No abstract available.
Humans ; Quality of Life* ; Renal Dialysis* ; Renal Insufficiency*

No abstract available.
Body Weight* ; Cholesterol*

The clustering of insulin resistance with hypertension, glucose intolerance, hyperinsulinemia, increased triglyceride and decreased HDL cholesterol levels, and central and overall obesity has been called syndrome X, or the insulin resistance syndrome(IRS). To develop a nutrition service for IRS, this study was performed to evaluate the prevalence of each component of the metabolic abnormalities of IRS and analyze the clustering pattern of IRS among subjects living in the Taegu community. Participants in this study were 9234(mean age ; M/F 48/40yrs);63.5% were men, 24.4% were obese, 13.3% had hypertension. 3.7% had hyperglycemia, and 32.4% had hyperlipidemia. The IRS was defined as the coexistence of two or more components among metabolic abnormalities; obesity, hypertension. hyperglucemia and hyperlipidemia. The prevalence of IRS in Taegu was 19.2%(M/F:20.8%/16.4%), the clustering of these fisk variables was higher in advanced age group. Among the subjects of IRS having two of more diseases, 75.6% were obese, the pattern were similar in men and women. The younger, the higher the prevalence of obesity associated clustering patterns. The prevalence of obesity associated patterns among the hyperglycemia associated clustering patterns was 44.5%. The samples of the representative clustering patterns were obesity and hyperlipidemia (8.0%), hypertension and hyperlipidemia(3.2%), hypertension, obesity and hyperlipiemia(3.1%), hypertension and obesity(2.3%), and hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia(0.8%). The clustering of obesity and hyperlipidemia until 50 year old groups, and the clustering of hypertension and hyperlipidemia in the 60 and 70 age groups were the most prevalent. We concluded that insulin resistance syndrome was a relatively common disorder in the Taegu community, and prevalence and the characteristics of the intervention strategies for IRS are desired, an effective improvement will be achieved.
Cholesterol, HDL ; Daegu* ; Female ; Glucose Intolerance ; Humans ; Hyperglycemia ; Hyperinsulinism ; Hyperlipidemias ; Hypertension ; Insulin Resistance* ; Insulin* ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Obesity ; Prevalence ; Triglycerides

BACKGROUND: In an effort to use cigarette warning labels as a means for reducing smoking rates, this study examined current cigarette warning messages and newly designed pictorial warning labels. METHODS: From June 15, 2005, to June 22, 2005 we conducted an e-mail survey of 1,200 civilians to examine the effect of cigarette warning labels. For statistical analysis, we used chi-square test with SPSS 11.0 software. RESULTS: Among all the respondents, 78.7% indicated that current cigarette warning labels did not have any effect. However, most of the respondents indicated that pictorial warning labels are effective in raising public awareness (84.6%) or knowledge (81.5%) of the harmful effects of cigarettes. They also responded that pictorial warning labels would help them quit smoking (75.9%) or keep them from buying cigarettes (64.1%). Over 80% of the respondents and over 70% of the smokers responded that they would welcome the use of pictorial warning labels as an anti-smoking measure. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that current cigarette warning labels are not effective in curbing smoking rates. Also, the results suggest that current cigarette warning labels need to be improved if they are to be used as an effective anti-smoking measure.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Electronic Mail ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Tobacco Products*

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop a scale measuring the Patient-Centered Nursing Culture (PCNC) and provide a basic tool to improve PCNC in Korea. METHODS: A conceptual framework and construct factors were extracted through extensive literature review and in-depth interviews with nursing professionals. In total, 59 items were derived based on the pilot survey. Data were collected from 357 nurses working at general hospitals and analyzed for verifying the reliability and validity of the scale. RESULTS: Nine factors containing 54 items were extracted from the exploratory factor analysis to verify the construct validity. The nine factors were top management leadership, policy and procedure, education and training, middle management leadership, supportive teamwork, nursing workplace environment, professional competence, patient-centered nursing activity, and nurses' values. These items were verified by convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity testing. The internal consistency reliability was acceptable (Cronbach's α=.96). CONCLUSION: The developed PCNC scale is expected to be used as the tool for the development of theory and improvement of PCNC, the empirical testing for cause and effect of PCNC, the development of interventions, education and training programs for improving PCNC, and indicators for evaluation or accreditation of hospital service quality.
Accreditation ; Education ; Hospitals, General ; Korea ; Leadership ; Nursing ; Patient-Centered Care ; Professional Competence ; Reproducibility of Results

PURPOSE: This study aimed to develop a scale measuring the Patient-Centered Nursing Culture (PCNC) and provide a basic tool to improve PCNC in Korea. METHODS: A conceptual framework and construct factors were extracted through extensive literature review and in-depth interviews with nursing professionals. In total, 59 items were derived based on the pilot survey. Data were collected from 357 nurses working at general hospitals and analyzed for verifying the reliability and validity of the scale. RESULTS: Nine factors containing 54 items were extracted from the exploratory factor analysis to verify the construct validity. The nine factors were top management leadership, policy and procedure, education and training, middle management leadership, supportive teamwork, nursing workplace environment, professional competence, patient-centered nursing activity, and nurses' values. These items were verified by convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity testing. The internal consistency reliability was acceptable (Cronbach's α=.96). CONCLUSION The developed PCNC scale is expected to be used as the tool for the development of theory and improvement of PCNC, the empirical testing for cause and effect of PCNC, the development of interventions, education and training programs for improving PCNC, and indicators for evaluation or accreditation of hospital service quality.

