The purpose of this study is to find out how the Father Class, which is being practiced at a hospital located in Seoul, influences on fathers' level of knowledge and confidence of postpartal mother and newborn care. Research design was quasi-experimental study using non equivalent experiment and control group. The data, questionaires, were collected from Sep. 13, 2001 to Oct. 31, 2001 through e-mail, telephone and mail, after discharge from S hospital located in Seoul, where the experimental group was educated at the Father Class and control group didn't take part in the class. The objects were the fathers who have the first baby through normal delivery or C-sec delivery including experimental group 48 persons and control group 52 persons. Four instruments were the revised ones of Lee Mi Kyoung's(1990) and Kwak Yon Hee's tool based on the resources of direct interviews of fathers and one expert, professor. The reliability of four instruments were Cronbach's aloha scores .85 -93. Data were analyzed by SPSS 10.0 program using X(2)-test, and t-test and, One- way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation, etc. The results of this study are as follows; 1.The two groups were confirmed as a homogeneous group by showing no significant difference statistically at the level of 5%. 2.The results of proving the hypothesis are followings: 1)The first hypothesis, "the fathers who participated in the Father Class will have the higher level of knowledge about postpartal mother care than the fathers who didn't" was accepted by significant difference statistically (p=0.000). 2)The second hypothesis, "the fathers who took part in the class will have the higher confidence in postpartal mother care than the fathers who didn't", was supported by significant difference statistically (p=0.000). 3) The third hypothesis, "the fathers who attended the class will have the better knowledge about taking care of newborn than the others", was accepted by significant difference statistically (p=0.000). 4)The fourth hypothesis, "the fathers who participated in the class will have the higher confidence in newborn care than others," was supported by significant difference statistically (p=0.000). 3.The further analysis showed whether they participated in Prenatal Birth Preparing Class influenced on the father's level of knowledge and confidence in postpartal mother and newborn care. In conclusion, the Father Class is the effective nursing intervention strategy that can help new fathers attain father and husband roles by enhancing the level of confidence in and knowledge of the postpartal mother and newborn care.
Electronic Mail ; Fathers* ; Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Mothers ; Nursing ; Parturition ; Postal Service ; Research Design ; Seoul ; Spouses ; Telephone

PURPOSE: This study was to investigate the effect of music therapy as intervention on peripheral neuropathic pain and anxiety of gynecologic cancer patients who were undergoing paclitaxel chemotherapy. METHODS: Hospitalized 62 patients were assigned to an experimental group (n=30) and a control group (n=33) in this quasi-experimental study. The experimental group participated in music therapy that includes listening, singing and song writing during 1 hour. The peripheral neuropathic pain, anxiety and depression were examined as pre-intervention evaluation by using pain scale, anxiety scale (20 questions) and depression scale (20 questions) in both groups. There were no further treatments for the control group while the experimental group involved in music therapy. The peripheral neuropathic pain and anxiety were evaluated in both groups as post-intervention evaluation. RESULTS: Outcomes were verified through hypothesis testing. The level of peripheral neuropathic pain and anxiety in the experimental group was decreased, compared to the control group. CONCLUSION: According to the study, music therapy is a beneficial intervention that reduces peripheral neuropathic pain and anxiety in gynecologic cancer patients. These findings are encouraging and suggest that music therapy can be applied as an effective intervention for minimizing chemotherapy related symptoms.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Humans ; Music ; Music Therapy ; Neuralgia ; Paclitaxel ; Singing ; Writing

Aplastic anemia is characterized by pancytopenia with hypocellular bone marrow. Fifty percent of the cases are idiopathic and the rest are caused by various agents including drugs, chemicals, radiation and viruses. It is difficult to link specific etiologic agents, especially chemicals to the development of aplastic anemia because multiple or unknown exposures may be involved in. Benzene, a common industrial chemical and a component of gasoline, may lead progressively to pancytopenia, aplastic anemia and leukemia when exposed. A petrochemical worker with aplastic anemia was referred to our hospital to evaluate a relationship between the job history and the disease. He worked in the petrochemical plant for .21 years and was exposed to low-level benzene. There was not any other etiologic agent except benzene and this is the case report of aplastic anemia which possibly due to benzene exposure.
Anemia, Aplastic* ; Benzene ; Bone Marrow ; Gasoline ; Leukemia ; Pancytopenia ; Plants*

