Purpose: The aim of this study was to show the association between the childbirth experience and life satisfaction among women with disabilities and estimate the moderating effect of family strengths and social support. Methods: The target sample included disabled married women aged 20-49 years. We used the Disability and Life Dynamics Panel 2018. The total number of participants was 220. Three groups were defined based on the childbirth experience: women who had never given birth (13.6%), those who gave birth before the onset of disability (73.2%), and those who gave birth after the onset of disability (13.2%). We identified differences in general characteristics, family strengths, social support, and life satisfaction across the 3 groups and examined the moderating effect of family strengths and social support for the childbirth experience and life satisfaction. Results: Women who gave birth after the onset of disability were in better health, exhibiting longer disability retention periods. The multiple regression analysis revealed that among women who gave birth after the onset of disability, life satisfaction was significantly higher than that of women without the childbirth experience because of the moderating effect of family strengths. However, social support had no significant effect on the childbirth experience and life satisfaction. Conclusion We empirically analyzed the status of childbirth before and after the onset of disability using representative survey data. The findings indicate a positive moderating effect of family strengths on the level of life satisfaction among women with disabilities.

OBJECTIVE: This study was to investigate the factors that influence the propensity of Koreans in choosing care settings of dementia patients. METHODS: This study analyzed the data from the '2014 Nationwide Survey on Dementia Awareness of Koreans' that was conducted by the National Institute of Dementia. Korean's perception of care burden for dementia was measured with grading on its types. Also its influences on preference for care between facilities and homes were evaluated using multivariate analysis with socio-demographic characteristics. RESULTS: In terms of preferred care settings, respondents preferred facilities over homes in case of themselves and their family, respectively 77.5% and 68.2%. The preference for facilities was significantly influenced by the respondents' age for both themselves and their family. Additionally, the perception of relatively higher emotional and physical burden compared to economic burden significantly influenced preference for facilities for their family. CONCLUSION: Improving public awareness and setting-up a practical social supporting system are needed to reduce emotional and physical burden as well as economic burden of dementia. Furthermore, building up an appropriate and safer communities for dementia patients and their caregivers is much demanded for reducing their burdens.
Caregivers ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Dementia* ; Humans ; Multivariate Analysis

OBJECTIVES: Self perceived body image among women is drawing a lot of attention in Korea due to their unhealthy weight control behaviors. To determine the relationship between self-perceived body image and dietary behaviors among Korean women, the discrepancy between actual body size and body image perception, weight control behaviors were assessed based on age groups using the 2010 KNHANES data. METHODS: A total of 1,747 subjects were selected after eliminating those of likely changing their diet recently using the 2010 KNHANES data. The subjects were divided into 3 groups, self-underweight, self-normal, and self-obese according to their perception of body image. The BMI and weight control behaviors were assessed based on age groups according to the body image perception. RESULTS: The younger, the higher ratio of underweight, women perceived their body size as normal or overweight. Exercise and reduced food intakes were dominant among various weight control methods but unhealthy methods were dominant among self perceived overweight group. CONCLUSIONS: Incorrect body image perception and unhealthy weight control behaviors can cause nutritional problems. Nutritional education should emphasize the importance of healthy weight and proper body image perception for Korean women.
Body Image* ; Body Size ; Diet ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Nutrition Surveys* ; Overweight ; Thinness ; Weight Perception

Severe adenovirus pneumonia that causes acute respiratory failure can occur in infants, children, and immunocompromised patients. However, severe adenovirus pneumonia is rare in adults with a normal immune system. Adenovirus pneumonia may progress to acute respiratory failure in a few hours or a few days, and its clinical course cannot be predicted. In addition, the mortality rate is very high (range, 50% to 66%). However, the optimal treatment of adenovirus pneumonia has not been established. Herein, we report the successful treatment of acute respiratory failure due to adenovirus pneumonia with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
Adenoviridae* ; Adult ; Child ; Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation* ; Humans ; Immune System ; Immunocompromised Host ; Infant ; Mortality ; Pneumonia* ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; Respiratory Insufficiency

