PURPOSE: This cross-sectional survey research was undertaken to identify the factors influencing time from onset to hospital arrival of stroke patients and to provide basic information for the development of intervention programs for stroke patients. METHODS: The data were collected using a convenient sampling method from three hospitals in Inchon. The subjects were 78 patients who were diagnosed as stroke by doctor and they voluntarily participated in the study. RESULTS: On the average, subjects arrived at the hospitals by 16.72 hours after the onset of stroke events with the range from 0.17 hours to 72 hours. Thirty-four(43.6%) subjects arrived within 3 hours which can maximize treatment effects. There was significant difference in hospital presentation time according to the level of knowledge(chi-square=18.629, p=.0003). A negative correlation was found between the hospital presentation time and self-efficacy (r= -.320, p=.004). Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the most powerful predictor was self-efficacy. Self-efficacy, the level of knowledge and physical symptoms were significant factors and accounted for 21.7% of the variance of hospital presentation time in stroke patients. CONCLUSION: According to the results, self-efficacy is a useful concept for reducing the hospital presentation time from onset of attack in stroke patients. Therefore, nurses should consider educational programs which include not only a knowledge of stroke and recurrence prevention but also the concept of self-efficacy.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Humans ; Incheon ; Recurrence ; Stroke*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to identify predicting factors of the performance of breast self-examination (BSE) among Korean middle-aged women based upon the Health Belief Model. METHOD: A descriptive design was used for this study. A total of 309 convenience samples were recruited from Yonsu-Gu, Inchon. The Champion's Health Belief Model Scale was used to measure the health belief related variables of susceptibility, severity, benefits, barriers, confidence, and health motivation. The performance of BSE asked of it was as ever or never performed during the last year. The obtained data were analysed using descriptive statistics, x2-test, t-test, and logistic regression. RESULT: Results showed that 32% had ever BSE last year. Age and BSE education among demographic characteristics were significantly associated with the performance of BSE. Thus, these demographic variables were added to the logistic regression analyses with the health belief variables. As a result, age, BSE education, health motivation, and confidence significantly explained the performance of BSE. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that it is important that the development of BSE educational programs increase confidence and motivation, particularly for middle aged-Korean women.
Breast Neoplasms ; Breast Self-Examination* ; Breast* ; Education ; Female ; Health Education ; Humans ; Incheon ; Logistic Models ; Middle Aged* ; Motivation

The obliteration of a fat plane between the gastric carcinoma and the pancreas is a major criterion on CT scan for pancreatic invasion of gastric carcinoma. However, this sign is not always a reliable indicator of invasion, as the patients with gastric carcinoma are often emaciated. Producing a false positive CT findings. The purpose of our study is to improve the diagnostic accuracy of pancreatic invasion of gastric carcinoma in cases which the fat plane between the gastric carcinoma and the pancreas is obliterated in conventional CT scan. The authors performed lateral decubitus as well as supine CT scans and upper gastrointestinal series(UGIS) in 49 pathologically proven cases in which the fat plane was obliterated between the gastric carcinoma and the pancreas on conventional supine CT scan. Pancreatic invasion was suggested when the fat plane was obliterated persistently in the lateral decubitus view as well as the supine CT images and the involved gastric wall and adjacent pancreas maintained constant approximation despite postural change(CT+), and when the gastric tumor moved downward on the erect view of the UGIS no more than 1.5 time the height of the first lumbar vertevral body(UGIS+). Among 49 cases in which the fat plane between the gastric carcinoma and the pancreas was obliterated on supine CT scan, pancreatic invasion was confirmed pathologically in 11 cases(22.4%). Eight of 11 cases proven as pancreatic invasion were correctly diagnosed as pancreatic invasion by this combined analysis (CT+/UGIS+, 72.7%). Twenty seven of 38 cases proven as no pancreatic invasion were correctly diagnosed as no pancreatic invasion(CT-/UGIS-, 71.1%). Twelve cases showed CT +/UGIS-or CT-/UGIS+, so it was inconclusive whether there was invasion or not. The overall diagnostic accuracy was 71.4%. In conclusion, combined analysis with supine and lateral decubitus CT and UGIS is useful for improving diagnostic accuracy for pancreatic invasion by gastric carcinoma in patients of which the fat plane between the gastric carcinoma and the pancreas is obliterated on conventional supine CT.
Humans ; Pancreas ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Aspergillosis is a rare disease of fungal infection produced by the genus Aspergillus in immunocompromised patients. It mainly involves the lung and may disseminate by invasion of biood vessels into the gastrointestinal tract. Brain and kidney. We report a case of the disseminated aspergillosis in malignant lymphoma affecting the lung. Brain and thyroid gland.
Aspergillosis* ; Aspergillus ; Brain ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Immunocompromised Host ; Kidney ; Lung ; Lymphoma* ; Rare Diseases ; Thyroid Gland