Hepatitis B virus(HBV) infection is one of the major health problems in Korea and HBsAg positive rate was known to be about 5~15% in general population. This study was conducted to identify the positive rates of serum HBsAg and anti-HBs among community population regared as having high HBV vaccination rate than in previous decade, using EIA(Enzyme immunoassay) method, in Seo-Gu, Taegu, Korea. The study subjects were 1,160 who visited Seo-Gu Health Center for check-up serologic markers of hepatitis B. The data were obtained from the serologic test for hepatitis markers and questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain the general characteristics, vaccination history, past history of hepatitis and other liver disease , and exposure history to risk factors of hepatitis of the study subjects. The positive rates of HBsAg and anti-HBs were 5.2% and 62.4% respectively. The positive rates of HBsAg for male and female were 6.6% and 4.3% respectively. The age was divided into two groups as group I(less than 15 years old), group II(more than 16years old) according to the hypothesis that these two groups might be different in HBV vaccination rate. HBV vaccination rates for group I and II were 83.1% and 52.3%. The positive rates of HBsAg for group I and II were 2.6% and 6.5%. The positive rates of HBsAg for the vaccinated people of the group I and II were 2.2% and 3.5%, the positive rates of anti-HBs for the vaccinated people of the group I and II were 70.1% and 71.1% respectively. The most significant factor in positive rate of HBsAg was 'hepatitis carrier in family'. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that 'hepatitis history' and 'hepatitis carrier in family' were significant variables for positivity of HBsAg, and 'hepatitis B vaccination' was only a significant variable for positivity of anti-HBs.
Daegu ; Female ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis B ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens* ; Humans ; Korea ; Liver Diseases ; Logistic Models ; Male ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Risk Factors ; Serologic Tests ; Vaccination

OBJECTIVE: The present study was conducted to evaluate the viability of germ cells form the adult and fetal ovarian tissues after vitrification followed by xenografting. METHOD: The human adult ovarian tissues were obtained from 33 years old patients, and the fetal ovarian tissues were obtained from 22 weeks and 25 weeks in gestation. ovarian tissues were cryopreserved by vitrification with 5.5 M ethylene glycol (EG 5.5) and 1.0 M sucrose as cryoprotectants. Adult and fetal ovarian tissues were pre-equilivrated with EG 5.5 at room temperature for 10 and 5 minutes, respectively and plunged into liquid nitrogen immediately. Frozen-thawed tissues were xenografted into NOD-SCID mice to evaluated the viability and capacity for further growth of the primordial follicles. Grafts were recovered from the recipients 4 weeks after transplantation and histological analysis was accomplished. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: Grafts recovered 4 weeks after transplantation contained less number of oocytes and primordial follicles compared to that of the fresh tissues. Survived follicles were mainly primordial and intermediary with larger diameter and more granulosa cells. It is confirmed that 1) the ovarian tissues were healthy and the germ cells were survived after vitrification, and 2) the survived fetal primordial follicles after vitrification resumed the growth in the xenofrafts.
Adult ; Animals* ; Ethylene Glycol ; Female ; Germ Cells ; Granulosa Cells ; Heterografts* ; Humans* ; Mice ; Nitrogen ; Oocytes ; Pregnancy ; Sucrose ; Transplantation, Heterologous* ; Transplants ; Vitrification

OBJECTIVES: To determine the job stress factors of subway workers and firemen and to develope appropriate stress management systems for the works places. METHODS: The study subjects comprised 1,826 male subway workers and 538 male firemen residing in Daegu metropolitan city. The Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS) questionnaire was used. RESULTS: The median values of the study subjects were lower than the reference values. The categories of physical environment and insufficient job control were more stressful to firemen while the organization system category was stressful to both subway workers and firemen (p<0.05). There was no statistical difference in the stress factor of the interpersonal conflict category. Among the firemen, the physical environment category was more stressful to field work department workers than to desk workers (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: The study results suggested that interpersonal conflict and organization system categories are stressful to male subway workers and firemen. Especially, effective control of firemen's physical environment stress factor is needed.
Daegu ; Fibrinogen ; Humans ; Male ; Questionnaires ; Railroads* ; Reference Values

BACKGROUND: Bronchial asthma is classically defined as a reversible obstruction and hypsrresponsiveness of the airway attributed to an inflammatory process. However, some individuals with asthma show an irreversible component of airflow obstruction. It may be associated with structural changes in the airway resulting from severe or long standing air- way inflammation and remodelling. OBJECTIVE: The study was undertaken to compare the clinical characteristics of patient and airway remodelling as shown in bronchial wall thickness in HRCT according to the duration of asthma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective clinical study was done on 119 patients with bronchial asthma, who had been admitted to Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital. Patients were divided to three groups according to disease duration and, clinical characteristics, pulmonary function test and HRCT were done. RESULTS: Basal FEV, and FVC was significantly lower in patient with longer duration. (p<0. 05) However pulmonary function was improved regardless of disease duration after 2 weeks steroid and bronchodilator therapy, and there was no significant difference in level changes according to the disease duration. The inner diameter of the bronchi and thickness of the bronchial wall at segmental and subsegmental bronchi increased significantly in patient with longer duration of asthma(p<0.05). Conclusion: These findings showed that airway remodelling was more extensive in patients with longer duration of disease resulting in decreased pulmonary function. These facts suggested that early anti-inflammatory therapy would be helpful for prevention of airway remodelling.
Airway Remodeling* ; Asthma* ; Bronchi ; Female ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Retrospective Studies