PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the attributes and psychometric properties of newly developed diabetic foot complication assessment tools. The attributes of diabetic foot complication assessment tools were evaluated using a systematic review. METHODS: The search terms: “diabetes mellitus” and “foot ulcer” were retrieved using Boolean operators of “and”, “or”, and “not”. The search was limited to articles published between 2007 and 2016. The literature was analyzed by division of methodological characteristics, instrumental characteristics, and item and stratified outcome characteristics. RESULTS: Six assessment tools were found for diabetic foot complications. Only three of the six tools presented the evidence in terms of validity and reliability. In all six tools, “ulcer” was the measured item with the highest frequency, but the contents of items varied. The six identified tools focused on assessing current physical symptoms, but not on predicting diabetic foot complications. CONCLUSION Preventive foot self-care should be used to predict diabetic foot complications before symptoms appear. Moreover, the reliability and validity of existing tools should be verified in terms of discrimination, prediction, and evaluation.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effects of nutrition education on the nutritional status, including eating habits and quality of life in gastric cancer patients undergoing a gastrectomy. METHODS: Thirty one out-gastric resection patients at C University Hospital in Gwangju, Korea were enrolled in this study. The patients received an individualized nutritional counseling session, and the effects were assessed before and after a 3-month nutrition education intervention. Nutrition education for gastric cancer outpatients included the dietary guidelines (e.g., food intake), the level of nutrient intake, and nutrition support. RESULTS: The patients had significantly improved serum albumin and hematocrit levels after nutrition education. Of the dietary habits, the meal time and amount of food compared to the first education were increased significantly. Of the changes in the food intake frequency, fish and meat, and vegetables and fruits intake were increased, but not at a statistically significant level. The score of eating habits related to the gastrectomy was improved significantly after nutrition education from 31.7 to 34.5. The composite scores for the quality of life were also improved significantly after the nutrition education program. CONCLUSIONS: The nutrition education for gastric cancer outpatients may be crucial and efficient for improving their lifestyle.
Counseling ; Eating ; Education ; Food Habits ; Fruit ; Gastrectomy ; Gwangju ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Style ; Meals ; Meat ; Nutrition Policy ; Nutritional Status ; Outpatients ; Quality of Life ; Serum Albumin ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Vegetables

OBJECTIVES: This study examined the effects of nutrition education on the nutritional status, including eating habits and quality of life in gastric cancer patients undergoing a gastrectomy. METHODS: Thirty one out-gastric resection patients at C University Hospital in Gwangju, Korea were enrolled in this study. The patients received an individualized nutritional counseling session, and the effects were assessed before and after a 3-month nutrition education intervention. Nutrition education for gastric cancer outpatients included the dietary guidelines (e.g., food intake), the level of nutrient intake, and nutrition support. RESULTS: The patients had significantly improved serum albumin and hematocrit levels after nutrition education. Of the dietary habits, the meal time and amount of food compared to the first education were increased significantly. Of the changes in the food intake frequency, fish and meat, and vegetables and fruits intake were increased, but not at a statistically significant level. The score of eating habits related to the gastrectomy was improved significantly after nutrition education from 31.7 to 34.5. The composite scores for the quality of life were also improved significantly after the nutrition education program. CONCLUSIONS: The nutrition education for gastric cancer outpatients may be crucial and efficient for improving their lifestyle.
Counseling ; Eating ; Education ; Food Habits ; Fruit ; Gastrectomy ; Gwangju ; Hematocrit ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Style ; Meals ; Meat ; Nutrition Policy ; Nutritional Status ; Outpatients ; Quality of Life ; Serum Albumin ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Vegetables

