Development of Job-Esteem Scale for Korean Nurses

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to develop the Job Esteem Scale for Korean Nurses (JES-KN) and verify its validity and reliability. @*Methods@#Preliminary items were based on the attributes and indicators elicited from a concept analysis study on Korean nurses’ job-esteem.The final preliminary tool for the main survey was confirmed through the content validity test of 10 experts and preliminary surveyof 20 hospital nurses. The final preliminary scale was used on 350 hospital nurses in the scale testing phase for the main survey designedto test the validity and reliability of the scale. @*Results@#The final scale consisted of 28 items and 6 factors, these factor explained 66.6% ofthe total variance. The correlation between the total score and factors ranged from .64 and .84, validating that each sub-factor is suitableto explain job esteem. The correlation coefficient between this scale and the Job Satisfaction Scale for Clinical Nurses ranged from .41 to.70, and the internal consistency for the scale using Cronbach’s a for the total items was .94. @*Conclusion@#The JES-KN is a valid and reliabletool that reflects the reality of clinical sites accordingly. The JES-KN may well be used effectively to assess and evaluate the job esteem ofKorean nurses.

Concept Analysis of Hospital Nurses' Job-esteem / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify and define the concept of job-esteem of the hospital nurses. METHODS: Data were analyzed using the hybrid model, introduced by Schwartz-Barcott and Kim. Data were obtained from a relevant literature review and also from the in-depth interviews of twelve nurses with clinical experience of more than 3 years. RESULTS: The concept of job-esteem of the hospital nurses was finally analyzed with 5 attributes and 13 indicators of 3 dimensions. The attributes of the personal dimension were professional self-awareness, professional competence, the attribute of organizational dimension was respect and recognition of the organization, the attributes of social dimension were social trust and respect, driving forces of job retention. CONCLUSION: The job-esteem of hospital nurses is defined as beliefs and values used to evaluate or as expectations of self in the job through which hospital nurses van find professional self-awareness and competence, identify respect and recognition of the organization, recognize the driving forces of social trust, respect and job maintenance. This study is meaningful in that the concept of job respect of hospital nurses was analyzed and basic data for the development of a job-esteem scale for hospital nurses was provided.

Awareness of occupational hazards and personal protective equipment use among dental hygienists / 영남의대학술지

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to evaluate the awareness of occupational hazards and personal protective equipment use among dental hygienists (DHs).METHODS: A total of 271 self-administered questionnaires were obtained from 280 DHs working at dental hospitals or clinics in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea.RESULTS: The occupational hazards included work involving dust (94.1%), volatile substances (86.0%), noise (97.0%), and light-curing units (96.7%). The proportion of dental hygiene tasks that participants perceived as harmful were 42.4%, 51.7%, 9.2%, and 31.4% in the same order as above. The proportion of participants who used dust-proof masks during work involving dust was 1.1%. Those who wore gas-proof masks and gloves for work using volatile substances were 0.7% and 31.2%, respectively. Participants who used goggles for work involving light-curing units were 31.0%. None of the participants used ear plugs for work involving noise. A total of 22.9% of the participants recognized the Material Safety Data Sheet, while 79.7% had never been educated about harmful work environments.CONCLUSION: When compared to exposure status and perception of occupational hazards, the level of protective equipment use was very low. Extra measures to increase DHs’ use of personal protective equipment are necessary.

Awareness of occupational hazards and personal protective equipment use among dental hygienists / 영남의대학술지

BACKGROUND@#The aim of this study was to evaluate the awareness of occupational hazards and personal protective equipment use among dental hygienists (DHs).@*METHODS@#A total of 271 self-administered questionnaires were obtained from 280 DHs working at dental hospitals or clinics in Daegu and Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea.@*RESULTS@#The occupational hazards included work involving dust (94.1%), volatile substances (86.0%), noise (97.0%), and light-curing units (96.7%). The proportion of dental hygiene tasks that participants perceived as harmful were 42.4%, 51.7%, 9.2%, and 31.4% in the same order as above. The proportion of participants who used dust-proof masks during work involving dust was 1.1%. Those who wore gas-proof masks and gloves for work using volatile substances were 0.7% and 31.2%, respectively. Participants who used goggles for work involving light-curing units were 31.0%. None of the participants used ear plugs for work involving noise. A total of 22.9% of the participants recognized the Material Safety Data Sheet, while 79.7% had never been educated about harmful work environments.@*CONCLUSION@#When compared to exposure status and perception of occupational hazards, the level of protective equipment use was very low. Extra measures to increase DHs’ use of personal protective equipment are necessary.

