PURPOSE: This research is to understand the effects of senior simulation on employees of elderly care facilities and utilize it in their job training. METHODS: This research is a nonequivalence control group pre-to-post quasiexperiment research. 18 employees who have experienced senior simulation are set as test group and 18 other employees who have not experienced senior simulation are set as control group. RESULTS: The hypothesis that 'the test group which has experienced senior simulation will show a positive change in their attitude on elderly care, compared to the control group' and 'the test group which has experienced senior simulation will show a positive change in understanding of elders, compared to the control group' was supported. The hypothesis that 'the test group which has experienced senior simulation will show a positive change in job satisfaction and performance of duties, compared to the control group' was dismissed. CONCLUSION: The senior simulation seems to contribute to elderly care facilities employees' change in their viewpoints of elders and broaden their understanding of them. The senior simulation was meaningful to provide basic help with implementing job training programs.
Aged ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Nursing Homes

PURPOSE: This study is to verify the correlations between xerostomia, oral health quality of life, and knowledge about water intake among community-dwelling older adults and to suggest basic data for the development of oral health enhancement programs to improve the quality of life in the elderly. METHODS: A convenience sample of 112 elders was recruited in W city, Gangwon-do from July to August 2017. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, and Pearson's correlation coefficients with SPSS/WIN 23.0 Program. RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects was 73 years old. As the score of knowledge about water intake was average 3 point (out of ten), the knowledge about physical symptoms in case of water deficiency was very insufficient. Xerostomia showed negative correlations with the oral health quality of life (r=−.379, p < .001) and knowledge about water intake (r=−.228, p < .016). CONCLUSION: For the relief of xerostomia having effects on the oral health quality of life in the elderly, it would be necessary to develop and apply oral health enhancement programs including the recommendation of water intake, and then to verify the effects.
Adult* ; Aged ; Drinking* ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Oral Health* ; Quality of Life* ; Water* ; Xerostomia*

PURPOSE: Renal vascular clamping during a laparoscopic partial nephrectomy is a time-consuming procedure with a risk of renal ischemia. To study the feasibility of laparoscopic partial nephrectomy without renal arterial clamping, we compared the procedure with laparoscopic partial nephrectomy with vascular clamping. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventeen patients underwent laparoscopic partial nephrectomy without renal arterial clamping (group 1) from February 2004 to June 2008. The operative results were reviewed retrospectively and compared with those of 16 patients who underwent laparoscopic partial nephrectomy with arterial clamping (group 2). Patient characteristics did not differ significantly between the 2 groups. However, exophytic tumors were detected in 13 patients in group 1 and 3 patients in group 2 (p=0.001). Scores on the preoperative aspects and dimensions used for an anatomical (PADUA) classification were 6.9 in group 1 and 7.7 in group 2 (p=0.037). All surgeries by the transperitoneal approach were performed by a single surgeon. RESULTS: The mean operative times were 103 and 130 minutes in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p=0.312). The mean renal arterial clamping time of group 2 was 27.6 minutes (range, 20-42 minutes). The mean estimated blood loss was 327 ml in group 1 and 315 ml in group 2 (p=0.971). The mean postoperative change in the glomerular filtration rate was 20.11 ml/min/1.73 m2 in group 1 and 18.95 ml/min/1.73 m2 in group 2 (p=0.748). The mean times to postoperative initiation of ambulation and of oral intake were 1.6 and 1.7 days (p=0.486) and 1.3 and 1.6 days (p=0.811) in groups 1 and 2, respectively. The mean length of hospital stay was 7.4 and 7.9 days in groups 1 and 2, respectively (p=0.9). The mean tumor size was 2.1 cm (range, 1-7 cm) in group 1 and 3.3 cm (range, 1.5-9 cm) in group 2. CONCLUSIONS: Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy without renal arterial clamping is feasible for a localized renal tumor. However, patients should be selected carefully, such as those with an exophytic tumor.
Constriction ; Glomerular Filtration Rate ; Humans ; Ischemia ; Kidney Neoplasms ; Laparoscopy ; Length of Stay ; Nephrectomy ; Operative Time ; Retrospective Studies ; Walking

