No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Hypertension, Portal*

OBJECTIVE: Early maternal separation (EMS) during the development has been known to influence the alteration of behavior in adulthood. Nitric oxide (NO) may have been implicated to play a crucial role in the neurodevelopment as an intracellular and intercellular messenger. This study was designed to investigate the neurochemical mechanism of the behavioral changes resulting from EMS during the development in juvenile rats. METHODS: Experimental group consisted of subjects that were removed and weaned from the day on postnatal day 15. Control group were the litters that experienced no EMS until postnatal day 21. On postnatal day 15 and 36, the locomotor activity (LA) was measured. On postnatal day 36 the behavioral changes in the forced swimming test (FST) were also measured. Test drugs were intraperitoneally injected including MK-801 (0.5 mg/kg), N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NA, 20 mg/kg), paroxetine (20 mg/kg), and bupropion (150 mg/kg). RESULTS:EMS produced the decrease of LA significantly in juvenile rats (p<0.001). Both MK-801 and L-NA increased LA in experimental group (p<0.001) and control group (p<0.05). The degree of increase was higher in experimental group than in control group. However, both paroxetine and bupropion increased LA in experimental group (p<0.001, p<0.05), but not in control group. In the FST, immobility was significantly increased in experimental group compared with control group (p<0.001). The increases of immobility in experimental group were abolished after injecting MK-801, L-NA, paroxetine, and bupropion, respectively. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that EMS during the development can lead to behavioral abnormalities in juvenile rats. The underlying neurochemical mechanism of this behavioral changes may be, in part, related to the glutamatergic NMDA-NO pathway. This suggests that glutamatergic NMDA-NO pathway vulnerable to stress may predispose to depression.
Animals ; Bupropion ; Depression ; Dizocilpine Maleate ; Motor Activity ; Nitric Oxide ; Nitroarginine ; Paroxetine ; Rats ; Swimming

No abstract available.
Adolescent* ; Humans ; Mothers* ; Psychotherapy, Brief*

Chronic illness requiring attention and management during a long period of time puts great burden onto patients, their family and society. For patients with chronic illnesses, providing social support is the most important, and the fundamental support comes from their spouses. Amount and quality of support from spouses seems to differentiated according to the sex of patients. Female patients tend to believe that their spouses are not very supportive. Therefore, the researchers assessed the burden of husbands of female arthritis patients to discover the factors that result in greater burden. Also, they developed a theoretical model of husbands' care for their wives through a qualitative research into husbands' experience. Method 1: The study material was 650 female arthritis patients registered in an arthritis clinic. The questionnaire about the disease experience of female arthritis patients and the burden of husbands were sent. Returned questionnaires numbered 210(32.3%) and 27 were excluded because of inadequate answers. The remaining 183 questionnaires were analyzed. The mean age of the patients was 51 years and the mean age of spouses was 55 years. The mean marital period was 28 years. The average duration since diagnosis was 9.1 years. Education level was varied from primary school to graduate school, and average income/month was 1,517,300 won. Method 2: Initial questionnaire studies on the burden of husbands were performed. Among 183 responding husbands, 23 consented to participate for a qualitative research. Data was obtained by direct and telephone interviews. The mean age of participants was 58 years, and the educational level and socioeconomic status also varied. Result: 1. Husbands' burden: The average burden was 57.68 with a range of 6-96. 2. Burden and general characteristics: The husband's burden correlated with the age of the patients, numbers in the family, therapy methods, patient's level of discomfort, patient's disease severity, patient's level of dependence and the husband's understanding of the level of severity. 3. Linear correlation analysis on burden: The husbands' burden is explained in 22.5% by husband's recognition of level of severity and husbands' age. 4. There were four patterns of the burden on husbands: both objectve burden and subjective burden were high(pattern I), both of objectve burden and subjective burden were low(pattern II), objective burden was high but subjective burden was low(pattern III), objective burden was low but subjective burden was high(pattern IV). The pattern was correlated with the family income, educational level of the patients and their husbands, therapy methods, patient's level of discomfort, patient's disease severity, patient's level of dependence and husband's understanding of level of severity. 5. The core category of the caring experience of the husbands with arthritis patients was "companionship". The causal factor was the patients' experience due to symptoms : physical disfigurement, pain, immobility, limitation of house chores, and limitation of social activities. Contextural factors are husbands' identification of housework and husbands' concern about the disease. The mediating factors are economic problems, fear of aging, feeling of limitation and family support. The strategy for interaction is mind control and how to solve emotional stress. The "companionship" resulted from caring activities, participation of household activities, helping patients' to coping with emotional experience. 6. Companionship is established through the process of entering intervention, and caring state of mind. Entering intervention is the phase of participation of therapy and involvement of houseworks. The caring phase consists of decision on therapy, providing therapy, providing direct care, and taking over the household role of wife. Through caring phase, the changing phase set a stage in which husbands consolidate the relationship with their wives, and are reminded of the meaning of marriage. As a result, in changing phase, husbands' companionship is enhanced. In conclusion, nursing care of chronic illnesses should include a family member especially the spouse. All information on disease shoud be provided to patients and whole family member. Strong support should also be provided to overcome difficulties in taking over role of other sex. Then the quality of life of patients and families will be much improved.
Aging ; Arthritis ; Chronic Disease* ; Diagnosis ; Education ; Family Characteristics ; Female ; Housekeeping ; Humans ; Interviews as Topic ; Marriage ; Models, Theoretical ; Negotiating ; Nursing Care ; Qualitative Research ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Social Class ; Spouses* ; Stress, Psychological

