PURPOSE: This study was to explore elderly people's elder abuse experiences, and the relations between the abuse experiences (direct and indirect) and their level of activities of daily living, family relations and self-integrity. METHOD: A descriptive survey was conducted, and the participants were 108 elderly people. Data were analyzed using SPSS by descriptive statistics and t-test. RESULT: It was that indirect abuse experiences of the elder was higher than direct abuse experiences. In this research, the most common kind of direct elder abuse was 'psychological abuse and negligence', and the severity was low. The largest portion of indirect abuse experiences belonged to 'physical abuse and negligence', and the severity was high. The older people who had direct abuse experiences showed lowered self-integrity and serious family problems and stress. CONCLUSION: The experiences of elder abuse showed differences in family relations and self integrity. Hence, there should be a nursing intervention improving psycho-social factors such as self integrity and family relations, and systematic and easily available supporting organizations for victims of elder abuse.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aged ; Elder Abuse ; Family Relations ; Humans

PURPOSE: Purposes of this study were to develop a Nurse Emotional Labor Strategy Scale in Korean (K-NELSS) and to evaluate its psychometric properties. METHODS: The 14 items Emotional Labor Strategy Scale (ELSS) was translated into Korean and modified to apply to nurses. Two hundred and fifty nurses working in various units completed the questionnaire. Factor validity using confirmatory factor analysis, construct validity using correlation with burn-out, and criterion validity using correlation with Korean-Emotional Labor Scale (K-ELS) were identified. Reliability was tested by Cronbach's α. RESULTS: K-NELSS has 3 domains: surface acting, deep acting, and expression of naturally felt emotions. Confirmatory factor analysis showed moderate goodness of fit (RMSEA=.80, SRMR=.07, CFI=93, TFI=.92). Correlation between surface acting and burn-out was r=.37 (p < .001), and between K-NELSS and K-ELS were r=.57 (p < .001) in surface action and r=.62 (p < .001) in deep acting. Cronbach's αs for surface acting, deep acting, and expression of naturally felt emotions were .89, .88, .84, respectively. CONCLUSION: Psychometric properties of K-NELSS indicate that it is a useful and reliable tool to assess emotional labor of Korean nurses. In addition, with a small number of items, it is relatively easy to use.
Psychometrics ; Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires

We introduce a rare case of gastric emphysema. A 68-year-old man presented with vomiting and dyspnea. Simple abdominal X-ray and CT showed marked dilatation of the stomach and abnormal intramural gas consistent with gastric emphysema. We performed gastric decompression via nasogastric tube drainage and parenteral nutritional support. Nine days after admission, the abnormal intramural gas had disappeared on follow-up CT. The acute gastric dilatation in this patient may have resulted from gastric hypomotility as a result of diabetic gastroparesis in addition to superior mesenteric artery syndrome resulting from malnutrition.
Aged ; Decompression ; Dilatation ; Drainage ; Dyspnea ; Emphysema ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gastric Dilatation ; Gastric Outlet Obstruction ; Gastroparesis ; Humans ; Malnutrition ; Mesenteric Artery, Superior ; Nutritional Support ; Stomach ; Superior Mesenteric Artery Syndrome ; Vomiting