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of emotional labor, emotional intelligence and social support on job stress in clinical nurses. METHODS: Participants were 123 clinical nurses and data were collected from October to December, 2011 and analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression with SPSS 18.0. RESULTS: A positive correlation was found between job stress and emotional labor. Emotional labor showed a significant negative correlation with emotional intelligence and social support, whereas a positive correlation was found between emotional intelligence and social support. The strongest predictor of job stress was emotional labor. In addition, institution satisfaction (dissatisfaction) and the reason for selecting the job (opportunities for service) accounted for 21% of variance in job stress. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that it is important to manage emotional labor as well as to improve job satisfaction in order to reduce job stress in clinical nurses.
Emotional Intelligence ; Job Satisfaction

A majority of human lung cancer cell lines have developed resistance to growth inhibition via the activation of transforming growth facter-beta (TGF-beta). Previous studies have reported that growth inhibition of TGF-beta is linked to the expression of transforming growth factor-beta receptor type I (TGF-betaRI). Immunohistochemical studies of TGF-beta1 and TGF-betaRI have been carried out in 43 cases of lung neoplasm; including 25 cases of squamous cell carcinoma, 13 cases of adenocarcinoma, 2 cases of adenosquamous cell carcinoma, and 1 case each of undifferentiated carcinoma, small cell carcinoma and neuroendocrine carcinoma. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for TGF-beta1 mRNA was also performed in 40 cases of tumors and 14 control cases of normal parenchyme. Immunohistochemically, TGF-beta1 and TGF-betaRI expression were noted in the cytoplasm of all type of tumor cells. The staining intensity and areas were examined and scored from 0 to 5. As a whole, TGF-beta1 staining scores in the neoplastic lesions were higher than that of the adjacent normal parenchyme, bronchial epithelium or alveolar epithelium. However, TGF-betaRI staining scores were generally lower than that of the adjacent normal components. The TGF-beta1 mRNA showed a higher percentage of expression in tumors than in normal control. Tumor size, lymph node metastasis, histological differentiation and histological type of tumors did not correlated with the staining score of TGF-beta1 and TGF-betaRI. These results indicate that although various types of human lung carcinoma cells produce TGF-beta1, they show a reduction in TGF-betaRI, resulting in an escape from growth inhibition by TGF-beta1.
Adenocarcinoma ; Carcinoma ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cell Line ; Cytoplasm ; Epithelium ; Humans* ; Lung Neoplasms* ; Lung* ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta* ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; RNA, Messenger ; Transforming Growth Factor beta* ; Transforming Growth Factor beta1* ; United Nations

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to assess attenuation correction algorithms with the 137Cs point source for the brain positron emission tomography (PET) imaging process. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four different types of phantoms were used in this study for testing various types of the attenuation correction techniques. Transmission data of a 137Cs point source were acquired after infusing the emission source into phantoms and then the emission data were subsequently acquired in 3D acquisition mode. Scatter corrections were performed with a background tail-fitting algorithm. Emission data were then reconstructed using iterative reconstruction method with a measured (MAC), elliptical (ELAC), segmented (SAC) and remapping (RAC) attenuation correction, respectively. Reconstructed images were then both qualitatively and quantitatively assessed. In addition, reconstructed images of a normal subject were assessed by nuclear medicine physicians. Subtracted images were also compared. RESULTS: ELAC, SAC, and RAC provided a uniform phantom image with less noise for a cylindrical phantom. In contrast, a decrease in intensity at the central portion of the attenuation map was noticed at the result of the MAC. Reconstructed images of Jaszack and Hoffan phantoms presented better quality with RAC and SAC. The attenuation of a skull on images of the normal subject was clearly noticed and the attenuation correction without considering the attenuation of the skull resulted in artificial defects on images of the brain. CONCLUSION: the complicated and improved attenuation correction methods were needed to obtain the better accuracy of the quantitative brain PET images.
Brain ; Noise ; Nuclear Medicine ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Skull

