No abstract available.
Anxiety* ; Depression* ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation* ; Kidney* ; Renal Dialysis*

No abstract available.

PURPOSE: This study was done to investigate the relationship of family function, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and general characteristics to loneliness in community dwelling Korean elders and identify factors affecting loneliness. METHOD: With a cross-sectional causal-relationship design and a convenience sample, 205 elders residing in three districts of the city of Seoul, S. Korea were recruited. Participants were assessed using the Family APGAR Score, Self-Esteem Scale, Life-Satisfaction Scale, and Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. RESULTS: The mean score for degree of loneliness (Mean=39.61, SD=10.09) was just below the mean for the scale (Possible range 20-80). Loneliness had significant negative correlations with family function (r= -.400, p<.001), self-esteem (r= -.399, p<.001), and life satisfaction (r= -.644, p<.001). Other general characteristics that had significant or nearly significant relationships with loneliness were perceived current financial and health status, whether doing any exercise or physical activities, degree of close relationship with family members, and length of living in current residence. Among variables, life satisfaction (Standardized beta = -.589, p<.001) and length of living in current residence (Standardized beta = -.136, p<.05) significantly predicted degree of loneliness. CONCLUSION: Findings of this study allow a comprehensive understanding of loneliness and related factors among community dwelling elders in Korea. However, further studies with a larger random sample from various living environments are necessary.
Apgar Score ; Humans ; Korea ; Loneliness* ; Motor Activity ; Seoul

Purpose: This study aims to systematically review the literature and conduct a meta-analysis to thoroughly analyze the outcomes of studies on simulation programs in psychiatric nursing. Methods: We conducted an initial search from January 1, 2000, to September 30, 2023, using databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. A total of 2,571 articles were reviewed based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. We selected 35 articles for systematic literature review and subjected 20 of them to meta-analysis. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and the Comprehensive Meta-Analysis program. Results: The number of psychiatric nursing simulation programs has increased since 2015. The most common programs used Standard Patients (SP), but studies using Virtual Reality (VR), audio, video, and other methods have recently been reported. The programs addressed various mental health issues, including depression, suicide, violence, alcohol problems, and mood disorders. Overall, considering all the studies, a significant effect was observed with a pooled Hedges’s g value of 0.56 (95% CI: 0.35~0.78; p<.001). Conclusion These findings highlight the importance of incorporating simulation-based education into nursing curricula to equip professionals with the skills to provide high-quality care to individuals with mental health problems. Further research is needed to explore the long-term benefits of these educational interventions on patient care.

BACKGROUND: IS6110 DNA fingerprint is a very useful tool for investigating the transmission of tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to identify the epidemiological situations within a given area (one province). METHODS: The 681 Mycbobacterium tuberculosis isolates from patients, who were registered at health centers in Gyeonggi Province from May to December in 2004, were subjected to IS6110 DNA fingerprinting. Patients belonging to clusters were interviewed by health-workers to determine their previous contacts or household TB history. RESULTS: The number of IS6110 copies of the 681 isolates showed diverse fingerprint patterns from 0 to 21 of which the most prevalent copy number was 10 from 120 isolates (17.6%). Thirty-three isolates (4.8%) belonged to the K strain, and 128 isolates (18.8%) belonged to the K family. There were 180 (26.4%) isolates belonged belonging to fifty clusters, of which two clusters were within household transmission. Forty-three (23.9%) out of 180 patients resided in an area under the same health center control. The rate of clusters in those aged 60-70 was higher than in any other age group ( 95% CI of RR : 1.072 ~ 1.988). CONCLUSION: This is the first report of an epidemiological survey based on a whole province using a DNA fingerprinting technique for M. tuberculosis. These results will be helpful in developing a program or policies to prevent the transmission of TB.
Dermatoglyphics ; DNA Fingerprinting* ; DNA* ; Epidemiology ; Family Characteristics ; Gyeonggi-do* ; Humans ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Tuberculosis