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to investigate associations between contextual characteristics and unmet healthcare needs in South Korea after accounting for individual factors. METHODS: The present study used data from the 2012 Korean Community Health Survey (KCHS) of 228 902 adults residing within 253 municipal districts in South Korea. A multilevel analysis was conducted to investigate how contextual characteristics, defined by variables that describe the regional deprivation, degree of urbanity, and healthcare supply, are associated with unmet needs after controlling for individual-level variables. RESULTS: Of the surveyed Korean adults, 12.1% reported experiencing unmet healthcare needs in the past. This figure varied with the 253 districts surveyed, ranging from 2.6% to 26.2%. A multilevel analysis found that the association between contextual characteristics and unmet needs varied according to the factors that caused the unmet needs. The degree of urbanity was associated with unmet need due to "financial burden" (odds ratio [OR], 0.53; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.42 to 0.66 for rural vs. metropolitan), but not unmet need due to "service not available when needed." There were no significant associations between these unmet need measures and regional deprivation. Among individual-level variables, income level showed the highest association with unmet need due to "financial burden" (OR, 5.63; 95% CI, 4.76 to 6.66), while employment status showed a strong association with unmet need due to "service not available when needed." CONCLUSIONS: Our finding suggests that different policy interventions should be considered for each at-risk population group to address the root cause of unmet healthcare needs.
Adult ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Employment ; Health Services Accessibility ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Korea* ; Multilevel Analysis ; Population Groups ; Residence Characteristics

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to identify the association between sleep duration and chronic kidney disease (CKD) among the agriculture population. METHODS: We utilized the study of Safety for Agricultural Injuries of Famers cohort collected from September 2015 to June 2018, which was data on the health and behaviors of the adult agriculture population on Jeju Island, South Korea. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate &60 mL/min/1.73 m². RESULTS: A total of 493 participants were included in the analysis, and 72 (14.6%) of them were identified as diagnosed with CKD. There was a statistical difference in the prevalence of CKD among the subjects with &6 hours (24.1%), 6 to 8 hours (8.4%) and ≥8 hours (18.2%) of daily average sleep duration (p&0.001). Multivariable analyses revealed that daily average sleep duration of <6 hours [odds ratio (OR)=3.79, p=0.007] and ≥8 hours (OR=3.39, p=0.009) were significantly associated with CKD compared to 6 to 8 hours of the duration. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that both shorter and longer sleep duration give a higher risk of having CKD among the agriculture population. Adequate sleep within 6 to 8 hours a day can help prevent CKD in the agriculture population.

A 61-year-old woman was admitted to hospital because of generalized edema and proteinuria. Her renal function deteriorated rapidly. Serum immunoglobulin and complement levels were within normal ranges. An autoantibody examination showed negative for antinuclear antibody and antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody. Histologic examination of a renal biopsy specimen revealed that all of the glomeruli had severe crescent formations with no immune deposits. The patient was treated with steroid pulse therapy with cyclophosphamide followed by oral prednisolone. Fifteen days later, she experienced massive recurrent hematochezia. Angiography revealed an active contrast extravasation in a branch of the distal ileal artery. We selectively embolized with a permanent embolic agent. On the 45th hospital day, the patient suddenly lost consciousness. Brain computed tomography showed intracerebral hemorrhage. We report a case of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-negative pauci-immune glomerulonephritis with massive intestinal bleeding and cerebral hemorrhage.
Angiography ; Antibodies, Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic ; Antibodies, Antinuclear ; Arteries ; Biopsy ; Brain ; Cerebral Hemorrhage ; Complement System Proteins ; Consciousness ; Cyclophosphamide ; Cytoplasm* ; Edema ; Female ; Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage ; Glomerulonephritis* ; Hemorrhage* ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins ; Middle Aged ; Prednisolone ; Proteinuria ; Reference Values ; Vasculitis

PURPOSE: To determine the anatomical characteristic of C-shaped canal systems in Korean mandibular 2nd molars by cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The 824 CBCT images were evaluated. These patients were taken CBCT for the diagnosis and treatment of dental implantation on 2013. The 711 mandibular 2nd molars were examined. The configuration of root canal systems were classified according to modified Melton's classifications. RESULTS: Of the 711 mandibular 2nd molars, 21.5% had C-shaped canal systems. This prevalence did not differ with tooth position. Most of the C-shaped canals with bilateral molars were symmetrical. Of the C-shaped canal, the most common configuration Type were Melton's Type I (89%) in the orifice level and Melton's III (83.8%) in the apical level. The prevalence of C-shaped canal was higher in female (25%) than male (13.9%) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of C-shaped canals were observed in Korean mandibular 2nd molars. For successful C-shaped root canal treatment, the comprehension of root canal systems was important.
Classification ; Comprehension ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography* ; Dental Implantation ; Dental Implants ; Dental Pulp Cavity* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Molar* ; Prevalence ; Tooth

