BACKGROUND: Nutrition label reading is helpful in attaining a healthy diet. Nutrition label use and its related factors have been studied in many Korean articles, but their research samples were the general population and not chronic disease patients. This study aimed to explore the use of nutrition labels and its relation to dietary intake among chronic disease patients in Korea. METHODS: A total of 3160 respondents aged> or =20 years from the 2008-2009 Fourth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES-IV) participated in the study. Their chronic medical conditions included hypertension, hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease, diabetes and/or stroke and they were interviewed regarding their use of nutrition labels. Nutrition intake was also estimated by 24-hour dietary recalls. RESULTS: Overall, 10.4% of the chronic disease patients reported to using nutrition labels. The nutrients they looked at first were total calories, fat and cholesterol. Factors related to reading nutrition labels were relatively higher education, high body mass index and lower frequency of alcohol intake in males and relatively younger age and higher education in females. Nutrition label users consumed lower total calories, protein and fat in the male CAD group, lower total calories and carbohydrate in both diabetes and total groups and lower total calories and fiber in the female stroke group. CONCLUSIONS: Our study found that, in Korea, a significantly lower rate of patients with chronic disease read nutrition labels. Strategies need to be developed to improve clinical application of nutrition labels in this population.
Body Mass Index ; Cholesterol ; Chronic Disease* ; Coronary Artery Disease ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Diet ; Education ; Female ; Food Labeling ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Korea ; Male ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Stroke

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to compare analgesic efficacy and occurance of motor block and other side effects of a 48 hr postoperative continuous epidural infusion of 0.125% bupivacaine or ropivacaine with morphine. METHODS: Forty patients undergoing a Cesarean section were allocated randomly into two groups. Both groups received an epidural injection of 2.0% lidocaine 18 20 ml and 0.5% bupivacaine 2 5 ml with fentanyl 50microgram 20 minutes before surgical incision and received 2 mg of epidural morphine by bolus 40 minutes after surgical incision. For post-operative pain control, a continuous epidural infusion was started using a two day infusor containing 6 mg of morphine in 100 ml of 0.125% bupivacaine (Group 1, n = 20) or 100 ml of 0.125% ropivacaine (Group 2, n = 20). Visual analog scale (VAS) for pain during rest and movement, sensory change and motor blockade were assessed for 48 hrs. after surgery. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in VAS for pain during rest and movement. The incidences of side effect were similar in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Using 0.125% bupivacaine with morphine via the epidural route provided similar pain relief and side effects as 0.125% ropivacaine with morphine.
Bupivacaine* ; Cesarean Section ; Female ; Fentanyl ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infusion Pumps ; Injections, Epidural ; Lidocaine ; Morphine* ; Pregnancy ; Visual Analog Scale

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the reactions of emergency department nurses to violence. METHODS: Q-methodology which provides a method of analyzing the subjectivity of each item was used. Thirty emergency department nurses classified 33 selected Q-statements into a normal distribution using a 9 point scale. The collected data was analyzed using the Quanl PC Program. RESULTS: Three types of reactions to violence were identified. The first type(emotional and physical reactions) showed a sense of regret on the selection of an occupation and emotional and physical reactions such as anxiety, fear, depression, hopelessness, heart palpitations and trembling hands due to the violence. The second type(problem solving) actively coped to prevent the occurrence of violence, grasped the causes of violence and sought out a problem solving plan. The third type(anger reactions) felt a lot of anger against violence, and resented their reality of working under conditions of inadequately secured facilities and systems. CONCLUSION: The emotional and physical reactions type and the anger reactions type should be required to attend educational programs to improve attitudes and abilities to solve the problems in a more active and positive manner.
Adult ; *Attitude of Health Personnel ; Demography ; *Emergency Nursing ; Female ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Male ; Nurses/*psychology ; Q-Sort ; *Violence

