OBJECTIVE: We examined the vasoconstricting poperties of endothelin (ET) on isolated arteries from pregnant as well as non-pregnant uterus. METHODS: Arteries of the uterus were obtained from both hysterectomized uterus and during pregnany hysterectomy for control group and cesarean section for pregnant group. Rings of uterine artery were suspended on muscle chambers at their optimal length for generating tension and contractile properties were examined. RESULTS: ET-1 and ET-2 induced concentration-dependent constriction of both isolated arterial strips from non-pregnant and pregnant uterus. The contraction to ET-1 and ET-2 were more enhanced in full-term pregnancy. Furthermore, in pregnant group, sarafotoxin S6c and IRL 1620, ET. agonists, induced a dose-dependent contraction, which was not shown in those from non-pregnant human. Pretreatment of human uterine arterial strips from pregnant uterus with BQ610, an ET. antagonist, for 10 min resulted in a dose-related rightward shift of ET-1 response curve with diminution of maximal response. Schild plot analysis yielded a pA value of 7.29 with a slope of 0.98. However, BQ788, an ET antagonist, did not produce any rightward shift. The contraction to lower concentration (10-8~3*10-7 M) of sarafotoxin S6c was not affected by BQ788, whereas that to higher concentration (10-s-8*10-7 M) was marked diminished. However, BQ610 did not exnt any efFect on sarafotoxin S6c-induced contraction in arterial staips from pregnant uterus. When the bath solution was replaced with Ca-free physiological salt solution (PSS) containing 1 mM EGTA for 10 min prior to adding sarafotoxin S6c, sarafotoxin S6c-induced contraction was completely abolished. Sarafotoxin S6c (10 nM)-induced contraction was prefetentially blocked by a protein kinase C antagonist, H-7, whereas it was less sensitive to a calmodulin antagonist, calmidazolium, CONCLUSION: Based on above results, we concluded that ET plays an important role in regulating uterine blood flow through the activation of ETa and ETB receptors. Furthermote, ETB receptors may predominantly contribute to the modulation of human uterine circulation in full-term pregnancy.
1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine ; Arteries* ; Baths ; Calmodulin ; Cesarean Section ; Constriction ; Egtazic Acid ; Endothelin-2 ; Endothelins* ; Female ; Humans* ; Hysterectomy ; Pregnancy ; Protein Kinase C ; Receptors, Endothelin ; Uterine Artery ; Uterus*

The purpose of this study was to investigate middle school students' perception of environment-friendly agricultural products (EAPs) and the degree of confidence about the certification mark. Questionnaires were distributed to 444 students of 6 middle schools located in Daegu, and a total of 416 responses were used for analysis. 28.6% of the respondents were using EAPs at home, and 62.0% of respondents didn't know whether to use EAPs at home. The 6 items representing the perception of EAPs were analyzed, resulting in 2 distinct dimensions-'benefits of EAPs' and 'attitude toward EAPs'. Regarding Benefits of EAPs, the score of 'EAPs better for health' was the highest, followed by 'EAPs have higher quality', 'EAPs were better for environmental protection', respectively. The proportion of students responded that 'the amount of pesticides should be reduced gradually' was 65.5% and only 3.4% for 'current level of pesticide use is not a problem'. There were significant differences between male and female students with regard to an interest in EAPs (p < 0.05) and opinion on the use of pesticides (p < 0.05), while no significant difference was found between groups with different education level of mothers. The respondents who use EAPs at home showed significantly higher scores with attitude toward EAPs (p < 0.001), and higher response rate for 'pesticides should not be used even if the price increases' (p < 0.05). Degree of confidence about the EAPs certification mark also affected students' perception of EAPs (p < 0.001). Our results indicate the importance of education for students on EAPs to enhance students' attitude towards EAPs and improve school meal satisfaction.
Certification ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Meals ; Mothers ; Pesticides

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of preclinical clinical performance examination (CPX) on nursing students' confidence in their nursing skills and critical thinking competence. METHODS: The design of this research was one-group pretest-posttest, and the participants were 112 nursing students. The preclinical CPX consisted of a clinical examination, patient-nurse relationship, oral test of related knowledge, written test of the nursing process, and debriefing using comprehensive scenarios based on real patient cases. The confidence of nursing skills consisted of an 8-item NRS and the critical thinking competence consisted of a 12-item 4-point scale developed by researchers and measured in both the pretest and posttest. The collected data were analyzed using paired t-tests, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficients. RESULTS: The score for confidence in nursing skills (t=10.60, p<.001) and that for critical thinking competence (t=7.03, p<.001) increased significantly after preclinical CPX. CONCLUSION: This study showed that preclinical CPX was effective in improving nursing students' confidence in their nursing skills and critical thinking competence. Therefore, preclinical CPX is expected to be utilized in nursing practice education. Additional studies including those on control groups are recommended to compare differences between the preclinical CPX group and control group.
Education ; Humans ; Mental Competency* ; Nursing Process ; Nursing* ; Students, Nursing ; Thinking*

