• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.51 no.6
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• pp.689-702
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• 2021

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a situation-specific theory to explain nurses' experiences of the COVID-19 crisis. Methods: The participants were 16 hospital nurses who experienced the COVID-19 crisis. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews from September 2, 2020 to January 20, 2021. Transcribed interview contents were analyzed using Corbin and Strauss's grounded theory method. Results: A total of 38 concepts and 13 categories were identified through an open coding process. The core category found was becoming a pioneering nurse who turns crises into opportunities. The causal conditions were the chaos of being exposed defenselessly to an unexpected pandemic, fear caused by a nursing care field reminiscent of a battlefield, and moral distress from failing to protect patients' human dignity. The contextual conditions were feeling like the scapegoat of the hospital organization, increasing uncertainty due to the unpredictable state of COVID-19, and relative deprivation due to inappropriate treatment. The central phenomenon was suffering alone while experiencing the dedication of the COVID-19 hero image. The action/interactional strategy were efforts to find a breakthrough and getting the nurse's mind right, and the intervening conditions were gratitude for those who care for broken hearts and getting used to myself with repetitive work. The Consequences were becoming an independent nurse and frustration with the unchanging reality. Conclusion: This study provides the foundation for the nurse's situation-specific theory of the COVID-19 crisis by defining the crisis perceived by nurses who cared for COVID-19 patients and suggesting types of coping with the crisis.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.433-444
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• 2023

Objectives: This case study aimed to provide evidence of the combined use of Korean Medicine treatments, including electroacupuncture (EA) on scalp acupoints, as a useful intervention for post-stroke delirium. Methods: The patient in this study was diagnosed with Cerebral Infarction in Right Corpus Callosum and post-stroke delirium. The patient received eight sessions of EA on scalp acupoints, rehabilitation medicine treatment, and other Korean Medicine treatments such as acupuncture and herbal medicine. Evaluation of treatment effectiveness was done mainly through the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale Korean (MDAS-K) and Mini-Mental State Examination Korean (MMSE-K). Results: MDAS-K score dropped from 20 to 9 and MMSE-K score increased from 15 to 21 during hospitalization, showing improvement in symptoms. Conclusions: Combined use of Korean medicine treatments including EA on scalp acupoints may be an effective treatment for post-stroke delirium.

• Korean Institute of Interior Design Journal
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.154-163
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• 2013

Current principles of designating a smoking area within a non-smoking area rely on mere compartmentalization. This causes non-smokers aversion against smokers and smokers complaints about anti-smoking policies, which means both of them are not satisfied with the current scheme. In addition, such a system, far from the original intent of the law, does not provide appropriate respect for people's rights. The biggest problem of the current scheme is that smoking areas are not separated from non-smoking areas. Japan has continued installing independent smoking areas since 2002 and witnessed a decrease in the smoking rate. The country's success is attributable to: the state's active intervention in connection with enterprises; continuous environmental improvements and creation of goods; 'smoking etiquette' campaigns; and the sociality and group consciousness of Japanese people. It is recognized that the synergy of the designation of independent smoking areas and such multi-faceted efforts has led to the nation's accomplishment. Hence, it is required to install independent smoking areas in non-smoking areas in Seoul in order to respect the rights of smokers and non-smokers and resolve conflicts between them. It is not suitable to merely model after Japan's case, however, studies and guidelines that are tailored to Korea's own environment and social atmosphere are required. To ensure that the people recognize the necessity for smoking areas, a social consensus is formed and proper smoking areas are established in a systemic manner, a system for that purpose should connote a symbol of the social consensus and consequent guidelines should take physical elements, human activities and semantic assignment into consideration. This study aims to present basic guidelines to install separated smoking areas, which will keep distance between smokers and non-smokers, form a social consensus and establish a sound smoking culture. These would ensure that the rights of both smokers and non-smokers are fully respected and that government policies are trusted by the people.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.560-570
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• 2019

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of diabetic foot care education for the older adults with low health literacy. Methods: A quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest was used. The participants who were diagnosed with diabetes, were adults over 65 years old at the welfare center of Y and B city. They were divided into the experimental group (n=32) and the control group (n=31). Inclusion criteria were a score of 5 or under on the Short form of Korean Functional Health Literacy Test and 24 or more on the Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination. Foot care education was conducted in a small group for 40 minutes, once a week, for three weeks. The education materials are composed of an easy term, picture and photographs to understand easily. Results: The scores of diabetic foot care knowledge (t=4.57, p<.001), foot care self-efficacy (t=6.07, p<.001), and foot self-care behavior (t=4.18, p<.001) were significantly increased in the experimental group compared to the control group. Foot health status was not significantly improved. Conclusion: The findings indicate that this education program can be used as a nursing intervention improving foot care knowledge, foot care self-efficacy, and foot self-care behavior in order to prevent the diabetic foot problems of elderly diabetic persons with low health literacy.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.277-290
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• 2011

