PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a tool to measure job stress related to occupational characteristics of infection control nurses. METHODS: The tool was developed through the steps of literature reviews, preparatory questions, and a test of validity and confidence. The participants were 212 infection control nurses from 145 Korean hospitals. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach's alpha coefficients, item analysis, factor analysis. RESULTS: Through factor analysis, 38 items in four domains and nine factors were derived. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the final instrument was .95. CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate that the measurement tool is reliable and valid to measure the job stress of infection control nurses.
Infection Control*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine dry eye syndrome and ocular fatigue according to the status of contact lens wearing and management among female university students. METHODS: The subjects were 195 female university students wearing contact lenses. Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and Virtual Reality Symptom Questionnaire (VRSQ) were used to determine the level of dry eye syndrome and ocular fatigue. The SPSS/WIN 21.0 program was used for analysis of data. RESULTS: Significant differences in the level of dry eye syndrome were observed according to the period of case solution change (F=3.36, p=.037) and the reasons for the change of lens (F=4.56, p=.004). In ocular fatigue, significant differences were observed according to the price of lens (F=3.53, p=.031), rinse in storing lens in a case (t=-2.57, p=.011), and learning about contact lens (t=-2.01, p=.046). A significant positive correlation was observed between dry eye syndrome and ocular fatigue in the subjects. CONCLUSION: The results of this study show that some subjects have problems in wearing and management of contact lenses. Therefore, an education program related to contact lenses should be provided to contact lens wearers to improve the status of wearing and management of contact lenses.
Contact Lenses ; Dry Eye Syndromes* ; Education ; Fatigue* ; Female ; Humans ; Learning ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study is to identify factors affecting on the level of practice on nosocomial infection management of operating room nurses. METHODS: The subjects of this study were 155 nurses who worked in operating rooms of six medical centers in located Gwangju and Chonanam area. Data were collected during October, 2006 by the questionnaire including a total of 124 questions. Data collected were analysed with use of SPSS 12.0 program. RESULTS: There was a significant difference of the level of practice by marital status(t=3.957, p=.048), education level(F=3.691, p=.027), position(F=6.588, p=.002), type of hospital(t=4.857, p=.029), number of nurse(F=4.243, p=.007), education about nosocomial infection management(F=3.069, p=.030), management council(t=6.397, p=.012) and management manual(t=6.961, p=.009). There were significant correlations between knowledge and practice (r=.389, p=.000), and between awareness and practice(r=.389, p=.000). Knowledge on nosocomial infection management, awareness of hands washing and positions were affecting factors on the level of practice. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that knowledge and awareness on nosocomial infection prevention and management of operating room nurses should be improved through consistent education. and support of administrator's of hospitals is needed.
Cross Infection ; Hand ; Infection Control ; Operating Room Nursing ; Operating Rooms ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) in children, which is a kind of nephrotic syndrome showing steroid resistance, usually progresses to a substantial number of end stage renal disease (ESRD). Although the pathogenesis of primary FSGS is unclear, several recent studies have reported that FSGS is associated with circulating immune factors such as soluble urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (suPAR) or anti-CD40 autoantibody. We report a successfully treated case of a 19-year-old female patient who experienced a recurrence of primary FSGS. After the diagnosis of FSGS, the patient progressed to ESRD and received a kidney transplantation (KT). Three days later, recurrence was suspected through proteinuria and hypoalbuminemia. She has been performed plasmapheresis and high dose methylprednisolone pulse therapy and shown remission status without increasing proteinuria for four years after KT. In conclusion, strong immunosuppressive therapy may be helpful for a good prognosis of recurrent FSGS, suppressing several immunologic circulating factors related disease pathogenesis.
Child ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental* ; Humans ; Hypoalbuminemia ; Immunologic Factors ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Kidney Transplantation ; Methylprednisolone* ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Plasmapheresis* ; Prognosis ; Proteinuria ; Recurrence ; Urokinase-Type Plasminogen Activator ; Young Adult

