• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.204-221
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• 1999

Due to the ever increasing life-span of human beings, the average woman is living well into her 70's. Henceforth, they spend at least one-third of their life after menopause. Climacteric encompasses the time preceding, during, and proceeding menopause : a transitional period of shifting from the period of being fertile to the period of senescence. In other words, this is the time at which they lose the ability to reproduce. Menopause can influence a woman's sexual life immensely due to the physiological, social, and psychological changes that occur during that period. In korea, where some women still live according to Confucian Culture in terms of sexology, nurses can play a vital role in the dissemination of sexual facts to women. This study was designed to clarity the characteristic and satisfaction of sexual life. This was done according to the classification of three types of climacteric women : pre-meno-pausal, menopausal, and post-menopausal. I studied 159 climacteric women between the ages of 45 & 59, living in or around the vicinity of Taegu City. This study utilized the investigative tools for sexual life patterns which were constructed with field experts' consultation and reference review by the author. The sexual satisfaction was translated from DSFI. The climacteric symptoms were invented by Kupperman, This research is descriptive. The data was collected between July 15, 1998 and October 14, 1998. Statistical analysis was performed using ANOVA and Pearson Correlations, and was computed with the SPSS program. The results obtained are summarized as follows; The frequency of sexual activity was highest in pre-menopause and declined after menopause. The frequency of genital caressing declined after menopause. The difference between the frequency of masturbation and coital pain was not significant according to the classification set forth in this experiment. Congruently, the frequency of orgasms declined after menopause. The mean satisfaction of sexual life is 27.1 years. The range of expected score is 9-45 years of age. Satisfaction was highest in the pre-menopausal group and proved to be statistically significant. Some of the general characteristics that affected the satisfaction a woman's sexual life in the climacteric stage during this project were ; age, income, satisfaction in younger pre-menopausal and the large income group than the other experimental groups. The climacteric symptoms were conversely correlated with the satisfaction in one's sexual life.

• Architectural research
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2006

Various housing measures are needed for the rapidly aging society of Korea. In particular, the welfare policy for the elderly has changed towards the community care. Taking this fact into consideration, it is necessary to have the establishment of a system that offers the elderly appropriate welfare services at their appropriate residence (ageing in place) for the effectiveness of the community care. In this aspect, there are a number of implications to Korea to study merits and demerits of the Health Facilities for the Aged (HFA) in Japan. The society of Japan has been rapidly aging since 1970, and Korea is to face the same situation. As for the data of this study, a total of 2,393 facilities (as of November 1999) mentioned in the annual report of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare were classified based on types of their establishment: (1) free-standing structures (603 facilities); (2) annexes to hospitals (981 facilities); (3) annexes to welfare facilities (511 facilities); and (4) annexes to clinics (298 facilities). Next, 239 facilities were selected through taking a sample of 10 percent from each type of the HFA mentioned above. This was done through the random sampling method with the computer program of MS EXCEL. The Implications of the results of analyses are as follows. First, most of the health facilities were planned with the scale that was larger than the scale of standard special nursing homes in terms of the total floor area. Precise equations that were to obtain precise results of the scale of the HFA and the appropriate number of residents were obtained through the method of the regression analysis. Korea and Japan have similarities in terms of culture, society and family relations; however, the two countries also have differences in terms of the application of laws on the establishment of houses, hospitals, and welfare facilities. As for planning the scale of the HFA, the realities of Korea should be considered. Second, as for the functional aspect of the HFA with a condition of returning home, the place before and after the HFA showed the pattern of 'from a residential place to a residential place' and 'from a hospital to a hospital.' This reveals a close correlation with the types of the HFAs and operational ways of the facilities. Its cause is considered to be the aspect of the operation and management of the HFA rather than the aspect of its function of providing services in association with medical and health facilities. Therefore, when intermediate welfare facilities are considered in Korea, it is strongly advised to consider the problem of annexes to other facilities and efficiency of sharing of the facilities in terms of its operation and management.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.40-51
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• 2000

