The purpose of study was to assess how hospital nurses practice their health promoting lifestyle and to identify affecting factors. The subjects were 286 nurses working at three general hospitals in Kwang-ju. The data were collected by questionnaire from September 1st. to September 10th, 1999. The instruments for this study were the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile developed by Walker et al., perceived health status scale developed by Ware et al., self-efficacy scale developed by Sherer et al., and social support scale developed by Cohen et al.. The data were analyzed with mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's Correlation Coefficient and Stepwise Multiple Regression. The results of this study were as follows: 1. The mean score of health promoting lifestyle was 2.36. Interpersonal support showed the highest score(2.67) and health responsibility (1.92) showed the lowest score. The mean score of perceived health status was 3.07, self-efficacy was 2.62, and social support was 2.91. 2. The relationship between general characteristics of subjects and health promoting lifestyle showed significant differences according to duty cycle(t=4.15, p=.042), disease experience (t=5.18, p=.023), monthly income(F=3.13, p=.025), exercise frequency(F=9.12, p=.000), stress reliefe method(F=5.98, p=.000), job satisfaction(t=11.44, p=.000), and perceived fatigue(F=6.13, p=.002). 3. Health promoting lifestyle showed significant positive correlations with perceived health status (r=.2190, p=.0002), self-efficacy (r=.5137, p=.0001) and social support (r=.5181, p=.0001). 4. The combination of social support(27.1%), exercise frequency(10.4%), self-efficacy(8.8%), job satisfaction, perceived health status, perceived fatigue and explained 53.5% of the variance of health promoting lifestyle. Therefore, this study suggests that a replicate study is needed until more affecting factors other than health promoting lifestyle.
Fatigue ; Gwangju ; Hospitals, General ; Job Satisfaction ; Life Style* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND/AIMS: There are few available data regarding the association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the gene encoding interleukin 28B (IL28B) and a sustained virologic response (SVR) to peginterferon (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin (RBV) therapy in Korean chronic hepatitis C patients. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of 156 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection who received combination treatment of PEG-IFN plus RBV. Blood samples from these patients were analyzed to identify the IL28B SNPs at rs12979860, rs12980275, rs8099917, and rs8103142. Association analyses were performed to evaluate the relationships between each IL28B SNP and SVRs. RESULTS: Seventy six patients with HCV genotype 1 and 80 with genotype non-1 were enrolled. The frequencies of rs12979860 CC and CT genotypes were 90.4% and 9.6%, respectively; those of rs12980275 AA and AG genotypes were 87.2% and 12.8%, respectively; those of rs8099917 TT and TG genotypes were 92.3% and 7.7%, respectively; and those of rs8103142 TT and CT genotypes were 90.4% and 9.6%, respectively. Among the patients with HCV genotype 1, the SVR rates were 69.7% and 80.0% for rs12979860 CC and CT, respectively (P=0.71). Among the HCV genotype non-1 patients, SVR rates were 88.0% and 100% for rs12979860 CC and CT (P=1.00), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Genotypes of the IL28B SNP that are known to be favorable were present in most of the Korean patients with chronic hepatitis C in this study. Moreover, the IL28B SNP did not influence the SVR rate in either the HCV genotype 1 or non-1 patients. Therefore, IL28B SNP analysis might be not useful for the initial assessment, prediction of treatment outcomes, or treatment decision-making of Korean chronic hepatitis C patients.
Adult ; Alleles ; Antiviral Agents/*therapeutic use ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group/*genetics ; Cohort Studies ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Hepatitis C, Chronic/drug therapy/*genetics ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha/therapeutic use ; Interleukins/*genetics ; Linkage Disequilibrium ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polyethylene Glycols/therapeutic use ; *Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Recombinant Proteins/therapeutic use ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Ribavirin/therapeutic use