PURPOSE: Health literacy has been attracting increasing attention because low health literacy is considered an important predictor of adverse health outcomes in many chronic conditions, including diabetes. However, it is unclear how health literacy is associated with health outcomes. The purpose of this study was to formulate a hypothetical structural equation model linking health literacy to self-efficacy, self-care activities, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: cross-sectional survey design was employed, and 459 patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited from outpatient clinics in two university hospitals. The patients completed a pack of questionnaires. The hypothetical model was tested using structural equation modeling analysis. RESULTS: The values of multiple fit indices indicated that the proposed model provided a good fit to the data. Health literacy exerted not only a direct effect on self-care activities, but also an indirect effect on self-care activities via self-efficacy. However, health literacy exerted only an indirect effect on HRQOL. This structural model was invariant across hemoglobin-A1c-controlled and hemoglobin-A1c-uncontrolled groups. Based on R2 values, the final model accounted for 20.0% of the variance in selfefficacy, 61.0% of the variance in self-care activities, and 16.0% of the variance in HRQOL. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that self-care activities are crucial to the link between health literacy and HRQOL. Both health literacy and self-efficacy need to be considered in clinical practice for enhancing self-care activities in patients with type 2 diabetes. This approach may ultimately improve HRQOL in these patients.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2/*nursing/*psychology ; Female ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; *Health Literacy ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Models, Theoretical ; Quality of Life/*psychology ; Republic of Korea ; Self Care/*psychology ; *Self Efficacy ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: This cross-sectional survey was undertaken to examine the differences of BSE (breast-self examination) performance and health beliefs between Korean and Korean-American women and to identify which factors influence the BSE based on the HBM variables. METHOD: The study subjects were recruited from both Korea(189 women) and Cleveland in Ohio, USA(146 women). The HBM variables were measured using a reliable and valid Health Belief Model Scale. The subjects were also asked whether or not they did a BSE in the last year. RESULT: The Korean-American women who performed the BSE was statistically higher than that of Korean women. Regarding to the BSE-related health belief, the scores of benefits, confidence, and health motivation was significantly higher in Korean-American. After controlling for living places, age, education, and job, barriers and confidence variables significantly explained the BSE performance of Korean and Korean-American women. CONCLUSION: There was a differences in BSE-related health belief and performance between Korean and Korean-American women. Among health belief variables, barriers and confidence were core variables predicting the BSE performance of Korean and Korean-American women together.
Adult ; Aged ; Asian Americans/*psychology ; Attitude to Health/*ethnology ; Breast Neoplasms/*psychology ; Breast Self-Examination/*psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Korea/ethnology ; Middle Aged

PURPOSE: This study was to identify the effect of the experience of diabetes education on knowledge, self-care behavior and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C). Further, this study was held to examine about patient's preferred methods of education and re-education frequency. METHODS: 166 type 2 diabetes patients from two hospitals in Incheon participated in this study. Data were analyzed by using descriptive analysis, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe's test and multiple regression analysis. RESULTS: 72.3% patients needed re-education and the average interval of re-education was 8.53 months. Patients preferred education methods were lectures, practical training, and studying from pamphlet. Depending on the frequency of diabetes education, there were significant differences in the level of diabetes knowledge (F=10.88, p<.001) and self-care behaviors (F=4.59, p=.012), but there was not significant difference with HbA1C (F=1.53, p=.220). As to how much the diabetes education helped managing diabetes, there was a significant difference in the level of self-care behaviors (t=2.01, p=.049), but there were not significant differences in level of knowledge (t=1.10, p=.275) and HbA1C (t=-.33, p=.746). The experience of diabetes education was a significant factor which influenced patient's knowledge (t=3.93, p<.001) and self-care behaviors (t=2.21, p<.001). But HbA1C was not influenced by the experience of diabetes education (t=-1.68, p=.096). CONCLUSION: It is necessary to provide diabetes education with appropriate interval and methods and subjects that reflect the needs of patient through the study results.
Education* ; Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated* ; Humans ; Incheon ; Lectures ; Pamphlets ; Self Care*

