BACKGROUND: Obesity is linked to a wide range of respiratory diseases. Several studies have shown that body weight at baseline and weight change were related to pulmonary function. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between change in body mass index (BMI) and pulmonary function in adults. METHODS: Of those aged 40-64 years at baseline who had initially visited the health promotion center at one university-level hospital from January 2000 to December 2002, 499 (men: 309, women: 190) patients revisited the center over a 5-year period up to December 2009 and were enrolled in the study. Subjects were classified into 4 groups- group 1: normal-normal, group 2: normal-obese, group 3: obese-normal, and group 4: obese-obese, based on their BMI at baseline and follow-up. Forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/FVC were measured by spirometry. RESULTS: Change in FEV1/FVC was significantly associated with change in BMI for men in all 4 groups. Change in FEV1/FVC was significantly different between group 1 and 3 and between group 1 and 4. Changes in FEV1, FVC and FEV1/FVC were significantly associated with change in BMI for women in all 4 groups. Change in FEV1 was significantly different between group 3 and 4, and change in FVC was significantly different between group 1 and 3. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that a change in BMI is negatively associated with change in pulmonary function. Obesity itself can be a risk factor for pulmonary dysfunction, and a decrease in BMI through weight reduction could reduce pulmonary dysfunction or improve pulmonary function in adults.
Adult ; Aged ; Body Mass Index ; Body Weight ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Forced Expiratory Volume ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Male ; Obesity ; Risk Factors ; Vital Capacity ; Weight Loss

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to analyze and clarify the meaning of the concept for relocation stress -focusing on patients transferred from an intensive care unit to a general ward. METHODS: This study used Walker and Avant's process of concept analysis. RESULTS: Relocation stress can be defined by these attributes as follows: 1) involuntary decision about relocation, 2) moving from a familiar and safe environment to an unfamiliar one, 3) broken relationship of safety and familiarity, 4) physiological and psychosocial change after relocation. The antecedents of relocation stress consisted of these facts: 1) preparation degrees of transfer from the intensive care unit to a general ward, 2) pertinence of the information related to the transfer process, 3) change of major caregivers, 4) change in numbers of monitoring devices, 5) change in the level of self-care. There are consequences occurring as a result of relocation stress: 1) decrease in patients' quality of life, 2) decrease in coping capacity, 3) loss of control. CONCLUSION: Relocation stress is a core concept in intensive nursing care. Using this concept will contribute to continuity of intensive nursing care.
Adaptation, Psychological ; Caregivers ; Concept Formation ; Humans ; *Intensive Care Units ; *Patient Transfer ; Patients' Rooms ; *Stress, Psychological

PURPOSE: In this study, relationships between symptom experience and quality of life in a cross-sectional sample of patients with Atrial Fibrillation (AF) were investigated. METHODS: This descriptive study involved a convenience sample of AF patients from S university hospital, C city. One hundred and two AF patients completed psychometric validated measures of AF related symptoms and quality of life. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficients with SPSS WIN 14.0 were used for data analysis. RESULTS: Of 16 atrial arrhythmia-related symptoms, the patients reported 'tiredness' as the most frequent and 'shortness of breath' as the most severe. The level of overall quality of life for patients with AF was 53.92. There were significant differences in symptom frequency according to religion, New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification and left ventricular ejection fraction ; symptom severity according to monthly income and stroke ; quality of life according to age, job, alcohol intake, NYHA class and stroke. Quality of life for these patients was positively correlated with symptom frequency and symptom severity. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that patients with more frequent and severe symptoms perceive poorer quality of life than patients with less frequent and less severe symptoms. Symptom experience should be assessed early to improve quality of life for patients.
Atrial Fibrillation ; Heart ; Humans ; New York ; Psychometrics ; Quality of Life ; Statistics as Topic ; Stroke ; Stroke Volume

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare anxiety, depression and quality of life according to the severity of urinary incontinence in married women. METHOD: The participants were 168 married women aged 30-65 years who experienced urinary incontinence. The data were collected from May to July, 2006 using a structured questionnaire. Frequencies, percent, means and standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, chi-square-test and Scheffe test with SPSS win 14.0 program were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: The distribution of urinary incontinence severity was mild 87.5%, or moderate 12.5%. Significant differences in the severity of urinary incontinence were found for the general characteristics of age, education level, having a job and having a spouse and for the obstetric characteristics of type of delivery, and menopause. Differences in the score for anxiety (t=-2.41, p=0.001) and quality of life (t=5.50, p<0.001) according to the severity of urinary incontinence were statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Women with moderate to severe urinary incontinence should be screened for psychosocial factors. Severity of urinary incontinence in married women negatively affects their quality of life. Further research is needed to determine factors predicting the quality of life for incontinent women.
Anxiety* ; Depression* ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Menopause ; Psychology ; Quality of Life* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Spouses ; Urinary Incontinence*

