PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to provide baseline data by utilizing solutions to health problems caused by work-related stress and to examine a way of treatment by comparing and analyzing how the stresses link to fatigue and quality of researchers' life. METHODS: A survey was conducted with 50 researchers working for in H research institute in Daejeon Metropolitan City from April 10th to May 10th, 2012 to examine the correlation of work stress, fatigue and quality of life. The data were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test to look into examine the difference in work stress, fatigue, and quality of life. Also, the correlation of work stress, fatigue and quality of life was measured through by the Pearson correlation coefficient. The data collected through the questionnaires was were analyzed by SPSS 21.0 based on the significant level with a p-value, 0.05. RESULTS: The results showed that fatigue was caused by work stresses in researchers and quality of life was ranked in a relatively low level. Correlation of work stresses, quality of life and fatigue and work stresses against mental health index was negative and fatigue against physical index was also negative. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to maintain more detailed provisions in order to improve mental health and stress level of researchers. Moreover, systematic, in-depth evaluation should be done to reduce researcher's work-related stress and fatigue. In addition, stress management and prevention program should be implemented for these researchers.
Academies and Institutes ; Fatigue* ; Humans ; Mental Health ; Quality of Life* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Research Personnel

BACKGROUND: Diabetic nephropathy is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease and it has various pathologic features. We investigated the clinicopathologic differences between the histologic classes of diabetic nephropathy. METHODS: A total of 46 patients with diabetic nephropathy were evaluated. Morphologically, the renal lesions were divided into three categories: class 1, diffuse or nodular glomerulosclerosis: class 2, vascular change without evidence of glomerulosclerosis: and class 3, non-diabetic renal disease superimposed on diabetic glomerulosclerosis. We evaluated the laboratory findings and the histologic findings, including mesangial expansion, interstitial fibrosis and inflammation, arteriolar hyalinosis and tubular atrophy. RESULTS: The proportion of each class was 32 cases (70%), 4 cases (9%) and 10 cases (21%), respectively. The clinical and laboratory data showed no significant difference among the classes. For the groups of class 1, the group with nodular sclerosis showed a higher serum creatinine level than did the diffuse group (p=0.003). IgA nephropathy was the most common non-diabetic renal disease superimposed on diabetic glomerulosclerosis in our study. CONCLUSIONS: The patients with nodular glomerulosclerosis presented with a more progressed clinicopathological features than did the patients with class 1 diffuse glomerulosclerosis. We also found 21% of all the patients with diabetic nephropathy had superimposed non-diabetic renal disease in a Korean population.
Atrophy ; Creatinine ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; Fibrosis ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Kidney ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Sclerosis

PURPOSE: Nurses' resilience plays an important role in overcoming the challenges that nurses often encounter at clinic, and many factors have been examined which influence on nurses' resilience levels. Through this study, those factors were systematically searched and quantitatively synthesized. METHODS: In order to find relevant studies, both English and Korean academic databases were searched, and, finally, a total of 33 articles were identified and included in this analysis. RESULTS: The effect size on the protective variables was large and that of the risk variables was medium. In the protective variable group, the job variable group showed a larger effect size compared to the organizational variable group. Among the protective variables, compassion satisfaction showed the highest contribution on enhancing the resilience level of nurses. In the risk variable group, the personal variable group showed the highest effect size, which was followed by the organizational and job variables. Among the risk variables, the personal stress response showed the highest contribution to decreasing the level of resilience of nurses. CONCLUSION: This study provides a meaningful data for future studies in terms of developing evidence-based interventions to enhance the levels of resilience among Korean nurses.
Empathy ; Humans

It already has been known that various ions were participated in phototransduction mechanism of the vertebrate photoreceptor during the visual adaptation. The vitreous humor(VH)contains certain amount of Na+, K+ and Ca++ as well. However, the roles of these ions are unknown except functioning of metabolic process. Our preliminary electroretinogram(ERG) experiments suggested that the permeability of these ions has light dependent activity during the light illumination. We have supported this suggestion more tangibly by trying out various experiments with bullfrog eyes as a reference of visual adaptation. The results are summarized as follows: 1)According to our atomic absorption spectroscopic measurements, the concentration of Na+, K+ and Ca++ in light adapted VH was higher than that of dark adapted VH. This result indicated that the light-dependention transport systems which affect the ionic movements might be in internal limiting membrane(ILM). 2)The amplitude of ERG b-wave was reduced by concentration decrement of Na+ and concentration increment of K+ respectively. On the other hand, the elimination of Ca++ within ringer solution resulted in b-wave amplitude increment. 3)Treatment of Na+ hannel blockers(TTX, STX)and K+ channel blockers(Ba++, Cd++, Cs+, 4-AP and TEA)in the vitreous humor side induced the increment and the decrement of b-wave response respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that the light dependent Na+ K+ channels exist in the ILM of vertebrate retina which participates visual adaptation.
Absorption ; Hand ; Ions ; Light Signal Transduction ; Lighting ; Membranes* ; Metabolism ; Permeability ; Photoreceptor Cells, Vertebrate ; Rana catesbeiana ; Retina ; Vertebrates* ; Vitreous Body

