PURPOSE: This research compares self-leadership, team efficacy, problem solving processes and task satisfaction in response to teaching methods applied to nursing students, and determines whether variations exist. METHODS: This research experiments before and after the training of a nonequivalent group. The subjects were 36 learners of action learning methods and 39 learners of nursing course methods, and the research took place from October through December 2012. RESULTS: Prior to the training, the general features and measurable variables of the two groups of subjects were similar, and self-leadership, team efficacy, problem solving process and task satisfaction in both groups were elevated compared to pre-training. In particular, in comparison with the nursing course, there was a notable difference in scores, the action learning method receiving high scores in the problem solving process (t=2.92, p=.005) and task satisfaction (t=2.54, p=.013) CONCLUSION: It is recommended that educators not only conduct the practice training course for teaching methods, but also incorporate action learning.
Humans ; Leadership ; Learning ; Nursing ; Problem Solving* ; Students, Nursing* ; Teaching

No abstract available.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast*

The authors tried to confirm the significant changes of plasma homovanillic acid(HVA) concentration after insulin administration in comparison with those of usual diurnal variation in the same subjects. Male patients with schizophrenia taking neuroleptics were participated in a study of diurnal variation and insulin induced dopaminergic perturbation, with multiple samplings at baseline. 30minutes, 60minutes and 90minutes after insulin administration(n=18). Ten patients were sampled at baseline and 60minutes after insulin administration. There was a diurnal variation of plasma HVA concentrations, which decreased gradually from 8 am to 9 : 30 am. We confirmed that regular insulin(0.1 unit/kg) blocked the normal diurnal variations and increased plasma HVA concentrations. This pattern was not correlated with clinical variables, such as age, onset age, duration of illness and presence of family history. Schizophrenic patients were grouped by the positive and negative syndrome scale. In contrast to our previous study, the concentrations of positive and negative groups were similar at baseline. The HVA concentrations of negative group after insulin administration were higher than those of positive group without statistical significance. We have a plan modify the current insulin-HAV method. In the near future, we will try to confirm whether the modified insulin-HVA method can be used as a biological indicator for the elucidation of complex clinical manifestations of schizophrenia.
Age of Onset ; Antipsychotic Agents ; Homovanillic Acid* ; Humans ; Insulin ; Male ; Plasma* ; Schizophrenia

Objective: To examine the effects of Tribulus terrestris L. (T. terrestris) extract on the modulation of calcium channels to evaluate its use in topical agents for treatment of atopic dermatitis. Methods: The 70% methanol extract of T. terrestris was prepared. Human HEK293T cells with over-expressed calcium release-activated calcium channel protein 1 (Orai1), transient receptor potential vanilloid 1, or transient receptor potential vanilloid 3 (TRPV3) were treated with T. terrestris extract. Modulation of ion channels was measured using a conventional whole-cell patch-clamp technique. Results: T. terrestris extract (100 mg/mL) significantly inhibited Orai1 activity in Orai1-stromal interaction molecule 1 co-overexpressed HEK293T cells. In addition, T. terrestris extract significantly increased the TRPV3 activity compared with 2-Aminoethyl diphe-nylborinate (100 mmol/L), which induces the full activation of TRPV3. Conclusions: Our results suggest that T. terrestris extract may have a therapeutic po-tential for recovery of abnormal skin barrier pathologies in atopic dermatitis through modulating the activities of calcium ion channels, Orai1 and TRPV3. This is the first study to report the modulatory effect of a medicinal plant on the function of ion channels in skin barrier.

