PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze attitude toward dignified dying of Korean students majoring in human service area. METHODS: The Q-methodology which provides a method of analyzing the subjectivity of each item was used. The 34 selected Q-statements from each of 38 subjects were classified into a shape of normal distribution using a 9 point scale. The collected data was analyzed using a QUANL PC program. RESULTS: Four types of attitude toward dignified dying from the subjects were identified. Type I is an expression type for happy emotion, Type II is a dislike type for life prolongation, Type III is a pursuit type for relationship improvement, and Type IV is a perception type for family presence. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that integrating multi-disciplinary curriculum development related to dignified dying and death education for students majoring in human service area are needed.
Curriculum ; Humans ; Life Support Care

PURPOSE: We analyzed how clinical nurses in Korea perceive terminally ill patients' medical decision-making. METHODS: The Q-methodology which analyzes the subjectivity of each item was used. We selected 34 Q-statements among those provided by each of 37 subjects and grouped them into a shape of normal distribution using a 9 point scale. The collected data were analyzed using a QUANL PC program. RESULTS: Four types of perception toward medical decision-making were identified. Type I focuses on patient participation, and Type II emphasizes the role of health professionals. Type III is characterized by an open-minded culture toward death, and Type IV values the role of family members. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate the need for development of a multi-disciplinary curriculum medical decision-making and death for medical and nursing students.
Curriculum ; Decision Making ; Health Occupations ; Humans ; Korea ; Patient Participation ; Students, Nursing ; Terminally Ill

This study examined the effects of calcium (Ca) gluconate on collagen-induced DBA mouse rheumatoid arthritis (CIA). A single daily dose of 200, 100 or 50 mg/kg Ca gluconate was administered orally to male DBA/1J mice for 40 days after initial collagen immunization. To ascertain the effects administering the collagen booster, CIA-related features (including body weight, poly-arthritis, knee and paw thickness, and paw weight increase) were measured from histopathological changes in the spleen, left popliteal lymph node, third digit and the knee joint regions. CIA-related bone and cartilage damage improved significantly in the Ca gluconate- administered CIA mice. Additionally, myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels in the paw were reduced in Ca gluconate-treated CIA mice compared to CIA control groups. The level of malondialdehyde (MDA), an indicator of oxidative stress, decreased in a dose-dependent manner in the Ca gluconate group. Finally, the production of IL-6 and TNF-alpha, involved in rheumatoid arthritis pathogenesis, were suppressed by treatment with Ca gluconate. Taken together, these results suggest that Ca gluconate is a promising candidate anti-rheumatoid arthritis agent, exerting anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and immunomodulatory effects in CIA mice.
Animals ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Body Weight ; Calcium Gluconate* ; Calcium* ; Cartilage ; Collagen ; Humans ; Immunization ; Immunomodulation ; Interleukin-6 ; Knee ; Knee Joint ; Lymph Nodes ; Male ; Malondialdehyde ; Mice* ; Mice, Inbred DBA ; Oxidative Stress ; Peroxidase ; Spleen ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Water*

Epistaxis is a common otolaryngologic emergency. Posterior epitaxis is more frequent in the elderly and associates with hypertension and arteriosclerosis. This is apt to be more vigorous in volume, is more difficult to identify the active bleeding point, and is more troublesome to contol. A number of different treatments are used to control the posterior epistaxis. Some of these are deep anterior packing, posterior packing, nasal balloon tamponade, arterial ligation, arterial embolization and posterior endoscopic cautery. Recently we directly photocoagulated the bleeding points in 7 cases of posterior epistaxis using endoscope and KTP/532 laser. The epistaxis was controlled in all cases without any significant complication.
Aged ; Arteriosclerosis ; Balloon Occlusion ; Cautery ; Emergencies ; Endoscopes ; Epistaxis* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Ligation ; Light Coagulation*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) comprises a large part of chronic liver diseases. Recently it was reported that adipokines are closely associated with the common risk factors for NAFLD, such as obesity, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance. We aimed to evaluate the changes in serum adiponectin, resistin and leptin concentrations related to alanine aminotransferase (ALT) elevations in Korean men with NAFLD. METHODS: We studies 38 men who were diagnosed with fatty liver by abdominal ultrasonography. None had a history of excessive alcohol consumption, autoimmune hepatitis, inherited or metabolic liver disease or viral hepatitis. The subjects were divided into two groups. One group had normal levels of ALT (n=28) and the other had increased ALT (n=10). We compared anthropometrical parameters, biochemical items and serum adipokine levels between these two groups. RESULTS: Serum adiponectin levels were lower in the increased ALT group than in the normal ALT group (3.89 +/- 1.77 vs 7.01 +/- 2.54 microgram/dL, P=0.001). But there were no significant differences in serum leptin and resistin levels between two groups (4.02 +/- 2.04 vs 3.26 +/- 1.41 ng/mL, p=0.245, 80.14 +/- 14.8 vs 80.5 +/- 11.34 ng/mL, P=0.937, respectively). Multiple linear regression analyses demonstrated that the serum adiponectin level is inversely correlated with serum ALT level and that the serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level is positively correlated with the serum ALT level. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows that hypoadiponectinemia is associated with an ALT elevation in patients with NAFLD. Adiponectin may play an indirect role in the development of NAFLD.
Resistin/blood ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Leptin/blood ; Humans ; Fatty Liver/*blood ; Alanine Transaminase/*blood ; Aged ; Adiponectin/blood