PURPOSE: Global shortages in nursing and strong demand for nursing services provided Korean nurses with more overseas employment opportunities, especially in the developed countries such as the United States and Canada. The purpose of this study was to explore the ageing experiences of the Korean nurses dispatched to Germany in the 1960s and 1970s. METHODS: The researcher interviewed 10 Korean nurses living in four cities in Germany. Interviews were performed twice in January and July, 2010, and the data, in the form of field notes and interview transcripts, were analyzed using the Agar's (1980) ethnographic method. RESULTS: The ageing experiences of the participants can be summarized into three theme stages: coming upon old age, reluctantly realizing getting old, and finally accepting being old. The first stage is characterized by 'wiring money to homeland all throughout youth,' second 'still feeling like a stranger anywhere,' and finally 'burying homeland in heart.' CONCLUSION: The research findings not only suggest crucial materials for training prospective nurses overseas for their successful settlement, but also shed lights on related problems and solutions with ageing experience in overseas employment.
Anthropology, Cultural ; Canada ; Developed Countries ; Employment ; Germany ; Light ; Nursing Services ; United States

PURPOSE: This study was performed to evaluate Korean nurses' knowledge about hereditary colorectal cancer (HCRC). METHODS: A modified 15-item HCRC knowledge questionnaire was developed based on previous research. One hundred and forty-eight nurses have completed the questionnaire from February to April, 2011. RESULTS: The average score of nurses' knowledge was 11.25+/-1.54. Ninety-seven percent of nurses knew about colonoscopy check up schedule and family pedigree. However, only 20% of nurses knew about the rate of passing on mutation genes to offspring and risk of developing CRC among carriers. Only 13.5% of nurses had previous genetic education experiences. Working in oncology units, taking care of CRC patients, and participating in genetic education were not associated with nurses' HCRC knowledge. CONCLUSION: Various factors influence nurses' knowledge about HCRC. Repeated study with larger national sample of nurses is recommended to identify the factors affecting nurses' knowledge level in order to develop efficient genetic education programs for HCRC patients and their families by nurses.
Appointments and Schedules ; Colonoscopy ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Colorectal Neoplasms, Hereditary Nonpolyposis ; Humans ; Pedigree ; Surveys and Questionnaires

A 79-year-old woman presented to another hospital with complaints of right leg pain. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the spine was performed in the other hospital, which showed an abscess in the right iliacus muscle. She was referred to our hospital because of a mass in the right atrium on echocardiography. Inflammatory markers were elevated, and Staphylococcus aureus were identified in blood cultures. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a shaggy mass in the right atrium that resembled vegetation. Transesophageal echocardiography showed a large cystic mass with a hyperechoic lesion. After surgery, biopsy results indicated that it was a myxoid mass with cystic changes.

A 79-year-old woman presented to another hospital with complaints of right leg pain. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the spine was performed in the other hospital, which showed an abscess in the right iliacus muscle. She was referred to our hospital because of a mass in the right atrium on echocardiography. Inflammatory markers were elevated, and Staphylococcus aureus were identified in blood cultures. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a shaggy mass in the right atrium that resembled vegetation. Transesophageal echocardiography showed a large cystic mass with a hyperechoic lesion. After surgery, biopsy results indicated that it was a myxoid mass with cystic changes.

We analyzed the clinical courses of 93 consecutive patients with gangliothalmic hemorrhage for the first three weeks after the ictus and investigated the factors affecting the clinical course and the final outcome. The clinical status was assessed daily using the Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) and patients were divided into two groups according to the clinical course; Group I included those who improved and Group II consisted of patients who deteriorated. There were 44 patients (47.3%) in Group I and 49 patients (52.7%) in group II. Each group was subdivided into the conservative group and the surgical group. In Group I only eight patients (18.2%) received surgery while twenty-five patients (51.0%) received surgery in Group II. Clinical features and computed tomography characteristics of these four groups were compared. Our results suggested that the surgery is rarely required for patients 1) whose GCS values are 12 or more without deterioration; 2) with hematomas smaller than 3 cm in diameter or 20 ml in volume; 3) with midline shifts of less than 3 mm, and 4) whose subtypes of the hematomas are P1, P2a, T1, T2a, and T2b. For proper comparison of the results of medical and surgical treatment, the patient population should include the patients 1) who became deteriorated progressively regardless of initial GCS values; 2) whose GCS values are below 12; 3) with hematomas larger than at least 3cm in diameter or 20ml in volume; 4) with midline shift of more than 3mm, and 5) whose subtypes of the hematoma are P2b or GT.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cerebral Hemorrhage/classification/pathology/*surgery ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prognosis ; Thalamic Diseases/classification/pathology/*surgery ; Time Factors ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

No abstract available.
Korea*

Primary malignant melanoma arising from the leptomeninges is a rare entity. We report two cases of primary intracranial melanoma developed in one aged 65 years female and the other 70 years male. One case died 2 years after the operation, and the other case is still living more than 1 year after operation. Both cases seems to have a relatively long survival. The literature on this subject is briefly reviewed.
Female ; Humans ; Male ; Melanoma*

We report a unique case of a 12-year-old girl with unilateral proptosis form orbital extension of an extensive bilateral cephalhematoma. Loss of vision in the left eye due to severe proptosis was reversed by prompt aspiration and tarsorrhaphy.
Cerebral Hemorrhage/*complications/radiography ; Child ; Exophthalmos/*etiology/radiography ; Female ; Hematoma/*complications/radiography ; Humans

PURPOSE: To generate a Korean specific brain template, especially in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) by optimizing the voxel-based analysis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Three-dimensional T1-weighted images were obtained from 123 subjects who were 43 cognitively normal subjects and patients with 44 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 36 AD. The template and the corresponding aprior maps were created by using the matched pairs approach with considering differences of age, gender and differential diagnosis (DDX). We measured several characteristics in both our and the MNI templates, including in the ventricle size. Also, the fractions of gray matter and white matter voxels normalized by the total intracranial were evaluated. RESULTS: The high resolution template and the corresponding aprior maps of gray matter, white matter (WM) and CSF were created with the voxel-size of 1 x 1 x 1 mm. Mean distance measures and the ventricle sizes differed between two templates. Our brain template had less gray matter and white matter areas than the MNI template. There were volume differences more in gray matter than in white matter. CONCLUSION: Gray matter and/or white matter integrity studies in populations of Korean elderly and patients with AD are needed to investigate with this template.
Aged ; Alzheimer Disease ; Brain ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Humans ; Mild Cognitive Impairment

The authors report a case of newly manifested severe junctional bradycardia following dexmedetomidine administration during spinal anesthesia in a polypharmacy patient. A 77-year-old woman receiving multiple medications, including a beta-blocker and a calcium channel blocker, underwent right total knee arthroplasty. After spinal anesthesia, intravenous dexmedetomidine was initiated as a sedative; her heart rate decreased, followed by junctional bradycardia (heart rate, 37–41 beats/min). Dexmedetomidine was discontinued, and a dopamine infusion was initiated. Seven hours after surgery, junctional bradycardia persisted; a temporary transvenous pacemaker was inserted, and the beta-blocker and calcium channel blocker were discontinued. The patient was discharged on postoperative day 11 without any sequelae. Anesthesiologists should be aware of dexmedetomidine’s inhibitory effects on the cardiac conduction system, especially in geriatric patients taking medications with negative chronotropic effects and in combination with neuraxial anesthesia.