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to elucidate the long-term prognosis of patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 405 patients (age, 57.7±16.7 years; 311 men) who had undergone ICD implantation. The patients were divided into three groups: heart failure (HF) and ICD for primary (group 1, n=118) and secondary prevention (group 2, n=93) and non-HF (group 3, n=194). We compared appropriate and inappropriate ICD therapy delivery among the groups and between high- (heart rate ≥200 /min) and low-rate (<200 /min) ICD therapy zones. RESULTS: During the follow-up period (58.9±49.8 months), the annual appropriate ICD therapy rate was higher in group 2 (10.4%) than in groups 1 and 3 (6.1% and 5.9%, respectively, p<0.001). There were no significant differences in annual inappropriate ICD therapy rate among the three groups. In group 1, the annual appropriate ICD therapy rate was significantly lower in patients with a high-rate versus a low-rate therapy zone (4.5% and 9.6%, respectively, p=0.026). In group 3, the annual inappropriate ICD therapy rate was significantly lower in patients with a high-rate versus a low-rate therapy zone (3.1% and 4.0%, respectively, p=0.048). CONCLUSION: Appropriate ICD therapy rates are not low in Korean patients with ICD, relative to prior large-scale studies in Western countries. Appropriate and inappropriate ICD therapy could be reduced by a high-rate therapy zone in patients with HF and ICD for primary prevention, as well as non-HF patients, respectively.
Death, Sudden, Cardiac ; Defibrillators, Implantable* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Heart Failure ; Humans ; Korea* ; Primary Prevention ; Prognosis* ; Secondary Prevention

Mitotane is an adrenolytic drug that exhibits therapeutic effects within a narrow target range (14–20 μg/dL). Various complications develop if the upper limit is exceeded. We present the case of a 5-year-old girl with breast development, acne, and pubic hair who was diagnosed with an adrenal mass that was subsequently excised. The pathological finding was adrenocortical carcinoma with a high risk of malignancy, and adjuvant therapy (combined mitotane and radiation therapy) was recommended. Mitotane was initiated at a low dose to allow monitoring of the therapeutic drug level, and high-dose hydrocortisone was also administered. However, the patient exhibited elevated adrenocorticotropic hormone levels and vague symptoms such as general weakness and difficulty concentrating. It was important to determine if these symptoms were signs of the neurological complications that develop when mitotane level is elevated. Encephalopathy progression and pubertal signs appeared 6 months after diagnosis, induced by high mitotane level. The mitotane decreased to subtherapeutic level several months after its discontinuation, at which time endocrinopathy (central hypothyroidism, hypercholesterolemia, and secondary central precocious puberty) developed. The case shows that low-dose mitotane can trigger neurological and endocrinological complications in a pediatric patient, indicating that the drug dose should be individualized with frequent monitoring of the therapeutic level.

Background: Atherogenic dyslipidemia, which is frequently associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and insulin resistance, contributes to the development of vascular complications. Statin therapy is the primary approach to dyslipidemia management in T2D, however, the role of non-statin therapy remains unclear. Ezetimibe reduces cholesterol burden by inhibiting intestinal cholesterol absorption. Fibrates lower triglyceride levels and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels via peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor alpha agonism. Therefore, when combined, these drugs effectively lower non-HDL-C levels. Despite this, few clinical trials have specifically targeted non-HDL-C, and the efficacy of triple combination therapies, including statins, ezetimibe, and fibrates, has yet to be determined. Methods: This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label, active-comparator controlled trial involving 3,958 eligible participants with T2D, cardiovascular risk factors, and elevated non-HDL-C (≥100 mg/dL). Participants, already on moderate-intensity statins, will be randomly assigned to either Ezefeno (ezetimibe/fenofibrate) addition or statin dose-escalation. The primary end point is the development of a composite of major adverse cardiovascular and diabetic microvascular events over 48 months. Conclusion This trial aims to assess whether combining statins, ezetimibe, and fenofibrate is as effective as, or possibly superior to, statin monotherapy intensification in lowering cardiovascular and microvascular disease risk for patients with T2D. This could propose a novel therapeutic approach for managing dyslipidemia in T2D.

