PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship of stress, perception of occurrence risk of cancer and cancer preventive health behavior in three-shift nurses. METHODS: The participants of this study were 252 three shifts nurses working at three medium and small sized hospitals with 100 to 300 beds. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire from September to October 2014. RESULTS: The mean score for stress was 24.35+/-7.93. The mean score of perception for occurrence risk of cancer was 12.63+/-4.12 and cancer preventive health behavior was 58.07+/-8.87. Stress had a positive relationship with the perception of occurrence risk of cancer (r=.40, p<.001); the perception of occurrence risk of cancer had a positive relationship with the preventive health behavior against it (r=.31, p<.001); and stress had a positive relationship with preventive health behavior against it (r=.33, p<.001). CONCLUSION: The findings show that participants stress levels were high and degrees of perceptions of occurrence risk and cancer preventive health behaviors were low. Significant correlations were found among these variables. On the basis of these findings, development of intervention is required to reduce stress and enhance the perception of occurrence risk of cancer and cancer preventive health behavior among three shifts nurses.
Health Behavior*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Infertility* ; Luteinizing Hormone, beta Subunit*

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Outcome* ; Pregnancy* ; Renal Dialysis*

Paragonimus westermani can cause extrapulmonary parasitism in various sites such as abdominal organ, brain, eye, periorbital tissue, heart and pericardium, mediastinum, and subcutaneous tissue. We experienced a case of subcutaneous paragonimiasis involving the breast. The lesion exhibited chronic granuloma with scattered eggs of paragonimus westermani. The adult worm was not found within the lesion which should be disintegrated a year ago by praziquantel treatment. This relatively rare involvement of ectopic paragonimiasis should be differentiated from breast malignancy.
Adult ; Male ; Female ; Humans

No abstract available.
Blood Pressure* ; Membranes* ; Thyroid Diseases* ; Thyroid Gland*

Intra-abdominal desmoplastic small round cell tumor (DSRCT) is a highly malignant tumor of uncertain histogenesis. Here we report a case of DSRCT involving the stomach, initially misdiagnosed as gastric cancer. A 12-year-old boy presented with upper abdominal pain developed 1 month prior. On gastroscopy, a 7-cm mass was noted involving the esophago-gastric junction to the fundus, and positron emission tomography showed multiple hot uptakes suggesting distant metastasis. Gastroscopic biopsy showed poorly differentiated malignant cells. We diagnosed as stage IV gastric cancer and treated with 6 cycles of chemotherapy. Laparotomy revealed a huge gastric mass along with peritoneal disseminations. Palliative proximal gastrectomy was performed. Pathological examination revealed transmural involvement of DSRCT, and t(11;22)(p12;q12) was demonstrated on fluorescence in situ hybridization test. The chemotherapeutic regimen was changed and the patient underwent 8 additional cycles of post-operative chemotherapy. The patient is now alive and the residual tumor shows no significant changes after chemotherapy.
Abdominal Pain ; Biopsy ; Child ; Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor ; Fluorescence ; Gastrectomy ; Gastroscopy ; Humans ; In Situ Hybridization ; Laparotomy ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplasm, Residual ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Stomach ; Stomach Neoplasms

PURPOSE: The determination of HER-2/neu gene amplification has become necessary for the selection of breast cancer patients to undergo anti-HER-2/neu therapy, using a humanized monoclonal antibody. Chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) detection of the HER-2/neu gene, a newly developed method, utilizes a robust and unique-sequence DNA probe labeled with digoxygenin, which is sequentially incubated with antidigoxygenin fluorescein, antifluorescein peroxidase and diaminobenzidine. The aim of this study was to establish a CISH assay for the detection of HER-2/neu amplification. The results were compared with those of the immunohistochemistry (IHC) methods, most frequently used for detecting HER-2/neu alteration. METHODS: CISH was performed in 4 groups of infiltrating breast carcinomas. Each group was comprised of 20 cases in which the HER-2/neu stati had previously been scored on a four value scale: 0, 1+, 2+ and 3+ by IHC. The results of CISH and IHC were compared for each tumor group. The HER-2/neu gene amplification detected by CISH was thpically visualized as large DAB-stained clusters or by many dots in the nucleus. RESULTS: The concordance between the CISH and IHC was 95% (kappa=0.901). Three IHC-positive cases (score 2+) showed no gene amplification and one IHC-negative case (score 1+) showed gene amplification by CISH. CONCLUSION: The current study showed excellent agreement between the CISH and IHC methods. CISH is an accurate, practical and economical approach for determining the HER-2/neu stati in breast carcinomas. It is also a useful methodology for confirming the IHC results in paraffin- embedded tumor samples, so offers a promising alternative to IHC in a routine diagnostic setting.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; DNA ; Fluorescein ; Gene Amplification ; Genes, vif ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; In Situ Hybridization* ; Peroxidase

