No abstract available.
Calcinosis ; Calcium ; Calcium Gluconate ; Gluconates ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn

Purpose: This study reviewed the pathophysiological mechanisms of cellular aging caused by psychological stress and aimed to establish a biobehavioral theoretical framework for nursing interventions to promote autonomic balance based on these mechanisms. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted. Results: A review of the literature showed that the stress response increases the secretion of catecholamines and glucocorticoids, resulting in a greater allostatic load. This load induces inflammatory reactions and oxidative stress, shortening telomere length and damaging mitochondrial DNA, which can lead to cellular aging. Based on this mechanism, a biobehavioral theoretical framework for nursing interventions was established. This framework focuses on delaying or inhibiting the cellular aging process by acting on the stress response stage and improving autonomic balance. Conclusion According to the proposed biobehavioral theoretical framework, stress-relieving nursing interventions may act on the mechanism of cellular aging caused by stress responses. We believe that this framework could expand our understanding of the biobehavioral aspects of stress and would facilitate efforts to use biomarkers to evaluate the effectiveness of stress-related nursing interventions at the cellular level.

PURPOSE: This study was to identify factors influencing the quality of sleep in elderly women with urinary incontinence and examine the relationship among the factors. METHODS: The study investigated 113 elderly women with urinary incontinence who were subject to the visiting care program at health centers in D-gu, D-si, South Korea. The collected data were analyzed using IBM SPSS version 19.0 along with χ²-test, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression. RESULTS: The total Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) of the participants was found to be 11.41±4.34. As a result of the correlation analysis, PSQI was found to have significant correlations with Female Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms (BFLUTS) (r=.32, p<.001). The Korean version of Physical Activity Scale for Elderly (K-PASE) was (r=−.34, p<.001) and the Geriatric Depression Scale Short Form (GDS-SF) was (r=.23, p=.012). Multiple regression analysis found sleeping pill use (β=−.35, p<.001) had the strongest influence on PSQI, followed by physical activity (β=−.20, p<.001), depression (β=.20, p<.001), and lower urinary tract symptoms (β=.19, p<.001). The total model explanatory power was 28.3% (F=12.07, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The study findings are expected to be useful for enhanced understanding of the quality of sleep in elderly women with urinary incontinence.
Aged* ; Depression* ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms* ; Motor Activity* ; Urinary Incontinence*

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to re-evaluate Florence Nightingale’s achievements celebrating the 200 th anniversary of Nightingale’s birth and to reflect on her legacy. Methods: We conducted an extensive literature review with key words in Korean and English using 9 electronic databases, related data, books, articles, websites, and secondary literature. Results: As a result of this study, the five legacy of Nightingale as a social reformer were examined. First, founding nursing in response to social needs. Second, reform of the health care system. Third, a practical social activist who promoted social change for the public good. Fourth, first adoption of health statistics. Fifth, emancipation of women. Nightingale’s legacy as a social reformer has had an considerable influence on our society so far. Conclusion Nightingale was a pioneer in nursing, but she was a social reform activist who successfully transformed the medical systems and even the whole social system based on her keen insight, religious vocation, profession vision, and personal competency. In the middle of World’s chaos and uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems more necessary than ever to embody the legacy of Nightingale as a social reformer, and put it into practice.

