PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences Quality of Life(QOL) according to menopausal symptoms in middle aged women. METHOD: The subjects consisted of 578 women(45-60 years old) residing in urban area by convenience sampling from March 15 to May 30, 2002. The data were collected by structured questionnaire that included general characteristics, menopausal symptoms and QOL scale. the collected data were analyzed by the SPSS 11.0 program that included descriptive statistics, t-test and ANOVA. RESULT: The averaged age of menopause of subjects was 48.29 4.66 years and 74.8% in the subjects complained menopausal symptoms. As for the orders of complained menopausal symptom, it was fatigue, hot flashes, benumbed hands and feet, and irritability. The mean score of the QOL scale was showing above average level of quality of life. Religion was significantly different to the score for activity of QOL, monthly income was different to the score for activity and physical well-being of QOL. Menopausal status was significantly different to the QOL. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a replicate study is needed. The results are also useful in developing various programs for health promotion of middle aged women.

This paper describes the cloning and sequence analysis of the cDNAs encoding the canine homologues of interleukin-3 (IL-3) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). The coding sequences for canine IL-3 and IL-6 were obtained by using the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) with RNA harvested from canine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Canine IL-3 cDNA includes a single open reading frame of 432 nucleotides, which encodes a 143 amino acid polypeptide and has 44.7, 42.4, 37 and 23.7% homology with the cow, sheep, human and rat IL-3 sequences, respectively. Canine IL-6 cDNA (GenBank accession number; AF275796) encodes a putative 20-amino acid signal peptide followed by a 187-amino acid mature protein. The predicted amino acid sequence of canine IL-6 shares 60.4, 77.2, 71.0, 55.8 and 42.0% sequence identity with those of human, feline, porcine, sheep and rat IL-6, respectively.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Base Sequence ; Cloning, Molecular ; Concanavalin A/pharmacology ; DNA, Complementary/*chemistry ; Dogs/blood/genetics/*immunology ; Interleukin-3/chemistry/*genetics ; Interleukin-6/chemistry/*genetics ; Leukocytes, Mononuclear/chemistry/drug effects ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Open Reading Frames/genetics ; Protein Sorting Signals/genetics ; RNA/blood/genetics ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction/veterinary ; Sequence Homology, Amino Acid ; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid

BACKGROUND: The causes of chest pain vary but the leading cause of chest pain is ischemic heart disease. Mortality from ischemic chest pain has increased more than two fold over the last ten years. The purpose of this study was to determine the data necessary for rapid treatment of patients with signs and symptoms of ischemic chest pain in the emergency department (ED). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We interviewed 170 patients who had ischemic chest pain in the emergency department of Yeungnam University Hospital over 6 months with a protocol developed for the evaluation. The protocol used included gender, age, arriving time, prior hospital visits, methods of transportation to the hospital, past medical history, final diagnosis, and outcome information from follow up. RESULTS: Among 170 patients, there were 118 men (69.4%) and the mean age was 63 years. The patients diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) were 106 (62.4%) and with angina pectoris (AP) were 64 (37.6%). The patients who had visited another hospital were 68.8%, twice the number that came directly to this hospital (p<0.05). The ratio of patients who visited another hospital were higher for the AMI (75.5%) than the AP (59.4%) patients (p<0.05). The median time spent deciding whether to go to hospital was 521 minutes and for transportation was 40 minutes. With regard to patients that visited another hospital first, the median time spent at the other hospital was 40 minutes. The total median time spent before arriving at our hospital was 600 minutes (p>0.05). The patients who had a total time delay of over 6 hours was similar 54.8% in the AMI group and 57.9% in the AP group (p>0.05). As a result, only 12.2% of the patients with an AMI received thrombolytics, and 48.8% of them had a simultaneous percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In the emergency department 8.5% of the patients with an AMI died. CONCLUSION: Timing is an extremely important factor for the treatment of ischemic heart disease. Most patients arrive at the hospital after a long time lapse from the onset of chest pain. In addition, most patients present to a different hospital before they arrive at the final hospital for treatment. Therefore, important time is lost and opportunities for treatment with thrombolytics and/or PCI are diminished leading to poor outcomes for many patients in the ED. The emergency room treatment must improve for the identification and treatment of ischemic heart disease so that patients can present earlier and treatment can be started as soon as they present to an emergency room.
Angina Pectoris ; Chest Pain* ; Diagnosis ; Emergencies* ; Emergency Service, Hospital* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Male ; Mortality ; Myocardial Infarction ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention ; Thorax* ; Transportation

