BACKGROUND: This study was performed to compare the effectiveness of cholesterol-lowering diet therapy instructed by physicians with that instructed by dieticians using techniques that remove regression to the mean. METHODS: 118 patients who visited the office of Family Medicine department in Pusan Paik Hospital from February to November, 1996 and had serum total cholesterol(TC) concentrations greater or equal to 200mg/dL from two measurements were enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups randomly according to the cholesterol-lowering dietary education methods : the one was educated by physicians(Group I), and the other by dieticians(Group II). We evaluated the differences of lipid levels after education in consideration of regression to the mean. RESULTS: The mean reduction in TC concentrations achieved by dietary therapy was 10.7 % and 7.3%(without and with adjustment for regression to the mean) in Group I, and 9.8 and 6.5%(without and with adjustment, for regression to the mean) in Group II. The baseline TC concentrations and TC concentrations after dietary therapy were significantly different in individual group regardless of adjustment for regression to the mean. However, the reduction degrees of TC concentrations were not significantly different between two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that even after adjustment for regression to the mean, dietary therapy will achieve the expected reduction. And it seems that the diet education by physicians will be effective as much as that by dieticians.
Busan ; Diet Therapy ; Diet* ; Education ; Humans ; Nutritionists*

PURPOSE: Recently, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have become one of the major nosocomial pathogens in Korea. However, there have been few studies on the epidemiology of VRE colonization among neonates. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of VRE colonization, risk factors for VRE, and how to control the spread of VRE infection in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Pusan National University Hospital (PNUH). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 192 neonates who were admitted to the NICU of PNUH from March 2006 to March 2007. Surveillance cultures from rectal swabs for detecting VRE were obtained weekly during the study period. We analyzed the prevalence of VRE and various risk factors. RESULTS: The rate of VRE colonization among NICU patients was 25% (48/192). Thirty five of these VRE colonized patients were transferred to the NICU from other local hospitals. Compared with the non-VRE group, the risk factors associated with VRE colonization were lower birth weight, congenital heart disease, applied mechanical ventilation, use of a central venous catheter, chest tubing, a history of surgery, and use of antibiotics. CONCLUSION: VRE colonization among patients admitted to the NICU is rapidly increasing. Monitoring and managing premature neonates from the beginning of the birth process, avoiding many invasive procedures, avoiding antibiotics such as vancomycin and third generation cephalosporin are important for preventing the emergence and spread of VRE colonization in the NICU.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Birth Weight ; Central Venous Catheters ; Colon ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Parturition ; Prevalence ; Respiration, Artificial ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Thorax ; Vancomycin ; Vancomycin Resistance

Purpose: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had significant physical and psychological impacts on registered nurses (RNs). This study aimed to identify long COVID symptoms and their associated factors specifically among RNs. Methods: This descriptive correlational study’s sample comprised 189 nurses (31.57±5.98 years, 93.7% female) in Korea. Self-reported long COVID symptoms were assessed using the COVID-19 Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale. Data were collected from December 31, 2022, to January 13, 2023, using the online survey method and were analyzed using independent t-test, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation, and a multiple linear regression analysis with the IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0 program. Results: A total of 179 participants (94.7%) experienced one or more long COVID symptoms. The most prevalent symptoms were weakness (77.8%), fatigue (68.3%), breathlessness (67.7%), cough/throat sensitivity/voice change (50.3%), and sleep problems (50.3%). The factors related to long COVID symptoms were marital status, type of institution, working time, acute COVID-19 symptoms, and vaccination status. The quarantine period (β=.26, p<.001) and the nursing workforce after COVID-19 (β=-.17, p=.018) were significantly associated with long COVID symptoms (Adjusted R2=.33). Conclusion Providing comprehensive recognition is necessary for the understanding of long COVID symptoms and their associated factors among nurses and could promote a long COVID symptom management education program targeted at nurses. Moreover, it could facilitate effective nursing care and education plans for long COVID patients.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors affecting communication ability of nursing students.METHODS: The participants were 140 students in nursing college at the G city. The data were collected using online-questionnaires from July 4 to July 10 2018 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis with SPSS 20.0 program.RESULTS: The results show that communication ability was statistically significant according to self-awareness, other-awareness, empathy. Multiple regression analysis found that the factors influencing communication ability of nursing students were empathy(β=.540), self-awareness(β=.429), other-awareness(β=.375). These variable factors explained community ability as 46.3%.CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that empathy, self-awareness, other-awareness are significant factors of communication ability of nursing students. Therefore, strategies to improve communication ability of nursing students should be developed with consideration for empathy, self-awareness, other-awareness.
Communication ; Empathy ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Nursing ; Residence Characteristics ; Students, Nursing

