PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a simulation-based practice program on nursing students' self-efficacy, critical thinking disposition and problem solving process.METHOD: A quasi-experimental non-equivalent control group pre-post test, design was used. A total of 111 students, 53 students for the experimental group and 58 students for the control group. The experimental group participated in the program for 30 hours during 4 days. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, X2-test, Fisher's exact probability test, and t-test.RESULTS: The results showed that the simulation-based practice program significantly improved self - efficacy and critical thinking disposition of nursing students. However, there was no significant difference in the problem solving process.CONCLUSION: Therefore, to promote self-efficacy and critical thinking disposition in nursing students, it is necessary to actively use simulation-based practice program. To improve the problem solving process in the future, it is necessary to apply the simulation-based practice program to the nursing curriculum continuously and to use it considering sufficient education periods.
Curriculum ; Education ; Evaluation Studies as Topic ; Humans ; Methods ; Nursing ; Problem Solving ; Students, Nursing ; Thinking

OBJECTIVE: To see how people think about their own feet, and evaluate whether there are correlations among self-awareness of the participants and clinical examination findings. METHODS: Adult twins and their families who participated in the Healthy Twin study from May 2008 to April 2010 were recruited. Participants were asked whether they thought their feet were normal, flat, or cavus. The lateral talometatarsal angles were measured on foot X-rays to determine the foot arch height. Using the podoscopic footprints taken with the podobaroscope, the Staheli arch index was also measured. Kappa statistics were used to calculate degree of agreement among the three measurement methods. RESULTS: Self-awareness and radiographic findings were significantly different (Pearson chi-square test, p=0.000) and only slightly agreed (kappa measure of agreement=0.136, p=0.000). Self-awareness and podoscopy results revealed a significant difference (Pearson chi-square test, p=0.000), with only slight agreement (kappa measure of agreement=0.072, p=0.000). CONCLUSION: There is significant disagreement between patients' perception of their feet and actual test results. Many people may have an incorrect assumption about their own foot conditions that may be reflected in improper management. Dissemination of accurate information about foot disorders by foot clinicians would be helpful.
Adult ; Flatfoot ; Foot Deformities ; Foot* ; Humans ; Twins

Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) are an emerging source for cell-based therapies aimed at repairing damaged organ tissues; however, the efficiency of directed differentiation is low and refinement of differentiation protocols is hampered by incomplete understanding of the mechanisms involved in this process. To find new compounds which can improve the efficiency of directed differentiation of ESCs to cardiomyocytes, we screened several thousand chemical compounds and identified a promising group. All of the compounds found have a common structure of 1H-pyrrole,2,2'-(phenylmethylene)bis. Here we report the potential mechanism of action for 31002 which showed the strongest activity among the compounds selected. In the presence of 31002, 15 times more cardiomyocytes differentiated from ESCs, i.e., 3.5% to 52% of total differentiated cells. Moreover, the cardiomyocytes showed functional characteristics including rhythmic beating and marker gene expression. 31002 inhibited the down-regulation of genes related to the three germ layers in the late stage of ESCs differentiation, implying that 31002 supports a continuous fate commitment of undifferentiated ESCs to the cardiac lineage by prolonging the three germ layer stages. Therefore, compounds in this group, including 31002, might be useful as directed cardiomyogenic differentiation-inducers to produce cells for use in cell therapy aimed at restoring damaged heart tissue.
Down-Regulation ; Embryonic Stem Cells ; Gene Expression ; Germ Layers ; Heart ; Myocytes, Cardiac ; Tissue Therapy