• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.134-141
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• 2021

c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNKs) have a Janus face, regulating both cell apoptosis and survival. The present study focused on understanding the function of JNK in tumor development and the chemoresistance underlying JNK-mediated cancer cell survival. We identified an inhibitor of JNK1, an important regulator of cancer cell survival. Kinase assay data showed that JNK1-dependent c-Jun phosphorylation was inhibited by indirubin derivatives. In particular, indirubin-3-monoxime (I3M) directly inhibited the phosphorylation of c-Jun in vitro, with a half inhibition dose (IC₅₀) of 10 nM. I3M had a significant inhibitory effect on JNK1 activity. Furthermore, we carried out assays to determine the viability, migration, and proliferation of breast cancer cells. Our results demonstrated that cell growth, scratched wound healing, and colony forming abilities were inhibited by the JNK inhibitor SP600125 and I3M. The combination of SP600125 and I3M significantly decreased cancer cell proliferation, compared with either SP600125 or I3M alone. Our studies may provide further support for JNK1-targeting cancer therapy using the indirubin derivative I3M in breast cancer.

• Journal of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.180-188
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• 2019

Purpose: To investigate the duration of each nursing activity performed by home care nurses for non-cancer patients and the relationship between patients' palliative prognostic index (PPI) and duration of each nursing activity. Methods: Nursing activities performed for six non-cancer terminal patients were timed using a stopwatch, and 18 parameters were measured by visiting each patient thrice. The mean and standard deviations of duration for each category of nursing activities were computed. The relationship between category-specific duration of nursing activities and PPI was analyzed with Spearman's correlation and multiple regression analysis. Results: Among nursing activities, the highest greatest duration of time was spent on traffic time (11.91 min), followed by urinary catheter management (10.65 min) and insertion and management of nasogastric tube (9.03 min). In terms of nursing categories, after excluding movement time, the greatest duration of time was spent on excretion care (5.48 min), nutrition care (5.40 min), and medication (3.82 min). PPI correlated with hygiene care, excretion care, and patient and information management. Multiple regression analysis revealed that PPI increased with increasing duration of hygiene care. Conclusion: These study findings provide grounds for the increased nursing time of hygiene care for people reaching the end of life.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.171-184
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• 2023

Purpose: The study explored the meaning of experiences within a family art therapy process among terminal cancer patients and their families. Methods: Ten participants, including four terminal cancer patients currently admitted to the hospice ward at an inpatient hospice facility in S City and four caregiving family members, engaged in four cycles of family art therapy sessions. The sessions were conducted weekly or bi-weekly, and each lasted approximately 50 minutes. Results: Nine cross-case themes emerged: "feeling unfamiliar and intimidated by the idea of expressing my thoughts through art," "trying to accept the present and positively overcome sadness," "expressing hope through emotional bonds during the process of parting," "conveying and preserving personal and family beliefs," "feeling upset about family imbalances caused by deteriorating health," "valuing togetherness and striving for stability amidst the current challenges," "art as a medium of empowerment for patients and facilitator of family conversations, even amidst difficulties," "sharing a range of emotions-not just joy, but concerns and sorrow-through art," and "gratitude for art' s role in improving family communication and connection through artwork. Conclusion: The findings of this study lead to several conclusions. First, patients and their families faced psychological challenges when confronted with impending death, yet they strove to remain optimistic by seeking meaning in their struggles. Second, families practiced open and expressive communication, sharing a spectrum of complex emotions with one another. Third, even as the patient's condition worsened, resulting in family fatigue, their support and cohesion strengthened.

• Proceedings of the Korea Environmental Mutagen Society Conference
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• 2004.11a
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• pp.163-164
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• 2004

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.85-89
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• 2014

Pleural metastasis from breast cancer is a common manifestation. While pleural effusion is the most frequent finding, it is relatively rare for pleural nodularity and plaque that do not accompany pleural effusion. We report a patient with a rapidly growing huge pleural mass without pleural effusion caused by breast cancer. The patient was treated for severe dyspnea caused by the pleural mass. Along with the case report, we performed a systematic review of management of dyspnea in terminal cancer patients.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.214-219
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• 1998

Pain is one of the most frequent and disturbing symptom of cancer patients. And almost of cancer patients are afraid of a attacks of pain related to cancer. Caring for the cancer patient can be divided into two phases. The phase of "active treatment" involves various interventions-surgical, chemical or radiological- that are designed to prolong the patient's life. "Terminal care" is the period from the end of active treatment until the patient's death. But in the majority of clinical settings, cancer pain is not being managed adequately results from a lack of education about how to treat the cancer pain management in the safest and most effective way during terminal phase. Althought organic factors represent the most important cause of their pain, it is also important to deal with the patient's psychological reactions and to take account of his or her social and family environment if treatment for chronic cancer pain is to prove adequate. Thus we try to evaluate a kinds of cancer related to pain, degree of pain, effectiveness of drugs, and patient's responses to management. In regard to the satisfaction for pain relief in pain clinics at Pusan National University Hospital(PNUH) are about 70% in patients and 90% in family. Average life expectancy in cancer patients are about 140 days (3 days- 5.7 years). Cancer patients are complained of several discomfortness (above 30 kinds) such as, pain associated with cancer (75%), nausea and vomitting (38%), sleeping disorder (38%), anorexia (38%), dyspnea (32%), constipation (31%), etc. Distributions of cancer associated with pain are stomach cancer (21%), lung cancer (16%), cervix cancer (10%), anorectal and colon cancer (8.6%), hepatoma (8%), pancreatic cancer (3%). About 1/3 of patients are suffer from incident pain in 3~5 times in a day especially in moving, coughing, and exercise. Methods for drug delivering system before death are transdermal fentanyl patch (42%), intravenous PCA (21%), oral intake of opioid (17%), epidural PCA (14%), etc.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.57-68
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• 2005

