No abstract available.
Urinary Tract Infections* ; Urinary Tract*

BACKGROUND: Unilateral lung hyperinflation develops in lungs with asymmetric compliance, which can lead to vital instability. The aim of this study was to investigate the respiratory dynamics and the effect of airway diameter on the distribution of tidal volume during mechanical ventilation in a lung model with asymmetric compliance. METHODS: Three groups of lung models were designed to simulate lungs with a symmetric and asymmetric compliance. The lung model was composed of two test lungs, lung1 and lung2. The static compliance of lung1 in C15, C60, and C120 groups was manipulated to be 15, 60, and 120 ml/cmH₂O, respectively. Meanwhile, the static compliance of lung2 was fixed at 60 ml/cmH₂O. Respiratory variables were measured above (proximal measurement) and below (distal measurement) the model trachea. The lung model was mechanically ventilated, and the airway internal diameter (ID) was changed from 3 to 8 mm in 1-mm increments. RESULTS: The mean ± standard deviation ratio of volumes distributed to each lung (VL1/VL2) in airway ID 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 were in order, 0.10 ± 0.05, 0.11 ± 0.03, 0.12 ± 0.02, 0.12 ± 0.02, 0.12 ± 0.02, and 0.12 ± 0.02 in the C15 group; 1.05 ± 0.16, 1.01 ± 0.09, 1.00 ± 0.07, 0.97 ± 0.09, 0.96 ± 0.06, and 0.97 ± 0.08 in the C60 group; and 1.46 ± 0.18, 3.06 ± 0.41, 3.72 ± 0.37, 3.78 ± 0.47, 3.77 ± 0.45, and 3.78 ± 0.60 in the C120 group. The positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) of lung1 was significantly increased at airway ID 3 mm (1.65 cmH₂O) in the C15 group; at ID 3, 4, and 5 mm (2.21, 1.06, and 0.95 cmH₂O) in the C60 group; and ID 3, 4, and 5 mm (2.92, 1.84, and 1.41 cmH₂O) in the C120 group, compared to ID 8 mm (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In the C15 and C120 groups, the tidal volume was unevenly distributed to both lungs in a positive relationship with lung compliance. In the C120 group, the uneven distribution of tidal volume was improved when the airway ID was equal to or less than 4 mm, but a significant increase of PEEP was observed.
Airway Obstruction ; Compliance ; Lung Compliance* ; Lung* ; Positive-Pressure Respiration ; Positive-Pressure Respiration, Intrinsic ; Respiration, Artificial ; Tidal Volume ; Trachea ; Ventilation

Purpose: : This study aims to identify job stress, emotional intelligence, and exhaustion of the nurses in comprehensive nursing service units and then verify the moderating and mediating effects of emotional intelligence on the relationship between job stress and exhaustion. Methods: : Participants are 118 nurses working in two general hospitals. The collected data are analyzed using the SPSS WIN 27.0 and AMOS 18.0 programs by assessing frequency and percentage, mean and standard deviation, independent t-test and one-way ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and hierarchical multiple regression analysis and bootstrapping. Results: : Exhaustion has a statistically significant positive correlation with job stress (r=.40, p ＜.001) and a statistically significant negative correlation with emotional intelligence (r=-.26, p =.004). A partial mediating effect of emotional intelligence is found between job stress and exhaustion, however, there is no moderating effect. Conclusion : It is expected that to reduce the exhaustion of nurses in comprehensive nursing service units, it is necessary to assess job stress and emotional intelligence, and strengthen emotional intelligence along with job stress intervention.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Although interferon-a(IFNa) is currently the most effective antiviral agent for treating patients with chronic hepatitis C, its efficacy is not always reliable. Factors suggested to infruence outcome of IFN-a therapy for chronic hepatitis C are histological activity, level of viremia and HCV genotype, etc. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between several pretreatment factors and response to IFN-a therapy in patients with chronic HCV infection. METHODS: Fifty-four patients with chronic HCV infection(47 with chronic hepatitis and 7 with liver cirrhosis) who received IFN-a(2a or 2b) therapy(3 6 MU, three times a week, for 3 12 months) were included. Level of serum HCV RNA(50 patients), HCV genotype(27 patients) and IgM anti- HCV(21 patients) during pretreatment period were assayed. RESULTS: Overall, 19(35%) subjects achieved sustained response(SR), 12(22%) had transient response(TR) and 23(43%) did not respond (nonresponse;NR). Mean age of patients with SR, TR and NR was 46+ 10, 51+ 7.5 and 54+ 9.7 years, respectively(p<0.05 between SR and NR). Among 30 patients with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis, 13(43%) achieved SR;but only one(14%) in 7 patients with liver cirrhosis. Mean serum HCV RNA level(X10' copies/ml) was higher in nonresponders(7,7+ 13.0) compared with SR(2.3+ 2. 7) or TR(3.1+ 4.9), although statistically insignificant HCV genotyping in 27 patients revealed type la in 5(18.5%), 1b in 14(52%), 2a in 5(18.5%), 2b in 1(3.7%) and 4 in 2(7%), respectively. In non-1b patients, SR rate was significantly higher than 1b patients(69.2% vs. 21.4%, p=0.03). Although IgM anti-HCV was positive in 12(57%) among 21 patients studied, the positive rate and the titer of IgM anti-HCV was not significantly different in three groups. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that in patients with chronic hepatitis C, infection with genotype 1b, old age, high serum HCV RNA level and the presence of cirrhosis would predict poor response to IFN therapy.
Fibrosis ; Genotype ; Hepatitis C, Chronic ; Hepatitis, Chronic ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Interferons* ; Liver ; Liver Cirrhosis ; RNA ; Viremia

