PURPOSE: The purpose of this descriptive, cross-sectional study was to examine relationships among emotional labor, self-efficacy, and burnout of employees in public health centers. Factors that influence burnout of workers were also assessed. METHODS: One hundred sixty six workers in public health centers completed a pack of self-report questionnaires. Collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA along with Scheffe test, and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: Employees in public health centers seemed to experience emotional labor to some extent. There were statistically significant differences in burnout depending on the age of workers. Employees' burnout had a positive relationship with emotional labor and a negative relationship with self-efficacy. Factors influencing burnout of employees in public health centers were emotional dissonance, surveillance & monitoring of organization, age, and self-efficacy. CONCLUSION: Considering the findings from this study, health care providers need to develop effective interventions which increase the level of self-efficacy and decrease certain types of emotional labor for employees in public health centers and to help them effectively manage burnout.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Health Personnel ; Humans ; Public Health* ; Self Efficacy*

No abstract available.
Anaphylaxis* ; Desensitization, Immunologic ; Humans ; Mesothelioma* ; Pemetrexed

No abstract available.
Anaphylaxis* ; Desensitization, Immunologic ; Humans ; Mesothelioma* ; Pemetrexed

BACKGROUND: Chemopreventive effects and the underlying mechanisms of blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) are not clearly understood in human. We hypothesized blueberry would work via antioxidative and epigenetic modulation, which is similar to vitamin C. METHODS: We performed a pilot and non-inferiority study in healthy young women (n = 12), who consumed vitamin C (1 g/d) or 240 mL of blueberry juice (total polyphenols 300 mg and proanthocyanidin 76 mg/d) for 2 weeks. We analyzed 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in their urine, and global and specific DNA methylation at the NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), or DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1) genes in their blood. RESULTS: Urinary 8-OHdG levels were reduced by blueberry consumption rather than by vitamin C. The methylation (%) of the MTHFR was significantly decreased in blueberry-consumers and the antioxidant-susceptible subgroup, whose urinary MDA levels were decreased by the intervention. We also found a positive correlation between changes of urinary 8-OHdG and of DNA methylation at the MTHFR or the DNMT1 (P < 0.05). However, the genetic polymorphism of the MTHFR (C677T in exon 4) did not affect any above markers. CONCLUSIONS: Blueberry juice shows similar anti-oxidative or anti-premutagenic activity to vitamin C and the potential as a methylation inhibitor for the MTHFR and the DNMT1 in human.
Ascorbic Acid* ; Blueberry Plant* ; DNA ; DNA Methylation ; Epigenomics* ; Exons ; Female ; Humans* ; Malondialdehyde ; Methylation ; Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase (NADPH2) ; Oxidative Stress ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polyphenols ; Vitamins*

OBJECTIVE: To assess intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of a new point shear wave elastography technique (pSWE, S-Shearwave, Samsung Medison) and compare its accuracy in assessing liver stiffness (LS) with an established pSWE technique (Virtual Touch Quantification, VTQ). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty-three patients were enrolled in this Institutional Review Board-approved prospective study. LS values were measured by VTQ on an Acuson S2000 system (Siemens Healthineer) and S-Shearwave on an RS-80A (Samsung Medison) in the same session, followed by two further S-Shearwave sessions for inter- and intra-observer variation at 8-hour intervals. The technical success rate (SR) and reliability of the measurements of both pSWE techniques were compared. The intra- and inter-observer reproducibility of S-Shearwave was determined by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). LS values were measured by both methods of pSWE. The diagnostic performance in severe fibrosis (F ≥ 3) and cirrhosis (F = 4) was evaluated using the receiver operating characteristics curve analysis and the Obuchowski measure with the LS values of transient elastography as the referenced standard. RESULTS: The VTQ (100%, 33/33) and S-Shearwave (96.9%, 32/33) techniques did not display a significant difference in technical SR (p = 0.63) or reliability of LS measurements (96.9%, 32/33; 93.9%, 30/32, respectively, p = 0.61). The inter- and intra-observer agreement for LS measurements using the S-Shearwave technique was excellent (ICC = 0.98 and 0.99, respectively). The mean LS values of both pSWE techniques were not significantly different and exhibited a good correlation (r = 0.78). To detect F ≥ 3 and F = 4, VTQ and S-Shearwave showed comparable diagnostic accuracy as indicated by the following outcomes: areas under receiver operating characteristics curve (AUROC) = 0.87 (95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.70–0.96), 0.89 for VTQ (95% CI 0.74–0.97), respectively; and AUROC = 0.84 (95% CI 0.67–0.94), 0.94 (95% CI 0.80–0.99) for S-Shearwave (p > 0.48), respectively. The Obuchowski measures were similarly high for S-Shearwave and VTQ (0.94 vs. 0.95). CONCLUSION: S-Shearwave shows excellent inter- and intra-observer agreement and diagnostic effectiveness comparable to VTQ in detecting LS.
Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Diseases* ; Liver* ; Observer Variation ; Prospective Studies* ; ROC Curve

PURPOSE: We evaluated various preoperative anterior segment parameters measured with a Pentacam rotating Scheimpflug camera and compared them with those of conventional methods. We also evaluated the effect of different parameters on corneal endothelial cells after cataract surgery. METHODS: Pentacam examination was performed in 88 eyes from 88 patients to evaluate central anterior chamber depth (ACD(pentacam)), nuclear density (Densitometry(pentacam)), anterior chamber volume (ACV), and lens thickness (LT(pentacam)). We compared values of ACD(pentacam) with those of ultrasound (ACD(sono)) and also compared Densitometry(pentacam) values with those of Lens Opacities Classification System (LOCS III) classification. We evaluated the effect of the following preoperative values measured with Pentacam on postoperative endothelial cell loss: pupil size measured both preoperatively and before capsulorrhexsis (Pupil(CCC)), amount of viscoelastics, and LT measured by ultrasound (LT(sono)). RESULTS: A significant concordance was found between the two grading methods of nuclear opacity: Densitometry(pentacam) and LOCS III classification (tau(b) = 0.414, p = 0.000). We also found a positive correlation between ACD(pentacam) and ACD(sono) (r = 0.823, p = 0.000) and between ACD(pentacam) and ACV (r = 0.650, p = 0.000). There were significant differences between the results of LT(pentacam) and LT(sono). The final regression model identified Densitometry(pentacam), viscoelastics and Pupil(CCC) as independent predictors of decreased postoperative corneal endothelial cell density (CD) at postoperative day 3, and Densitometry(pentacam), viscoelastics, and ACV as independent predictors of decreased CD two months postoperatively (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Good agreement was found between all results obtained with the Pentacam and conventional methods except LT. Analyzing anterior chamber parameters preoperatively using Pentacam could be helpful to predict postoperative endothelial cell loss.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anterior Chamber/*pathology/ultrasonography ; Cataract/classification ; Cataract Extraction/*methods ; Corneal Endothelial Cell Loss/*diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Photography/*instrumentation ; Predictive Value of Tests