PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of foot reflexology on sleep, depression and skin temperature of the female elderly at home. METHODS: This research used the non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 45 elders residing at home: 23 in the experimental group and 22 in the control group. The experimental group received 30-minute foot reflexology 8 times for 2 weeks. The results were analyzed using chi2 test, t-test with the SPSS/WIN 12.0 program. RESULTS: The results showed that foot reflexology was significantly effective in improving the quality of sleep, reducing depression, and raising the temperature of both feet. However, the temperature of both palms was not statistically significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that foot reflexology is an effective nursing intervention in improving the quality of sleep, reducing depression, and raising the temperature of both feet. Therefore, it is recommended to use foot reflexology as a complementary nursing intervention for elderly women at home in community.
Aged* ; Depression* ; Female* ; Foot* ; Humans ; Massage* ; Nursing ; Skin Temperature* ; Skin*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of foot reflexology on sleep, depression and skin temperature of the female elderly at home. METHODS: This research used the non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 45 elders residing at home: 23 in the experimental group and 22 in the control group. The experimental group received 30-minute foot reflexology 8 times for 2 weeks. The results were analyzed using chi2 test, t-test with the SPSS/WIN 12.0 program. RESULTS: The results showed that foot reflexology was significantly effective in improving the quality of sleep, reducing depression, and raising the temperature of both feet. However, the temperature of both palms was not statistically significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that foot reflexology is an effective nursing intervention in improving the quality of sleep, reducing depression, and raising the temperature of both feet. Therefore, it is recommended to use foot reflexology as a complementary nursing intervention for elderly women at home in community.
Aged* ; Depression* ; Female* ; Foot* ; Humans ; Massage* ; Nursing ; Skin Temperature* ; Skin*

PURPOSE: This study investigated the relationship between the needs for hospice care and quality of life in cancer patients. METHODS: Data were collected from 127 cancer patients hospitalized at a university hospital in Chonbuk between October, 2006 to March, 2007. Two instruments were used: cancer patients' need for hospice care, developed by Kang and Kim and quality of life developed by Tae et al. RESULTS: The mean scores were 3.11 out of 4 for hospice care needs, and 5.25 out of 10 for quality of life. The correlation between needs for hospice care and quality of life was moderate and negative (r=-0.395, P<0.01). Among the four groups of needs, physical need was the most strongly correlated with quality of lifer (r=-0.388, P<0.01). The need for hospice care was significantly different according to participants' religion (t=6.02, P<0.05), and duration of disease (F=3.45, P<0.05). Quality of life was significantly different according to participants' monthly income (F=3.38, P<0.05). cancer stage (F=8.10, P<0.01) and chemotherapy (t=6.09, P=0.015). CONCLUSION: The results suggested that the cancer patients' hospice care needs should be answered in order to improve their quality of life. While doing so, participants' characteristic need should also be considered.
Hospice Care ; Hospices ; Humans ; Quality of Life

No abstract available.
Osteomyelitis*

No abstract available.
Intestinal Obstruction*

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to examine the effects of foot reflexology on arthralgia, ankylosis, depression and sleep in community-dwelling elderly women with osteoarthritis. METHODS: The research adopted a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Participants were 47 elderly women: 22 in the experimental group and 25 in the control group. The experimental group received foot reflexology twice a week for 4 weeks. The results were analyzed using chi2-test, t-test, and ANCOVA with the SPSS/WIN 21.0 program. RESULTS: The results showed that foot reflexology was statistically significantly effective in reducing arthralgia, ankylosis, and depression and in improving the quality of sleep as evidenced by differences between two groups. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicated that foot reflexology is an effective nursing intervention in reducing arthralgia, ankylosis, and depression, and improving the quality of sleep. Therefore, it is necessary to develop foot reflexology as an independent nursing intervention for elderly women with osteoarthritis in community.
Aged* ; Ankylosis* ; Arthralgia* ; Depression* ; Female ; Foot* ; Humans ; Massage* ; Nursing ; Osteoarthritis*

Purpose: The study aimed to identify which digital biomarkers are collected and which specific devices are used according to vulnerable and susceptible individual characteristics in a living-lab setting. Materials and Methods: A literature search, screening, and appraisal process was implemented using the Web of Science, Pubmed, and Embase databases. The search query included a combination of terms related to “digital biomarkers,” “devices that collect digital biomarkers,” and “vulnerable and susceptible groups.” After the screening and appraisal process, a total of 37 relevant articles were obtained. Results: In elderly people, the main digital biomarkers measured were values related to physical activity. Most of the studies used sensors. The articles targeting children aimed to predict diseases, and most of them used devices that are simple and can induce some interest, such as wearable device-based smart toys. In those who were disabled, digital biomarkers that measured location-based movement for the purpose of diagnosing disabilities were widely used, and most were measured by easy-to-use devices that did not require detailed explanations. In the disadvantaged, digital biomarkers related to health promotion were measured, and various wearable devices, such as smart bands and headbands were used depending on the purpose and target. Conclusion As the digital biomarkers and devices that collect them vary depending on the characteristics of study subjects, researchers should pay attention not only to the purpose of the study but also the characteristics of study subjects when collecting and analyzing digital biomarkers from living labs.

No abstract available.
Colon* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley* ; Rectum*

PURPOSE: This study was designed to construct a model which explains drug misuse behaviors in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: The design of this research is a cross-sectional study using structure equation modeling. The hypothetical model consisted of two types of variables: the exogenous variables of health status, cognitive ability, and negative emotion, and the endogenous variables of number of drugs, and drug misuse behaviors. The data collection was conducted from September 2 to September 21, 2013 through self-report questionnaires. Participants were 320 community-dwelling adults over the age of 65 living in J city. Data were analyzed with SPSS 21.0 program and Amos 18.0 program. RESULTS: The results of the model fitness analysis were satisfied. The predictor variables for the hypothetical model explained 62.3% of variance regarding drug misuse behaviors. Drug misuse behaviors were directly affected by health status, cognitive ability, negative emotion and number of drugs and indirectly affected by health status, and negative emotion through number of drugs. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate factors that should be used in developing effective nursing interventions for safe and proper drug use and the prevention of drug misuse behaviors in community-dwelling older adults.
Adult* ; Cognition ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Data Collection ; Humans ; Nursing ; Prescription Drug Misuse

BACKGROUND: Aspirin/NSAIDs can release cysteinyl-leukotriene (cys-LTs) into airways and precipitate asthmatic symptoms in aspirin - induced asthma(AIA). It has been reported that there is profound overexpression of LTC4 synthase in their bronchial mucosa, compared to aspirin-tolerant asthma. Objective : We observed whether genetic polymorphism of LTC4 synthase may be predisposed to LTC4 synthase overexpression in AIA. Subject and METHOD: Forty - four AIA patients having positive responses on lysin aspirin bron choprovocation tests and 47 non - aspirin induced asthma ( non - AIA ) patients having negative challenges and 32 healthy controls were enrolled. The genotypes of the promoter LTC4 synthase gene ( A,C transversion ) were determined by polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism ( RFLP ) method. RESULTS: LTC4 synthase promoter polymorphism ( A444C btransversion) was not significantly different between non - AIA and AIA patients (p>0.05). Conclusion These findings suggest that genetic polymorphism of LTC4 synthase promoter may not be predisposed to LTC, synthase overexpression in AIA.
Aspirin* ; Asthma* ; Asthma, Aspirin-Induced ; Genotype ; Humans ; Leukotriene C4* ; Mucous Membrane ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Genetic ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length