Vascular catheters are associated with complications such as infection, thrombosis and stenosis. The embolization of a venous catheter fragment is a rare complication. A 39-year-old woman underwent placement of a totally implantable venous access device for chemotherapy to treat a recurrent liposarcoma of the left thigh. The "pinch-off sign" was noted on a routine chest X-ray but that was ignored. Three-months after implantation of the intravenous access device, the indwelling central catheter was fractured and embolized to the pulmonary trunk. The catheter in the pulmonary trunk was successfully removed through a percutaneous femoral vein approach using a pigtail catheter and goose neck snare.
Thigh/pathology ; Pulmonary Artery/*injuries/surgery ; Liposarcoma/drug therapy ; Humans ; Foreign-Body Migration/*complications/surgery ; Female ; *Equipment Failure ; Embolism/*etiology/surgery ; Catheters, Indwelling/*adverse effects ; Catheterization, Central Venous/*adverse effects/instrumentation ; Adult

Despite the availability of effective antiviral drugs, human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is still a serious life-threatening complication in recipients of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Ganciclovir (GCV) preemptive therapy is currently the usual treatment for CMV disease and antigenemia. However, prolonged GCV therapy results in the emergence of drug-resistant virus. Most GCV-resistant clinical CMV isolates contain a mutation in the UL97 phosphotransferase gene. We report a case that GCV-resistant CMV antigenemia by UL97 phosphotransferase mutant strain at codon 460 and 605 which was improved by reduction of immunosuppressants for posttransplant lymphoproliferative disease after unrelated cord blood transplantation.
Antiviral Agents ; Codon ; Cytomegalovirus ; Fetal Blood* ; Ganciclovir ; Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation ; Humans ; Immunosuppressive Agents

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to assess the availability of quantitative computed tomography (QCT) in the evaluation of asthma patients and to correlate its use with the pulmonary function test (PFT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty asthmatic patients and thirty normal volunteers were prospectively evaluated by the use of HRCT and the PFT. By using 16 slice MDCT, HRCT was performed from the apex to the base of both lungs at the end inspiration and end expiration periods in all patients and images were reconstructed to a thickness of 1 mm (window level: -750 HU, window width: 1,500 HU). We analyzed each image for the whole lung using the Pulmo CT program. PFTs including FVC and FEV1 were performed one week prior and one week after the completion of a HRCT. The Difference of QCT (the mean lung density and subrange ratio) between volunteers and asthmatic patients was analyzed by using the Student's t-test. Spearman's correlation test was used to determine the association between PFT and QCT. RESULTS: The mean lung density (MLD) and subrange ratio were lower in asthmatic patients than in volunteers for end expiration and no difference was seen between asthmatic patients and volunteers for end inspiration. FVC and FEV1 were lower in asthmatic patients than in volunteers. A decrease in FVC and FEV1 correlated with changes in the MLD and subrange ratio for end expiration. CONCLUSION: QCT such as MLD and the subrange ratio using HRCT can be used to indirectly assess the pulmonary function of the asthma patient. The PFT seems to correlate better with the MLD and subrange ratio for expiratory QCT of the asthma patient than with inspiratory QCT.
Asthma* ; Healthy Volunteers ; Humans ; Lung ; Prospective Studies ; Respiratory Function Tests* ; Volunteers

Myokymia is one of involuntary movement, which is characterized by undulatory muscle spasm, similar to the worm's crawl. Sometimes muscle pain, itchy sensation, dysautonomia and other symptoms are associated with it. Derangement of the peripheral or central nervous system after nerve or tissue damage is suspected as the source of impulse generators causing this symptom. We encountered a patient with neuropathic pain and myokymia after thoracotomy. Although several medications and nerve blocks have been applied, all have failed to provide symptom relief. We experienced improvement of the pain and involuntary movement with a thoracic sympathetic ganglion block and gabapentin.
Central Nervous System ; Dyskinesias ; Ganglia, Sympathetic* ; Humans ; Myalgia ; Myokymia* ; Nerve Block ; Neuralgia* ; Primary Dysautonomias ; Sensation ; Spasm ; Thoracotomy*

