• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.38-47
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• 2015

Objectives: Controlling blood pressure is a key step in reducing cardiovascular mortality in older adults. Gender differences in patients' attitudes after disease diagnosis and their management of the disease have been identified. However, it is unclear whether gender differences exist in hypertension management among older adults. We hypothesized that gender differences would exist among factors associated with hypertension diagnosis and control among community-dwelling, older adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 653 Koreans aged ${\geq}60years$ who participated in the Korean Social Life, Health, and Aging Project. Multiple logistic regression was used to compare several variables between undiagnosed and diagnosed hypertension, and between uncontrolled and controlled hypertension. Results: Diabetes was more prevalent in men and women who had uncontrolled hypertension than those with controlled hypertension or undiagnosed hypertension. High body mass index was significantly associated with uncontrolled hypertension only in men. Multiple logistic regression analysis indicated that in women, awareness of one's blood pressure level (odds ratio [OR], 2.86; p=0.003) and the number of blood pressure checkups over the previous year (OR, 1.06; p=0.011) might influence the likelihood of being diagnosed with hypertension. More highly educated women were more likely to have controlled hypertension than non-educated women (OR, 5.23; p=0.013). Conclusions: This study suggests that gender differences exist among factors associated with hypertension diagnosis and control in the study population of community-dwelling, older adults. Education-based health promotion strategies for hypertension control might be more effective in elderly women than in elderly men. Gender-specific approaches may be required to effectively control hypertension among older adults.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.123-129
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• 2017

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of hypertension and diabetes mellitus on depression and suicidal impulse through the total inspection on specific rural areas in Gangwon-do. This survey selected adults over the age of 30 and conducted from May 19 to Sep. 30 in 2014. Of the 1,200 questionnaires distributed, 970 were completed and returned to be used for the study. To figure out the actual condition of hypertension and diabetes among the participants, the research examined the degree of their depression and suicidal impulse. It examined their smoking and exercise habits to check their health conditions. The research showed that patients diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes had a higher tendency of depression and suicidal impulse. The significant variable affecting depression is suicidal impulse(p<0.001>). Also, the significant variables affecting suicidal impulse are hypertension and depression. Based on these results, local health institutions need to include mental health services for the patients with hypertension and diabetes and coordinate them comprehensively and effectively.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.605-611
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• 2018

Objectives: The aim of this study was to report a 118-case series demonstrating the treatment of hypertension in a Korean medicine clinic and to evaluate the effect of Korean medicine. Materials & Methods: From 2006 to 2018, patients who visited a Korean medicine clinic for hypertension were investigated by studying changes in blood pressure before and after treatment with herbal medicine, acupuncture, and Uwhangchungsim-won. The average treatment period was 81.6 days. Results: After treatment with Korean medicine, the mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of all patients decreased significantly (p<0.001). The SBP decreased from $148.9{\pm}10.3$ to $133.8{\pm}13.9$, and the DBP decreased from $91.3{\pm}7.5$ to $82.5{\pm}9.0$. After treatment with acupuncture or Uwhangchungsim-won, the patient showed decreased blood pressure but the differences were not statistically significant when compared with the non-treated group. Conclusions: This study shows the real situation of hypertension treatment in Korean medicine and indicates that Korean medicine could be one of the primary treatment for hypertension. However, this study had limitations, such as variations in the treatment periods, the frequency of acupuncture treatments, and the type of antihypertensive drugs. For further evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment for hypertension using Korean medicine, a well-designed study should be undertaken.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.255-264
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• 2008

