PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to identify the effect of a comprehensive education program on knowledge, self-efficacy for self-management, and coping style among newly diagnosed patients with breast cancer. METHODS: This study used a one group pretest-posttest design. Data were collected from April to September, 2010 at a cancer-specific hospital in Goyang, Korea. One hundred forty three women received a comprehensive education program consisting of 3 sessions composed of 8 themes was conducted by several experts (nurses, doctors, dietitians and clinical psychologists) for 3.5 hours a day for 3 days (1 day before and 2 days after the operation). RESULTS: This study showed that knowledge and self-efficacy for self-management significantly increased after education (p<.001). In terms of coping style, however, only the subscale, 'anxious preoccupation', significantly improved (p=.001) among 5 subscales of coping style after education. CONCLUSION: A comprehensive education program for newly diagnosed patients with breast cancer was effective for increasing the knowledge and self-efficacy for self-management of breast cancer, in addition to decreasing the coping style of 'anxious preoccupation'. However, it did not improve other coping style. Therefore, other strategies for improving coping style are needed.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Self Care ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Background: Post-dural puncture headache (PDPH) is one of the well-known complication of spinal anesthesia. Epidural blood patch is the treatment of choice for PDPH but is rarely used for the prevention of PDPH after spinal anesthesia. The purpose of this study is to observe the effectiveness of epidural blood patch for prevention of PDPH and to evaluate the complications after epidural blood injection. Methods: Three hundred patients (ASA I or II) receiving spinal anesthesia were studied. They were randomly devided into two groups. Patients in Group I, the control group, were maintained in a supine position for 24 hour after spinal anesthesia. Patients in Group II, the study group, received 3 ml of autologous blood in the epidural space after spinal anesthesia. PDPH was evaluated for 5 days. The incidence, location, onset, and duration of headache in the patients presenting with PDPH were measured for 5 days, and the complications following epidural blood patch in Group II were observed for 2 weeks. Results: The incidence of PDPH in group I was 11%, but 0% in group II. There were no specific complications following epidural blood patch in Group II. Conclusions: This study suggest that the 3 ml epidural autologous blood patch is an useful method for the prevention of PDPH in patients with spinal anesthesia.
Anesthesia, Spinal* ; Blood Patch, Epidural ; Epidural Space ; Headache ; Humans ; Incidence ; Post-Dural Puncture Headache ; Punctures* ; Supine Position

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify symptom clusters in patients with breast cancer and to investigate the associations among them with functional status and quality of life (QOL). METHODS: A convenient sample of 303 patients was recruited from an oncology-specialized hospital. RESULTS: Two distinct clusters were identified: A gastrointestinal-fatigue cluster and a pain cluster. Each cluster significantly influenced functional status and QOL. Based on these two clusters, we identified subgroups of symptom clusters using K-means cluster analysis. Three relatively distinct patient subgroups were identified in each cluster: mild, moderate, and severe group. Disease-related factors (i.e., stage, metastasis, type of surgery, current chemotherapy, and anti-hormone therapy) were associated with these subgroups of symptom clusters. There were significant differences in functional status and QOL among the three subgroups. The subgroup of patients who reported high levels of symptom clusters reported poorer functional status and QOL. CONCLUSION: Clinicians can anticipate that breast cancer patients with advanced stage, metastasis, and who receive mastectomy, and chemotherapy will have more intense gastrointestinal-fatigue or pain symptoms. In order to enhance functional status and QOL for patients with breast cancer, collective management for symptoms in a cluster may be beneficial.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Humans ; Mastectomy ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Quality of Life

