PURPOSE: Mortality Provability Model (MPM) II is a model for predicting mortality probability of patients admitted to ICU. This study was done to test the validity of MPM II for critically ill neurological patients and to determine applicability of MPM II in predicting mortality of neurological ICU patients. METHODS: Data were collected from medical records of 187 neurological patients over 18 yr of age who were admitted to the ICU of C University Hospital during the period from January 2008 to May 2009. Collected data were analyzed through chi2 test, t-test, Mann-Whiteny test, goodness of fit test, and ROC curve. RESULTS: As to mortality according to patients' general and clinically related characteristics, mortality was statistically significantly different for ICU stay, hospital stay, APACHE III score, APACHE predicted death rate, GCS, endotracheal intubation, and central venous catheter. Results of Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit test were MPM II0 (chi2=0.02, p=.989), MPM II24 (chi2=0.99 p=.805), MPM II48 (chi2=0.91, p=.822), and MPM II72 (chi2=1.57, p=.457), and results of the discrimination test using the ROC curve were MPM II0, .726 (p<.001), MPM II24, .764 (p<.001), MPM II48, .762 (p<.001), and MPM II72, .809 (p<.001). CONCLUSION: MPM II was found to be a valid mortality prediction model for neurological ICU patients.
APACHE ; Adult ; Aged ; Catheterization, Central Venous ; Critical Illness ; Female ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Length of Stay ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Theoretical ; Nervous System Diseases/*mortality ; Predictive Value of Tests ; ROC Curve ; Retrospective Studies ; *Severity of Illness Index

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical usefulness of the Critical Patient Severity Classification System (CPSCS) and Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) for critically ill neurological patients and to determine the applicability of CPSCS and GCS in predicting their mortality. METHODS: Data were collected from the medical records of 187 neurological patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit of C university hospital. The datawere analyzed through chi-square test, t test,Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, goodness-of-fit test, and receiver operating characteristic curve. RESULTS: In accordance with patients' general and clinical characteristics, patient mortality turned out to be significantly different depending on intensive care unit stay, endotracheal intubation, central venous catheter, and severity by CPSCS. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit tests were applied to CPSCS and GCS. The results of the discrimination test using the receiver operating characteristic curve were CPSCS0, .743, GCS0 .583, CPSCS24, .734, GCS24 .612, CPSCS48, .591, GCS48 .646, CPSCS72, .622, and GCS72 .623. Logistic regression analysis showed that each point on the CPSCS score signifies a 1.034 higher likelihood of dying. CONCLUSION: Applied to neurologically ill patients, early CPSCS scores can be regarded as a useful tool.
Central Venous Catheters ; Critical Illness ; Discrimination (Psychology) ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Humans ; Critical Care ; Intensive Care Units ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Logistic Models ; Medical Records ; Neurology ; ROC Curve

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the lifestyle modification coaching program on self efficacy, lifestyle and physiologic indexes related to the recurrence of stroke in patients with stroke. METHODS: Sixty-one patients with stroke registered with a stroke center participated in this study. Of the participants, 32 were assigned to the experimental group and 29 to the control group. Self efficacy, alcohol drinking, smoking, physical activity, BMI (body mass index), WHR (waist-hip ratio), blood lipid level, and blood pressure were measured both for the baseline, as well as after intervention. The lifestyle modification coaching program consisted of an 8-week telecoaching session following face-to-face education. The control group received only the face-to-face education. RESULTS: There were significant differences in physical activities, WHR, blood pressure within and between groups after intervention. The lifestyle modification coaching program had significant influences on blood pressure even after gender, age, and physical activity had been adjusted. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that lifestyle modification coaching program is effective for physical activity, abdominal obesity and blood pressure. Therefore it can be used by nurses in hospitals and communities as one of the secondary stroke prevention programs for patients with stroke.
Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Diet ; Female ; Humans ; *Life Style ; Lipids/blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Motor Activity ; Patient Education as Topic ; *Program Evaluation ; Self Efficacy ; Smoking ; Stroke/*prevention & control ; Telephone ; Waist-Hip Ratio

