BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the frequency and characteristics of needlestick/sharps injuries (NSIs) in nursing students in Korea. METHODS: The study was based on a survey of questionnaires completed by 341 nursing students who had sustained at least one NSI during clinical practice in hospitals. RESULTS: The NSI incidence rate was 36.4%. Approximately half of the students reported two to four NSIs. Most (90.2%) of the NSIs occurred on the fingertips and were caused by a hollow-bore needle (46.8%) or lancet (45.8%). Some students were exposed to used needles contaminated with unknown pathogens (37.3%), HBs Ag (2.3%), Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) (0.8%), or HIV (0.6%). Students cited the reason for injury as carelessness, inexperience, hastiness, or recapping. Almost two-thirds of students who reported having experienced an NSI knew about post-exposure treatment. However, only one-third of the students with NSIs completed an official report. CONCLUSION: Korean nursing students lack knowledge about injury prevention, report procedures, and treatment after NSI. A revised educational approach with emphasis on occupational risk, skill development, and injury reporting is necessary to prevent NSI and to ensure that students obtain post-exposure prophylaxis.
Dietary Sucrose ; HIV ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Needles ; Needlestick Injuries ; Post-Exposure Prophylaxis ; Sexually Transmitted Diseases ; Students, Nursing ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To determine whether the compression technique is a valuable additional method for differentiating between benign and malignant breast masses. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The ultrasonographic findings of 95 benign and 53 malignant masses, all pathologically proven, were prospectively analyzed with regard to five diagnostic criteria: shape (regular/irregular), retrotumoral acoustic phenomena (posterior enhancement/posterior attenuation), internal echo pattern (homogeneous/inhomogeneous), compression effect on shape (distortion/no change), and compression effect on internal echo pattern (more homogeneous/no change). RESULTS: The number of cases of benign and malignant masses, respectively, was as follows: regular / irregular shape: 84/11, 9/44; posterior acoustic enhancement/posterior attenuation: 82/13, 16/37; homogeneous/inhomogeneous internal echo pattern: 78/17, 14/39; distortion/no change in shpae: 76/19, 5/48; and more homogeneous/ no change in internal echo pattern: 71/24, 3/50. For all diagnostic criteria for the differentiation of benign and malignant masses, the differences were statistically significant (p<.05). CONCLUSION: Ultrasonography is helpful for differentiating between benign and malignant breast masses. The compression technique is a valuable additional diagnostic method.
Acoustics ; Breast* ; Prospective Studies ; Ultrasonography*

No abstract available.
Anxiety* ; Depression*

A clinico-pathologic study with an immunohistochemical examination for c-erbB-2 expression in 54 cases of ductal carcinoma in situ and 16 cases of Paget's disease of the breast was performed. c-erbB-2 oncoprotein overexpression was observed in 45% (24/54) and 88% (14/16) of ductal carcinoma in situ and Paget's disease, respectively. The overexpression of c-erbB-2 oncoprotein was significantly correlated with the nuclear grade of tumors and inversely with the status of the estrogen receptor. c-erbB-2 was positive in 4 out of 5 patients with metastasis to axillary lymph nodes and 3 out of 4 patients who died of the disease. Prognostic significance of c-erbB-2 oncoprotein in ductal carcinoma in situ was highly suggested. The expression of c-erbB-2 oncoprotein in Paget's disease was well correlated with coexisting infiltrating or in situ ductal carcinoma. The high positive rate of c-erbB-2 oncoprotein in ductal carcinoma with Paget's disease could be understood with a recent hypothesis that c-erbB-2 oncoprotein is involved in promotion of cell motility and the spread of carcinoma cells.
Neoplasm Metastasis

No abstract available.
Immunoglobulins* ; Tetanus Toxoid* ; Tetanus* ; Vaccination*

