PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to identify the effects of caring burden and the way of coping on burnout in caregivers of cancer patients. METHODS: One-hundred and forty family caregivers of cancer patients who visited the cancer center at one tertiary hospital in metropolitan city B were included. The data collection was conducted from August 1st to October 1st, 2018, using a structured, self-reported questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. RESULTS: In the multiple regression analysis, the subject's gender (β=.12, p=.028) and caring burden (β=.74, p<.001) had a significant effect on burnout. The explanatory power of the subject's gender, education level, religion, caring time, number of family caregivers, monthly income, economic burden, expectation for treatment, caring burden, the way of aggressive coping, and the way of passive coping with burnout was 63.8% (F=23.28, p<.001). CONCLUSION: Reducing the caring burden in family caregivers of cancer patients will ultimately contribute to reducing burnout, thereby contributing to an improvement in the psychological well-being and quality of life of family members, as well as positively contributing to the recovery of patients.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Caregivers ; Cost of Illness ; Data Collection ; Education ; Humans ; Quality of Life ; Tertiary Care Centers

PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to identify the effects of caring burden and the way of coping on burnout in caregivers of cancer patients. METHODS: One-hundred and forty family caregivers of cancer patients who visited the cancer center at one tertiary hospital in metropolitan city B were included. The data collection was conducted from August 1st to October 1st, 2018, using a structured, self-reported questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. RESULTS: In the multiple regression analysis, the subject's gender (β=.12, p=.028) and caring burden (β=.74, p<.001) had a significant effect on burnout. The explanatory power of the subject's gender, education level, religion, caring time, number of family caregivers, monthly income, economic burden, expectation for treatment, caring burden, the way of aggressive coping, and the way of passive coping with burnout was 63.8% (F=23.28, p<.001). CONCLUSION Reducing the caring burden in family caregivers of cancer patients will ultimately contribute to reducing burnout, thereby contributing to an improvement in the psychological well-being and quality of life of family members, as well as positively contributing to the recovery of patients.

BACKGROUND: More than 90% of acute stroke patients have measurable cardiovascular sequelae, but we have been often overlooked in formal discussions of treatment. If we estimate the incidence of myocardial injury in patient with spontaneous SAH, we may figure the possibility of cardiac dysfunction in such patients. This study was designed to investigate the incidence of myocardial injury in patients with spontaneous SAH using cardiac troponin I(cTnI). METHODS: A prospective single emergency center study was performed to determined preoperative incidence of unrecognized cardiac injury in patients suffering spontaneous SAH. We include the spontaneous SAH patients who underwent serum measurements of the cardic troponin I immediately upon admission last six month period. ECG, CK, CK-MB and myoglobin were also performed at admission. We excluded the spontaneous SAH patients who had past history of myocardial ischemia and ECG abnormality. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients(34 females, 18 males) with spontaneous SAH were studied prospectively. 18 patients(34.6% of the total study population) had cTnI level above 0.5ng/ml. ECG was performed in 52 patients and was abnormal in 15 of the 52 patients(28.8%). CONCLUSION: The measurement of cTnI has provided physicians with a myocardial marker that has a cardiac sensitivity for cardiac injury equal to that of CK-MB yet with greater specificity. So, cardiac troponin I is useful to estimate the incidence of myocardial injury in patients with spontaneous SAH. And we may estimate the possibility of cardiac dysfunction in such patients. This knowledge will hopefully aid in the care and improve the outcome.
Electrocardiography ; Emergencies ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Myocardial Ischemia ; Myoglobin ; Prospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Stroke ; Troponin I* ; Troponin*

PURPOSE: To determine clinical features, laboratory findings and cardiac abnormalities of high- dose immune globulin(IVIG) retreatment in patients with Kawasaki disease, and to report effectiveness of retreatment. METHODS: Retrospective study of 174 children diagnosed with Kawasaki disease at Ewha Mokdong hospital from March, 1999 to July, 2001. RESULTS: Twenty(11.5%) of 174 patients were retreated with high-dose IVIG. After this, only two patients(1.1%) did not respond to IVIG retreatment. Patients with failure to respond to initial IVIG did not differ from the patients who responded to a single course of IVIG in sex, age, days of fever at initial IVIG and clinical characteristics. Compared with responders with single IVIG treatment, the patients who were retreated had significantly lower albumin(3.7 vs 3.4 g/dL, P< 0.05), higher ALT(118.2 vs 229.3 U/L, P<0.05) and CRP(8.9 vs 13.3 mg/dL, P<0.05). On echocardiography, patients who recieved IVIG retreatment were significantly more likely to have caronary abnormalities(45.0% vs 13.6%, P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Retratment with IVIG for persistent or recurrent fever was safe and effective.
Child ; Echocardiography ; Fever ; Humans ; Immunoglobulins, Intravenous* ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome* ; Retreatment* ; Retrospective Studies