Objectives: This study adopted a qualitative method to explore the layman's beliefs and experience concerning high blood pressure and its management in order to develop a strategy to increase adherence to proper medical treatment. Methods: Semi-structured interviews that focused on personal experiences with hypertension and its management were conducted with 26 hypertensive patients. The participants were selected according to a BP above 140/90 mmHg (hypertension stage 1), based on the seventh report of the Joint National Committee on prevention, detection, evaluation and treatment of high blood pressure (JNC-VII). The interviews lasted for approximately 30 minutes (range: 20-60 minutes). The resulting questions were formulated into open-ended questions. The interview questionnaire was composed 17 items to examine non-adherence to treatment and 19 items to examine adherence to treatment. Results: Most participants recognized that the direct cause of high blood pressure was unhealthy behavior rather than inheritance. Thus, the hypertensive patient believed they could recover their blood pressure to a normal level through removing the direct cause of hypertension (weight reduction, diet, exercise) instead of taking drugs. The reasons for these statements were that the drugs for controlling hypertension are not natural or they are artificial, and they may have side effects, and drugs are not treatment for the root cause of hypertension. Most of the hypertensive patients chose to manage their behaviors as soon as they knew their blood pressure was high. Therefore, we should not divide the subjects into two groups according to their taking drugs or not, but they should be divided into two groups according to their willingness or not to manage their condition. Conclusions: For developing a strategy for an individual approach to hypertension management, we need to develop a client-centered attitude and strategy. That is, we need to tailor our approach to individual cases to avoid generalizations and stereotyping when developing an adherence increasing strategy.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.163-180
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• 1978

Much of a person's energy is spent in the effort of becoming a productive member of to-day's complex society. This activity may cause tension, and chronic unrelieved tension is an influential factor in blood pressure elevation. The problem of this study was to identify manifest needs and self-actualization of patients with essential hypertension, and to analyse and compare their manifest needs and selt-actualization with the selected general characteristics of We, sex, religion, occupation and level of education with a control group of patients with normal blood pressure readings. The purpose was to contribute to the planning of nursing interventions toward reducing the impact of complex psycho-somatic factors on the anxiety of patients with essential hypertension. The instruments used included selected items from the Edwards (1959) Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) as adapted by Hwang (1965) and from the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI) (Shostrom 1964, 1974) adapted by Kim and Lee (1977) to measure manifest needs and self-actualization. The convenience sample was chosen from 149 persons who presented themselves for general physical examinations at Ewha University Medical Centre and 41 patients diagnosed with essential hypertension at three general hospitals in Seoul during June 1 and August 31, 1977. Forty-nine persons from the Ewha group with blood-pressure readings exceeding 150/90 were added to the experimental group. Data were analysed by the S.P.S.S. computer programme using t-test and tests for statistical significance. Statistically significant findings were as follows: A. Blood Pressure and Manifest Needs. 1. with the exception of Autonomy, patients with hypertension had significantly high scores on all variables Abasement, Achievement, Affiliation, Aggression, Dominance, Emotionality, Exhibitionism and Sex. 2. When mean scores of normal persons were compared by age groups, normal persons had higher scores in the following order on Abasement (50's, 40's, 20's, 30's), Achievement (50's, 30's, 40's, 20's), Affiliation (50's, 40's, 30's, 20's), Dominance (50's, 40's, 40's, 20's) and Exhibitionism (30's, 50's, 40's, 20's). In each case, there was a significant difference between the first and last age group scores. 3. When the mean scores of normal persons were compared by sex, normal men had higher scores than women on Achievement, Affiliation, Aggression, Dominance, Exhibitionism and Sex. Male patients had higher scores than female patients on Achievement, Dominance, Exhibitionism and Sex, but female patients scored higher in Emotionality. 4. Normal persons had higher scores related to religion in the following order on Achievement (Buddhism, no religion, Christianity). Hyper tensive patients had higher scores on. Exhibitionism (no religion, Christianity, Buddhism). 5. Normal persons had higher scores related to occupation in the following order on Achievement and Exhibitionism (unemployed, office workers, teachless, businessmen), Emotionality (office workers, unemployed, businessmen, teacher) and Sex (office workers, unemployed, teachers, businessmen). Hypertensive patients had higher scores on Achievement and Aggression (teachers, businessmen, office worker, unemployed), Dominance and Exhibitionism (businessmen, teacher, of ace workers, unemployed) and Sex (teachers, office worker, businessmen, unemployed). 6. Normal persons had higher scores related to level of edification in the following order on Abasement, Emotionality and Autonomy (secondary school graduation, university). Hypertensive patients had higher scores on Abasement (no education, primary, university, secondary), Achievement (no education, secondary, university, primary) , Dominance (university, no education, secondary, primary), Exhibitionism (university, secondary, no education, primary), and Sex (university, secondary, primary, no education). B. Blood Pressure and Self_Actualization 1, Patients with hypertension had significantly lower scores on all variables. 2. Normal persons had higher scores related to age groups in the following order on Existentiality (20's, 30's, 40's, 50's). Hypertensive patients showed no significantly different scores. 3. Normal women had higher scores than men on Time Competence. Normal men had higher scores on Feeling Reactivity. Male patients had higher scores than women on Self-Actualizing Value and Self-Regard. 4. Normal persons ha 1 higher scores related to religion on spontaneity (Buddhism, no religion, Christianity). Hypertensive patients had higher scores on Time Competence and Nature of Man (Buddhism, Christianity, no religion). 5. Normal persons had higher scores related to occupation in the following order on Existentiality (teachers, office workers, businessmen, unemployed) and Self-Regard (unemployed, office workers, teachers, businessmen). Hypertensive patients showed no significantly different scores. 6. Normal persons had higher scores related to level of education in the following order on Existentiality and Self-Acceptance (university, secondary). Hypertensive patients had higher scores on inner-Director (university, secondary, no education, primary) and Existentiality (university, secondary, primary, no education). Recommendations for nursing interventions with hypertensive patients with emotional problems or low self-actualization were made. 1. The nurse should encourage the patient through her interactions with other members of the medical team to accept counselling and health education. 2. Through her therapeutic interpersonal relationships with the patient, the nurse should help him discover the causes of his emotional tension. 3. Through her health teaching with the family, the nurse should encourage them to participate with the medical team in the patient's therapeutic plan and in providing him with the minimum possible emotional support. 4. Through frequent counselling with the obsessive-thinking and inflexible patient, the nurse should reevaluate the patient's behaviour and her interventions. 5. Seriously ill patients should be given needed reeducation by members of the professional medical team.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.41-48
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• 2013

