No abstract available.
Chorionic Gonadotropin* ; Female ; Humans ; Humans* ; Hypertension* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Trimester, Second* ; Pregnancy*

BACKGROUND: Although enriched broth cultures have been recommended as an adjuvant to the direct plating of tissue and body fluid specimens, the cost-effectiveness of broth cultures has been questioned in regard with the clinical significance of "broth only isolates(BOI)". The purpose of this study was to investigate the usefulness of thioglycollate broth(THIO) cultures. METHODS: We reviewed retrospectively results in the culture specimens of body fluids, tissue biopsies, and puses received during the month of July 1997. All specimens were inoculated into THIO in addition to agar plates. We reviewed the medical records of culture-positive patients to determine the clinical significance and relevance of their isolates. Clinically significant isolates were defined as those for which an appropriate antimicrobial therapy was done except one judged as contaminants by clinicians and clinically relevant isolates as the clinically significant one isolated first. RESULT: Of 2,008 specimens, 512(25.4%) from 365 patients grow 561 isolates 464 plate isolates and 97 BOI. Two hundred eighty nine(62.3%) of the 464 isolates from plate cultures were clinically significant, compared to only 12(12.4%) of 97 BOI (P<0.05). Only four (4.1%) BOI were clinically relevant, including one Pseudomonas aerugiosa from ascites. one Klebsiella pneumoniae and two Staphylococcus aureus from tissue specimens. CONCLUSION: A routine use of enriched broth culture rarely recover clinically relevant isolates. Considering the laboratory and medical costs of the recovery of contaminants and clinically irrelevant isolates, the enrichment broth cultures should be used more selectively.
Agar ; Ascites ; Biopsy ; Body Fluids ; Humans ; Klebsiella pneumoniae ; Medical Records ; Pseudomonas ; Retrospective Studies ; Staphylococcus aureus

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify an influence of self-esteem and family- support on powerlessness of hospitalized elderly patients with chronic disease. METHOD: The subjects were 151 hospitalized elderly patients, age over 60, with chronic disease and admitted for at least 1 week. The data were collected by individual interview using a tructured questionnaire during the period from July 10th to August l0th, 2003 from three general hospitals in Busan. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, hierarchical multiple regression. RESULT: The level of self-esteem, family support, and powerlessness was 38.00, 38.26, and 38.38, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between self-esteem and family support and a negative correlation between self-esteem and powerlessness and between family support and powerlessness. Self-esteem and family support were each significant predictor of powerlessness. CONCLUSION: This study showed the hospitalized elderly patients need greater family-support and higher self-esteem to relieve the level of powerlessness. I suggest to study for replication in a larger sample size and considering the lengths of hospitalization for generalization of this study and to develop individual intervention programs for increasing family support and self esteem and testify their effects on the relief of powerlessness of the elderly.
Aged* ; Busan ; Chronic Disease* ; Generalization (Psychology) ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Sample Size ; Self Concept ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of the patient controlled analgesics (PCA) education program (including practicum) on post-op pain suffered by patients who have undergone gynecologic laparoscopic surgery. METHODS: The research was designed for a nonequivalent control group before and after the test design. The subjects of this study were 54 in all and were divided into an experimental group and a control group. The program consisted of a brochure for PCA use and a practicum with an actual PCA instrument. Data were collected with questionnaires and observations and were analyzed on the basis of frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, chi2 and t-test. RESULTS: Complaints regarding pain by the experimental group were significantly less than those of the control group in both post-op 24-hour and post-op 48-hour reporting. The experimental group pressed the PCA button much less frequently than the control group in post-op 24 hours. However, there were no significant differences in side effects between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, this PCA education program can be useful in the clinical nursing field and helpful for patients who use PCA.
Analgesia, Patient-Controlled ; Analgesics ; Education* ; Humans ; Laparoscopy* ; Nursing ; Pamphlets ; Passive Cutaneous Anaphylaxis*

Recently, we experienced a patient with a B cell leukemia which could not be classified as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), prolymphocytic leukemia (PL) or follicular lymphoma in leukemic phase. He is a 58-year-old male and suffered from progressive lymphadenopathy at both inguinal and cervical areas. His blood film showed lymphocytosis (79%), and the cells were heterogeneous in size and shape. Twenty-five percent of the lymphocytes had nuclear irregularities or cleavages unlike the lymphocytes of CLL In which the cells often shows monomorphic features, small size with scanty cytoplasm and round nucleus. The bone marrow trephine biopsy specimen showed a diffuse pattern of infiltration of atypical Iymphoid cells. The lymph node histology showed atypical lymphoid colls proliferated as wide mantles around non-neoplastic appearing germinal centers. The immunophenotype of circulating lymphocytes in peripheral blood showed strong reactivity with CD5, CDl9 and CD20 without expression of CD2, CD3, CD7, CD10, CD22 and CD23. Although this case resembled CLL, the laboratory features showed major differences, notably in the Peripheral blood morphology, histology Patterns and the membrane Phenotype. By combining these data, we diagnosed this case as a leukemic phase of mantle cell lymphoma.
Biopsy ; Bone Marrow ; Cytoplasm ; Germinal Center ; Humans ; Leukemia, B-Cell ; Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell ; Leukemia, Prolymphocytic ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphatic Diseases ; Lymphocytes ; Lymphocytosis ; Lymphoma, Follicular ; Lymphoma, Mantle-Cell* ; Male ; Membranes ; Middle Aged ; Phenotype