PURPOSE: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in patients with cardiovascular disease in Korea has rarely been studied, mostly due to the lack of a psychometrically validated disease-specific instrument. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a cardiovascular specific-HRQOL questionnaire (CD-QOL). METHOD: The CD-QOL was developed and validated as follows; item generation, pilot study, and psychometric tests. Patients were recruited from three-university hospitals. The patients were asked to complete the preliminary questionnaire comprising the content-validated items, SF-36, and CES-D. The NYHA and KASI classifications were used to classify the functional performance of the patients. The data was analyzed using correlation, factor analysis, multidimensional scaling, multitrait/multi-item matrix, ANOVA, and Cronbach's alpha. RESULT: Preliminarily, thirty-nine items were generated. Factor analysisextracted a five-factor solution with a total of twenty-two items. One item was deleted based upon the MDS. The remaining items were moderately correlated with the subscales of the SF-36 and associated with depression measured with the CES-D. The mean scores of patients in NYHA and KASI class I were significantly higher than those in NYHA and KASI class II or/and III, which suggested patients with better functional performance were likely to have a better HRQOL. Cronbach's alphas of the total and subscales were all greater than 0.70. CONCLUSION: The CD-QOL is a easily applicable instrument with excellent psychometric properties of content, criterion, factorial, convergent, and known-groups validity, and internal consistency reliability in Korean patients with cardiovascular disease.
Adult ; Aged ; Cardiovascular Diseases/nursing/*psychology ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Program Evaluation ; Psychometrics ; *Quality of Life ; *Questionnaires

Metformin, commonly prescribed for type 2 diabetes, is considered safe with minimal side-effect. Acute pancreatitis is rare but potentially fatal adverse side-effect of metformin. We report a patient on hemodialysis with metformin-related acute pancreatitis and lactic acidosis. A 62-year-old woman with diabetic nephropathy and hypertension presented with nausea and vomiting for a few weeks, followed by epigastric pain. At home, the therapy of 500 mg/day metformin and 50 mg/day sitagliptin was continued, despite symptoms. Laboratory investigations showed metabolic acidosis with high levels of lactate, amylase at 520 U/L (range, 30-110 U/L), and lipase at 1,250 U/L (range, 23-300 U/L). Acute pancreatitis was confirmed by computed tomography. No recognized cause of acute pancreatitis was identified. Metformin was discontinued. Treatment with insulin and intravenous fluids resulted in normalized amylase, lipase, and lactate. When she was re-exposed to sitagliptin, no symptoms were reported.
Acidosis ; Acidosis, Lactic* ; Amylases ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Diabetic Nephropathies ; Female ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Insulin ; Lactic Acid ; Lipase ; Metformin* ; Middle Aged ; Nausea ; Pancreatitis* ; Renal Dialysis* ; Sitagliptin Phosphate ; Vomiting

Intrasellar location of schwannoma is extremely rare, although intracranial schwannomas account for up to 8% of all primary brain tumors. An unusual case of an intrasellar schwannoma radiographically and clinically simulating a pituitary adenoma is reported. A 39-yr-old man presented a 10-month history of visual disturbance and decreased libido. Neurological examination showed poor visual acuity of both eyes with bitemporal hemianopsia. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging showed a sellar tumor with suprasellar extension. Pituitary adenoma was considered as a preoperative diagnosis. The tumor was removed through a trans-sphenoidal approach. Microscopic examination of the tumor revealed schwannoma.
Adult ; Brain Neoplasms/diagnosis/metabolism/*pathology/surgery ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Neurilemmoma/diagnosis/metabolism/*pathology/surgery ; Pituitary Neoplasms ; Prolactinoma ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Visual Fields