PURPOSE: This study was conducted to analyse the activities and status of infection control nurses (ICNs) and the trends of them since the first full-time ICN had been appointed in 1991. METHODS: Questionaries were mailed to 164 general hospitals with more than 300 beds. 85 hospitals were responded (51.8%) from 17June to 11 November 2003. RESULT: Full-time ICN was employed in 37.5%, 88.8% hospitals employed only one ICN regardless full-time or part-time ICN. ICNs spent time on surveillance (40.7%), teaching (29.4%), and meeting et al (30.3%). Surveillance was practice (67.5%), but surgical site surveillance was done in 12.1%. Personal characteristics and IC activities were significantly different between full-time and part-time ICNs. No of ICNs were increased by the national regulation and policy making. ICNs have improved the efficacy of infection control (IC) and abolished many wasteful ICs, The intensity of surveillance and the number of hospitals keep on hospital environmental control guidelines were increased. CONCLUSION: The number of ICNs was lower than 1980s' recommendation. The regulation on the ratio of ICN to beds should be added. The general features and activities of ICNs have been improved since 1991. However, to step up IC, the reward and support systems for ICN should be established.
Cross Infection ; Hospitals, General* ; Humans ; Infection Control* ; Policy Making ; Postal Service ; Reward

PURPOSE: The study has planned to find out the perceived social support of the families with pneumoconiosis patients. METHOD: The subjects of the study were the 300 family care givers of the pneumoconiosis patients who were hospitalized in Taeback, Donghae and Jeongsun Occupational Medical Center. The Social Support Survey Instrument developed by Park(1985) was adopted. RESULTS: The Direct Perceived Supports showed statistically differences by the age(F=1.70 p=0.01) and the state of the disease(F=3.09 p=0.027) of the patients. The Health Situation Centered Support was different by the marietal situation(F=2.29 p=0.48) of the pneumoconiosis patients. The Indirect Perceived Supports were statistically different by sex(t=3.76 p=0.043) and relation with the patient (F=2.49 p=0.048), group joining(t=3.79 p=0.042) of the family care givers. The DPSs were statistically different by family income(F=2.25 p=0.025), family authority(F=2.81 p=0.031) and health insurance status(F=2.13 p=0.026). RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended to develop an active social support program at the pneumoconiosis care centers for the middle aged female family care givers of the pneumoconiosis patients with the support of Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Health and Welfare and other NGOs of pneumoconiosis.
Caregivers ; Female ; Gangwon-do ; Humans ; Insurance, Health ; Middle Aged ; Pneumoconiosis*

No abstract available.
Angelica*

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive common brain tumor in adults. Curcumin, from Curcuma longa, is an effective antitumor agent. Although the same proteins control both autophagy and cell death, the molecular connections between them are complicated and autophagy may promote or inhibit cell death. We investigated whether curcumin affects autophagy, which regulates curcumin-mediated tumor cell death in A172 human glioblastoma cells. When A172 cells were incubated with 10 μM curcumin, autophagy increased in a time-dependent manner. Curcumin-induced cell death was reduced by co-incubation with the autophagy inhibitors 3-methyladenine (3-MA), hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), and LY294002. Curcumin-induced cell death was also inhibited by co-incubation with rapamycin, an autophagy inducer. When cells were incubated under serum-deprived medium, LC3-II amount was increased but the basal level of cell viability was reduced, leading to the inhibition of curcumin-induced cell death. Cell death was decreased by inhibiting curcumin-induced autophagy using small interference RNA (siRNA) of Atg5 or Beclin1. Therefore, curcumin-mediated tumor cell death is promoted by curcumin-induced autophagy, but not by an increase in the basal level of autophagy in rapamycin-treated or serum-deprived conditions. This suggests that the antitumor effects of curcumin are influenced differently by curcumin-induced autophagy and the prerequisite basal level of autophagy in cancer cells.
Adult ; Autophagy ; Brain Neoplasms ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Curcuma ; Curcumin ; Glioblastoma ; Humans ; Hydroxychloroquine ; RNA ; Sirolimus