The Analysis of Trends in Domestic Nursing Research on Integrated Nursing Care Service / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to explore and analyze the latest trends in domestic research related to integrated nursing care service and to present a practical direction for future research.METHODS: This study was focused on domestic nursing research related to integrated nursing care service as published in journals until March 20, 2019. After reviewing the quality of the papers, 34 papers were finally selected for analysis. In order to analyze the overall trends, the analysis was reviewed by year, source, research design, and subjects, and content analysis was used to identify trends by topic.RESULTS: From the content analysis, the top categories were divided into nurses' view and patients' view, with both nurses' view and patients' view for the subcategories of ‘input’, ‘process’ and ‘output’ respectively. From both the nurse and patient view, the sub-category ‘input’ included ‘service environment’, ‘process’ and ‘service throughput’ and for the ‘output’ subcategory, three subjects, ‘performance’, ‘service-related perception change’ and ‘social psychological change’ were derived from the nurses' view, and two subjects ‘performance’ and ‘service-related perception change’ were derived from the patients' view.CONCLUSION: In order for future studies to provide practical basic data for stable settlement and improvement of integrated nursing care service, it is necessary to develop and study various aspects without bias, and in a balanced and integrated manner.

Moderating Effects of Career Decision-making Self-efficacy and Social Support in the relationship between Career Barriers and Job-seeking Stress among Nursing Students Preparing for Employment / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify whether career decision-making self-efficacy and social support provide a moderating effect between career barriers and job-seeking stress for 4th year nursing students preparing for employment. METHODS: A self report questionnaire survey was completed by 300 4th year nursing students at 6 universities located in 4 cities in Korea. Data were gathered during July, 2017 and analyzed using the SPSS 20.0 program. RESULTS: There was significant positive correlation between career barriers and job-seeking stress, and negative correlation between career decision-making self-efficacy, social support and job-seeking stress. Career decision-making self-efficacy and social support had significant moderating effects in the relationship between career barriers and job-seeking stress among nursing students preparing for employment. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that career decision-making self-efficacy and social support are important factors in reducing job-seeking stress among nursing students preparing for employment. Therefore, to understand various job-seeking stress factors among nursing students preparing for employment, consideration must be given to the development of educational programs and support systems to improve career decision-making self-efficacy and social support.

A case of pemphigus vulgaris associated with ulcerative colitis

Pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune bullous disorder characterized by the production of autoantibodies against the intercellular space of the epithelium. It has rarely been reported in association with inflammatory bowel disease. Ulcerative colitis is one of the forms of inflammatory bowel disease. A 62-year-old woman who had been treated for ulcerative colitis for 16 years developed pruritic bullae on the skin of her face and body. Histological findings and direct immunofluorescence examination of the skin showed pemphigus vulgaris. She was treated with systemic steroids, mesalazine, and azathioprine. Her cutaneous lesions have remained in remission and her ulcerative colitis has remained well-controlled. The relationship between pemphigus vulgaris and ulcerative colitis is unclear. An autoimmune response has been suspected in the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis. Pemphigus vulgaris is also associated with an autoimmune mechanism. To our knowledge, this is the first case of ulcerative colitis associated with pemphigus vulgaris reported in Korea. The association may be causal.