Purpose : This study was carried out to identify the factor of decisional balance for exercise. This was composed of a set of variables at the level of decision making when the elderly decide to do exercise. It was used to classify and identify the characteristics of the stages of change for exercise to which the elderly belong, and was used to identify the variables of decisional balance which influence the stage of change for exercise in the elderly. Methods : Convenient samples of 198 subjects over age 60 in Seoul( mean age=70) were selected from community living, mentally competant older adults and the data was collected from April 1, 1999 to May 31, 1999. The research instrument was the Decisional Balance Measure for Exercise(Marcus & Owen., 1992), Stage of Change Measure(Marcus et al,1992). The data was analyzed by SAS Program. Results: 1. According to stage of change measure, without missing data,191 subjects were distributed in each stage of change for exercise : 50 subjects(26.1%), 7 subjects (3.6%), 52 subjects(27.2%), 4 subjects(2%), and 78(40.8%) belonged to the precontemplation stage, contemplation stage, preparation stage, action stage and maintenace stage. 2. Factor analysis identified 3 factors of decisional balance as appropriate factors for exercise of the elderly and named by researchers; 1)'Perceived Physical-psychological benefit', 2)'Perceived Physical-psychological burden', and 3)'Perceived time burden'. 3. The analysis of variance showed that the two components Perceived Physical - psychological benefit(F=45.95, P=.0001), and Perceived Physical-psychological burden (F=26.52, P=.0001) were significantly associated with stage of change. 4. Through the discriminant analysis, it was found that both 'Self Perceived Physical - Psychological benefit' and 'Perceived Physical-Psychological burden' were the influential variables in discriminating the three stages of change(pre-contemplation, preparation, and maintenance). Conclusion : Results are consistent with the application of the Transtheoretical model, which has been used to understand how people change health behaviors. Even though this study is a cross-sectional, not a longitudinal study, the findings of this study give useful information for exercise intervention about especially the factors relating to decision making for exercise of the elderly in the different stages of change of exercise.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.22
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• pp.10021-10025
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• 2014

Background: The study aimed to describe the age distribution of breast cancer diagnosis among Chinese females for comparison with the United States and the European Union, and provide evidence for the screening target population in China. Materials and Methods: Median age was estimated from hospital databases from 7 tertiary hospitals in China. Population-based data in China, United States and European Union was extracted from the National Central Cancer Registry, SEER program and GLOBOCAN 2008, respectively. Age-standardized distribution of breast cancer at diagnosis in the 3 areas was estimated based on the World Standard Population 2000. Results: The median age of breast cancer at diagnosis was around 50 in China, nearly 10 years earlier than United States and European Union. The diagnosis age in China did not vary between subgroups of calendar year, region and pathological characteristics. With adjustment for population structure, median age of breast cancer at diagnosis was 50~54 in China, but 55~59 in United States and European Union. Conclusions: The median diagnosis age of female breast cancer is much earlier in China than in the United States and the European Union pointing to racial differences in genetics and lifestyle. Screening programs should start at an earlier age for Chinese women and age disparities between Chinese and Western women warrant further studies.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.851-856
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• 2016

Background: Breast cancer is a major health problem among women around the world. Recent developments in screening and treatment have greatly improved the prognosis of patients with breast cancer in developed countries. However, in developing countries breast cancer mortality remains high.Breast cancer awareness is a first and important step in reducing breast cancer mortality. The development of a validated instrument to measure breast cancer awareness is crucial for the understanding and implementation of suitable health education programs to facilitate early deletion and minimize mortality. Objective: The objective of this study was to develop an instrument for the assessment of breast cancer awareness in Thai women. Materials and Methods: This methodological study was conducted in two stages: (1) literature searches and semi-structured interviews were conducted to generate items of the breast cancer awareness scale (B-CAS) which were subsequently examined for content and face validity, and (2) an exploration of the factor structure of the resulting instrument and an examination of its reliability. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire in Thai women aged 20-64 in August, 2015. Results: A total of 219 women (response rate 97.4 %) participated in this validation study. The B-CAS contains five domains with 53 items on breast cancer awareness: 1) knowledge of risk factors, 2) knowledge of signs and symptoms, 3) attitude to breast cancer prevention, 4) barriers of breast screening, and 5) health behavior related to breast cancer awareness. Items with a content validity index < 0.80 were excluded, and factor structure for the remaining items reflected the hypothesized five factor model. The scales based on all retained items was shown to have strongly internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's ${\alpha}=0.86$). Conclusions: The B-CAS provides good psychometric properties to assess breast cancer awareness in women. It can be used to examine breast cancer awareness in Thai women and it could lead to the development and evaluation of suitable educational interventions for raising breast cancer awareness. Future research should focus on further validating the B-CAS including an assessment of construct and criterion-based validity.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.2515-2519
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• 2015