No abstract available.
Checklist* ; Child ; Child Behavior* ; Child* ; Conduct Disorder* ; Humans

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to characterize transdifferentiated lens epithelial cells analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the expression of mRNAs encoding growth factors, growth factor receptors and pathologic extracellular matrix proteins and by Western blot analysis for the proteins encoded by these mRNAs. Moreover, after antioxidants treatment, such as Nacetyl cysteine (NAC), we observed the effect on changes in the expression of growth factors, growth factor receptors and extracellular matrix proteins. METHODS: TGF-beta treated rat lens cultured with medium 199 (Sigma Co. St. Louis, MO) was subject to RT-PCR and Western blot analysis to assess expression of mRNAs and proteins encoded by these mRNAs. RESULTS: The expression of mRNAs for TGF-beta 1, TGF-beta 2, TGF-beta 3, TGF-beta receptor, epidermal growth factor (EGF), epidermal growth factor receptor, fibroblast growth factor (FGF), fibroblast growth factor receptor and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) were increased. The levels of type I collagen, fibronectin, and alpha-smooth muscle actin (SMA) mRNAs were also increased. However, the expression of growth factors, receptors, extracellular matrix were decreased by antioxidant, such as NAC. CONCLUSIONS: The enhanced expression of growth factors, growth factor receptors and extracellular matrix in present the molecular mechanism underlying pathogenesis of cataracts. And the suppression of growth factors and growth factor receptors with treatment of antioxidants, such as NAC, suggests the possibility of using drugs in the prevention or treatment of cataracts.
Actins ; Animals ; Antioxidants ; Blotting, Western ; Cataract ; Collagen Type I ; Connective Tissue Growth Factor ; Cysteine ; Epidermal Growth Factor ; Epithelial Cells ; Extracellular Matrix Proteins ; Extracellular Matrix* ; Fibroblast Growth Factors ; Fibronectins ; Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins ; Rats* ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor ; Receptors, Growth Factor ; Receptors, Transforming Growth Factor beta ; RNA, Messenger ; Transforming Growth Factor beta

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to explore the degree of depression, perceived health status, chronic disease and quality of life(QOL) among rural elderly and to determine the factors related to their QOL. METHOD: The design of this study was a correlational study. The subjects were 423 elderly consisted of 157(37.1%) men and 266(62.9%) women dwelling in a rural area of N City. Data were collected from May to December, 2003 using a structured questionnaire. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to identify the factors related to the QOL. RESULT: It was found that the mean score of QOL was in total with 2.15 out of 5.00 and women elderly's score was significantly lower than men(t=2.20, p=.028). Perceived health status showed statistically significant positive relationship with QOL(r=.608, p<.05), while depression(r=-.751, p<.01) and chronic illness(r=-.336, p<.01) showed statistically significant negative relationship. Depression was found to have the highest correlation with QOL among the subjects. Depression score explained QOL at the most, accounting for 36.8% of the variability, followed by perceived health(8.2%) and the number of chronic illness(.7%). Other factors related to the QOL were economic status and absence of spouse. CONCLUSION: In order to increase the QOL of rural elderly, it is necessary to decrease the depression, to increase their perceived health status and to decrease the number of chronic illness. We suggest the implementation of a program not only to promote physical health status and self-care ability but to take care of mental health for the rural elderly.
Aged* ; Chronic Disease ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Mental Health ; Quality of Life* ; Self Care ; Spouses ; Surveys and Questionnaires

No abstract available.
Child* ; Humans ; Pneumonia, Staphylococcal* ; Thorax*

No abstract available.
Aged* ; Humans

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the effects of subjective memory complaints, depression and cognitive function on performance of activities of daily living (ADL) in individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHODS: A total sample consisted of 250 MCI patients diagnosed within one year. All participants were assessed with a battery of standardized neuropsychological tests, self-report measures of subjective memory complaints and depression, and performance of basic and instrumental ADL. Correlational and multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to identify the factors associated with performance of basic and instrumental ADL, respectively. RESULTS: Executive function and depression explained 9.4% of the variance in basic ADL. Reduced executive function and greater depressed mood were associated with worse performance on basic ADL. Executive function, subjective memory complaints, and time since onset of cognitive symptoms accounted for 22.2% of the variance in instrumental ADL in individuals with MCI. Lower executive function (t=−2.02, p=.044), greater memory complaints (t=5.36, p<.001), and longer periods of experiencing cognitive symptoms (t=2.24, p=.026) were associated with worse instrumental ADL performance. CONCLUSION: These results may help healthcare professionals develop interventions to improve cognitive outcomes with better understanding of the relationship among cognition, mood, and behavioral performance in individuals with MCI.
Activities of Daily Living ; Cognition ; Delivery of Health Care ; Depression ; Executive Function ; Humans ; Linear Models ; Memory Disorders ; Memory ; Mild Cognitive Impairment ; Neurobehavioral Manifestations ; Neuropsychological Tests