PURPOSE: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is the major cause of acute lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) in infants and children. We investigated the association of meteorological conditions and air pollution with the prevalence of RSV infection. METHODS: Between January 2005 and December 2012, a total of 9,113 nasopharyngeal swab specimens from children under 3 years of age who were admitted to the hospital with acute LRTI were tested for RSV antigens using a direct immunofluorescence kit. Meteorological data (mean temperature, precipitation, wind speed, and relative humidity) and air pollutant levels including PM₁₀ (particulate matter with a median aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 10 µm in diameter), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), and carbon monoxide (CO) in Seoul during the study period were collected from the national monitoring system. The correlations of the monthly incidence of RSV infection with climate factors and air pollutant levels were analyzed. RESULTS: RSV infection mainly occurred between October and February, and showed the peak in November. The prevalence of RSV infection had a moderate negative correlation with mean temperature (r=−0.60, P < 0.001), a weak negative correlation with relative humidity (r=−0.26, P=0.01), and precipitation (r=−0.34, P=0.001). Regarding air pollutants, RSV activity moderately correlated with NO₂ (r=0.40, P < 0.001), SO₂ (r=0.41, P < 0.001), and CO (r=0.58, P < 0.001). In the RSV peak season in Korea (between October and February), RSV epidemics showed a weak positive correlation with relative humidity (r=0.35, P=0.03) and precipitation (r=0.38, P=0.02). CONCLUSION: Meteorological factors and air pollutant levels may be associated with RSV activity. Therefore, further nationwide large-scaled intensive evaluations to prove factors affecting RSV activity are warranted.
Air Pollutants ; Air Pollution* ; Carbon Monoxide ; Child* ; Climate* ; Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Direct ; Humans ; Humidity ; Incidence ; Infant ; Korea ; Meteorological Concepts ; Nitrogen Dioxide ; Prevalence ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses* ; Respiratory Tract Infections ; Seasons ; Seoul ; Sulfur Dioxide ; Wind

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Identifying the impact of a patient's ethnicity on treatment responses in clinical practice may assist in providing individualized treatment regimens for chronic hepatitis C (CHC). The effectiveness of standard peginterferon plus ribavirin therapy and the need for triple combination therapy with protease inhibitors in Koreans remain matters of debate. These issues were investigated in the present study. METHODS: The clinical data of 272 treatment-naive Korean CHC patients who were treated in a community-based clinical trial (Clinical Trial group; n=51) and in clinical practice (Cohort group; n=221), were analyzed and compared. All were treated with standard protocols of peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin therapy. RESULTS: For patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1, the sustained virological response (SVR) rates in the Clinical Trial and Cohort groups were 81% (21/26) and 55% (58/106), respectively, by intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis (P=0.02), and 100% (13/13) and 80% (32/40), respectively, in treatment-adherent patients (P=0.18). For patients with HCV genotype 2, the SVR rates in these two groups were 96% (24/25) and 88% (101/115), respectively, by ITT analysis (P=0.31). Adherence and treatment duration were independent predictors of SVR for genotypes 1 and 2, respectively (P<0.01 for each). Korean patients with CHC achieved high SVR rates with peginterferon alfa-2a plus ribavirin in both the clinical trial and clinical practice settings. CONCLUSIONS: Measures to raise adherence to standard therapy in clinical practice may improve the SVR rates in these patients as effectively as adding protease inhibitors, thus obviating the need for the latter.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Antiviral Agents/*therapeutic use ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Cohort Studies ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Genotype ; Hepacivirus/genetics ; Hepatitis C, Chronic/*drug therapy ; Humans ; Interferon-alpha/*therapeutic use ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Odds Ratio ; Polyethylene Glycols/*therapeutic use ; Predictive Value of Tests ; RNA, Viral/genetics ; Recombinant Proteins/therapeutic use ; Republic of Korea ; Ribavirin/*therapeutic use ; Treatment Outcome ; Young Adult