No abstract available.
Meningoencephalitis* ; Psychotic Disorders*

This study was conducted to determine whether dietary factors could be related with serum adiponectin concentrations in 243, year-three female university students living in Seoul. The mean of body mass index (BMI) and adiponectin levels of all subjects were 20.17 kg/m2 and 11.07 microg/ml, respectively. When the subjects were divided into 3 groups based on BMI (underweight: < 18.5, normal: 18.5 < or = < 23, overweight and obesity: > or = 23), serum adiponectin levels in underweight group was significantly higher than that in 'normal' or 'overweight and 'obesity' groups. Also when the subjects were divided into two groups by mean adequacy ratio (MAR), serum adiponectin concentration of the high MAR group (MAR > 75) was slightly higher than that the low MAR group (MAR < or = 75). Serum adiponectin levels showed a negative correlation with body weight (p < 0.01) or BMI (p < 0.001) and a positive correlation with intakes of of animal or total protein (please clarify) or vegetable protein.Among the dietary behaviors, serum adiponectin levels of females who answered 'yes' to the question about 'eating breakfast' was significantly higher than that of those who answered 'sometimes' or 'No' (p < 0.05) and serum adiponectin levels were higher among those who reported higher fruit intakes. Overall, our results suggested that healthy lifestyle including acceptable BMI, eating breakfast and higher fruit consumption might play an important role in the prevention of obesity and enhancement of blood adiponectin levels.
Adiponectin ; Animals ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Breakfast ; Eating ; Female ; Fruit ; Humans ; Life Style ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Thinness ; Vegetables

Patchy renal vasoconstriction is one of the reversible renal vasoconstrictions, which usually occur in healthy young men following strenuous anaerobic exercise. Analgesics, viral infection, dehydration were known to be the causes of patchy renal vasoconstriction. We experienced two cases of patchy renal vasoconstriction without antecedent anaerobic exercise. The first case is a 54-year-old woman admitted to a hospital with severe loin pain. On admission, serum creatinine was elevated to 2.2 mg/dL. Patchy areas of delayed contrast enhancement in both kidneys were observed on immediate post-contrast CT and 14 hours delayed image. This severe loin pain was initiated without anaerobic exercise. On the 4th day, her loin pain was relieved and on the 12th day of her illness, serum creatinine was normalized with supportive care. The second case is an 18- year-old man presented with pain in the both flanks. Five days earlier, operation had been performed for treatment of gynecomastia. There had been no preceding anaerobic exercise before the flank pain occurred. On admission to the hospital, laboratory studies revealed a serum creatinine 2.3 mg/dL. Computed tomography showed multiple patchy areas of enhancement in the renal parenchyma. On 12 hours delayed image, there were delayed contrast enhancement. On the sixth day, serum creatinine decreased to 1.4 mg/dl and the loin pain was subsided. Patchy renal vasoconstriction can occur without exercise, and we suggest that patchy renal vasoconstriction should be suspected in the patients suffering from acute renal failure with severe loin pain even without strenuous exercise.
Female ; Male ; Humans

Combined anesthesia has been associated with less sedation, earlier ambulation, higher pulmonary flow rates, improved oxygenation, blunting of stress response and better pain control in the postoperative period than general anesthesia. Total intravenous anesthesia has many advantages compared with inhalation anesthesia, but also has several disadvantages such as hypertension, inappropriate anesthetic, delayed recovery and emergence delirium For improvement of this problems, the authors tried epidural anesthesia combined with continuous intravenous infusion of propofol which is a short acting intravenous anesthetic and has characteristics of rapid and clear-headed recovery. Fifty-three patients undergoing elective thoracic operation were randomly assigned to receive anesthesia with N2O-O2-enflurane (n=23), epidural anesthesia combined with N2O-O2-propofol infusion (3 mg/kg/hy; n=15), or epidural anesthesia combined with medical air-O2-propofol infusion (6 mg/kg/hy; n=15). We studied the hemodynamic changes and occurence of awareness and recovery time on those three groups. Although there were significant changes in the hemodynamics among the groups except CVP, but all values were within normal limit and there were no difference in the recovery time. We concluded that epidural anesthesia with medical air-O2-propofol infusion (6 mg/kg/hr) is acceptable altemative method for thoracic surgery.
Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Epidural* ; Anesthesia, General ; Anesthesia, Inhalation ; Anesthesia, Intravenous ; Delirium ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Infusions, Intravenous* ; Oxygen ; Postoperative Period ; Propofol* ; Thoracic Surgery* ; Walking