PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of telephonic counseling on burnout, depression, life satisfaction, and perceived physical health among family caregivers of older adults with dementia. METHOD: Subjects were randomly assigned into telephonic counseling group (n=21) and the comparison group (n=32). A weekly telephone counseling was conducted by research assistants for 12 weeks. T-test were used to answer the research questions. RESULT: 1) There were no significant differences between the two groups on the level of burnout, depression, life satisfaction, and perceived physical health after telephone counseling. 2) Spouse caregivers under the telephone counseling tended to report higher perceived physical health than comparison group at the post-test (t=-1.88, p=.08). Spouse caregivers under the telephone counseling tended to report higher emotional exhaustion and lower feeling of self achievement. 3) Daughter-in-law caregivers under telephone counseling showed increased feeling of self achievement, improved physical health condition, and decreased depression. CONCLUSION: This study showed potential effects of the problem-solving telephone counseling to improve perceived physical health and to reduce the level of burnout and depression. The findings suggest the necessity of screening most vulnerable subgroups of caregivers to increase the effectiveness of nursing intervention such as telephone counseling.
Adult* ; Caregivers* ; Counseling* ; Dementia* ; Depression* ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Nursing ; Telephone*

No abstract available.
Pregnancy*

Neuronal migrational disorders of the brain represent abnormalities in the formation of the neocortex caused by faulty migration of the subependymal neuroblasts. The neuroblasts normally migrate between the sixth and 15th gestational week and in doing so form the six-layered neocortex. When the migration does not occur in a normal fashion the resultant brain anomalies include lissencephaly, pachygyria, schizencephaly, hemimegalencephaly, heterotopia, and polymicrogyria. Neuronal heterotopia is a collection of nerve cells in abnormal locations as a result of arrest of their radial migration, improper formation, or destruction of the radial glial fiber. We reported a case of neuronal heterotopia with brief review of related literatures.
Agenesis of Corpus Callosum ; Brain ; Lissencephaly ; Malformations of Cortical Development ; Neocortex ; Neuronal Migration Disorders ; Neurons*

No abstract available.
Folliculitis* ; Herpesvirus 3, Human ; Scalp*

PURPOSE: This study was to determine the mediator or moderator role of social support in the relationship between stress and depression among family caregivers of older adults with dementia. METHOD: Sixty nine family caregivers were randomly selected from health care centers in P city and a face-to-face interview was conducted using questionnaires from January to May of 2002. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and hierarchical multiple regression using SPSS program. RESULT: Family caregivers of older adults with higher dependency in ADLs and higher problematic behaviors, provided care to the older adults for a longer period of time, and perceived less social support reported higher depression. Social support showed mediating effects between stress and depression, while did not show moderating effects. Elderly dependency on ADLs and caregiving duration decreased perceived social support and decreased social support increased depression. CONCLUSION: To increase family and social support to the caregivers of more functionally impaired elderly, family education to increase emotional support and physical assistance to the caregivers and broader and flexible application of social support such as increasing accessibility to the elderly daycare service with lower price may prove beneficial.

PURPOSE: Recent studies have revealed close relationships between hepatic injury, metabolic pathways, and gut microbiota. The microorganisms in the intestine also cause irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The aim of this study was to examine whether IBS was associated with elevated hepatic enzyme [alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST)], gamma-glutamyl transferase (gamma-GT) levels, and metabolic syndrome (MS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective, cross-sectional, case-control study. The case and control groups comprised subjects who visited our health promotion center for general check-ups from June 2010 to December 2010. Of the 1127 initially screened subjects, 83 had IBS according to the Rome III criteria. The control group consisted of 260 age- and sex-matched subjects without IBS who visited our health promotion center during the same period. RESULTS: Compared to control subjects, patients with IBS showed significantly higher values of anthropometric parameters (body mass index, waist circumference), liver enzymes, gamma-GT, and lipid levels. The prevalences of elevated ALT (16.9% vs. 7.7%; p=0.015) and gamma-GT (24.1% vs. 11.5%; p=0.037) levels were significantly higher in patients with IBS than in control subjects. A statistically significant difference was observed in the prevalence of MS between controls and IBS patients (12.7% vs. 32.5%; p<0.001). The relationships between elevated ALT levels, MS, and IBS remained statistically significant after controlling for potential confounding factors. CONCLUSION: On the basis of our study results, IBS may be an important condition in certain patients with elevated ALT levels and MS.
Adult ; Alanine Transaminase/analysis/*metabolism ; Aspartate Aminotransferases/analysis/*metabolism ; Body Mass Index ; Case-Control Studies ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome/diagnosis/*enzymology/epidemiology ; Liver/metabolism ; Male ; Metabolic Syndrome X/complications/diagnosis/*enzymology/epidemiology ; Middle Aged ; Obesity/epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Waist Circumference ; gamma-Glutamyltransferase/analysis/*metabolism