Hospitalization Experience of Patients Admitted to Nursing Care Integrated Service Wards in Small and Medium-size General Hospitals / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to identify meaning and essential structure of the hospitalization of patients in nursing care integrated service wards of small and medium-size general hospitals. METHODS: Experiential data were collected through in-depth interviews with 10 patients who had been hospitalized in nursing care integrated service wards of medium general hospitals. The main question was ‘Could you describe your hospitalization experience in nursing care integrated service wards of medium general hospitals?’, and collected data were analyzed using Colaizzi's Phenomenological Research Method. RESULTS: Four categories obtained were ‘Realize the system that is not established yet’, ‘Secure care services which are less of a psychological and financial burden’, ‘Thanks for care providers’, and ‘Confident of the hopeful system to desire to reuse in the future.’ CONCLUSION: Patients in nursing care integrated service wards of small and medium-size general hospitals were satisfied with the reduction of mental and financial burden caused by nursing and were thankful to nursing staff, who put a lot of efforts into nursing. But, at the same time, they were confused and inconvenienced by the services that were not yet completely established. To improve this situation, it is thought that institutional complements including development of a service standardization manual would be helpful.

Ileocecal Mucosal Involvement of Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm without Skin Lesions / 대한내과학회지

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a relatively rare hematological malignancy, and most cases present with characteristic skin lesions. The skin lesions appear as nodules, plaques, and bruise-like macules with redness or ulcerations. BPDCN without skin lesions is rare. Cases with hepatosplenomegaly, pulmonary involvement, multiple lymphadenopathies, renal masses, sinonasal sinus, and subcutaneous masses have also been reported. Here, we report the first case of ileocecal valve involvement of BPDCN without skin lesions.

The Effects of Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate and Mechanical Stimulation on Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells: Individual or Synergistic Effects

This study aims to investigate the roles and effects of EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate) during the osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) in vitro. Recent studies have shown that proper mechanical stimuli can induce osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs apart from biochemical factors. In this study, the hMSC cultures were subjected to: (1) 25 uM EGCG alone or (2) 3% mechanical stretching (0.2 Hz for 4 h/day for 4 days) or (3) in combination with 3% mechanical stretching (0.2 Hz for 4 h/day for 4 days). The two factors were applied to the cell cultures separately and in combination to investigate the individual and synergistic effect of both mechanical stimulation and ECGC in the osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs. Utilizing real time PCR, we measured various osteogenic markers and even those related to intracellular signalings. Further investigation of mitochondria was performed that mitochondria biogenesis, antioxidant capacity, and morphological related markers were measured. hMSCs were to be osteogenic or myogenic differentiated when they were under 3% stretching only. However, when EGCG was applied along with stretching they were to be osteogenic differentiated rather than to be myogenic differentiated. This was supported by evaluating intracellular signalings: BMP-2 and VEGF. Therefore, the synergistical effects of simultaneous employment of stretching and EGCG on osteogenic differentiation were confirmed. Moreover, simultaneous employment was found positive in mitochondria biogenesis, antioxidant capacity, and morphological changes. Through this study, we came into the conclusion that the combination of proper mechanical stretching, 3% in this study, and EGCG promote osteogenic differentiation. Reflecting that EGCG can be obtained from plants not from the chemical syntheses, it is worth to be studied further either by animal tests or long-term experiments for clinical applications.

The Association of Serum Cystatin C with Glycosylated Hemoglobin in Korean Adults