The purpose of this study was to investigate not only quality characteristics such as overrun, meltdown and sensory evaluation of oligosaccharide-supplemented soy ice cream but also physiological effects of ice cream with soy and/or oligosaccharide on blood sugar and lipid profile in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Powder of parched soybean was added at 7.6% replacing skimmed milk and cream, soybean oil at 7.6% replacing milk oil in cream, and fructooligosaccharide at 9.5% replacing sucrose on weight basis. Five kinds of ice cream were prepared: MMS (skimmed milk, milk oil, sucrose), MMO (skimmed milk, milk oil, oligosaccharide), SSS (soybean, soybean oil, sucrose), SSO (soybean, soybean oil, oligosaccharide), and BSO (black soybean, soybean oil, oligosaccharide). Overrun and meltdown of soy ice cream were significantly lower than those of milk ice cream. Scores of sensory evaluation especially in mouth feel and melting feel in mouth were lower in soy ice cream. Freeze-dried ice cream was supplemented to AIN93-based diets at 30% (w/w). Sprague-Dawley male rats with diabetes induced by injecting streptozotocin were fed experimental diets for 4 weeks. Plasma glucose level was significantly lowered in SSO group compared with MMS group. Plasma insulin levels of MMO and SSO groups were not significantly different from that of normal group, while those of MMS and SSS group were significantly lower than normal group. Plasma cholesterol was decreased in groups fed ice cream supplemented either soybean or fructooligosaccharide compared to MMS group. HDL-cholesterol level was elevated and triglyceride was decreased significantly in MMO group compared to MMS group. LDL-cholesterol levels of SSS and BSO groups and liver triglyceride level of SSO group were significantly lower compared to MMS group. In conclusion, oligosaccharide-supplemented soy ice cream lowered blood sugar, and ice cream supplemented with soybean and/or oligosaccharide improved lipid profile in diabetic rats.
Animals ; Blood Glucose* ; Cholesterol ; Diet ; Freezing ; Humans ; Ice Cream* ; Ice* ; Insulin ; Liver ; Male ; Milk ; Mouth ; Plasma ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Soybean Oil ; Soybeans ; Streptozocin ; Sucrose ; Triglycerides

We experienced a case of a gallbladder carcinoma detected incidentally by elevated serum alpha- fetoprotein. The patient had a symptom of mild intermittent indigestion, and a routine medical examination revealed elevation of serum alpha-fetoprotein. A mass, 4 cm 3 cm, was located in the gallbladder and it had not infiltrated the liver. The serum level of alpha-fetoprotein decreased after a cholecystectomy. The gallbladder mass was an adenocarcinoma of hepatoid differentiation. Cytoplasms of the tumor cells had positive reactivity to immunohistochemical staining of alpha-fetoprotein. In the course of postoperative follow up, the serum alpha-fetoprotein level increased continuously, and abdominal CT scanning proved multiple intrahepatic metastases.
Adenocarcinoma ; alpha-Fetoproteins ; Cholecystectomy ; Cytoplasm ; Dyspepsia ; Fetal Proteins ; Follow-Up Studies ; Gallbladder* ; Humans ; Liver ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

PURPOSE: Gastrin is a candidate for the growth regulatory factors of the pancreas and may solve the problem of pancreatic atrophy after partial pancreatectomy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of endogenous gastrin on the normal growth and regeneration of the pancreas (after partial pancreatectomy) in rat. METHODS: Sixty Sprague-Dawley rats (200-230 g) were divided into 6 groups. Group (G)-I and II received sham operation (splenectomy only), and G-III, IV, V, VI received both 66% partial pancreatectomy (PPx) and splenectomy. Endogenous hypergastrinemia was induced in G-II, IV, VI by stomach gavage of 30 mg/kg.day of Lansoprozole (LSP) for 3 weeks. In G-V and VI, L365,260 (ML lab, UK) was given continuously in a dose of 50 microgram/kg/hour intraperitoneally using osmotic mini pump. The rats were sacrificed 3 weeks later, and serum gastrin, the weight and the amount of DNA, RNA, and protein in the remnant pancreas or corresponding part were checked. RESULTS: Serum gastrin concentration was 3-4 times higher in the groups received LSP. LSP stimulated growth of the pancreas (G-I: 11921 vs. G-II: 14220 mg/100 g body weight, p=0.047), and the effect was even greater in partial pancreatectomy groups (G-III: 14616 vs. G-IV: 17318 mg/100 g body weight, p=0.007). Total DNA, RNA, and protein amount in the remnant pancreas showed the same trends as the pancreas weight. The effect of LSP was totally abolished by L365,260 (G-V: 13517 vs. G-VI: 14313 mg/100 g body weight, p>0.047). CONCLUSION: Endogenous gastrin has a stimulatory effect on normal growth, and a much stronger effect on the regeneration of the rat pancreas after partial pancreatectomy. Further investigations including clinical trial should be needed.
Animals ; Atrophy ; Body Weight ; DNA ; Gastrins* ; Pancreas ; Pancreatectomy ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Regeneration* ; RNA ; Splenectomy ; Stomach