PURPOSE: This study was attempted to provide quality improvement and revitalization of visiting nurse services by Importance-Performance Analysis of persons being provided with the services. METHODS: The subjects were 350 people being provided with visiting nurse services from a long term home care institution in the kangwon Province during the period of data collection between Aug. 16 and Sep. 15, 2011. Data analysis was conducted through t-test, ANOVA, and IPA by using the SPSS/WIN 12.0 program. RESULTS: As a result of the Importance-Performance Analysis of visiting nurse services, it turned out that the strength on reliability, assurance, and empathy should be maintained with good work and the aspects of responsiveness appeared to be intensively improved, and the tangibility proved to be subject to improvement. CONCLUSION: For the activation of visiting nurse services, methods for improving the performance in the intensive care area and management strategy establishment which highlights the advantages of strength maintenance area are needed.
Community Health Nursing* ; Data Collection ; Empathy ; Home Care Services ; Humans ; Insurance, Long-Term Care* ; Critical Care ; Long-Term Care* ; Quality Improvement ; Statistics as Topic

BACKGROUND: Strategically improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) should be discussed among overweight middle-aged women who are vulnerable to low HRQOL. We examined firstly if overweight middle-aged women would have significantly lower levels of HRQOL and health-promoting behaviors than normal-weight middle-aged women, and to examine secondly if health-promoting behaviors would be significantly associated with generic and obesity-specific HRQOLs within the overweight middle-aged women. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, comparative study. Participants were 119 women aged 30–49 years who were recruited from a community in Seoul, South Korea; 63 women for the overweight group who were recruited from a baseline sample of the Community-Based Heart and Weight Management Trial, while 56 for the normal-weight group who were recruited separetely. Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II), World Health Organization Quality of Life-brief version (WHOQOL-BREF) of a generic HRQOL measure, and Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite (IWQOL-Lite) of an obesity-specific HRQOL measure were used. RESULTS: Compared to the normal-weight group, the overweight group showed significantly lower scores of total WHOQOL-BREF as well as some HPLP II subscales including stress management (P=0.029). Among the HPLP II subscales, stress management was significantly and positively associated with total WHOQOL-BREF (β=1.58, P=0.003) and self-esteem IWQOL-Lite (β=11.58, P=0.034) among the overweight group. CONCLUSIONS: Among middle-aged overweight women, low levels of health-promoting behavior for stress management were shown, which should be strategically increased for improving their generic and obesity-specific HRQOLs.
Female ; Health Promotion ; Heart ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Style ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Quality of Life ; Seoul ; World Health Organization

BACKGROUND: Strategically improving health-related quality of life (HRQOL) should be discussed among overweight middle-aged women who are vulnerable to low HRQOL. We examined firstly if overweight middle-aged women would have significantly lower levels of HRQOL and health-promoting behaviors than normal-weight middle-aged women, and to examine secondly if health-promoting behaviors would be significantly associated with generic and obesity-specific HRQOLs within the overweight middle-aged women. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, comparative study. Participants were 119 women aged 30–49 years who were recruited from a community in Seoul, South Korea; 63 women for the overweight group who were recruited from a baseline sample of the Community-Based Heart and Weight Management Trial, while 56 for the normal-weight group who were recruited separetely. Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLP II), World Health Organization Quality of Life-brief version (WHOQOL-BREF) of a generic HRQOL measure, and Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite (IWQOL-Lite) of an obesity-specific HRQOL measure were used. RESULTS: Compared to the normal-weight group, the overweight group showed significantly lower scores of total WHOQOL-BREF as well as some HPLP II subscales including stress management (P=0.029). Among the HPLP II subscales, stress management was significantly and positively associated with total WHOQOL-BREF (β=1.58, P=0.003) and self-esteem IWQOL-Lite (β=11.58, P=0.034) among the overweight group. CONCLUSIONS Among middle-aged overweight women, low levels of health-promoting behavior for stress management were shown, which should be strategically increased for improving their generic and obesity-specific HRQOLs.

The importance of medical ethics education is increasingly emphasized in medical schools. To improve students’ problem-solving skills, various medical ethics cases are developed and discussed in medical ethics. In this study, based on actual cases of telemedicine and doctors’ strikes, we aim to reflect on medical students’ narratives and identify changes in shared thoughts. The study included 83 students, with responses from 75 students, excluding insincere responses, analyzed. Changes in opinion during discussions were examined using Giorgi’s phenomenological analysis. There was a significant difference in the pros and cons of telemedicine and doctors’ strikes before and after the discussion. The pros of telemedicine were analyzed as ‘expanding healthcare coverage,’ ‘preparing for emerging infectious diseases like coronavirus disease 2019,’ and ‘efficiency of care for certain conditions.’ The cons included ‘high likelihood of misdiagnosis,’ ‘premature implementation and possible abuse of the system,’ ‘risk of healthcare system collapse,’ ‘issues with rural internet and medical devices, and privacy leaks.’ The pros of the doctors’ strike included ‘the need for policies with expert inputs,’ ‘telemedicine may not benefit patients,’ and ‘Korean Medical Association endorsement.’ The cons focused on ‘lack of legitimacy, even if the system is flawed,’ ‘negative image,’ and ‘ignoring doctors’ personal opinions.’ As future doctors, today’s medical students will encounter more complex ethical issues. Medical ethics cases help determine whether they can effectively persuade others with evidence when faced with ethical dilemmas in actual practice.

