Menstrual Attitudes and Maternal Child Rearing Attitudes in Middle School Female Students

PURPOSE: This correlational study was performed to identify the impacts of maternal child rearing attitudes on the menstrual attitudes and the determinants of positive menstrual attitudes in female middle school students. METHODS: With convenience sampling, 198 middle school female students were recruited living in one major city and its surrounding areas in Korea. Data was collected using a self administered questionnaire including menstrual attitudes and maternal child rearing attitudes from April 1 to July 15, 2008. RESULTS: Among the Maternal child rearing attitudes, affectionate, achievement oriented and rational attitudes had positive correlations to a positive menstrual attitude, and an autonomous attitude had a negative correlation to a negative menstrual attitude. As determinants of positive menstrual attitudes, feeling of menarche, mother's response at first menstruation, and rational maternal child rearing attitudes were delineated and their explained variance for a positive menstrual attitude was 18.5%. There was no difference on menstrual attitudes by K clustering in terms of maternal child rearing attitudes. CONCLUSION: These results support the critical role of the mother. Especially desirable maternal child rearing attitudes in relation to a positive menstrual attitude would be affectionate, achievement oriented and rational for early adolescent girls. In further studies, considerations are needed for menstruation related education and research for early adolescents and active involvement of the mother & daughter together.

Discussion on Expansion and Establishment of Home Nursing Care / 간호학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of study is to develop a home nursing care project model suitable for Korea's heath care system and policy directions for expansion and establishment of home nursing care. METHOD: The first, status of home nursing care program in medical institution and public health center was evaluated respectively in view of structure, process and performance. And then, issues of the program were analyzed in view of accessibility, safety, and sufficient supply. The second, demand projection of home nursing care according to income level and technical level of service that is needed to the subject was tried. In addition, the level of supply for home nursing care at present was estimated. The third, home nursing care program in advanced countries (Japan and U.S.A.) was examined. RESULT AND CONCLUSION: Community-based home nursing care program is developed into public-operation model and private-operation model from above the sub-subject result. Functional network for referral system among related institutions is built up to meet various needs, regardless of accessibility to distance and economy. And prior settlements and policy directions for expansion and establishment of home nursing care are suggested.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Vancomycin / 감염

BACKGROUND: Vancomycin assay was performed to evaluate the clinical significance of therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) of vancomycin and to compare pharmacokinetic parameters of vancomycin in our patients with population pharmacokinetic parameters. METHODS: In seventy-eight patients (45 males, 33 females), vancomycin serum concentrations were measured by fluorescence polarization immunoassay. At steady-state, peak levels were obtained one hour postinfusion, and trough levels were obtained just before a next dose. And also predicted serum vancomycin levels were determined by CAPCIL program in all subjects and compared with measured values, respectively. All patients were divided into two groups. Sixty-two patients in group I had a creatinine concentration in serum of 1.2 mg/dL. Follow-up second vancomycin concentrations were measured in 22 of 78 patients several days after initial TDM and were compared with initial TDM results. RESULTS: Mean values of peak and trough vancomycin concentration were 30.1 and 10.4, and 37.3 and 14.5 microgram/mL in groups I, and II, respectively. Predicted mean values of those were 26.3 and 9.2, and 28.2 and 7.8 microgram/mL in groups I, and II, respectively. Statistically significant differences between predicted and measured values in peak levels of group I,and IIand in trough level of group IIwere observed (P<0.01). Dose modification were required in 13 (21%) of 62 patients with normal renal function, and in 9 (56%) of 16 patients with abnormal renal function. Among 79 paired samples with a trough value below 15 mg/L, there were no peaks greater than 40 mg/L except two samples. CONCLUSION: Significant differences were noted between predicted and measured serum vancomycin concentrations and so TDM of vancomycin is needed to obtain effective dose and interval of vancomycin. More data about measured peak and trough values should be collected to establish pharmacokinetic parameters of vancomycin in Korean population.

Cell Beath Induced by Ethanol : Prevention of Cell Death by the bcl-2 Proto-Oncogene

The Bcl-2 protein has been shown to block apoptosis induced by a variety of stimuli. We have performed the experiments which cell death can be blocked by the bcl-2 proto-oncogene under moderate(50-100mM) or high ethanol treatment(400-600mM). As a result of morphological changes, and MTT assay, cell death was blocked by Bcl-2 under 100mM ethanol. However, the results of DNA fragmentation and RT-PCR(ICE, and CPP32), immunoblotting(CPP32, and PARP) for SK-pcDNA3 cells(vector only) and SK-Bcl-2 cells(stably expressed bcl-2 gene) were showen to be no significant differences between two cell lines. These result suggested that cell death induced by ethanol was not followed by apoptosis mechanism, and was blocked by the bcl-2 proto-oncogene with moderate ethanol.