BACKGROUNDS/AIMS: While clinical practice guidelines are effective tools for improving the quality of patient care and provide specific recommendations for daily practice, the usage of them have been often suboptimal. Therefore, evaluation of physician attitude to guidelines is an important initial step in improving guideline adherence levels. The aim of this study was to survey the attitude on general guidelines and adherence with the Korea Practical Guidelines for gallbladder (GB) polyp two year after their publication and distribution among Korean private clinicians. METHODS: To evaluate the survey, questionnaires were sent with a stamp on an addressed envelope to 3,256 private clinicians who were registered at the Seoul Medical Association in April, 2010. From the 3,256 questionnaires, 376 clinicians (11.5%) responded to the survey. RESULTS: A total of 91.0% responders agreed to the statement that general guidelines were useful tools for improving patient care and quality of care. One hundred one responders (26.9%) stated that they were aware of the Korea GB polyp guidelines while 73 physicians (72.3%) founded the guideline had changed their practice and user-friendly. Most of physicians (73.4%) agreed to practical procedures recommended by guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Korean primary physicians were generally positive to the practical guidelines, as propagation of the guideline among primary physicians may improve adherence to guideline and patients care for GB polyps.
Gallbladder* ; Guideline Adherence ; Humans ; Korea ; Patient Care ; Polyps* ; Publications ; Seoul ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) treatment has recently emerged in response to the increasing demand for noninvasive procedures for skin lifting and tightening. OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed at evaluating the clinical efficacy of and patient satisfaction with HIFU treatment for wrinkles and laxity in seven different areas of the face in Asian skin. METHODS: Twenty Korean patients with facial wrinkle and laxity were analyzed after a single session of HIFU treatment. Two independent, blinded clinicians evaluated the clinical improvement in seven areas of the face by comparison of standardized photographs obtained before, and at 3 and 6 months after treatment. Assessment of subjective satisfaction and adverse effects of treatment were done by using questionnaires. RESULTS: The physicians' evaluation and patients' satisfaction with the clinical effects of HIFU in each area were similar regardless of the number of treatment shots. The jawline, cheek, and perioral areas were the sites where HIFU was most effective, in decreasing order. The adverse effects included erythema and swelling in six cases, and purpura and bruising in two cases. However, the adverse effects were mild and transient. CONCLUSION: HIFU could be a safe, effective, and noninvasive procedure that can be used to improve facial wrinkles and skin laxity in Asian skin. It is particularly effective for clinical improvement in the jawline, cheek, and perioral areas.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cheek ; Erythema ; Humans ; Lifting ; Patient Satisfaction ; Purpura ; Skin* ; Ultrasonography*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Gastrointestinal (GI) diseases impose a heavy economic burden. We aimed to provide the first report on the health care utilization and costs of GI diseases in Korea. METHODS: We collected the data from all insurance claims database of National Health Insurance Corporation in Korea and the cause of death database in 2007 of Korea National Statistical Office. We compiled information about all digestive disease as a primary diagnosis on clinic visits, hospitalization, and cause of death from these databases. RESULTS: Seventeen million people (35.6%) had a diagnosis of GI diseases during the year 2007. Among them, the proportion of patients with upper GI diseases was prevalent in 54.9% (9.5 million patients/year). The 1/4 patients in out-patients clinic had any one of gastroesophageal reflux disease, irritable bowel syndrome and constipation. Thirteen percent of the total direct cost in 2007 was attributed to all GI diseases, which was 3,649 billion won (0.4% of GDP). The patients with hospitalization occupied by 5% of all patients with GI diseases, however, attributed to 58.9% of GI-related direct costs. GI malignancy was the major cause of medical expenses in hospitalization. Stomach cancer continues to be the leading cause of GI-related death in Korea. CONCLUSIONS: GI diseases causes a heavy socioeconomic burden with high morbidity of functional GI disorders in outpatients care and high mortality of GI malignancy in inpatient care. This report highlights the healthcare utilization burden of GI diseases for researchers and public health policy maker to create new directions of integrated researches and health care plan.
Databases, Factual ; Gastrointestinal Diseases/*economics ; Gastrointestinal Neoplasms/economics/mortality ; *Health Care Costs ; Hospitalization/economics ; Humans ; National Health Programs/economics ; Republic of Korea ; Survival Analysis

