BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate nurses' clinical competence and its relationship with perception of and compliance with standard precautions. METHODS: From January 12 to January 20, 2011, a total of 134 nurses working at a university hospital in Gyeonggi province completed a structured questionnaire on clinical competence and perception of and compliance with standard precautions. The data were analyzed with independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation analysis. RESULTS: The mean score for clinical competence was 3.53, and showed significant differences according to age, gender, education level, marital status, monthly income, and years of experience. The mean scores for perception of and compliance with standard precautions were 4.67 and 4.00 respectively. Perception of standard precautions showed a significant difference according to years of experience. There were significant positive correlations among clinical competence and perception (r=0.234, P=0.007), clinical competence and compliance (r=0.363, P<0.001), and perception and compliance (r=0.406, P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: To improve nurses' compliance with standard precautions educational and administrative policies to improve clinical competence should be considered.
Clinical Competence ; Compliance ; Infection Control ; Marital Status

No abstract available.
Hemangiopericytoma* ; Lung*

Pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis is a disease involving the proliferation of atypical smooth muscle cells trom the perilymphatics, peribronchial and perivascular region of the lung and the retroperitneum. The disease usually affects women of child-bearing age. We recently experienced a case of pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis in a 31-year-old women who had suffered from a chylous pleural effusion. Histologic confirmation of lymphangioleiomyomatosis was made upon a video-associated thoracoscopic lung biopsy. Here we report this case with a brief review of the literature.
Adult ; Biopsy ; Female ; Humans ; Lung ; Lymphangioleiomyomatosis* ; Myocytes, Smooth Muscle ; Pleural Effusion*

BACKGROUND: The root of Peucedanum japonicum Thunb., a perennial herb found in Japan, the Philippines, China, and Korea, is used as an analgesic. In a previous study, sec-O-glucosylhamaudol (SOG) showed an analgesic effect. This study was performed to examine the antinociceptive effect of intrathecal SOG in the formalin test. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with an intrathecal catheter. Rats were randomly treated with a vehicle and SOG (10 µg, 30 µg, 60 µg, and 100 µg) before formalin injection. Five percent formalin was injected into the hind-paw, and a biphasic reaction followed, consisting of flinching and licking behaviors (phase 1, 0–10 min; phase 2, 10–60 min). Naloxone was injected 10 min before administration of SOG 100 µg to evaluate the involvement of SOG with an opioid receptor. Dose-responsiveness and ED50 values were calculated. RESULTS: Intrathecal SOG showed a significant reduction of the flinching responses at both phases in a dose-dependent manner. Significant effects were showed from the dose of 30 µg and maximum effects were achieved at a dose of 100 µg in both phases. The ED50 value (95% confidence intervals) of intrathecal SOG was 30.3 (25.8–35.5) µg during phase 1, and 48.0 (41.4–55.7) during phase 2. The antinociceptive effects of SOG (100 µg) were significantly reverted at both phases of the formalin test by naloxone. CONCLUSIONS: These results demonstrate that intrathecal SOG has a very strong antinociceptive effect in the formalin test and it seems the effect is related to an opioid receptor.
Analgesia ; Animals ; Catheters ; China ; Formaldehyde ; Humans ; Japan ; Korea ; Male ; Naloxone ; Nociception ; Pain Measurement ; Philippines ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Opioid

Extra-ovarian yolk sac tumor arising in the omentum is extremely rare. As yolk sac tumor originated from the omentum has been rarely reported, its clinical information is very limited. The authors encountered a case of yolk sac tumor originated from the omentum, and reported the case herein. A 32-year-old woman was presented with developed low abdominal distension for a month. Magnetic resonance imaging findings were suggestive of ovarian malignancy with ascites and peritoneal seeding nodules. Explorative laparotomy was performed and then the findings from frozen biopsy of omentum were suggestive of poorly differentiated tumor though whether it was primary or metastatic was uncertain. Thus, staging laparotomy were performed. Histopathology confirmed that the tumor was a yolk sac tumor of omentum origin. Then, 6 cycles of postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy at intervals of 3 weeks were performed using bleomycin, etoposide, and cisplatin regimen. Four-year outpatient follow-up thereafter showed no relapse.
Adult ; Ascites ; Biopsy ; Bleomycin ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Cisplatin ; Endodermal Sinus Tumor* ; Etoposide ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Laparotomy ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Omentum* ; Outpatients ; Rare Diseases ; Yolk Sac

