PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate life satisfaction(LS) and to assess the factors that influence LS in senior center elderly people. METHODS: The subjects were 253 elders who visited the Y city Senior Welfare Center between July 2006 and August 2006. Data were collected using structured questionnaires. The instruments were composed of Kang's Family Support Scale, Depression Scale by Sheikh & Yesavage, Laffery's Health Concept Scale, and LS scale by Choi. T-test, ANOVA, Duncan test, Pearson coefficients correlation and stepwise multiple regression were used to analyze the data using the SPSS Win 12.0 program. RESULTS: The LS level showed a maximum score of 38 with a mean score of 23.23. The mean scores for depression, health perception and family support were 5.52(maximum score, 15), 77.46(maximum score, 112), 43.45(maximum score, 55) respectively. The LS were significantly correlated with health perception, depression and family support. Depression was the most powerful predictor of and it accounted for 42.0% of the total variance in LS. A combination of significance of eudaimonistic health perception and satisfaction with pocket money accounted for 47.2% in LS. CONCLUSION: Depression and health perception were identified as affecting variables for the LS. Based upon these results, nurses should help the aged to enhance their LS.
Aged* ; Depression ; Humans ; Senior Centers ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate nutritional status, and the effects of lifestyles and depression on nutritional status of elderly people (NSE). METHOD: The participants were 280 elders who visited the Y city Senior Welfare Center between August 2006 and October 2006. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire that included general characteristics, lifestyle checklist, depression scale, and nutritional risk index. Also, Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated from height and weight. T-test, ANOVA, Duncan test, Pearson coefficients correlation and stepwise multiple regression were used to analyze the data using the SPSS Win 12.0 program. RESULTS: The NSE mean score was mid level at 5.03. BMI was 23.42 which indicates overweight. Depression was the factor that influenced the nutritional risk index most strongly, accounting for 17.3% of the total variance in the NSE. A combination of significance of health, concerns about health, housing, condition of teeth, activity, and smoking pattern accounted for 29.8% of the variance in the NSE. Condition of teeth accounted for only 3.8% of the variance in BMI. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to be aware that variance in the NSE can be affected by several factors including depression and lifestyle and that depression is strongly related to poorer NSE.
Aged* ; Body Mass Index ; Checklist ; Depression* ; Housing ; Humans ; Life Style* ; Nutritional Status* ; Overweight ; Questionnaires ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Tooth

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) remains an important pathogen in organ transplant patients. However, cutaneous lesions are rare manifestation of systemic CMV infection. We report a case of CMV panniculitis in a 47-year-old renal transplant recipient. She admitted due to fever, local pain in the left pelvic area, and erythematous tender palpable mass for 2 weeks. Twenty years ago, she underwent renal transplantation and had taken azathioprin 100 mg and prednisone 10 mg daily. Serum creatinine had been preserved between 2.5 and 3.5 mg/dL. Bacterial, fungal, and AFB cultures of skin lesion and drained pus were negative. CMV antigenemia was noted. Skin biopsy revealed multinucleated dermal histiocytes and positive for CMV antibody by immunohistochemical staining. Polymerase chain reaction testing of skin tissue and drained pus revealed CMV DNA. She was treated with ganciclovir for four weeks and skin lesion was completely resolved without recurrence.
Biopsy ; Creatinine ; Cytomegalovirus* ; DNA ; Fever ; Ganciclovir ; Histiocytes ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Middle Aged ; Panniculitis* ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prednisone ; Recurrence ; Skin ; Suppuration ; Transplantation ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to evaluate success rate and patency rate after percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) and to determine the factors affecting patency rate afterPTA in the management of insufficient arteriovenous fistula of hemodialysis patients. METHODS: Ninety-two cases of insufficient arteriovenous fistulae in 73 hemodialysis patients underwent angiography of the fistula and were treatedby PTA (native AVF: 67 cases, AV graft: 10 cases, central vein: 15 cases). The initial success rate and complications of PTA were evaluated. All patients were divided into two groups according to the age, sex, the duration of hemodialysis, a history of diabetes mellitus, the numbers of AVF operation, and the presence or absenceof thrombus. The patency rate was compared with the Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test. To determine the clinical factors that affect vascular access failure rate, Cox regression method was used. RESULTS: The initial success rate of PTA was 78.2% (72/92). The patency rate after successful PTA was 80.0% at 6 months, and 73.2% at 12 months. The patency rate after successful PTA was significantly lower in cases which had two or more AVF operation (62.3% and 48.5% at 6 and 12 months) than just one (87.8% and 80.5% at 6 and 12 months). The most common PTA related complications were vessel spasm (3.9%) and hematoma (3.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The numbers of AVF operation was the only risk factor which affected the patency rate.
Angiography ; Angioplasty* ; Arteriovenous Fistula* ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Fistula ; Hematoma ; Humans ; Renal Dialysis ; Risk Factors ; Spasm ; Thrombosis ; Transplants ; Veins