Effects of an emotional regulation program on maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation, stress, anxiety, and postpartum depression among South Korean mothers of premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT)-based emotional regulation program for mothers of premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). METHODS: The study utilized a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. Seventeen mothers were recruited for the experimental group and 21 mothers for the control group. Data were collected from July 9, 2018, to Oct 12, 2018 from mothers of premature infants in the NICU regarding parental stress, state anxiety, depression, and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation. The experimental group received eight sessions of the REBT-based emotional regulation program for 3-4 weeks, and the control group only received standard nursing care. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between the two groups in maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation (Z=-3.88, p<.001), stress (Z=-2.76, p=.006), state anxiety (Z=-3.72, p<.001), and postpartum depression(Z=-2.62, p=.009) after the intervention in the experimental group. CONCLUSION: The REBT-based emotional regulation program for mothers of premature infants was effective for reducing maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation, stress, anxiety, and postpartum depression. Therefore, it may be necessary to provide an REBT-based emotional regulation program for mothers of premature infants in the NICU in clinical practice.

Effects of perioperative warm socks-wearing in maintaining core body temperature of patients undergoing spinal surgery.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate whether warming the feet with socks would prevent hypothermia among patients undergoing spinal surgery. BACKGROUND: Perioperative hypothermia is a common health problem among spinal surgery patients. RESEARCH DESIGN: This study used a quasi-experimental design. METHODS: Seventy-two patients were assigned to two groups. The control group (n = 36) received usual care without the warmed socks. The intervention group (n = 36) received usual care plus warmed socks during operation and recovery period. Data were collected during (180 min) and after the surgery (30 min) during the period of 7 February-10 April 2015. Core body temperature, shivering response and subjective thermal comfort of the two groups were compared over time using the repeated-measures ANOVA. RESULTS: The oesophageal temperature of the socks-wearing group was maintained between 36.36-36.45°C during surgery (mean = 36.41 ± 0.03, 95% CI = 36.34-36.47), whereas that of the control was between 35.75-35.97°C (mean = 35.98 ± 0.03, 95% CI = 35.92-36.04). The tympanic temperature in the recovery room of the socks-wearing group was between 36.28-36.38°C (mean = 36.37 ± 0.04, 95% CI = 36.29-36.45) and that of the control group was 35.90-36.04°C (mean = 35.95 ± 0.04, 95% CI = 35.88-36.05). Shivering response of the intervention group (mean = 0.04 ± 0.08, 95% CI = -0.13 to 0.21) was significantly lower than that of the control group (mean = 0.47 ± 0.08, 95% CI = 0.30-0.64) in the recovery room (F = 4.28, p < .001). As for subjective thermal comfort, the intervention group (mean = 4.86 ± 0.13, 95% CI = 4.62-5.13) was significantly lower than that of the control group (mean = 3.08 ± 0.13, 95% CI = 2.82-3.33) in the recovery room (F = 98.13, p < .001). As for the frequency of pethidine medication, the intervention group was significantly lower than that of the control (χ2  = 5.14, p = .023). CONCLUSION: The use of perioperative warmed socks for spinal surgery patients was effective in maintaining perioperative core temperature, preventing shivering and maintaining subjective thermal comfort. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Considering cost-effectiveness of warmed socks, it might be worth trying option for the maintenance of core temperature in spinal surgery patients.

Predictors of Quality of Life in Mothers of Premature Infant.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the factors that may affect quality of life of mothers who delivered premature infants. METHODS: With survey design, data were collected from 145 mothers of premature infants with corrected age of 2 months to 12 months from January 9 to February 2, 2017. Quality of life was assessed with two measures of direct survey in the selected hospital and online survey. A self-report questionnaire was administered regarding personality of the mothers and the infants, postpartum depression, parenting stress, social support, and the quality of life. Data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression. RESULTS: The quality of life of the mothers of the premature infants was influenced by postpartum depression, parenting stress, parents-infant dysfunctional interactions, and social support accounted for 65% of the variance. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that early screening and continuous management of postpartum depression during postpartum period are important to improve the quality of life of the mothers of the premature infants. Education program and information and social support systems need to be developed to monitor mother-infant interaction and their role development.

