The aim of the study was to explore the current status as well as personal views, attitudes, and beliefs regarding daily meal consumption (DM) and food supplement use (FS) in conjunction with the improvement of health condition of the women. Eight focus group interviews were performed and the interview material was condensed systematically with the aim to extract core meanings related to DM, FS, and menopause-associated health. Participants were 40 in number and showed ages ranging from 45 and 60 years with various menopausal status. Current status and beliefs about DM, resources of purchase motivation of FS, types of FS that are currently used, and perceived effects and personal beliefs about FS are discussed. Theme content analysis revealed 3 themes for beliefs about DM, 5 themes for beliefs pertaining FS, and 4 themes for the association between DM and FS. Non-dietary factors such as positive mental attitude and exercise appeared to be also important to maintain good health. The bottom line message from this study may be that proper nutrition through daily meals is essential for good health, while food supplement are used merely to supplement the diet. Findings from this study may deepen our understanding of how women who translate their lifespan through "menopause" perceive the roles and meaning of DM and FS, suggesting health professionals need to monitor and evaluate DM and implement strategies targeting the improvement of daily meal quality of middle and older aged women.
Aged ; Climacteric ; Diet ; Dietary Supplements ; Female ; Focus Groups ; Health Occupations ; Humans ; Meals ; Motivation ; Organothiophosphorus Compounds

Hyperkeratosis of the renal pelvis and ureter is a rare condition and is explained by the metaplastic change from transitional to cornified squamous epithelium. This lesion is frequently associated with, and perhaps caused by chronic urinary infection, but potentially premalignant, accompaning with carcinoma in about 10 to 20 per cent of the cases at the time of diagnosis. A case of hyperkeratosis of renal pelvis & ureter which was clinically suspected of carcinoma in a 49-year old woman with a long history of chronic pyelonephritis is presented with review of literature.
Female ; Humans

PURPOSE: This paper reports the results of a massage therapy on transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) in the forehead and inguinal regions, feeding intake, urine amount, and defecation frequency for neonates with jaundice who are receiving phototherapy. METHODS: A non-equivalent control group, pre-post, quasi-experimental design was used. Participants were 33 neonates with jaundice admitted for phototherapy and were randomly assigned to one of two groups—an experimental group (n=16), which received 3 days of routine plus 15 minutes of massage three times a day, and a control group (n=17), which received the routine care only. Data were analyzed using χ²-test and Mann-Whitney U test with SPSS 21.0 Win program. RESULTS: On the second day of hospitalization, the experimental group showed significantly lower TcB in the inguinal region (Z=−2.12, p=0.017); on the third day, the experimental group showed significantly lower TcB in the inguinal region (Z=−2.31, p=0.011) and higher defecation frequency (Z=−2.22, p=0.013) compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings suggest that massage for jaundice neonates receiving phototherapy is an effective intervention to reduce TcB in the inguinal region and to increase defecation frequency.
Bilirubin ; Defecation ; Forehead ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Jaundice ; Massage ; Phototherapy

CT has revolutionized the evaluation and management of patients with head injuries. CT is noninvasive and rapidly provides accurate information regarding the presence, extent and nature of intracranial lesions resulting from trauma. We have reviewed the CT scans of 114 patients, who got head injury with confirmed to skull fracture in plain film. The result were as follows; 1. Of all cases, traffic accident was the most frequent cause and in children fall down was more than 50%. 2. Compound linear fracture was the most frequent type fractures in plain skull film. 3. Of all 114 case, epidural hematoma was 16%, subdural hematoma was 18.4%, intracerebral hematoma was14.4%, subdural hygroma was 2.4%, normal finding was 50%. 4. Mortality rate was 13.2%. 5. Fracture was detected by CT about 28.9%, depression fracture was more easily detected in CT. 6. Incidence rate of countercoup lesion was14.0% and mortality rate was higher than same site lesion, 7. The shape of epidural hematoma was biconvex in 75%, planoconvex in 25%. 8. The shape of subdural hematoma was crescentic shape 82.6%, biconvex shape 8.7%, planoconvex shape 8.7%.
Accidents, Traffic ; Brain ; Child ; Craniocerebral Trauma ; Depression ; Head ; Hematoma ; Hematoma, Subdural ; Humans ; Incidence ; Mortality ; Skull Fractures ; Skull ; Subdural Effusion ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify effects of a life-esteemed education applied logotherapy on life respect, meaning of life, and depression on older elementary school students. METHODS: A nonequivalent control group and non-synchronized design was conducted with a convenience sample of 142 students. The program named 'My Precious Life'. consisted of one session per week for five weeks. Students were assigned to the experimental group (n=70) or the control group (72). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, Fisher's exact test, t-test, and repeated measured ANOVA with the SPSS/PC 18.0 program. RESULTS: Meaning of life and life respect increased significantly and depression decreased significantly for participants in the experimental group. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that life-esteemed education applied logotherapy is effective in improving meaning of life and life respect and in decreasing depression in elementary school students. It can also be used to prevent existential distress and to intervene as a motif for having hope in life.
Analysis of Variance ; Child ; Depression/*therapy ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Program Evaluation ; *Psychotherapy ; Quality of Life ; Questionnaires ; Self Concept ; Students/*psychology

