More than half of the cryptococcal infections occur in acquired immune deficiency (AIDS) patients, and more than half of the non-AIDS patients with cryptococcosis are immunocompromised. Most immunocompromised patients have meningoencephalitis at the time of diagnosis. Without the appropriate therapy, this from of the infection is invariably fatal. Death can occur any time from 2 weeks to several years after the onset of symptoms. Pulmonary crytococcosis in immunocompromised patients is usually asymptomatic, but coughing, chest pain, fever, or hemoptysis may occur in immunocompetent patients. Pulmonary cryptococcosis symptoms in immunocompetent patients tend to improve without treatment. Here, we describe the various pulmonary manifestations of cryptococcal pneumoniae in three immunocmpetent patients.
Chest Pain ; Cough ; Cryptococcosis ; Diagnosis ; Fever ; Hemoptysis ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Meningoencephalitis ; Pneumonia*

PURPOSE: This study was designed to identify whether alcohol use predicts marital stability and to investigate the mediating effects of marital communication and social support in international married Korean men who lived in a rural area. METHODS: The participants were 200 of the international married men. The data were collected during June, 2010. The instruments were Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), Marital Instability (MI), Marital Communication (MC), Social Support (SS). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: The mean score for AUDIT was 9.6, and alcohol use was negatively correlated with marital stability, marital communication and social support. We also found that marital communication fully mediated the association between alcohol use and marital stability, while social support did not mediate this association. CONCLUSION: The outcomes of this study indicates a need to develop intervention strategies and education programs that include emphasis on moderate drinking and communication skills for couples in international marriages.
Drinking ; Education ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Male ; Marriage ; Negotiating*

No abstract available.
Thrombosis* ; Veins*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to provide base data for preparing plans that North Korean (NK) Refugees can adjust themselves to our society with a healthy mind after they get over their health problems using the Health Belief Model, knowing the relationship between individual characteristics and health beliefs, and health behavior. METHODS: The subjects were 304 NK adult refugees in Hanawon. Data were collected by demographic questionnaire, health behavior scale, self-efficacy scale, perceived benefit scale, perceived barrier scale, perceived seriousness, perceived sensibility, and individual characteristics. RESULTS: The factors influencing the health behavior of NK refugees were perceived benefits, self-efficacy, the period in the third country and experience in being expelled to NK, and these variables were describing 31.4% of the health behaviors of refugees. CONCLUSION: The perceived benefits and self-efficacy of health belief and specific experiences related to refugee affected NK refugees' health behavior.
Adult ; Democratic People's Republic of Korea ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Refugees ; Surveys and Questionnaires

The COVID-19 curve seesawed and reached the fourth pandemic in July 2021. Since the first three waves, the focus has been on achieving herd immunity through vaccination while a lot of manpower is used for quarantine. However, we have not been able to prevent the fourth wave. The causes are thought to be related to people who doubt the safety of the vaccine and refuse it or violate quarantine guidelines such as social distancing. This study examined guidelines for preventing and controlling COVID-19, the accuracy of vaccination-related information, and described quarantine measures including for those who completed vaccination. In conclusion, prevention and vaccination are the most effective countermeasures against COVID-19. We recommend people vaccination with self-quarantine. Also, it is necessary to make large investments to protect and support nurses in future pandemics.