Effects of Nei-Guan (P6) Acupressure Wristband: On Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching in Women After Thyroidectomy.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) after thyroidectomy is a common health problem in the recovery room. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of the Nei-Guan (P6) acupressure wristband for PONV among patients undergoing thyroidectomy. METHODS: Sixty Korean female participants were assigned to 1 of 3 groups (n = 20 each). The control group received usual care without the wristband. The placebo group received usual nursing care plus a wristband at the non-P6 site. The treatment group received usual care plus a wristband at the P6 acupoint 30 minutes before anesthesia; the wristband was removed before leaving the recovery room. Data were collected at 3 periods: in the recovery room and at 6 and 24 hours after surgery. RESULTS: The nausea scores of the treatment group were significantly lower than the scores of the placebo or control groups in the recovery room (F = 6.229, P = .044). There were no significant differences in vomiting or retching among the groups. CONCLUSIONS: The P6 stimulation with wristband suppressed nausea right after thyroidectomy in the recovery room but did not suppress subsequent vomiting or retching. IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE: The findings indicate that P6 acupressure has the short-term effect of relieving nausea but not vomiting and retching. Use of P6 wristband holds promise and suggests the need for further testing in a larger randomized clinical trial. Identifying other acupoints is recommended to achieve successful management of PONV.

Therapeutic Effects of Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Patients with Chronic Liver Diseases: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Based on their ability to differentiate into multiple cell types including hepatocytes, the transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been suggested as an effective therapy for chronic liver diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety, efficacy and therapeutic effects of MSCs in patients with chronic liver disease through a literature-based examination. We performed a systematic review (SR) and meta-analysis (MA) of the literature using the Ovid-MEDLINE, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases (up to November 2014) to identify clinical studies in which patients with liver diseases were treated with MSC therapy. Of the 568 studies identified by the initial literature search, we analyzed 14 studies and 448 patients based on our selection criteria. None of the studies reported the occurrence of statistically significant adverse events, side effects or complications. The majority of the analyzed studies showed improvements in liver function, ascites and encephalopathy. In particular, an MA showed that MSC therapy improved the total bilirubin level, the serum albumin level and the Model for End-stage Liver Disease (MELD) score after MSC treatment. Based on these results, MSC transplantation is considered to be safe for the treatment of chronic liver disease. However, although MSCs are potential therapeutic agents that may improve liver function, in order to obtain meaningful insights into their clinical efficacy, further robust clinical studies must be conducted to evaluate the clinical outcomes, such as histological improvement, increased survival and reduced liver-related complications, in patients with chronic liver disease.

Evaluation of Korean newborns with the Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the unique responses of a group of Korean full-term newborns and to describe the pattern of behavior observed in the first few days of life. DESIGN: A descriptive study describing the behavioral patterns of Korean newborns using the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty newborns aged 1 to 3 days in a nursery of a large tertiary hospital in Daegu, Korea. RESULTS: Overall scores were at moderate levels in six clusters. These were (a) Response Decrement, (b) Social Interactive, (c) Motor System, (d) State Organization, (e) State Regulation, and (f) Autonomic System. Newborns showed good overall tone and activity level and low amount of irritable behavior. Although reflex responses were generally normal, Korean newborns showed particularly weak responses in standing and walking reflexes. Maternal variables such as employment and previous pregnancy history were related to the scores on the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale. CONCLUSION: The results of the study indicate that Korean newborns showed a moderate level of autonomic stability and motor control and overall good state organization. These findings also provide some evidence that the mother's health status and lifestyle during the pregnancy may affect newborn behavior after birth.