The interleukin-33 (IL-33)/ST2 pathway has emerged as an intercellular signaling system that participates in antigen-allergen response, autoimmunity and fibrosis. It has been suggested that IL-33/ST2 signaling has been involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), because IL-33 and its receptor have been specifically mapped to RA synovium. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of IL-33 and sST2 in sera and synovial fluids in patients with RA. The serum level of IL-33 was significantly higher in patients with RA (294.9 +/- 464.0 pg/mL) than in healthy controls (96.0 +/- 236.9 pg/mL, P = 0.002). The synovial fluid level of IL-33 was significantly higher in RA patients than in osteoarthritis patients. The level of serum sST2 was higher in RA patients than in healthy controls (P = 0.042). A significant relationship was found between the levels of IL-33 and IL-1beta (r = 0.311, P = 0.005), and IL-33 and IL-6 (r = 0.264, P = 0.017) in 81 RA patients. The levels of IL-33, sST2 and C-reactive protein decreased after conventional disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs treatment in 10 patients with treatment-naive RA. Conclusively, IL-33 is involved in the pathogenesis of RA and may reflect the degree of inflammation in patients with RA.
Adult ; Aged ; Antirheumatic Agents/therapeutic use ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid/blood/drug therapy/*pathology ; C-Reactive Protein/analysis ; Female ; Humans ; Interleukin-1beta/analysis/blood ; Interleukin-6/analysis/blood ; Interleukins/*analysis/blood ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Osteoarthritis/blood/pathology ; Receptors, Cell Surface/*analysis/blood ; Synovial Fluid/metabolism

BACKGROUND: The skin consists of tightly connected keratinocytes, and prevents extensive water loss while simultaneously protecting against the entry of microbial pathogens. Excessive cellular levels of reactive oxygen species can induce cell apoptosis and also damage skin integrity. Propofol (2,6-diisopropylphenol) has antioxidant properties. In this study, we investigated how propofol influences intracellular autophagy and apoptotic cell death induced by oxidative stress in human keratinocytes. METHOD: The following groups were used for experimentation: control, cells were incubated under normoxia (5% CO₂, 21% O₂, and 74% N₂) without propofol; hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), cells were exposed to H₂O₂ (300 µM) for 2 h; propofol preconditioning (PPC)/H₂O₂, cells pretreated with propofol (100 µM) for 2 h were exposed to H₂O₂; and 3-methyladenine (3-MA)/PPC/H₂O₂, cells pretreated with 3-MA (1 mM) for 1 h and propofol were exposed to H₂O₂. Cell viability, apoptosis, and migration capability were evaluated. Relation to autophagy was detected by western blot analysis. RESULTS: Cell viability decreased significantly in the H₂O₂ group compared to that in the control group and was improved by propofol preconditioning. Propofol preconditioning effectively decreased H₂O₂-induced cell apoptosis and increased cell migration. However, pretreatment with 3-MA inhibited the protective effect of propofol on cell apoptosis. Autophagy was activated in the PPC/H₂O₂ group compared to that in the H₂O₂ group as demonstrated by western blot analysis and autophagosome staining. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that propofol preconditioning induces an endogenous cellular protective effect in human keratinocytes against oxidative stress through the activation of signaling pathways related to autophagy.
Apoptosis ; Autophagy* ; Blotting, Western ; Cell Death ; Cell Movement ; Cell Survival ; Humans* ; Hydrogen Peroxide ; Keratinocytes* ; Methods ; Oxidative Stress* ; Propofol* ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Skin ; Water