The cause of essential hypertension is yet unknown, but in general is caused by interaction of hereditary factors, diet, obesity, lack of exercise and stress. The aging process influences various physiological mechanism related to regulation of blood pressure. So elderly hypertensives have a tendancy to consider the disease as a result of the physiological aging process. This attitude causes many complications, worsening of the disease and even early death because of inappropriate care. In order to improve self-management of elderly hypertensives in this study the researcher examined the effect of blood pressure regulation by an education program that improves self-care behavior, through increasing self-efficacy. The education program consisted of group education on hypertension and self-care strategies, and encouraging and reinforcing self-efficacy resources such as verbal persuation, performance accomplishment and vicarious experiences. A quasi-experimental pre-and post-test design was used. Thirty-two elderly hypertensives participated in the study. Eighteen in the education group and fourteen in the control group. The education program consisted of eight sessions twice a week for four weeks. There was no intervention for the control group. Data were analysed using SPSS for Windows(Version 8.0). The results were as follows. 1. There was a significant decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure between the experimental group and control group over three different times, and interaction by groups and over time. 2. There was no significant difference in the level of self-care behavior between the experimental group and control group over three different times, and interaction by groups and over time. 3. There was significant difference in self-efficacy of experimental and control group, depending on the measuring period, but there was no difference between these groups on interaction by groups and over time. 4. There was positive correlation between self efficacy and self care behavior depending on the measuring period. There was negative correlation between diastolic blood pressure and self-care behavior on the posttest of the program, and between systolic blood pressure and self-care behavior on the follow-up test of the program. Findings indicate that this study will contribute to develop nursing strategies for the regulation of blood pressure for the elderly, which is easy for the elderly to learn as a nonpharmacologic approach.
Aged* ; Aging ; Blood Pressure* ; Diet ; Education* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Nursing ; Obesity ; Self Care* ; Self Efficacy

PURPOSE: To improve self-management in elderly people with hypertension, the researcher examined the effects of an abdominal relaxed breathing exercises using biofeedback on blood pressure. These exercises regulate physical response to stress and lessen the activity of sympathetic nerves. METHOD: A single-experimental pre-and post-test design was used. Eight elderly people with hypertension participated in the study from April, 6 to June, 14, 2000. Biofeedback was done with soft ware by developed by J & J Company (1-410 form for abdominal respiration training). The abdominal relaxed breathing exercises are based on Mason's suggestion (1985) and were modified by Yu & Song(2001). This program consisted of 4 sessions once a week for four weeks. Data were analysed using SPSSPC+(10.0). RESULT: There was a significant decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure over three different times. There was a significant difference in the level of total stress response, overall health and quality of life but no significant difference in the level of emotional condition over three different times. CONCLUSION: The results of this study will contribute to the development of nursing strategies for the regulation of blood pressure in older people as the exercises are easy to learn and are a nonpharmacologic approach.
Aged* ; Biofeedback, Psychology* ; Blood Pressure* ; Breathing Exercises* ; Exercise ; Humans ; Hypertension* ; Nursing ; Quality of Life ; Respiration* ; Self Care

No abstract available.
Monokines* ; Neutrophil Activation* ; Neutrophils*

No abstract available.
Female ; HELLP Syndrome* ; Pregnancy

PURPOSE: This study was to identify the prevalence of orthostatic hypotension and its association with risk factors of orthostatic hypotension aged over 60 in Seoul and Chungju, Korea. METHOD: The data were collected from the 22th of August, 2000 to the 7th May 2001. The participants were 74 community-dwelling aged who could stand up from sitting position without assistance. Subjects were interviewed with structured questionnaire in order to ask experience of previous falls, hours in per day, symptoms related orthostatic hypotension and demographic characteristics. Orthostatic hypotension was assessed at 1 minute after the subjects standing from sitting position and defined as 20mmHg or greater decrease in systolic blood pressure after standing. RESULT: The prevalence of orthostatic hypotension was 17.1%. The mean drop of systolic blood pressure was 27.46mmHg among orthostatic hypotension subjects. The significant variables which explain the occurrence of orthostatic hypotension was the basal systolic blood pressure, the hit ratio of discriminant function with basal systolic blood pressure was 69.7%. CONCLUSION: Finding indicate that this study will contribute to develop nursing strategies to identify risk factors and to prevent orthostatic hypotension for the aged.

Stress can be defined generally as reponses to stressors on the body or in a definition more focused on the central nervous system, it can be defined as alterations in neuro-psychological homeostatic processes. There is a psychological aspect to stress, related to issues such as memory, emotion, arousal, and also a biological aspect which included activation of specific brain and endocrine circuits. This article reviews a series of neurobiological mechanisms aimed at understanding what are pathways by which stress is perceived, processed, and transduced into a neuroendocrine response. Multiple brain structures are involved in the organization of responses to stressful stimuli. Among them the hypothalamus, septohippocampal structures, amygdala, cingulate and prefrontal cortices, hindbrain regions such as the brainstem catecholamine cell body group (A2/C2 cell groups in the nucleus of the tractus solitaris; A1/C1 cell groups in the ventrolateral medulla; A6 cell groups in the locus ceruleus), the parabrachial nucleus, cuneiform nucleus, and dorsal raphe nucleus are prominent structures. We reviewed with the focus on the classic stress circuits: the limbic- hypothalamic-pituitary- adrenal axis (LHPA) and locus ceruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system. Our review indicates that the LHPA stress circuit and LC- NE system are the complex systems with multiple control mechanisms and that these mechanisms are altered in pathological states, such as chronic stress and depression. The holistic features described in this reviews can provide insight into the nature and location of brain circuits and neurotransmitter receptors involved in stress and the treatment of stress-related disorders.
Amygdala ; Arousal ; Axis, Cervical Vertebra ; Brain ; Brain Stem ; Central Nervous System ; Depression ; Hypothalamus ; Memory ; Neurosciences* ; Raphe Nuclei ; Receptors, Neurotransmitter ; Rhombencephalon