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of long-term endurance exercise and natural fermented vinegar on body composition and cardiopulmonary function of 50-aged postmenopausal women. METHODS: Subjects were divided into four groups (sedentary group, aerobic exercise group, natural fermented vinegar group, and aerobic exercise plus natural fermented vinegar group) to perform natural fermented vinegar intake or aerobic exercise for 8 weeks. Body weight, body composition, cardio-pulmonary function test, and blood concentration of glucose, lipid profiles, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase were measured. RESULTS: The results showed that natural fermented vinegar or aerobic exercise training for 8 weeks no significantly improved body weight control and body composition. However, natural fermented vinegar plus aerobic exercise training for 8 weeks significantly improved cardiopulmonary function. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that natural fermented vinegar plus aerobic exercise training has a significant effect on anti-fatigue.
Acetic Acid* ; Alanine Transaminase ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Body Composition* ; Body Weight ; Exercise* ; Fatigue ; Female ; Glucose ; Humans ; Middle Aged* ; Obesity

OBJECTIVES: In this study the relationship between neighborhood deprivation and the unmet health care needs of elderly individuals (≥ 65 years) was examined. Some previous studies suggested that neighborhood characteristics affect access to health care, yet research on the unmet needs of older individuals is limited. METHODS: Multilevel logistic regression analysis was used to assess the relationship of neighborhood-level factors with unmet health care needs due to costs, adjusting for individual-level factors, in individuals ≥ 65 years in the 2017 Korean Community Health Survey (n = 63,388). RESULTS: There were 2.6% of elderly individuals who experienced unmet health care needs due to costs. Following adjustment for individual and neighborhood characteristics, the neighborhood deprivation in urban areas was found to have an inverse association with unmet needs (odds ratio = 0.50; 95% confidence interval = 0.24–1.06) for the most deprived quartile versus the least deprived quartile). However, in rural areas neighborhood deprivation was not a significant variable. Among the individual-level variables, household income was one of the strongest correlates with unmet needs in both urban and rural areas. CONCLUSION: The present findings suggest that targeted policy interventions reflecting both neighborhood and individual characteristics, should be implemented to reduce the unmet health care needs of elderly individuals.
Aged ; Delivery of Health Care ; Family Characteristics ; Health Services Accessibility ; Health Surveys ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Multilevel Analysis ; Residence Characteristics

Human infection by Rhodococcus species is rare and mostly limited to immunocompromised hosts such as patients infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or organ transplant recipients. The most common strain is R. equi, and the most common clinical presentation is pulmonary infection, reported in 80% of Rhodococcus spp. infections. The central nervous system is an uncommon infection site. We report a case of a patient with pneumonia, brain abscess, and recurrent meningitis caused by Rhodococcus spp. He initially presented with pneumonia with necrosis, which progressed to brain abscess and recurrent meningitis. Rhodococcus spp. was identified from the cerobrospinal fluid (CSF) collected during his fourth hospital admission. Despite prolonged treatment with appropriate antibiotics, meningitis recurred three times. Finally, in order to administer antibiotics directly into the CSF and bypass the blood-brain barrier, an Ommaya reservoir was inserted for administration of 90 days of intrathecal vancomycin and amikacin in conjunction with intravenous and oral antibiotics; the patient was finally cured with this treatment regimen.
Amikacin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Blood-Brain Barrier ; Brain Abscess ; Central Nervous System ; HIV ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Injections, Spinal* ; Meningitis* ; Necrosis ; Pneumonia ; Rhodococcus* ; Transplants ; Vancomycin*