The COVID-19 curve seesawed and reached the fourth pandemic in July 2021. Since the first three waves, the focus has been on achieving herd immunity through vaccination while a lot of manpower is used for quarantine. However, we have not been able to prevent the fourth wave. The causes are thought to be related to people who doubt the safety of the vaccine and refuse it or violate quarantine guidelines such as social distancing. This study examined guidelines for preventing and controlling COVID-19, the accuracy of vaccination-related information, and described quarantine measures including for those who completed vaccination. In conclusion, prevention and vaccination are the most effective countermeasures against COVID-19. We recommend people vaccination with self-quarantine. Also, it is necessary to make large investments to protect and support nurses in future pandemics.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of e-health literacy, parenting stress, maternal role confidence on children’s health-promoting behaviors in mothers of infants and toddlers. Methods: The participants were 175 mothers of infants and toddlers. Data were collected from August 30 to September 24, 2022. The effects of e-health literacy, parenting stress, and maternal role confidence on children’s health-promoting behaviors in mothers of infants and toddlers were analyzed using multiple regression using IBM SPSS Statistics ver. 27.0. Results: Children’s health-promoting behaviors showed a significant positive relationship with e-health literacy and maternal role confidence, and negative relationship with children’s age and parenting stress. The factors affecting children’s health-promoting behaviors were e-health literacy, maternal role confidence, and children’s age, which explained 30.7% of the total variance in children’s health-promoting behaviors. Conclusion This study suggests including e-health literacy and maternal role confidence for improving children’s health-promoting behaviors in mothers of infants and toddlers.

BACKGROUNDS: There is difference of blood flow between right and left lung, and it is also affected by positional change. The purpose of this study is to compare hemodynamics and arterial blood gas changes between two lungs in thoracoscopic surgery with CO2 insufflation METHODS: Fourteen thoracoscopic-surgical patient were randomly selected and divided into two groups; Group I : right lung ventilation, Group II: left lung ventilation. Blood gas analysis, blood pressure and heart rate were measured at three stages in lateral position; stage I: 10minutes after two-lung ventilation, stage II: 10minutes after one-lung ventilation and CO2 insufflation, stage III: 10minutes after two-lung ventilation and CO2 deflation. RESULTS: In both groups, blood pressure and heart rate were slightly increased at stage II, pH was decreased, PaO2 and PaCO2 were increased at stage II and stage III. But changes of pH and PaCO2 were greater in left lung ventilation. Arterial oxygen saturation and base excess did not change in all stages. CONCLUSIONS: Thoracoscopic surgery with CO2 insufflation did not increase the risk of hypoxemia if FiO2 is 1.0. However blood CO2 retension is higher in left lung ventilation than in right one. So we have to observe PaCO2 more carefully when the left lung is ventilated.
Anoxia ; Blood Gas Analysis ; Blood Group Antigens ; Blood Pressure ; Heart Rate ; Hemodynamics* ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Insufflation* ; Lung* ; One-Lung Ventilation ; Oxygen ; Thoracoscopy* ; Ventilation*

Patient with osseous metastatic prostatic cancer can clinically be detected by bone scanning, which usually is sensitive and qualitative but is not specific and quantitative. For quantitative evaluation of skeletal lesions, we measured bone mineral density (BMD) in whole body, total spine and lumbar spine. All patients also were assessed with bone radiography, radionuclide bone scan, prostate specific antigen (PSA), and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP). We compared mainly bone scan and BMD in monitoring tumor response between before hormonal treatment and 6 month after hormonal treatment. Fifteen patients with stage D2 prostate cancer and 25 controls were entered in this study. Of 8 patients whose scan showed response in 12 patients with metastatic lumbar spine lesion, they had either 7 responded or 1 unchanged BMD level in the lumbar spine. Of 9 patients whose scan showed response in 15 patients with metastatic total spine lesion, they had either 6 responded or 3 unchanged BMD level in the total spine. The alterations of BMD levels in total spine and lumbar spine closely correlated with the therapeutic responses assessed by the National Prostatic Cancer Project Criteria of bone scintigraphy in patients with prostatic cancer (spine: r=0.04, p<0.05; lumbar: r=0.1, p<0.05). In contrast, BMD changes in whole body (response rate: 20.0%, P<0.05) was less than that in total spin (response rate: 53.3%, P<0.01) and lumbar spine (response rate: 58.3%, P<0.01). In conclusion, when compare BMD to the hot spot region in bone scan, BMD may be helpful to the urologist for the accuracy of the staging and evaluation of the treatment response to androgen deprivation therapy in metastatic prostate cancer.
Acid Phosphatase ; Bone Density ; Densitometry* ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Humans ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatic Neoplasms* ; Radiography ; Radionuclide Imaging ; Spine