No abstract available.
Radionuclide Imaging*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between the practice environment of nursing and the critical thinking disposition of clinical nurses in local general hospitals. METHODS: A convenience sample of 468 registered nurses was obtained from three local general hospitals. Data were collected by a self-administered questionnaire during November, 2012. The survey tools were the K-PES-NWI verified by Cho et al (2011) and the critical thinking disposition instrument developed by Yoon (2004). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA with Scheffe test and multiple regression with SPSS/WIN 18.0. RESULTS: The mean score for practice environment of nursing was 3.3+/-0.4 and for critical thinking disposition, 2.3+/-0.4. There were statistically significant differences in critical thinking disposition according to age, education, length of career, current position, and marital status. In multivariate analysis, factors related to critical thinking disposition were collegial nurse-physician relations and education level. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that collegial nurse-physician relations in the nursing practice environment are related to nurses' critical thinking disposition, and thus, it is important to improve the practice environment as well using individual approaches including on-the-job training to improve nurses' critical thinking disposition.
Education ; Hospitals, General* ; Inservice Training ; Marital Status ; Multivariate Analysis ; Nursing* ; Physician-Nurse Relations ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Thinking*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of nurses' psycho-social health and social support from colleagues on patient caring ability. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was used and the participants in this study were 422 nurses from 3 general hospitals. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis with the SAS 9.4 program. RESULTS: Total mean score for psychosocial health was 3.15±0.57, for social support from colleagues, 3.43±0.55, and for caring ability, 4.04±0.53. Psychosocial health, social support from colleagues, and married status were identified as significant factors influencing patient caring ability. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study indicate that psychosocial health and social support from colleagues are related to patient caring ability, and thus, to improve nurses' caring ability for patient and for self, it is important to create a work environment that keeps nurses healthy and promotes collaboration with colleagues.
Cooperative Behavior ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Empathy* ; Hospitals, General ; Humans

The use of chatbot technology, particularly chat generative pre-trained transformer (ChatGPT) with an impressive 175 billion parameters, has garnered significant attention across various domains, including Obstetrics and Gynecology (OBGYN). This comprehensive review delves into the transformative potential of chatbots with a special focus on ChatGPT as a leading artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Moreover, ChatGPT harnesses the power of deep learning algorithms to generate responses that closely mimic human language, opening up myriad applications in medicine, research, and education. In the field of medicine, ChatGPT plays a pivotal role in diagnosis, treatment, and personalized patient education. Notably, the technology has demonstrated remarkable capabilities, surpassing human performance in OBGYN examinations, and delivering highly accurate diagnoses. However, challenges remain, including the need to verify the accuracy of the information and address the ethical considerations and limitations. In the wide scope of chatbot technology, AI systems play a vital role in healthcare processes, including documentation, diagnosis, research, and education. Although promising, the limitations and occasional inaccuracies require validation by healthcare professionals. This review also examined global chatbot adoption in healthcare, emphasizing the need for user awareness to ensure patient safety. Chatbot technology holds great promise in OBGYN and medicine, offering innovative solutions while necessitating responsible integration to ensure patient care and safety.

A 13-month-old boy had irregularly shaped, erythematous to dusky red, slightly raised patches and plaques on the left antecubital fossa and arm for 7 months. The lesions were firm and tender. Histopathologically the lesion consisted of small, circumscribed, angiomatous tufts and lobules with a cannonball appearance scattered throughout dermis, a characteristic feature of tufted angioma. For 15 weeks, interferon-a intralesional injections have been performed and the lesions showed an improvement.
Arm ; Dermis ; Hemangioma* ; Humans ; Infant ; Injections, Intralesional ; Interferon-alpha* ; Male

This study examined the nutritional information using the nutrition labels of gimbap sold at convenience stores and evaluated nutritional adequacy compared to dietary reference intakes for Korean adolescents. Thirty gimbaps (triangular gimbaps and regular gimbaps according to the main ingredients of vegetables, fish, and meat) were purchased at five convenience stores of different brands with many stores in Korea. The food and nutrition labels of the gimbaps were investigated, and nine minerals were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The average price of gimbap was 1,906.7 won, and average energy was 292.0 kcal, and the protein content was 15.5% of the recommended intake for Korean male adolescents aged 15∼18 years. The mineral content ranged from 6.9% for zinc to 39.0% for selenium. Except for sodium and selenium, the energy, protein, and mineral content did not meet 1/3 of dietary reference intakes for adolescents. For the index of nutritional quality (INQ), calcium and zinc were the lowest in the triangular and regular gimbap, respectively. The INQ of potassium was significantly higher in triangular gimbap with vegetables. The content and INQ of selenium were in regular gimbap with fish, and the zinc INQ was in regular gimbap with meat. Overall, gimbap sold in convenience stores has a high sodium content, and the contents of energy, protein, and minerals, except selenium, are insufficient for a single meal.