PURPOSE: This study was designed to analyze recent trends in research about caregivers of hospitalized children in Korea and to suggest future research directions in this area. METHODS: Eighty one studies selected from http://www.kan.or.kr, www.childnursing.or.kr, www.riss4u.net, and www.ndsl.kr published from 1995 to 2011 were used. The analysis framework of concepts was derived from client domain (Kim, 2000) and knowledge type (Kim et al., 2004). RESULTS: In terms of research design, nonexperimental studies (82.7%) were the most frequent, followed by experimental studies (14.8%) and qualitative studies (2.5%). Mothers were the most frequent caregivers, and hospitalization was the most frequent health problem of the children. In terms of categories of the concepts, 35 (39.3%) studies included essentialistic concepts like coping and adaptation, 15 (16.9%) studies included problematic concepts like anxiety and uncertainty, and 39 (43.8%) studies included health-care experiential concepts like educational needs and nursing needs. In term of knowledge types, there were 35 (39.3%) studies of the explanatory knowledge type, 44 (49.5%) descriptive ones, and 10 (11.2%) prescriptive ones. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that further research is necessary on problematic concepts and prescriptive knowledge types for child health nursing practice which will lead to expanding nursing knowledge.
Anxiety ; Caregivers ; Child ; Child, Hospitalized ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Korea ; Mothers ; Research Design ; Uncertainty ; Child Health

PURPOSE: To identify the effect of insufficient lymph node dissection (LND) on the survival of patients with pT2 gastric cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 340 patients (120 patients with insufficient LND and others with D2 LND) who underwent gastrectomy for pT2 gastric cancer between January 2008 and December 2010 were included. RESULTS: The incidence of preoperatively diagnosed early gastric cancer was higher and there were fewer metastatic lymph nodes (LNs) in the insufficient LND group than the D2 group, but there was no survival difference between two groups (p=0.365). Among the 89 patients with metastatic LNs after D2 LND, 13 patients (14.6%) had metastatic LNs at selected N2 stations (#10, 11, or 12a), but none of these patients were in the pN1 category. One patient had five metastatic LNs at station #11p with no metastatic LNs at any other stations. The number of metastatic LNs was identified as the only risk factor for LN metastasis at selected N2 stations by logistic regression. CONCLUSION: If a patient has pN0 or pN1 category after insufficient LND for pT2 gastric cancer, the surgery can be regarded as secure. However, for patients with pN2 or pN3 category, more careful examination is required.
Aged ; Female ; Gastrectomy ; Humans ; Lymph Node Excision/*methods ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Stomach Neoplasms/*diagnosis/*surgery

Cerebral venous angomas are a rare form of intracranial vascular malformation and first reported by Wolf in 1967. The characteristic angiographic appearance of venous malformation is a local network of small veins that converged centrally into a single large drainage vein. The CT findings are linear or curvilinear enhancement after administration of contrast media. The authors present a case of venous angiomatosis of the both hemisphere combined with dural arteriovenous malformations demonstrated by the carotid angiography and bran CT, with clinical presentation of status epilepcus and following left hemiplegia due to cerebral infarction.
Angiography ; Angiomatosis* ; Arteriovenous Malformations* ; Cerebral Infarction ; Contrast Media ; Drainage ; Hemiplegia ; Vascular Malformations ; Veins ; Wolves

Obstructive jaundice produced by periportal tuberculous adenitis in the absence of pulmonary tuberculosis is quite rare. We are reporting the case of a 58-year-old woman who presented with constitutional symptoms and biochemical evidence of biliary tract obstruction. By abdominal sonogram and CT scan, a mass around the head of pancreas and periportal area was detected. The ERCP showed fistula connected proximal common bile duct to lymph node. The patient underwent laparotomy and recognized tuberculous adenitis of periportal lymph node which caused biliary tract obstruction with fistula.
Biliary Tract* ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Common Bile Duct ; Female ; Fistula ; Head ; Humans ; Jaundice, Obstructive ; Laparotomy ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphadenitis* ; Middle Aged ; Pancreas ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary ; Yemen*