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was the development and validation of knowledge scale for patients with breast cancer (KS-Br) in Korea. METHODS: The process included the construction of a conceptual framework, generation of preliminary items, and the test of validity and reliability of the scale. Thirty-seven items were developed through an evaluation process by 10 experts and 24 items were finally confirmed through item analysis. Psychometric testing was performed with a convenient sample of 303 women with breast cancer. The data was analyzed using independent t-test, Pearson's correlation, and calculation of KR-20. RESULTS: Participants averaged 70.8% correct on the test. The KS-Br has 24 items consisting of 5 categories: incidence of breast cancer, diagnosis and treatment, symptom management, sexuality, and maintenance of daily life. Validity was supported by the use of content validity, known-group technique, and criterion-related validity. Women who had undergone education intervention scored significantly higher than women who had not (p<.001). KS-Br scores were significantly correlated with those of Mishel's Illness Uncertainty Scale (r=-.214, p<.001). Internal consistency of the KS-Br was appropriate (KR20=.805). CONCLUSION: This study reveals that the KS-Br is reliable and valid scale to measure the knowledge of breast cancer. Therefore, this scale can be effectively utilized to assess the knowledge of patients with breast cancer regarding their disease.
Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Psychometrics ; Reproducibility of Results ; Sexuality ; Uncertainty

In order to investigate the factors influencing QOL and life satisfaction of the physically disabled, the author interviewed, by using structuralized questionnaire, 440 individuals among the physically disabled who were participated in Health Examination from April to July, 1997. The questionnaire consisted of the general characteristics(sex, age, marital status, family number, etc), the Reintegration to Normal Living Index(RNLI) to assess QOL, and the single item of five-likert scale to evaluate life satisfaction. The means of RNLI were 16.2+/-4.8 in total score, 12.2+/-3.4 in daily functioning and 4.0+/-2.1 in perception of self. The respondents were less reintegrated toward social activities and relationships than impairments or disabilities. While the satisfied group was 47.3%, the dissatisfied group was 52.7%. As the results of multiple regression and logistic regression analysis, the significant predictors of QOL were age, education, job, grade of disability and subjective health status. The life satisfaction were related to economic status, job and subjective health status. To improve QOL and life satisfaction of the physically disabled, it is important that we improve their basic socioeconomic status by getting a job through rehabilitation education and induce them to have positive self-assessment by extending the opportunity of social participation.
Daegu* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Disabled Persons* ; Education ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Marital Status ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Rehabilitation ; Self-Assessment ; Social Class ; Social Participation

The author evaluated the effects of taxol, a microtubular inhibitor, as a possible radiation sensitizer and the production of prostaglandins on three human cancer cell lines(KB, RPMI-2650 and SW-13) and one murine cell line(L929). Each cell line was divided into four groups(control, taxol only, radiation only and combination of taxol and radiation). The treatment consisted of a single irradiation of 10 Gy and graded doses(5, 50, 100, 200, 300, 500 nM) of taxol for a 24-h period. The cytotoxicity of taxol alone was measured at 1 day after(1-day group) and 4 days after(4-day group) the treatment. The survival ratio of cell was analyzed by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-dimethyl tetrazolium bromide) test. Prostaglandins(PGE2 and PGI2) were measured in the culture medium by a radioimmunoassay. The results obtained were as follows ; 1. There was a significantly in creased cytotoxicity of KB cells in 4-day group than those in 1-day group. Therr was a high correlation between doses of taxol and cell viability in both groups(1-day group R=0.82741, 4-day group R=0.84655). 2. There was a significantly increased cytotoxicity of RPMI-2650 cells treated with high concentration of taxol in 4-day group than those in 1-day group. Also there was a high correlation between doses of taxol and cell viability in 4-day group(R=0.93917). 3. There was a significantly increased cytotoxicity of SW-13 cell treated with high concentration of taxol in 4-day group than those in 1-day group. However no high correlation was observed between doses of taxol and cell viability in both groups(1-day group R=0.46362, 4-day group R=0.65425). 4. There was a significantly increased cytotoxicity of L929 cells treated with low concentration of taxol in 4-day group than those in 1-day group. At the same time, there was a low correlation between doses of taxol and cell viability in both groups(1-day group R=0.34237, 4-day group R=0.23381). 5. In 1-day group of L929 cells, higher cytotoxicities were observed in the groups treated with 500 nM taxil than given 10 Gy radiation alone showed a radiosensitizing effect by taxol. 6. In addition to L929 cells, all cancer cells treated with a commbinationof taxol and radiation in 4-day group appeared ti have some fragmented nuclei and to float on the medium. In addition, L929 cells appeared to be more confluent. 7. The level of PGE2 production was the highest in the contol KB cells. This appeared to increase in every experimental group of all three cancer except L929 cells. There was a significantly increased production of PGE2 in SW-13 cells treated with a combination taxol and radiation compared to the other experimental groups. 8. The level of PGI2 production in the contol group RPMI-2650 cells was the highest. This appeared to increase in every experimental group of all cells except in SW-13 cells. This also increased signigicantly in RPMI-2650 cells treated with a cimbination of taxol and radiation compared to the other experimental groups.
Cell Line ; Cell Survival ; Dinoprostone ; Epoprostenol ; Humans ; KB Cells ; Paclitaxel* ; Prostaglandins ; Radiation Dosage ; Radiation, Ionizing* ; Radiation-Sensitizing Agents ; Radioimmunoassay

