Stress induced by disaster is experienced to varying degrees by all respondents, and is known to evoke psychophysiological reactions. In this study, we investigated the relationships between earthquake-related life events and posttraumatic stress symptoms. A total of 380 adults were surveyed one year after the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji earthquake in Japan. The questionnaire included items concerning earthquake-related life events, emotional support and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. As a result, after controlling for demographic variables, earthquake-related life events were significantly related to the grade of posttraumatic stress and its three components: re-experience, avoidance and arousal, in both male and female subjects. Male subjects who currently had lower emotional support showed higher scores of posttraumatic stress and arousal. In conclusion, a higher experience of earthquake-related life events appears to be an important risk factor for development of poor mental health status following an earthquake disaster.
Earthquakes ; Life events ; seconds ; Stress bismuth subsalicylate ; Stress

Objective: For 1,361 victims of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, to evaluate the usefulness of seismic intensity information for mental health activities, we examined the quantitative relationship between experienced seismic intensity and earthquake-related life events or mental health. Methods: Questionnaires were administered concerning seismic intensity, life events and mental health to the victims. Results: The incidence of serious life events, such as death of a close family member and mental disorders were higher in areas of high seismic intensity than in low-intensity areas. Victims who experienced intensity 7 (Japan Meteorological Agency) scored 11 or more on the Modified Mercalli (MM) scale, perceived more depressive symptoms [odds ratio (OR) 2.11, 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.49−2.98)] and lower mental health status (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.34−2.61) than those who suffered intensity 4 or less, who scored 7 or less on MM scale after controlling for various sociodemographic factors. Conclusions: Higher seismic intensity was associated with each severe life event and ill mental health among earthquake victims.
Mental Health ; Earthquakes ; Life events ; seconds ; Large

Both fibronectin and vitronectin bind to Pneumocystis carinii (P. carinii) and mediate the attachment of the organisms to respiratory epithelial cells. Surfactant A and D play a role in the interaction between P. carinii and host cells. In this study we examined the expression of fibronectin, vitronectin, surfactant-A and D in the interaction between P. carinii and alveolar epithelial cells by immunohistochemistry and pre-embedding immunoelectron microscopy. The experimental rat model of P. carinii pneumonia was induced by administration of low protein diet (8%) and drinking water containing dexamethasone (2 mg/liter) for 6 to 8 weeks. The primary antibodies for light and electron microscopic immunohistochemistries were monoclonal antibodies including fibronectin (1:100) and vitronectin (1:100), and polyclonal antibodies including surfactant A (1:50) and D (1:50), respectively. Light microscopic immunohistochemistry for the fibronectin, vitronectin, surfactant-A and D showed strong expressions on the P. carinii and surface linings of type I alveolar epithelial cells. The electron microscopic immunohistochemistry of the fibronectin and vitronectin showed a strong immunoexpression along the surface pellicles and tubular extensions of P. carinii trophozoites, and surface membranes of the type I epithelial cells. The surfactant-A and D proteins showed a strong expression on the pellicles of P. carinii and surface membranes of the type I epithelial cells, but a weak expression on the free-floating surfactant materials. In conclusions, the trophozoites of P. carinii were mostly attached to type I epithelial cells. The fibronectin, vitronectin, surfactant-A and D were strongly expressed, and played an enhancing role in the binding between the P. carinii organisms and the type I alveolar epithelial cells.
Antibodies ; Antibodies, Monoclonal ; Dexamethasone ; Diet, Protein-Restricted ; Drinking Water ; Epithelial Cells* ; Fibronectins* ; Immunohistochemistry ; Membranes ; Microscopy, Immunoelectron ; Models, Animal ; Pneumocystis carinii* ; Pneumocystis* ; Pneumonia ; Pneumonia, Pneumocystis* ; Trophozoites ; Vitronectin*

PURPOSE: The purpose of this research was to test the effects of ST35 & Sulan moxibustion on knee joint pain, range of motion, and discomfort during Activies of Daily Living (ADL) in elderly with knee joint pain. METHOD: A nonequivalent control group pre-post test research design was used. Thirty four elderly who had knee joint pain were studied. Of them, sixteen were in the experimental group and eighteen the control group. The instruments used for this study were NRS, goniometer, and a modified ADL questionnaire developed by Lee. RESULT: The pain scores of right & left knee joint after moxibustion were significantly different between the experimental group and the control group (Right: F=26.27, p=0.000, Left: F=20.77, p=0.000). Right and left knee ROM scores were significantly different between the experimental group and the control group after moxibustion (Right: F=10.74, p=0.003, Left: F=9.239, p=0.005). Discomfort during ADL scores were significantly different between the experimental group and the control group after moxibustion (F= 32.31, p=0.000). CONCLUSION: It is necessary that nurses provide the elderly with knee joint pain with moxibustion to reduce joint pain and to increase knee ROM as an alternative therapy.
*Range of Motion, Articular ; Osteoarthritis, Knee/*nursing ; *Moxibustion ; Middle Aged ; Male ; *Knee Joint/physiopathology ; Humans ; Female ; Arthralgia/etiology/*nursing ; Aged, 80 and over ; Aged ; *Activities of Daily Living