PURPOSE: This study was to identify the prevalence of postprandial hypotension and its related risk factors, and investigate the relationship between the related symptoms and the occurrence of postprandial hypotension. METHOD: The data were collected from the 22th of August, 2000 to 7th May, 2001. The participants were 74 aged over 60 in Seoul and Chungju, Korea. Blood pressure was taken in the sitting position at 15mins, 30mins and 60mins after starting meals. RESULT: 1) The prevalence of postprandial hypotension was 12.2% at 15mins, 25.7% at 30 mins, 25.7% at 60mins after starting meals. 2) There was no significant difference in age, but there was significant difference in basal systolic blood pressure between responders and nonresponders to postprandial hypotension over the three different times. 3) There was no significant relation between the occurrence of postprandial hypotension and its related symptoms over the three different times. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that this study will contribute to develop an assessment protocol and nursing strategies to identify risk factors and to prevent postrprandial hypotension for the aged.
Blood Pressure ; Chungcheongbuk-do ; Hypotension* ; Korea ; Meals ; Nursing ; Prevalence* ; Risk Factors* ; Seoul

Rhabdomyolysis is defined as skeletal muscle injury with release of muscle cell constituents into the plasma and may lead to acute renal failure secondary to myoglobinuria. The most sensitive marker of muscle cell damage is serum creatine kinase concentration. It was first described by Bywaters and Beall in association with crush injuries during the second world war, and since then it has been recognized as the cause of about 5 % of all cases of acute renal failure. But acute renal failure is extremely rare in diabetic patient with hyperosmolarity irrespective of the frequency of rhabdomyolysis. Since osmotic diuresis, which is provoked by a high renal glucose load, prevents the development of acute tubular necrosis; there have been a few case reports connecting diabetic hyperosmolar state with acute renal failure, secondary to rhabdomyolysis. We reported a case with diabetic hyperosmolar nonketotic coma who developed acute renal failure secondary to rhabdomyolysis and myoglobinuria in a 60 year old patient with review of the literatures.
Acute Kidney Injury* ; Coma* ; Creatine Kinase ; Diuresis ; Glucose ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Muscle Cells ; Muscle, Skeletal ; Myoglobinuria ; Necrosis ; Plasma ; Rhabdomyolysis* ; World War II

PURPOSE: Conventional contrast dacryocystography(C-DCG) has been used mainly for anatomical assessment of the lacrimal drainage apparatus, due to its limited information on the dynamics of the lacrimal system, and thus correlation role in epiphora. The purpose of study was to improve the diagnostic value in epiphora by utilizing RI dacryocystography(RI-DCG) with quantitative criteria. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patient for RI dacryocystography set erect with the head fixed in front of gamma camera fitted with a standard 6 mm pinhole collimater. Both eyes of 85 patients(170 eyes) were scanned with 99rnTc-pertechnetate followed by conventional dacryocystography. The data from gamma camera were recorded simultaneously on a computer system for subsequent quantitative analysis. RESULTS: In 94 of 96 eyes without epiphora, RI-DCG was correlated with normal C-DCG and % of emptying was at least over 50%. In 58 of 74 eyes with epiphora, RI-DCG was correlated with abnormal C-DCG and % of emptying was at most below 50%. In 16 eyes with functional block, quantitative RI-DCG showed abnormal % of emptying. CONCLUSION: Nuclear DCG with quantitation had higher diagnostic yield in functional block and correlated higher with epiphora. Thus nuclear DCG with quantitation would be a valuable functional test after postprocedures such as dacryocystoplasty.
Computer Systems ; Drainage ; Gamma Cameras ; Head ; Humans ; Lacrimal Apparatus Diseases* ; Radionuclide Imaging*

Relapsing polychondritis (RP) is an uncommon disorder of unknown etiology characterized by inflammation and destruction of the cartilaginous structures of many organs, including the tracheobronchial tree. We experienced a rare case of RP diagnosed after stellate ganglion block. A 56-year-old female has been treated under impression of rheumatoid arthritis and bronchial asthma for several years, but her symptoms were not markedly relieved. We performed right stellate ganglion block with 8 mL of 1% mepivacaine for the relief of the right shoulder pain. About 5 minutes later, she complained severe dyspnea and became cyanotic. Bronchoscopic finding was diffuse bronchoconstriction during expiration. We confirmed the diagnosis of relapsing polychondritis by bronchoscopic biopsy finding. Unfortunately, she died 3 months later due to recurrent pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid ; Asthma ; Biopsy ; Bronchoconstriction ; Diagnosis ; Dyspnea ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Mepivacaine ; Middle Aged ; Pneumonia ; Polychondritis, Relapsing* ; Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Adult ; Shoulder Pain ; Stellate Ganglion*