This study has been conducted for the purpose of identifying the levels of knowledge and attitude about dementia, and exploring the degrees of practice and the relationship among these variables in nursing assistants caring institutionalized demented elders. The subjects were 87 formal caregivers from 3 dementia-specialized nursing facilities, 2 dementia-specialized hospitals, 1 general psychiatric hospitals, and 3 general nursing homes. The data were gathered from July 10th to August 5th, 1998 through interviews by questionnaires. The measuring instruments of this study were developed by the researcher and proven for their reliability and validity. The collected data were analyzed using SAS program. 1) The lowest score among 6 sub-areas about practice showed on this subarea of maintenance of remained ADL function, offering stimuli and activities to demented elders was the second. 2) The third hypothesis of "the higher the attitude score they have, the higher the practice score they do" was supported (r=.370, p=.025). 3) The influencing factors significantly on knowledge were educational status, learning experience about taking care of patients, learning experience about dementia during last a year. 4) A factor of the period of taking care demented elders have significantly influenced on the attitude about dementia. 5) The influencing factors significantly on practice were age, marital status, learning experience about taking care of patients, learning experience about dementia during the last a year. 6) The most difficult situation the subjects perceived in taking care of demented elders was managing the aggressive and resistive behaviors of demented elders.
Activities of Daily Living ; Caregivers ; Dementia* ; Educational Status ; Hospitals, Psychiatric ; Humans ; Learning ; Marital Status ; Nursing Homes ; Nursing* ; Reproducibility of Results ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: Portable devices for measuring peak expiratory flow(PEF) are now of proved value in the diagnosis and management of asthma and many lightweight PEF meters have become available. However, it is necessary to determine whether peak expiratory flow rate(PEFR) measurements measured with peak flowmeters is accurate and reproducible for clinical application. The aim of the present study is to define accuracy, agreement, and precision of mini-Wright peak flow meter(MPFM) against standard pneumotachygraph. METHODS: The lung function tests by standard pneumotachygraph and PEFR measurement by MPFM were performed in a random order for 2 hours in 22 normal and 17 asthmatic subjects and also were performed for 3 successive days in 22 normals. RESULTS: The PEFR measured with MPFM was significantly related to the PEFR and FEV1 measured with standard pneumotachygraph in normal and asthmatics(for PEFR, r=0.92 p<0.001; for FEV1, r=0.78 ; p<0.001). The accuracy of MPFM was within 10%(limits of accuracy recommeded by NAEP) in all the subjects or 22 normal, mean difference from standard pneumotachygraph being I 6.5L/min(percentage of difference being 2.90%) or 1 0.6L/min(percentage of difference being 1.75%), respectively. According to the method proposed by Bland and Altman, the 95% limits of the distribution of differences between MPFM and standard pneumotachygraph after correction of PEFR using our regression equation were +38.2 and -71.5L/min in all the subjects or -20.49~ + 9.49L/min in 22 normal and was similar to the intraindividual agreements for 3 successive days in normal. There was no statistically significant difference of PEFR measured with MPFM and standard pneumotachygraph among three days(p>0.05) and the coefficient of variation(2.4 1.2%) of PEFR measured with MPFM was significantly lower than that( 5.2 3.5%) with standard pneurnotachygraph in normal (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: This results suggest that the MPFM was as accurate and reproducible as standard pneumotachygraph for monitoring of PEFR in the asthmatic subjects.
Asthma ; Diagnosis ; Flowmeters ; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate ; Respiratory Function Tests

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to explore the variation in perceptions about problem-based learning(PBL) according to the level of academic achievement and learning attitude in the nursing students of a junior college (3-year program). METHOD: Students (n=39) learned the respiratory and cardiac system with seven PBL packages and group-based learning for a semester in 2002. Students were asked to write reflective journals that focused on their learning perception after an experience with each learning package. A total of 208 journals were used for analysis. RESULT: Students positively perceived that PBL making them increase their sense of responsibility for learning and felt satisfaction with the learning process, and had a confidence in the use of clinical nursing interventions. On the other hand, they negatively perceived that PBL was a burden because it took more time than traditional learning tasks, and they experienced an anxiety about regular tests and felt conflicts and diffidences in the learning process. The negative perceptions were expressed more often from students with a low academic achievement and low learning attitude compared to others. CONCLUSION: Students perceived the PBL as effective in understanding the learning concepts in the clinical practice environment. PBL need to be supplemented by feedback-based lecture and facilitative strategies for academically low-achieved students.
Students, Nursing/*psychology ; *Problem-Based Learning ; Humans ; Female ; *Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate ; *Attitude ; Adult

