PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to analyze the contents of disaster nursing education at universities in Korea and Japan, with focus on textbooks. METHODS: Disaster nursing contents from 11 Korean community health nursing textbooks and 3 Japanese disaster nursing textbooks were analysed. RESULTS: Three themes and 8 categories of disaster nursing content in the selected textbooks were analyzed. The themes classified include ‘understanding of disaster’, ‘disaster management’ and ‘disaster management system’. The theme of ‘understanding of disaster’ consists of such categories as ‘disaster concept/outline’, ‘classification of disaster’, ‘disaster management step’ and ‘disaster impact’. The theme of ‘disaster management activities’ consists of categories such as ‘disaster management activities’ and ‘disaster nursing’. The theme of ‘national disaster management system’ consists of categories like ‘national disaster management system’ and ‘international disaster relief’. From the comparison of disaster nursing education in the two countries, we found that themes were similar but there were differences between the two countries in content configuration. Korea and Japan have adopted the framework of International Council of Nurses for disaster nursing education. Korea stressed legal and ethical capabilities, while Japan included psychological support for disaster management service providers. CONCLUSION: Disaster education is an important factor in a nurse's ability for a disaster management. Development of a comprehensive disaster education program is necessary to enhance disaster care capacities.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Community Health Nursing ; Disasters ; Education ; Education, Nursing ; Education, Nursing, Baccalaureate ; Humans ; International Council of Nurses ; Japan ; Korea ; Nursing ; Public Health Nursing

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to identify differences in disaster awareness, disaster preparedness, and nursing knowledge and practices between Korean and Japanese nursing students. METHODS: The study subjects were 4th grade nursing students who completed their nursing education in Korea or in Japan. 359 students from Korea and 135 students from Japan participated in this study. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS 21.0. The χ2 test and the t-test were used to analyze the homogeneity of subjects' general characteristics and disaster-related characteristics. The comparison between the Korean and Japanese nursing students in disaster awareness, disaster preparedness, and nursing knowledge and practices were conducted using ANCOVA. RESULTS: The Korean nursing students' disaster awareness, disaster preparedness, and nursing knowledge and practice were different from their Japanese counterparts'. The Korean nursing students recognized that the system of disaster management in Korea was insufficient and the negligence of management was one of the causes of the disaster. They wanted to participate in activities for disaster preparedness education and management. CONCLUSION: A disaster nursing curriculum dealing with disaster awareness, disaster preparedness, and nursing knowledge and practices, should be developed, implemented, and evaluated particularly for Korean nursing students.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Curriculum ; Disasters ; Education ; Education, Nursing ; Humans ; Japan ; Korea ; Malpractice ; Nursing ; Students, Nursing

OBJECTIVE: Uterine contraction induced by the embryo transfer (ET) process has an adverse effect on embryo implantation. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of oxytocin antagonist supplementation on the day of ET on in vitro fertilization outcomes via a meta-analysis. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Four online databases (Embase, Medline, PubMed, and Cochrane Library) were searched through May 2015 for RCTs that investigated oxytocin antagonist supplementation on the day of ET. Studies were selected according to predefined inclusion criteria and meta-analyzed using RevMan 5.3. Only RCTs were included in this study. The main outcome measures were the clinical pregnancy rate, the implantation rate, and the miscarriage rate. RESULTS: A total of 123 studies were reviewed and assessed for eligibility. Three RCTs, which included 1,020 patients, met the selection criteria. The implantation rate was significantly better in patients who underwent oxytocin antagonist infusion (19.8%) than in the control group (11.3%) (n=681; odds ratio [OR], 1.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.25–2.96). No significant difference was found between the two groups in the clinical pregnancy rate (n=1,020; OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 0.92–2.67) or the miscarriage rate (n=456; OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.44–1.33). CONCLUSION: The results of this meta-analysis of the currently available literature suggest that the administration of an oxytocin antagonist on the day of ET improves the implantation rate but not the clinical pregnancy rate or miscarriage rate. Additional, large-scale, prospective, randomized studies are necessary to confirm these findings.
Abortion, Spontaneous ; Embryo Implantation ; Embryo Transfer* ; Embryonic Structures* ; Female ; Fertilization in Vitro* ; Humans ; In Vitro Techniques* ; Odds Ratio ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Oxytocin* ; Patient Selection ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy Rate ; Prospective Studies ; Uterine Contraction