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is a widely used chemical for production of plastics. However occupational asthma (OA) caused by PVC has been reported only rarely. We report a 34-yr-old male wallpaper factory worker with OA due to PVC and nickel (Ni) whose job was mixing PVC with plasticizers. He visited the emergency room due to an asthma attack with moderate airflow obstruction and markedly increased sputum eosinophil numbers. A methacholine challenge test was positive (PC20 2.5 mg/mL). Bronchoprovocation tests with both PVC and Ni showed early and late asthmatic responses, respectively. Moreover, the fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) was increased after challenge with PVC. To our knowledge, this is the first case of OA in Korea induced by exposure to both PVC and Ni. We suggest that eosinophilic inflammation may be involved in the pathogenesis of PVC-induced OA and that FeNO monitoring can be used for its diagnosis.
Adult ; Asthma, Occupational/*chemically induced/*diagnosis ; Breath Tests ; Bronchial Provocation Tests ; Environmental Exposure ; Eosinophilia/*diagnosis ; Exhalation ; Humans ; Leukocyte Count ; Male ; Nickel ; Nitric Oxide/metabolism ; Occupational Exposure ; Plasticizers ; Polyvinyl Chloride

No abstract available.
Fluconazole* ; Tinea Capitis* ; Tinea*

BACKGROUND: Non ulcer dyspepsia(NUD) is a commonly encountered disease at the primary practice. The relations of functional gastrointestinal disorder and Irritable bowel syndrome with depression or stress were suggested by previous studies. But the contributions of the anxiety, depression and stress as a whole to the NUD were not assessed. In this study, we wanted to show the associations of the anxiety, depression and stress levels with NUD. METHODS: This study was performed by case and control method from Aug. 1 to Sep. 7 at the outpatient department of Family Medicine and at the Health Management and Service department in Pusan Paik Hospital. The both groups were matched by sex and age. The case was defined who has three or more symptoms among nine upper gastrointestinal symtoms like dyspepsia, epigastric pain and anorexia etc. frequently or alwalys and who has no ulcer at the gastrofibroscope. The anxiety, depression, stress levels were measured by questionnaire which was validated by previous studies. The questionnaire was composed of Trait-STAI, Jung's Self Depression Scale(SDS), Modified BEPSI, and Grobal Assessment of Recent Stress(GARS) Scale. RESULTS: The total subjects were 136 persons(NUD group : 86 persons/control group : 86 persons). There were. significant differances in regularity of diet(P<0.001), levels of education(P=0.009), and history of medications(P<0.001) between two groups. The two group had higher scores than the control group in the depression score, anxiety score and modified BEPSI score(P<0.001). All items in GARS showed higher scores in NUD group than in control group(P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: NUD group had higher degree of anxiety and depression than the control group. It seems that the NUD may have streeful status. When we encounter the NUD in outpatiet department, we had better consider the underlying psychogenic or stressful conditions.
Anorexia ; Anxiety* ; Busan ; Depression* ; Dyspepsia* ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; Outpatients ; Ulcer* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To determine the characteristic CT findings of infectious sacroiliitis and ankylosing spondylitis. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We retrospectively reviewd CT findings in 10 patients with infectious sacroiliitis confirmed by culture and clinical follow ups and in 5 patients with ankylosing spondylitis by HLA-B27 typing. Mean ages were 30 years in ankylosing spondylitis and 29 years in infectious sacroiliits. CT scans were obtained with GE 9800 or Toshiba 900-S scanner. We analyzed CT findings in regard to the morphology and the degree of bone erosion, and the adjacent soft tissue change. RESULT: All cases of ankylosing spondylitis had bilateral and asymmetic bone erosion, predominantly in ilium, showing subchondral sclerosis on ilium. Infectious sacroiliitis showed unilateral involvement and soft tissue swelling in 10 cases and abscess in 5 cases. CONCLUSION: We concluded that CT was useful in the differentiation between infectious sacroiliitis and ankylosing spondylitis.
Abscess ; Follow-Up Studies ; HLA-B27 Antigen ; Humans ; Ilium ; Retrospective Studies ; Sacroiliitis* ; Sclerosis ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.
Skin Neoplasms* ; Skin*

No abstract available.
Folliculitis ; Herpes Zoster ; Herpesvirus 3, Human