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to develop a tool to assess the need for hospice care in families of patients with cancer. Method : Research design was a methodological study. The tool was developed in 3 stages : first, preliminary items were developed based on a questionnaire about the needs for hospice care that was given to 8 families of patients with cancer; second, a panel of specialists reduced the number of preliminary items using 2 validity tests on the contents. Finally, reliability and validity were tested by a sample of 98 families who have a patient with cancer from April 2003 to July 2004. Result: Cronbach's alpha coefficient for internal consistency was .94 for the final total 22 items. Using the factor analysis, 4 factors with eigenvalue of more than 1.0 were extracted and these factors explained 65% of the total variance. The four factors were labeled as 'control of terminal physical problems', 'emotional care', 'spiritual care for preparing for death', and 'family support'. The final items of the tool developed on the need of hospice care consisted of 22 items. Conclusion : The instrument, for accessing the need for hospice care in families of patients with cancer, developed in this study was identified as a tool with a high degree of reliability and validity. In this sense, this tool can be effectively utilized for implementing and improving hospice care for patients with terminal cancer.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.109-113
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• 1999

Purpose : Because we don't have inappropriate health care system for the terminal cancer patients, there were abnormal behavior patterns of health care utilization. So, There were needs to develop the comprehensive care for terminal cancer patients. Increased attention is being paid to the futility of life-sustaining treatment and high cost of management of terminal cancer patients Materials and Methods : This study was performed on cancer patients, registered in 1996 Central Cancer Registry, who were as insured person of Korea Medical Insurance and died from January 1997 to June 1998. We studied the day of medical care and medical expenses of 151 cancer patients evaluable. Results : The mean day of inpatient care was 39 days, and the mean days of outpatient care was 14 days in study subjects. Mean expenses per day of medical care, day of inpatient, and day of outpatients care were 85,392 won, 105,908 won, and 40,173 won. 95% of medical expenses is paid to the general hospital, and 85% of medical expenses was paid for inpatient care. About half of all medical expenses in th last 6 months were incurred in the last 60 days of life, and about 30 percent were incurred in the last 30 days. Expenses of outpatients care increased between 6 month and 3 months, after which they decreased. Expenses of inpatients care increased during all last 6months Conclusion : The distribution or medical expenses during the last 6 months in our study is similar to the distribution of American Medicare costs. We need to study medical expenses during the last year of life with large scale and details in order to develop the plan about the management of terminal cancer patient.

• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.146-154
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• 2002

Purpose : Death due to cancer has been continuously increasing, therefore cancer is the first in the cause of death now. A national policy for the elevation of medical costs in cancer patients is necessary, therefore, we searched for the medical costs and its related factors in terminal cancer patients for the effective reduction of the medical costs. Methods : We reviewed the medical records of 259 hospitalized terminal cancer patients who had died during the period of July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2002. History of cancer included type of cancer, type of past treatment, existence of metastasis. Clinical manifestation was examined and medical costs on last admission was categorized based on the account of charges of the department of patient affair on the last hospitalization. For analysis of factors related with medical costs, ANOVA was used. Results : Of the 259 patients, the number of male was 135 cases (52.1%), and the female, 124 cases (47.9%). The most frequent type of cancer was stomach (21.9%) cancer. Of the clinical manifestation, anorexia (87.6%) was the most frequent manifestation. Total medical costs was 740,628,045won, the mean costs was $285,968{\pm}3,070,272won$. The frequent category of medical costs was injection (32.0%), medical accommodation (27.9%), examination (14.0%), in order. The only factor related with mean medical costs was pain (P<0.05). Conclusion : If unnecessary injection of opioid analgesics is reduced, hospice care at home is activated and excessive examination is reduced In terminal cancer inpatients, it will be possible to reduce the medical costs in terminal cancer patients more effectively.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.403-409
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• 2016

NME1 is a well-known metastasis suppressor which has been reported to be downregulated in some highly aggressive cancer cells. Although most studies have focused on NME1, the NME1 gene also encodes the protein (NME1L) containing N-terminal 25 extra amino acids by alternative splicing. According to previous studies, NME1L has potent anti-metastatic activity, in comparison with NME1, by interacting with $IKK{\beta}$ and regulating its activity. In the present study, we tried to define the role of the N-terminal 25 amino acids of NME1L in $NF-{\kappa}B$ activation signaling. Unfortunately, the sequence itself did not interact with $IKK{\beta}$, suggesting that it may be not enough to constitute the functional structure. Further construction of NME1L fragments and biochemical analysis revealed that N-terminal 84 residues constitute minimal structure for homodimerization, $IKK{\beta}$ interaction and regulation of $NF-{\kappa}B$ signaling. The inhibitory effect of the fragment on cancer cell migration and $NF-{\kappa}B$-stimulated gene expression was equivalent to that of whole NME1L. The data suggest that the N-terminal 84 residues may be a core region for the anti-metastatic activity of NME1L. Based on this result, further structural analysis of the binding between NME1L and $IKK{\beta}$ may help in understanding the anti-metastatic activity of NME1L and provide direction to NME1L and $IKK{\beta}$-related anti-cancer drug design.