OBJECTIVE: To investigate employment status after spinal cord injury (SCI) and identify personal, family, and injury characteristics those affect their employment in South Korea. METHODS: Participants were 334 community-dwelling persons 20-64 years of age who had sustained SCI for more than one year. Investigators visited each participant's home to carry out the survey. Bivariate and binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify personal, family, and injury characteristics that influenced employment after SCI. RESULTS: Employment rate decreased significantly from 82.5% to 27.5% after SCI. Logistic regression showed that the probability of employment was higher in men than women, and in individuals older than 45 years at the time of injury than those aged 31-45 years of age. Moreover, employment was higher in individuals injured for longer than 20 years than those injured for 1-5 years and in individuals with incomplete tetraplegia than those with complete paraplegia. Employment was lower in individuals with SCI caused by industrial accidents than those injured in non-industrial accidents. CONCLUSION: Injury characteristics are the most important predictors of employment in persons with SCI. For persons with lower employment rate, individualized vocational rehabilitation and employment-support systems are required.
Accidents, Occupational ; Employment* ; Female ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Paraplegia ; Quadriplegia ; Rehabilitation, Vocational ; Republic of Korea* ; Research Personnel ; Spinal Cord Injuries* ; Spinal Cord*

PURPOSE: To compare the effects of anti-inflammatory agents, specifically bromfenac, loteprednol, and prednisolone, on the permeability of cultured human trabecular meshwork cell (HTMC) monolayers. METHODS: HTMCs were cultured until confluency in the inner chamber of Transwell, then exposed to 1/1,000 or 1/500 diluted commercial 0.1% bromfenac, 0.5% loteprednol, and 1% prednisolone for 24 hours. The permeabilities of carboxyfluorescein through the HTMC monolayer were measured with a spectrofluorometer after 2 hours in the outer chamber. Cellular viabilities were assessed with an 3-[4,5–dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. RESULTS: Bromfenac and loteprednol diluted at 1/1,000 or 1/500 did not significantly affect the cellular survival (p > 0.05). Bromfenac did not affect the permeability via the HTMC monolayer (p > 0.05) and loteprednol decreased the permeability (p < 0.05). In addition, 1/2,000 prednisolone also decreased the permeability (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Among the anti-inflammatory agents, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent bromfenac did not affect the permeability, while loteprednol and prednisolone decreased the permeability through the HTMC monolayer. Thus, loteprednol and prednisolone may decrease the trabecular outflow.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents* ; Humans ; Loteprednol Etabonate ; Permeability* ; Prednisolone ; Trabecular Meshwork*

PURPOSE: To compare the effects of anti-inflammatory agents, specifically bromfenac, loteprednol, and prednisolone, on the permeability of cultured human trabecular meshwork cell (HTMC) monolayers. METHODS: HTMCs were cultured until confluency in the inner chamber of Transwell, then exposed to 1/1,000 or 1/500 diluted commercial 0.1% bromfenac, 0.5% loteprednol, and 1% prednisolone for 24 hours. The permeabilities of carboxyfluorescein through the HTMC monolayer were measured with a spectrofluorometer after 2 hours in the outer chamber. Cellular viabilities were assessed with an 3-[4,5–dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. RESULTS: Bromfenac and loteprednol diluted at 1/1,000 or 1/500 did not significantly affect the cellular survival (p > 0.05). Bromfenac did not affect the permeability via the HTMC monolayer (p > 0.05) and loteprednol decreased the permeability (p < 0.05). In addition, 1/2,000 prednisolone also decreased the permeability (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Among the anti-inflammatory agents, the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agent bromfenac did not affect the permeability, while loteprednol and prednisolone decreased the permeability through the HTMC monolayer. Thus, loteprednol and prednisolone may decrease the trabecular outflow.
Anti-Inflammatory Agents* ; Humans ; Loteprednol Etabonate ; Permeability* ; Prednisolone ; Trabecular Meshwork*

PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of trypan blue (TB) on the survival of cultured human trabecular meshwork cells (HTMCs). METHODS: Primarily cultured HTMCs were exposed to 0.05, 0.10 or 0.50% TB for 1, 5 or 30 min. Cellular survival was assessed using the MTT assay and degree of apoptosis was analyzed with flow cytometry using annexin-V/propidium iodide double staining. RESULTS: Long-term exposure or high concentration of TB decreased the survival of HTMCs (p < 0.05). In flow cytometric analysis, exposure to 0.50% TB for 30 min increased the degree of apoptosis (p < 0.05). Commercial TB decreased cell survival after exposure for 5 min and increased the degree of apoptosis after exposure for 30 min (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TB may cause cellular damage of cultured HTMCs and apoptosis could be the underlying mechanism. In TB-assisted cataract surgery, TB should be used for the shortest time possible and removed completely.
Apoptosis ; Cataract ; Cell Survival ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Trabecular Meshwork* ; Trypan Blue*

