• Journal of Korean Academy of Fundamentals of Nursing
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.559-569
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• 1999

The purpose of this study is to identify the effects of the supportive nursing care for arthritis patients enrolled in a rheumatoid clinic. To achieve this purpose, this study adopted a quasi-experimental, pre- and post-test research design, categorized subjects into experimental and control groups. Outpatient clinic nurse alloted the subjects by experimental and control groups and nurse researcher meets the experimental subject with in-depth, direct personal interview and advices via telephone for 8 weeks. During this pre and after the treatment period, the level of pain, uncertainty, self-efficacy, family support, and perception for health were measured. Analyses for the measured results for pre- and post-test showed that the supportive program conducted during this study decreased the level of uncertainty and increased the perception of family support in experimental group. So, the supportive healing interpersonal communication service proved to be effective and this result justifies the argument that the role of the nursing professionals at out-patient clinic should be extended for the more qualified care for the patient.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.82-87
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• 2015

Methotrexate (MTX) is a chemotherapeutic agent that is used to treat a host of malignancies. But recently, MTX has also been used as a therapeutic agent for chronic inflammatory disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and systemic lupus erythematosus. However, MTX is an antimetabolite that affects rapidly dividing normal cells such as oral mucosal epithelial cells, gastrointestinal epithelial cells, and bone marrow cells-which explains why oral mucositis is often an initial manifestation of MTX toxicity. Because oral lesions are frequently initially presented in dental clinics, dentists should consider the possibility of adverse drug reactions in the differential diagnoses of oral lesions through a meticulous collection of patients' medical histories. In this report, we examine patients who suffered from oral ulcerative lesions upon diagnosis of MTX-induced oral mucositis. Then, we suggest approaches for the diagnosis and treatment of MTX-induced oral mucositis through a review of literature.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.241-257
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• 2000

Rheumatoid arthritis as one of the chronic illness requiring management in long period of time puts great burden to patients, their family and society. For patients with chronic illnesses, providing a social support is important and the most important source comes from spouses. Therefore we assessed burden of husbands of female rheumatoid arthritic patients and also found out the factors affecting burden. The sample of study was 107 female rheumatoid arthritic patients and their spouses. The tool of assessing spouses' burden was the revised version of subjective and objective parameters developed by Montgomery et al.(1985). The results are as follows: 1. General characteristics of patients and spouses: The mean age of the patients was 48 years. Educational level of patients was high school 41.1%. The mean age of the spouses was 51years. Educational level of spouses was mostly high school(40.2%) and college(29.9%) graduate. The mean marital period was 23.4years. Average income per month was 1,609,000 won. The average duration since diagnosis was 9.4years. As a therapy, 67.3% chose standard drug therapy. Average rating of discomfort by patient was 3.05(range 1-5) and that of severity was 3.48 and that of dependency was 2.58. The husband's rating of their spouses disease severity was 3.68. 2. Husbands' burden: The average burden in subjective items was 21.61(range 6-36) and objective items was 35.24(range 10-60). The average of total burden was 56.59(range 16-96). 3. Husband's total burden correlated with patient's age, educational level of patients, therapy method, patient's level of discomfort, patient's severity, patient's level of dependence, husband's recognition of level of severity in statistical level. Husband's objective burden correlated with patient's age, educational level of patient, patient's level of discomfort, husband's recognition of level of severity. Husband's subjective burden correlated with patient's age, educational level of patients, therapy method, patient's severity, patient's level of dependence, husband's recognition of level of severity. 4. Linear correlation analysis on burden: The husbands' total burden is explained in 37 7% by husband's recognition of level of severity and husband's age. The husbands' objective burden is explained in 31.2% by patient's level of dependence, husband's age, husband's recognition of level of severity. The husbands' subjective burden is explained in 26.7% by husband's recognition of level of severity and patient's age. In conclusion, husbands' level of burden is affected by many factors and therefore nursing strategy for relieving burden of middle aged husbands should be individualized taking these factors into consideration.

• Journal of the Korean Arthroscopy Society
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.53-57
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• 2008

Purpose: We analyzed the clinical results after arthroscopic treatment in acute pyogenic arthritis of the knee. Materials and Methods: From July 2000 to January 2005, we reviewed 16 cases(15 patients) of acute pyogenic arthritis of the knee on which arthroscopic treatment was done. The mean age was 61.9 years and the mean follow-up period was 30.5 months. There were 8 cases with diabetes or degenerative osteoarthritis and 14 cases with acupuncture or intraarticular injection history. Results: Causative organisms were identified in 7 cases. The average postoperative antibiotics were used intravenously for 25.5 days and per orally for 22.5 days. There were 11 complications; 5 cases of partial ankylosis, 2 cases of secondary arthritis, 1 case of chronic osteomyelitis and 3 cases of death. Patients with over 3 week immobilization had higher rate of stiffness of knee joint(p=0.032) but there was no significant difference between the symptom to treatment duration and the incidence rate of complications(p=0.293). The cases of which the causative organism was detected had higher incidences of complications(p=0.034). Conclusion: The incidence of joint stiffness was higher in the patients of longer immobilization. More complications were detected in the cases of which the causative organism is detected.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.119-126
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• 2014