Background: We present our 12-year experience of pulmonary thromboendarterectomy in patients with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Materials and Methods: Between January 1999 and March 2011, 16 patients underwent pulmonary thromboendarterectomy. Eleven patients (69%) were classified as functional class III or IV based on the New York Heart Association (NYHA) classification. Seven patients had a history of inferior vena cava filter insertion, and 5 patients showed coagulation disorders. Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy was performed during total circulatory arrest with deep hypothermia in 14 patients. Results: In-hospital mortality and late death occurred in 2 patients (12.5%) and 1 patient (6.3%), respectively. Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation support was required in 4 patients who developed severe hypoxemia after surgery. Thirteen of the 14 survivors have been followed up for 54 months (range, 2 to 141 months). The pulmonary arterial systolic pressure and cardiothoracic ratio on chest radiography was significantly decreased after surgery ($76{\pm}26$ mmHg vs. $41{\pm}17$ mmHg, p=0.001; $55%{\pm}8%$ vs. $48%{\pm}3%$, p=0.003). Tricuspid regurgitation was reduced from $2.1{\pm}1.1$ to $0.7{\pm}0.6$ (p=0.007), and the NYHA functional class was also improved to I or II in 13 patients (81%). These symptomatic and hemodynamic improvements maintained during the late follow-up period. Conclusion: Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension shows good clinical outcomes with acceptable early and long term mortality.

• Psychiatry investigation
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.1064-1070
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• 2018

Objective Several cell line studies have demonstrated thioridazine's anticancer, multidrug resistance-reversing and apoptosis-inducing properties in various tumors. We conducted this nationwide population-based study to investigate the association between thioridazine use and cancer risk among adult patients with schizophrenia. Methods Based on the Psychiatric Inpatient Medical Claim of the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan, a total of 185,689 insured psychiatric patients during 2000 to 2005 were identified. After excluding patients with prior history of schizophrenia, only 42,273 newly diagnosed patients were included. Among them, 1,631 patients ever receiving thioridazine for more than 30 days within 6 months were selected and paired with 6,256 randomly selected non-thioridazine controls. These patients were traced till 2012/12/31 to see if they have any malignancy. Results The incidence rates of hypertension and cerebrovascular disease were higher among cases than among matched controls. The incidence of hyperlipidemia, coronary artery disease and chronic pulmonary disease did not differ between the two groups. By using Cox proportional hazard model for cancer incidence, the crude hazard ratio was significantly higher in age, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cerebrovascular disease, coronary artery disease and chronic pulmornary disease. However, after adjusting for other covariates, only age and hypertension remained significant. Thioridazine use in adult patients with schizophrenia had no significant association with cancer. Conclusion Despite our finding that thioridazine use had no prevention in cancer in adult patients with schizophrenia. Based on the biological activity, thioridazine is a potential anticancer drug and further investigation in human with cancer is warranted.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.37-42
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• 2024