BACKGROUND: Cystatin C has been known to be associated not only with early renal impairment but also with the incidence of diabetic conditions (prediabetes plus diabetes). However, it is not clear whether cystatin C levels are associated with the prevalence of diabetic conditions in Asian populations. We evaluated this association using glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels as the definition of diabetes in Korean adults. METHODS: We analyzed data from 1,559 Korean adults (937 men and 622 women) with available serum cystatin C and HbA1c values. RESULTS: The serum cystatin C levels in subjects with prediabetes and diabetes were significantly increased (0.91+/-0.14 mg/L in prediabetes and 0.91+/-0.17 mg/L in diabetes vs. 0.88+/-0.13 mg/L in patients with normal glucose levels, P=0.001). At increasing cystatin C levels, the prevalence of subjects with prediabetes (30.2% vs. 14.6%, P<0.001) and those with diabetes (10.6% vs. 8.0%, P<0.001) significantly increased in the group with the highest cystatin C levels. The group with the highest cystatin C levels had a significantly increased odds ratio (OR) for the presence of diabetic conditions compared to the group with the lowest values in total subjects (OR, 2.35; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.54 to 3.58; P<0.001) and in women (OR, 4.13; 95% CI, 1.97 to 8.65; P<0.001), though there was no significant increase after adjusting for multiple variables. CONCLUSIONS: Higher levels of serum cystatin C are associated with an increased prevalence of diabetic conditions in Korean adults. Our findings may extend the positive association of cystatin C with diabetes incidence to an Asian population.

Moderating Effects of Work-family Conflict between Job . Organizational . Career Characteristics and Turnover Intention among Nurses in Small and Medium-sized Hospitals / 간호행정학회지

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify moderating effects of work-family conflict in the relationship between job, organizational, career characteristics and turnover intention among nurses working in small and medium-sized hospitals. METHODS: A self report questionnaire survey was completed by 286 nurses working in five small or medium-sized hospitals in P city. Data were gathered during October, 2014 and analyzed using the SPSS 21.0 program. RESULTS: Work-family conflict had significant moderating effects between job, organizational, career characteristics and turnover intention of nurses working in small or medium-sized hospitals. Career commitment was the biggest factor in reducing turnover intention. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that work-family conflict and career commitment are important factors in turnover intention among nurses working in small and medium-sized hospitals. Therefore, to understand job and organizational career characteristics of nurses in small and medium hospitals, consideration must be given to the role of conflict in the nurses' workplace and homes. Support from the organization focusing on career development, and provision of an innovative system for the environment of small hospitals are needed.

Anti-carcinogenic effects of non-polar components containing licochalcone A in roasted licorice root

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Licorice has been shown to possess cancer chemopreventive effects. However, glycyrrhizin, a major component in licorice, was found to interfere with steroid metabolism and cause edema and hypertension. The roasting process of licorice modifies the chemical composition and converts glycyrrhizin to glycyrrhetinic acid. The purpose of this study was to examine the anti-carcinogenic effects of the ethanol extract of roasted licorice (EERL) and to identify the active compound in EERL. MATERIALS/METHODS: Ethanol and aqueous extracts of roasted and un-roasted licorice were prepared. The active fraction was separated from the methylene chloride (MC)-soluble fraction of EERL and the structure of the purified compound was determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The anti-carcinogenic effects of licorice extracts and licochalcone A was evaluated using a MTT assay, Western blot, flow cytometry, and two-stage skin carcinogenesis model. RESULTS: EERL was determined to be more potent and efficacious than the ethanol extract of un-roasted licorice in inhibiting the growth of DU145 and MLL prostate cancer cells, as well as HT-29 colon cancer cells. The aqueous extracts of un-roasted and roasted licorice showed minimal effects on cell growth. EERL potently inhibited growth of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast, B16-F10 melanoma, and A375 and A2058 skin cancer cells, whereas EERL slightly stimulated the growth of normal IEC-6 intestinal epithelial cells and CCD118SK fibroblasts. The MC-soluble fraction was more efficacious than EERL in inhibiting DU145 cell growth. Licochalcone A was isolated from the MC fraction and identified as the active compound of EERL. Both EERL and licochalcone A induced apoptosis of DU145 cells. EERL potently inhibited chemically-induced skin papilloma formation in mice. CONCLUSIONS: Non-polar compounds in EERL exert potent anti-carcinogenic effects, and that roasted rather than un-roasted licorice should be favored as a cancer preventive agent, whether being used as an additive to food or medicine preparations.

