The purpose of this study was : 1) to develop and test a theoretical model examining relationships among social support( and social network size ), illness demands, marital adjustment, family coping, and an outcome measure of family functioning in response to a mother's breast cancer in the early postdiagnostic phase ; 2) to investigate the sources of functional social support : and 3) to assess characteristics of social support networks for Korean families with breast cancer. This study used a cross-sectional, correlational design with a causal modeling methodology to test the specified relationships in the recursive theoretical model. the convenience sample of this study consisted of 82 married Korean couples with recently diagnosed breast cancer in the child-rearing mother. Six standardized questionnaires were used to measure the theoretical concepts : social support (ISSB), social network(ASSIS), illness demands(DOII), marital adjustment(DAS), family coping(F-COPES), and family functioning(FACESII). The theoretical model was tested on the aggregated couples' data( family data ) and on mothers and fathers data. Path analysis results from the mothers and the fathers revealed different patterns. A core set of predictive variables were identified with three data sets showing consistent effects on family functioning level-marital adjustment and family coping, marital adjustment and family functioning, and family coping and family functioning. Namely, the level of family functioning was directly and positively affected by family coping behavior and the level of marital adjustment ; the level of marital adjustment had a direct positive effect on family coping behavior. In two reduced models from couples' and mothers' data, three sets of predicted relationships were supported, social support and marital adjustment, and s and marital adjustment. The level of social support received had a direct positive effect on both the level of marital adjustment and family coping behavior, and the experienced illness demands had a direct negative effect on the level of marital adjustment. Few significant gender differences were found in terms of 1) actual and perceived network sizes, need for support, and satisfaction with the support received for each type of functional social support, 20 total network size encompassing all types of functional social support, as well as, 3) the amount of functional social support received. These findings may prove useful for health care professionals working with Korean families with breast cancer or other chronic illness.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Chronic Disease ; Dataset ; Delivery of Health Care ; Family Characteristics ; Fathers ; Humans ; Models, Theoretical ; Mothers* ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Upper Extremity*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Pharmacists* ; Politics* ; Societies, Medical*

No abstract available.
Humans ; Pharmacists* ; Politics* ; Societies, Medical*

Abnormalities, Multiple ; diagnosis ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Branchio-Oto-Renal Syndrome ; diagnosis ; pathology ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Child ; Deafness ; etiology ; physiopathology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Ear ; abnormalities ; Female ; Humans ; Kidney ; abnormalities ; Renal Insufficiency ; etiology ; physiopathology ; therapy