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify factors affecting nurses' burnout in secondary general hospitals. METHODS: Data were collected through structured questionnaires from 241 nurses working at the secondary general hospitals with below 400 beds in the P, C, and S city between April and May, 2009. Data analysis was done with independent t test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple stepwise multiple regression with SPSS WIN v 17.0. RESULTS: Burnout was significantly different according to religion, age, clinical experiences, and shift work. Burnout score of the subjects was 58/100. Burnout of the subjects were positively correlated with job stress and negatively correlated with hardness, self efficiency, self esteem, spiritual wellbeing, social support, and job satisfaction. The explained variances for burnout was 51.8% and factors affecting nurses' burnout in secondary general hospitals were job stress, hardness, self efficiency, job satisfaction and shift work. CONCLUSION: These results showed the significant factors fo nurses' burnout in secondary general hospitals. These findings can be utilized to development of strategies for reducing job stress and enhancing hardness, self efficiency and job satisfaction.
Hardness ; Hospitals, General ; Job Satisfaction ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Self Concept ; Statistics as Topic

No abstract available.
Mucocele*

Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are a heterogeneous group of clonal disorders characterized by the overproduction of mature blood cells that have an increased risk of thrombosis and progression to acute myeloid leukemia. Next-generation sequencing studies have provided key insights regarding the molecular mechanisms of MPNs. MPN driver mutations in genes associated with the JAK-STAT pathway include JAK2 V617F, JAK2 exon 12 mutations and mutations in MPL, CALR, and CSF3R. Cooperating driver genes are also frequently detected and also mutated in other myeloid neoplasms; these driver genes are involved in epigenetic methylation, messenger RNA splicing, transcription regulation, and signal transduction. In addition, other genetic factors such as germline predisposition, order of mutation acquisition, and variant allele frequency also influence disease initiation and progression. This review summarizes the current understanding of the genetic basis of MPN, and demonstrates how molecular pathophysiology can improve both our understanding of MPN heterogeneity and clinical practice.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to test the validity of a modified clinical performance examination (CPX) for preclinical students in nursing. METHOD: 70 nursing students in their second semester of the junior year at C University participated in CPX. Scenarios and checklists were developed by our research team from September to October 2005. Six stations were organized. Evaluation included physical examination of a patient with lung cancer, education on usage of a metered dosage inhaler, and lobectomy postoperative care. Students were randomly assigned to a station. RESULT: There was a difference in the CPX scores according to stations. The agreement of scoring between trained faculty members and SPs was more than moderate (r=.647). The correlation between the CPX score and the average grade in the previous semester and between the CPX score and the average grade of a paper and pen test of the pulmonary system of adults was low (r=.276; r=.048). CONCLUSION: Traditional CPX is generally recommended, however, modified CPX is appropriate for preclinical students in the current Korean Nursing school setting if there are additional scoring systems to balance the testing level at each station.
Administration, Inhalation ; Adult ; Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate/*standards ; Educational Measurement ; Female ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms/nursing ; Male ; Medical History Taking ; Physical Examination ; Postoperative Care ; Reproducibility of Results ; Task Performance and Analysis

Philadelphia chromosome-negative classical myeloproliferative neoplasms include polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, and primary myelofibrosis. In recent years, there have been major advances in our understanding of the molecular pathophysiology of these rare subgroups of myeloproliferative neoplasms. The World Health Organization diagnostic criteria were revised in 2008, and incorporated new somatic mutations of JAK2 V617F, found in most patients with polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia, or primary myelofibrosis. Subsequently, other mutations (MPL W515 and CALR) were discovered and this led to substantial changes in the diagnosis and treatment guidelines. This article reviews the diagnostic criteria for Philadelphia chromosome-negative classical myeloproliferative neoplasms, and changes in the diagnostic algorithm for clinical practice in Korea.
Diagnosis* ; Humans ; Korea ; Polycythemia Vera ; Primary Myelofibrosis ; Thrombocythemia, Essential ; World Health Organization

No abstract available.
Cesarean Section* ; Female ; Pregnancy ; Pulmonary Embolism*