PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess pain, sleep disturbance, fatigue, and the quality of life and to identify the impact of pain, sleep disturbance and fatigue on the quality of life in patients with pancreatic cancer undergoing chemotherapy. METHODS: Data were collected from June to July, 2010. Participants were recruited from Y university hospital in Seoul. Research instruments included numeric rating scale for pain, Functional Assessment Chronic Illness Therapy-Functional Well-Being (FACIT-FWB): General Factor 5 (GF5) for sleep disturbance, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) for quality of life, and FACT-Fatigue for fatigue. RESULTS: The quality of life for cancer patients had a significant relationship with pain, sleep disturbance, and fatigue. The significant factors influencing quality of life were pain, sleep disturbance, and fatigue that explained 52.6% of the variance. CONCLUSION: Patients with pancreatic cancer undergoing chemotherapy experienced pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance which led to a negative effect on quality of life. The results suggest that intervention program to improve quality of life could reduce pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance of pancreatic cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
Chronic Disease ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; Quality of Life ; Sleep Wake Disorders

No abstract available.
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry* ; Humans* ; Steroids*

No abstract available.
Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry* ; Mass Screening* ; Neuroblastoma*

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to test whether sleep disturbance mediates the effect of pain on fatigue, whether fatigue mediates the effect of pain on depression, and whether fatigue mediates the effect of sleep disturbance on depression. METHODS: This study was conducted from September 12th to December 20th, 2011. One hundred eighty-eight breast cancer patients were recruited from D city and S city in Korea. The instruments used in this study were the pain, sleep disturbance, fatigue, and depression scales. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and mediation pathway with the SPSS 12.0 and AMOS 20.0 programs. RESULTS: There was correlation among pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and depression. Mediation analyses indicated that pain influences fatigue. sleep disturbance, and depression directly as well as indirectly. Sleep disturbance influences fatigue and depression directly, also fatigue influences depression directly. But sleep disturbance had no direct effect on depression. CONCLUSION: Significant correlations among the four symptoms supported the existence of the symptom cluster. Effects of pain on fatigue was partially mediated by sleep disturbance, also effects of pain on depression was partially mediated by fatigue. However, the effects of sleep disturbance on depression was fully mediated by fatigue.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Cluster Analysis* ; Depression ; Fatigue ; Humans ; Korea ; Negotiating* ; Weights and Measures

No abstract available.
Solitary Fibrous Tumors* ; Thoracic Cavity*

No abstract available.
Porphyromonas gingivalis* ; Porphyromonas* ; Virulence*

Background: Due to the importance of the cold chain related to vaccine transportation, it is necessary to establish a blood cold chain operation strategy by checking the status of blood transportation from blood donation to transfusion. Methods: The blood transportation system and blood storage facilities were checked by inspecting the Korean Red Cross (KRC) Blood Centers and its affiliated supplier and Hanmaeum Blood Center. The status of the cold chain was evaluated through an interview with the quality control manager or blood supply team leader. For the hospital, the status was investigated from the perspective of the 30-min rule. A questionnaire survey was conducted for medical technicians and nurses working at the hospital. Results: Data on temperature during transport of blood components were computerized, and all standards were met. A nationwide network that could supply blood from the blood supply center to the hospitals within 2 hours was established. The frequency of temperature monitoring in the blood transport box and constant temperature check in the transport box during long-distance transport were evaluated. Conclusion This study confirmed that blood storage and transportation in Korea complied with the cold chain standards of high-income countries or higher. The evaluation of the cold chain is a constantly evolving process requiring continuous attention. When standards for storage and transportation of blood products are established, strict regulations and examinations will be required.

Leukocytoclastic vasculitis (LV) is a systemic inflammatory disorder involving the small vessels. The exact cause of LV remains unknown, yet malignancy has been considered as a causative factor for LV. We experienced a 60-year-old male with purpura on his extremities. Computed tomography of the chest showed a mass lesion that was suspected to be a non-small-cell lung cancer and the biopsy revealed an adenosquamous carcinoma. There has been no report of LV associated with adenosquamous carcinoma of the lung in Korea. Thus, we report here on this case along with a review of the relevant articles.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Adenosquamous ; Extremities ; Humans ; Korea ; Lung ; Lung Neoplasms ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Purpura ; Thorax ; Vasculitis ; Vasculitis, Leukocytoclastic, Cutaneous

There are some clinical evidences that hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection may cause IgA nephropathy. To evaluate clinical significances and pathogenetic roles of HBV infection in patients with IgA nephropathy, we studied that varius clinical and lab- oratory findings in 172 patients with IgA nephrop-athy as serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive (19 cases) and negative group (153 cases). The result was as following: 1) The incidence of positive serum HRsAg was 11.0%(19/172 cases) in patients with IgA nephropathy and it was higher than that of the randomized age-sex matched general population(4.1%) but has no significance statistically. 2) There was no significant differences in incidence of hypertension, serum levels of IgA, C3, SGOT, SGFf between HBsAg postive and negative group. 3) The cases of nephrotic range proteinuria (3.5g/ day) was more prevalent in HBsAg positive group (31.6%) than that in negative group(7.2%). significantly (p<0.05). 4) The cases of impaired renal function (serum creatinine more than 1.4mg/dL) were more frequent in HBsAg positive group (42.19%) than that in neg-ative group (13.1%) significantly(p<0.05).
Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Creatinine ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA* ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Immunoglobulin A* ; Incidence ; Prognosis ; Proteinuria

BACKGROUND: The expression of multi-drug resistance (MDR) in acute leukemia was known to decrease the outcome of chemotherapy and to increase the rate of relapse. Of the mechanism of MDR, the most well known is P-glycoprotein (P-gp) encoded by the mdr1 gene. There are MDR genes, P-gp tests and drug efflux function tests for the clinical measurement of MDR. To assess the clinical usefulness and MDR expression status in acute leukemia, MDR tests were performed. METHODS: MDR expression was assessed by MDR1 mRNA RT-PCR and flow cytometry measuring P-gp and daunorubicin (DNR) efflux in 77 patients with newly diagnosed acute leukemia (AL) including 48 acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 16 acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and 13 acute mixed-lineage leukemia (AMLL). The CD34 surface-marker study was also done by flow cytometry. The result of chemotherapy was evaluated by the percentage of remnant bone marrow (BM) blasts. RESULTS: The positivity of MDR1 mRNA was 57.1% (44/77) in AL, 61.5% (8/13) in AMLL, 60.4% (29/48) in AML, and 43.8% (7/16) in ALL. The positivity of P-gp expression was 36.5% (27/74) in AL and 100% in AML. The positivity of the DNR efflux test was 30.1% (22/73) in AL, 40.0% (18/45) in AML, 23.1% (3/13) in AMLL, and 6.7% (1/15) in ALL. There was a significant correlation between MDR1 mRNA and P-gp expression and between MDR1 mRNA and CD34 expression in AML. There was a significant correlation between the percentages of residual blast cells in BM and P-gp expression (P=0.039, r=0.312). CONCLUSIONS: It can be clinically useful to perform the mdr1 gene and P-gp test simultaneously both in newly diagnosed acute leukemia patients. The effectiveness of tests for MDR can be helpful to predict the outcome of chemotherapy.
Bone Marrow ; Daunorubicin ; Drug Resistance, Multiple* ; Drug Therapy ; Flow Cytometry ; Genes, MDR ; Humans ; Leukemia* ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; P-Glycoprotein ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; Recurrence ; RNA, Messenger