Objectives: This study identified changes in social communication and interaction among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through Theraplay. Methods: This study included 20 children who were diagnosed with ASD by a child and adolescent psychiatrist and were recommended to undergo Theraplay in 2012–2017. The Marschak interaction method was used to identify and analyze the interactions between parents and their children. The Korean version of the Social Communication Questionnaire (K-SCQ) was used to evaluate symptoms of ASD. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the differences before and after Theraplay. Results: Upon comparing the differences in total K-SCQ scores, there were statistically significant changes (z=-3.269, p=0.001) in children with ASD. Changes were also confirmed in each category, namely social interaction, communication, and limited and repetitive behavior patterns (p=0.011, p=0.025, p=0.039, respectively). Conclusion This study found that Theraplay may cause significant changes in social communication in children with ASD. Further studies are needed to establish the effectiveness of Theraplay in children with ASD.

Objectives: This study identified changes in social communication and interaction among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) through Theraplay. Methods: This study included 20 children who were diagnosed with ASD by a child and adolescent psychiatrist and were recommended to undergo Theraplay in 2012–2017. The Marschak interaction method was used to identify and analyze the interactions between parents and their children. The Korean version of the Social Communication Questionnaire (K-SCQ) was used to evaluate symptoms of ASD. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the differences before and after Theraplay. Results: Upon comparing the differences in total K-SCQ scores, there were statistically significant changes (z=-3.269, p=0.001) in children with ASD. Changes were also confirmed in each category, namely social interaction, communication, and limited and repetitive behavior patterns (p=0.011, p=0.025, p=0.039, respectively). Conclusion This study found that Theraplay may cause significant changes in social communication in children with ASD. Further studies are needed to establish the effectiveness of Theraplay in children with ASD.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the factors affecting the cognitive function of elderly people in a community by gender. METHODS: We obtained 4,878 secondary data of people aged ≥65 years in 2016 at a dementia prevention center in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon. Data were obtained through Mini-Mental Status Examination optimized for screening dementia and a questionnaire. The data were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, and hierarchical regression. RESULTS: There were significant differences in cognitive function according to gender, and the differences were significant even when age was controlled, but gender differences disappeared when education was controlled. Age, education, social activities, number of comorbid diseases, and alcohol drinking affected cognitive function through interaction with gender, but interaction with gender disappeared when education was controlled. Regression analysis showed that depression, cohabitant, social activities etc., had a significant impact on both men and women under controlled education and age. In men, the effect of social activities was greater than that of women, and hyperlipidemia had the effect only in women. CONCLUSIONS: The differences in gender-related cognitive functions were due to differences in gender education period. The period of education is considered to have a great influence on cognitive function in relation to the economic level, occupation, and social activity.
Aged* ; Alcohol Drinking ; Cognition* ; Dementia ; Depression ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Incheon ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Occupations

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to identify the factors affecting the cognitive function of elderly people in a community by gender.METHODS: We obtained 4,878 secondary data of people aged ≥65 years in 2016 at a dementia prevention center in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon. Data were obtained through Mini-Mental Status Examination optimized for screening dementia and a questionnaire. The data were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, and hierarchical regression.RESULTS: There were significant differences in cognitive function according to gender, and the differences were significant even when age was controlled, but gender differences disappeared when education was controlled. Age, education, social activities, number of comorbid diseases, and alcohol drinking affected cognitive function through interaction with gender, but interaction with gender disappeared when education was controlled. Regression analysis showed that depression, cohabitant, social activities etc., had a significant impact on both men and women under controlled education and age. In men, the effect of social activities was greater than that of women, and hyperlipidemia had the effect only in women.CONCLUSIONS: The differences in gender-related cognitive functions were due to differences in gender education period. The period of education is considered to have a great influence on cognitive function in relation to the economic level, occupation, and social activity.
Aged ; Alcohol Drinking ; Cognition ; Dementia ; Depression ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Hyperlipidemias ; Incheon ; Korea ; Male ; Mass Screening ; Occupations

