Purpose: Improving survival and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), along with symptom relief, is important for the treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC). This study measured HRQOL and analyzed its influence on sociodemographic and clinical factors in patients with MBC. Methods: We interviewed 298 patients with MBC to investigate their sociodemographic characteristics and HRQOL by using EuroQol-5D-5L (EQ-5D) between September and October 2014. We also reviewed medical records to examine the clinical condition of the patients, including disease progression, adverse events, treatments, chronic disease, and metastatic areas. The distribution of the EQ-5D index was compared between different clinical conditions by using the Kruskal-Wallis test. We also conducted multiple regression analyses to identify the factors affecting HRQOL in patients with MBC. Results: The mean EQ-5D index was 0.79 for all patients surveyed. The mean EQ-5D index score was significantly lower in patients in the progressed state than in those in the progression-free survival state (0.73 vs. 0.80, p = 0.0002). The HRQOL of patients treated with chemotherapy alone was significantly lower than that of patients treated with hormonal or targeted therapy (0.76 vs. 0.82 or 0.85; p = 0.0020). Regression analysis revealed that the clinical factors associated with lower HRQOL were progressed state, chemotherapy, and adverse events, such as hair loss or stomatitis. Finally, young age, high income, and employment were the sociodemographic factors that were positively associated with better HRQOL. Conclusion This study provides new information on the health utility of MBC patients on the basis of various patient characteristics and offers insights that can assist medical professionals in treating patients with MBC and help policymakers implement cancer strategies. Further research is needed to reflect the changing environment of cancer treatment and enrich available evidence.

No abstract available.
Catheters* ; Humans

Herniation of the stomach through the esophageal hiatus into the posterior mediastinum is a commom affliction of humans. The incidence of hiatal hernia is difficult to determine because of the absence of symptoms in a large number of patients. Hiatal hernias are classified into two major types; type I sliding hiatal hernia and type II paraesophageal hiatal hernia. Sliding hernia is common, but paraesophageal hernia(PEH) is rare. Most PEH is demonstrated in elderly women. PEH in infancy is really rare. PEH is a true hernia, so it is a potentially life-threatening condition because of the risk of volvulus, incarceration, strangulation, and perforation. PEH is itself the indication for surgery. We experienced congenital PEH in two infants. One case was nearly asymptomatic, found incidentally by plain chest X-ray taken for pneumonia in a 12 month old female infant. She had no vomiting or reflux, but history of frequent feeding of small amount and often gurgling noise in her right chest. She had type IV PEH including herniation of the transverse colon. Another case was presented because of vomiting, and was diagnosed by ultrasonography initially in a 48 day old male infant. He had intrathoracic stomach, type III PEH with idiopathic hypertrophic pyloric stenosis and gastroesophageal reflux.
Aged ; Colon, Transverse ; Female ; Gastroesophageal Reflux ; Hernia ; Hernia, Hiatal* ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Intestinal Volvulus ; Male ; Mediastinum ; Noise ; Pneumonia ; Pyloric Stenosis, Hypertrophic ; Stomach ; Thorax ; Ultrasonography ; Vomiting

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to develop feasible and detailed infection control guidelines (ICG) and audit protocols for health care workers and auditors in postpartum care centers (PCC). METHODS: PCC ICG and audit protocols were developed in several steps: 1) review of previous ICG for PCCs; 2) establishment of frameworks for updating guidelines and audit protocols; 3) review of new ICG, regulations, etc.; 4) drafting of PCC ICG and audit protocols and revision based on feedback from the research committee; 5) Delphi survey to solicit opinions from infection control, infant care, and maternal care professionals as well as PCC health care workers; 6) re-revision after discussion with the research committee; and 7) finalization of PCC ICG and audit protocols. RESULTS: We developed ICG with 4 categories and 26 sub-categories, and internal and external audit protocols with 163 and 85 items, respectively. CONCLUSION: The ICG and audit protocols are valid and feasible; we recommend their utilization as auditing tools, baseline data for the development of national infection control policies, and as educational materials for PCC healthcare workers.
Checklist ; Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant Care ; Infection Control* ; Postnatal Care* ; Postpartum Period* ; Social Control, Formal

