PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to analyze the factors affecting the stages of exercise behaviors changes of low back pain patients. METHODS: The participants in this study were 220 low back pain patients who have been treated by therapeutic exercise or had the exercise treatment under the doctor's advice. The tools used for this study were the stages of exercise behavior change, intrinsic motivation questionnaires, and physical activity social support scale (PASS). RESULTS: The group that did exercise (preparation stage, maintenance stage, action stage) was 75.9% but the group that did not exercise (precontemplation stage, contemplation stage) was 24.1%. Social supports from family members and friends and motivation affected the exercise behaviors changes. And 34.6% of the exercise behavior change can be explained by the social support (family, friend) and motivation. CONCLUSION: There were two recommendations for maintaining the exercise behaviors of low back pain patients based on theoretical background. First, we recommended more exercise programs which reinforce social supports from family and friend for constant exercise behaviors of low back pain patients. Second, more exercise programs for the low back pain patients who have similar health goals or problems were needed for motivating them to join the exercise programs.
Friends ; Humans ; Low Back Pain* ; Motivation ; Motor Activity ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore the level of professional self-concept, self-efficacy and job satisfaction among nurses who work at hemodialysis units. METHODS: With convenience sampling, 128 nurses working at hemodialysis settings in Chungcheong Province were participated in this study. Data were analyzed using SPSS/WIN 14.0 with descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient. RESULTS: The mean scores were 2.68 for professional self-concept, 3.65 for self efficacy and 3.14 for job satisfaction. There were significant differences in professional self-concept according to age, religion, position and clinical experience. There was statistically significant difference in self-efficacy according to age. Also, there was statistically significant difference in job satisfaction according to age, marital status, hospital type, position, clinical experience, and the number of patients per nurse. Job satisfaction was positively correlated with professional self-concept and self-efficacy. CONCLUSION: These findings provided that interventions to enhance professional self-concept as well as the strategies to improve self-efficacy are very important.
Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Marital Status ; Renal Dialysis ; Self Efficacy

We studied a Monte Carlo simulation of the proton beam delivery system at the National Cancer Center (NCC) using the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit and tested its feasibility as a dose verification framework. The Monte Carlo technique for dose calculation methodology has been recognized as the most accurate way for understanding the dose distribution in given materials. In order to take advantage of this methodology for application to externalbeam radiotherapy, a precise modeling of the nozzle elements along with the beam delivery path and correct initial beam characteristics are mandatory. Among three different treatment modes, double/single.scattering, uniform scanning and pencil beam scanning, we have modeled and simulated the double.scattering mode for the nozzle elements, including all components and varying the time and space with the Geant4.8.2 Monte Carlo code. We have obtained simulation data that showed an excellent correlation to the measured dose distributions at a specific treatment depth. We successfully set up the Monte Carlo simulation platform for the NCC proton therapy facility. It can be adapted to the precise dosimetry for therapeutic proton beam use at the NCC. Additional Monte Carlo work for the full proton beam energy range can be performed.
Proton Therapy ; Protons* ; Radiotherapy

PURPOSE: Toxicity of mucosa is one of the major concerns of radiotherapy (RT), when a target tumor is located near a mucosal lined organ. Energy of photon RT is transferred primarily by secondary electrons. If these secondary electrons could be removed in an internal cavity of mucosal lined organ, the mucosa will be spared without compromising the target tumor dose. The purpose of this study was to present a RT dose reduction in near target inner-surface (NTIS) of internal cavity, using Lorentz force of magnetic field. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Tissue equivalent phantoms, composed with a cylinder shaped internal cavity, and adjacent a target tumor part, were developed. The phantoms were irradiated using 6 MV photon beam, with or without 0.3 T of perpendicular magnetic field. Two experimental models were developed: single beam model (SBM) to analyze central axis dose distributions and multiple beam model (MBM) to simulate a clinical case of prostate cancer with rectum. RT dose of NTIS of internal cavity and target tumor area (TTA) were measured. RESULTS: With magnetic field applied, bending effect of dose distribution was visualized. The depth dose distribution of SBM showed 28.1% dose reduction of NTIS and little difference in dose of TTA with magnetic field. In MBM, cross-sectional dose of NTIS was reduced by 33.1% with magnetic field, while TTA dose were the same, irrespective of magnetic field. CONCLUSION: RT dose of mucosal lined organ, located near treatment target, could be modulated by perpendicular magnetic field.
Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Magnetic Fields* ; Models, Theoretical ; Mucous Membrane ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; Radiation Injuries ; Radiotherapy* ; Rectum

BACKGROUND: For donor samples showing reactive results in a human T-cell lymphotropic virus (HTLV) antibody test along with indeterminate results in Western blot assay, HTLV nucleic acid amplification test using laboratory-developed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed. It is necessary to construct an adequate internal control (IC) to evaluate the accuracy of the results since we did not use an IC in the laboratory-developed PCR. METHODS: As a competitive IC, plasmid DNA containing the primer recognition sequence for amplification of the HTLV pX region was constructed. We determined the adequate concentration of the IC, which was added to the samples to evaluate the accuracy of the test results. RESULTS: When the plasmid DNA was added to the HTLV-positive samples, the amplified product of IC (400 bp) was detected with the HTLV gene (230 bp). The adequate concentration of plasmid DNA added as an IC was 1 pg. CONCLUSION: The construction of plasmid DNA as a competitive IC is an efficient method to evaluate accuracy of the test results. However, the production process for the competitive IC must be further developed. Therefore, it is necessary to compare with the performance of a non-competitive IC.
Blotting, Western ; DNA ; Humans ; Methods ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; Plasmids ; Polymerase Chain Reaction* ; T-Lymphocytes ; Tissue Donors