Stress induced cardiomyopathy is a disease that shows a dysfunction of the ventricle, but it can be rapidly reversible. It often occurs in older women primarily who suffers from emotional or physical stress. There are some case reports about postpartum stress induced cardiomyopathy. Most of the patients are recovered naturally within days to weeks. We report a case of a 37 years-old woman, who had experienced postpartum stress induced cardiomyopathy 8 years ago, revisited hospital because of cardiomyopathy after secondary delivery. Herein we report a rare case of recurrent stress induced cardiomyopathy after secondary normal vaginal delivery.
Cardiomyopathies* ; Female ; Humans ; Postpartum Period* ; Recurrence

BACKGROUND: Chronic biliary-tract infection and long-standing hepatolithiasis are considered as important etiologic factors of a cholangiocarcinoma. PURPOSE: We reviewed cases of hepatolithiasis-associated cholangiocarcinomas to determine their clinical and pathologic characteristics. RESULTS: Nineteen patients with heptolithiasis-associated cholangiocarcinomas admitted during the last 6 years. The incidence of cholangiocarcinomas among the patients with hepatholithiasis was 8.5% (19/224). Their mean age was 59.4 years, which was older than that of the hepatolithiasis patients (53 years). The dominant location of the stones was the left lobe, followed by both lobes and the right lobe. In two cases, the stones were found in different locations from the cancer. The interval between the diagnosis of stones and the diagnosis of cancer was five months to 12 years. A hepatic resection was performed in 8 cases of them. A follow-up study was performed in sixteen cases. Two of seven patients with a curative resection died:one at eight months and the other at thirty-one months post operatively. Five patients are still surviing without recurrence. All nine patients in the non-resected group died during the follow-up period. The overall median survival was 9 month. CONCLUSION:Hepatolithiasis is one of the important causative factors of cholangiocarcinomas, The possibility of an associated cholangiocarcinoma should be considered in the patients with hepatolithiasis before and after the surgery, and even after the stones have been eradicated. Hence, life long close observation is essential for hepatolithiasis patients.
Cholangiocarcinoma* ; Diagnosis ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Recurrence

PURPOSE: We evaluated whether lipoic acid as antioxidant could inhibit expression of VEGF and STAT3 in experimental diabetic rat retina. METHODS: Diabetes was induced chemically by injection of streptozotocin in 12 rats of 18 Sprague-Dawley rats. After induction of diabetes, lipoic acid was injected into the peritonium in 6 rats. So all rats were divided into 3 groups, normal group (n=6), diabetes mellitus (DM) group (n=6), lipoic acid treated group (n=6). The ocular tissue of the rats were collected on 8 weeks after diabetes induction. Difference of VEGF and STAT3 expression was investigated by immunohistochemistry, RT-PCR, western blot. The change of VEGF and STAT3 in lipoic acid treated group were evaluated in these experimental model. RESULTS: The VEGF and STAT3 expression was elevated in diabetic rat retina. The active form STAT3, phosphorylated STAT3 was also elevated. The VEGF and STAT3 expression in lipoic acid treated group was lower than DM group. CONCLUSIONS: The lipoic acid could inhibit the VEGF and STAT3 expression in diabetic rat retina.
Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetic Retinopathy ; Immunohistochemistry ; Models, Theoretical ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Retina* ; Streptozocin ; Thioctic Acid* ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A*