Background: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive interstitial lung disease. Despite alveolar epithelial cells is crucial role in lung, its contribution and the associated biomarker remain unknown in the pathogenesis of IPF. Recently, environmental factors including stone dust, silica and cigarette smoking were found as risk factors involved in IPF. Receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE) is a member of the immunoglobulin super family of cell surface receptors. It has been shown that interaction between RAGE and its ligands on immune cells mediates cellular migration and regulation of pro-inflammation. RAGE is highly expressed in the lung, in particular, alveolar epithelial cells. Therefore, we determined whether RAGE expression is associated with fibrosis-associated genes in patients with IPF and mice. Results: When bleomycin (BLM) was intratracheally administered to C57BL/6 mice for 1, 2 weeks, macrophage and neutrophils were significantly increased. The fibrotic nodule formed and accumulation of collagen was determined after BLM injection in H&E- and Masson’s trichrome staining. Levels of elastin, Col1a1 and fibronectin were increased in quantitative real-time PCR and protein levels of α-SMA was increased in western blot analysis. In the lung tissues of 1 mg/kg BLM-induced mice, RAGE expression was gradually decreased in 1- and 2 weeks in immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis, and 3 mg/kg of BLM-induced mice exhibited decreased RAGE levels while α-SMA expression was increased. We next determined RAGE expression in the lungs of IPF patients using immunohistochemistry.As a result, RAGE expression was decreased, while α-SMA expression was increased compared with non-IPF subjects. Conclusions Our findings suggest that reduced RAGE was associated with increased fibrotic genes in BLM-induced mice and patients with IPF. Therefore, RAGE could be applied with a biomarker for prognosis and diagnosis in the pathogenesis of IPF.

Background and Objectives: O-cyclic phytosphingosine-1-phosphate (cP1P) is a synthetic chemical and has a structure like sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). S1P is known to promote cell migration, invasion, proliferation, and anti-apoptosis through hippocampal signals. However, S1P mediated cellular-, molecular mechanism is still remained in the lung.Acute lung injury (ALI) and its severe form acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) are characterized by excessive immune response, increased vascular permeability, alveolar-peritoneal barrier collapse, and edema. In this study, we determined whether cP1P primed human dermal derived mesenchymal stem cells (hdMSCs) ameliorate lung injury and its therapeutic pathway in ALI mice. Methods: and Results: cP1P treatment significantly stimulated MSC migration and invasion ability. In cytokine array, secretion of vascular-related factors was increased in cP1P primed hdMSCs (hdMSCcP1P ), and cP1P treatment induced inhibition of Lats while increased phosphorylation of Yap. We next determined whether hdMSCcP1P reduce inflammatory response in LPS exposed mice. hdMSCcP1P further decreased infiltration of macrophage and neutrophil, and release of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 were reduced rather than naïve hdMSC treatment. In addition, phosphorylation of STAT1 and expression of iNOS were significantly decreased in the lungs of MSCcP1P treated mice. Conclusions Taken together, these data suggest that cP1P treatment enhances hdMSC migration in regulation of Hippo signaling and MSCcP1P provide a therapeutic potential for ALI/ARDS treatment.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contains growth factors that promote tissue regeneration. Previously, we showed that heparin-conjugated fibrin (HCF) exerts the sustained release of growth factors with affinity for heparin. Here, we hypothesize that treatment of skin wound with a mixture of PRP and HCF exerts sustained release of several growth factors contained in PRP and promotes skin wound healing. The release of fibroblast growth factor 2, platelet-derived growth factor-BB, and vascular endothelial growth factor contained in PRP from HCF was sustained for a longer period than those from PRP, calcium-activated PRP (C-PRP), or a mixture of fibrin and PRP (F-PRP). Treatment of full-thickness skin wounds in mice with HCF-PRP resulted in much faster wound closure as well as dermal and epidermal regeneration at day 12 compared to treatment with either C-PRP or F-PRP. Enhanced skin regeneration observed in HCF-PRP group may have been at least partially due to enhanced angiogenesis in the wound beds. Therefore, this method could be useful for skin wound treatment.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; *Cell Proliferation ; Dermis/cytology/metabolism ; Female ; Fibrin/*metabolism ; Fibroblast Growth Factor 2/genetics/metabolism ; Heparin/metabolism ; Immunoenzyme Techniques ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins/*secretion ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred BALB C ; Platelet-Rich Plasma/*metabolism ; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-sis/genetics/metabolism ; RNA, Messenger/genetics ; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Regeneration ; Skin/*cytology/*metabolism ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A/genetics/metabolism ; Wound Healing/*physiology