Lung cancer is one of the most common types of malignancy in western nations with serious health problem, and it has become the leading cause of cancer death of males, second only to stomach cancer, in Korea. A review of the histopathology of 1363 cases (1231 patients) of lung carcinoma, diagnosed at the Keimyung University Medical center from 1987 to 1996, was performed to reclassify the type of carcinomas and to investigate the change in the distribution of histologic types of lung carcinoma according to age, sex and year. Among the 1363 cases, 132 patients underwent a surgical operation after biopsy. The diagnosis of each case was proven by histopathologic analysis of surgical specimens (13.2%) and biopsy materials (86.8%). The histologic types in our study were basically based on modified WHO classification (1982) and on new WHO classification (1999). The classification of small cell carcinoma was based on International Association for the Small Cell Lung Cancer (IASLC, 1988). Of the 1231 patients with lung carcinoma, 1012 were male and 219 were female (male to female ratio was 3.6:1). According to the analysis of age distribution, the most prevalent age group was 60~69 years in both sex as (n=516, 42.0%). Changing trends in sex distribution of lung carcinoma patients showed that the proportion of men had decreased throughout the years, whereas the proportion of women had significantly increased. Histologically, squamous cell carcinoma was the most common (n=624, 50.7%), followed by small cell carcinoma (21.1%), adenocarcinoma (18.1%), large cell undifferentiated carcinoma (2.1%), adenosquamous carcinoma (0.4%), and large cell neuroendocrine carcinoma (0.4%), in order of frequency. In men, squamous cell carcinoma was the most frequent type (55.1%). In women, adenocarcinoma was the most frequent type (39.7%). In both sexes, adenocarcinoma was the most common type in patients under the age of 40 (n=12, 41.4%), while squamous cell carcinoma proved the most frequent type in patients over the age of 40 (n=617, 51.3%). Changing trends of histologic types of lung cancer showed that the incidences of squamous cell carcinoma had significantly decreased throughout the years, whereas those of adenocarcinoma and small cell carcinoma had increased. In conclusion, the results showing increases in the percentage of female patients and in the number of cases of adenocarcinoma were noteworthy, and well correlated with other related reports.
Academic Medical Centers ; Adenocarcinoma ; Age Distribution ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma ; Carcinoma, Adenosquamous ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Classification ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Korea ; Lung Neoplasms ; Lung* ; Male ; Sex Distribution ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma ; Stomach Neoplasms

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the job experiences of oncology nurse specialists. METHODS: Nine oncology nurse specialists participated in the study. Data were collected through in-depth unstructured interviews with individual participants from February to June, 2014. Theoretical sampling was used to the point of theoretical saturation. Data were analyzed using Corbin and Strauss's grounded theory method. RESULTS: From open coding, 98 concepts, 24 sub-categories, and 11 categories were identified. Analysis revealed that the core category of the job experiences of oncology nurse specialists was 'tightrope walking of professionalism without safeguards', consisting of four phases: Enthusiastic beginning, conflict, exertion, and internalization. To manage the 'tightrope walking of professionalism without safeguards', participants utilized various action/interactional strategies such as 'keeping the balance point' and 'taking a step forward.' As a result, participants experienced falling into a habitual routine and professional self-actualization. CONCLUSION: In-depth understanding of the job experiences of oncology nurse specialists will guide hospital administrators to promote effective interventions and policies to better support Korean oncology nurse specialists.
Clinical Coding ; Hospital Administrators ; Humans ; Nurse Clinicians ; Oncology Nursing ; Qualitative Research ; Specialization* ; Walking

