• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.205-212
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• 2020

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the components of preterm birth (PTB) through women's personal narratives and to visualize clinical symptom expressions (CSEs). Methods: The participants were 11 women who gave birth before 37 weeks of gestational age. Personal narratives were collected by interactive unstructured storytelling via individual interviews, from August 8 to December 4, 2019 after receiving approval of the Institutional Review Board. The textual data were converted to PDF and analyzed using the MAXQDA program (VERBI Software). Results: The participants' mean age was 34.6 (±2.98) years, and five participants had a spontaneous vaginal birth. The following nine components of PTB were identified: obstetric condition, emotional condition, physical condition, medical condition, hospital environment, life-related stress, pregnancy-related stress, spousal support, and informational support. The top three codes were preterm labor, personal characteristics, and premature rupture of membrane, and the codes found for more than half of the participants were short cervix, fear of PTB, concern about fetal well-being, sleep difficulty, insufficient spousal and informational support, and physical difficulties. The top six CSEs were stress, hydramnios, false labor, concern about fetal wellbeing, true labor pain, and uterine contraction. "Stress" was ranked first in terms of frequency and "uterine contraction" had individual attributes. Conclusion: The text network analysis of narratives from women who gave birth preterm yielded nine PTB components and six CSEs. These nine components should be included for developing a reliable and valid scale for PTB risk and stress. The CSEs can be applied for assessing preterm labor, as well as considered as strategies for students in women's health nursing practicum.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.112-124
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to investigate the various postpartum symptoms and the relevant factors. So it can provide fundamental data about postpartum health care. In conclusion, we can prevent and manage the postpartum disease by using this data. Methods: The subject of the present study was 94 women (63 women who completed vaginal delivery and 31 women who delivered by cesarean section) who completed labor between November 1, 2013 and January 31, 2016, at the clinic of OB&GYN. They have been taking good care of their health at postpartum clinic in Andong Woori Women Hospital. We investigated the various symptoms and situation which occurred from the moment of hospital to postnatal admission health care period, and Korean medical doctor examined the patients through the four examination methods. We classified the symptoms by maternal age, the frequency of maternal childbirth, the method of delivery, the delivery season, the term of pregnancy, the body weight of infant, the weight change of mother and the way of feeding. Results: There were no remarkable corelation in the frequency of symptoms according to maternal age, the way of delivery, the delivery season, the change of weight before and after of delivery, gestational weeks at delivery, the manner of feeding and the body weight of infants except for the frequency of maternal childbirth. Conclusion: The symptoms of hemorrhoids, the feeling of coldness and chilliness increased with increasing the frequency of maternal childbirth. Other circumstances, there was no relationship with symptoms of postpartum.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.89-98
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• 2017

Purpose: This study was conducted to identify effects of breastfeeding knowledge, attitude, and barriers on breastfeeding practice on twin mothers and to provide basic data for successful breastfeeding for twins. Methods: Participants were 151 mothers with two to twelve months-old twins. Data were collected from online support groups by an online survey. Results: Mean score for breastfeeding knowledge was $18.34{\pm}4.63$, for breastfeeding attitude was $3.61{\pm}0.51$, and for barriers to breastfeeding was $13.35{\pm}1.08$. The breastfeeding practice rate was 27.8% when twins were two months old. The breastfeeding knowledge was significantly different depending on mother's occupation, number of children, utilization of postpartum caretaker, and age of the children. There were significant differences in the breastfeeding attitude depending on gestational week of twins, planned length of the breastfeeding, and decision period for the breastfeeding. The practice of the breastfeeding was significantly different depending on the number of children. Factors influencing the breastfeeding practice were the breastfeeding attitude (p<.05), age of mother (p<.01), and the number of children (p<.01). Conclusion: An educational program and expert-led supportive system that is designed for twins are necessary, and they need to be included in prenatal care in order to have positive attitude for the breastfeeding as well as to breastfeed successfully.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.6529-6532
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• 2013

Background: Breast cancer is mostly the disease of postmenopausal women but very young affected women are seen more than occasionally in developing countries. We reviewed our cases of very young breast cancer in order to help in better understanding of such cases. Materials and Methods: The records of patients 25 years of age or less who had been admitted for breast cancer surgery in the Cancer Institute of Tehran from 1979 to 2012 were reviewed and relevant data were extracted. Results: From 5,265 cases of breast cancer, 62 patients had 25 years of age or less. There were 55 cases of breast adenocarcinoma, all female. More than 78% of the patients had presented with a palpable mass, the family history was positive in 2% of cases, and about 94% of the histologies were invasive ductal carcinoma. Gestational breast cancer constituted 10% of the cancers; another 10%were bilateral. The median size of the tumors was 5.72 centimeters, 63.2% of them had axillary lymphatic involvement, and more than half were negative for hormone receptors. Conclusions: Our study shows an incidence of 1.17% for very young breast cancer and a 10% rate of bilaterality which probably warrants special guidelines for contralateral screening. Cancer stage and features were poor in comparison with breast cancer in all ages.

• Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.189-195
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• 2018

Purpose: We investigated fecal calprotectin (FC) levels in preterm infants with and without feeding intolerance (FI), and compared the FC levels according to the type of feeding. Methods: The medical records of 67 premature infants were reviewed retrospectively. The fully enteral-fed infants were classified into two groups; the FI group (29 infants) and the control group (31 infants). Seven infants with necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis, and perinatal asphyxia were excluded. If breast milk (BM) or preterm formula (PF) could not be tolerated by infants with FI, amino acid-based formula (AAF) was tried temporarily. Once FI improved, AAF was discontinued, and BM or PF was resumed. We investigated the FC levels according to the type of feeding. Results: Significant differences were found in gestational age, birth weight, age when full enteral feeding was achieved, and hospital stay between the FI and control group (p<0.05). The FC levels in the FI group were significantly higher than those in the control group (p<0.05). The FC levels in the AAF-fed infants with FI were significantly lower than those in the BM- or PF-fed infants (p<0.05). The growth velocities (g/d) and z scores were not significantly different between the FI and control group (p>0.05). Conclusion: The FC levels in AAF-fed infants with FI showed significantly lower than those in the BM- or PF-fed infants with FI. The mitigation of gut inflammation through the decrease of FC levels in AAF-fed infants with FI could be presumed.

• Advances in pediatric surgery
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.175-182
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• 2006

VATER association is defined as a combination of 3 or more anomalies- vertebra (V), imperforate anus (A), esophageal atresia with or without tracheoesophageal fistula (TE), renal and radial anomaly(R). We reviewed our experiences in one center to determine etiology, prevalence, clinical manifestation, other associated anomaly and prognosis. Two hundred and twenty-three cases that underwent operations for imperforate anus or esophageal atresia were analyzed retrospectively through medical records at Department of Pediatric Surgery, Asan Medical Center from June, 1989 to July, 2005. The total number of neonates who had been admitted during period of study were 46,773 and VATER association was 9 (0.019 %, 1.92 persons per 10,000 neonates). Median gestational age and birth weight were $37^{+4}wk$ ($35^{+1}$ - $41^{+4}$) and 2,594 g (1,671-3,660), respectively and median age of mother was 32 years (23-38). There was no family history. Three patients were twins but their counterparts had no anomalies. Patients who have 3 anomalies were 6, 4 anomalies in two and 5 anomalies in one patient. Vertebra anomalies were detected in 7(77.7 %), imperforate anus in 8(88.9 %), esophageal atresia in 5 patients (55.6 %), renal anomaly in 6(66.7 %), and radial anomaly in 5(55.6 %), respectively. Four patients are alive, 2 patients were lost during follow up period. Three patients died due to neonatal sepsis, respiratory dysfunction and cardiac failure. VATER association did not appear to be a definite risk factor, but merely a randomized combination of 5 anomalies. The prognosis was dependent on the other associated anomalies, appropriateness of management and operation. Careful follow-up and aggressive treatmentare required for improving survival and quality of life.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.78-83
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• 2018

Purpose: Frequent desaturation due to immature incoordination of suck-swallow-breathing in preterm infants can influence multiple organs such as the heart, lungs, and brain, which can then affect growth and development. Most notably in preterm infants, feeding desaturation may even affect pulmonary function during gavage feeding. Because respiratory muscle activities may reflect the work required during respiration, we evaluated the differences in these activities between full-term and preterm infants with feeding desaturation, and investigated the correlations with clinical variables. Methods: Nineteen preterm infants with feeding desaturation (group 1) and 19 age-matched full-term infants (group 2) were evaluated. Oromotor function was evaluated using video recording. The root-mean-square (RMS) envelope of the electromyography signal was calculated to quantify the activities of muscles involved in respiration. The differences in RMS between both groups and the correlation with clinical variables including gestational age (GA), birth weight (BW), and Apgar scores (AS) at 1 and 5 minutes after birth were evaluated. Results: The RMS values of the diaphragm (RMS-D) and rectus abdominis (RMS-R) were significantly greater in group 1 compared to group 2, and the 1- and 5-min AS were significantly lower in group 1 compared to group 2. RMS-D and RMS-R were inversely correlated with GA, BW, 1- and 5-min AS in all infants. Conclusion: This study showed that respiratory muscle activities were augmented during feeding in preterm infants compared to full-term infants. Additionally, respiratory muscle activities were inversely correlated with all clinical variables.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.217-231
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• 1998

