PURPOSE: This study was performed to identify the importance and performance of hospice volunteer's activities perceived by hospice volunteers. METHODS: The subjects were 259 hospice volunteers from six hospitals in Daegu and Gyeongsangbukdo areas. A list of hospice volunteer's activities was developed by authors, based on literature, and interviews with the hospice volunteers were used to measure the perception on the importance and performance of their activities. Data were analyzed by using Descriptive statistics, t-test, One-way ANOVA with Scheffe test, and Pearson's product-moment correlation in SPSS Win 12.0. RESULTS: The average of the importance of hospice volunteer's activities was 3.09 and the performance was 2.31, which was lower than the importance. There was a significant correlation between the importance and the performance (r=.487, P=.000). There were significant differences in total score of the importance, depending on religion, education, and period of hospice volunteer activity of subjects. There were significant differences in total score of the performance, depending on age, religion, and period of hospice volunteer activity of subjects. CONCLUSION: The importance of hospice volunteer's activities, perceived by hospice volunteers, was relatively high, however their performance didn't reach the level of the importance. Some characteristics of the volunteers influenced the perception of the importance and performance of the hospice volunteer's activities. The findings of this study are expected to provide useful information for the development of educational and management programs the hospice volunteers.
Hospices

PURPOSE: To compare the difference of state anxiety, perceived support, and childbirth experience perception, between the primiparous's husband who participated in actual labor and delivery process with her wife after finishing Lamaze childbirth class education and the husband who did not finished Lamaze childbirth class, for providing the basic data for effective nursing intervention and pre-childbirth educational program development for husbands. METHOD: At one general hospital located in Kyunggi-do and one clinic in Seoul, from April 6th to May 12th, 2003, the subjects were 146 including 67 primipara's husbands who participated in the 5-week Lamaze educational program and 79 primipara's husbands who didn't, using structuralized questionnaire. Analysis: Mean, frequency, percentage, chi2-test, and t-test were used by SPSS 10.0 program. RESULT: The sub-hypothesis 1, 'there are significant differences between anxiety of the group who participated in Lamaze and who didn't' was not accepted (t=-1.043, p=.299). The sub-hypothesis 2, 'there are significant differences between anxiety by cervical dilatation the group who participated in Lamaze program and who didn't' was not accepted (t=-1.123, P=.263, t=-.356, P=.722, t=-1.879, P=.062). The hypothesis 3, 'there are significant differences between perceived support of the group who participated in Lamaze program and who didn't' was accepted (t=4.860, P=.000). Especially, the obstetrical support of the group who participated in Lamaze program, which could reduce delivering pain, was higher. The hypothesis 4, 'there are significant differences between the perception of childbirth-labor experience of the group who participated in Lamaze program and who didn't' was accepted (t=2.816, P=.006). CONCLUSION: The Lamaze program was a effective nursing intervention for husband's affirmative perception of childbirth-labor experience as well as husband's role as active supporters during labor process. The change of present woman-centered pre-childbirth education into both partner-centered education stressing on husband's needs, viewpoint and role as a supporter should be considered. Therefore, hospital administrators should pay more attention on enhancing the opportunities of husband for pre-birth education and participating in the process of labor as a family-centered nursing intervention.
Anxiety* ; Education ; Family Nursing ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hospital Administrators ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Labor Stage, First ; Nursing ; Parturition* ; Pregnancy ; Program Development ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul ; Spouses

In this study, the distribution and reisolation of Mycoplasma pneumoniae(Mp) were observed from the various tissues of BALB/c mice which were intraperitoneally pre-inoculated with Mp. In addition, the effect of Mp on the growth, phagocytic activities and nitric oxide production of microglial cells were also examined. The results were as follows; 1) Mp was reisolated from the various tissues such as lymph node, spleen, liver, kidney, brain and blood from one hour through 48 hours after intra-peritoneal inoculation of Mp in mice by the cultural method. Furthermore, it could also be confirmed from those tissues up to 72 hours by the indirect immunofluorescent antibody method. 2) There was no difference in the phagocytic activities between the control microglial cells and Mp stimulated microglial cells. 3) The growth of microglial cells in the medium was significantly increased by the stimulation with Mp compared with that of the control. 4) Nitric oxide production of mouse microglial cells was increased by the combined treatment if IFN-r and LPS or IFN-r and Mp or IFN-r, LPS and Mp, whereas, no increase was observed by either LPS or Mp alone. 5) Nitric oxide production of microglial cells primed with IFN-r was closely related with the dose of LPS and Mp in the dose dependent manner rather than that of the IFN-r. These results suggest that; i) Mp spreads to the various tissues of mice within one hour after intraperitoneal inoculation, ii) the growth of microglial cells increases by the infection of Mp, iii) microglial cells have phagocytic activities to C.albicans and iv) nitric oxide production of microglial cells was augmented by the infection of Mp. Increased nitric oxide production of microglial cells is regarded as an increase of the intracellular bactericidal activiteis of microglial cells. It is suggested, nonetheless, that the inflammatory response of the Mp infected tissues is augmented by the increase of nitric oxide.
Animals ; Brain ; Kidney ; Liver ; Lymph Nodes ; Mice* ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Nitric Oxide* ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma* ; Spleen

No abstract available.
Animals ; Astrocytes* ; Interleukin-1* ; Interleukin-10* ; Interleukin-12* ; Interleukin-1beta* ; Interleukin-2* ; Interleukin-6* ; Melanoma* ; Mice* ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae* ; Mycoplasma* ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma*