BACKGROUND: The urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (ACR) is an important indicator of albuminuria. We aimed to estimate ACR uncertainty and its impact on test results and proposed imprecision quality goals based on the estimated uncertainty. METHODS: The combined ACR uncertainty was calculated using the individual uncertainties of urinary albumin and creatinine. ACR confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated based on the expanded uncertainty. When the CI contained the ACR category boundary (30 or 300 mg/g), the cases were considered ambiguous. Quality goals for ACR were suggested using the number of ambiguous cases among actual patient results. RESULTS: The number of ambiguous cases resulting from the combined ACR uncertainty was higher than expected based on biological variation (BV) quality goals. When the ACR met BV quality specifications, we estimated that 4.8–15.5% of the results may have been misclassified. To minimize the number of ambiguous results, the minimum, desirable, and optimum quality goals were set at 34.0%, 18.0%, and 4.5%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: We expressed ACR uncertainty using the uncertainties of urinary albumin and creatinine and assessed the impact of this combined uncertainty on the test results. Subsequently, we proposed imprecision quality goals for ACR based on ambiguous results.
Albuminuria ; Creatinine ; Humans ; Uncertainty

HBV core antibody and surface antibody test are currently conducted for those donors showing non-discriminated reactive (NDR) results on a nucleic acid amplification test (NAT) as a blood donor screening assay. It is necessary to investigate the relationship with HCV or HIV in the donors showing NDR results. From June 12th, 2012 to December 31st, 2018, 0.05% (9,020/17,798,461) donors showed NDR results on a NAT. Among the donors showing NDR results, 17 and 18 donors showed positive results on serological assay of HCV and HIV, respectively. 23 donors with NDR results showed positive results on the serological assay or NAT for HCV or HIV on the following donation. Further study and more accumulated data are required because it may be difficult to find the cause of NDR results by the current serological assay that is used for screening blood donors.
Blood Donors ; HIV ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques ; Tissue Donors

BACKGROUND: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) defined that asbestos is a group 1 substance that causes lung cancer, mesothelioma (pleura and peritoneum), laryngeal cancer, and ovarian cancer in humans. Many studies on lung cancer, and mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure have been conducted, but there was no case report of ovarian cancer due to asbestos exposure in Korea. We describe a case of ovarian cancer caused by asbestos exposure in a worker who worked at an asbestos textile factory for 3 years and 7 months in the late 1970s. CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old woman visited the hospital because she had difficulty urinating. Ovarian cancer was suspected in radiologic examination, and exploratory laparotomy was performed. She was diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer. The patient did not undergo postoperative chemotherapy and recovered. She joined the asbestos factory in March 1976 and engaged in asbestos textile twisting and spinning for 1 year, 2 years and 7 months respectively. In addition, she lived near the asbestos factory for more than 20 years. There was no other specificity or family history. CONCLUSION: Considering the patient’s occupational and environmental history, it is estimated that she had been exposed to asbestos significantly, so we determined that ovarian cancer in the patient is highly correlated with the occupational exposure of asbestos and environmental exposure is a possible cause as well. Social devices are needed to prevent further exposure to asbestos. It is also necessary to recognize that ovarian cancer can occur in workers who have previously been exposed to asbestos, and the education and social compensation for those workers are needed.
Asbestos ; Compensation and Redress ; Drug Therapy ; Education ; Environmental Exposure ; Female ; Humans ; International Agencies ; Korea ; Laparotomy ; Laryngeal Neoplasms ; Lung Neoplasms ; Mesothelioma ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Diseases ; Occupational Exposure ; Ovarian Neoplasms ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Textile Industry ; Textiles

Objective: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by increased inflammatory processing and altered brain volume. In this study, we investigated the relationship between inflammatory markers and brain volume in patients with PTSD. Methods: Forty-five patients with PTSD, and 70 healthy controls (HC) completed clinical assessments and self-reported psychopathology scales. Factors associated with inflammatory responses including brain-derived neurotrophic factor and four inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein, cortisol, Interleukin-6, and homocysteine) and T1-magnetic resonance imaging of the brain were measured. Results: In the PTSD group, cortisol level was significantly lower (t = 2.438, p = 0.046) than that of the HC. Cortisol level was significantly negatively correlated with the left thalamus proper (r = −0.369, p = 0.035), right thalamus proper (r = −0.394, p = 0.014), right frontal pole (r = −0.348, p = 0.039), left occipital pole (r = −0.338, p = 0.044), and right superior occipital gyrus (r = −0.397, p = 0.008) in patients with PTSD. However, these significant correlations were not observed in HC. Conclusion Our results indicate that increased cortisol level, even though its average level was lower than that of HC, is associated with smaller volumes of the thalamus, right frontal pole, left occipital pole, and right superior occipital gyrus in patients with PTSD. Cortisol, a major stress hormone, might be a reliable biomarker to brain volumes and pathophysiological pathways in patients with PTSD.