• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2018

Smokers keep smoking despite knowing that tobacco claims many lives, including their own and others'. What makes it hard for them to quit smoking nonetheless? Tobacco companies insist that smokers choose to smoke, according to their right to self-determination. Moreover, they insist that with motivation and willpower to quit smoking, smokers can easily stop smoking. Against this backdrop, this paper aims to discuss the addictive disease called tobacco use disorder, with an assessment of the addictiveness of tobacco and the reasons why smoking cessation is challenging, based on neuroscientific research. Nicotine that enters the body via smoking is rapidly transmitted to the central nervous system and causes various effects, including an arousal response. The changes in the nicotine receptors in the brain due to continuous smoking lead to addiction symptoms such as tolerance, craving, and withdrawal. Compared with other addictive substances, including alcohol and opioids, tobacco is more likely to cause dependence in smokers, and smokers are less likely to recover from their dependence. Moreover, the thinning of the cerebral cortex and the decrease in cognitive functions that occur with aging accelerate with smoking. Such changes occur in the structure and functions of the brain in proportion to the amount and period of smoking. In particular, abnormalities in the neural circuits that control cognition and decision-making cause loss of the ability to exert self-control and autonomy. This initiates nicotine dependence and the continuation of addictive behaviors. Therefore, smoking is considered to be a behavior that is repeated due to dependence on an addictive substance, nicotine, instead of one's choice by free will.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.209-217
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• 2004

Evaluation of dementia in patients with early symptoms of cognitive decline is clinically challenging, but the need for early, accurate diagnosis has become more crucial, since several medication for the treatment of mild to moderate Alzheimer' disease are available. Many neurodegenerative diseases produce significant brain function alteration even when structural imaging (CT or MRI) reveal no specific abnormalities. The role of PET and SPECT brain imaging in the initial assessment and differential diagnosis of dementia is beginning to evolve vapidly and growing evidence indicates that appropriate incorporation of PET into the clinical work up can improve diagnostic and prognostic accuracy with respect to Alzheimer's disease, the most common cause of dementia in the geriatric population. in the fast few years, studios comparing neuropathologic examination with PET have established reliable and consistent accuracy for diagnostic evaluations using PET - accuracies substantially exceeding those of comparable studies of diagnostic value of SPECT or of both modalities assessed side by side, or of clinical evaluations done without nuclear imaging. This review deals the role of functional brain imaging techniques in the evaluation of dementias and the role of nuclear neuroimaging in the early detection and diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.488-499
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• 2006

Purpose: Behavioral symptoms in dementia (BSD) are one of the most disturbing behaviors to caregivers and a major reason for nursing home placement. Behavioral symptoms are often treated with psychotropic drugs (PD), however, the effect of such drugs for the frail elderly dementia patient is not certain because of their critical adverse effects. Theoretical model applicable to nursing practice for BSD in nursing homes, which is essential in guiding and evaluating such interventions, is absent. This article presents the process of developing a theoretical model of BSD in nursing homes. Method: Using Walker and Avants' theory synthesis method, three behavior models and two system models were incorporated into the proposed model to provide the theoretical and analytical explanation of the relationships between PD usage, its determinants, and BSD. Results: Resident variables and nursing home variables related to the two focal concepts (i.e., PD usage and BSD) were identified. Resident variables include demographical characteristics such as age and gender, and dementia-compromised functions such as cognitive and functional impairment. Nursing home variables include facility characteristics such as ownership type and size, and physical and psychosocial environment. Conclusion: The proposed model suggests that fulfillment of resident unmet needs through improvement of physical and psychosocial environment may produce better health outcomes of nursing home residents with BSD. Assessment and intervening environmental triggers of such behaviors are also suggested to be prior to the PD usage.

• Journal of Educational Research in Mathematics
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.289-306
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• 2009

In this study, pre-service teachers who would be mathematics teachers of secondary school wrote the journal about learning mathematics. Journal writing helped pre-service teachers' math learning. Pre-service teachers could think mathematics reflectively, inquire it, represent their affectivity, plan the self-directed learning, and have the records of learning. They considered the educational issues as instructional methods, organization and management of instruction, assessment, and attitude of teacher. As well, they thought that journal writing was important in learning mathematics and how they would apply their students. Journal writing was meaningful to pre-service teacher education in cognitive and situative aspects.

