PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze effects of a problem-solving program on problem-solving ability, self-esteem, and depression for middle school girls with depression. METHODS: This quasi-experimental study was designed with a nonequivalent control group pre-post test. The research participants were middle school girls (N=82; experimental group=32, control group=50) whose CES-D score was higher than 24. The problem solving program consisted of 10 sessions (90 min/session) was composed of introduction, problem orientation, problem solving skills, case application, and ending. The outcomes were measured by the Social Problem-Solving Inventory-Revised (SPSI-R), Rosenberg Self-Esteem (RSE), and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). RESULTS: The experimental group showed significantly higher levels of problem solving ability (t=3.10, p=.003) and lower depression levels (t=-2.60, p=.011) than the control group after completing the program. The levels of self-esteem of the experimental group were improved after the program but the changes in self-esteem were not reached to the significant levels when compared with those of control group (t=1.64, p=.104). CONCLUSION: Based on this study, problem-solving program is very effective to middle school girls with depression. Therefore, providing problem-solving program as an intervention to promote mental health of adolescents with depression should be considered.
Adolescent ; Depression* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Female ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Problem Solving ; Self Concept

BACKGROUND/AIMS: MDCT, which provides high resolution and various reconstructing images, has recently become widely available and is a promising tool for imaging the bile duct with precision. In order to evaluate the diagnostic value of multidetector computerized tomography (MDCT) for a common bile duct (CBD) stone, this study compared the diagnostic accuracy of MDCT with that of ERCP. METHODS: The medical records of the patients undergoing both MDCT and ERCP consecutively from June 2006 to January 2007 were retrospectively reviewed. One hundred and sixty four patients (164 cases) were enrolled in this study. The final diagnoses were based mainly on the ERCP findings. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and diagnostic accuracy of MDCT and ERCP for choledocholithiasis were identified and compared. RESULTS: Of the 164 cases, 47 cases were diagnosed with choledocholithiasis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and diagnostic accuracy for choledocholithiasis were 89.4%, 98.3%, 95.5%, 95.8%, 95.7% in MDCT and 97.9%, 99.1%, 97.9%, 99.1%, 98.8% in ERCP, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in the diagnostic accuracy between the two methods (p=0.206). CONCLUSIONS: MDCT has high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing stones in the bile duct and should be performed in preference to ERCP in patients suspected of having choledocholithiasis.
Bile Ducts ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde* ; Choledocholithiasis ; Common Bile Duct* ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Background: Although respiratory tract infection is one of the most important factors triggering acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AE-COPD), limited data are available to suggest an epidemiologic pattern of microbiology in South Korea. Methods: A multicenter observational study was conducted between January 2015 and December 2018 across 28 hospitals in South Korea. Adult patients with moderate-to-severe acute exacerbations of COPD were eligible to participate in the present study. The participants underwent all conventional tests to identify etiology of microbial pathogenesis. The primary outcome was the percentage of different microbiological pathogens causing AE-COPD. A comparative microbiological analysis of the patients with overlapping asthma–COPD (ACO) and pure COPD was performed. Results: We included 1,186 patients with AE-COPD. Patients with pure COPD constituted 87.9% and those with ACO accounted for 12.1%. Nearly half of the patients used an inhaled corticosteroid-containing regimen and one-fifth used systemic corticosteroids. Respiratory pathogens were found in 55.3% of all such patients. Bacteria and viruses were detected in 33% and 33.2%, respectively. Bacterial and viral coinfections were found in 10.9%. The most frequently detected bacteria were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (9.8%), and the most frequently detected virus was influenza A (10.4%). Multiple bacterial infections were more likely to appear in ACO than in pure COPD (8.3% vs. 3.6%, p=0.016). Conclusion Distinct microbiological patterns were identified in patients with moderate-to-severe AE-COPD in South Korea. These findings may improve evidence-based management of patients with AE-COPD and represent the basis for further studies investigating infectious pathogens in patients with COPD.