Polymyalgia rheumatica is an inflammatory disease affecting elderly and involving the shoulder and pelvic girdles. No epidemiological study of polymyalgia rheumatica was conducted in Korea. We retrospectively evaluated patients with polymyalgia rheumatica followed up at the rheumatology clinics of 10 tertiary hospitals. In total 51 patients, 36 patients (70.6%) were female. Age at disease onset was 67.4 yr. Twenty-three patients (45.1%) developed polymyalgia rheumatica in winter. Shoulder girdle ache was observed in 45 patients (90%) and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (> 40 mm/h) in 49 patients (96.1%). Initial steroid dose was 23.3 mg/d prednisolone equivalent. Time to normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate was 4.1 months. Only 8 patients (15.7%) achieved remission. Among 41 patients followed up, 28 patients (68.3%) had flare at least once. Number of flares was 1.5 +/- 1.6. The frequency of flare was significantly lower in patients with remission (P = 0.02). In Korea, polymyalgia rheumatica commonly develops during winter. Initial response to steroid is fairly good, but the prognosis is not benign because remission is rare with frequent relapse requiring long-term steroid treatment.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Anti-Inflammatory Agents/administration & dosage/*therapeutic use ; Blood Sedimentation ; Cohort Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Polymyalgia Rheumatica/*drug therapy/epidemiology ; Prognosis ; Recurrence ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Retrospective Studies ; Seasons ; Steroids/administration & dosage/*therapeutic use

The widespread pursuit of a thin physique may have a detrimental impact on the wellbeing of preadolescents. The influence of body image distortions on the lifestyles, dieting behaviors, and psychological factors was investigated in 631 fifth and sixth grade children in Kyeonggi-do, Korea. Children were classified into three weight groups (underweight, normal, and overweight) and three perception groups (underestimation, normal, and overestimation). Necessary information was obtained by questionnaire, and each subject's weight status was determined by the Rohrer index calculated from the annual measurement records, which were obtained from the school. According to their current weights, 57.4% of children were normal and 32.2% were overweight or obese, 16.6% of the children overestimated their body weight, and 55.2% had an undistorted body image. Overweight children had desirable lifestyles and dietary habits and presented reasonable weight control behaviors. Compared to those without distortion, the overestimated group had greater interest in weight control (P = 0.003) and dissatisfaction with their body weights (P = 0.011), presented unhealthy reasons to lose weight (P = 0.026), and had higher scores for "feeling sad when comparing own body with others" (P = 0.000) and for "easily getting annoyed and tired" (P = 0.037), even though they had similar obesity indices. More subjects from the overestimation group (P = 0.006) chose drama/movies as their favorite TV programs, suggesting a possible role for the media in body image distortion. These findings suggest that body image distortion can lead preadolescents to develop stress about obesity and unhealthy dieting practices, despite similar obesity indices to those without distorted body images. These results emphasize the importance of having an undistorted body image.
Body Image ; Body Weight ; Child ; Depression ; Diet ; Food Habits ; Humans ; Korea ; Life Style ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: We evaluated the usefulness of intracranial stent implantation for treating patients with atherosclerotic stenosis and with recurrent, ischemic, neurological symptoms despite having undergone medical therapy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between March 2004 and April 2010, we attempted intracranial, stent-assisted angioplasty in 77 patients with 85 lesions (anterior circulation 73 cases, posterior circulation 12 cases) and who had ischemic neurological symptoms with more than 50% major cerebral artery stenosis. We analyzed the results regarding the technical success rate, complication rate, and restenosis rate during the mean 29.4 month follow-up period. RESULTS: Intracranial stent implantation was successfully performed in 74 cases (87.1%). In nine cases among the 11, failed cases, stent implantation failure was due to the tortuosity of the target vessel. One patient experienced middle cerebral artery rupture during the procedure, and we embolized the vessel using a microcoil. Five patients developed cerebral infarction in three weeks after the procedure, three of whom improved using conservative management, although the other, two patients expired. The mean number of residual stenoses decreased from 72.3% to 14.7%. Three patients demonstrated significant in-stent restenosis, i.e. more than 50%, during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: As stent-assisted angioplasty in intracranial, atherosclerotic stenosis is effective and relatively safe, it can be considered as an alternative treatment for patients with recurrent, ischemic, neurologic symptoms despite having undergone medical therapy.
Angioplasty ; Cerebral Arteries ; Cerebral Infarction ; Constriction, Pathologic ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glycosaminoglycans ; Humans ; Intracranial Arteriosclerosis ; Middle Cerebral Artery ; Neurologic Manifestations ; Rupture ; Stents