Purpose: Limited data exist regarding outcome and morbidity associated with portosystemic shunts in the pediatric transplant population. Our study assesses the outcomes of pediatric patients who underwent a portosystemic shunt procedure, both with and without liver transplantation (LT). Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed the medical records of pediatric patients aged 0-19 years who underwent shunt placement between 2003 and 2017 at a tertiary care center. The analysis included cases of shunt placement with or without LT. Results: A total of 13 pediatric patients were included in the study with median age of 8.8 years. Among the cases, 11 out of 13 (84.6%) underwent splenorenal shunt, 1 (7.7%) underwent a mesocaval shunt, and another 1 (7.7%) underwent a Modified Rex (mesoportal) shunt. Additionally, 5 out of 13 (38.5%) patients had LT, with 4 out of 5 (80.0%) receiving the transplant before shunt placement, and 1 out of 5 (20.0%) receiving it after shunt placement. Gastrointestinal bleeding resulting from portal hypertension was the indication in all cases. A total of 10 complications were reported in 5 patients; the most common complication was anemia in 3 (23.1%) patients. At the most recent follow-up visit, the shunts were functional without encephalopathy, and no deaths were reported. Conclusion: Shunt placement plays a crucial role in the management of patients with portal hypertension. Our study demonstrates favorable long-term outcomes in pediatric patients who underwent shunt placement. Long term shunt outcomes were similar and unremarkable in patients with LT and without LT.

• Journal of Chest Surgery
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.1174-1179
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• 1990

Forty-five patients with double-outlet right ventricle[DORV] underwent complete intracardiac repair between July, 1983 and June, 1989. Patients with complete atrioventricular canal, atrioventricular discordance and uni-ventricular heart were excluded. The 32 male and 13 female patients ranged in age from 3 months to 15 years[mean 4 years]. Thirty-two patients had pulmonary stenosis. The early mortality was 11.ltd[5 /45] None of 27 died after a completely intraventricular repair. The mortality was 20%[1/5] for repair using transannular patch, 20% [1/5] for REV operation, 33.3%[1/3] for repair including extracardiac valved conduit, and 50% [1/2] for Jatene operation, respectively. Two modified Fontan procedures were performed without mortality. One died after Senning operation. Causes of early deaths included high residual right ventricular pressure[one patient] small left atrial and left ventricular volume[one patient], persisting severe pulmonary hypertension [one patient] and low cardiac output of unknown cause [two patients]. Complete heart block developed in one patient. Two late deaths occurred among the 40 operative survivors [5.0Po] from persisting severe pulmonary hypertension and bleeding at reoperation. Our results indicate that significant defects can be repaired with low mortality and morbidity.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.847-852
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to investigate the difference of electrodermal activity between the hypertensive and non-hypertensive subjects. A total 161 subjects who visited a hospital for health check ups from August 2011 through November 2011 and from September 2012 through November 2012 were included in this study. We divided the subjects into two groups by blood pressure, hypertension group(81 patients) and non-hypertension group(180 subject). Then we compared electrodermal activity between two groups by using the autonomic bioelectric response device model CP-6000A. The data was analyzed by independent t-test and logistic regression. In this study, there was a significant difference in electrodermal activity(the mean absolute value of positive, negative pulse conductivity) between hypertensive and normotensive group in t-test and electrodermal activity showed the significant influence on the prevalence risk of hypertension with age, body mass index and dyslipidema in binominal logistic regression. In conclusion, hypertensive patients had high level of electrodermal activity compared with normotensive subjects and this finding suggests that electrodermal activity which is explained excess tendency in Korean traditional medicine could be used for diagnosis in hypertension patients at Korean traditional medical clinic.