BACKGROUND: The Korean Bone and Soft Tissue Pathology Study Group of the Korean Society of Pathologists conducted a nationwide retrospective analysis of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) to provide the clinicopathologic characteristics of STS within the population of the Republic of Korea. METHODS: The cases of STS were collected during a 7-year period (2001-2007) from 19 institutes in Korea. All cases were classified according to the histologic criteria proposed by the World Health Organization. Clinicopathologic data were reviewed. RESULTS: Data from 722 patients (median age, 50 years) were collected. Data showed a slight male predominance. The most frequent types of STS in decreasing order were liposarcoma, malignant fibrous histiocytoma, leiomyosarcoma, and synovial sarcoma. STS occurred throughout the body, although approximately half (47.8%) were located in the extremities. The majority of STS was histologically classified as high grade with a large tumor size (>5 cm). The overall survival rate for the patients was 76.3% (median follow-up time, 26 months; range, 1 to 89 months). Histologic grade, tumor size, American Joint Committee on Cancer stage, tumor site, and resection status were prognostic. Significant independent adverse prognostic factors were large tumor size (>5 cm) and tumor site other than extremities. CONCLUSIONS: We reported the distribution and characteristics of STS in the Republic of Korea.
Academies and Institutes ; Extremities ; Follow-Up Studies ; Histiocytoma, Malignant Fibrous ; Humans ; Incidence ; Joints ; Korea ; Leiomyosarcoma ; Liposarcoma ; Male ; Prognosis ; Republic of Korea ; Retrospective Studies ; Sarcoma ; Sarcoma, Synovial ; Survival Rate ; World Health Organization

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The virologic response of Koreans to combination therapy for chronic hepatitis C is similar to westerns; however, dose modification occurs more frequently in Koreans. We evaluated the rates of peginterferon alpha-2a and ribavirin dose modifications and their effect on the virologic response in Koreans. METHODS: Patients with detectable HCV RNA and enrolled from multicenters were treated with peginterferon alpha-2a (180 microgram/week) and ribavirin (800 mg/day) for 24 weeks (genotype non-1, n=37) or peginterferon alpha-2a (180 microgram/week) and ribavirin (1,000-1,200 mg/day) for 48 weeks (genotype 1, n=55). RESULTS: Early virologic response (EVR) and sustained virologic response (SVR) were 77.2% (genotype 1, 75%; non-1, 81%) and 66.3% (genotype 1, 56%; non-1, 81%), respectively. The frequency of dose modification was 32.6% within the first 12 weeks and 52.2% during the entire treatment period. No difference was found in SVR regardless of dose modification. However, the SVR for patients using > or =80% of the peginterferon dose was significantly higher than for those using <80% (81.3 vs. 50.0%, p=0.007), despite varying ribavirin doses. No difference was found in SVR regardless of whether the ribavirin dose was <80% or not. These results did not change based on genotype. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that using at least 80% of the peginterferon alpha-2a dose in Koreans not only maintains SVR but also reduces drug side effects during the entire treatment period. A lower dose of ribavirin may be as efficacious as a standard dose.
Adult ; Aged ; Antiviral Agents/*administration & dosage ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Female ; Hepatitis C, Chronic/*drug therapy/virology ; Humans ; Interferon Alfa-2a/*administration & dosage/adverse effects ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polyethylene Glycols/*administration & dosage/adverse effects ; RNA, Viral/blood ; Ribavirin/*administration & dosage/adverse effects

Sclerosing encapsulating peritonitis (SEP), or abdominal cocoon, is generally recognized as a rare complication of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), and the prognosis is very poor. The causes of SEP are multifactorial, including acetate in dialysate, recurrent peritonitis and dialysate con tamination with antiseptics containing chlorhexidine. Patients experience the characteristic symptoms and signs of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and partial or intermittent bowel obstruction, and weight loss and malnutrition develop in severe case. We performed bowel resection on two patients with SEP, one idiopathic, and the other from CAPD. We briefly review the literature, and discuss the pathophysiology and the management of SEP.
Abdominal Pain ; Anti-Infective Agents, Local ; Chlorhexidine ; Humans ; Malnutrition ; Nausea ; Peritoneal Dialysis, Continuous Ambulatory ; Peritonitis* ; Prognosis ; Vomiting ; Weight Loss

Intraoperative formation and management of a thrombus in right atrium has been reported occasionally. Nevertheless, it is rare that a right atrial thrombus with unstable hemodynamic changes detected by transesophageal echocardiography is resolved spontaneously. We report upon the 44-year-old woman, who had a right atrial thrombus detected by transesophageal echocardiography during laparoscopic assisted vaginal hysterectomy and resolved during thromboembolectomy.
Adult ; Echocardiography, Transesophageal ; Female ; Heart Atria ; Hemodynamics ; Humans ; Hysterectomy, Vaginal ; Laparoscopy ; Thrombosis