The importance of medical ethics education is increasingly emphasized in medical schools. To improve students’ problem-solving skills, various medical ethics cases are developed and discussed in medical ethics. In this study, based on actual cases of telemedicine and doctors’ strikes, we aim to reflect on medical students’ narratives and identify changes in shared thoughts. The study included 83 students, with responses from 75 students, excluding insincere responses, analyzed. Changes in opinion during discussions were examined using Giorgi’s phenomenological analysis. There was a significant difference in the pros and cons of telemedicine and doctors’ strikes before and after the discussion. The pros of telemedicine were analyzed as ‘expanding healthcare coverage,’ ‘preparing for emerging infectious diseases like coronavirus disease 2019,’ and ‘efficiency of care for certain conditions.’ The cons included ‘high likelihood of misdiagnosis,’ ‘premature implementation and possible abuse of the system,’ ‘risk of healthcare system collapse,’ ‘issues with rural internet and medical devices, and privacy leaks.’ The pros of the doctors’ strike included ‘the need for policies with expert inputs,’ ‘telemedicine may not benefit patients,’ and ‘Korean Medical Association endorsement.’ The cons focused on ‘lack of legitimacy, even if the system is flawed,’ ‘negative image,’ and ‘ignoring doctors’ personal opinions.’ As future doctors, today’s medical students will encounter more complex ethical issues. Medical ethics cases help determine whether they can effectively persuade others with evidence when faced with ethical dilemmas in actual practice.

The importance of medical ethics education is increasingly emphasized in medical schools. To improve students’ problem-solving skills, various medical ethics cases are developed and discussed in medical ethics. In this study, based on actual cases of telemedicine and doctors’ strikes, we aim to reflect on medical students’ narratives and identify changes in shared thoughts. The study included 83 students, with responses from 75 students, excluding insincere responses, analyzed. Changes in opinion during discussions were examined using Giorgi’s phenomenological analysis. There was a significant difference in the pros and cons of telemedicine and doctors’ strikes before and after the discussion. The pros of telemedicine were analyzed as ‘expanding healthcare coverage,’ ‘preparing for emerging infectious diseases like coronavirus disease 2019,’ and ‘efficiency of care for certain conditions.’ The cons included ‘high likelihood of misdiagnosis,’ ‘premature implementation and possible abuse of the system,’ ‘risk of healthcare system collapse,’ ‘issues with rural internet and medical devices, and privacy leaks.’ The pros of the doctors’ strike included ‘the need for policies with expert inputs,’ ‘telemedicine may not benefit patients,’ and ‘Korean Medical Association endorsement.’ The cons focused on ‘lack of legitimacy, even if the system is flawed,’ ‘negative image,’ and ‘ignoring doctors’ personal opinions.’ As future doctors, today’s medical students will encounter more complex ethical issues. Medical ethics cases help determine whether they can effectively persuade others with evidence when faced with ethical dilemmas in actual practice.

The importance of medical ethics education is increasingly emphasized in medical schools. To improve students’ problem-solving skills, various medical ethics cases are developed and discussed in medical ethics. In this study, based on actual cases of telemedicine and doctors’ strikes, we aim to reflect on medical students’ narratives and identify changes in shared thoughts. The study included 83 students, with responses from 75 students, excluding insincere responses, analyzed. Changes in opinion during discussions were examined using Giorgi’s phenomenological analysis. There was a significant difference in the pros and cons of telemedicine and doctors’ strikes before and after the discussion. The pros of telemedicine were analyzed as ‘expanding healthcare coverage,’ ‘preparing for emerging infectious diseases like coronavirus disease 2019,’ and ‘efficiency of care for certain conditions.’ The cons included ‘high likelihood of misdiagnosis,’ ‘premature implementation and possible abuse of the system,’ ‘risk of healthcare system collapse,’ ‘issues with rural internet and medical devices, and privacy leaks.’ The pros of the doctors’ strike included ‘the need for policies with expert inputs,’ ‘telemedicine may not benefit patients,’ and ‘Korean Medical Association endorsement.’ The cons focused on ‘lack of legitimacy, even if the system is flawed,’ ‘negative image,’ and ‘ignoring doctors’ personal opinions.’ As future doctors, today’s medical students will encounter more complex ethical issues. Medical ethics cases help determine whether they can effectively persuade others with evidence when faced with ethical dilemmas in actual practice.