No abstract available.
Anemia, Dyserythropoietic, Congenital*

PURPOSE: Foreign bodies in the airway of infant and children require prompt diagnosis and removal. To evaluate the pattern of clinical characteristics and disease course, we reviewed and analyzed a 6-year experience with pediatric airway foreign bodies in children. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of pediatric foreign body aspiration managed by pediatric and otorhinolaryngologic departments of Ajou University Hospital from November 1994 to October 2000. Nineteen cases of aspiration were collected and we analyzed their age, sex, symptoms, duration between onset of symptoms and diagnosis, initial simple radiographic findings, matierials of aspirations, anatomic location of foreign body, length of hospital day, and complications. RESULTS: The mean age was 2.7 years and male-to-female ratio of 1.8 : 1. In 11 cases, choking episode was identified by parents or patients. The correct diagnosis was made within first 24 hours of aspiration in 4 patients; while in 15 cases, the proper diagnosis was done after 24 hours. The most common presenting symptoms were cough (73.6%) and decreased breath sounds (57.9%) and the most common initial finding of simple radiographs was emphysema, presented in 68.4% of patients. Vegetable substances, particularly peanuts were the most common material of identified foreign body. Nine foreign bodies were in the right bronchus, 8 in the left bronchus and 2 in the subglottic area. The mean duration of admissions were 3.75 days in pateints who were diagnosed within 24 hours, however, 8.61 days in those with a delayed diagnosis (P=0.012). CONCLUSION: Taken together, the majority of accidental foreign body aspiration in airway was found under 3-year of age. Pediatricians and parents should be conscious to check for history of foreign body aspiration who have suspicious clinical features of aspiration, for early diagnosis and proper management without complications and long term morbidity.
Airway Obstruction ; Arachis ; Aspirations (Psychology) ; Bronchi ; Child* ; Cough ; Delayed Diagnosis ; Diagnosis ; Early Diagnosis ; Emphysema ; Foreign Bodies* ; Humans ; Infant ; Medical Records ; Parents ; Retrospective Studies ; Vegetables

A 69-year old man presented with severe epigastric pain for 1 day. He had early gastric cancer at the antrum and underwent a distal subtotal gastrectomy and Billorth II gastrojejunostomy one month later without any post-operative complications. Radiologic examination revealed a large amount of retroperitoneal free air formation. Because of unremitting pain and unstable vital sign, exploratory laparotomy was followed. During the operation, a perforated duodenal diverticulum at the posterior wall of the 2nd portion of the duodenum was identified. He underwent diverticulectomy and primary closure. He was discharged on the 18th post operative day and has been followed up without any evidence of comlpication for several months.
Aged ; Diverticulum* ; Duodenum ; Gastrectomy* ; Gastric Bypass* ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Vital Signs

One of the major social issues nowadays is the aging society. Korea is already an aging society, and 63 cities and districts are ultra-aged societies where the rate of people older than 65 yr exceeds 20%. Among them, more than 67% are women. These statistics reveal the importance of healthcare for older women. Disease and disability of older women are very closely related to the loss of female sex hormones after menopause. Major hormone-dependent aging problems in women such as osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease (AD), urinary incontinence, and coronary atherosclerosis were surveyed in this review, and the key role of hormones in those diseases and hormone replacement therapy (HRT) were summarized. We expect that this review would provide some understanding of factors that must be considered to give optimal care to older women for healthy lives.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aging/*physiology ; Alzheimer Disease/drug therapy/metabolism/*physiopathology ; Female ; Gonadal Steroid Hormones/*metabolism/physiology/therapeutic use ; Hormone Replacement Therapy ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Osteoporosis/drug therapy/metabolism/*physiopathology

PURPOSE: Leptin plays an important role in the control of body weight and also has a growth-factor-like function in epithelial cells. Abnormal expression of leptin and leptin receptor may be associated with cancer development and progression. We evaluated the relationship among leptin and leptin receptors polymorphisms, body mass index (BMI), serum leptin concentrations, and clinicopathologic features with gastric cancer and determined whether they could be the risk factor of gastric cancer. METHODS: We measured the serum leptin concentrations of 48 Korean patients with gastric cancer and 48 age- and sex-matched controls. By polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism, we investigated one leptin gene promoter G-2548A genotype and four leptin receptor gene polymorphisms at codons 223, 109, 343, and 656. RESULTS: There was no significant difference between the mean leptin concentrations of the patient and control groups, while BMI was significantly lower in gastric cancer cases (22.9 +/- 3.6 vs. 24.5 +/- 2.8 kg/m2, P = 0.021). There was significant association between the LEPR Lys109Arg genotype and gastric cancer risk, heterozygotes for GA genotype had been proved to increased the risk of gastric cancer, and its corresponding odds ratio was 2.926 (95% confidence interval, 1.248 to 6.861). CONCLUSION: Our results suggested that LEPR gene Lys109Arg polymorphism is associated with gastric cancer in Korean patients.
Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Codon ; Epithelial Cells ; Genotype ; Heterozygote ; Humans ; Korea ; Leptin ; Odds Ratio ; Receptors, Leptin ; Risk Factors ; Stomach Neoplasms

We report a case of intussusception of the cecum and appendix arising in pericecal endometriosis that are mistaken as a cecal tumor preoperatively. At the other OBGY clinic, the 1st lapalotomy was performed for management of leiomyoma but pelvic organs were adhesion severely and palpation mass in the cecum and appendix. The patient was transfer to our hospital for evaluation and treatment of mass. We investigated to intestine closely and diagnosis was cecal tumor colonoscopically. Total hystrectomy and iliocecectomy was performed successfully and discovered intussusception of the cecum and appendix due to endometriosis mistaken as a cecal tumor in operative field. Postoperatively, this case was diagnosed in pericecal endometriosis histologically.
Appendix* ; Cecum* ; Diagnosis ; Endometriosis* ; Female ; Humans ; Intestines ; Intussusception* ; Leiomyoma ; Palpation