Objective: Vascular calcification requires the differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) into osteoblast-like cells. This phenomenon can be enhanced by inflammation and oxidative stress. Zingerone is one of the active ingredients present in the ginger plant that has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Other functions include anti-obesity, antinausea effects. However, the functions of zingerone on vascular calcification has not yet been elucidated. This study investigated the effect of zingerone on vascular calcification and its molecular mechanism. Methods: Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (PCR), real-time PCR and Western blot analysis was used to measure expression levels of osteogenic marker genes and to investigate whether calcification was regulated by the expression of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 4 (TIMP4). Alizarin red S staining was used to measure calcium deposition. Studies were carried out in VSMCs. Results: Zingerone induced the expression of 2 markers of VSMCs differentiation (α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and smooth muscle 22α (SM22α)) and decreased the expression of corebinding factor α-1 (CBFA1). Additionally, zingerone decreased inorganic phosphate (Pi)-induced expression of distal-less homeobox 5 and CBFA1. AMPK phosphorylation and TIMP4 expression were increased by zingerone. Importantly, zingerone protected VSMCs from calcification, and this protective effect was confirmed by increased TIMP4 via overexpression of AMPK, and inhibition of TIMP4 by Compound C. Zingerone upregulated AMPK/TIMP4 expression and recovered Pi-induced inhibition of TIMP4. Conclusions Taken together, our results show that zingerone inhibits Pi-induced vascular calcification by regulating the AMPK/TIMP4 signaling cascade in VSMCs. These results suggest that the natural product zingerone could be useful for treating vascular and metabolic diseases.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare the predictive validity of pressure injury risk assessment, Braden, Braden Q and Braden QD for pediatric patients. Methods: Prospective observational study included patients under the age of 19 who were hospitalized to general wards, intensive care units of a children’s hospital.Characteristics related to pressure injury were collected, and predicted validity was compared by calculating the areas under the curve (AUC) of the Braden, Braden Q, and Braden QD scales. Results: A total of 689 patients were included in the study. A total of 13 (1.9%) patients had pressure injuries, and the number of pressure injuries was 17. Factors related to the occurrence of pressure injuries were 9 (52.9%) immobility-related and 8 (47.1%) medical device-related. The AUC for each scale was .91 (95% CI .89~.94) for Braden, .92 (95% CI .90~.95) for Braden Q, and .94(95% CI .92~.96) for Braden QD. The optimal cut-off points were identified as 16 for Braden (sensitivity=88.8%, specificity=86.4%), 17 for Braden Q(sensitivity=63.6%, specificity=94.9%), and 12 for Braden QD (sensitivity=94.4%, specificity=88.7%). Conclusion The Braden QD scale demonstrated the highest predictive validity for pressure injuries in pediatric patients and is expected to be valuable tool in preventing pediatrics pressure injuries.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Intraoperative echocardiography (IOE), mostly done by transesophageal methods, provides an important means of accessing cardiac structure and function during cardiac and noncardiac surgery. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of IOE by identifying the frequency of the use of IOE during cardiac surgery, the rate of second pump operations determined by IOE findings, and the results of the operations. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Sixty-five patients (93 lesions) underwent cardiac surgery with the concomitant IOE done by a cardiologist in a single institution between March 1997 and October 1998. The data was collected retrospectively by reviewing the hospital records and IOE videotapes. IOE was applied to 18.9% of total cardiac operations, primarily being used in MV surgery (48.4%). A pre-pump IOE was done in 2 cases and the post-pump procedure was done in the remainder. A second pump operation was performed in 4 cases (6.25%) and all of these were found to be successful after immediate re-operation. CONCLUSION: IOE was primarily used in valve operations, particularly in procedures involving the mitral valve. IOE appears to be useful in determining the immediate results following cardiac surgery and may contribute to determining the prognosis of the patient.
Echocardiography ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal* ; Hospital Records ; Humans ; Mitral Valve ; Monitoring, Intraoperative ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Thoracic Surgery ; Videotape Recording

OBJECTIVES: A positive association between serum albumin levels and metabolic syndrome has been reported in observation studies, but it has not been established in the Korean population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between serum albumin levels and the presence of metabolic syndrome among a sample of apparently healthy Korean adults. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed data of 3189 community-dwelling people (1189 men and 2000 women) who were aged 40 to 87 years and were living in a rural area in Korea. Serum albumin levels were classified into quartile groups for each sex. Metabolic syndrome was defined according to the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines with an adjusted waist circumference cut-off value (> or =90 cm for men and > or =85 cm for women). An independent association between serum albumin levels and metabolic syndrome was assessed by multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Higher serum albumin levels were associated with increased prevalence of metabolic syndrome. The odds ratio (95% confidence interval) of the prevalence of metabolic syndrome for the highest versus the lowest serum albumin quartiles was 2.81 (1.91 to 4.14) in men and 1.96 (1.52 to 2.52) in women, after adjusting for age, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and physical activity. When each metabolic abnormality was analyzed separately, higher serum albumin levels were significantly associated with hypertriglyceridemia and hyperglycemia in both sexes, and with abdominal obesity in men. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that higher serum albumin levels are positively associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome in Korean adults.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biological Markers/blood ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome X/*blood/epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Risk Assessment/methods ; *Rural Health ; Serum Albumin/*analysis