PURPOSE: This study was performed to measure hospital nurses' perceived patient safety culture and their safety care activities, and to investigate the relationship between these two factors. METHOD: This study was a cross-sectional survey. The participants were 301 nurses working at 4 general hospitals, and data collection was done from June 22 to June 30, 2009 by self-administrated questionnaires. RESULTS: With a possible score of 5 points, the average score for nurses' perceived patient safety culture was 3.34, and for their safety care activities, 4.25. There were perceived differences in patient safety culture and safety care activities according to age, position, length of work experience and number of patient safety education sessions attended. All sub-factors in patient safety culture had a positive relationship with safety care activities. Factors influencing nurses' safety care activities were number of patient safety education sessions attended, hospital environment, and supervisor/manager. These factors explained 58.2% of the variance. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that patient safety education is very important to improve nurses' safety care activity. So nursing supervisors/ managers should develop strategies encourage patient safety education, and make nurses' working environment safer.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Medical Errors ; Organizational Culture ; Patient Safety

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between self-esteem and meaning of life in higher grade elementary school students. METHODS: Four hundred eighty four elementary school students in their 4 ~ 6th-grade at S, G and C City were recruited by convenient sampling. Data were collected from August to October, 2008 using a self-reported questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by the SPSS/WIN 12.0 program with mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Duncan's test, and Pearson's correlation. RESULTS: The average score of meaning of life was 3.07 +/- 0.38 and that of self-esteem was 3.43 +/- 0.62. There were significant differences in self-esteem according to variables region and religion, and in meaning of life scores according to variables region, grade, sex and religion. There was a significant positive correlation between self-esteem and meaning of life. CONCLUSION: Self-esteem and meaning of life should be considered as important factors for healthy development in the elementary school period. Self-esteem should be considered as a main content in developing programs for finding meaning of life for higher grade elementary school students.
Humans ; Religion and Sex ; Self Concept ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Elastofibroma is a rare benign tumor-like condition manifesting as firm and spherical mass with poorly circumscribed margins of fibroelastic tissue, occuring in the subscapular region or the chest wall of elderly persons. It is not a true neoplasm but rather a reactive or degenerative process causing abnormal elastogenesis. It is unilateral in the majority of cases and the right side is affected more commonly than the left. We report a case of bilateral elastofibromas removed from both subscapular regions of a 73-year-old female farmer. She was presented with tender masses on the bilateral subscapular areas for seven years. Microscopically, it consisted of a mixture of intertwining broad eosinophilic collagen bundles and elastic fibers associated with a few fibroblasts and mature fat cells. The elastic fibers had a degenerated beaded appearance or were fragmented into serrated globules in a linear arrangement.
Adipocytes ; Aged ; Collagen ; Elastic Tissue ; Eosinophils ; Female ; Fibroblasts ; Humans ; Thoracic Wall

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: It has been reported that various inflammatory and immune reactions are involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. We tried to investigate whether the TNF receptor superfamilies are involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Thirteen carotid atheroma specimens(frozen sections : 10 cases, paraffin section : 5 cases) were obtained from the patients who underwent carotid endarterectomy at Samsung Medical Center and one normal aortic tissue was obtained from a transplantation donor in brain death. In the carotid endarterectomy specimens and a normal aortic tissue , the expressions of R110(TR1), 139(TR2) and DR3(TR3), members of the TNF receptor superfamilies were evaluated by immunohistochemical staining with monoclonal antibodies. Simultaneously, we evaluated the expressions of foam cells, smooth muscle cells, T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes. RESULTS: Immunohistochemical analysis identified a strong expressions of foam cells and smooth muscle cells in all atheroma. But, the expression of T-lymphocytes was minimal and that of B-lymphocytes was rare. The expression of DR3(TR3) was seen in all atheroma as strongly positive. The expression of 139(TR2) was observed well in frozen sections, but not in paraffin sections. Whereas, that of R110(TR1) was observed in paraffin sections as weakly positive, but not in frozen section. The areas where the TNF receptor superfamilies were expressed correlated to the area of foam cell presence. The expression of DR3 also correlated with expression of smooth muscle cells. In normal aortic tissue, the expression of inflammatory cells or TNF receptor superfamilies was not observed except smooth muscle cells which were observed in normal artery. CONCLUSION: Foam cells and smooth muscle cells were abundantly present in atheroma. The TNF receptor superfamilies are expressed in the atheroma and the region of expression was coincident with the presence of foam cells.
Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Arteries ; Atherosclerosis ; B-Lymphocytes ; Brain Death ; Endarterectomy, Carotid ; Foam Cells ; Frozen Sections ; Humans ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Paraffin ; Plaque, Atherosclerotic* ; Receptors, Tumor Necrosis Factor* ; T-Lymphocytes ; Tissue Donors ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

This study investigated the effects of high amylose starch (HAS) consumption on gut functions in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Experimental animals were fed an diet containing HAS for 4 weeks (0, 125, 250, 500 g/kg diet). Stool weights, transit time, the pH of cecum, Bifidobacterium growth, short chain fatty acid production, and prostaglandin E2 production in colon mucus were measured. HAS intake did not affect body weight gain or food efficiency ratio during experimental period. There were no significant differences in kidney weight, epididymal fat pad weights or spleen weights, but the weights of the liver and thymus were significantly lower in the HAS100 group. The length of the large intestine, the weights of the cecum wall and cecum contents, and stool weights significantly increased through HAS intake. But transit time was not affected by the experimental diet. Although Bifidobacterium growth in the cecum increased through the HAS intake dose dependently, there were significant differences in the HAS50 and HAS100 groups. HAS intake increased the production of short chain fatty acid in the cecum contents. In particular, acetate and butyrate concentrations grew significantly. And the production of prostaglandin E2 in the colon mucus significantly decreased through HAS intake. These results demonstrate that high amylose starch intake significantly improves gut function.
Adipose Tissue ; Amylose* ; Animals ; Bifidobacterium ; Body Weight ; Butyrates ; Cecum ; Colon ; Diet ; Dinoprostone ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Intestine, Large ; Kidney ; Liver ; Male ; Mucus ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Spleen ; Starch* ; Thymus Gland ; Weights and Measures