PURPOSE: This study aimed to validate instruments to classify the frailty of Korean elderly people in community. METHODS: For this study, 632 elders were selected from community-based elderly houses and home visiting registries, and data on frailty were collected using three instruments during November, 2008. The Korean Frail Scale (KFS) was composed of 10 domains with the maximum score of 20. The Edmonton Frail Scale (EFS) had 10 domains with the maximum score of 17. The 25_Japan Frail Scale (25_JFS) was composed of 6 domains with the maximum score of 25. Internal consistency was measured with Cronbach's alpha. Sensitivity, specificity and area under the curve (AUC) of ROC were measured to see validity with long-term care insurance grade as a gold standard. RESULTS: The Cronbach's alpha was .72 for KFS, .55 for EFS, and .80 for 25_JFS. Sensitivity, specificity, and AUC were 70.0%, 83.2%, and .83, respectively, at cutting point 10.5 for the KFS, 50.0%, 80.9%, and .66, respectively, at 8.5 for EFS, and 80.0%, 85.9%, and .86, respectively, at 12.5 for 25_JFS. CONCLUSION: KFS and three JFS showed favorable internal consistency and predictive validity. Further longitudinal studies are recommended to confirm predictive validity.
Aged* ; Area Under Curve ; Frail Elderly ; House Calls ; Humans ; Insurance, Long-Term Care ; Longitudinal Studies ; Registries ; Sensitivity and Specificity

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to survey the health behaviors related to reproductive health, reproductive health history, and sexual behaviors of college students in local areas. METHOD: With a survey design, 792 college students from C and D areas were recruited to assess health behaviors such as smoking and alcohol drinking, as well as history of reproductive health and sexual behaviors. The data were collected by a self-administered questionnaire from November to December, 2007. RESULT: Mean age of the students was 20.8(SD=1.96) and gender distribution was 29.2% for male and 70.8% for female. Unhealthy behaviors were alcohol drinking, smoking, excessive weight loss, and irregular exercise; unsafe sex practices were experience of sexual intercourse with multiple sex partners and history of sexually transmitted disease (STD). Male students had more alcohol drinking (p=.04), smoking(p<.001), excessive weight loss(p=.01), experience of sexual intercourse with multiple sex partners(p<.001), history of STD(p=.025) compared to females. On the other hands, female students participated in regular exercise less than males(p<.001). CONCLUSION: College students seem to perform unhealthy behaviors related to reproductive health and less effective way of safe sex practices. Therefore, a planned education program for reproductive health promotion operated by college level is needed to assess and improve the level of reproductive health in college students.
Alcohol Drinking ; Coitus ; Female ; Hand ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Male ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Reproductive Health ; Safe Sex ; Sexual Behavior ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Unsafe Sex ; Weight Loss

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to obtain information of use of complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) and any reported adverse effects of them on vulnerable elders in a community. METHODS: 1,837 elderly subjects aged 65 or higher with health problems were selected from those who were enrolled in a public health care center and received visiting health management services. A proportional stratified sampling method was used. Data collection was completed by face to face interviews using a structured questionnaire. The descriptive statistics and chi2-test were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The prevalence of CAM use last year was 57.5%, and 10.4% of the subjects reported adverse effects of the therapies. The mean score of the subjects' attitudes towards CAM was 4.1+/-3.44 (range 1~10). The major sources of advice and exposure to CAM therapies were most likely to be from family and friends (72.5%). The primary reason for choosing CAM was to manage symptoms and relieve pain (86.6%). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest the need to develop nursing strategies for reducing and preventing adverse effects of CAM use by promoting awareness of using safe and appropriate CAM therapies.
Adult* ; Aged ; Complementary Therapies* ; Data Collection ; Friends ; Humans ; Nursing ; Prevalence ; Public Health ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to develop an empowering education program for Maternal-Fetal Intensive Care Unit (MFICU) nurses who provide intensive care to high-risk mother and fetus at hospitals, to test effects of the education program on nursing care confidence and nursing knowledge, and to examine program satisfaction. METHODS: This study comprised of 2 phases: program development and evaluation. First, we have followed a process of program development to develop and refine an empowering education program for MFICU nurses through collaborative works among clinical obstetrics and gynecology doctors and nurses and academic nursing professors. Second, the empowering education program was provided to 49 nurses and evaluated from July 5 to 6, 2019. Levels of MFICU nursing care confidence and knowledge were measured. RESULTS: The empowering education program included 18 hours of lectures, discussion, and Q & A, which continued for 2 days. This program significantly improved high-risk maternal-fetal nursing care confidence and knowledge of nurses. The program was well met with nurses' education need and goals, and found to be highly satisfactory. CONCLUSION: The empowering education program was observed to be effective in terms of improve nursing care confidence and knowledge of nurses in MFICU. It is proposed that this program should be open regularly for nurses to obtain and improve their clinical knowledge, confidence, and competency. Further study is needed to develop and run 2-levels of education such as basic and advanced levels based on nurses' clinical background and competency.
Critical Care ; Education ; Fetus ; Gynecology ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Lectures ; Mothers ; Nursing ; Nursing Care ; Obstetrics ; Pregnancy, High-Risk ; Program Development

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the isolation and characterization of multipotent human periodontal ligament (PDL) stem cells and to assess their ability to differentiate into bone, cartilage, and adipose tissue. METHODS: PDL stem cells were isolated from 7 extracted human premolar teeth. Human PDL cells were expanded in culture, stained using anti-CD29, -CD34, -CD44, and -STRO-1 antibodies, and sorted by fluorescent activated cell sorting (FACS). Gingival fibroblasts (GFs) served as a positive control. PDL stem cells and GFs were cultured using standard conditions conducive for osteogenic, chondrogenic, or adipogenic differentiation. RESULTS: An average of 152.8 +/- 27.6 colony-forming units was present at day 7 in cultures of PDL stem cells. At day 4, PDL stem cells exhibited a significant increase in proliferation (p < 0.05), reaching nearly double the proliferation rate of GFs. About 5.6 +/- 4.5% of cells in human PDL tissues were strongly STRO-1-positive. In osteogenic cultures, calcium nodules were observed by day 21 in PDL stem cells, which showed more intense calcium staining than GF cultures. In adipogenic cultures, both cell populations showed positive Oil Red O staining by day 21. Additionally, in chondrogenic cultures, PDL stem cells expressed collagen type II by day 21. CONCLUSIONS: The PDL contains multipotent stem cells that have the potential to differentiate into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes. This adult PDL stem cell population can be utilized as potential sources of PDL in tissue engineering applications.
Adipocytes ; Adult ; Antibodies ; Azo Compounds ; Bicuspid ; Calcium ; Cartilage ; Chondrocytes ; Collagen Type II ; Durapatite ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Mesenchymal Stromal Cells ; Multipotent Stem Cells ; Osteoblasts ; Periodontal Ligament ; Periodontics ; Stem Cells ; Tissue Engineering ; Tooth