Erythema multiforme is an acute self-limited, usually mild, and often relapsing mucocutaneous syndrome. This disease is usually related to acute infections, most often a recurrent herpes simplex viral infection or other infectious agents such as Mycoplasma pneumoniae. Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection has been reported to be a cause of bullous erythema multiforme in children and Stevens-Johnson syndrome in young adults. To our knowledge, there has been no report of typical erythema multiforme associated with Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection in adults. We report a case of erythema multiforme associated with acute infection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in a 30-year-old woman.
Adult ; Child ; Erythema ; Erythema Multiforme ; Female ; Herpes Simplex ; Humans ; Methylmethacrylates ; Mycoplasma ; Mycoplasma pneumoniae ; Pneumonia, Mycoplasma ; Polystyrenes ; Stevens-Johnson Syndrome ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: Serine protease promotes desquamatation of the stratum corneum and this is controlled by serine protease inhibitors (SPI). After disruption of the skin barrier, signals for barrier recovery are started with the activation of cytokines and a migration of calcium ions. On the other hand, the protease-activated receptor-2 (PAR-2) pathway is initiated as a negative signal. As the pH of the stratum corneum become neutral, activated serine protease and PAR-2 inhibit the secretion of lamellar bodies and the formation of the lamellar structure. OBJECTIVE: We wanted to screen noble synthetic peptides and identify the efficacy of a selected peptide, Palmitic acid-Lysine Threonine Threonine Lysine Serine (Pal-KTTKS), on PAR-2 in vitro and in vivo, and a clinical study was performed. METHODS: in vitro:Changes of the intracellular calcium ion concentration were measured in cultured HaCaT cells by fluorescence imaging according to treatment with sample peptides and trypsin. in vivo animal study:The efficacy of 2% Pal-KTTKS cream as a selected noble peptide was evaluated in an oxazolone-induced atopic dermatitis animal model. Clinical study:A total of twenty three atopic dermatitis patients applied 2.5% Pal-KTTKS peptide-containing cream on the one side of their extremities and pseudo-ceramide containing moisturizer on the other side of the extremities as a control twice a day for 4 weeks. Clinical improvement was evaluated by the Eczema Area Severity Index (EASI) score, a subject questionnaire and comparison of photographs. RESULTS: Suppression of the intracellular calcium concentration via PAR-2 inhibition was noted in the Pal-KTTKS peptide treated cultured HaCaT cells. In the oxazolone-induced atopic dermatitis hairless mice model, 2% Pal-KTTKS peptide containing lotion was more effective than vehicle lotion only. In the atopic dermatitis patients, the sites treated with 2.5% Pal-KTTKS peptide-containing cream showed better improvement for the EASI score, the subject questionnaire and the clinical photographs as compared to that of the control sites. There were no remarkable side effects related to the treatment. CONCLUSION: A PAR-2 inhibitor-containing topical agent would be an effective and safe modality for treating atopic dermatitis.
Animals ; Calcium ; Cytokines ; Dermatitis, Atopic ; Eczema ; Extremities ; Hand ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Ions ; Lysine ; Mice ; Mice, Hairless ; Models, Animal ; Oligopeptides ; Optical Imaging ; Peptides ; Serine ; Serine Proteases ; Serine Proteinase Inhibitors ; Skin ; Threonine ; Trypsin ; Surveys and Questionnaires

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to investigate the job stress factors, psychosocial stress and their associations in workers engaged in the research and development of vehicles, and according to job role. METHODS: We recruited 4,066 subjects from workers at a research and development center of an automobile company. A total of 2,764 workers answered the questionnaire about socio-demographic factors, health behaviors, work-related factors, subjective labor intensity, KOSS, and SF-PWI. The final analysis included 2,282 male manufacturing and research workers. Univariate analyses and multiple logistic analyses were conducted on the complete questionnaire data to compare the job stress factors, psychosocial stress and their associations between research and manufacturing workers. RESULTS: The adjusted Odds ratios comparing the high risk group to the low risk group regarding PWI group were 2.23(95%CI=1.63-3.04) in "Lack of rewards", 1.64(95%CI=1.20-2.24) in "Interpersonal conflict", 1.59(95%CI=1.15- 2.20) in "Organizational injustice", 1.58(95%CI=1.17-2.14) in "Occupational climate" and 1.43(95%CI=1.05-1.94) in "Job insecurity" among research workers, and 2.46(95%CI=1.59 -3.80) in "Lack of rewards" and 1.94(95%CI=1.17-3.22) in "Organizational injustice" among manufacturing workers. CONCLUSIONS: There are differences in job stress factors between research and manufacturing workers. Further studies and discussions based on quantitative methodology for seeking more fundamental causes of these differences are required to establish job stress intervention plans and policies.
Automobiles ; Health Behavior ; Humans ; Male ; Odds Ratio ; Questionnaires

