• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.61 no.4
• /
• pp.356-365
• /
• 2006

Background: Corticosteroids are known to be significant prognostic parameters in sepsis. Recently, an absolute and relative insufficiency of the corticosteroids system has often been reported to often develop particularly in severe sepsis. Degree of such an adrenal insufficiency not only has prognostic implications but also can be used to guide corticosteroids replacement therapy. The 24-hour urinary cortisol levels as well as serum cortisol concentrations were measured to assess the clinical significance and their relationship with the other parameters of sepsis, and also evaluated the clinical implications of the relative adrenal insufficiency. Methods: 26 consecutive patients with sepsis were enrolled. The basal random serum cortisol, ACTH, ADH, lactate levels and 24-hour urinary free cortisol amount were measured. The rapid ACTH ($250{\mu}g$) stimulation test was also performed. Results: Basal serum cortisol levels were higher in the non-survivors than in the survivors. The 24-hour urinary free cortisol levels were higher in the patients with severe sepsis than in those without. The serum cortisol levels strongly correlated with the serum ADH and lactate levels. The 24-hour urinary free cortisol levels strongly correlated with the serum cortisol and lactate levels. The fractional changes in the cortisol levels after the rapid ACTH stimulation tests correlated with the serum cortisol, ADH, and lactate levels. Conclusion: Both the serum cortisol and 24-hour urinary cortisol were found to be significant prognostic factors in sepsis, and showed a strong correlation with the other parameters. The relative adrenal insufficiency might also be an important clinical parameter.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.67-79
• /
• 2001

This study was designed to verify the effect of Doula-type-delivery nursing care on plasma $\beta$-endorphin, serum cortisol, related to delivery stress during labor, and postpartum anxiety of primipara by a quasi experiment(nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design), from December, 1999 to August, 2000. The subjects of this experiment consisted of sixty eight primipara, with single gestation, full term, uncomplicated pregnancies, thirty three for the experimental group and thirty five for the control group. Their mean age was 26.1 years for the experimental group and 25.5 years for the control group. Their mean gestation period was 39.7 weeks for the experimental group and 40.1 weeks for the control group. As treatment, Doula-type-delivery nursing care was given for the experimental group. Data assessed plasma $\beta$-endorphin, serum cortisol during labor, and anxiety during postpartum. Plasma $\beta$-endorphin, serum cortisol were measured in the latent phase before treatment(pre-test) and the transition phase after treatment(posttest). Also, anxiety was measured in the latent phase before treatment(pre-test) and 24 hours postpartum after treatment(posttest). Data was analyzed by t-test, $x^2$-test, Repeated measures ANOVA with SAS Program. The results of this study were as follows; 1. Plasma $\beta$-endorphin was significantly elevated in the experimental group who were cared for with Doula-type-delivery nursing care during labor(P=.0463). 2. No significant group effects were found, but significant time effects were found for serum cortisol. 3. The postpartum anxiety of the experimental group was significantly lower than the control group(P=.0110). In conclusion, these findings indicate that Doula-type-delivery nursing care during labor could be effective in increasing maternal plasma $\beta$-endorphin and decreasing postpartum anxiety. Doula-type-delivery nursing care during labor could be applied as an effective nursing treatment for primipara.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.20 no.8
• /
• pp.1230-1234
• /
• 2010

The effects of inhaling three essential oils (lavender [Lavendular angustifolia], silver fir [Abies alba], and grapefruit [Citrus paradise]) against restraint stress were investigated in mice. Serum cortisol levels were significantly increased in the 1h-restraint group. Also, silver fir and grapefruit oils prevented the elevation of cortisol levels under experimental conditions. Inhalation of 10% lavender oil for 30 min before inducing stress significantly inhibited restraint-induced hypothermia. We also investigated the effects of restraint stress on triglycerides, total cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. It was found that the concentration of triglycerides in the serum samples increased after restraint stress. Silver fir essential oil inhibited elevation of triglyceride levels. Taken all together, the correlation of herb essential oil inhalation against restraint stress in animals can partly be explained.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.12 no.10
• /
• pp.4394-4402
• /
• 2011