BACKGROUND: Normal renal function and health have been recognized as important factors in living donors after kidney donation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the health status and health-promoting lifestyle in living donors after kidney donation. METHODS: A total of 678 living-kidney donors were counted in our center from January 1990 to December 2011. Only 84 donors agreed to participate in the survey by telephone. We received consent for participation in our survey from 48 donors (57.1%). Data were collected from May to August 2013 using donor characteristics, health status, and Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile I (HPLP-I). RESULTS: The donors were predominantly female (62.5%) and the average age was 48.9+/-11.8 years, and the average period after nephrectomy was 9.7+/-5.7 years. The characteristics of donors included ideal body weight (37.5%), overweight (37.5%) in body mass index, and good health status (81.3%). Most donors underwent an annual medical check-up (56.2%), no health problem (81.3%), and no disease (64.6%). However, one patient was treated with dialysis for renal failure due to diabetes. The total average score for HPLP-I was 128.3+/-13.9. Higher than average scores (116.3+/-19.1) were observed for the general middle-aged woman. There were statistically significant differences in self-realization and nutrition in subsection of HPLP-I. Self-realization showed a higher score for Christian (F=2.743, P=0.041) and good health (F=3.389, P=0.017). Nutrition showed a higher score for overweight, obesity (F=6.783, P=0.000), and older than 60 (F=3.854, P=0.009). CONCLUSIONS: Most living kidney donors were healthy after their donation and had relatively high scores for health-promoting lifestyle. However, one patient had a serious health problem. In addition, younger, longer period after donation, and the rare health examination of donors showed a lower health-promoting lifestyle. Designed and continuous health-care management after transplantation is needed for kidney donors.
Body Mass Index ; Dialysis ; Female ; Humans ; Ideal Body Weight ; Kidney Transplantation ; Kidney* ; Life Style* ; Living Donors* ; Nephrectomy ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Renal Insufficiency ; Telephone ; Tissue Donors

No abstract available.
Angiofibroma* ; Carbon Dioxide* ; Carbon* ; Lasers, Gas* ; Sirolimus* ; Tuberous Sclerosis*

Limb-body wall malformation complex(LBWC), also know as the amniotic band syndrome, is a poorly defined, sporadic group of congenital anomaly characterized by a collection of protean fetal malformation, deformation and disruption. Accurate diagnosis is often difficult because of its variable presentation pattern and the absence of exactly same case. We report two autopsy cases. One revealed body wall, cardiac, and craniofacial anomalies with anencephaly, and amniotic adhesive band attached to craniofacial defect of the fetal part without evidence of amniotic rupture. The other exibited abdominal wall defect with omphalocele, visceral, postural, and limb anomalies together with neural tube defect in the lumbosacral region. The pathogenesis of this syndrome was discussed in detail.

PURPOSE: Recently, vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) have become one of the major nosocomial pathogens in Korea. However, there have been few studies on the epidemiology of VRE colonization among neonates. In this study, we investigated the prevalence of VRE colonization, risk factors for VRE, and how to control the spread of VRE infection in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of Pusan National University Hospital (PNUH). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 192 neonates who were admitted to the NICU of PNUH from March 2006 to March 2007. Surveillance cultures from rectal swabs for detecting VRE were obtained weekly during the study period. We analyzed the prevalence of VRE and various risk factors. RESULTS: The rate of VRE colonization among NICU patients was 25% (48/192). Thirty five of these VRE colonized patients were transferred to the NICU from other local hospitals. Compared with the non-VRE group, the risk factors associated with VRE colonization were lower birth weight, congenital heart disease, applied mechanical ventilation, use of a central venous catheter, chest tubing, a history of surgery, and use of antibiotics. CONCLUSION: VRE colonization among patients admitted to the NICU is rapidly increasing. Monitoring and managing premature neonates from the beginning of the birth process, avoiding many invasive procedures, avoiding antibiotics such as vancomycin and third generation cephalosporin are important for preventing the emergence and spread of VRE colonization in the NICU.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Birth Weight ; Central Venous Catheters ; Colon ; Heart Diseases ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Korea ; Medical Records ; Parturition ; Prevalence ; Respiration, Artificial ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Thorax ; Vancomycin ; Vancomycin Resistance

Primary malignant melanornn of the vagina is rare, with only about 130 reported cases worldwide. They presumably arise from melanocytes that are present in the vagina in 3% of normal wornen. Vaginal melanoma accounts for less than 1% of melanomas and less than 3% of primary malignant tumors of the vagina. Most of patients complain vaginal bleeding, vaginal discharge, foreign body sensation in order. The best treatment of vaginal melanoma rernains eni.gmatic, Many authors indicate that radical surgery may be the pcferred approach and the number of reported cases treated with radical surgery is increasing. But other author comment that no significant change in survival is apparent with radical surgery. Overall prognosis is poor as most patients have deeply penetrating lesions at the time of diagnosis. Recently, not only the effort to increase the survival rate but the quality of life including sexual function after treatment is becoming an important issue about treatment ot cancer patients. We experienced a case of primary malignant melanoma of the vagina treated with radical surgery and restored the sexual function by vulvovaginal reconstruction using gracilis myocutaneous flap. So we report this case with brief literature review.
Diagnosis ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Melanocytes ; Melanoma* ; Myocutaneous Flap ; Prognosis ; Quality of Life ; Sensation ; Survival Rate ; Uterine Hemorrhage ; Vagina* ; Vaginal Discharge