Background: This study aimed to examine the changes in Nogo N2 and P3 amplitudes in patients with bipolar affective disorder (BD) or major depressive disorder (MDD) and in healthy controls (HCs). The association between attention and Nogo N2 and P3 changes was also investigated. Methods: The study included 30 participants with BD, 30 participants with MDD, and 30 HCs aged 19-60 years. They performed a GoNogo task while their electroencephalograms were recorded. Beck Depression Inventory and StateTrait Anxiety Inventory were used for evaluation. Furthermore, behavioral measures and GoNogo N2 and P3 amplitudes were compared between the three groups. Results: Patients with BD or MDD exhibited a significantly poorer performance in Nogo accuracy than the HCs. Patients with BD or MDD showed significantly lower Nogo N2 amplitudes at the frontal, fronto-central, and central electrodes than the HCs. In patients with BD or MDD, the Nogo N2 amplitudes at the frontal or fronto-central electrode were positively correlated with state of anxiety scores and inattention. Conclusion These findings suggest that decreased Nogo N2 amplitudes in the frontal or fronto-central areas could be a biological marker for inattention during depressive episodes associated with BD or MDD.

PURPOSE: To evaluate visual acuity changes over 3 years following surgical reattachment of macular hole retinal detachment (MHRD) developed in high myopia.METHODS: A retrospective analysis was performed using the medical records of patients with highly myopic eyes who underwent pars plana vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling or the internal limiting membrane flap technique for MHRD. Changes in best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) were measured at baseline, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, and 3 years.RESULTS: Of the 22 eyes analyzed, macular hole was closed in 13 and unclosed in nine. BCVA significantly improved from 1.61 ± 0.39 logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) at baseline to 1.17 ± 0.43 logMAR at 6 months and 1.33 ± 0.48 logMAR at 2 years after MHRD surgery. At 3 years, BCVA significantly decreased compared with that at 6 months, and visual improvement from baseline was not significant. BCVA and proportion of vision loss ≥0.3 logMAR were not different between the closed and unclosed macular hole groups.CONCLUSIONS: Visual improvement after surgical reattachment of MHRD in high myopia was not maintained, and favorable macular hole closure effects were not observed at 3-year follow-up.
Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Membranes ; Myopia ; Myopia, Degenerative ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinal Perforations ; Retinaldehyde ; Retrospective Studies ; Visual Acuity ; Vitrectomy

BACKGROUND: The mushroom Phellinus linteus (PL) has been shown to have the anti-tumor and immunostimulatory effects. We hypothesized that the hot water extract of PL (WEPL) exerts its significant immunostimulatory effect by inducing production of the Th1-derived cytokine interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) by T lymphocytes. METHODS: T lymphocytes were isolated from the mice fed with 200 mg/kg of WEPL once a day for 4 weeks, and then stimulated with the mitogen concanavaline A (Con A). IFN-gamma gene and intracellular protein expressions were analyzed by RT-PCR and flow cytometry, respectively. The production of IFN-gamma was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS: WEPL significantly enhanced the transcription of IFN-gamma mRNA. The effect of WEPL on IFN-gamma expression was further supported by a concomitant increase in the number of cells with intracellular IFN-gamma protein as well as the secretion of IFN-gamma. However, WEPL did not modulate either gene expression or protein secretion of interleukin-4, a Th2-associated cytokine, by Con A-stimulated T lymphocytes. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that one of the potentially beneficial anti-tumor and immunostimulatory effects of WEPL may be mediated through the enhancement of IFN-gamma secretion by T lymphocytes.
Administration, Oral* ; Agaricales ; Animals ; Cytokines* ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; Gene Expression ; Interferon-gamma ; Interleukin-4 ; Mice* ; RNA, Messenger ; Staphylococcal Protein A ; T-Lymphocytes ; Water