A neonate may incur liver injury during spontaneous delivery. The liver is the organ most likely to be injured during the birth process. Breech presentation and manipulation are the most common causes of hepatic trauma. However, hepatic hemorrhage can occur in any infant, regardless of size and the type of delivery. Infants with subcapsular hemorrhage are usually asymptomatic at birth, and gross hepatic rupture from these lesions is unusual. In patient with primary rupture, major bleeding takes place immediately, explaining the high percentage of neonatal deaths with massive liver rupture. If subcapsular hemorrhage remain intracapsular with spontaneous resolution, the only treatment needed in subcapsular hemorrhage may be transfusion. We experienced one case of neonatal subcapsular hemorrhage with persistent hyperbilirubinemia. We report this case with the brief review of related literature.
Breech Presentation ; Female ; Hematoma* ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Hyperbilirubinemia ; Hyperbilirubinemia, Neonatal* ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Liver ; Parturition ; Pregnancy ; Rupture

PURPOSE: Relocation stress is a common phenomenon in patients discharged from an intensive care unit(ICU) to a ward. Therefore, nurses need to be aware of the problems that can arise during the transfer process. The aim of this study was to identify nurses' experiences in transferring critically ill patients from the ICU to a ward. METHOD: Focus group interviews were done with 13 nurses from wards and ICU, which participated in receiving and sending of ICU patients. The debriefing notes and field notes were analyzed using the consistent comparative data analysis method. RESULT: Seven major categories were identified in the analysis of the data. These were 'mixed feeling about transfer', 'lack of transfer readiness', 'increase in family burden', 'uncertainty with unfamiliar environment', 'difficulty in decision making', 'difference of perception of the relationships between patients and health care providers', 'need for continuity of nursing care'. CONCLUSION: Transferring out of the critical care area should be presented to the patient and family as a positive step in the recovery process. However, a more universal method of passing information from nurse to nurse is needed to assist in a smooth transition.
Collodion ; Critical Care ; Critical Illness ; Delivery of Health Care ; Focus Groups ; Humans ; Critical Care ; Intensive Care Units ; Statistics as Topic

PURPOSE: This study was done to identify the relationship of malnutrition, social network and health-related quality of life and to investigate the main factors influencing health-related quality of life in elders. METHODS: The research design was a descriptive survey design using a convenience sampling. Data were collected by self-report questionnaires from 196 elders. Data analysis was done using SPSS 18.0 pc+ program for descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression. RESULTS: The average score for health related quality of life was 3.33 (SD=0.86). Differences in health-related quality of life were statistically significant according to age, gender, occupation, presence of spouse, monthly income, source of income, economic status, medicine, and existence of chronic disease. Health-related quality of life was significantly correlated with malnutrition and social network. Major factors affecting health related quality of life for elders were malnutrition, occupation, age, social network, and economic status which explained 52.0% of the variance in health related quality of life. CONCLUSION: Findings provide a basis for developing nursing interventions to improve health-related quality of life. Future studies are needed a wide variety of variables that might influence health-related quality of life in elders.
Aged ; Chronic Disease ; Humans ; Malnutrition ; Occupations ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Research Design ; Spouses ; Statistics as Topic

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the presurgical orthodontic tooth movement of mandibular teeth after dental decompensation for skeletal Class III deformities on the basis of vertical skeletal patterns. METHODS: This cohort was comprised of 62 patients who received presurgical orthodontic treatment. These patients were divided into 3 groups according to their vertical skeletal patterns. Changes in the positions of the mandibular central incisor, canine, premolar, and 1st molar after presurgical orthodontic treatment were measured using a cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) superimposition method. RESULTS: The incisors moved forward after dental decompensation in all 3 groups. The canines in group I and the 1st premolars in groups I and III also moved forward. The incisors and canines were extruded in groups I and II. The 1st and 2nd premolars were also extruded in all groups. Vertical changes in the 1st premolars differed significantly between the groups. We also observed lateral movement of the canines in group III and of the 1st premolar, 2nd premolar, and 1st molar in all 3 groups (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Movement of the mandibular incisors and premolars resolved the dental compensation. The skeletal facial pattern did not affect the dental decompensation, except in the case of vertical changes of the 1st premolars.
Bicuspid ; Cohort Studies ; Compensation and Redress ; Cone-Beam Computed Tomography ; Congenital Abnormalities ; Humans ; Incisor ; Malocclusion ; Molar ; Tooth ; Tooth Movement

Streptococcus Gallolyticus subspecies pasteurianus is a biotype II/2 of Streptococcus bovis. Although there is a clear correlation between Streptococcus bovis bacteremia and the risk of developing colon cancer, the relationship between Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies pasteurianus bacteremia and colon cancer is not clear. We report a 53-year-old female who initially presented with fever and low back pain. Streptococcus gallolyticus subspecies pasteurianus was isolated in blood cultures, so we performed a colonoscopy and discovered colon cancer.
Bacteremia* ; Colon* ; Colonic Neoplasms* ; Colonoscopy ; Female ; Fever ; Humans ; Low Back Pain ; Middle Aged ; Streptococcus bovis ; Streptococcus*

Invasive aspergillosis usually does not occur in immunocompetent patients. Recently, however, the incidence of invasive aspergillosis has been increasing in immunologically competent patients. It is difficult to diagnose neuroaspergillosis because of its varied radiological findings and clinical manifestations. We report a case of aspergillosis of the central nervous system, presenting as a mass-like lesion, in an immunocompetent patient. The patient was diagnosed after a surgical biopsy and treated with antifungal agents. The clinical outcome was good.
Antifungal Agents ; Aspergillosis ; Biopsy ; Central Nervous System ; Humans ; Immunocompetence ; Incidence ; Neuroaspergillosis ; Pyrimidines ; Triazoles