Homer protein was identified based on its rapid induction in rat hippocampal granule cell neurons following excitatory synaptic activity. Although the presence of the Homer gene in the peripheral tissues has been observed in previous reports, the physiological function of the Homer protein in these tissues has not been noted. In this experiment, a Homer-2a cDNA fragment was successfully amplified by RTPCR in the involuting phase of human hemangioma but not in the human vascular malformation and normal vessel. After isolation of full Homer cDNA in a mouse liver cDNA library, E1-deleted recombinant adenovirus expressing the Homer protein (Adv.CMV.mHomer-2a) was constructed to determine its physiological function in peripheral tissues. Adv.CMV.mHomer2a, but not Adv.CMV.LacZ (recombinant adenovirus expressing beta-galactosidase), strongly inhibited the growth rate of HUVECs (human umbilical vein endothelial cells) probably via inducing apoptosis determined by acridine orange/ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining methods. This study suggests that the Homer gene is present in human specimens in the involuting phase of hemangioma, and it might be involved in the growth control.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Animals ; Apoptosis ; Base Sequence ; Blood Vessels/*abnormalities ; Carrier Proteins/genetics/*physiology ; Cells, Cultured ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; DNA, Complementary/genetics ; Endothelium, Vascular/cytology ; Female ; Hemangioma/blood supply/*genetics ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Middle Aged ; Neuropeptides/genetics/*physiology ; Rats ; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Skin/blood supply ; Skin Neoplasms/blood supply/*genetics

Subparalyzing dose of nodepolarizing relaxants prior to injection of succinylcholine has been used to prevent various adverse effects induced after succinylcholine. For investigating interactions between succinylcholine and small doses of four non-depolar-izing agents, the 112 subjects that were ASA class 1-2 and no existing neuromuscular conduction system disorder were divided into 5 groups that were control group(only succinylcholine 1 mg/kg) and pretreated group d-tubocurarine 0.5 mg/kg, atracurium 0.08 mg/kg, vecuronium 0.01 mg/kg and pancuronium 0.01 mg/kg. In each group, the plasma concentration of K+ and PChE before and after use of succinylcholine, fasciculation, onset and recovery time of succinylcholine block and intubating conditon were observed. The results are as follows; In the pretreated group, there were no significant changes of plasma concentration of K+ and plasma cholinesterase(Table 3) but diminished the incidence of fascieulation, delayed the onset time and shorted the recovery time of succinylcholine block(Table 4), and worse in intubating condition(Table 5) except pancuronium treated group. It was concluded that these seem to make worse condition of intubation, while small doses of nondepolarizing muscle relaxants except pancuronium antagonize depolarizing muscle relaxant.
Atracurium ; Fasciculation ; Incidence ; Intubation ; Pancuronium ; Plasma ; Succinylcholine* ; Tubocurarine ; Vecuronium Bromide

Subparalyzing dose of nodepolarizing relaxants prior to injection of succinylcholine has been used to prevent various adverse effects induced after succinylcholine. For investigating interactions between succinylcholine and small doses of four non-depolar-izing agents, the 112 subjects that were ASA class 1-2 and no existing neuromuscular conduction system disorder were divided into 5 groups that were control group(only succinylcholine 1 mg/kg) and pretreated group d-tubocurarine 0.5 mg/kg, atracurium 0.08 mg/kg, vecuronium 0.01 mg/kg and pancuronium 0.01 mg/kg. In each group, the plasma concentration of K+ and PChE before and after use of succinylcholine, fasciculation, onset and recovery time of succinylcholine block and intubating conditon were observed. The results are as follows; In the pretreated group, there were no significant changes of plasma concentration of K+ and plasma cholinesterase(Table 3) but diminished the incidence of fascieulation, delayed the onset time and shorted the recovery time of succinylcholine block(Table 4), and worse in intubating condition(Table 5) except pancuronium treated group. It was concluded that these seem to make worse condition of intubation, while small doses of nondepolarizing muscle relaxants except pancuronium antagonize depolarizing muscle relaxant.
Atracurium ; Fasciculation ; Incidence ; Intubation ; Pancuronium ; Plasma ; Succinylcholine* ; Tubocurarine ; Vecuronium Bromide

