BACKGROUND: The influenza is a contagious respiratory illness caused by influenza viruses. The primary target groups recommended for annual vaccination are healthcare workers and households which have frequent contact with persons at high risk and can transmit influenza to those persons at high risk. Members of these groups should be vaccinated against the flu so that they can avoid getting infected with continuously mutating influenza viruses. We assessed healthcare workers' knowledge and attitudes regarding influenza vaccination in order to help promote the vaccination rate. METHODS: This survey was carried out in two hospitals affiliated with the Catholic University School of Medicine, from December 2004 to January 2005. Of the 3,023 questionnaires distributed, 2,023 could be evaluated. RESULTS: The most frequently cited reason for receiving influenza vaccine was self-protection against influenza (55.4%). The most common reasons for not receiving influenza vaccine are personal health problems such as concurrent flu, pregnancy or breast-feeding (29.2%). There is no significant difference in the frequency of side effect between two groups receiving and not receiving vaccine. The most frequent side effect of influenza vaccination is flu-like syndrome; People receiving vaccine have more significant knowledge than those people not receiving vaccine about efficacy of flu vaccination, risk of influenza infection of healthcare workers and their need of flu vaccination. CONCLUSION: In order to promote the vaccination rate, education targeting people at high risk need to keep continuous and facilitate access to vaccination.
Delivery of Health Care* ; Education ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Influenza Vaccines ; Influenza, Human* ; Orthomyxoviridae ; Pregnancy ; Vaccination* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study was done to examine how laughter therapy impacts serotonin levels, QOL and depression in middle-aged women and to perform a path analysis for verification of the effects. METHODS: A quasi-experimental study employing a nonequivalent control group and pre-post design was conducted. Participants were 64 middle-aged women (control=14 and experimental=50 in 3 groups according to level of depression). The intervention was conducted five times a week for a period of 2 weeks and the data analysis was conducted using repeated measures ANOVA, ANCOVA and LISREL. RESULTS: Results showed that pre serotonin and QOL in women with severe depression were the lowest. Serotonin in the experimental groups increased after the 10th intervention (p=.006) and the rise was the highest in the group with severe depression (p=.001). Depression in all groups decreased after the 5th intervention (p=.022) and the biggest decline was observed in group with severe depression (p=.007). QOL of the moderate and severe groups increased after the 10th intervention (p=.049), and the increase rate was highest in group with severe depression (p<.006). Path analysis revealed that laughter therapy did not directly affect depression, but its effect was indirectly meditated through serotonin variation (p<.001). CONCLUSION: Results indicate that serotonin activation through laughter therapy can help middle-aged women by lessening depression and providing important grounds for depression control.
Adult ; Depression/pathology/*therapy ; Female ; Humans ; *Laughter Therapy ; Middle Aged ; *Quality of Life ; Serotonin/*blood ; Severity of Illness Index ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: In this single repeated measures study, an examination was done on the effects of dialysate flow rate on dialysis adequacy and fatigue in patients receiving hemodialysis. METHODS: This study was a prospective single center study in which repeated measures analysis of variance were used to compare Kt/V urea (Kt/V) and urea reduction ratio (URR) as dialysis adequacy measures and level of fatigue at different dialysate flow rates: twice as fast as the participant’s own blood flow, 500 mL/min, and 700 mL/min. Thirty-seven hemodialysis patients received all three dialysate flow rates using counterbalancing. RESULTS: The Kt/V (M±SD) was 1.40±0.25 at twice the blood flow rate, 1.41±0.23 at 500 mL/min, and 1.46±0.24 at 700 mL/min. The URR (M±SD) was 68.20±5.90 at twice the blood flow rate, 68.67±5.22 at 500 mL/min, and 70.11±5.13 at 700 mL/min. When dialysate flow rate was increased from twice the blood flow rate to 700 mL/min and from 500 mL/min to 700 mL/min, Kt/V and URR showed relative gains. There was no difference in fatigue according to dialysate flow rate. CONCLUSION: Increasing the dialysate flow rate to 700 mL/min is associated with a significant nicrease in dialysis adequacy. Hemodialysis with a dialysate flow rate of 700 mL/min should be considered in selected patients not achieving adequacy despite extended treatment times and optimized blood flow rate.
Dialysis* ; Fatigue* ; Hemodialysis Solutions ; Humans ; Prospective Studies ; Renal Dialysis* ; Treatment Outcome ; Urea

PURPOSE: This study was conducted using the theory of planned behavior to analyze factors influencing mothers' intention to vaccinate their children against hepatitis A (HA). METHODS: This descriptive study used a questionnaire. The participants were 100 mothers with children under 19 years. The collected data were analyzed by the t-test, analysis of variance, and the Mann-Whitney U test. The Pearson's correlation was used to test the correlations among variables. Stepwise multiple regression was used to identify factors related to HA vaccination intention. RESULTS: The attitude of mothers with children under 19 to HA vaccination were quite positive (6.2 of 7), and their perceived behavioral control (5.73 of 7), subjective norm (5.54 of 7), and vaccination intention (5.96 of 7) were relatively high. Attitude toward HA vaccination was the strongest influencing factor, followed by subjective norm. The explanatory power of attitude and subjective norm for HA vaccination was 84%. CONCLUSION: HA vaccination is very important for preventing HA. Mothers' positive attitudes toward HA vaccination were an important factor influencing their children's HA vaccination. Providing education on the benefits of HA vaccination and the vaccination schedule may foster positive attitude toward vaccination.
Appointments and Schedules ; Child ; Education ; Hepatitis A* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Intention* ; Mothers ; Vaccination

Menopause is a well-known risk factor for accelerating cognitive aging in women. This study aimed to assess differences in cognitive function and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) according to menopausal status to determine whether the menopause significantly affects the relationship between cognitive function and HRQOL.