This study was undertaken to make current fetal growth curve throughout later part of pregnancy. 5,110 normal singleton deliveries at Il Shin Christian Hospital were included. The 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, 90th percentiles of birth weight were calculated from 21 to 42 weeks' gestation and the 10th, 50th, 90th percentiles of birth weight compared by fetal sex, maternal parity and height were graphed to know the potency of factors. There was a linear growth pattern between 28 and 38 weeks' gestation. During last month of prgnancy, three factors have significant effect on median birth weight but no significant differences in 10th percentiles. Maternal height & parity significantly affeect on 90th percentiles. So, these factors must be considered when diagnosing large for date.
Birth Weight* ; Female ; Fetal Development ; Gestational Age* ; Parity ; Parturition* ; Pregnancy

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of professional autonomy, organizational commitment, and perceived patient safety culture on patient safety management activities of nurses in medium and small-sized hospitals.METHODS: A cross-sectional design was employed. Self-reported questionnaires were completed by 121 nurses with at least 3 months of working experience in medium and small-sized hospitals located in B city. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, a t-test, a one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and a multiple regression analysis.RESULTS: Professional autonomy (r=.22, p=.016), organizational commitment (r=.34, p < .001), and perceived patient safety culture (r=.55, p < .001) had a statistically significant positive correlation with patient safety management activities. The factors that might affect patient safety management activities were professional autonomy (β=.23, p=.003) and perceived patient safety culture (β=.55, p < .001). The explanatory power of these factors for patient safety management activities was 33.5% (F= 21.19, p < .001).CONCLUSIONS: The development of repetitive and continuous education programs is needed to improve a nurse's professional autonomy and perceived patient safety culture.
Education ; Humans ; Organizational Culture ; Patient Safety ; Professional Autonomy ; Safety Management

While the associations between pulmonary sequestration (PS) and congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) are known, CDH may be obscured by PS and thus, overlooked on prenatal ultrasonography when coexisting with PS. We present 2 cases of postnatally diagnosed CDH combined with PS. In both cases, PS was prenatally diagnosed as an isolated lung mass, while CDH was confirmed only after birth. Both newborns were sufficiently stable that management was not required immediately after birth. PS may function as an “anatomical barrier” to prevent herniation of the abdominal contents into the chest, thus acting as a “protector” providing normal lung maturation throughout pregnancy. If PS is suspected prenatally, coexisting CDH may be obscured; thus, close prenatal care and counseling of the parents regarding the possibility of CDH are essential. These infants should be delivered at a tertiary center, and imaging should be performed to exclude coexisting CDH.

While the associations between pulmonary sequestration (PS) and congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) are known, CDH may be obscured by PS and thus, overlooked on prenatal ultrasonography when coexisting with PS. We present 2 cases of postnatally diagnosed CDH combined with PS. In both cases, PS was prenatally diagnosed as an isolated lung mass, while CDH was confirmed only after birth. Both newborns were sufficiently stable that management was not required immediately after birth. PS may function as an “anatomical barrier” to prevent herniation of the abdominal contents into the chest, thus acting as a “protector” providing normal lung maturation throughout pregnancy. If PS is suspected prenatally, coexisting CDH may be obscured; thus, close prenatal care and counseling of the parents regarding the possibility of CDH are essential. These infants should be delivered at a tertiary center, and imaging should be performed to exclude coexisting CDH.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to verify the algorithm on bio-signals for a home-health management system. METHODS: A methodological study was done to verify the blood pressure and blood sugar algorithm to deliver tailored patient information. The verifying process was as follows: Step 1; development of the algorithm through a literature review, Step 2; programming the algorithm using Microsoft SQL Server 2005 and Visual Studio 2005, Step 3; Reviewing of the algorithm by examining results from the home-health management system and experts' evaluation Step 4; evaluating the agreement of the algorithm by comparison between results from the home-health management system and intended results using bio-signal data set, and completion of the algorithm. RESULTS: Discordance rate between results from the home-health management system and intended results for blood pressure and blood sugar were 5.72% and 2.04%, respectively. Also, discordance rate between results from the home-health management system and experts' evaluation of blood pressure and blood sugar were 30.38% and 20.41%, respectively. All discordance were revised until all the researchers reached agreement. CONCLUSION: The home-health management system with an accurate algorithm on bio-signals can contribute to promote clients' health and reduce the cost of medical services.
Blood Glucose ; Blood Pressure ; Dataset ; Humans ; Methods