No abstract available.
Disabled Persons* ; Female ; Humans ; Menarche*

No abstract available.

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Echocardiography, Transesophageal* ; Mitral Valve*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine the degree of intensive and critical care nursing competence in senior nursing students. METHODS: The research method for this study comprised a descriptive survey study with a convenience sample of 113 senior nursing students from one university. The instrument entitled ICCN-CS-1, which measures intensive and critical care nursing competence, was translated by the authors following WHO guidelines for translation process. The data were collected using ICCN-CS-1. RESULTS: The mean score of intensive and critical care nursing was above the intermediate level. The competence indices of knowledge, skill and attitude/value were also above the intermediate level, which suggests that their competence is good. For two intensive and critical care nursing domains, the nursing students' mean score of clinical competence is higher than that of professional competence. The competence of intensive and critical care is also influenced by nursing students' satisfaction in their major and clinical practice as well as their confidence in clinical practice. CONCLUSION: The senior nursing students' competence of intensive and critical care nursing is above the intermediate level. A consideration of the influencing factors of satisfaction of nursing major/ICU practice and confidence of ICU practice is needed in intensive and critical care nursing education.
Clinical Competence ; Critical Care Nursing* ; Critical Care* ; Education ; Humans ; Mental Competency* ; Methods ; Nursing* ; Professional Competence ; Students, Nursing

OBJECTIVES: This study was carried out to measure the urinary cotinine concentrations of Korean tobacco harvesters with green tobacco sickness (GTS). METHODS: We conducted a questionnaire survey and measured the urinary cotinine concentrations among the cases who visited six health subcenters and the emergency room in the Health Center and County Hospital after harvesting tobacco leaves in Cheongsong-gun, from Jul 15 to Aug 15, 2002. Ten suspected GTS cases were compared to 10 controls matched for residence, age, and sex. Urinary cotinine was analyzed with a reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) system and expressed as geometric mean and standard deviation. The data collected were evaluated using the SPSS/win statistical package and the urinary cotinine concentrations between the two groups were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS: In both the 10 cases and controls, there were 3 males and 7 females. Ages ranged from 22 to 70 years old. Half of the cases were reported within the 6 hours between 12:00 pm and 17:59 pm. The median time from starting work to initially feeling ill was 4.3 hours (min. 2.5; max. 11.0). The GTS symptoms reported were nausea in 10 cases (100.0%), dizziness in 9 (90.0%), weakness in 8 (80.0%), headache in 7 (70.0%) and other symptoms. The geometric mean of urinary cotinine concentrations was significantly higher (p<0.01) in cases at 497.6 +/- 2.5 ng/ml (min. 73.1; max. 2,574.3) than in controls at 32.7 +/- 1.8 ng/ml (min. 13.3; max. 76.9). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that many tobacco harvesters may suffer from GTS in Korea. Therefore, it is very important for doctors to diagnose exactly the GTS. Also we must develop the methods which can prevent GTS, and simple methods of analysis for urinary cotinine.
Aged ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Cotinine* ; Dizziness ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; Headache ; Hospitals, County ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Nausea ; Nicotine ; Questionnaires ; Tobacco*

PURPOSE: To compare the influences on the corneal endothelium and surgically induced astigmatism following cataract surgery performed with Sovereign(R) and Infiniti(R) using the longitudinal phacoemulsification through the clear corneal incision. METHODS: Patients were operated on with the Sovereign(R) (n=46) and Infiniti(R) (n=45) programmed with the same parameters. Corneal thickness, endothelial cell count, effective phaco time and average phaco power were measured. Surgically induced astigmatism was calculated by keratometric readings. RESULTS: The change in corneal thickness at 1 day and endothelial cell count at 1 month postoperatively was significantly lower in the Infiniti(R) group. However, there were no significant differences in the change in corneal thickness and endothelial cell count at 2 months postoperatively. Surgically induced astigmatism in the 2 groups was consistently similar. Effective phaco time and average phaco power were lower in the Sovereign(R) group. CONCLUSIONS: Using the longitudinal phacoemulsification, early postoperative change of corneal endothelium was lower in the Infiniti(R) group. However, the efficacy of phacoemulsification in the Sovereign(R) group was superior to the Infiniti(R) group.
Astigmatism ; Cataract ; Cornea ; Endothelial Cells ; Endothelium, Corneal ; Humans ; Phacoemulsification