Background: Atherogenic dyslipidemia, which is frequently associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and insulin resistance, contributes to the development of vascular complications. Statin therapy is the primary approach to dyslipidemia management in T2D, however, the role of non-statin therapy remains unclear. Ezetimibe reduces cholesterol burden by inhibiting intestinal cholesterol absorption. Fibrates lower triglyceride levels and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels via peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor alpha agonism. Therefore, when combined, these drugs effectively lower non-HDL-C levels. Despite this, few clinical trials have specifically targeted non-HDL-C, and the efficacy of triple combination therapies, including statins, ezetimibe, and fibrates, has yet to be determined. Methods: This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label, active-comparator controlled trial involving 3,958 eligible participants with T2D, cardiovascular risk factors, and elevated non-HDL-C (≥100 mg/dL). Participants, already on moderate-intensity statins, will be randomly assigned to either Ezefeno (ezetimibe/fenofibrate) addition or statin dose-escalation. The primary end point is the development of a composite of major adverse cardiovascular and diabetic microvascular events over 48 months. Conclusion This trial aims to assess whether combining statins, ezetimibe, and fenofibrate is as effective as, or possibly superior to, statin monotherapy intensification in lowering cardiovascular and microvascular disease risk for patients with T2D. This could propose a novel therapeutic approach for managing dyslipidemia in T2D.

Background: Atherogenic dyslipidemia, which is frequently associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and insulin resistance, contributes to the development of vascular complications. Statin therapy is the primary approach to dyslipidemia management in T2D, however, the role of non-statin therapy remains unclear. Ezetimibe reduces cholesterol burden by inhibiting intestinal cholesterol absorption. Fibrates lower triglyceride levels and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels via peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor alpha agonism. Therefore, when combined, these drugs effectively lower non-HDL-C levels. Despite this, few clinical trials have specifically targeted non-HDL-C, and the efficacy of triple combination therapies, including statins, ezetimibe, and fibrates, has yet to be determined. Methods: This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label, active-comparator controlled trial involving 3,958 eligible participants with T2D, cardiovascular risk factors, and elevated non-HDL-C (≥100 mg/dL). Participants, already on moderate-intensity statins, will be randomly assigned to either Ezefeno (ezetimibe/fenofibrate) addition or statin dose-escalation. The primary end point is the development of a composite of major adverse cardiovascular and diabetic microvascular events over 48 months. Conclusion This trial aims to assess whether combining statins, ezetimibe, and fenofibrate is as effective as, or possibly superior to, statin monotherapy intensification in lowering cardiovascular and microvascular disease risk for patients with T2D. This could propose a novel therapeutic approach for managing dyslipidemia in T2D.

Background: Atherogenic dyslipidemia, which is frequently associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and insulin resistance, contributes to the development of vascular complications. Statin therapy is the primary approach to dyslipidemia management in T2D, however, the role of non-statin therapy remains unclear. Ezetimibe reduces cholesterol burden by inhibiting intestinal cholesterol absorption. Fibrates lower triglyceride levels and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels via peroxisome proliferator- activated receptor alpha agonism. Therefore, when combined, these drugs effectively lower non-HDL-C levels. Despite this, few clinical trials have specifically targeted non-HDL-C, and the efficacy of triple combination therapies, including statins, ezetimibe, and fibrates, has yet to be determined. Methods: This is a multicenter, prospective, randomized, open-label, active-comparator controlled trial involving 3,958 eligible participants with T2D, cardiovascular risk factors, and elevated non-HDL-C (≥100 mg/dL). Participants, already on moderate-intensity statins, will be randomly assigned to either Ezefeno (ezetimibe/fenofibrate) addition or statin dose-escalation. The primary end point is the development of a composite of major adverse cardiovascular and diabetic microvascular events over 48 months. Conclusion This trial aims to assess whether combining statins, ezetimibe, and fenofibrate is as effective as, or possibly superior to, statin monotherapy intensification in lowering cardiovascular and microvascular disease risk for patients with T2D. This could propose a novel therapeutic approach for managing dyslipidemia in T2D.