PURPOSE: The determine the chest CT findings in breast cancer patients who have undergone postoperative irradiation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The chest CT findings in 36 female patients who underwent breast surgery and radiotherapy between May 1996 and March 2000 were retrospectively analysed. Prior to radiotherapy, baseline chest CT depicted normal parenchyma in all cases. In 11 patients, the ipsilateral breast and chest wall were irradiated using opposed tangential fields, while 25 were treated by the four fields method (opposed tangential fields plus anterior and posterior supraclavicular/high axillary fields), with a total dose of 5040-5400 cGy for 5-9 weeks. RESULTS: CT after radiotherapy demonstrated reticular opacity (n=24), perpendicular linear opacity (n=15), traction bronchiectasis (n=7), consolidation (n=6), ground glass attenuation (n=3), pathologic rib fractures (n=3), pleural effusion (n=2), and pleural thickening (n=1), while in five patients no abnormality was observed. In addition, in the anterolateral lung area of 23 (64%) of 36 patients who underwent tangential beam irradiation, CT demonstrated peripheral opacities. When supraclavicular and axillary portals were used, radiation-induced lung changes mostly occurred at the apex of the lung (n=24). Chest radiographs were abnormal in 26 patients and normal in ten; in five of these ten, CT demonstrated reticular opacity. CONCLUSION: Depending on the irradiation CT findings of radiation-induced lung injury in breast cancer include areas of increased opacity with or without fibrosis, in apical and/or anterior subpleural regions. CT may help differentiate radiation-induced parenchymal change from superimposed or combined lung disease.
Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Bronchiectasis ; Female ; Fibrosis ; Glass ; Humans ; Lung ; Lung Diseases ; Lung Injury ; Pleural Effusion ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Radiotherapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Rib Fractures ; Thoracic Wall ; Thorax* ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed* ; Traction

PURPOSE: The predictive value of c-erbB2 over-expression, and p53 mutation, to the response rate to neoadjuvant chemotherapy, were assessed in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: Between January 2000 and June 2002, 185 patients, with breast cancer, were put forward for two commonly used chemotherapy regimens prior to surgery. The first 135 received the CMF (cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2, methotraxate 40 mg/m2, 5-FU 500 mg/m2) regimen, and the remaining 50 the CAF (cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m2, adriamycin 50 mg/m2, 5-FU 500 mg/m2) regimen. The expressions of the estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), p53 mutation and c-erbB2, were evaluated by immunohistochemistry of needle biopsy samples prior to neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Tumor response was categorized according to the WHO criteria, using the largest diameter in ultrasonography or magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients in the CMF and CAF groups were 48.8 and 47.4 years. Forty eight (35.6%) and 24 (48.0%) of the patients, in the CMF and CAF groups, respectively, had pathologically partial or complete responses. The tumor size, axillary lymph nodes, lymphatic and vascular invasions, as clinicopathological factors, were significantly correlated with the response to chemotherapy in the CAF group. The absences of ER or PR were also significantly associated with a remission in both the CMF and CAF groups. p53 mutation was not correlated to the response rate of either chemotherapy regimen. There was no significant relationship between the expression of c-erbB2 and the response rate in the CMF group, but a higher percentage of patients with c-erbB2 positive tumors had a response to the CAF regimens. CONCLUSION: p53 mutation is not significantly associated with tumor response, but the over-expression of c-erbB2 can predict the response to the different chemotherapies used in breast cancer.
Biopsy, Needle ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Doxorubicin ; Drug Therapy* ; Estrogens ; Fluorouracil ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymph Nodes ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Receptors, Progesterone ; Ultrasonography

BACKGROUND: Asthma is one of the most prevalent diseases in Korea. Although the guidelines of asthma management were reported in Korea, the present pattern of asthma management by primary physicians has not been studied. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the pattern of asthma management by primary physicians. METHODS: In November 2002, 710 primary physicians specializing in internal medicine in Seoul, Korea were provided with two scenarios of asthmatic patients, one mild and the other severe. By mail or interview, the physicians were asked several questions about their present pattern of asthma management for the patients in each scenario. RESULTS: Among 710 primary physicians, we obtained the answers from 325 physicians (response rate 46%). The most preferred prescription was oral theophylline. 71% and 81% of the physicians answered that they would prescribe oral theophylline for the mild and severe asthmatics, respectively. The next prescription preferred were mucolytics and oral beta2-agonist, in that order. However, 36% and 56% of the physicians answered that they would prescribe inhaled steroids for the mild and severe asthmatics, respectively. Among diagnostic tests, physicians preferred pulmonary function test to the rank next tochest radiography. CONCLUSION: The primary physicians in Seoul prefer oral bronchodilators to inhaled steroids in asthma management. More efforts should be made to reduce the difference between the present pattern of asthma management by primary physicians and the asthma guidelines.
Asthma* ; Bronchodilator Agents ; Diagnostic Tests, Routine ; Expectorants ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; Korea ; Postal Service ; Prescriptions ; Radiography ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Seoul* ; Steroids ; Theophylline