Employment Experiences of Female Mongolian Migrant Workers in Korea

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to understand the employment experiences of female Mongolian migrant workers in Korea and identify their meanings. @*Methods@#Data were collected through individual in-depth interviews with eight such women using the phenomenological Colaizzi qualitative research approach. @*Results@#Six categories were drawn from the research: “Facing a dilemma when hitting the wall,” “Foreigners’ lives disrespected,” “Physically filled with wounds,” “Lonely, laborious, and sad,“ “Growing stronger and knowledgeable,” and “Happiness found in the workplace.” @*Conclusion@#The results of this study revealed the substantial meaning of the employment experience of female Mongolian migrant workers in Korea. The results of the study could provide basic data for offering such women various kinds of programs to support them psychologically and in their adjustment to their jobs. These programs would enhance their ability to adapt to both working and in Korea.

Suffering Experience of Primary Caregivers of People with Mental Disabilities in Community Dwellings / 정신간호학회지

Purpose@#The purpose of this study was to examine the suffering experienced by the primary caregiver of people with mental disabilities in community dwellings to explain the fundamental structure thereof. @*Methods@#The Giorgi’s phenomenological research methodology was used. Three male subjects and five female subjects participated in this study. The data were collected September-December, 2019 through in-depth individual interviews, and analysis based on the Giorgi’s method. @*Results@#Four clusters of themes were identified. They are: “Mental disability came as a burden of pain”, “Painful time from caring due to being mentally recoiled and being hurtful”, “My life is broken by illness”, and “Hope discovered in the midst of pain”. @*Conclusion@#The findings provide deeper understanding and insight into the suffering experienced by primary caregivers for people with mental disabilities in community dwellings. A comprehensive program encompassing psychological and social aspects must be developed to facilitate resolving the problem of the suffering experienced by the primary caregiver for people with mental disabilities.

A Concept Analysis of Fear of Dementia

PURPOSE: This study tries to identify and clarify the concept of fear of dementia. METHODS: The hybrid model method was used to perform a conceptual analysis of fear for dementia. Results from both the theoretical review of 35 studies and the field study with 8 community-dwelling older adults were included in the final stage. RESULTS: Fear for dementia had 4 dimensions with 14 attributes including cognitive factors (direct experience of precursor symptoms of dementia, indirect experience of dementia, preliminary knowledge of dementia, impossibility of cognitive control, and confidence in dementia), emotional factors (negative feelings and pessimistic thoughts), social factors (social isolation, economic instability, embarrassment), and behavioral factors (existing health problems, making efforts to maintain health, impossibility of body control, peripheral autonomic nervous system response) along with 34 indicators. CONCLUSION: This study is meaningful because it reveals the attributes of Korean elderly adults' fear for dementia. In addition, the results may serve as a basis for the early assessment and management of fear for dementia.

Effects of a Combined Exercise Program Using an iPad for Older Adults / 대한의료정보학회지

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the function, health status, and efficacy effects of a combined exercise program using an iPad among older women in Korea, a tech-savvy country. METHODS: The study employed a pretest and posttest experimental design with a control group. The experimental group of subjects comprised 16 female older adults and the control group comprised 10 who were aged 65 years or older. The experimental group participated in a supervised group-based exercise program and an individualized home-based exercise program that involved the use of an iPad. The combined group and home-based exercise program consisted of group exercise, which took place in a senior center for 30 minutes weekly, and a home-based iPad exercise program, which the subjects followed at least 3 times a week. The collected data were analyzed using the Statistical Analysis System (SAS ver. 9.3 TS Level 1M0) program, which utilized a chi-square test, a Fisher exact test, a t-test, and a repeated-measures ANOVA. RESULTS: The results showed that cognitive status changed significantly over time, and there was an interaction between group and time. Further, self-efficacy for exercise and outcome expectations for exercise changed significantly over time. CONCLUSIONS: Exercise programs using iPad interventions may be useful for the management of cognitive functioning and the integration of functional physical abilities in older adults.

A Case of Pigmented Epidermal Cyst with Dense Collection of Melanin / 대한피부과학회지

No abstract available.

Beneficial effects of melatonin on stroke-induced muscle atrophy in focal cerebral ischemic rats / 한국실험동물학회지

Muscle atrophy is the result of two opposing conditions that can be found in pathological or diseased muscles: an imbalance in protein synthesis and degradation mechanisms. Thus, we investigated whether exogenous melatonin could regulate muscle components in stroke-induced muscle atrophy in rats. Comparing muscle phenotypes, we found that long-term melatonin administration could influence muscle mass. Muscle atrophy-related genes, including muscle atrophy F-box (MAFbx) and muscle ring finger 1 (MuRF1) were significantly down-regulated in melatonin-administered rats in the gastrocnemius. However, only MAFbx at the mRNA level was attenuated in the soleus of melatonin-administered rats. Insulin-like growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) was significantly over-expressed in melatonin-administered rats in both the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles. Comparing myosin heavy chain (MHC) components, in the gastrocnemius, expression of both slow- and fast-type isoforms were significantly enhanced in melatonin-administered rats. These results suggest that long-term exogenous melatonin-administration may have a prophylactic effect on muscle atrophy through the MuRF1/MAFbx signaling pathway, as well as a potential therapeutic effect on muscle atrophy through the IGF-1-mediated hypertrophic signaling pathway in a stroke animal model.