No abstract available.
Keratitis*

OBJECTIVES: When a patient who attempts suicide visits the emergency room, it is important that the departments of emergency medicine, internal medicine, and psychiatry communicate with each other and prioritize treatment. This study was conducted to verify the effectiveness of the multidisciplinary emergency consultation system (ECS) for drug intoxicated patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the data from medical records prior to the ECS, from July 2017 to May 2018, and after the ECS, from July 2018 to May 2019, to verify the effectiveness of the system. RESULTS: After the ECS, admission to open wards was significantly higher than to the intensive care units (χ²=8.567, p=0.014). In addition, the proportion of consultations to the department of psychiatry among patients admitted to other departments tended to increase (χ²=4.202, p=0.053), and the time required for consultation response decreased (Z=−2.031, p=0.042). As a result of the consultation, the proportion of the patients who had been transferred to the department of psychiatry was increased (χ²=4.692, p=0.043), and the time spent to transfer tended to decrease (Z=−1.941, p=0.052). CONCLUSIONS After implementing the ECS for drug intoxicated patients, unnecessary intensive care unit admissions, consultation response time, and the time spent to transfer were reduced, and the rate of consultation referrals and transfer rates increased. This means that the multidisciplinary consultation system rapidly provided essential medical services to patients at lower medical costs.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of hand massage with nail art on depression, self-esteem and vital signs of elderly women. METHODS: The research design was one group pre and post test experimental design. Data were collected from December 7 to December 14, 2015. All participants had hand massage with nail art for 10 minutes. Depression, self-esteem and vital signs were measured before, immediately after the hand massage with nail art and one week later. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measures ANOVA with SPSS/Win 12.0 Program. RESULTS: Depression (F=30.80, p<.001), self-esteem (F=60.02, p<.000), diastolic pressure (F=29.56, p<.001) and body temperature (F=13.87, p<.001) were significantly different compared to pre-study values. Systolic pressure (F=3.85, p=.059) and pulse rate (F=0.32, p=.576) had no significant difference compared to pre-study values. CONCLUSION: The findings of this research show that hand massage with nail art has positive effects on decreasing depression and improving self-esteem for senior women who chose nail polish colour by themselves.
Aged* ; Blood Pressure ; Body Temperature ; Depression* ; Female ; Hand* ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Massage* ; Nursing Homes* ; Nursing* ; Research Design ; Vital Signs*

We would like to correct the grant information.

Caring for people with dementia is associated with multiple devastating social, financial, physical, and psychological challenges. There is strong evidence that multicomponent tailored caregiver intervention is effective in improving caregiver well-being and delaying institutionalization. In US, the government is actively funding for developing caregiver program and to prove its efficacy through randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to translate into practice. Even with the introduction of Korean Long-term Care Plan, still, the most of the patients with dementia are being cared by the family members. The distress of caregiving is enormous, but structured therapeutic intervention program which efficacy is proven through RCT is very insufficient in Korea. The purpose of this article is to review the caregiver intervention programs of ongoing clinical trials comparing US and Korea, and to propose a tailored, therapeutic intervention program (I-CARE; A multicenter, randomized trial to assess efficacy of therapeutic intervention programs for decreasing caregiver burden in dementia caregiver) for hospital-care in Korea.
Caregivers* ; Dementia* ; Financial Management ; Humans ; Institutionalization ; Korea ; Long-Term Care

PURPOSE: This study was designed to evaluate the role of oral nutritional support and nutritional counseling by dietician during radiation therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included total 58 patients with head/neck, lung, or esophageal cancers who received radiation therapy with radical purpose between February and December, 1996. They were randomized either into nutrient supplement group (Group I) or control group (Group II). In Group I, the dietician advised patients to take high density nutrient supplement (NuCare, 250 kcal/can, Miwon co., LTD) based on dieticians initial evaluation for oral intake from initiation to completion of radiation therapy. In Group II, patients received nutritional support other than high density nutrient supplement only when patients lose weight more than 2 Kg during radiation treatment. All patients were evaluated for nutritional status and diet pattern and received nutritional counseling before radiation therapy and then weekly during treatment. RESULTS: Total 45 patients (22 patients in group I, 23 patients in group II) were available. In group I, all patients received average 3 cans (2~4 cans) a day. The calory from nutrient supplement was 43.9% of their daily energy intake (25.9~68.7%). About 72.7% of patients in Group I could keep up with their oral intake over 80% of daily requirement energy comparing to only 12.3% for patients in Group II(p<0.05). The patients in Group I started to lose weight 2 weeks later and lost weight more than 3 Kg less often than patients in Group II (5/22 vs 8/23, p>0.05). CONCLUSION: There was less significant weight loss in patients who started oral nutritional supplement based on the daily requirement energy early in radiation therapy. We think it is better to recommend nutritional supplement before weight loss started because radiation induced side effects such as esophagitis and oral mucositis prohibited patients to continue to take nutrient supplement.
Counseling ; Diet ; Energy Intake ; Esophageal Neoplasms ; Esophagitis ; Humans ; Lung ; Nutritional Status ; Nutritional Support* ; Nutritionists ; Stomatitis ; Weight Loss