Primary leptomeningeal glioblastomatosis is a rare and fatal tumor of the central nervous system, the condition is characterized by diffuse infiltration of the tumor in the meninges without evidence of primary tumor within the brain or spinal cord. We reported an unusual case of leptomengial glioblastomatosis, which was detected by the consecutive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) cytology with application of immunohistochemistry, in addition to its cytologic findings. A healthy 21 year old man, who was enlisted in the army, presented with a stuporous mental state and diffuse enhancement of meninges without evidence of primary mass lesion in the brain and spinal cord on magnetic resonance imaging(MRI). CSF cytology showed small loose clusters of tumor cells with single cells and lymphocytes. The tumor showed variable pleomorphism with coarse chromatin, irregular nuclear membranes and multi lobated nuclei. On immunohistochemical staining, the tumor cells were founded to be positive for GFAP. In conjunction with radiologic findings, brain biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of leptomenigeal glioblastomatosis. The use of immunohistochemistry is helpful in confirming CSF cytologic diagnosis in patients with primary leptomeningeal glioblastomatosis.
Biopsy ; Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Cerebrospinal Fluid* ; Chromatin ; Diagnosis ; Glioblastoma ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymphocytes ; Meninges ; Nuclear Envelope ; Spinal Cord ; Stupor ; Young Adult

This study was designed to investigate the effects of buthanol (BuOH) fraction of pine (Pinus densiflora Sieb et Zucc) needle on cholesterol and lipofuscin (LF) accumulations, acetylcholine (ACh) and its related enzyme activities such as choline acetyltransferase (CAhT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and monoamone oxidase-B (MAO-B) activity, which destroyed the catecholamine-related neurotransmitters in brain membranes of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. Male SD rats were fed basic diets (control group) or experimental diets (BuOH-25, BuOH-50 and BuOH-100) for 45 days. Cholesterol accumulations in mitochondria and microsomes were significantly inhibited (about 14 - 17% and 23 - 34%, respectvely) in BuOH-50 and BuOH-100 groups, whereas LF levels were significantly inhibited (about 10 - 14%) in BuOH-50 and BuOH-100 groups compared with control group. ACh levels and ChAT activities were significantly increased (about 11 - 17% and 11 - 23%, respectively) in membranes of BuOH-50 and BuOH-100 groups compared with control group. AChE activities were significantly increased (about 14 - 17%) in membranes of BuOH-50 and BuOH-100 groups. There was no significant difference in MAO-B activities between control and experimental diet groups. The results suggest that butanol fraction of pine needle may play an effective role in an antiaging effect and improving a learning and memory impairments.
Acetylcholine* ; Acetylcholinesterase ; Animals ; Brain* ; Cholesterol ; Choline O-Acetyltransferase ; Diet ; Humans ; Learning ; Lipofuscin ; Male ; Membranes ; Memory ; Microsomes ; Mitochondria ; Monoamine Oxidase ; Needles* ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley

We developed an electromechanical gait trainer for rehabilitation of the persons with disabilities, which was designed to simulate normal gait with partial body weight support. The purpose of this study was to apply it to stroke patients and to evaluate its usability. Four nonambulatory stroke patients had 20 sessions of gait training with newly developed gait trainer for 5 to 6 weeks. Knee and ankle joint angles were measured by electrogoniometer during training. Main outcome was assessed by functional ambu lation category (level 0~5). Knee and ankle joint angles during exercise in the gait trainer showed repetitive pattern of gait-like movement similar to normal gait, though it was variable among the subjects. Functional ambulation category levels after training were 2 in 3 patients and 1 in 1 patient. The electromechanical gait trainer was a useful device for gait retraining in stroke patients with severe neurologic impairments.
Ankle Joint ; Body Weight ; Disabled Persons ; Gait* ; Humans ; Knee ; Rehabilitation* ; Stroke* ; Walking