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify factors that have an influence on the pain which patients recognize when receiving an intravenous injection. METHOD: Participants were 111 patients who were admitting to C University Hospital. The collected data were analyzed using the SPSS 11.0 program. RESULTS: For the participants, factors related to administration of medication were the following: Phlebitis scale, who administers the IV injection, failure to complete the IV injection, explaination of the IV injection and rate of injection. Level of pain, depression and anxiety in the participants was as follows: Pain (4.86+/-2.09), depression (35.76+/-9.91), anxiety (32.34+/-8.87). There were positive correlations between pain and depression (r= .437, p< .000), between pain and anxiety (r= .478, p< .000), and between depression and anxiety (r= .544, p< .000). CONCLUSION: Such findings provide new insights into the dynamic relationships between depression, anxiety and pain which patients recognize when having an intravenous injection. Further studies should be conducted to establish the causal relation between depression, anxiety and pain and to determine appropriate nursing interventions.
Anxiety* ; Depression* ; Humans ; Injections, Intravenous* ; Nursing ; Phlebitis

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop a measurement tool of nurse's turnover intention. METHODS: Data were collected from questionnaires completed by 678 nurses who worked in 3 university hospitals in South Korea and analyzed using the SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 18 programs. Thirty-seven preliminary items were selected from 161 basic items extracted via a literature review and in depth interviews with 6 hospital nurses. Three steps with factor analysis were undertaken to verify the reliability and validity of the preliminary instruments. Finally, confirmative factor analysis was carried out. RESULTS: As a result of the analysis, 3 factors including 10 items were selected. Cronbach's Alpha for the 10 items was .83, for job satisfaction (4 items), .78, for interpersonal relationships (3 items), .80, and for work performance (3 items), .74, which was stable. CONCLUSION: This study is meaningful because through it a scale reflecting Korean culture was developed to measure turnover intention in nurses. Further studies that test the psychometrics of this scale in more diverse samples are warranted.
Adult ; Female ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Interpersonal Relations ; Interviews as Topic ; Job Satisfaction ; Male ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; *Personnel Turnover ; Questionnaires ; Task Performance and Analysis

Objectives: White matter hyperintensities are known to influence dementia in Alzheimer’s disease. Genetic components are suggested as putative risk factors for vascular pathology and cognitive decline. This study aimed to determine whether there is an association between candidate genetic polymorphisms and the severity of white matter hyperintensities in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: Seventy-five patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease underwent genetic tests for specific alleles of apolipoprotein E, angiotensin-converting enzyme, and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase. All patients underwent brain magnetic resonance imaging scans and neuropsychological tests. The severity of white matter hyperintensities was semiquantified using the CREDOS rating scale, and patients were divided into three groups according to their rating. Results:The severity of white matter hyperintensities was related to age and hypertension. However, none of the gene polymorphisms we tested was found to be associated with the severity of white matter hyperintensities. Conclusion:The genetic polymorphisms found in apolipoprotein E, angiotensin-converting enzyme and methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase did not contribute to white matter hyperintensities in Alzheimer’s disease.Only age and hypertension factors were found to be contributory to white matter hyperintensities.
Alzheimer Disease ; Dementia

We analyzed alcoholic extracts of herbs possessing anti-neosporal activity against Neospora (N.) caninum. To identify the chemical components of Sophora (S.) flavescens and Torilis (T.) japonica associated with anti-neosporal activity, specific fractions were isolated by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). In vitro activity of the fractions against N. caninum was then assessed. Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) was used to identify and quantify specific anti-neosporal molecules in the herbal extracts. Almost all HPLC fractions of S. flavescens and T. japonica had higher levels of anti-neosporal activity compared to the not treated control. Active constituents of the extracts were sophoridane, furosardonin A, and tetraisopropylidene-cyclobutane in S. flavescens; 5,17-beta-dihydroxy-de-A-estra-5,7,9,14-tetraene, furanodiene, and 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)-(CAS,1) in T. japonica.
Apiaceae/*chemistry ; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid ; Coccidiostats/*chemistry ; Fruit/chemistry ; Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry ; Neospora/*drug effects/growth & development ; Plant Extracts/*chemistry ; Plant Roots/chemistry ; Sophora/*chemistry

Borderline clear cell adenofibromatous tumors are rare with only 26 cases reported in the English literature. Five of these cases exhibited microinvasion and 4 demonstrated intraepithelial carcinoma. We report 2 cases, one typical case and the other with microinvasion. The histological findings revealed widely spaced and focally crowded, variably-sized atypical glands or tubules lined by clear, eosinophilic or hobnail cells set in a dense fibrous stroma. One of the two cases had small solid nests or single cells in the stroma around the proliferative glands less than 1 mm in length that was considered to be a microinvasion.
Carcinoma in Situ ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Ovary*