The effectiveness of intrauterine insemination (IUI) combined with controlled ovanan hyperstimulation (COH) in the treatment of infertility with various etiologies was compared in a total of 152 cycles. Patients received a maximum of three IUI cycles for the treatment. Severe male ($<2\times10^6$ motile sperm) or age factor (> 39 y) patients were excluded in this study. Pregnancy was classified as clinical if a gestational sac was seen on ultrasound. The overall clinical pregnancy rate was 7.9% per cycle (12/152) and 9.7% per patient (12/124). The pregnancy rates were 0% in unstimulated natural (0/18), 7.5% in CC (3/40), 8.2% in CC+hMG (4/49), 5.9% in GnRH-a ultrashort (1/17), 5.9% in GnRH-a long (1/17) and 27.3% in dual suppression cycles (3/11), respectively. The pregnancy rate was higher in dual suppression cycle than other stimulated cycles, but this was not significant. The multiple pregnancy rates were 25.0% (2 twins and 1 triplet). No patient developed ovarian hyperstimulation. Abortion rates were 66.7% in CC (2/3) and 100% in ultrashort cycles (1/1). The livebirth rate was 5.9% per cycle (9/152) and 7.3% per patient (9/124). There were no differences in age, duration of infertility, follicle size, total ampules of gonadotropins and days of stimulation between pregnant and non-pregnant groups. However, significant(P<0.05) differences were observed in the level of estradiol $(E_2)$ on the day of hCG injection ($3,266.6{\pm}214.2$ vs $2,202.7{\pm}139.4$ pg/ml) and total motile sperm count ($212.1{\pm}63.4$ vs $105.1{\pm}9.9\times10^6$) between pregnant group and non-pregnant group. These results suggest that IUI combined with successful ovarian stimulation tends to improve the chance of pregnancy as compared to IUI without COH and a total motile sperm count may be considered predictive of the success for pregnancy.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.59 no.4
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• pp.165-173
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• 2016

Purpose: To identify the effects of modified parenteral nutrition (PN) and enteral nutrition (EN) regimens on the growth of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants. Methods: The study included VLBW infants weighing <1,500 g, admitted to Chungnam National University Hospital between October 2010 and April 2014, who were alive at the time of discharge. Subjects were divided according to 3 periods: period 1 (n=37); prior to the PN and EN regimen being modified, period 2 (n=50); following the PN-only regimen modification, period 3 (n=37); following both PN and EN regimen modification. The modified PN regimen provided 3 g/kg/day of protein and 1 g/kg/day of lipid on the first day of life. The modified EN regimen provided 3.5-4.5 g/kg/day of protein and 150 kcal/kg/day of energy. We investigated growth rate, anthropometric measurements at 40 weeks postconceptional age (PCA) and the incidence of extrauterine growth restriction (EUGR) at 40 weeks PCA. Results: Across the 3 periods, clinical characteristics, including gestational age, anthropometric measurements at birth, multiple births, sex, Apgar score, surfactant use and PDA treatment, were similar. Growth rates for weight and height, from time of full enteral feeding to 40 weeks PCA, were higher in period 3. Anthropometric measurements at 40 weeks PCA were greatest in period 3. Incidence of weight, height and head circumference EUGR at 40 weeks PCA decreased in period 3. Conclusion: Beginning PN earlier, with a greater supply of protein and energy during PN and EN, is advantageous for postnatal growth in VLBW infants.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.31-41
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• 1999

To evaluate the effectiveness of intrauterine insemination (IUI) in the treatment of infertility, timed-intercourse and intrauterine insemination by husband in stimulated cycles with clomiphene citrate and gonadotropins were compared in a total of 105 cycles. Patients received 100mg of clomiphene citrate daily for 5 days starting on day 3 of the menstrual cycle followed by hMG or FSH. Doses of exogenous gonadotropins were adjusted by the follicular development and concentrations of serum estradiol $(E_2)$. More than 3 follicles reaching >16 mm were present in the ovary, 5,000 IU of hCG was administered intramusculary. Patients received a maximum of three intercourse or IUI cycles for the treatment. Severe male (<$10{\times}10^6$ motile sperm) or age factor (>39 y) patients were excluded in this study. Pregnancy was classified as clinical if a gestational sac or fetal cardiac activity was seen on ultrasound. The overall clinical pregnancy rates were 17.1% per cycle (18/105) and 21.2% per patient (18/85). The pregnancy rates (per cycle) were 17.5% (11/63) in intercourse and 16.7% (7/42) in IUI groups, respectively. IUI had no significant improvement in pregnancy rate compared with timed-intercourse. The multiple pregnancy rates were 11.1% (1 twin and 1 triplet). No patient developed ovarian hyperstimulation. Abortion rate was 28.6% (2/7) in IUI group only. The delivery and ongoing pregnancy rates were 15.2% per cycle (16/105) and 18.8% per patient (16/85). There were no differences in age, duration of infertility, follicle size and level of estradiol $(E_2)$ on the day of hCG injection in pregnant and non-pregnant groups. However, total doses of gonadotropins were higher in pregnant group than in non-pregnant group (p<0.01). Pregnancy rate was not affected by ovulatory status at the time of insemination. These results indicate that well timed-intercourse in stimulated cycles is as effective as IUI for infertile couples.