The purpose of the study was to analyze the risk factors of school accidents. The study subjects were 408 students of a middle school in a municipal city. Among them, 204 students who met with an accident and received first-aid treatment in school health room at any time from March 2 to July 15, 1999, were selected as the school accident group. And the remaining 204 students were cases' matched control, who had never been experienced any school accident from elementary school days to July 15, 1999, For data collection, the structured questionnaire, and interview were adopted. The findings of this study were as below: There were significant differences personal and familial characteristics residential form(p=0.04); active disposition (p=0.02); impatient disposition(p=0.02); family environment(p=0.01); and father image(p=0.00), and the school life characteristics; achievement(p=0.00); observance of school order(p=0.00); school adjustment(p=0.00), the health characteristics; school health room(p=0.00); medical institute they usually used(p=0.00); sleeping hours(p=0.03); bath or shower(p=0.01); hand washing(p=0.04), and wearing glasses(p=0.02), and the characteristics of accident disposition; accident experience(p=0.00); the characteristics of accident disposition(p=0.00). Multiple logistic analysis were showed that religion, adaption to school life and school accomplishment were the significant predictors to school accident prevalence. To reduce school accident, accident-prevention program should be developed practically and concretely in consideration of student's personal characteristics. In addition, accident-prevention education should be implemented under the link between home and school, so that students could prevent accident for themselves.
Baths ; Case-Control Studies* ; Data Collection ; Education ; Fathers ; Hand ; Humans ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors* ; School Health Services ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: To identify current status of university health care program. METHODS: Data and information from homepages of 309 colleges or universities in South Korea were collected. The data was analyzed by frequencies, t-test, chi2 test with SPSS Ver. 18.0. RESULTS: 117(37.9%) universities had organization of health care. Whether university had health care program or not had shown significantly depended on number of students, types of school (university or college), region, and existence of medical and nursing course. Medical course was shown as a strong predictor for facilitating university health care program limitedly focusing on diseases treatment. Health promotion programs have been operated in 15 universities, vaccination programs in 10 universities, and health screening in 20 universities. CONCLUSION: It is strongly recommended to revise the School Health Law for constructing a comprehensive university health care program consolidating health counseling and physical training.
Counseling ; Delivery of Health Care* ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Jurisprudence ; Korea ; Mass Screening ; Nursing ; School Health Services ; Vaccination

Fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) play a crucial role in initiating rheumatoid arthritis. B-cell activating factor (BAFF) plays a role in FLS survival as well as in B cell maturation and maintenance. Here, we investigated whether tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α-induced BAFF expression controls FLS migration and whether BAFF expression in FLS could be regulated by KR33426 which is the inhibitor of BAFF binding to BAFF receptors (BAFF-R) by using MH7A synovial cells transfected with the SV40 T antigen. More TNF-α-treated cells migrated compared to the control. TNF-α increased BAFF expression in FLS, significantly. FLS migration was inhibited by the transfection with BAFF-siRNA. KR33426 also inhibited BAFF expression increased by TNF-α treatment in FLS as judged by western blotting, PCR, and transcriptional activity assay. Kinases including JNK, p38 and Erk were activated by TNF-α treatment. While JNK and p38 were inhibited by KR33426 treatment, no changes in Erk were observed. Transcription factors including p65, c-Fos, CREB and SP1 were enhanced by TNF-α treatment. Among them, c-Fos was inhibited by KR33426 treatment.Small interference(si)-RNA of c-fos decreased BAFF transcriptional activity. FLS migration induced by TNF-α was inhibited by the transfection with BAFF-siRNA. KR33426 increased Twist, Snail, Cadherin-11 and N-Cadherin. In contrast, KR33426 decreased E-cadherin and TNF-α-enhanced CCL2. Taken together, our results demonstrate that synovial cell migration via CCL2 expression could be regulated by BAFF expression which is decreased by KR33426 and c-Fos-siRNA. It suggests for the first time that the role of BAFF-siRNA on FLS migration might be matched in the effect of KR33426 on BAFF expression.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Multiple myeloma (MM)–associated cardiac damage, particularly according to the type of monoclonal (M) protein has not been elucidated. We sought to investigate relationship between elevated serum M protein levels and echocardiographic indices of cardiac structure and function in patients with MM. METHODS: We evaluated a total of 184 consecutive MM patients who underwent echocardiography for bone marrow pre-transplant screening. Serum levels of intact immunoglobulin M protein and free light chain kappa/lambda (FLC-κ/-λ) were measured. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-nine patients were non-light chain MM (non-LCMM) and 45 patients belonged to LCMM. In patients with non-LCMM, significant correlations were found between serum M protein and left atrial volume index (LAVi; r = 0.720, p < 0.0001), E/e’ (r = 0.511, p < 0.0001), and systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (r = 0.485, p < 0.0001). In patients with LCMM, log-transformed FLC-λ (log-λ) was correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, r = –0.536, p = 0.010), left ventricular (LV) end-systolic dimension (r = 0.500, p = 0.018), and LV end-systolic volume (r = 0.444, p = 0.038). On multivariate analyses, hematocrit and serum M protein were independent predictors of LAVi in patients with non-LCMM. In patient with LCMM, FLC-λ isotype was only found to be an independent determinant of LVEF. CONCLUSIONS: An increase in serum M protein was associated with LV diastolic dysfunction, whereas an increase in serum FLC-λ concentration showed a negative correlation with the echocardiographic parameters of LV systolic function. These findings also suggest that serum M protein has different effects on LV function according to the type of paraproteins in patients with MM.
Arterial Pressure ; Bone Marrow ; Echocardiography ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Mass Screening ; Multiple Myeloma* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Paraproteins ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Function, Left*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Multiple myeloma (MM)–associated cardiac damage, particularly according to the type of monoclonal (M) protein has not been elucidated. We sought to investigate relationship between elevated serum M protein levels and echocardiographic indices of cardiac structure and function in patients with MM. METHODS: We evaluated a total of 184 consecutive MM patients who underwent echocardiography for bone marrow pre-transplant screening. Serum levels of intact immunoglobulin M protein and free light chain kappa/lambda (FLC-κ/-λ) were measured. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-nine patients were non-light chain MM (non-LCMM) and 45 patients belonged to LCMM. In patients with non-LCMM, significant correlations were found between serum M protein and left atrial volume index (LAVi; r = 0.720, p < 0.0001), E/e’ (r = 0.511, p < 0.0001), and systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (r = 0.485, p < 0.0001). In patients with LCMM, log-transformed FLC-λ (log-λ) was correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF, r = –0.536, p = 0.010), left ventricular (LV) end-systolic dimension (r = 0.500, p = 0.018), and LV end-systolic volume (r = 0.444, p = 0.038). On multivariate analyses, hematocrit and serum M protein were independent predictors of LAVi in patients with non-LCMM. In patient with LCMM, FLC-λ isotype was only found to be an independent determinant of LVEF. CONCLUSIONS: An increase in serum M protein was associated with LV diastolic dysfunction, whereas an increase in serum FLC-λ concentration showed a negative correlation with the echocardiographic parameters of LV systolic function. These findings also suggest that serum M protein has different effects on LV function according to the type of paraproteins in patients with MM.
Arterial Pressure ; Bone Marrow ; Echocardiography ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Immunoglobulin M ; Mass Screening ; Multiple Myeloma* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Paraproteins ; Stroke Volume ; Ventricular Function, Left*

No abstract available.
Brain ; Brain Neoplasms ; Cerebral Infarction ; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Vasospasm, Intracranial