Purpose: To determine knowledge levels of working and student nurses about cervical cancer and prophylactic cancer vaccines. Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 259 nursing students in the Department of Nursing and 137 nurses working in Health Research and Practice Center, approved to participate in the study between April-June 2012. The study was performed universally without selecting a sample. A questionnaire that was prepared for evaluating participants' knowledge and attitudes about human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine was distributed to the nurses and data obtained from the forms were transferred to SPSS 15.00 program and statistically analyzed. Results: It was found that 54.8% of the student nurses were between 21-24 years old and 13.1% of working students were between 25-28 years old. When student nurses and working nurses were compared in terms of their knowledge about the causes of cervical cancer, their ideas about prevention from cervical cancer with HPV vaccine, their ideas about possible risks of HPV vaccine and conservation ratios of HPV vaccine, it was observed that there were no statistically significant differences (p>0.05). When student nurses and working nurses were compared in terms of the information-source about HPV, ways of HPV contamination, awareness about people who are susceptible to HPV contamination and age of HPV vaccination, it was determined that there was a statistically significant difference (p<0.05). Conclusions: It was found that all nurses had some knowledge about cervical cancer and HPV vaccine, but this was not sufficient. Therefore; it is recommended to use verbal, written and visual communication tools intensively in order to have topics on cervical cancer, early diagnosis and prevention in bachelor and master programs for nurses, to inform society about cervical cancer and HPV vaccine for public health and to teach precautions for its prevention.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.12
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• pp.5043-5047
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• 2014

Nowadays increasing effectiveness in cancer therapy and investigation of formation of new strategies that enhance antiproliferative activity against target organs has become a subject of interest. Although the molecular mechanisms of apoptosis can not be fully explained, it is known that cell suicide program existing in their memory genetically is activated by pathophysiological conditions and events such as oxidative stress. Low pressure (hypobaric) conditions that create hypoxia promote apoptosis by inhibiting cell cycling. In this study, determination of the effects of fractional hypobaric applications at different times on HeLa cells at cellular and molecular levels were targeted. Experiments were carried out under hypobaric conditions (35.2 kPa) in a specially designed hypobaric cabin including 2% $O_2$ and 98% N. Application of fractional hypobaric conditions was repeated two times for 3 hours with an interval of 24 hours. At the end of the implementation period cells were allowed to incubate for 24 hours for activation of repair mechanisms. Cell kinetic parameters such as growth rate (MTT) and apoptotic index were used in determination of the effect of hypobaric conditions on HeLa cells. Also in our study expression levels of the Bcl-2 gene family that have regulatory roles in apoptosis were determined by the RT-PCR technique to evaluate molecular mechanisms. The results showed that antiproliferative effect of hypobaric conditions on HeLa cells started three hours from the time of application and increased depending on the period of exposure. While there was a significant decrease in growth rate values, there was a significant increase in apoptotic index values (p<0.01). Also molecular studies showed that hypobaric conditions caused a significant increase in expression level of proapoptotic gene Bax and significant decrease in antiapoptotic Bfl-1. Consequently fractional application of hypobaric conditions on HeLa cell cultures increased both antiproliferative and apoptotic effects and these effects were triggered by the Bax gene.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.22
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• pp.9635-9641
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• 2014

Background: This retrospective study was aimed to investigate the efficacy of prophylactic agents in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients receiving TACE and compare the difference between lamivudine and entecavir. Materials and Methods: A consecutive series of 203 HBV-related HCC patients receiving TACE were analyzed including 91 patients given prophylactic agents. Virologic events, defined as an increase in serum HBV DNA level to more than 1 log10 IU/ml higher than the nadir level, hepatitis flares due to HBV reactivation and progression free survival (PFS) were the main endpoints. Results: Some 48 (69.6%) reached virologic response. Prophylaxis significantly reduced virologic events (8.8% vs 58.0%, p=0.000) and hepatitis flares (1.1% vs 13.4%, p=0.001). Patients presenting undetectable HBV DNA levels displayed a significantly improved PFS as compared to those who never achieved undetectable HBV DNA. Prophylaxis and e-antigen positivity were the only significant variables associated with virologic events. In addition, prophylaxis was the only independent protective factor for hepatitis flares. Liver cirrhosis, more cycles of TACE, HBV DNA negativity, a lower Cancer of the Liver Italian Program score, non-metastasis and no hepatitis flares were protective factors for PFS. Prophylactic lamivudine demonstrated similar efficacy as entecavir. Conclusions: Prophylactic agents are efficacious for prevention of HBV reactivation in HCC patients receiving TACE. Achievement of undetectable HBV DNA levels displayed a significant capability in improving PFS. Moreover, persistent tumor residual lesions, positive HBV DNA and hepatitis B flares might be causes of tumor progression in these patients.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.7657-7661
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• 2013