PURPOSE: Until recently, breast cancer carcinogenesis has not been fully understood, but the roles of estrogen receptors(ERs) and growth factor receptors(like HER2) were known to be important. Growth factors have been shown to synergize in the E2 signaling pathway, although the actual molecular mechanism remains largely unknown. To investigate the effect of HER2 overexpression on the ERE(estrogen responsive element)-mediated transcriptional activity of the ERs, this study was designed. METHODS: NIH3T3 cells, T6-17 cells (NIH3T3 cells with stably transfected with HER2), and MCF-7 cells were maintained in dextran-coated charcoal stripped 10% Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM). Transient transfection of constructs (pcDNA3-ER alpha, pcDNA3-ER beta, pERE-luc, pAP-1-luciferase, and pcDNA-HER2) into each cells was performed using the Lipofectamine PLUS(TM) system. Reporter gene assays using ERE-luciferase or AP-1-luciferase were used to measure the ER transcriptional activities after treatment with estradiol (E2) and tamoxifen. RESULTS: Reporter gene assay using ERE-luciferase in both ER alpha and ER beta, showed much less responsiveness to estrogen in HER2 overexpressing T6-17 cells than in NIH3T3 cells, but there was no remarkable difference after treatment with tamoxifen. The AP-1-mediated transcriptional activity was increased in ER beta after tamoxifen treatment, but it disappeared in HER2-expressing T6-17 cells. The responsiveness to estrogen in HER2-transfected MCF-7 cells was also slightly less than in the control MCF-7 cells, and the ERE-mediated transcriptional activity of estrogen in MCF-7 cells was decreased, in a dose-dependent manner, after HER2 transfection. CONCLUSION: Coexpression of HER2 and ER seems to make cells less responsive to estrogen stimulation, and decrease the ERE-mediated transcriptional activity in both ER alpha and ERbeta. These results suggest that the expression of HER2 reduces the estrogen dependency in cell growth and eventually induces estrogen independent-growth.
Breast Neoplasms ; Carcinogenesis ; Charcoal ; Eagles ; Estradiol ; Estrogen Receptor alpha ; Estrogen Receptor beta ; Estrogens* ; Genes, Reporter ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; MCF-7 Cells ; Tamoxifen ; Transfection

Human mouth environment is known to include a variety bacteria, including Streptococcus spp., Staphylococcus spp., Actinomyces spp., Lactobacillus spp., Candida spp., Enterobacteriaceae, et al. Human oral microorganisms can cause dental caries, gingivitis, periodontitis, respiratory tract infection, and cardiovascular disease. Thus, right denture cleaning is essential to oral and general human health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the bactericidal effect of a sodium dichloroisocyanurate-based effervescent tablet (Aos Denti Germ, Aos Company, Chungbuk, Korea) against oral microorganisms. A total of 5 species Streptococcus spp. (Streptococcus anginosus, Streptococcus mitis, Streptococcus mutans, Streptococcus oralis, and Streptococcus sobrinus), Actinomyces oris, Candida albicans, and Escherichia coli were used in this study. All strains were exposed to the distilled water prepared with effervescent tablet. After the exposure, the mixture of strains and effervescent tablet was inoculated onto blood agar or MacConkey agar plate and cultured at 36℃. All strains were killed immediately on exposure to effervescent tablet. The results suggested that effervescent tablet could be used as an effective denture cleanser for dental hygiene.
Actinomyces ; Agar ; Bacteria ; Candida ; Candida albicans ; Cardiovascular Diseases ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Dental Caries ; Denture Cleansers ; Dentures* ; Enterobacteriaceae ; Escherichia coli ; Gingivitis ; Humans ; Lactobacillus ; Mouth ; Oral Hygiene ; Periodontitis ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Sodium ; Staphylococcus ; Streptococcus ; Streptococcus mitis ; Streptococcus mutans ; Streptococcus oralis ; Water

PURPOSE: Epinephrine itself exhibits some cardiotoxicity. However, it rarely induces cardiomyopathy when used in standard doses during surgery for local hemostasis. This paper reports a rare case of stress-induced cardiomyopathy in a young woman after the local infiltration of epinephrine. METHODS: Corrective rhinoplasty was planned in a 20-year-old woman. Lidocaine mixed with epinephrine 1:100,000 was injected around the skin of the nose and nasal septum after inducing anesthesia, which resulted in sinus tachycardia and hypotension. Postoperative ECG showed a T wave inversion in the lead V2 and echocardiography revealed transient hypokinesia in the cardiac apex. Cardiac enzyme was mildly elevated. RESULTS: Symptoms and laboratory findings improved considerably, and the patient was discharged from hospital without complications on the sixth day after surgery. CONCLUSION: The prognosis of catecholamine-induced cardiomyopathy is generally favorable. However, it is important to be aware of the possible adverse effects of local epinephrine infiltration. This case highlights the need for caution when using epinephrine.
Anesthesia ; Cardiomyopathies ; Echocardiography ; Electrocardiography ; Epinephrine ; Female ; Hemostasis ; Humans ; Hypokinesia ; Hypotension ; Lidocaine ; Nasal Septum ; Nose ; Prognosis ; Rhinoplasty ; Skin ; Surgery, Plastic ; Tachycardia, Sinus ; Young Adult