Distributions trends were examined in 9159 malocclusion patients had been examined and diagnosed at Department of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, Yonsei University over a 6 year-period from 1992 to 1997. The results were as follows: 1. The total number of orthodontic patients in 1997 increased in comparing with that of 1992(86%)and after 1995, the number of annual patients showed an increase. 2. Age distribution had shown over-19 year-old group being the largest(39.9%) but percentages of pre-adolescent patients had been decreasing while that of adult patient had gradually increased. 3. Distributions in the types of malocclusion, the Angle's Classification had shown : 33. 3% for Class I, 28.6% for ClassII and the largest 38.1% for Class III. 4. Among Class I patients, crowding showed the largest(32.6%) and protrusion group had gradually increased to 33.9% in 1996. Otherwise openbite and groups tend to decrease, annually. 5. Geographic distribution showed a majority of patients from Seoul(above 70%). Among the patients from Seoul, group within the distance 3-6km from Yonsei dental hospital was the largest(32.3%) and group within 9km showed 69% of total patients.
Adult ; Age Distribution ; Crowding ; Dentistry* ; Epidemiologic Studies ; Humans ; Malocclusion* ; Open Bite ; Orthodontics* ; Seoul

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to compare the color stability, water sorption and cytotoxicity of thermoplastic acrylic resin for the non-metal clasp dentures to those of thermoplastic polyamide and conventional heat-polymerized denture base resins. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three types of denture base resin, which are conventional heat-polymerized acrylic resin (Paladent 20), thermoplastic polyamide resin (Bio Tone), thermoplastic acrylic resin (Acrytone) were used as materials for this study. One hundred five specimens were fabricated. For the color stability test, specimens were immersed in the coffee and green tee for 1 and 8 weeks. Color change was measured by spectrometer. Water sorption was tested after 1 and 8 weeks immersion in the water. For the test of cytotoxicity, cell viability assay was measured and cell attachment was analyzed by FE-SEM. RESULTS: All types of denture base resin showed color changes after 1 and 8 weeks immersion. However, there was no significant difference between denture base resins. All specimens showed significant color changes in the coffee than green tee. In water sorption test, thermoplastic acrylic resin showed lower values than conventional heat-polymerized acrylic resin and thermoplastic polyamide resin. Three types of denture base showed low cytotoxicity in cell viability assay. Thermoplastic acrylic resin showed the similar cell attachment but more stable attachment than conventional heat-polymerized acrylic resin. CONCLUSION: Thermoplastic acrylic resin for the non-metal clasp denture showed acceptable color stability, water sorption and cytotoxicity. To verify the long stability in the mouth, additional in vitro studies are needed.
Cell Survival ; Coffee ; Denture Bases ; Dentures* ; Immersion ; Mouth ; Nylons ; Water*

An unusual case of homicide of a 21-year-old man who was smothered with a hot steam towel by his mother and a pastoress in the name of exorcism. Homicidal smothering in adults is rare, but does occur when the victims are not capable of defending themselves in situations such as chronic illness, old age, drug intoxication or when restrained by other people. In this case, distinct facial scalding was a clue to smothering with a hot steam towel.
Adult ; Chronic Disease ; Homicide ; Humans ; Mothers ; Steam

Kawasaki disease, an acute febrile vasculitis of unknown etiology, is usually treated with high doses of immunoglobulin (IVIG) and aspirin. However, 20% of children show persistent or recurrent fever despite IVIG, and coronary artery aneurysm progression. In such cases of resistance to IVIG treatment, repeated IVIG administration or the initiation of steroid therapy, and the use of cyclophosphamide have been reported. We aimed to show in this study that methotrexate (MTX) may be used as a treatment for Kawasaki disease resistant to IVIG treatment. We report the case of a 6-year old boy who was admitted at another hospital with an initial complaint of a fever for 5 days and skin rashes for 3 days. The patients fever persisted despite three courses of IVIG (2 gm/kg, 1 gm/kg, 1 gm/kg, respectively) over a 14-day period. On day 14 of his illness he showed a dilated right coronary artery, and on day 19 dexamethasone, at a daily dose of 0.3 mg/kg, was given but this resulted in defervescence. However, upon stopping the dexamethasone treatment, his fever recurred and he was transferred to our hospital. On days 31 and 38 of his illness, IVIG (400 mg/kg for 5 days, twice) was administered and from day 38 onwards the patient was given dexamethasone (0.6 mg/kg, daily) and MTX (10 mg/BSA, once weekly) whereupon his fever subsided and did not recur. On day 48 dexamethasone was replaced with prednisolone, which was subsequently tapered. The patient is now taking MTX and being observed on an outpatient basis. We report the case of a boy with IV-globulin resistant Kawasaki disease, who after repeated infusions of IVIG and steroid therapy showed fever recruuence, which that subsided after MTX treatment.
Case Report ; Child ; Human ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous/*therapeutic use ; Male ; Methotrexate/*therapeutic use ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome/complications/*drug therapy