No abstract available.
Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic*

BACKGROUND: Tetracaine has been the most commonly used long-acting spinal anesthetic agent. Recently, hyperbaric bupivacaine was introduced to be useful agent, and has been reported to produce the better quality of anesthesia. The aim of the present investigation was to compare the anesthetic effects of 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine and 0.5% hyperbaric tetracaine spinal anesthesia. METHODS: 40 ASA Class I patients undergoing lower extremity operation were randomly distributed to two groups. Group A (n=20) received 15mg, 0.5% bupivacaine in 8% glucose, while Group B (n=20) received 15mg, 0.5% tetracaine in 10% glucose in the lateral decubitus position (L3,4 interspace). We evaluated the sensory and motor blockade, cardiovascular effects and the incidence of tourniquet pain. RESULTS: The mean maximum cephalad spread of analgesia was higher in bupivacaine group (T5) than in tetracaine group (T6) and the spread time was more rapid in bupivacaine group (13.1 +/- 3.3min.) than in tetracaine group (15.8 +/- 4.3min.), but there were no statistical significances. Tetracaine group was earlier onset of motor block and the duration of complete motor block in tetracaine group was significantly longer than in bupivacaine group. The mean decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure was 10% to 25% in both groups and more marked in tetracaine group. The incidence of tourniquet pain was greater in tetracaine group than in bupivacaine group. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of anesthesia obtained with bupivacaine may be superior to that produced by tetracaine. We concluded that 0.5% hyperbaric bupivacaine was suitable for short orthopedic or lower abdominal surgery because of less incidence of hypotension, shorter duration of motor block and lower incidence of tourniquet pain.
Analgesia ; Anesthesia ; Anesthesia, Spinal* ; Anesthetics ; Blood Pressure ; Bupivacaine ; Glucose ; Humans ; Hypotension ; Incidence ; Lower Extremity ; Orthopedics ; Tetracaine* ; Tourniquets

No abstract available.
46, XX Disorders of Sex Development* ; Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital* ; Female* ; Humans

PURPOSE: This study was to analyze the effect size of complementary and alternative intervention studies in reference to dysmenorrhea and menstrual distress. METHODS: In order to conduct a meta-analysis, a total of 393 studies were retrieved from the database. Twenty-eight studies that were published from March 2001 to February 2011 were selected. RESULTS: Intervention studies included seven studies on aromatherapy, five on auriculotherapy, three on each Koryo-Sooji-Chim and moxibustion, two on each heat therapy and magnetic therapy and six on other therapy. The effect size of the intervention studies on dysmenorrhea and menstrual distress was greater than 0.48 for Koryo-Sooji-Chim, moxibustion, aromatherapy, auriculotherapy and other therapy. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that drug free therapy can reduce the levels of menstrual distress, despite the small number of intervention studies and randomized controlled trials.
Aromatherapy ; Auriculotherapy ; Dysmenorrhea ; Female ; Hot Temperature ; Clinical Trial ; Magnetics ; Magnets ; Menstruation ; Moxibustion

Myocardial ischemia occurs when myocardial oxygen availability is inadequate to meet metabolic requirements. The common cause of myocardial ischemia is atherosclerotic epicardial coronary arteries. Isoflurane is a potent small vessel-type coronary vasodilator and has the potential for causing regional myocardial ischemia in patients with coronary disease, but it's still controversial. We experienced a case of transient myocardial ischemia during general anesthesia with isoflurane. The patient was a 51 year- old male who underwent a direct clipping of an anterior communicating artery aneurysm. There was no specific abnormality on preoperative laboratory tests except for mild mitral valve regurgitation on the cardiac echocardiogram. He had once experienced several minutes of sudden severe chest tightness just 3 months before admission, but it had subsided without any specific treatment. One hour after beginning of operation, abnormal EKG changes such as ST-T elevation, QRS widening, VPC, ventricular tachytcardia and ST-T depression appeared and then normalized within 2 minutes with stopping isoflurane and using isosorbide dinitrate. He discharged 12 days later without complications. After discharge, Tread-mill test, SPECT and 2D echocardiogram were performed but there was no any evidence of coronary artery disease.
Anesthesia, General* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Coronary Disease ; Coronary Vessels ; Depression ; Electrocardiography ; Humans ; Intracranial Aneurysm ; Isoflurane* ; Isosorbide Dinitrate ; Male ; Mitral Valve Insufficiency ; Myocardial Ischemia* ; Oxygen ; Thorax ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

No abstract available.
Esophageal Atresia* ; Tracheoesophageal Fistula*