Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the factors that affect post-traumatic growth of general hospital nurses after they experience traumatic events. Methods: A cross-sectional correlation study design was used. Participants were 232 nurses from general hospitals in South Korea. Data, including self-report questionnaires, were collected from July 11th to 31st, 2019, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, One-way ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson's correlation coefficients and hierarchical multiple regression analysis in IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0. Results: Post-traumatic stress (r=.24, p<.001), resilience (r=.36, p<.001), and social support (r=.37, p<.001) for general hospital nurses had a positive correlation with post-traumatic growth. The factors that affected post-traumatic growth were a) sleep disturbance, emotional paralysis and dissociation symptom subcategory of post-traumatic stress (β=.34, p<.001) and b) persistence subcategory of resilience (β=.33, p<.001) and c) evaluation support subcategory of social support (β=.29, p<.001). Conclusion Results indicate that it is necessary to develop and provide programs to nurses to improve post-traumatic stress management, strengthen their resilience and provide social support.

Here we present a rare case of an adolescent with hypertension, concurrently diagnosed with fibromuscular dysplasia of the renal artery and Graves’ disease. Although fibromuscular dysplasia and Graves’ disease have distinct pathogenic mechanisms, it is possible to infer the potential correlation between the two from the perspective of vascular involvement. It is believed that transforming growth factor-β, as the shared element of both diseases, may contribute to their development and progression. The overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system in Graves’ disease may induce hyperplasia of vascular smooth muscle cells, similar to that observed in fibromuscular dysplasia. In Graves’ disease, the excessive synthesis and secretion of angiotensin II due to the overactivation of the renin-angiotensin system, along with the up-regulation of angiotensin II receptors, may also induce pathological changes in the vasculature throughout the body. In this regard, exploring the correlation between fibromuscular dysplasia and Graves’ disease is of significant clinical importance.

OBJECTIVES: While most neurological models of schizophrenia have focused on cerebral functions, cerebellar abnormality, especially in cerebellar vermis has been repeatedly reported in schizophrenic patients from brain imaging and lesion studies. And cerebellar vermis has been implicated for adaptive control of saccadic eye movements, which has not been studied in schizophrenics to our knowledge. METHOD: We investigated saccadic adaptation using double-step paradigm in 5 patients with a DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia and 5 age and sex-matched normal controls. Gaze and head movements were recorded with scleral search coil method in head-free condition. RESULTS: Time course of adaptation in schizophrenics was similar to that of normal control but it never reached to the complete level of adaptation seen in control, and accordingly gaze gain (gaze amplitude/target amplitude) was low even after 600 adaptive trials. Head contribution to gaze saccade was relatively low and time to peak head velocity was longer in schizophrenics. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that schizophrenic patients used a different strategy of gaze control and some schizophrenics might have cerebellar abnormality. Variability across patients in adaptation parameters need to be further investigated in combination with cerebellar volumetry. This study was supported by "In-san Schizophrenia Research Grant" from the Research Institute of Korean Neuropsychiatric Association in 1997.
Academies and Institutes ; Cerebellum ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Eye Movements* ; Head ; Head Movements ; Humans ; Models, Neurological ; Neuroimaging ; Saccades ; Schizophrenia

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study is to analyze the effects of an abdominal obesity management program in middle-aged women in Korea. METHODS: Examination of databases, including the Research Information Sharing Service, Database Periodical Information Academic, and Korean Studies Information, resulted in identification of 772 studies performed up to 2014, of which 43 satisfied the inclusion data. Data analysis was performed using R version 3.2 to calculate the effect sizes, explore possible causes of heterogeneity, and check for publication bias, using a funnel plot and its trim-and-fill analysis. RESULTS: The mean effect size of the management program was small (g=0.22), along with the anthropometric index (g=0.18), metabolism index (g=0.21), fat-distribution (g=0.36), and inflammatory index (g=0.36). Moderator analysis was performed to determine heterogeneity, but no significant differences were found between the randomized controlled trial (RCT) group and non-RCT group. In addition, the length of the session was found to be statistically significant after performing a meta-regression. Finally, a funnel plot with a trim-and-fill analysis was produced to check for publication bias, but no significant bias was detected. CONCLUSION: Based on these findings, the abdominal obesity management program affects middle-aged women in Korea. Further research is needed to target other age groups with abdominal obesity.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Female ; Humans ; Information Dissemination ; Korea ; Metabolism ; Obesity, Abdominal ; Population Characteristics ; Publication Bias ; Statistics as Topic