The study was done to examine the effects of horticulture therapy on depression and stress in patient of hospice unit. The subjects of this study were hospice patient in D hospital in D city, thirty hospice patient were assigned to experimental group, thirty hospice patient were assigned to control group. Data were collected from April 29, 2009 to July 26, 2009. Horticulture therapy program consisted of indoor and outdoor horticultural activities. The horticulture therapy was conducted 30 minutes, 6 times a week for 3 weeks (a total 18 times). Measures were depression, and stress by serum cortisol count. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test and t-test with SPSS/WIN 17.0 version. The results of this study was patients in the experimental group receiving Horticulture therapy had a significant difference in changes of depression between the experimental group and control group. The study results indicate that horticulture therapy is an effective, palliative intervention program to improve the depression and stress of hospice patients.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.119-123
• /
• 2000

To study the stress response of coho salmon (Oncorhpohus kisutch) during transportation, the stress responses of the fish confined in a container box filled with freshwater or $5{\%{\circ}}$ salt-water were monitored pre and post 10 hours transportation. Changes of cortisol as the first stress indicator, and glucose (GLC), lactate (LAC), triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (CHOL), sodium ($Na^+$), chloride ($Cl^-$), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as the second stress indicators were compared between the fish in two hauling media. Results showed significantly lower levels of cortisol, GLC, LAC, TG, CHOL and AST in salt-water group than freshwater group, It was shown that using salt-water for transportation could lessen the stress level of the coho salmon.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.78-82
• /
• 2014

Purpose The physiological and biochemical responses of healthy men and women to life stress were measured in order to investigate the correlation between these two responses under the normal situation. Materials and Methods The population of the research is some randomly chosen health college students located in Daejeon City during the period from August to September 2014, and the sample of 94 students. Heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure (BP) were selected as physiological stress indices and serum cortisol level was used as a biochemical stress biomaker. The data which is collected used SPSS19.0 programs and frequency and percentage and T-test, correlation. Results Male showed the significant higher value of serum cortisol level (p<0.05), BP (p<0.05), and LF/HF ratio of HRV (p<0.05) than female. The difference of BP between correlated significantly with serum cortisol level (p<0.05). The LF/HF ratio of HRV also correlated significantly with serum cortisol level (p<0.05) Conclusion We suggest that LF/HF ratio of HRV and BP may be good indices for the assessment of life stress.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.32 no.5
• /
• pp.601-606
• /
• 1999

Physiological responses of cultured olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) on lowering seawater temperature sharply and continuously were studied with 4 experiments of temperature changes (Exp.I$\~$IV). In Exp.1, the temperature was decreased from $18^{\circ}C$ to $9^{\circ}C$ by the rate of $1^{\circ}C$/hr, thereafter back to the initial temperature after 5 dars. With the same conditions of temperature rate and 5 days interval, the temperature changes for Exp.II, III and IV were $20^{\circ}C$ to $17^{\circ}C,\;23^{\circ}C$ to $14^{\circ}C$ and $23^{\circ}C$ to $17^{\circ}C$, respectively, Serum cortisol and glucose were measured during whole experiments. Hematocrit (Ht), hemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell (RBC) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were measured in the Exp.I, and osmolality, electrolytes ($Na^+,\;Cl^-,\;K^+,\;Ca^{2+}$), total protein, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) of serum, in Exp.II$\~$IV. Serum cortisol levels were significantly increased by the lowering temperature sharply during whole experiments, while serum glucose levels were increased only in Exp,III and IV. Ht, RBC and Hb were decreased as the water temperature was lowered, but MCHC was increased. The serum osmolality was reduced and the unstable changes of electrolytes were shown by the changes of seawater temperature. No significant changes in total protein, ALT and AST activity were observed.