Background: This study concerns uptake and results of colorectal cancer (CRC) screening of government servant as part of the Health Screening Program that was conducted in Brunei Darussalam in 2009. Materials and Methods: Government servants above the age of 40 or with family history of CRC were screened with a single fecal occult blood test (FIT, immunohistochemistry). Among 11,576 eligible subjects, 7,360 (66.9%) returned their specimen. Subjects with positive family history of CRC (n=329) or polyps (n=135) were advised to attend clinics to arrange screening. All the subjects with positive FIT (n=142, 1.9%) were referred to the endoscopy unit for counselling for screening colonoscopy. Results: Overall only 17.7% of eligible subjects attended for screening; 54.9% (n=79/142) of positive FIT, 8.8% (n=29/329) of positive family history of CRC and none with history of polyps (n=0/135). Of these, only 54 patients (50.5%) agreed for colonoscopy, 52 (48.6%) declined as they were asymptomatic, and one was not offered (0.9%) due to his very young age. On screening colonoscopy, 12.9% (n=7) had advanced lesions including a sigmoid carcinoma in situ and six advanced polyps. The other findings included non advanced polyps (n=21), diverticular (n=11) and hemorrhoids (n=26). One patient who missed his screening colonoscopy appointment re-presented two years later and was diagnosed with advanced right sided CRC. All the advanced lesions were detected in patients with positive FIT, giving a yield of 20.5% for advanced lesions including cancers in the 5.1% FIT positive subjects. Conclusions: Our study showed screening for CRC even with a single FIT was effective. However, the uptake rate was poor with just over half of the patients agreeing to screening colonoscopy. Measures to increase public awareness are important. Since one limitation of our study was the relatively small sample size, larger studies should be conduced in future.

• The Journal of Art Theory & Practice
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• no.2
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• pp.191-213
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• 2004

The trend of "Blockbuster Exhibitions" over the past decade has led to the unfortunate reality that museums, losing sight of their role as an Academic organization, are becoming increasingly influenced by the corporate world. In my dissertation entitled "The Commercialization of Blockbuster Exhibitions in Museums," I explore the modern tendency toward Blockbuster exhibitions in art museums and the negative impact of those exhibitions on the art world. Museums of the modern day have expanded their territory from the traditional venue of public education to the hybrid cultural space. This mission, evident in the museum's attempt to satisfy audiences with the offering of diverse activities, has changed the concept of the museum, giving priority to the desire for financial gain. From the viewpoint of this new museology, the museum considers Blockbuster exhibitions as the safest method to increase ticket sales. As a program that openly reveals the commercialism of the museum, I explore the Blockbuster show and its strategies as a means of exposing the influence of the corporate world on art. A key component to the Blockbuster exhibition is the "hype" that is created to attract an audience. This devotion to increased publicity distracts from what should be the goal of public education, as the primary focus leans towards the desire for a large number of visitors. Consequently, this unavoidably standardized exhibition is presented to the public in a manner that deprives the audience of a unique experience. With large crowds and increased ticket prices, it is difficult to form a genuine appreciation of the artwork. In addition to the profit gained by increased ticket prices and the commercial sales of "souvenirs" from the museum gift shop, Blockbuster shows are used as a means to attract the attention of corporate sponsors. As explained in my dissertation, the importance that the museum places on corporate sponsorship as a capital resource is evident, however the degree to which the museum allows itself to he influenced by the desire for capital gain poses a threat to its function as an academic organization. Circumstances in American museum history, in particular, have influenced the transition from academic resource to corporation within museology. In keeping with the nation's tendency towards capitalism, art museums in the United States were initially established and developed by individual capitalists who applied principals of corporate operation to museum management. As a result, in modern days, We witness the influence of enterprise on museum programs, while corporate management may be able to guarantee immediate fiscal benefits, however, it is unable insure the future of the museum. In Slim, my dissertation discusses the mechanism of the commercialized "Blockbuster Exhibition" and the impact that it has on the future of the museum as an industry. This research provides an opportunity to reconsider the role of the museum as an academic institution, particularly in regard to the need to decrease the capitalization of exhibitions and refocus their influence on the art world as an educational resource.