BACKGROUND: A few reports of transudative malignant effusion on a small number of patients have suggested the need to perform routine cytologic examination in all cases of transudative pleural effusion, whether encountered for malignancy or not. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether cytologic examination should be performed in all cases of transudative pleural effusion for the diagnosis of malignancy. METHODS: We performed a retrospective study of 229 consecutive patients with malignant pleural effusion, proven either cytologically or with biopsy. In patients with transudative pleural effusion, we reviewed medical records, results of transthoracic echocardiography, fiberoptic bronchoscopy, chest X-ray, chest CT scan, and ultrasonogram of the abdomen. These data were examined with particular attention to identifying whether or not the malignancy was suggested on chest X-ray, examining the involvement of the superior vena cava, great vessels, and lymph nodes, determining the presence of pericardial effusion, and observing the endobronchial obstruction. RESULTS: Transudative malignant pleural effusion was observed in seven (3.1%) of the 229 patients, and was caused either by the malignancy itself (6 patients) or by coexisting cardiac diseases (1 patient). All the patients showed evidence suggesting the presence of malignancy at the time of initial thoracentesis, which facilitated the decision of most clinicians on whether to perform cytologic examination for the diagnosis of malignancy. CONCLUSION: Therefore, in all cases of transudative pleaural effusion, no clinical implications indicating malignancy were found on cytologic examination.
Biopsy ; Carcinoma/classification/*pathology/*secondary ; Exudates and Transudates ; Human ; Lung Neoplasms/*pathology ; Lymphatic Metastasis ; Neoplasm Staging ; Neoplasms, Unknown Primary/*pathology ; Pleural Effusion, Malignant/metabolism/*pathology ; Retrospective Studies ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Peribiliary cysts involve cystic dilatation and necroinflammatory change in the peribiliary glandular tissue of the larger biliary tree in association with portal hypertension or severe hepatobiliary disease. They are usually asymptomatic and found incidentally. However, rare cases causing symptoms or the mass effect of bile duct compression require differential diagnosis. They may be benign or malignant lesions resulting from narrowing of the bile duct and involving dilatation of the proximal intrahepatic bile duct. We recently encountered a case of peribiliary cysts associated with intrahepatic duct dilatation, and confirmed by surgery, and present the imaging and pathologic findings. Sonography and CT revealed the presence of multiple cystic lesions along the hepatic hilum, and the larger left portal tract and left intrahepatic ducts were dilated. Histopathologic examination indicated that the cysts were compressing the central bile duct.
Bile Ducts ; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic* ; Biliary Tract ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Dilatation ; Hypertension, Portal

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Retinoids, including vitamin A and its synthetic analogs, are known to suppress carcinogenesis in various epithelial tissues and also to inhibit the cell growth of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). However, the exact mechanism of retinoids is not yet known. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of all-trans-retinoic acid (RA) on the cell cycle in HNSCCs and to see if the inhibition of cell growth by RA is due to the arrest of cell cycle. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For in vitro study, AMC-HN-4 and AMC-HN-6 (HNSCC cell lines) were treated with 1 nM of RA and cultured for 6 days. CellTiter 96(TM) AQ(ueous) Non-Reactive Cell Proliferation Assay kit was used to analyze the inhibition of cell growth. Flow cytometric analysis was performed for cell cycle analysis. For in vivo study, AMC-HN-4 and AMC-HN-6 were injected subcutaneously into athymic nude mice and RA (20 mg/kg) was orally administered once a day for 30 days. Tumor volumes were measured with digimatic caliper and the cell cycle was analyzed using frozen specimens. RESULTS: The growth of AMC-HN-4 and AMC-HN-6 were inhibited by RA in vitro and in vivo. The inhibitory effect of RA was more significant in AMC-HN-4 than in AMC-HN-6. RA had no significant effect on the cell cycle in the medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), but there was a mild increase in the G1 phase in the medium containing 0.5% FBS in vitro. In vivo, the increase in G1 phase was observed in both AMC-HN-4 and AMC-HN-6. Also, G1 arrest was more significant in AMC-HN-4 than in AMC-HN-6. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that RA may induce G1 arrest, which might be associated with the inhibition of cell growth in HNSCCs.
Animals ; Carcinogenesis ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* ; Cell Cycle* ; Cell Proliferation ; G1 Phase ; Head* ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Neck* ; Retinoids ; Tretinoin* ; Vitamin A

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Endoscopic band ligation (EBL) is an accepted method in the management of variceal bleeding; however, there is little evidence on the safety and feasibility of EBL for the closure of bowel perforation. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the technical feasibility and efficacy of EBL in iatrogenic colon perforation by using a canine model. METHODS: We established an iatrogenic colon perforation model by using seven beagle dogs. Longitudinal 1.5- to 1.7-cm colon perforations were created with a needle knife and an insulated-tip knife, and the perforation was subsequently closed with EBL. During a 2-week follow-up period, the animals were carefully monitored and then euthanized for pathologic examination. RESULTS: The EBL of iatrogenic colon perforations was successful in all dogs. The mean procedure time for EBL closure with one to three bands was 191.7 seconds, and there were no immediate complications. One animal was euthanized after 3 days because of peritonitis. There were no clinical and laboratory features of sepsis or peritonitis in the remaining six animals. On necropsy, we did not find any fecal peritonitis, pericolonic abscess formation, or transmural dehiscence at the perforation site. Histopathology demonstrated inflamed granulation tissue and scar lesions replaced by fibrosis. CONCLUSIONS: EBL might be a feasible and safe method for the management of iatrogenic colon perforations in an in vivo model.
Abscess ; Animals ; Cicatrix ; Colon* ; Dogs ; Esophageal and Gastric Varices ; Fibrosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Granulation Tissue ; Ligation* ; Needles ; Peritonitis ; Sepsis

This report presents the status of diabetic neuropathy (DN) in Korea as determined using a National Health Insurance ServiceNational Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC). Annual prevalences of DN were estimated by age and gender using descriptive statistics. Pharmacological treatments for DN were also analyzed. The annual prevalence of DN increased from 24.9% in 2006 to 26.6% in 2007, and thereafter, gradually subsided to 20.8% in 2015. In most cases, pharmacological treatments involved a single drug, which accounted for 91.6% of total prescriptions in 2015. The most commonly used drugs (in decreasing order) were thioctic acid, an anti-convulsive agent, or a tricyclic antidepressant. In conclusion, the prevalence of DN decreased over the 10-year study period. Thioctic acid monotherapy was usually prescribed for DN. To reduce the socio-economic burden of DN, more attention should be paid to the diagnosis of this condition and to the appropriate management of patients.