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic and systemic inflammatory disorder that primarily affects the flexible joints and may also affect a number of tissues and organs. The progression of RA involves an inflammatory response of the capsule around the joint, swelling of synovial cells with excess synovial fluid (SF), and the development of fibrous tissue in the synovium. Since the progressive pathology of the disease often leads to the irreversible destruction of articular cartilage and ankylosis of the joint, early diagnosis of RA is essential. Thus, we undertook a comparative proteomic approach to investigate novel biomarkers for early diagnosis using SFs and serums from RA patients. As a result, we identified 32 differentially expressed spots in SFs and 34 spots in serums. The differential expression of the STEAP4 and ZNF 658 proteins were validated using immunoblotting of the SFs and serums, respectively. These data suggest that differentially expressed proteins in SFs and serums could be used as RA-specific biomarkers for the diagnosis and monitoring of RA. Furthermore, these findings advance our understanding of the molecular etiopathogenesis of RA.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.166-176
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• 1996

This is a study through survey with the purpose of analysing of treatment cost for arthritis. Treatment cost can be devided Into two characteristics, one is the direct cost and the other is the indirect cost. Direct cost contains fees of medical treatment Including cost of self treatment & purchsing price of herb durg. On the other hand indirect cost means the using money of tansportation, lodging charge & labor-losing-time cost. For the succession of medical treatment of chronic diseases patients have to control themselves to go shopping around for the cure remeadies. And also it is important that the cost for unefficient or probably hamful folk remeadies should be reduced in order to distribute appropriatively the limited financial resources. As the result of this study, the fees for self treatment & herb drug are two times as much as those of regural medical treatment. Within the direct cost, there are the mean cost of regural medical treatment 59,630 won/mon., self-treatment 42,790 won/mon., and herb drug 78,380won/mon. therefore total mean direct cost is 180,800won per month. Moreover patients intermittently pay the cost of prostheses If folk remedies, these are added to the direct cost as above mentioned. Attributes of folk remedies are various from cure & analgesics to nutrients and their virtues as medicine are not clear in view of scientific knowledge. But 56% of arthritis patients have ever been experienced folk remedies. the cost for these remedies has wide ranges from 40,000 won to 1,000,000won. Total mean indirect cost including the transfortation fee, lodging charge & labor-losing-time cost has the range from 82,825won/month to 106,150won/month. Among these cost, labor-losing-time cost has a mojority because the waiting times are too long for seeing a doctor. In conclusion those patients having arthritis have a large burden against the treatment cost for continuous care. Therefore health professional should make effort to guide the patient to determine themselves informed choice about the treatment process.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.344-352
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• 2019

Epilepsy is one of the major chronic neurological diseases affecting many patients. Resection surgery is the most effective therapy for medically intractable epilepsy, but it is not feasible in all patients. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is an adjunctive neuromodulation therapy that was approved in 1997 for the alleviation of seizures; however, efforts to control epilepsy by stimulating the vagus nerve have been studied for over 100 years. Although its exact mechanism is still under investigation, VNS is thought to affect various brain areas. Hence, VNS has a wide indication for various intractable epileptic syndromes and epilepsy-related comorbidities. Moreover, recent studies have shown anti-inflammatory effects of VNS, and the indication is expanding beyond epilepsy to rheumatoid arthritis, chronic headaches, and depression. VNS yields a more than 50% reduction in seizures in approximately 60% of recipients, with an increase in reduction rates as the follow-up duration increases. The complication rate of VNS is 3-6%, and infection is the most important complication to consider. However, revision surgery was reported to be feasible and safe with appropriate measures. Recently, noninvasive VNS (nVNS) has been introduced, which can be performed transcutaneously without implantation surgery. Although more clinical trials are being conducted, nVNS can reduce the risk of infection and subsequent device failure. In conclusion, VNS has been demonstrated to be beneficial and effective in the treatment of epilepsy and various diseases, and more development is expected in the future.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.1-30
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• 1994