Candida guilliermondii is found in sea water, animal feces, buttermilk, and beer and has been isolated from human infections, mostly of cutaneous origin. It usually causes skin and soft tissue infections and has decreased susceptibility to fluconazole. Systemic infections occur mostly in immunocompromised patients. A 38-year-old female was admitted with a 4-day fever. Her medical and family histories were unremarkable, except for obesity. She had been taking diet pills for 3 months and had undergone injection therapy into her abdomen for lipolysis for 1 month. She did not respond to empirical antibiotics. A Candida species was isolated from blood cultures and identified as C. guilliermondii based on partial LSU rRNA gene sequence analyses. She was treated with amphotericin B, and recovered completely.
Abdomen ; Adult ; Amphotericin B ; Animals ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Beer ; Candida ; Candidemia ; Cultured Milk Products ; Diet ; Feces ; Female ; Fever ; Fluconazole ; Genes, rRNA ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Lipolysis ; Obesity ; Seawater ; Sequence Analysis ; Skin ; Soft Tissue Infections

Although sodium nitroprusside (SNP) is often used in pediatric intensive care units, cyanide toxicity can occur after SNP treatment. To treat SNP-induced cyanide poisoning, antidotes such as amyl nitrite, sodium nitrite, sodium thiosulfate, and hydroxycobalamin should be administered immediately after diagnosis. Here, we report the first case of a very young infant whose SNP-induced cyanide poisoning was successfully treated by exchange transfusion. The success of this alternative method may be related to the fact that exchange transfusion not only removes the cyanide from the blood but also activates detoxification systems by supplying sulfur-rich plasma. Moreover, exchange transfusion replaces cyanide-contaminated erythrocytes with fresh erythrocytes, thereby improving the blood's oxygen carrying capacity more rapidly than antidote therapy. Therefore, we believe that exchange transfusion might be an effective therapeutic modality for critical cases of cyanide poisoning.
Amyl Nitrite ; Antidotes ; Natural Resources ; Cyanides ; Erythrocytes ; Humans ; Hydroxocobalamin ; Infant ; Intensive Care Units, Pediatric ; Nitroprusside ; Oxygen ; Plasma ; Sodium ; Sodium Nitrite ; Thiosulfates

BACKGROUND: Mitofusin 2 (MFN2) is a membrane protein and is an essential component of mitochondrial fusion machinery. Mitochondrial fusion is essential for various biological functions in mammalian cells. Thus mutations in MFN2 are the underlying cause of Charcot-Marie-Tooth neuropathy type 2A (CMT2A). However, there has been no reports investigating the MFN2 genes in Korean CMT patients. Therefore, we investigated to find the clinical and genetic characteristics in Korean patients with the MFN2 gene mutation. METHODS: We examined the mutations of the MFN2 gene in 137 Korean CMT families. According to criteria from the European CMT consortium, CMT2 was 45 families. Mutations were confirmed by both strands sequencing. Nerve conduction studies were carried out in CMT patients having each mutation. RESULTS: Eight pathogenic mutations were found in 10 families. Six mutations (Leu92Pro, Gly127Asp, His165Arg, Ser263Pro, Arg364Trp, Met376Thr) were determined to be novel, and those were not detected in the 100 healthy controls. A de novo missense mutation was found in three CMT families (30%). The frequency of the MFN2 mutation was 22.2%, which was higher than those found in the Cx32 mutation. In CMT2A, the frequencies with early age at onset (<10 years) and flat feet were 46.2%. CONCLUSIONS: We found MFN2 mutations in patients with sporadic or dominantly inherited CMT. In the majority of cases with CMT type 2, the axonal neuropathy, may be due to MFN2 mutations.
Axons ; Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease ; Flatfoot ; Humans ; Membrane Proteins ; Mitochondrial Dynamics ; Mutation, Missense ; Neural Conduction