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a prevalent idiopathic upper gastrointestinal (GI) disorder characterized by diverse symptomatology including epigastric pain or discomfort, postprandial fullness, and early satiety. Although its pathophysiological mechanisms have not yet been fully established, the available studies suggest that the etiology of FD is invariably multifactorial. Benachio-F(R) (BF) is a proprietary liquid formulation of 7 herbal extracts that has been proposed to address this multifactorial etiology using multi-drug phytotherapy. The pharmacological effects of BF, in comparison with those of two other herbal products (Whalmyungsu(R); WM and Iberogast(R); IB) were evaluated in rats. In a laparotomy-induced rat model of delayed GI transit, BF significantly accelerated the delayed gastric emptying caused by morphine, apomorphine, and cisplatin, and also significantly increased mean gastric transit, as compared to the control animals. BF markedly increased gastric accommodation in rats and produced higher gastric volume values than did the control treatment. The effects of BF were generally comparable or superior to those of WM and IB in these models. Furthermore, BF significantly stimulated biliary flow, as compared to the control treatment. These results indicated that BF might have great potential as an effective phytotherapeutic agent capable of reducing GI symptoms and increasing quality of life in FD patients.
Animals ; Apomorphine ; Cisplatin ; Dyspepsia ; Gastric Emptying ; Humans ; Models, Animal ; Morphine ; Phytotherapy ; Quality of Life ; Rats*

BACKGROUND/AIMS: DA-9701 is a newly developed drug made from the vegetal extracts of Pharbitidis semen and Corydalis tuber. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of DA-9701 on colorectal distension (CRD)-induced visceral hypersensitivity in a rat model. METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to neonatal colon irritation (CI) using CRD at 1 week after birth (CI group). At 6 weeks after birth, CRD was applied to these rats with a pressure of 20 to 90 mm Hg, and changes in the mean arterial pressure (MAP) were measured at baseline (i.e., without any drug administration) and after the administration of different doses of DA-9701. RESULTS: In the absence of DA-9701, the MAP changes after CRD were significantly higher in the CI group than in the control group at all applied pressures. In the control group, MAP changes after CRD were not significantly affected by the administration of DA-9701. In the CI group, however, the administration of DA-9701 resulted in a significant decrease in MAP changes after CRD. The administration of DA-9701 at a dose of 1.0 mg/kg produced a more significant decrease in MAP changes than the 0.3 mg/kg dose. CONCLUSIONS: The administration of DA-9701 resulted in a significant increase in pain threshold in rats with CRD-induced visceral hypersensitivity.
Analgesics/administration & dosage/*pharmacology ; Animals ; Arterial Pressure/drug effects ; Colon, Descending/physiology ; Dilatation/methods ; Gastrointestinal Agents/administration & dosage/*pharmacology ; Male ; Pain Threshold/drug effects ; Plant Preparations/administration & dosage/*pharmacology ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Visceral Pain/physiopathology/*prevention & control

A role of nitric oxide (NO) in the regulation of sodium transporters and water channels in the salivary gland was investigated. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L- NAME, 100 mg/L drinking water) for 1 week. The control group was supplied with normal tap water. The expression of Na+,K+-ATPase, type 2 Na+/K+/2Cl- cotransporter (NKCC2), type 1 Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE1), alpha-subunit of epithelial sodium transporter (ENaC), and aquaporin-5 (AQP5) and aquaporin-1 (AQP1) proteins were determined in the submandibular gland by Western blot analysis. Following the treatment with L-NAME, the expression of Na+,K+-ATPase alpha1-subunit, NKCC2, NHE1, and ENaC alpha- subunit increased significantly. On the contrary, the expression of AQP5 was significantly decreased, while that of AQP1 was not significantly altered. These findings indicate that the sodium transporters and water channels may be under a tonic regulatory influence of NO in the salivary gland.
Animals ; Aquaporin 5 ; Aquaporins ; Blotting, Western ; Drinking ; Humans ; Male ; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester ; Nitric Oxide ; Proteins ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Salivary Glands ; Sodium ; Submandibular Gland ; Water

