The purpose of this study was to identify the effect on improvement of the Activity of Daily Living (ADL) and decrease the cognitive function and agitation behaviors by reminiscence with audio-visual stimulation for senile dementia. The quasi-experimental design was used in this study. Subjects were 26 with mild senile dementia who were cared for at a Day Care Center for Dementia in Seoul. The data were collected from March to July, 1999. Subjects were divided into three groups: Control I group with 10 subjects, reminiscence group(Control II group with 8 subjects), and reminiscence with audio-visual stimulation group(experimental group with 8 subjects). The Control I group got routine care as usual. Control II group participated in reminiscence sessions for one hour a day, five times a week , for a period of 4 weeks. The experimental group participated in reminiscence with audio-visual stimulation sessions for one hour a day, five times a week, for a period of 4 weeks. Instruments of this study were color photography with sound that was developed through an open questionnaire about events, objects, humans in action and animals that 100 Korean elderly over 60 would like to memorize. This was referred from the Sensory Stimuli Package by Namazi and Haynes(1994). The effects of treatment was evaluated through MMSE-K by Kwon & Park(1989). Also the Brief Cognitive Rating Scale(BCRS) by Reisberg et al(1983) for the cognitive function, through Agitation Inventory by Cohen- Mansfield and Colleague(1989) for behavioral response and through the Rapid Disability Rating Scale-2(RDRS-2) by Linn & Linn(1982) for the activity of daily living respectively. Data analysis was done using SPSS for X2-test, ANOVA, repeated measures ANOVA. The results were as follows : 1. Reminiscence with audio-visual stimulation did not improve cognitive function for senile dementia, but significantly improved verbal expression, the subscale of cognitive function. 2. Reminiscence with audio-visual stimulation reduced agitation behavior of experimental group significantly, but there was no significant difference between groups. 3. Reminiscence with audio-visual stimulation did not significantly effect the activity of daily living after treatment. In conclusion, it was shown that the reminiscence with audio-visual stimulation was an effective therapy to improve verbal expression and to reduce agitation behaviors of senile dementia. Further research with more indepth approach is needed, considering characteristic and level individualized for each senile dementia.
Aged ; Alzheimer Disease* ; Animals ; Day Care, Medical ; Dementia ; Dihydroergotamine ; Humans ; Photography ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Seoul ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate how nurses who take care of terminal patients perceive fluid therapy and how this therapy is currently being used in hospitals. METHODS: This survey included 200 nurses, 87 of whom were working in the oncology units of 3 university hospitals in Seoul, Korea, and 113 were working in 18 hospice centers. The data for this study were collected by means of structured questionnaires and analyzed by using the Statistical Analysis System software. The differences in perception towards fluid therapy between nurses working in oncology units and those working in hospice centers were examined using the chi-square test and analysis of covariance. RESULTS: Fluid therapy was perceived more negatively by the nurses from hospice centers than by those from oncology units. Continuous subcutaneous infusion was used in hospice centers, but not in oncology units. In addition, the average amount of fluid infused daily differed significantly between the oncology units and hospice centers. CONCLUSION: Our results show that there were differences in the perception towards fluid therapy between nurses in different clinical settings. Nurses caring for terminal and palliative care patients should not simply provide or withhold fluid therapy, but rather develop a wider range of views on fluid therapy, focusing on effective alternative interventions.
Fluid Therapy ; Hospices ; Hospitals, University ; Humans ; Infusions, Subcutaneous ; Korea ; Palliative Care ; Terminally Ill ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Anencephaly* ; Humans

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to understand factors that influence post-traumatic stress (PTS) in Korean forensic science investigators. METHODS: A total of 111 forensic science investigators were recruited in Korea. PTS was measured using the tool modified by Choi (2001) from the original developed by Foa, Riggs, Dancu, and Rothbaum (1993) based on DSM-IV. Factors influencing PTS included demographic and job-related characteristics, emotional intelligence, and death anxiety. RESULTS: PTS scores were positively correlated with personality type, fatigue from work, and death anxiety. PTS scores were negatively correlated with length of career as a forensic science investigator and emotional intelligence. The factors that had the greatest influence on PTS were death anxiety, years spent as a forensic science investigator, personality type, emotional intelligence, fatigue, and homicide experience. The explanatory power of these six factors was 44.0%. CONCLUSION: Therefore, it is necessary to regularly evaluate the mental health of those who are vulnerable to PTS. Based on these results, various interventions could be implemented for promoting overall health of the forensic science investigators.
Anxiety ; Attitude to Death ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Emotional Intelligence ; Fatigue ; Forensic Sciences* ; Homicide ; Humans ; Korea ; Mental Health ; Research Personnel* ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

