care programs for individuals with acquired vision impairments and to address their needs for physical environments and social systems.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of healthcare disparities in the individuals with acquired vision impairments. Methods: This study is a qualitative research using thematic analysis. Data were collected from January to March 2024 through one-on-one semi-structured interviews with a total of 11 individuals with acquired vision impairments. Results: The analysis revealed 5 main themes and 19 subthemes. The identified main themes were physical injury and aggravation, psychological tension, difficulty maintaining a healthy lifestyle, mastery of self-management and emergence of social requirements. Conclusion The findings of this study contribute to a deep understanding of the health management experiences of individuals with acquired vision impairments. Additionally, this study identifies their healthcare needs and provides directions for rehabilitation nursing and health promotion behaviors. It is necessary to explore methods for developing tailored health care programs for individuals with acquired vision impairments and to address their needs for physical environments and social systems.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of healthcare disparities in the individuals with acquired vision impairments. Methods: This study is a qualitative research using thematic analysis. Data were collected from January to March 2024 through one-on-one semi-structured interviews with a total of 11 individuals with acquired vision impairments. Results: The analysis revealed 5 main themes and 19 subthemes. The identified main themes were physical injury and aggravation, psychological tension, difficulty maintaining a healthy lifestyle, mastery of self-management and emergence of social requirements. Conclusion The findings of this study contribute to a deep understanding of the health management experiences of individuals with acquired vision impairments. Additionally, this study identifies their healthcare needs and provides directions for rehabilitation nursing and health promotion behaviors. It is necessary to explore methods for developing tailored health care programs for individuals with acquired vision impairments and to address their needs for physical environments and social systems.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of healthcare disparities in the individuals with acquired vision impairments. Methods: This study is a qualitative research using thematic analysis. Data were collected from January to March 2024 through one-on-one semi-structured interviews with a total of 11 individuals with acquired vision impairments. Results: The analysis revealed 5 main themes and 19 subthemes. The identified main themes were physical injury and aggravation, psychological tension, difficulty maintaining a healthy lifestyle, mastery of self-management and emergence of social requirements. Conclusion The findings of this study contribute to a deep understanding of the health management experiences of individuals with acquired vision impairments. Additionally, this study identifies their healthcare needs and provides directions for rehabilitation nursing and health promotion behaviors. It is necessary to explore methods for developing tailored health care programs for individuals with acquired vision impairments and to address their needs for physical environments and social systems.