Waldenstr m's macroglobulinemia(WM) is a disorder of malignant proliferation of plasmacyoid lymphocytes and monoclonal immunoglobulin M. The renal complications of WM are less common and severe than that of multiple myeloma. We present a case of WM which involved the kidney as massive proteinuria, hematuria and renal failure. A biopy specimen of the kidney reveals the intraglomerular hyaline thrombi of immunoglobulin M paraprotein. Three cycles of plasmapheresis and systemic chemotherapy with chlorambucil and prednisolone show improvement in his renal manifestations. We suppose the glomerulonephritis caused by hyaline thrombi in WM may be reversible, at least in its early stage.

PURPOSE: This study investigates the status of medication use of the elderly with chronic disease taking non-opioid analgesics and attempts to identify factors influencing medication adherence. METHODS: Data were collected from September 1 to October 19, 2016. A structured questionnaire was used for face-to-face interview with a convenience sample of 161, elderly people with chronic disease taking non-opioid analgesics. The survey included questions about status of medication use, medication adherence, symptom experience, depression and family function. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression with IBM SPSS 23.0 program. RESULTS: The mean score of medication adherence of the elderly with chronic disease was 4.48±2.35. Experiences of side effects (β=.31, p<.001), use of over-the-counter pain medication (β=.19, p=.009), and family function (β=.16, p=.031) were identified as significant predictors. The final model explained 18.0% of the variation of medication adherence of the elderly with chronic disease taking non-opioid analgesics (F=12.30, p<.001). CONCLUSION: Therefore, as a strategy to improve medication adherence of the elderly with chronic disease, therapeutic intervention should be developed to improve family function and to manage with personalized plans considering experiences of side effects and use of over-the-counter pain medication.

PURPOSE: Assessing the immunogenicity of a single dose of hepatitis A virus (HAV) vaccines is important because some people receive only a single dose. However, previous studies have shown variable results and have not examined the effects of demographic characteristics other than gender. This study was performed to examine the immunogenicity of a single dose of HAV vaccine according to the vaccine type and demographic characteristics in young adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seronegative medical school students were randomly allocated to receive either Havrix or Epaxal. RESULTS: After approximately 11 months, the seroconversion rate in 451 participants was 80.7%. In men, the Havrix group showed a significantly higher seroconversion rate (81.9%) than the Epaxal group (69.2%), whereas both vaccine groups showed similarly high immunogenicity in women (Havrix: 90.1%, Epaxal: 92.9%; P for interaction=0.062). According to the results of a multivariate analysis, Epaxal showed significantly lower immunogenicity than Havrix only in men. Age, obesity, drinking, smoking, and follow-up time did not significantly affect seroconversion in either gender. CONCLUSION: The seroconversion rate of single-dose HAV vaccines was low in men, particularly in those who received Epaxal. Our results suggest that gender effects should be considered when comparing the immunogenicity of different HAV vaccines.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Female ; Hepatitis A/*immunology/*prevention & control ; Hepatitis A Vaccines ; Hepatitis A Virus, Human/*immunology/*pathogenicity ; Humans ; Male ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common sustained arrhythmia, is expected to rise with the aging population, but very few studies have reported on the prevalence and risk factors of AF in Korea. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We analyzed 10,012 Korean adults (4,750 men and 5,262 women), 40-69 years old, who were enrolled in the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. AF was diagnosed by single electrocardiogram recording in a baseline survey (2001-2003). RESULTS: The estimated prevalence of AF was 0.4% {95% confidence interval (CI), 0.28-0.52} in adults 40-69 years old, and increased to 1.0% in individuals 60-69 years old. The prevalence rate for men (0.6%) was higher than for women (0.2%) across all age groups. In multiple logistic regression analysis, AF was significantly associated with old age {odds ratio (OR), 8.15; 95% CI, 3.06-21.71}, male gender (OR, 4.04; 95% CI, 1.90-8.61), diabetes mellitus (OR, 2.15; 95% CI, 1.05-4.44), and congestive heart failure (OR, 14.11; 95% CI, 2.56-77.70). Obesity, however, did not show an association with AF. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of AF in Korean adults aged 40-69 years is approximately 0.4%, lower than that in Western populations. Age, male gender, diabetes, and heart failure are associated with AF. Further research in a larger population is necessary to verify for our results.
Adult ; Aged ; Aging ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; Atrial Fibrillation ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Genome ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors

Many biobanks were established as biorepositories for biomedical research, and a number of biobanks were founded in the 1990s. The main aim of the biobank is to store and to maintain biomaterials for studying chronic disease, identifying risk factors of specific diseases, and applying personalized drug therapies. This report provides a review of biobanks, including Korean biobanks and an analysis of sample volumes, regulations, policies, and ethical issues of the biobank. Until now, the top 6 countries according to the number of large-scale biobanks are the United Kingdom, United States, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, and Italy, and there is one major National Biobank of Korea (NBK) and 17 regional biobanks in Korea. Many countries have regulations and guidelines for the biobanks, and the importance of good management of biobanks is increasing. Meanwhile, according to a first survey of 456 biobank managers in the United States, biobankers are concerned with the underuse of the samples in their repositories, which need to be advertised for researchers. Korea Biobank Network (KBN) project phase II (2013-2015) was also planned for the promotion to use biospecimens in the KBN. The KBN is continuously introducing for researchers to use biospecimens in the biobank. An accreditation process can also be introduced for biobanks to harmonize collections and encourage use of biospecimens in the biobanks. KBN is preparing an on-line application system for the distribution of biospecimens and a biobank accreditation program and is trying to harmonize the biobanks.
Accreditation ; Biocompatible Materials ; Bioethics* ; Chronic Disease ; Drug Therapy ; Ethics ; France ; Great Britain ; Humans ; Italy ; Korea ; Netherlands ; Risk Factors ; Social Control, Formal ; Sweden ; United States

Chronic inflammation has been implicated as one of the important etiological factors in insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). To investigate the role of anti-inflammatory cytokines in the development of T2DM, we conducted a case-control study to assess the association between IL4/IL4R polymorphisms and disease risk. We firstly identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) at IL4 and IL4RA loci by sequencing the loci in Korean participants. Case-control studies were conducted by genotyping the SNPs in 474 T2DM cases and 470 non-diabetic controls recruited from community-based cohorts. Replication of the associated signals was performed in 1,216 cases and 1,352 controls. We assessed effect of IL4-IL4RA interaction on T2DM using logistic regression method. The functional relevance of the SNP associated with disease risk was determined using a reporter expression assay. We identified a strong association between the IL4 promoter variant rs2243250 and T2DM risk (OR=0.77; 95% CI, 0.67~0.88; p=1.65x10-4 in the meta-analysis). The reporter gene expression assay demonstrated that the presence of rs2243250 might affect the gene expression level with ~1.5-fold allele difference. Our findings contribute to the identification of IL4 as a T2D susceptibility locus, further supporting the role of anti-inflammatory cytokines in T2DM disease development.
Alleles ; Case-Control Studies ; Cohort Studies ; Cytokines ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Gene Expression ; Genes, Reporter ; Inflammation ; Insulin Resistance ; Interleukin-4 ; Logistic Models ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide