Purpose: This study aimed to identify factors associated with the occurrence of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and to study its impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with breast cancer. Methods: In total, 137 women with breast cancer who had undergone more than one cycle of chemotherapy were recruited for this descriptive study from the outpatient department of a university hospital in Incheon, Korea. Data were collected using a self-reported questionnaire, which included the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) QLQ-CIPN20 and EORTC QLQ-C30. Results: The mean CIPN score between patients was 13.57 on the sensory scale, 15.87 on the motor scale, and 25.06 on the autonomic scale. Of the studied socio-demographic, disease and treatment, and health behavior-related factors, only the chemotherapy regimen was significantly associated with CIPN (t = 2.50, p= .013). Taxane-based chemotherapy was significantly related to higher CIPN scores. Regression analyses revealed that CIPN was a factor that was significantly influential on HRQoL, adjusting for socio-demographic and clinical factors. Conclusion This study suggests that oncology nurses need to be aware of the increased risk of CIPN in patients with breast cancer undergoing taxane-based chemotherapy. In addition, interventions for alleviating CIPN may be required to improve HRQoL among these patients.

BACKGROUND: The S100A2 gene, also known as S100L or CaN19, encodes a protein comprised of 99-amino acids, is a member of the calcium-binding proteins of EF-hand family. According to a recent study, this gene was over-expressed in several early and malignant carcinomas compared to normal tissues. To elucidate the role of S100A2 protein in the process during carcinogenesis, production of monoclonal antibody specific to the protein is essential. METHODS: First, cDNA sequence coding for ORF region of human S100A2 gene was amplified and cloned into an expression vector to produce GST fusion protein. Recombinant S100A2 protein and subsequently, monoclonal antibody to the protein were produced. The specificity of anti-S100A2 monoclonal antibody was confirmed by immunoblot analysis of cross reactivity to other recombinant proteins of S100A family (GST-S100A1, GST-S100A4 and GST-S100A6). To confirm the relation of S100A2 to cervical carcinogenesis, S100A2 protein in early cervical carcinoma tissue was immunostained using the monoclonal antibody. RESULTS: GST-S100A2 recombinant protein was purified by affinity chromatography and then fusion protein was cleaved and S100A2 protein was isolated. The monoclonal antibody (KK0723; Korean patent pending #2001-30294) to the protein was produced and the antibody did not react with other members of EF-hand family proteins such as S100A1, S100A4 and S100A6. CONCLUSION: These data suggest that anti-S100A2 monoclonal antibody produced in this study can be very useful for the early detection of cervical carcinoma and elucidation of mechanism during the early cervical carcinogenesis
Animals ; Calcium-Binding Proteins ; Carcinogenesis ; Chromatography, Affinity ; Clinical Coding ; Clone Cells ; DNA, Complementary ; Ecthyma, Contagious ; Humans* ; Recombinant Proteins ; Sensitivity and Specificity

BACKGROUND: Although physicians state that patients ideally should receive hospice palliative care for 3 months before death, the majority of patients survive less than one month in hospice palliative care. This is too short to do effective hospice palliative care. Therefore, we figured out the problems through the clinical considerations about terminally ill cancer patients who had died in hospice unit. METHODS: From July to December in 2003, 107 patients with terminally ill cancer who had died in Sam Anyang Hospice Unit were enrolled in this study. For getting the informations about patients characteristics, we reviewed the medical records and interviewed the patients on the first visit. RESULTS: There were 70 males (65%) and 37 females (35%), and median age of patients was 60 years (range 23-93). The most common cancer was stomach cancer (18 patients, 17%). Forty seven patients (44%) took analgesics, the others 60 (56%) not. The most common symptom was pain (75 patients, 70%) and the most prevalent reason for admission was also pain (60, 56%). The most prevalent physician specialty who transferred patients or referred to local hospital was other internal medicine (48 patients, 44%), followed by hemato-oncology (38, 36%), surgery (12, 11%) and others (9, 9%). The median duration between the day when the patients were diagnosed as terminally ill cancer patient and the day when they were referred to hospice center is 48 days. The median survival in hospice palliative care is 30 days. The median hospitalization is 19 days. CONCLUSION: We found that lack of recognition about hospice palliative care of physicians, patients and families made the length of hospice palliative care too short. To do effective hospice palliative care, it needs education and promotion for them constantly.
Analgesics ; Education ; Female ; Gyeonggi-do ; Hospices* ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; Male ; Medical Records ; Palliative Care ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Terminally Ill*

Stem cell factor (SCF) is an early-acting cytokine inducing proliferative synergy with other cytokines in hematopoietic cells. We earlier showed that p21 was synergistically induced in SCF synergy and the p44/42 MAPK pathway was essential for the transcriptional control of p21. SCF synergy accompanies protein synthesis. p70S6K implicated in translational control in many other systems has not been shown in SCF synergy induced system. GM-CSF dependent human cell line MO7e was stimulated with GM-CSF with SCF, and investigated activation of p70S6K by using phospho-specific antibody. A possible contribution of p70S6K to SCF synergy was examined by measuring p21 induction as a model system. p70S6K was slightly activated by GM-CSF alone and markedly activated by SCF alone. Combined stimulation with these two cytokines synergistically activated p70S6K resulting in persistent activation. Addition of the pathway- specific inhibitors for PI3K or FRAP/TOR, two upstream pathways of p70S6K resulted in abolishment of p70S6K phosphorylation and also significant reduction of p21 protein level. These data suggest that synergistically activated p70S6K by GM-CSF plus SCF involves, at least in part, protein translational control including regulation of p21 protein.
1-Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/metabolism ; Drug Synergism ; Enzyme Activation ; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor/*pharmacology ; Hematopoietic Stem Cells/*enzymology ; Human ; Phosphorylation/drug effects ; Protein-Serine-Threonine Kinases/metabolism ; Ribosomal Protein S6 Kinases, 70kD/antagonists & inhibitors/*metabolism ; Stem Cell Factor/*pharmacology ; Tacrolimus Binding Protein 1A/metabolism

BACKGROUND: Life expectancy is ever increasing due to medical advancements, but cancer death rate is also increased. Quality of life is an important issue in cancer patients. Despite developments of early diagnosis and treatments for cancer, the medical costs is increasing due to exfended sarvival against cancer and the absolute numbers of terminal cancer patients. We assessed the medical costs and quality of life in terminal cancer patients by the types of medical facilities, which would contribute to effective management. METHOD: A total 159 patients(males 70, females 89) with terminal cancer patients who were treated and died in various types of medical facilities(home hospice, charity hospital hospice unit, university hospital hospice unit, university hospital non-hospice unit) between November 1, 1997 and January 31, 1999 were included in the study. After the confirmation that the demographic factors correlated with factors of quality of life, the differences in the medical costs and quality of life(pain, depression, ADLs, family APGAR score) during the last 1 week of life in the various types of medical facilities analyzed by multi-way ANOVA with interaction of the significant demographic factors. RESULTS: The mean cost of types of medical facilities during the last week of patients as 65332.5 won in charity hospital hospice unit, 105165.5 won in home hospice, 702083.4 won in university hospital hospice unit, and 1037358.6 won in university hospital non-hospice unit. The difference between free hospital hospice unit and home hospice in medical costs as not statistically significant, but the difference among charity hospital hospice unit and home hospice, university hospital hospice unit, and university hospital non-hospice unit as significant (p<0.001). The demographical factors of quality of life in terms of pain, depression, ADLs, and family APGAR score were compared among various facilities. The ADL score of home hospice was 8.2 +/- 3.3, which was lower than free hospital hospice unit and university hospital hospice unit(p<0.05). The mean pain scor of home hospice as 1.7+/-1.7 and that of university hospital hospice as 1.2+/-1.2, and pain scores of home hospice were lower than free hospital hospice unit, and pain scores of university hospital hospice were lower than free hospital hospice unit and university hospital non-hospice unit(p<0.05). In depression's categorial scale of home hospice the score was 4.8+/-1.3, which was higher than those of free hospital hospice unit and university hospital non-hospice unit(p<0.05), signifying less depression. The family APGAR score was statistically insignificant among various types of medical facilities. CONCLUSION: The cost of hospice care is less than the non-hospice care. We found that the patients of home hospice experienced less pain and depression even with low ADLs, and increased the quality of life in both psychological and physical aspects.
Activities of Daily Living ; Apgar Score ; Charities ; Demography ; Depression ; Early Diagnosis ; Female ; Hospice Care ; Hospices ; Humans ; Life Expectancy ; Mortality ; Quality of Life*

BACKGROUND: We conducted this study to investigate the financial burden of terminal cancer patient's family and to identify factors influencing their economic burden. METHODS: We approached 187 family members supporting their famly member with terminal cancer who was enrolled in four hospice and palliative care program. We constructed a questionnaire examining the impact of illness on their family. With multiple logistic analysis, we examined the patients' and family members' demographic and the patients' clinical factors associated with the burden caused by terminal cancer. RESULTS: The majority of families reported the loss of savings (54%), the need to make major life changes in order to care for the patient (50%), the loss of incomes (34%), the inability to function normally because of the stress of the illness (27%). Many families had to move to a less expensive home (18%), delay medical care for other family members (12%), or change educational plans for other family members (13%). Families that cared for patients who wanted to be cared for at institution (odds ratio: 2.72, 95% confidential interval: 1.19~6.19), patients with liver cancer (3.61, 1.53~8.57), and families who were poor caregivers (2.97, 1.24~7.10), or primary caregiver was a spouse (3.57, 1.47~8.68) were more likely to lose savings. Families that were in 'new couple' in family life cycle stages (3.91, 1.04~14.63), 'birth of the first child' (8.34, 2.74~25.32), and 'the adolescent family or the launching family' (10.56, 4.07~27.33), were more likely to lose savings than 'the empty family or the aging family'. CONCLUSION: Many families reported severe caregiving and economic burdens. Social and financial support need to be given to families with predictors of high economic burdens.
Adolescent ; Aging ; Caregivers ; Climacteric ; Financial Support ; Hospices ; Humans ; Income ; Liver Neoplasms ; Palliative Care ; Spouses ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify trends for studies published in the Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing and journals published by member societies from inaugural issues to 2010. METHODS: A total of 6890 studies were analyzed using descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Quantitative studies accounted for 83.6% while qualitative studies accounted for 14.4%. Most frequently used research designs were quasi-experimental (91.1%) for experimental research and survey (85.2%) for non-experimental research. Most frequent study participants were healthy people (35.8%), most frequent nursing interventions, nursing skills (53.5%), and 39.8% used knowledge, attitude and behavior outcomes for dependent variables. Most frequently used keyword was elderly. Survey studies decreased from 1991 to 2010 by approximately 50%, while qualitative studies increased by about 20%. True experimental research (1.2%) showed no significant changes. Studies focusing on healthy populations increased from 2001-2005 (37.5%) to 2006-2010 (41.0%). From 1970 to 2010, studies using questionnaire accounted for over 50% whereas physiological measurement, approximately 5% only. Experimental studies using nursing skill interventions increased from 1970-1980 (30.4%) to 2006-2010 (64.0%). No significant changes were noted in studies using knowledge, attitude and behavior (39.9% ) as dependent variables. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that further expansion of true experimental, qualitative studies and physiological measurements are needed.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Humans ; Nursing Research/ethics/*trends ; *Publishing ; *Qualitative Research ; Republic of Korea ; Research Design

BACKGROUND: A human orthologue of mouse S100A6-binding protein (CacyBP), Siah- 1-interacting protein (SIP) had been shown to be a component of novel ubiquitinylation pathway regulating beta-catenin degradation. The role of the protein seems to be important in cell proliferation and cancer evolution but the expression pattern of SIP in actively dividing cancer tissues has not been known. For the elucidation of the role of SIP protein in carcinogenesis, it is essential to produce monoclonal antibodies specific to the protein. METHODS: cDNA sequence coding for ORF region of human SIP gene was amplified and cloned into an expression vector to produce His-tag fusion protein. Recombinant SIP protein and monoclonal antibody to the protein were produced. The N-terminal specificity of anti-SIP monoclonal antibody was conformed by immunoblot analysis and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). To study the relation between SIP and colon carcinogenesis, the presence of SIP protein in colon carcinoma tissues was visualized by immunostaining using the monoclonal antibody produced in this study. RESULTS: His-tag-SIP (NSIP) recombinant protein was produced and purified. A monoclonal antibody (Korea patent pending; #2003-45296) to the protein was produced and employed to analyze the expression pattern of SIP in colon carcinoma tissues. CONCLUSION: The data suggested that anti-SIP monoclonal antibody produced here was valuable for the diagnosis of colon carcinoma and elucidation of the mechanism of colon carcinogenesis.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; beta Catenin ; Carcinogenesis ; Cell Proliferation ; Clinical Coding ; Clone Cells ; Colon ; Colorectal Neoplasms ; Diagnosis ; DNA, Complementary ; Ecthyma, Contagious ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Humans* ; Mice ; Sensitivity and Specificity