No abstract available.
Anencephaly* ; Humans

PURPOSE: This study was carried out to investigate the relationships among suicidal risk, self-esteem, and spiritual well-being of high school students, and to provide basic data for developing suicide prevention programs. METHOD: The subjects of this study were 1.176 high school students from six academic high schools and two technical high schools in Daegu City. Data were collected from the 13th to the 25th of September 2004. The research tools were the Suicide Probability Scale developed by Go. Kim and Lee (2000), the Self-Esteem Inventory modified by Choi and Jeon (1993), and the tool of Spiritual Well-Being modified by Yoo (2002). Data were analyzed with SPSS Windows 11.0. RESULT: Variables that showed statistically significant difference in suicidal risk were school type, whether to have the best friends, the number of close friends, current relationship with close friends, experience of school violation, respect for the teacher, grades, financial condition, parents marital status, father's education level, mother's education level, home atmosphere, conversation with father, conversation with mother, smoking, drinking, experience of counseling for problems, whether to have physical illnesses, experience of thinking about suicide, experience of attempting suicide. Suicidal risk was in a significantly negative correlation with self-esteem and spiritual well-being. CONCLUSION: The researcher identified many different variables that affect the suicidal risk of high school students. Self-esteem and spiritual well-being were found to be in a significant correlation with suicidal risk. Therefore, the results of this study can be used as basic data and information for suicidal prevention programs.
Atmosphere ; Counseling ; Daegu ; Drinking ; Education ; Fathers ; Friends ; Humans ; Marital Status ; Mothers ; Parents ; Self Concept ; Smoke ; Smoking ; Spirituality ; Suicide ; Thinking

In an attempt ultrastructural study of alcohol-induced gastric mucosal change, we selected sixty Sprague-Dawley rats. The rats were administrated with 4 ml of 10% and 40% ethanol enterically and examined by light and electron microscopy. Light microscopically, the thickness of the mucus layer of both 10% and 40% ethanol groups was decreased. The antral mucosa revealed focal inflammatory infiltrates, disturbed glandular arrangements, and significant decrease of mucosal thichness and proper glands. On scanning electron microscopy, flattened or swollen mucosal epithelium and irregularly distributed gastric pits were seen in both experimental groups, and these changes were more severe in the groups of higher concentration and longer duration. On transmission electron microscopy, mitochondrial abnormalities with myelin-like materials and dilatation of endoplasmic reticulum and cytoplasmic blebs were observed. Also the mucus cells show significantly decreased mucus globules, increased fat vacuoles, and large autophagic vacuoles. These alterations were similar to those produced by ethanol in the liver and small intestine. This study indicates that, prolonged administration of ethanol induced chronic gastritis, especially chronic atrophic gastritis.
Rats ; Animals

Experimental studies suggest that captopril plays an important preventive role in radiation induced renal injury (RRI). To elucidate the pathogenesis of RRI and effect of captopril, one subgroup was irradiated with a single dose of 9 gray (Gy) total body irradiation and another subgroup with 17 Gy local irradiation in the right kidney. Twenty-four healthy looking Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing 200~250 g, were divided into one control and three experimental group (EG)s for this study. The control group, composed of 2 rats, was maintained on stock diet and drinking tap water. EG was divided into three. EG 1 composed of two subgroups, the first subgroup, 3 rats each, was sacrificed within 12 hours after 9 Gy and 17 Gy single dose irradiation only and the second subgroup, 2 and 1 rats each, was sacrificed 8 weeks after the same doses irradiation. EG 2 composed of subgroups of 2 and 3 rats was given 500 mg/L of captopril in the drinking water after irradiating them with 9 Gy and 17 Gy and sacrificed in the 8th week. EG 3 was subdivided into four subgroups by captopril doses given, 62.5 mg/L, 125 mg/L and 250 mg/L and sacrificed 20 weeks after 9 Gy and 17 Gy irradiation. On light microscopy proximal convoluted tubules showed cytoplasmic vacuolization and focal necrosis in the subcapsular region in EG 1 sacrificed within 12 hours after 9 Gy and 17 Gy irradiation only (sham) and very mild fibrosis in juxtamedullary regions in rats sacrificed 8 weeks after irradiation. In EG 3 these changes were severely increased with additional increased fibrosis in the juxtamedullary region in the group given captopril 62.5 mg/L. On transmission electron microscopy, there were various degenerative changes of organelle. Among the captopril administered EG 2 and EG 3, rats given a high dosage revealed milder degree of damage compared to that of rats given a low dosage, and thickening of basement membrane was remarkable in rats given a low dosage. There was a reduction in tubular damage related to the captopril dosage. According to the above findings, administration of a high dose of captopril might preserve the ultrastructure in RRI and the possible mechanism of captopril was discussed.
Animals ; Basement Membrane ; Captopril ; Cytoplasm ; Diet ; Drinking ; Drinking Water ; Fibrosis ; Kidney ; Microscopy ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission ; Necrosis ; Organelles ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Water ; Whole-Body Irradiation