A 42-year-old man presented with severe pancytopenia and uncontrolled epistaxis. The diagnosis of SLE was made and the pancytopenia was found to be due to myelofibrosis. The pulse therapy with methylprednisolone and maintenance therapy with prednisolone reversed both pancytopenia and myelofibrosis. Although myelofibrosis has been described in SLE, this coexistence must be very rare since there has been only 19 cases showing this combination. We report a case of SLE with myelofibrosis which was reversed by the treatment with glucocorticoid.
Adult ; Diagnosis ; Epistaxis ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Methylprednisolone ; Pancytopenia ; Prednisolone ; Primary Myelofibrosis*

PURPOSE: This study identifies degree of awareness and legal knowledge about overall abuse and violence, and investigates attitudes towards domestic violence in emergency nurses. METHODS: The data collection period was between August and December 2012 for 131 nurses who worked in the emergency center of five hospitals in South Korea. This study surveyed emergency nurses about the recognition of abuse and violence, the legal knowledge of abuse and violence, and the attitudes towards domestic violence. RESULTS: This study showed that approximately 60.0% of participants experienced incidents of suspected abuse or violence, but the reporting rates were low. Of all the participants, 70.2% knew that they must report the discovery of abuse or violent incidents, but 45.0% did not know that if someone who had duty to report but did not report that he/she had a legal responsibility. Most emergency nurses agreed that "even if the domestic violence is severe it should not be suggested to victims that they run away, leaving children at home", and "perpetrators are patients who need treatment." CONCLUSIONS: Appropriate awareness about abuse and violence, and systematic education are required for emergency nurses so that they can provide appropriate interventions.
Adult ; *Attitude of Health Personnel ; *Domestic Violence ; Emergency Nursing ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Female ; *Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Humans ; Male ; Nurses/*psychology ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Republic of Korea ; Young Adult

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the stress and the coping strategies in breast cancer patients and their spouses. METHODS: The stress level was measured by the Stress Questionnaire of Andersson & Albertsson (2000). The coping strategies were measured by the modified Lazarus & Folkman's Ways of Coping Questionnaire. The data were collected by a survey sampling 49 couples from one hospital in Seoul. The data were analyzed by t-test, ANOVA and paired t-test. RESULTS: There was no significant differences between the stress level of breast cancer patients and their spouses. The problem-focused coping of breast cancer patients was significant higher than their spouses. The cancer patients and their spouses used problem-focused coping mode more than emotion-focused coping mode. In the problem-focused coping mode, breast cancer patients used two coping strategies - 'seeking information' and 'cognitive reconstruction' - significantly more than their spouses. In emotion-focused coping mode, the breast cancer patients used one coping strategy, 'emotional expression', significantly more than the their spouses. CONCLUSION: Further study needs to attempt to develop nursing interventions that could improve positive coping strategies.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Breast ; Breast Neoplasms ; Family Characteristics ; Humans ; Spouses ; Stress, Psychological ; Surveys and Questionnaires