Purpose: This study investigated the impact of nurse practice environment and organizational justice on nurses’job satisfaction. Methods: We identified the factors between nursing work environment and organizational justice to job satisfaction for 189 nurses working at a general hospital in city C. Data were collected from June 1st to 15th, 2023, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and multiple stepwise regression, using IBM/SPSS 27.0 for the Windows program. Results: The mean job satisfaction was 3.24±0.55 points on a 5-point scale. Multiple stepwise regression revealed that the factors affecting nurses’job satisfaction included nursing foundations for quality of care (β=.26, p=.005), staffing and resource adequacy (β=.40, p<.001), collegial nurse-physician relations (β=-.24, p=.007), and distributive justice(β =.27, p<.001).These variables explained 55.0% of job satisfaction. Conclusion The research findings indicate that higher job satisfaction is associated with a better nurse practice environment and positive perceptions of organization justice. These findings indicate that it is necessary to enhance the nurse practice environment and improve organizational justice to enhance job satisfaction among nurses.

Objective of this study was to compare the color stability, mechanical and chemical properties of three different types of temporary crown resins. Commercially available powder-liquid (Group PL), light-cured (Group LC) and auto-mix syringe (Group AM) types' temporary crown resins were used as experimental groups for each of the evaluation. All the test groups were evaluated after 1 day and 7 days of immersion in various staining solutions. The colors of all groups before and after storage in the staining solutions were measured by a spectrophotometer based on CIE Lab system, and the color differences (ΔE(*)) thereby calculated. Micro hardness test was performed before water storage and aging after 7 days at 37 ℃. In addition, flexural strength, water sorption and solubility tests were performed according to international standard, ISO 10477. All experimental groups showed significant color change in staining solutions when compared to those stored in the control solution (distilled water) (p<0.05). Group PL showed the least color change among the three groups followed by Group AM (p<0.05). This tendency was observed after 7 days of immersion. In terms of the micro hardness test, Group PL showed the highest value among the three groups followed by Group AM (p<0.05). Additionally, the flexural strength decreased in the following order: AM > PL > LC (p<0.05). Water sorption and solubility increased in the following order: AM < PL < LC (p<0.05). The results of this study would provide useful information when choosing temporary crown resin types in various clinical situations.
Aging ; Crowns ; Hardness Tests ; Immersion ; Solubility ; Syringes ; Water

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: With the global demand for dairy protein for consumption growing annually, there has been increasing activity in the research field of dairy protein synthesis and production. From a manipulation perspective, it is more difficult to use live cattle for laboratory studies on the production of milk as well as of dairy protein such as casein, as compared with using laboratory animals like rodents. Therefore, we aimed to develop a mouse model of bovine mammary alveolar ducts for laboratory-scale studies. We studied the formation of the bovine mammary gland ductal structure by transplanting the MAC-T bovine alveolar cell line into mice. METHODS AND RESULTS: MAC-T cells (1×10⁷) were suspended in Matrigel and injected into the dorsal tissue of 8-week-old male BALB/C nude mice. Histological analysis of tissue dissected from the MAC-T cell-transplanted mice after 6 weeks showed the typical morphology of the tubuloalveolar female gland, as well as glands made up of branching ducts that were surrounded by smooth muscle with small alveoli budding off the ducts. In addition, the epithelial markers CK14 and CK18 were expressed within the duct-like structure. Prolactin was detected in the duct interior in these CK14+ and CK18+ cells but not in the non-transplanted MAC-T cells. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that duct-like tissue had been successfully formed after 6 weeks of transplantation of the CK14+ and CK18+ MAC-T cells into mice dorsal tissue. This mouse model will be a useful tool for further research on the bovine mammary gland.
Animals ; Animals, Laboratory ; Caseins ; Cattle ; Cell Line ; Epithelial Cells* ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mammary Glands, Human* ; Mice* ; Mice, Nude ; Milk ; Muscle, Smooth ; Prolactin ; Regeneration* ; Rodentia