BACKGROUND: The determination of blood donor eligibility has become critical and challenging to blood operators as so many conditions and restrictions should be considered to correctly decide the donor eligibility. Since the launching of the BIMS (Blood Information Management System) in May 2003, the demand of developing a more intelligent system to assist the determination of donor eligibility has been growing. The Korean Red Cross Blood Service intended to develop an expert system for donor eligibility determination with high efficiency and ease of use. METHODS: The content of the system was determined through the activity of a team consisting of medical doctors, nurses, safety managers, and the system developers. Algorithms were developed according to the donor history taking process. The efficiency of the system was tested by the comparison of the time needed for inquiries and the number of inappropriate blood collections before and after the implementation of the new system. RESULTS: The new system's user interface integrated many complicated work processes with a user-friendly flexibility. The types of decision included the restricted donations. The donor interviewers were highly satisfied with the system because almost all cases were correctly determined in a relatively short time. Using this system, the number of inappropriate blood collections was significantly lowered. CONCLUSION: We developed an expert system that can aide the donor eligibility determination process and prevent the violation of the related regulations. This system will contribute to enhancement of the blood safety as well as donor protection for our blood services.
Blood Donors ; Blood Safety ; Eligibility Determination ; Expert Systems ; Humans ; Information Management ; Pliability ; Red Cross ; Social Control, Formal ; Tissue Donors

BACKGROUND: The determination of blood donor eligibility has become critical and challenging to blood operators as so many conditions and restrictions should be considered to correctly decide the donor eligibility. Since the launching of the BIMS (Blood Information Management System) in May 2003, the demand of developing a more intelligent system to assist the determination of donor eligibility has been growing. The Korean Red Cross Blood Service intended to develop an expert system for donor eligibility determination with high efficiency and ease of use. METHODS: The content of the system was determined through the activity of a team consisting of medical doctors, nurses, safety managers, and the system developers. Algorithms were developed according to the donor history taking process. The efficiency of the system was tested by the comparison of the time needed for inquiries and the number of inappropriate blood collections before and after the implementation of the new system. RESULTS: The new system's user interface integrated many complicated work processes with a user-friendly flexibility. The types of decision included the restricted donations. The donor interviewers were highly satisfied with the system because almost all cases were correctly determined in a relatively short time. Using this system, the number of inappropriate blood collections was significantly lowered. CONCLUSION: We developed an expert system that can aide the donor eligibility determination process and prevent the violation of the related regulations. This system will contribute to enhancement of the blood safety as well as donor protection for our blood services.
Blood Donors ; Blood Safety ; Eligibility Determination ; Expert Systems ; Humans ; Information Management ; Pliability ; Red Cross ; Social Control, Formal ; Tissue Donors

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to set up a Nursing Core Competencies required for staff nurses and to set up Objectives for Nursing Clinical Education based on the Nursing Core Competencies. The objectives in this study are to be achieved ultimately through clinical practice because it is a common avenue of work and the basic objective regardless of the education system and curriculum. METHOD: A nursing Core Competencies were established by literature review and verified by 15 experts. Nursing Clinical Education Objectives were established by literature review and analysis, and a survey for validity using a five point Likert scale was given to 257 nursing professors, 503 head-nurses, 509 staff nurses who had less than 3 years clinical experience in 34 general hospitals and 738 senior student nurses from 81 nursing colleges. RESULT: Nine nursing core competencies were set up. In addition 39 Objectives for each of the nursing clinical core competencies were set up. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this study will contribute to professional nursing education to provide comprehensive nursing care by applying knowledge to nursing practice to achieve the Nursing Core Competency as a professional nurse.
*Clinical Competence ; Education, Nursing/methods/*standards ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Nurse Clinicians/*education ; Nursing Assessment/methods ; Nursing Education Research ; Nursing Staff/*education ; Nursing, Supervisory ; Schools, Nursing ; Students, Nursing