PURPOSE: No domestic report has been published on postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) in adolescents, although it has been increasingly studied in adolescents since first reported in 1999. This study analyzed the clinical characteristics and neurophysiologic findings of POTS in Korean pediatric patients. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of pediatric patients (<18 years) with POTS who visited Gyeongsang National University Hospital in Jinju between January 2008 and March 2010. All patients underwent tilt-table and autonomic function tests. RESULTS: We identified 18 patients (72.2% male, mean age 13.6 +/- 2.1 years). The mean orthostatic heart rate increment was 43.0 +/- 9.1 beats/min. Most patients (83.3%) had mild autonomic dysfunction, and three (16.6%) had moderate autonomic dysfunction. Half of patients had sudomotor abnormalities in the lower limbs, implying peripheral postganglionic sympathetic denervation in the legs. Of these patients, 66.6% also had adrenergic impairment. The degree of autonomic dysfunction correlated with the orthostatic heart rate increment (P=0.047). Patients needing pharmacologic treatment had a higher orthostatic heart rate increment (P=0.017), composite autonomic severity score (P=0.002), and sudomotor score (P=0.006), compared with non-pharmacologically treated patients. CONCLUSION: Autonomic dysfunction or autonomic neuropathy seems to be the main pathophysiology of POTS in pediatric patients, especially adolescents. Further, the degree of autonomic dysfunction influenced the prognosis of POTS. Additionally, unlike previous adult series, most of our patients were male. This male predominance in adolescents suggests that the growth spurt is an important factor triggering POTS at this age.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Leg ; Lower Extremity ; Male ; Medical Records ; Orthostatic Intolerance ; Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome ; Prognosis ; Sympathectomy

OBJECTIVE: Angiopoietin-1 (Ang1) is a potent angiogenic factor that can increase synovial angiogenesis and also enhance osteoblast maturation and bone formation. However, its role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has not been well documented. Thus, we investigated roles of Ang1 in collagen-induced arthritis (CIA). METHODS: A recombinant adenovirus carrying the gene that encodes either cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (AdCOMP)-Ang1 (a modified form of Ang1) or LacZ (AdLacZ) was injected intravenously into CIA mice. Clinical, radiological, histopathological, and immunofluorescent analyses were performed. Serum levels of receptor activators of nuclear factor kappaB ligand (RANKL) and osteoprotegerin (OPG) and expression of osteoblast maturation genes were analyzed. RESULTS: AdCOMP-Ang1-injected mice developed more severe inflammation than the AdLacZ-injected mice. However, there were no significant differences in cartilage damage and bone erosion. More PECAM-1-positive blood vessels were seen in the synovium of the AdCOMP-Ang1-injected mice than in those injected with AdLacZ. Interestingly, a lower number of TRAP-positive osteoclasts were observed in AdCOMP-Ang1-injected CIA mice than in the AdLacZ group when comparing sections obtained from joints showing similar synovial proliferation. The serum OPG/RANKL ratio and expression of osteoblast maturation genes, such as runt-related transcription factor 2, bone sialoprotein, type 1 collagen, osteopontin, and osterix, were significantly upregulated in the AdCOMP-Ang1 group. CONCLUSION: COMP-Ang1 facilitates arthritis onset and increases synovial inflammation, but enhances osteoblast maturation, which in turn inhibits osteoclastogenesis by increasing the OPG/RANKL ratio in CIA. Our results suggest that careful investigation is necessary to delineate the possible therapeutic use of COMP-Ang1 as an adjunctive agent, in combination with anti-inflammatory therapies, for the prevention of bone destruction in RA.
Adenoviridae ; Angiogenesis Inducing Agents ; Angiopoietin-1 ; Animals ; Arthritis ; Arthritis, Experimental ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Blood Vessels ; Cartilage ; Collagen Type I ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins ; Glycoproteins ; Inflammation ; Integrin-Binding Sialoprotein ; Joints ; Lifting ; Mice ; Osteoblasts ; Osteoclasts ; Osteogenesis ; Osteopontin ; Osteoprotegerin ; Synovial Membrane ; Transcription Factors