• Journal of Korean Elementary Science Education
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.350-363
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• 2010

Recently there has been increasing emphasis on pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) for fostering science teachers' teaching professionalism that needs to be done from teacher training courses systematically. We investigated what were the PCK factors considered in planning instruction and the difficulties encountered in implementing it by pre-service teachers. In this study, 26 sophomores at an university of education in Gyeonggi province were asked to perform teaching demonstrations using scientific instruction models. They were also requested to write reflective journals and interview. Analyses of the results revealed that many pre-service teachers considered the teaching strategies such as the instruction organization and implementation when planning instruction. They had also regard to the learners' cognitive affective aspects, whereas the pre-knowledge of them was not properly considered. Especially, the curriculum and assessment were almost disregarded. Most of the difficulties encountered in planning instruction and implementing it were appeared in terms of the teaching strategies. For example, they had difficulties in considering the characteristics of each stage presented by the instruction models when planning instruction and implementing it. The frequencies of the difficulties in implementing experiment were especially higher than those of the other PCK factors. Educational implications of these findings are discussed.

• Science of Emotion and Sensibility
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.55-64
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• 2015

The aim of the study was to investigate the neural substrates associated with processing anger among young males with alcohol use disorders (AUDs) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Eighteen individuals with AUD and 15 demographically similar non-abusers participated in the study. Participants were scanned on their brain functioning while they viewed an audio-visual film clip that was previously designed specifically to induce anger emotion, followed by anpsychological assessment. Greater brain activities were detected in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) among subjects with AUD compared to the controls during the exposure to anger-provoking stimuli. Despite the same level of subjective anger during anger induction, the greater activations both in the IFG and dACC regions may suggestthat individuals with AUD have a greater propensity to undergo cognitive control and self-regulation while experiencing anger.

• Journal of Elementary Mathematics Education in Korea
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.63-81
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• 2014

Korean students have shown high achievements on the cognitive domain of mathematics in a range of international assessment tests. On the affective domain, however, significantly low achievements have been reported. Among the factors in the affective domain, this article discusses on the value of mathematics in the perspective of Michael Polanyi's philosophy, which centers personal knowledge and tacit knowing. Polanyi emphasizes abstractness and generalization in mathematics accompanied by intellectual beauty and passion. In his perspective, therefore, utilitarian aspects and usefulness of mathematics imparted through linguistic representations have limits in motivating students to learn mathematics. Students must be motivated from recognition of the value of mathematics formed through participating authentic mathematical problem solving activity with immersion, tension, confusion, passion, joy and the like.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.37-45
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was conducted in order to identify the brain injury patients's disability degree and educational needs of family caregivers. Methods: A convenience sample of 94 families with brain injury patients, who have been receiving treatment at the neurological intensive care unit and neurosurgery ward, were used. Data was collected with a self-report questionnaire from September 5 to November 28, 2011, and was analyzed using SAS program. Results: 'Defecation/urination' disability was the highest score of patient's physical disability and the next ranking was 'paralysis'. 'Memory impairment' disability was the highest score of patient's cognitive disability, and the next ranking was 'personality changes'. Overall, educational needs of family caregivers scored 4.15 out of the perfect score of 5. The factor, which scored highest, was 'information related with disease'. In addition, educational needs of family caregivers were positively related with patient's degree of. Conclusion: Educational needs of family caregivers are distinct, according to the disability degree of brain injury patient. Therefore, the study suggests the development of individualized educational program for family with brain injury patient.

• Korean Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.81-86
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• 2008

Delirium is not developed naturally and is not an endogenous disease. However, delirium has occurred in some specific populations, such as the elderly or medically compromised patients. These become limitations on the systematic study of the epidemiology of delirium. Many epidemiologic studies of delirium have been focused on the elderly due to the fact there are relatively few in the general population. In addition, assessment tools with various sensitivity and specificity have been used. Advanced age, male, poorer cognitive and functional status, and alcohol abuse are well known risk factors of delirium. the epidemiological data will be reviewed in the elderly, patients with dementia, hip fractures, patients hospitalized in intensive care units, terminal cancer and patients with stroke.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.191-201
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• 2004

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate economic viability of public health center visiting nurse services for the low-income elderly with long-term care needs. Method: The sample consisted of 252 community dwelling elderly who enrolled in public health center visiting nurse services for three months or more. Data was collected on physical (ADL and IADL) and cognitive impairments of the elderly, contents and frequency of visiting nurse services, cost per visit, and costs of alternative services for long-term care. Result: The mean score of ADL and IADL levels of the elderly was 2.80.4904, which indicated these patients were mostly independent. Eighty four percent of the elderly subjects were cognitively intact. Among visiting nurse services supplied, providing assessment was 34%, followed by education and counseling 26%, medication 22%, and referral. The mean cost per visit was 17,824.1 won, which transformed into a total cost per person per year of 161,130.2 won. Comparing the cost of a visiting nurse service with those of other long-term care alternatives, the visiting nurse service was the least costly alternative, followed by an outpatient clinic, hospital based home care, and nursing home. Conclusion: Overall, the results of the study provide evidence of the economic viability of visiting nurse services for the low-income elderly among long-term care alternatives.