Myeloid sarcoma (MS) is a solid extramedullary tumor that is composed of immature myeloid cells. The incidence of MS in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been reported to be 3~8%. Lymph nodes are the most frequent site of presentation for MS, and other clinical presentations such as an abdominal mass with bowel involvement, a pancreatic mass, isolated central nervous system infiltration, a testicular mass and breast lumps have also been reported. AML with mediastinal MS is a relatively rare disease. The patients with AML with mediastinal MS has been reported to have complex cytogenetic abnormalities and a poor long-term prognosis. The optimal treatment of AML with MS remains to be determined. We report here on an unusual case of a 37-year-old man who presented multiple lymph node enlargements on the neck and a huge mediastinal mass that was considered to be lymphoma. He was finally diagnosed as AML with MS according to the surgical excisional biopsy of a left supraclavicular lymph node and bone marrow examination. He achieved complete remission and the multiple enlarged lymph nodes on the neck and the mediastinal mass disappeared after remission induction chemotherapy. Thereafter, he received HLA-matched unrelated allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Bone Marrow Examination ; Breast ; Central Nervous System ; Chromosome Aberrations ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells ; Humans ; Incidence ; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute ; Lymph Nodes ; Lymphoma ; Mediastinum ; Myeloid Cells ; Neck ; Prognosis ; Rare Diseases ; Remission Induction ; Sarcoma ; Sarcoma, Myeloid

BACKGROUND: A combination of busulfan (Bu) and cyclophosphamide (Cy) has been used as a standard myeloablative regimen for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Recent studies postulate that fludarabine (Flu) is a less toxic substitute for Cy. METHODS: Forty-two patients who were diagnosed with acute leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome and received BuFlu (n=17) or BuCy (n=25) from August, 1999 to July, 2009 at Dong-A University Medical Center were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: The median follow-up duration was 39.75 months. The BuFlu group showed a lower incidence of mucositis (P=0.005), but there was no significant intergroup difference in the time of engraftment, nausea/vomiting, acute/chronic graft-versus-host disease, hepatic veno-occlusive disease, or hemorrhagic cystitis. Moreover, the 2 groups showed no significant difference in the cumulative risk of relapse, event-free survival, or overall survival. CONCLUSION: BuFlu administration can be employed as a preparative regimen for allogeneic HSCT and shows efficacy and transplant-adverse effects comparable to those of BuCy. However, randomized prospective studies in more patients are warranted.
Academic Medical Centers ; Adult ; Behavior Therapy ; Busulfan ; Cyclophosphamide ; Cystitis ; Disease-Free Survival ; Follow-Up Studies ; Graft vs Host Disease ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Hepatic Veno-Occlusive Disease ; Humans ; Incidence ; Leukemia ; Mucositis ; Myelodysplastic Syndromes ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies ; Vidarabine

Here, we examined the effect of melting point of drug carriers on drug release of dexamethasone (Dex)-loaded microspheres. We prepared poly(L-lactide-ran-ε-caprolactone) (PLC) copolymers with varying compositions of poly(εcaprolactone) (PCL) and poly(L-lactide) (PLLA). As the PLLA content increased, the melting points of PLC copolymers decreased from 61 to 43 ℃. PLC copolymers in vials solubilized at 40–50 ℃ according to the incorporation of PLLA into the PCL segment. Dexamethasone (Dex)-loaded PLC (MCxLy) microspheres were prepared by the oil-in-water (O/W) solvent evaporation/extraction method. The preparation yields were above 70%, and the mean particle size ranged from 30 to 90 µm. The MC(x)L(y) microspheres also showed controllable melting points in the range of 40–60 ℃. Dex-loaded MC(x)L(y) microspheres showed similar in vitro and in vivo sustained release patterns after the initial burst of Dex. The in vitro and in vivo order of the Dex release was MC₈₀L₂₀>MC₉₀L₁₀>MC₉₅L₅, which agreed well with the melting point order of the drug carrier. Using in vivo fluorescence imaging of fluorescein (FI)-loaded microspheres implanted in animals, we confirmed the sustained release of FI over an extended period. In vivo inflammation associated with the PLC microsphere implants was less pronounced than that associated with Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA). In conclusion, we successfully demonstrated that it is possible to control Dex release using Dex-loaded MC(x)L(y) microspheres with different melting points.
Animals ; Dexamethasone ; Drug Carriers* ; Drug Liberation* ; Fluorescein ; Freezing* ; In Vitro Techniques ; Inflammation ; Methods ; Microspheres* ; Optical Imaging ; Particle Size ; Polyglactin 910