BACKGROUND: T-SPOT.TB is a sensitive test that detects interferon-gamma producing T-cells in tuberculosis patients following stimulation with tuberculosis-specific antigens. Our study was aimed to investigate the possible causes of false negative results of the test by analyzing the patients with positive acid-fast bacilli (AFB) culture and negative T-SPOT.TB results. METHODS: We investigated 138 patients with positive AFB culture results reported between January 2009 and April 2010. Medical records of these patients were reviewed for the results of T-SPOT.TB test, AFB culture, PCR for Mycobacterium tuberculosis (TB-PCR), chest X-ray, drug treatment, etc. Diagnosis of tuberculosis was confirmed by positive TB-PCR or identification of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB). Sensitivity of T-SPOT.TB test was calculated and the possible causes of AFB culture positive and T-SPOT.TB negative results were analyzed. RESULTS: T-SPOT.TB test was performed in 63 of the 138 patients with AFB culture positive results. Fifty-six (88.9%) were positive and 7 patients (11.1%) were negative on T-SPOT.TB test. Of these 7 negative cases, 4 were confirmed as nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM), 2 were suspected as NTM and diagnosis could not be confirmed in 1. Six of these 7 patients were over 70 yr old and 6 patients had lymphocytopenia. T-SPOT.TB negative results were not observed in any of the 44 patients confirmed to have active tuberculosis (sensitivity 100%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that T-SPOT.TB test is very sensitive for diagnosing active tuberculosis. NTM may be the main cause of AFB culture positive and T-SPOT.TB negative results, but MTB infection in immunocompromised patients also has to be considered.
Adult ; Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Bacillus/*isolation & purification ; Culture Media ; Female ; Humans ; Lymphocyte Count ; Lymphopenia/diagnosis/microbiology ; Male ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Reagent Kits, Diagnostic ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Tuberculosis/*diagnosis/microbiology/radiography

PURPOSE: This study is a descriptive survey research on factors related to fertility intention of nurses who work in general hospitals, by applying the Theory of Planned Behavior(TPB). METHOD: The research subjects are 674 nurses at the peak fertility age of 20-39 years old, who work in 4 general hospitals located in Seoul and Gyeonggi province. RESULT: The mean score of subjects' fertility intention is 3.69 in 5-point scale. The fertility intention was significantly influenced by perceived behavioral control and subjective norm. CONCLUSION: The results of the study showed that the fertility intention of the nurses in general hospitals was influenced by the TPB variables such as the attitude, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norm. Thus, a comprehensive approach strategy is needed considering these factors.
Fertility ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Intention ; Research Subjects

An adrenal cortical carcinoma is a rare malignancy associated with poor prognosis. On diagnosis, most patients present with large tumor masses, which are often detected at an advanced stage. The most effective treatment is a complete resection, which is the only curative treatment for adrenal cortical carcinomas. The most important prognostic factor is a successful resection of the primary tumor, as long as it is low-grade and has not spread to distant sites. However, with advanced adrenal cortical carcinomas, with distant metastasis, there is no strict effective treatment program, and the prognosis is poor. The case of a 50-year-old female patient, presenting with an adrenal cortical carcinoma and Cushing's syndrome, who had a long-term survival of 78 months, is reported. The mass was completely resected on diagnosis, but 16 months later liver metastasis was discovered. She had received chemotherapy, with cisplatin, etoposide and bleomycin, for the liver metastasis for a period of 15 months, but with no response, furthermore, the size had increased after 10 months. Afterward, she received her 10th session of intrahepatic artery cisplatin chemotherapy and her 3rd hepatic artery embolization. Although the patient had a large degree of liver metastasis, this was tolerated. The tumor mass is presently not aggravated, and she still survives after 78 months.
Adrenocortical Carcinoma* ; Arteries ; Bleomycin ; Cisplatin ; Cushing Syndrome ; Diagnosis ; Drug Therapy ; Etoposide ; Female ; Fibrinogen ; Hepatic Artery ; Humans ; Liver* ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Metastasis* ; Prognosis

PURPOSE: Systemic Candidiasis has become an increasingly important cause of morbidity and mortality in NICU infants. Severe infections caused by non-albicans Candida species have been increasingly reported in NICU infants. The purpose of the present study was to compare relative severity, mortality rates for C albians(CA) and C parapsilosis(CP) infections in our NICU. METHODS: This study included 16 infants with systemic candidiasis who were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Samsung Medical Center from Oct. 1, 1994 to Aug. 31, 1998. Systemic candidiasis was defined as candida recovery from blood with clinical symptoms and signs of infection. Systemic candidiasis was diagnosed in 16 infants, 11 with CA and 5 with CP. Retrospective analysis of the medical records of patients with systemic candidiasis was performed. The analysis included demographic findings, clinical feature, hospital course, morbidity and mortality. RESULTS: No differences were found between CA and CP for birth weight, sex, gestational age, age or weight at onset, presence of necrotizing enterocolitis, severe ROP, prior duration of antibiotics, endotracheal intubation, parenteral nutrition, steroids, or central line. Infants with CA were more likely to have antecedent thrush and perineal Candida derrnatitis(P<0.05). Infants with CP were more likely to have catheter-related infection(P<0.05) and treated with more curnulative dose of Amphotericin B and for a longer duration than those with CA(P<0.05). CONCLUSION: Though both pathogens occur in similar NICU infants and can cause severe disease, CA appears more likely to result in complications than CP.
Amphotericin B ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Birth Weight ; Candida ; Candida albicans ; Candidemia ; Candidiasis* ; Candidiasis, Oral ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing ; Gestational Age ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Intensive Care, Neonatal ; Intubation, Intratracheal ; Medical Records ; Mortality ; Parenteral Nutrition ; Retrospective Studies ; Steroids