Hazardous Metal Pollution in the Republic of Fiji and the Need to Elicit Human Exposure

The fact that hazardous metals do not bio-degrade or bio-deteriorate translates to long-lasting environmental effects. In the context of evidently rapid global industrialization, this ought to warrant serious caution, particularly in developing countries. In the Republic of Fiji, a developing country in the South Pacific, several different environmental studies over the past 20 years have shown levels of lead, copper, zinc and iron in sediments of the Suva Harbor to be 6.2, 3.9, 3.3 and 2.1 times more than the accepted background reference levels, respectively. High levels of mercury have also been reported in lagoon shellfish. These data inevitably warrant thorough assessment of the waste practices of industries located upstream from the estuaries, but in addition, an exposure and health impact assessment has never been conducted. Relevant government departments are duty-bound, at least to the general public that reside in and consume seafood from the vicinities of the Suva Harbor, to investigate possible human effects of the elevated hazardous metal concentrations found consistently in 20 years of surface sediment analysis. Furthermore, pollution of the intermediate food web with hazardous metals should be investigated, regardless of whether human effects are eventually confirmed present or not.

A Case of Actinomycotic Thyroiditis in an Adult with Piriform Sinus Fistula

Acute suppurative thyroiditis is an uncommon infectious thyroid disease affecting mainly children and young adults. The route of infection is frequently a pyriform sinus fistula. The major pathogens responsible for acute bacterial suppurative thyroiditis are the Streptococcus and Staphylococcus species. In contrast, Actinomyces species are a very rare cause of acute suppurative thyroiditis. We experienced a case of a 23-year-old man who has presented general weakness and neck pain. Thyroid ultrasonography showed an ill-defined area of heterogeneous hypoechogenicity in the left lobe of the thyroid gland. Histologic examination by fine needle aspiration demonstrated gram-positive, filamentous-like organisms with branching hyphae and characteristic sulfur granules. Barium esophagogram showed a linear barium-filled track at the left pyriform sinus. We report a case of actinomycotic thyroiditis in a young adult with pyriform sinus fistula along with a brief review of related literature.

Voice Handicap Index and Vocal Characteristics of Teachers / 대한이비인후과학회지

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The effect of vocal abuse on school teachers' lives has not been sufficiently studied in Korea. Our goal was to investigate teachers' vocal characteristics and their functional, physical and emotional disorders due to vocal abuse, and the correlation between them. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Voice samples of 142 school teachers who responded to the Voice Handicap Index (VHI) questionnaire were used for the acoustic analysis. The results were compared with the control group of 27 office workers of our hospital, who matched the experimental group with respect to age and sex. RESULTS: The subjective measure of VHI showed that the teacher handicap indices were significantly higher than those of the control group in functional, physical and emotional aspects: the corresponding median values were 8, 10, 4.5 and 2, 3, 1 for the two groups, respectively (p<0.05). There was no difference in jitter, shimmer and signal-to-noise ratio between the groups. A cross-correlation analysis revealed no significant correlation between VHI-scores and the results of acoustic analysis. CONCLUSION: The teachers recognize their voice problems as a serious physico-functional disorder. However, the acoustic analysis of the 2 second-voice samples could not detect any differences in voice quality between the two groups. There was no significant correlation between VHI scores and acoustic measures. It suggests that the acoustic measures of voice samples with a limited duration might have a restrictive value in presenting handicaps associated with voice abuse.

A Case of Immunoglobulin G4-Related Tubulointerstitial Nephritis with Extrarenal Involvement / 대한신장학회지

Immunoglobulin G4-related sclerosing disease is a novel clinicopathological disease entity known to involve various organs including the pancreas, bile ducts, gall bladder, retroperitoneum, kidney, salivary gland, lung and prostate. The most common organ involved is the pancreas and cases without pancreatic involvement are uncommon. Positive response to steroids is an important characteristic of this disease and this enables early diagnosis, which is required for good prognosis. We demonstrate a case of immunoglobulin G4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis in a 59-year-old male accompanied by sclerosing cholangitis and sialadenitis without any evidence of pancreatic infiltration. The patient was treated with prednisolone and was fully recovered in 6 months.