PURPOSE: To investigate the incidence of Terson's syndrome, to find the proper time for its treatment, and to give a prognosis of visual acuity. METHODS: In order to investigate the incidence of Terson's syndrome, 228 patients were taken as the subjects of this study from among the total 275 patients who had been hospitalized in the neurosurgical department for a year. Forty-seven patients were excluded who developed vitreous hemorrhage due to any cause other than intracranial hemorrhage and could not be followed up for three months. In the fundus examination of study subjects, the incidence of Terson's syndrome based on preceding diseases and the patient age, and prognosis of visual acuity with surgical treatment were analyzed according to the Snellen chart, along with nine eyes of seven patients who showed vitreous hemorrhage. RESULTS The average incidence of Terson's syndrome between groups was 3.1%; it was 3.7% for patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and 2.6% for the other patients (subdural hemorrhage, epidural hemorrhage). The 29% of the subjects were due to binocular involved. Patients in their 40's and 50's accounted for 6.0%, which was higher the percentage of any other age group. The decision as to whether or not to surgically treat Terson's syndrome was made based on the extent of visual acuity improvement during the three months after vitreous hemorrhage development. Thus, we observed comparatively good long-term prognoses for visual acuity and a low frequency of complications occurring. CONCLUSIONS: We expect a relatively good prognosis of visual acuity and a low occurrence of complications. More research similar to this case-control study is needed to confirm the usefulness of such therapy.
Case-Control Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Prognosis* ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; Telescopes ; Visual Acuity ; Vitreous Hemorrhage

PURPOSE: To investigate the incidence of Terson's syndrome, to find the proper time for its treatment, and to give a prognosis of visual acuity. METHODS: In order to investigate the incidence of Terson's syndrome, 228 patients were taken as the subjects of this study from among the total 275 patients who had been hospitalized in the neurosurgical department for a year. Forty-seven patients were excluded who developed vitreous hemorrhage due to any cause other than intracranial hemorrhage and could not be followed up for three months. In the fundus examination of study subjects, the incidence of Terson's syndrome based on preceding diseases and the patient age, and prognosis of visual acuity with surgical treatment were analyzed according to the Snellen chart, along with nine eyes of seven patients who showed vitreous hemorrhage. RESULTS The average incidence of Terson's syndrome between groups was 3.1%; it was 3.7% for patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage and 2.6% for the other patients (subdural hemorrhage, epidural hemorrhage). The 29% of the subjects were due to binocular involved. Patients in their 40's and 50's accounted for 6.0%, which was higher the percentage of any other age group. The decision as to whether or not to surgically treat Terson's syndrome was made based on the extent of visual acuity improvement during the three months after vitreous hemorrhage development. Thus, we observed comparatively good long-term prognoses for visual acuity and a low frequency of complications occurring. CONCLUSIONS: We expect a relatively good prognosis of visual acuity and a low occurrence of complications. More research similar to this case-control study is needed to confirm the usefulness of such therapy.
Case-Control Studies ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Prognosis* ; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ; Telescopes ; Visual Acuity ; Vitreous Hemorrhage

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and the safety of additional 4-week chemotherapy with capecitabine during the resting periods after a 6-week neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (NCRT) in patients with locally advanced rectal cancer. METHODS: Radiotherapy was delivered to the whole pelvis at a total dose of 50.4 Gy for 6 weeks. Oral capecitabine was administered at a dose of 825 mg/m2 twice daily for 10 weeks. Surgery was performed 2-4 weeks following the completion of chemotherapy. RESULTS: Between January 2010 and September 2011, 44 patients were enrolled. Forty-three patients underwent surgery, and 41 patients completed the scheduled treatment. Pathologic complete remission (pCR) was noted in 9 patients (20.9%). T down-staging and N down-staging were observed in 32 patients (74.4%) and 33 patients (76.7%), respectively. Grade 3 to 5 toxicity was noted in 5 patients (11.4%). The pCR rate was similar with the pCR rates obtained after conventional NCRT at our institute and at other institutes. CONCLUSION: This study showed that additional 4-week chemotherapy with capecitabine during the resting periods after 6-week NCRT was safe, but it was no more effective than conventional NCRT.
Chemoradiotherapy* ; Deoxycytidine ; Drug Therapy* ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Neoadjuvant Therapy ; Pelvis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rectal Neoplasms* ; Capecitabine