BACKGROUND: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha(TNF-alpha) has been thought to play a major role in neurological injury during global brain ischemia and subsequent reperfusion following resuscitation in cardiac arrest. So, we hypothesized that the elevation in TNF-alpha was dependent upon the duration of the global brain ischemia, and related to delayed neuronal damage. METHODS: Fourteen rats were divided two groups ; 1 minute-cardiac arrest group(n=7) and 3 minute-cardiac arrest group(n=7). we induced cardiac arrest by chest compression and damping of tracheal tube for 1 minute and 3 minutes respectively. And then, resuscitation was initiated. To measure the plasma activity of TNF-alpha, blood samples were drawn before and at the end of cardiac arrest, and 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after initiation reperfusion. At 72 hours after resuscitation, the ND(neurologic deficit) score was determined and the histopathologic outcome of hippocampal CA1 neuron was observed by the percent dead hippocampal CA1 neurons. RESULTS: 1. TNF-alpha level during the early reperfusion period(<2h) was significantly increased in 3 min-cardiac arrest group compared with 1 min-cardiac arrest group(p=0.0001). 2. There was a no significant difference of neurologic deficit score between 1 min- and 3 min-cardiac arrest. 3. Percent dead hippocampal neurons were significantly increased in 3 min-cardiac arrest group compared with 1 min-cardiac arrest group(9.1+/-1.2% vs 1.2+/-0.9%, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that longer duration of global brain ischemia causes a more profound increase in plasma TNF-alpha level during the early reperfusion period(<2h) and more delayed neuronal damage than lessor duration of global brain ischemia, and that increase in TNF-alpha level during the early reperfusion period(<2h) is related to delayed neuronal damage.
Animals ; Brain Ischemia ; Brain* ; Heart Arrest* ; Heart Arrest, Induced ; Necrosis ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Neurons ; Plasma ; Rats* ; Reperfusion ; Reperfusion Injury* ; Resuscitation ; Thorax ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*

OBJECTIVE: We examined the clinical relationship between human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27) and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). Additionally, we assessed the usefulness of the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) criteria for diagnosing juvenile spondyloarthropathies (SpA). METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of 239 patients with JIA classified according to the International League of Associations for Rheumatology (ILAR) classification to analyze the features of the joint involvement site. Results were correlated with the presence of HLA-B27. After that, we classified the 239 JIA patients according to the ASAS criteria to diagnose juvenile SpA. The relationship between the ASAS criteria and a diagnosis of juvenile SpA was analyzed by a chi-squared test. RESULTS: Back pain was associated with HLA-B27 in boys (p=0.002) but not in girls (p=0.616). In both sexes, involvement of the small joints in the lower extremities was highly associated with HLA-B27 (p=0.001 for boys, p=0.021 for girls). In addition, HLA-B27 was associated with enthesitis (p=0.004 for boys, p=0.021 for girls). Eighty-seven (36.4%) patients with JIA fulfilled the ASAS criteria; 2 (0.8%) had axial SpA and 85 (35.6%) had peripheral SpA. HLA-B27 was the most significant factor for diagnosing juvenile SpA (sensitivity 80%, specificity 99.31%, positive likelihood ratio, 116). CONCLUSION: The ILAR criteria have some weaknesses for diagnosing HLA-B27-positive JIA patients in early stages. The use of the ASAS criteria for juvenile patients will enable pediatric rheumatologists to diagnose juvenile SpA patients earlier.
Arthritis, Juvenile* ; Back Pain ; Classification* ; Diagnosis ; Female ; HLA-B27 Antigen ; Humans* ; Joints ; Leukocytes* ; Lower Extremity ; Medical Records ; Retrospective Studies ; Rheumatology ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Spondylarthropathies* ; Spondylitis, Ankylosing

Human rhinoviruses (HRVs) are responsible for many of the characteristic symptoms of the common cold, such as a sore throat, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, and coughing. However, despite the high detection rate in children, most HRV infections are asymptomatic. As a result, these viruses are generally ignored, even though a close association between HRV infections in early life and the subsequent induction of asthma has been reported. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct further research into HRV diagnostics, treatments, epidemiology, and vaccines. This review describes recent studies of HRVs, including their genomic diversity, surveillance systems, taxonomy, and immune responses, as well as vaccines.
Asthma ; Child ; Classification ; Common Cold ; Cough ; Epidemiology ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Humans* ; Nose ; Pharyngitis ; Rhinovirus* ; Sneezing ; Vaccines