Treatment of Infected Hip Arthroplasty with Antibiotic-Impregnated Calcium Sulfate Cement

PURPOSE: To analyze the effectiveness of inserting beads made of calcium sulfate cement that were also impregnated with Vancomycin after debridement of an acute-immediate stage infected hip arthroplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2002 and 2008, the cases of 13 patients with documented acute-immediate stage infections of hip arthroplasty were reviewed and followed for at least two years postoperatively (average 4.3 years). The preoperative and postoperative clinical and radiologic findings and blood laboratory work of the cases were checked. All cases were performed through retention of the implant and massive debridement and saline irrigation. Next, vancomycin-impregnated calcium sulfate cement beads were inserted. RESULTS: After the first operation, the average interval to wait before performing a second operation was 27.7 days (17~37 days). During the second operation, the erythrocyte sediment rate and C-reactive protein were 150.97 mm/hr (34.6~339.7 mm/hr) and 76.4 mg/L (41~132 mg/L), respectively. Infectious organisms were cultured and isolated. There were 5 cases of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). In addition, the results of an antibiotics sensitivity test revealed 8 cases of Vancomycin and 5 cases of 3rd generation Cephalosporin. Radiologic results showed 10 cases with a stable fixation on the last follow-up (femoral stem), and 1 case of hip joint space narrowing, called acetabular erosion. CONCLUSION: Inserting beads made of calcium sulfate cement that were also impregnated with Vancomycin proved to be a useful treatment for an acute immediate infection of hip arthroplasty.

Image Analysis Quantifying Microvessel Density in Renal Cell Carcinoma / 대한의료정보학회지

OBJECTIVE: The most widely used method for quantifying new blood vessel growth in tumor angiogenesis is the determination of microvessel density, which is reported to be associated with tumor progression and metastasis, and a prognostic indicator of patient outcome. In this study, we propose a method for the determination of microvessel density by image analysis, to improve the accuracy and the objectivity of determination of the microvessel density. METHODS: Four-micron-thick tissue sections of renal cell carcinoma samples were stained immunohistochemically for CD34. The regions with a high degree of vascularization were selected by an expert for digitization. Each image was digitized as a 24-bits/pixel image file with a resolution of 640x480 pixels. First, segmentation of the microvessels based on pixel classification using color features in hybrid color space was performed. After use of a correction process for microvessels with discontinuities and separation of touching microvessels, we counted the number of microvessels for the microvessel density measurement. RESULTS: The result was evaluated by comparison with manual quantification of the same images. The comparison revealed that our computerized microvessel quantification was highly correlated with manual counting by a pathologist. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that our method is better than the conventional computerized image analysis methods.

Effects of sevoflurane and propofol on wound healing in rats: comparison of blood flow and wound size / 대한마취과학회지

BACKGROUND: As the wound healing is a multi-factorial process, the anesthetic agent and the duration of its exposure may influence the healing process after surgery. This study investigated the effect of anesthetic agents and duration of its exposure on the wound healing process after operation. METHODS: Total 32 rats weighing 200-300 g were randomly allocated to one of eight groups according to the exposure time (1, 2, 4, 8 hours) of sevoflurane or propofol (n = 4 each). After wounding under the each anesthetic, anesthesia was maintained for 1, 2, 4 and 8 hours in each group. We compared the skin blood flow around the wound and the wound size at baseline, 3 days, and 7 days postoperatively. RESULTS: In sevoflurane group, short exposure group (1, 2 hours) showed higher wound blood flow than long exposure (4, 8 hours) at 3 days after wounding (P < 0.05), but not at 7 days after wounding. For the wound size, there was no difference at 3 days after wounding in sevoflurane group, but 8 hours exposure group had the largest wound at 7 days after wounding. In propofol group, wound blood flow showed no difference at 3 days after wounding, but that of 4, 8 hours exposure group was higher than 2 hours exposure group at 7 days after wounding. There was no difference in wound size in propofol group. CONCLUSIONS: This study implicates that sevoflurane might influence the wound healing process more prominently than propofol according to the duration of exposure time.