OBJECTIVES: Serum uric acid levels have been reported to be associated with a variety of cardiovascular conditions. However, the direct association between uric acid levels and metabolic syndrome remains controversial. Thus, we evaluated the association of serum uric acid levels and metabolic syndrome in a community-based cohort study in Korea. METHODS: We performed cross-sectional analysis of baseline data of 889 males and 1491 females (aged 38 to 87) who participated in baseline examinations of the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study: Kanghwa study. Blood samples were collected after at least an 8 hour fast. Uric acid quartiles were defined as follows: <4.8, 4.8-<5.6, 5.6-<6.5, > or =6.5 mg/dL in males; and <3.8, 3.8-<4.3, 4.3-<5.1, > or =5.1 mg/dL in females. Metabolic syndrome was defined by the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III Criteria with adjusted waist circumference cutoffs (90 cm for males; 80 cm for females). The association between serum uric acid quartiles and metabolic syndrome was assessed using multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS: The odds ratio for having metabolic syndrome in the highest versus lowest quartiles of serum uric acid levels was 2.67 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.60 to 4.46) in males and 2.14 (95% CI, 1.50 to 3.05) in females after adjusting for age, smoking, alcohol intake, body mass index, total cholesterol, HbA1c, albumin, gamma-glutamyltransferase, blood urea nitrogen, and log C-reactive protein. The number of metabolic abnormalities also increased gradually with increasing serum uric acid levels (adjusted p for trend < 0.001 in both sexes). CONCLUSIONS: Higher serum uric acid levels are positively associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome in Korean males and females.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Biological Markers/blood ; Cohort Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperuricemia/*blood ; Inflammation ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome X/*blood ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Prospective Studies ; Republic of Korea ; Risk Assessment ; Rural Health

BACKGROUND: Prevalence of adenoma in males aged 40-49 years in Korea was higher than expected. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and risk factors of colorectal adenoma in males aged 40-49 years. METHODS: Total 1,902 asymptomatic subjects with a mean age of 47.9±6.7 years, who underwent a screening colonoscopy in a health promotion center of Myongji Hospital from 2010 to 2013 were enrolled in this study. We conducted a case-control study to determine the risk factors for adenoma. The subjects were classified into two groups (adenoma vs. controls). To validate the diagnostic value of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) for adenoma, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) was calculated. RESULTS: At least one colorectal adenoma was identified in 385 subjects (20.2%). Among these 385 subjects, 372 subjects were found to have a non-advanced adenoma, 13 subjects had an invasive adenoma. One subject had cancer. Male sex, age, smoking, metabolic syndrome, and elevated CEA level were significantly associated with a colorectal adenoma in univariate analysis. However, metabolic syndrome was not significant in multivariate analysis. In the male group, the AUROC of CEA for colorectal adenoma was 0.600 (0.543 to 0.656) in non-smokers under 50 years of age, and 0.615 (0.540 to 0.690) in smokers under 50 years of age. CONCLUSION: Male sex, smoking, and high levels of CEA seem to be associated with colorectal adenoma. High levels of CEA and smoking may be diagnostic markers for any colorectal adenoma in Korean males aged 40-49 years.
Adenoma* ; Carcinoembryonic Antigen* ; Case-Control Studies ; Colonoscopy ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Korea ; Male* ; Mass Screening ; Multivariate Analysis ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; ROC Curve ; Smoke* ; Smoking*

PURPOSE: Ceftriaxone, a parenteral third-generation cephalosporine, is widely used in the treatment of various bacterial infections. It possesses high calcium-binding affinity, forming complexes with calcium in bile salts to develop precipitate that mimics gallstone on ultrasonography. Biliary pseudolithiasis resolves completely with cessation of therapy, but several symptomatic patients have undergone cholesystectomy. We prospectively evaluated the incidence, risk factors and dose- related comparison with ultrasonography. METHODS: Between November 1998 and August 1999, 81 cases of inpatients on ceftriaxone treatment in Dongguk University Pohang Hospital were enrolled for this study. They were divided according to dose of ceftriaxone, high-dose and low-dose groups. Repeated sonography was performed on 1, 3, 5 and 7 days after initiation of ceftriaxone treatrnent and then weekly until pseudolithiasis were resolved. RESULTS: Thirty-eight percent of the subjects acquired pseudolithiasis. Sonographic abnormalities appeared from 1 to 10 days after ceftriaxone therapy and completely resolved from 1 to 24 days after cessation of ceftriaxone therapy. The incidence of pseudolithiasis was significantly higher in the high-dose group(P<0.001). In the high-dose group, fasting over a day was a significant risk factor of pseudolithiasis(P<0.01). Sex, age, duration of ceftriaxone therapy, laboratory findings, type of infection or chief complaint were not significant risk factors for pseudolithiasis. CONCLUSION: We suggest that abdominal ultrasonography should be considered in all children who receive high dose ceftriaxone with fasting over a day. If pseudolithiasis was developed, we can detect the most of resolution after 30 days of cessation of therapy.
Bacterial Infections ; Bile Acids and Salts ; Calcium ; Ceftriaxone ; Child ; Fasting ; Gallstones ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Incidence ; Inpatients ; Prospective Studies* ; Risk Factors ; Ultrasonography