Objective To investigate the effect of Interleukin(IL)-18,IL-12 and tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α)in hepatic injury in intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy(ICP).Methods Sixty-two cases of ICP patients(ICP group),30 cases of normal pregnant women(control group)and 30 cases of hepatitis B(HBV) women (hepatitis group) were recruited. Serum IL-18, IL-12 and TNF-α were examined by ELISA. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were examined by automatic biochemical analysis instrument. Results ( 1 ) In hepatitis group, serum concentrations of IL-18,IL-12 and TNF-α were (256±51 ) ng/L, ( 122±96) ng/L and (207±3) ng/L; serum levels of ALT and AST were(363±174) U/L and (359 ±237) U/L, respectively. In ICP group, serum concentrations of IL18, IL-12 and TNF-α were (72±32) ng/L, (42 ±28) ng/L and (48±14) ng/L; serum levels of ALT and AST were (201 ±128) U/L and ( 132±87) U/L, respectively. While in control group, serum concentrations of IL-18, IL-12 and TNF-α were (43 ± 13) ng/L, ( 10±3) ng/L and (33±9) ng/L; serum levels of ALT and AST were (13 ~ 4) U/L and (15 ± 3) U/L, respectively. Serum IL-18, IL-12, TNF-α, ALT and AST levels in hepatitis group were significantly higher than those in ICP group and control group ( P ＜0. 05 ).Serum IL-18, IL-12, TNF-α, ALT and AST levels in ICP group were significantly higher than those in control group(P ＜ 0. 05 ). (2) In severe ICP subgroup, serum concentrations of IL-18, IL-12 and TNF-α were (81 ±32) ng/L, (50 ±25) ng/L and(50 ± 14) ng/L; serum levels of ALT and AST were (269 ± 111 ) U/L and (181±73) U/L In mild ICP subgroup, serum concentrations of IL-18, IL-12 and TNF-α were (48 ±18 ) ng/L, (17 ± 4 ) ng/L and (40 ± 10 ) ng/L; serum levels of ALT and AST were (87±46) U/L and (50 ±21 ) U/L, respectively. Serum IL-18, IL-12, TNF-α, ALT and AST levels in severe ICP subgroup were significantly higher than those in mild ICP subgroup and control group (P ＜ 0. 05). And serum ALT and AST levels in mild ICP subgroup were significantly higher than those in control group(P ＜0. 05). (3) There were 16 cases with preterm birth (50%, 16/32 ) and 10 cases with meconium-stained amniotic fluid( 31%, 10/32 ) in severe ICP subgroup, significantly higher than those in mild ICP subgroup ( P＜ 0. 05 ), which contained 2 preterm births ( 7%, 2/30) and 1 meconium-stained amniotic fluid (3%, 1/30). While in control group, the numbers were 1(3%, 1/30)and 1(3%, 1/30),respectively. As for the cases of neonates whose 1 minute Apgar score were not more than 7, there were 2 cases, 1 case and 1 case in severe ICP subgroup, mild ICP subgroup and control group, respectively,which showed no significant difference(P＞ 0. 05). Conclusion Serum IL-18, IL-12 and TNF-α may be involved in the process of hepatic injury of ICP.

Porphyromonas gingivalis has been implicated in adult periodontitis. A 75-kDa major outer membrane protein of P. gingivalis is an immunodominant antigen and is often associated with fimbrial proteins during its purification. The present study was performed to generate monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to the 75-kDa protein and characterize the protein and the MAbs. Kight-week-old BALB/c mice were immunized with the partially purified 75-kDa protein from P. gingivalis 2561. Spleen cells of the mice were hybridized with SP2/0 Ag-14 mouse myeloma cells and then fused with polyethylene glyeol 3400. Hybrid cells surviving hypoxanthine/aminopterin/thymidine medium were tested for antibody secretion by ELISA. Positive clones were subcloned by limiting dilution and then three subclones were obtained. The subclones were injected peritoneally into Pristane-primed mice to produce MAbs. Immunoreactivity of the MAbs was confirmed by an immunoblot analysis. In the immunoblot using a partially denatured crude 75-kDa protein preparation as an antigen, the 75-kDa protein reacting with the MAbs revealed a ladder- like pattern which has been known as a characteristic of a native polymeric form of fimbriae. The intervals of the ladders, however, were different from those of fimbrial protein. The MAbs also recognized the completely denatured 75-kDa protein. Immunogold localization using IgG fraction of the MAbs demonstrated that the gold particles were deposited on globules on the surface of P. gingivalis 2561, but not on fimbriae. These results suggest that the 75-kDa protein is antigenically different from fimbrial protein and in nature, is not associated with, but may be physicochemically associated with the fimbrial protein during extraction and purification procedures for these proteins. Immunoreactivity of these 3 MAbs was tested by immunoblot using sonic extracts from various P. gingivalis strains. All the MAbs reacted only with the strains having proteins in their sonic extracts with a molecular mass of 75 kDa, but failed to recognize the strains having proteins with molecular masses of 61, 61.5, 76, and 78 kDa. These results indicate that strains of P. gingivalis have antigenically different major outer membrane proteins and the MAbs in the present study might have been raised against the same common, exposed immunodominant epitope in the 75-kDa proteins.
Animals ; Antibodies, Monoclonal* ; Chronic Periodontitis ; Clone Cells ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Hybrid Cells ; Immunoglobulin G ; Membrane Proteins* ; Membranes* ; Mice ; Polyethylene ; Polymers ; Porphyromonas gingivalis* ; Porphyromonas* ; Spleen

No abstract available.

No abstract available.
Truncus Arteriosus*