We report a case of Hunter syndrome in a 4 year old boy, who presented with firm skin colored papules and nodules that coalesce to form a reticular pattern (pebbling of the skin) with extensive Mongolian spots. The lesions are arranged bilaterally and symmetrically over the scapulae, upper arm and lateral aspects of the thighs. He also has low intelligence, coarse face, saddle nose and claw hand contracture of both hands. The result of qualitative analysis of urine was positive for dermatan sulfate and heparan sulfate. And enzyme activity of iduronate-2-sulfatase is decreased in plasma and leukocyte. A skin biopsy specimen section stained with hematoxylin-eosin showed widely separated collagen bundles in the dermis associated with mucin deposition.
Animals ; Arm ; Biopsy ; Collagen ; Contracture ; Dermatan Sulfate ; Dermis ; Hand ; Heparitin Sulfate ; Hoof and Claw ; Intelligence ; Leukocytes ; Mongolian Spot ; Mucins ; Mucopolysaccharidosis II ; Nose ; Plasma ; Scapula ; Skin ; Thigh

Milia are small, white to yellow, benign, superficial keratinous cysts. They are divided into primary or secondary cysts. Secondary milia are associated with disease, medication, and trauma. We report a case of a 45 year-old woman with grouped yellowish papules and brownish patches on her left ankle after bullous cellulitis. This case shows that bullous cellulitis may be one of the causes of secondary milia.
Animals ; Ankle ; Cellulitis ; Female ; Humans ; Keratins

OBJECTIVES: Despite the importance of the protection of patients' health information in clinical settings, little is known about the awareness of this concept in nursing students due to the lack of a suitable measurement tool. Hence, this study attempted to redevelop the Patients' Health Information Protection Awareness Scale, and evaluate its construct validity and reliability for nursing students. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted. Nursing students who were in their 3rd and 4th year were recruited from 10 universities in Korea to assess the construct validity, and 30 experts (27 nurses and 3 faculty members) participated in the content validation process. RESULTS: The content validity assessment indicated that 23 items were ideal. The assessment of construct validity using exploratory factor analysis revealed three factors: communication, management, and referrals. They together accounted for 54.1% of the variance in scale scores. The three-factor scale had good fit in the confirmatory factor analysis. Scale reliability was confirmed, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.94 for all items. CONCLUSIONS: This study was the first attempt to redevelop the Patients' Health Information Protection Awareness Scale for student nurses. The 23-item scale was shown to be a reliable and valid tool. It facilitates the assessment of nursing students' awareness of patient information protection. Academic nursing programs and health organizations can use its scores to implement adequate education plans to safeguard information in nursing students.
Computer Security* ; Education ; Health Information Management ; Humans ; Korea ; Nursing ; Referral and Consultation ; Reproducibility of Results ; Students, Nursing

BACKGROUND: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are critically involved in generating pain in various painful conditions, including neuropathic and inflammatory pain. This experiment was conducted in order to assess the antinociceptive effects of vitamin E in the modulation of pain in rats subjected to the formalin test. METHODS: Five percent formalin was injected into the hind paw after intraperitoneal injection of either vitamin E 1 g/kg dissolved in olive oil or olive oil alone. The Number of flinches were measured in a 5 minute interval for 1 hour. RESULTS: Formalin injected into the left hind paw induced a biphasic nociceptive behavior. Intraperitoneal injection of vitamin E diminished the nociceptive behavior during phase 1 and 2. CONCLUSIONS: Systemic administration of vitamin E produces analgesia in a rat model of formalin-induced hyperalgesia. Furthermore, vitamin E affects pain of peripheral origin.
Analgesia ; Animals ; Formaldehyde ; Hyperalgesia ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Olea ; Plant Oils ; Rats ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Vitamin E ; Vitamins ; Olive Oil