OBJECTIVES: This study examined job satisfaction, empowerment, job stress, and burnout among tuberculosis management nurses and physicians in public healthcare institutions. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study analyzing survey data collected from 249 nurses and 57 physicians in 105 public health centers, three public tuberculosis hospitals, and one tertiary hospital. The survey questionnaire comprised general characteristics, work-related characteristics, and four index scales (job satisfaction, empowerment, job stress, and burnout). The two-sample t-test was used to estimate the mean differences in the four index scales. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine whether general and work-related characteristics affected the four index scales. RESULTS: The job satisfaction and empowerment scores of the nurses were lower than those of the physicians. Except for the tuberculosis-specialized hospitals alone, the average job satisfaction scores of nurses were higher than those of physicians. Moreover, the nurses reported more job stress and burnout than did the physicians in tuberculosis departments in public healthcare institutions in Korea; in particular, the burnout reported by nurses was significantly higher than that reported by physicians at the National Medical Center. Marital status, nursing position, number of coworkers, the average number of days of overtime work per month, self-rated health, and hospital type were associated with the four index scales. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, nurses were more vulnerable to job stress and burnout than physicians. Reducing the workload of nurses by ensuring the presence of sufficient nursing staff and equipment, as well as by equipping facilities to prevent tuberculosis infections, should be considered priorities.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Delivery of Health Care ; Hospitals, Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction* ; Korea ; Marital Status ; Nursing ; Nursing Staff ; Power (Psychology) ; Public Health ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Tuberculosis* ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: Delayed treatment of congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is a common cause of mental retardation. The aim of the present study was to evaluate intellectual outcomes in preschool children with treated CH. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical records of 43 children (age range: 13 to 60 days of life; 22 girls and 21 boys) diagnosed with CH. Children aged 5 to 7 years were examined using the Korean Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children or the Korean Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. RESULTS: The patients started treatment between 13 and 60 days of age. The mean intelligence quotient (IQ) of patients tested at age 5 to 7 years was 103.14±11.68 (IQ range: 76–126). None had intellectual disability (defined as an IQ <70). Twenty-one subjects were treated with a low dose (6.0–9.9 µg/kg/day) and 22 with a high dose of levothyroxine (10.0–16.0 µg/kg/day). There was no significant difference in the mean full-scale IQ (FSIQ), verbal IQ (VIQ), and performance IQ (PIQ) scores between the 2 groups. FSIQ, PIQ, and VIQ scores were not significantly correlated with initial dose of L-T4, initial fT4, age at treatment in multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: IQ scores of subjects with early treated CH diagnosed through a neonatal screening test were within normal range, regardless of etiology, thyroid function, initial dose of levothyroxine, and age at start of treatment.
Child ; Child, Preschool* ; Congenital Hypothyroidism* ; Female ; Humans ; Hypothyroidism ; Infant, Newborn ; Intellectual Disability ; Intelligence ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neonatal Screening ; Reference Values ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroxine

BACKGROUND: Respiratory viruses play a significant role in the etiology of acute respiratory infections and exacerbation of chronic respiratory illnesses. This study was conducted to identify the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of children with acute viral lower respiratory infections. METHODS: This study investigated 1,168 children diagnosed with acute viral lower respiratory tract infections (RTIs) between January 2012 and December 2014. Specimens of respiratory viruses were collected using a nasopharyngeal swab and analyzed by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and analyzed the clinical features of children hospitalized for acute lower respiratory infections. RESULTS: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the main cause of infection in children aged <5 years, was the most commonly detected pathogen in children with bronchiolitis and pneumonia, and resulted in high proportions of children requiring oxygen treatment and intensive care unit admission. Rhinovirus was preceded by RSV as the second most common cause of bronchiolitis and pneumonia, and was detected most frequently in the children aged ≥6 years. In addition, asthma was predominantly caused by rhinovirus in children aged ≥6 years, whereas croup was mostly caused by parainfluenza virus in those aged <5 years. Rhinovirus infection (p < 0.001) and history of asthma (p=0.049) were identified as significant risk factors for readmission within a month. CONCLUSION: We identified the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of respiratory viruses in children with acute lower respiratory infections during the last 3 years. Our findings may provide useful clinical insight to comprehend the acute viral lower RTIs in children.
Asthma ; Bronchiolitis ; Child ; Child, Hospitalized* ; Croup ; Humans ; Intensive Care Units ; Medical Records ; Oxygen ; Paramyxoviridae Infections ; Pneumonia ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses ; Respiratory System* ; Respiratory Tract Infections* ; Retrospective Studies ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rhinovirus ; Risk Factors

PURPOSE: Obesity is associated with a dysregulation of metabolic balance and is regarded as a low grade chronic inflammation. Western-style diet and physical inactivity are leading causes of obesity. This study examined the profiles of forty plasma cytokines and chemokines at the same time in the early stages of high-fat diet-induced obesity using a mouse model. METHODS: A total of 30 male CD1 mice, 12 ~ 14 weeks of age, were enrolled. The mice were fed a high-fat diet for 6 weeks to induce obesity. The plasma glucose and triglyceride concentrations were measured using a hexokinase colorimetric assay kit and a serum triglyceride determination kit, respectively. The relative levels of multiple cytokines and chemokines in the plasma were determined using a mouse cytokine array kit. RESULTS: The mice exhibited significant weight gain after 6 weeks of a high-fat diet. The genital fat depot was enlarged along with an increase in the number and the mean size of white adipocytes as early as 4 weeks after a high-fat diet. In addition, the plasma glucose and triglyceride levels increased significantly after 4 weeks of a high-fat diet. Cytokine array analysis revealed a remarkable increase in the expression of both CXCL12 and CXCL13, whereas the proinflammatory cytokines remained low after 4 weeks of a high-fat diet. CONCLUSION: A significant increase in plasma levels of CXCL12 and CXCL13 was observed after 4 weeks of a high-fat diet, which might induce the migration of B lymphocytes, T lymphocytes, and monocytes from the blood to expanding adipose tissue or fat associated lymphoid clusters, playing a key role in adipose tissue remodeling and local immunity during the early stages of high-fat diet-induced obesity.
Adipocytes, White ; Adipose Tissue ; Animals ; B-Lymphocytes ; Blood Glucose ; Chemokines ; Cytokines ; Diet ; Diet, High-Fat ; Hexokinase ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Male ; Mice* ; Monocytes ; Obesity* ; Plasma* ; T-Lymphocytes ; Triglycerides ; Weight Gain