OBJECTIVES: This study compared attitudes toward antipsychotic treatment according to awareness of the name of their illness in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Information on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, including awareness of the importance of antipsychotic treatment, was obtained through a self-report questionnaire. The Drug Attitude Inventory (DAI) was administered. The data were compared according to awareness of the name of their illness. RESULTS: The study analyzed data for 199 patients with schizophrenia. Of these, 115 patients (57.8%) were aware that their illness was called schizophrenia, while 84 patients (42.2%) knew it by their psychotic symptoms or as another mental illness, such as depression. The patients aware of the name of their illness had significantly longer durations of illness and higher scores on the DAI. They were significantly more likely to have stopped taking medication on their own accord and to agree with the importance of antipsychotic treatment. Statistical significance was sustained in a logistic regression analysis after adjusting for the duration of illness and study site, except for the DAI score, which had borderline significance (p=0.055). In subjects with duration of illness > or =5 years, patients aware of the name of their illness had significantly higher scores on the DAI. CONCLUSION: Awareness of the name of their illness was associated with awareness of the importance of, and a positive attitude toward, antipsychotic treatments in patients. Psycho-education, including telling the patient the correct name of his or her illness, might be needed for maintaining antipsychotic treatment in patients with chronic schizophrenia.
Antipsychotic Agents ; Depression ; Humans ; Logistic Models ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Schizophrenia

This study was carried out to examine the effect of early excision and graft for the preservation of the maximal function on the dorsal hand with deep second degree and third degree flame burns. From December 1996 to October 1998, 11 flame burn patients admitted to our hospital burn unit. Nine patients had injured burns less than 20% Total Burn Surface Area, and 2 patients were 70% Total Burn Surface Area(mean 18.4%). We had performed the excision 3-8 days(mean 4.6 days) after burn injury. Ten (90.9%) of eleven patients survived, and 1 patient (Total Burn Surface Area 70%) died of sepsis after early excision. The duration of immobilization was 8-17 days (mean 11.5 days). Twelve months later, the range of motion in all patients has been continued to maintain nearly normal range of motion. We conclude that early excision and grafting was recommended as the preferred form of treatment in patients with deep second degree and third degree on the extensive flame burns of dorsal hand.
Burn Units ; Burns* ; Hand* ; Humans ; Immobilization ; Range of Motion, Articular ; Reference Values ; Sepsis ; Transplants*

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Xpert MTB/RIF (Cepheid, USA) in the detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and to determine rifampin resistance. METHODS: The literature review covered the period from 16 August 2011 to 1 October 2011, and eight domestic databases and foreign databases including Ovid-Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library were used. Key words, such as 'Rifampin, Polymerase Chain Reaction,' 'GeneXpert' and 'Xpert MTB-RIF' were used to search a total of 1,385 documents. The SIGN (Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network) tool was used to evaluate the quality of the 20 selected studies. RESULTS: Test accuracy for the detection of M. tuberculosis was assessed on the basis of 20 studies using the M. tuberculosis culture test as the reference standard. The acid-fast bacteria smearing test had a sensitivity in the range of 0.69-1.00, specificity in the range of 0.72-1.00 and test accuracy in the range of 0.75-1.00. Test accuracy regarding rifampin resistance was assessed on the basis of 17 studies. Using an anti-tuberculosis agent sensitivity test as the reference standard, the sensitivity, specificity and test accuracy of real-time, nested PCR were in the ranges of 0.75-1.00, 0.96-1.00 and 0.95-1.00, respectively. CONCLUSION: Xpert MTB/RIF is a useful test for patients suspected of having rifampin-resistant tuberculosis.
Bacteria ; Humans ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Rifampin* ; Tuberculosis*