PURPOSE: This study examines the difference of optimism, self-esteem and depression to verify an effect of laughter therapy program for menopausal women. METHODS: A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group pre / post-test design was used. The participants (n=57) were 28 in the experimental group and 29 in the control group. The data were collected in December of 2011. The experimental group participated in laughter therapy for 30 min per session, five times a week for the period of 2 weeks. The questionnaires were used to measure pre / post-test optimism, self-esteem, and depression of menopausal women. RESULTS: The results showed that laughter therapy was effective in increasing optimism (p=.020) and self-esteem (p<.001). And the depression of menopausal women decreased (p=.003). CONCLUSION: The result of the study indicates that laughter therapy for menopausal women may be an effective nursing intervention to improve optimism, self-esteem and depression of menopausal women.
Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Laughter ; Laughter Therapy ; Menopause ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To evaluate the value of MR cholangiography (MRC) and MRC with additional T2-weighted axial imaging for evaluating the cause and determining the therapeutic plan in patients with a focal dilatation of the intrahepatic bile ducts(IHBD). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty nine patients (male, 27; female, 22; age range, 12-72 (mean, 51) years) with a focal intrahepatic ductal dilatation confirmed surgically and pathologically (lobectomy, 34; biopsy, 7; surgical finding and T-tube cholangiography, 7; percutanous transhepatic biliary drainage with bile cytology, 1) underwent MRC and T2-weighted axial imaging. The MRC were obtained in one of two ways (a single slab or multi-slice acquisition under chemical fat saturation) using RARE (31 patients, source images and single slice images), or TSE (18 patients, source images and MIP reconstruction images). Two radiologists reviewed the MRC images alone, and the MRC images with the T2-weighted axial images. A diagnosis was determined by consensus. RESULTS: In 37 out of 49 patients, the causes of a bile duct dilation were benign diseases (IHBD stones in 33 cases, liver abscesses with IHBD stones in three cases, one inflammatory pseudotumor). Twelve patients had cholangiocarcinomas (mass-forming type in seven cases, intraductal type in three cases, and periductal infiltrating type in two cases). A correct diagnosis was confirmed in 47 out of 49 cases(96.0%), i.e. all the 37 benign lesions and 10 out of 12 malignant lesions. The addition of the T2-weighted axial image to the MRC did not alter the diagnosis of the causes of the focal intrahepatic ductal dilatation, but was helpful in 10 cases (20.4%). Nine cases (7 cholangiocarcinomas and 2 abscesses), in which MRC showed masses, were visualized more definitely on the additional T2-weighted axial images to the MRC than on the MRC alone. The remaining cases were hepatolithiasis, where stones could be easily differentiated from air by the air-fluid level on the axial images. CONCLUSION: MRC is a good diagnostic modality for evaluating a focal dilatation of IHBD, and the addition of T2-weighted axial image to MRC is helpful.
Bile ; Bile Ducts ; Biopsy ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Cholangiography* ; Consensus ; Diagnosis ; Dilatation* ; Drainage ; Female ; Humans ; Liver Abscess

No abstract available.
Osteogenesis Imperfecta* ; Osteogenesis*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for pediatric inpatients falls. METHODS: The study was a matched case-control design. The participants were 279 patients under the age of 6 who were admitted between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2009. Through chart reviews, 93 pediatric patients who fell and 186 ones who did not fall were paired by gender, age, diagnosis, and length of stay. Five experts evaluated the 38 fall risk factors selected by the researchers. RESULTS: In a general hospital, pediatric patients with secondary diagnosis, tests that need the patient to be moved, intravenous lines, hyperactivity, anxiolytics, sedatives and hypnotics, and general anesthetics showed significance for falls on adjusted-odds ratios. Conditional logistic regression analysis was performed to elucidate the factors that influence pediatric inpatient falls. The probability of falls increased with hyperactivity and general weakness. Patients who didn't have tests that required them to be moved and intravenous line had a higher risk of falls. CONCLUSION: These findings provide information that is relevant in developing fall risk assessment tools and prevention programs for pediatric inpatient falls.
Accidental Falls/*prevention & control ; Age Factors ; Analgesics ; Case-Control Studies ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Hematologic Diseases/pathology ; Hospitalization ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Infant ; Length of Stay ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Neoplasms/pathology ; Odds Ratio ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sex Factors

In Asian rhinoplasty, allograft materials are often required due to insufficient amount of autologous sources for dorsal augmentation. Nowadays, Silicon and polytetrafluoroethylene are commonly used allograft materials although these can often lead to postoperative complications such as protrusion, migration or infection of implanted graft. Permacol® is a collagen sheet which is indicated for soft tissue reinforcement or repair of the head and face area in plastic and reconstructive surgery. Its clinical safety and stability is well established with low complication rates. However, its histopathology has rarely investigated, especially in human. Thus, we reviewed histopathology of two graft-removal cases of patients who had undergone rhinoplasty using Permacol®. In conclusion, Permacol® can lead to fibrosis of imbedded tissues with or without absorption in long-term follow-up. Although Permacol® is gradually absorbed as time passes, the implanted graft can maintain its volume by replaced fibrotic connective tissues.
Absorption ; Allografts ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Collagen* ; Connective Tissue ; Fibrosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Head ; Humans ; Plastics ; Polytetrafluoroethylene ; Postoperative Complications ; Rhinoplasty* ; Silicon ; Transplants