Consumption of foods with high energy and low nutrient values has been linked to various health issues including obesity and chronic diseases. This study investigated the high-energy/low-nutrient food consumption status and its relationship with obesity status and intake of energy and nutrients, using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) and the Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey (KYRBWS). The prevalence of overweight and obesity among 2-18 year-olds was 8.4% and 10.8% in 2008 and 8.5% and 9.0% in 2009, respectively, in KNHANES. The prevalence of obesity among 12-18 year-olds was 13.9% in 2008 and 11.4% in 2009 in KNHANES, while it was 8.1% in 2008 and 8.2% in 2009 in KYRBWS. Consumption patterns of high-energy/low-nutrient foods were diverse depending on the particular food type. High-energy/low-nutrient foods such as cookies were most often consumed more frequently (2~3 times per week), but fast food type foods were generally consumed less frequently (once per week or less). No significant relationships between high-energy/low-nutrient food consumption and level of energy and nutrient intakes were found in either datasets. Adolescents who were not obese more frequently consumed ramen (p < 0.001), cookies (p < 0.001) and fast food (p < 0.001) than those who were obese in KYRBWS, however, such relationships were not found in KNHANES. This direction of the relationship could be probably attributed to the cross-sectional nature of the datasets. This study was limited by the cross-sectional nature of the data, therefore, further longitudinal research using various study techniques would be necessary to understand the effects of high-energy/low-nutrient foods on child obesity.
Adolescent ; Child ; Chronic Disease ; Fast Foods ; Humans ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Prevalence ; Risk-Taking

Most patients with recurrent uterine cervical cancer have intra-pelvis metastasis with adjacent lymph node involvement, while a lone, distant metastasis is extremely rare. We report a 79-year-old woman with recurrent uterine cervical cancer that presented as thyroid mass with no intra-pelvic recurrence. Four years earlier, the patient had been diagnosed with uterine cervical cancer. She had undergone a course of concurrent chemoradiotherapy to the pelvis and had no subsequent evidence of recurrence. Several weeks before presenting, she had noticed a foreign body sensation in her throat and a palpable mass in the left side of her neck. Clinically, this was metastatic squamous cell carcinoma from the uterine cervix. Patients who present with swelling or palpable nodules in the neck with a previously diagnosed malignancy must be evaluated for metastatic disease, although metastasis from uterine cervical carcinoma to the thyroid gland is rare.
Aged ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Cervix Uteri ; Chemoradiotherapy ; Female ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neck ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Pelvis ; Pharynx ; Recurrence ; Sensation ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Uterine Cervical Neoplasms*

BACKGROUND: Two representative groups of family physicians and oncologists were surveyed concerning their knowledge and attitudes toward cancer pain management (CPM). METHODS: A questionnaire, designed to assess knowledge (13 items) and attitudes (6 items) toward CPM, was sent to 2,200 members of Korean Association of Family Medicine and 800 members of Korean Cancer Association. RESULTS: Three hundreds and eighty eight family physicians (17.6%) and one hundred and forty seven oncologists (18.4%) responded and completed the questionnaire. They had inadequate knowledge toward CPM, especially, chance of respiratory depression, tolerance to adverse effect, ceiling effect, risk of addiction, and use of adjuvants. Most of the physicians had positive attitude toward importance of CPM, best judge of pain severity, and priority of CPM but had negative attitude toward concerns about potential problem of addiction and earlier prescription of maximum dose of opioid. Family physicians displayed more lack of knowledge about CPM in 9 of 13 items and more negative attitudes toward 4 of 6 items. Adjustment for demographic characteristics and experiences in cancer patients with pain showed that while family physicians had poor knowledge of tolerance to confusion, they had more adequate knowledge on the effect of antidepressant and had positive attitude towards best judge of pain severity and priority of CPM. Poor knowledge about CPM was rated by 66.3% of physicians as the most important barrier to adequate CPM. CONCLUSION: These findings that most of the physicians had poor knowledge and negative view toward CPM suggest a continuous need for comprehensive education program focused on CPM for physicians.
Education ; Humans ; Korea* ; Pain Management* ; Physicians, Family* ; Prescriptions ; Respiratory Insufficiency ; Surveys and Questionnaires