PURPOSE: F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) has been proven to be useful in the differential diagnosis of breast mass and staging of breast cancer. This study assessed the diagnostic accuracy of F-18-FDG PET in the differentiation of breast mass and staging of breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Total 42 patients who had breast mass underwent F-18-FDG PET (all female, 40+/-10 year old). We compared F-18 FDG PET results with pathologic findings in 24 patients RESULTS: In the differentiation of breast mass, sensitivity and specificity were 95% (19/20) and 77% (7/9) respectively. Three false positive cases were due to inflammation and one false negative patient had small tumor less than 1 cm. In the assessment of axillary lymph node status, sensitivity and specificity were 73% (8/11) and 100% (7/7) respectively. We found distant metastasis that were not suspected before F-18-FDG PET in 2 patients. CONCLUSION: F-18-FDG PET shows good diagnostic performance in differentiation of breast mass and staging of breast cancer.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Diagnosis, Differential* ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Sensitivity and Specificity

Myasthenia Gravis is a neuromuscular disorder manifested by increasing weakness and fatigability of voluntary muscles with exercise, and partial or complete restoration of function following rest or the administration of anticholinesterase drugs. The anesthesiologists may be called upon to assist in the diagnosis of myasthenis, in treating the patient by artificial ventilation during acute exacerbations, to anesthetise the patient for thymectomy or other surgery. Therefore, the anesthesiologists must be familiar with the diagnosis and treatment of myasthnia gravis to carry on the appropriate therapy. Two cases of anesthesia for thymectomy in myasthenia gravis without using muscle relaxants was experienced, and no respiratory problems were encountered postoperatively.
Anesthesia* ; Cholinesterase Inhibitors ; Diagnosis ; Humans ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Myasthenia Gravis* ; Thymectomy* ; Ventilation

No abstract available.
Macrophages, Alveolar* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium*

Argon laser iridotomy is at present the procedure of choice in Korea for the treatment of pupillarx block and angle closure glaucoma. However, despite modified argon laser techniques, difficulties in penetration of irides and closure of hole have been widely reported. Recently reported Q-switched Nd-YAG laser iridotomy have a many complications such as bleeding, lenticular opacity and small hole. And so argon laser and Nd-YAG laser combined iridotomy was performed on 80 eyes, 57 patients with angle closure glaucoma. The follow up period ranged from 1 to 14 months. 71(88.7%) of 80 eyes treated required a single lasing session for patency, and six eyes required two sessions and three eyes required three sessions. Closure of the iridotomy site occurred in 6.2% of eyes, an incidence remarkably lower than that of argon laser iridotomy alone. Localized lenticular opacity and bleeding were not observed, but immediate postoperative iritis and elevation of intraocular pressure were observed.
Argon* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glaucoma, Angle-Closure ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intraocular Pressure ; Iritis ; Korea ; Lasers, Solid-State*