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic systematic disease with unpredictable course of exacerbation and remission, characterized by pain, joint deformity and reduced activity by joint limitation. The growing public awareness of the need for health management of chronic illnesses, provides impetus for nursing to demonstrate social effectiveness by active nursing intervention in this vast area in general, and with rheumatoid condition in particular. However, nursing interventions to date have not demonstrated its active participation in the management of chronic conditions. Nursing intervention for the patients having rheumatoid arthritis is one such area that needs to be studied intensively and to demonstrate their effectiveness empirically. The purposes of this study were two fold : first, to develop a comprehensive program that was intensified with therapeutic joint exercises in water, self-help group activities and utilization of self-efficacy promoting strategies : and secondly, to determine the effect of aquatic exercise program on pain, physiological changes and quality of life in the rheumatoid arthritis patients. Thirty five female subjects participating in this study were selected from outpatients in the Rheumatism Center, Hanyang University hospital. The period of data collection was from December, 1992 to March, 1993 in seoul and Taejeon. Subjects in Taejeon were assigned to the experimental group. The comprehensive aquatic exercise program for the experimental group was carried out three times a week for 6 weeks in regular swimming pool. Subjects in Seoul did not participated in the program, and treated as the control group. Data were analyzed with repeated measure MANCOVA, t-test, ANCOVA, percentage of change, Kruskal-Wallis 1-Way ANOVA using SPSS $PC^+$ program. Results were obtained as follows : 1) Scores on Korean pain scale, Numeric pain score, and RAI score of the experimental group were significantly lower than those of the control group (t=2.11, p=0.022 ; F=4.40, p=0.044 : t=3.10, p=0.002). 2) There was significant improvement in the physiological parameters (higher joint movement parameters, F=15.64, p=0.024 ; higher lean body mass, percentage of change=+12.2, lower body weight, t=1.01, p=0.026 : lower ESR, t=1.69, p=0.001) in the experimental group compaired with subjects In the control group. 3) There was significant improvement in the specific self-efficacy score through the comprehensive aquatic exercise program(t=2.73, p=0.011), but not in the general self- efficacy score(t=0.62, p=0.113). 4) The quality of life failed to show significant improvement in the experimental group as compaired with the control group (F=3.69, p=0.064). 5) In the experimental group, findings from additional analysis showed no significant difference in the specific self-efficacy between those who continued to aquatic exercise after completing 6 week program and those who stopped (X2=0.086, p=0.690). Therefore, adherence to aquatic exercise program for 6 weeks seem to be affected mainly by self-help group activities. An indepth study to delve into articulation of mechanisms affecting the effect of aquatic exercise program be recommended. A further study is necessary to determine the difference in the effect of group and individual aquatic exercise program, to assess factors affecting adherence to exercise for an extended length of time.

• Journal of muscle and joint health
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.87-97
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• 1997

This study is descriptive research clarifying the relations between physical inconvenience, social aptitude and sense of satisfaction In life of the chronic arthritis patients. This research has been conducted from 115 patients by structured self-reporting questionnaires and direct interview of the adult patients over the age of 16 years old who had been under treatment in 3 University hospitals in Seoul from Oct. 4, 1996 through Oct. 24, 1996 for 20 days. The collected materials have been under t-test and F-test(ANOVA) per variables after computerizing using SPSS package and the correlation between various causes was conducted by pearson's correlation coefficient method. The results are as the follows : 1) Generally the age of starling the disease was 40-60 with 91 in female(79.0%) and male 88(76.5%), the persons who had the religion showed the high rate of being taken ill and the persons with over high school education have fallen ill by 46.1%. The monthly income has shown that 77.5% was over 1,000,000won or over, the periods of the disease in average was 4 years 3 months showing it was the chronic disease, the degree of recognizing the disease was 19.0%, spouse and children were most concerned about their disease and the part of Joint attacked was knee(73.0%), wrist(43.5%) and others which showed that they have been very inconvenient in daily life. 2) The variables affecting to physical inconvenience were by age (F=9.06, p=.000), education level(F=7.14, p=000), economic standards (F=2.18, p=.05), the period of disease(F=3.09, p=.03), hospitalized or not(F=3.23, p=.002), showing such correlations. 3) The variables affecting to the social adaptation were by age (F=3.47, p=.018), education level(F=4.98, p=.001), periods of taken ill (F=419, p:.007), hospitalized or not (F=3.23, p=.004) and the operation or not (F=1.30, p=.028) showing such correlations. 4) The variables affecting to life satisfaction were by sex(t=2.08, p=.045), economic status(F=3.15, p=.01) being able to explain statistically. Through the above correlations, they are required to receive self-management education positively to elevate the effect of rehabilitation treatment and effective nursing arbitration and also they required to be reduced physical inconvenience at the early stage and be helped to be able to lead the quality life in satisfaction by elevating the diverse adaptation to the society by correcting the transformed joint.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.25-33
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• 2003

In this paper, we checked health problems of outpatients who suffered from cancer, apoplexy, and arthritis. After accessing each patients condition, in order to alleviate their sufferings, we introduced several methods of aroma therapy as a holistic approach to these health problems. Aromatherapy, which can be defined as a nature-friendly complementary / alternative method, has its great merit in its easy way of treatment by the family member of patient or patient himself. Recently, it was scientifically proved that aroma therapy has various curative effects. The easiness of applying aroma therapy is full of suggestions concerned with the future of nursing science. Recently, in the domain of home care nursing, there happened a fundamental change in its structure: a change from the supplier/professional-centered to the consumer/patient-centered one. With this change, home care nursing as a cherished desire of nursing science obtained its legal ground in the established medical programs and, in the same context, patients came to have the chance to receive demanded medical services in their home without going through complicated hospital admission procedures. Considering the future status of home care nursing as a major contributor in the consumer-centered structure of medical health service, aroma therapy as a complementary/alternative method is expected to contribute not only to establishing more effective structure of health service supply but also to resolving chronic health problem of outpatients.