PURPOSE: This study examined Korean clinical nurses' intentions to care for SARS patients and identify determinants of the intentions. Theory of planned behavior was the framework to explain the intentions of Korean nurses for SARS patients care. METHODS: A convenient sample of six hundreds and seventy nine clinical nurses from four university-affiliated hospitals located in Seoul and in Kyung-gi province was used. Self-administered (83-items) questionnaire was used to collect data. Intentions, attitude, subjective norm, perceive behavioral control, behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and control beliefs were the study variables. All items were measured using 7-point Likert scale (-3 to +3). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation method, and stepwise multiple regression methods. RESULTS: Intentions and attitudes toward SARS patient care among Korean clinical nurses were moderate, but their subjective norm and perceive behavioral control of SARS patients care were negative. Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated that attitude toward SARS patient care, perceived behavioral control, subjective norm were the determinants of the intentions for SARS patients care as theory proposed. Among the behavioral beliefs, "SARS-patient caring would be a new experience", "during SARS-patient caring, I should be apart from my family", "after completing SARS-patient caring, I would be proud of myself being able to cope with a stressful event" and "with my SARS-patient caring, patients could recover from SARS" were the significant determinants. Among the normative beliefs, colleague approval, spouse approval, and physician approval were significant determinants of the intentions. Among the control beliefs, "SARS-patient caring would be a challenge" "SARS-patient caring is a professional responsibility", "tension during the care of SARS patients" and "support from team members" were the significant determinants of the intentions. CONCLUSIONS: Korean clinical nurses in this study were not willing to care for SARS patients and showed negative attitude toward the care. They believed their friends and family were not approved their care for SARS patients. Nurses were in conflicts between professional responsibilities to care for SARS patients and personal safety. This study was the first to understand stress and burden of Korean clinical nurses who are in front line to care for newly developed communicable disease such as SARS. Under the circumstance where several fatal communicable diseases are predictable, conflicts between professional responsibility and their personal risks should be taken into considerations by nurses themselves and by nursing administrators in order to improve quality of care.
Adult ; *Attitude of Health Personnel ; Female ; Humans ; *Intention ; Korea ; Middle Aged ; Multivariate Analysis ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Psychological Theory ; Regression Analysis ; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome/*nursing

To investigate the imbalance of the cytokine production profile of T cells from atopic asthmatics, we measured concentrations of IL-4, IL-5 and IFN-y by ELISA method in the culture supernatants of peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) and Derrnato-phagoides pteronyssinus(Der p) J-stimulated PBMCs from Der p-sensitized atopic asthmatics, Der p-sensitized healthy atopits, non-atopic asthmatics and healthy non-atopics. The suppressive effect of IFN-y on cytokine production of Der p J-stimulated PBMCs was also examined. The PBMCs from atopics showed higher IL-4 and IL-5 production in response to PHA +TPA and higher IFN-gamma production in response to Der p Jq compared with non-atopits. The Der p J-stimulated PBMCs from atopics showed a tendency of increased IL-5 production in response to Der p J and higher IL-4 and IL-5 production in response to PHA+TPA compared with non-atopics. IL-5 production of Der p J-stimulated PBMCs from atopics was suppressed by IFN It is suggested that an imbalance in IL-4, IL-5 and IFN-y production is a feature of the atopic state. The TH2 characteristics of allergen-stimulated PBMCs could be regulated by IFN-y.
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Interleukin-4 ; Interleukin-5 ; T-Lymphocytes

To clarity the effect of biliary obliteration on copper metabolism of rat liver and on the hepatic morphology, 0.5% cuppuric sulfate was administered intraperitoneally for 42 days following ligation of the common bile duct (CBD) of Sprague-Dawley rats. The blood copper concentration, the hepatic copper content and the accumulation patterns of copper and copper binding protein in the liver were examined and compared with those of the simple CBD ligation group and the simple copper over loaded group. CBD ligation induced marked proliferation of bile ductular structures which, after expanding the portal tracts, invaded and divided the hepatic lobules. There was, however, no excess fibosis beyond what needed to support the new ductules. The blood copper concentration and the hepatic copper content were increased by copper overload with or without CBD ligation, particularly incases with CBD ligation. Liver cell necrosis did not occur by the overloaded copper alone in rats. The hepatic copper and copper binding protein were accumulated at periportal liver cells in the group of coppe overload after CBD ligatio, whereas they began to appear at perivenular hepatocytes in the simple copper overloaded group. In conclusion, it is suggested that CBD ligation does not induce excess fibrosis or liver cirrhosis in rat as far as during our experimental period, but affect significantly on copper metabolism by intrahepatic redistribution of the copper and the copper binding proteins.
Rats ; Animals