The aim of this study is to examine the efficiency of ethylsilicate consolidants on sandstone according to its weathering state for an appropriate application to stone cultural heritage in Yeongyang area. Yeongyang area had sandstone and conglomeratic sandstone cultural heritages which needed conservation intervention due to granular disintegration and scaling on their surface. Hyeonri Three-storied Pagoda having typical stone materials in this area was investigated for the analyses of the material and deterioration. And both in-situ and laboratory applications of consolidants were conducted to the outcrop which had the same characteristics of rock type and weathering grade. As a result of the application, it was concluded that Wacker OH 100 and Remmers 300 showed the most appropriate consolidating effect, and Remmers 300 was the most effective to strengthen the loosen and granular-disintegrated surface of the sandstone.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2007

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy among women, and mutations in the BRCA1 gene produce increased susceptibility to these malignancies in certain families. In this study, the forward 1-13 exons of breast cancer associated gene BRCA1 were cloned from breast cancer cell line ZR-75-30 by RT-PCR method. Sequence analysis showed that nine BRCA1 splice forms were isolated and characterized, compared with wild-type BRCA1 gene, five splice forms of which were novel. These splice isoforms were produced from the molecular mechanism of 5' and 3' alternative splicing. All these splice forms deleting exon 11b and the locations of alternative splicing were focused on two parts:one was exons 2 and 3, and the other was exons 9 and 10. These splice forms accorded with GT-AG rule. Most these BRCA1 splice variants still kept the original reading frame. Western blot analysis indicated that some BRCA1 splice variants were expressed in ZR-75-30 cell line at the protein level. In addition, we confirmed the presence of these new transcripts of BRCA1 gene in MDA-MB-435S, K562, Hela, HLA, HIC, H9, Jurkat and human fetus samples by RT-PCR analysis. These results suggested that breast cancer associated gene BRCA1 may have unexpectedly a large number of splice variants. We hypothesized that alternative splicing of BRCA1 possibly plays a major role in the tumorigenesis of breast and/or ovarian cancer. Thus, the identification of cancer-specific splice forms will provide a novel source for the discovery of diagnostic or prognostic biomarkers and tumor antigens suitable as targets for therapeutic intervention.

• PNF and Movement
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.69-79
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• 2019

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the effects of a group computerization cognitive rehabilitation program on cognitive function in patients with cognitive impairment. Methods: The subjects of this study comprised 34 patients with cognitive impairment (15 males and 19 females) who were randomized into two groups. The experimental group (n = 17) were trained with the group computerization cognitive rehabilitation program, while the control group (n=17) received traditional cognitive therapy. The interventions for both groups were performed for 1 hour per day, once a week for 12 weeks. The cognitive functions of the subjects before and after the experiment were measured using the Korean mini-mental state examination (K-MMSE), global deterioration scale (GDS), clinical dementia rating (CDR), and Lowenstein occupational therapy cognitive assessment (LOTCA). A paired t-test was conducted to examine the intragroup differences before and after the experiment, and ANCOVA was performed to check intergroup differences. Results: The intragroup comparison results showed that the cognitive function of the group that were trained with the group computerization cognitive rehabilitation program improved after the experiment more than for the group that received traditional cognitive therapy. The intergroup comparison results showed significant differences in orientation, visual perception, and visuomotor organization between the two groups. Conclusion: The results of this study confirmed that the group computerization cognitive rehabilitation program was more effective in improving cognitive function than the traditional cognitive therapy in patients with cognitive impairment. Based on the results of this study, the group computerization cognitive rehabilitation program can be used as an effective intervention method for patients with cognitive impairment.

• The Journal of Korean Academic Society of Nursing Education
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.86-97
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• 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to assess exposure to traumatic events, knowledge and attitudes concerning post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the level of resilience among nurses and paramedics working in emergency departments. Methods: Data were collected from May 22 to June 12, 2022, using a self-administered survey questionnaire. The participants comprised 135 nurses and 80 paramedics working in emergency departments. The collected data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, a t-test, and an analysis of variance with Scheffé's test. Results: Compared with emergency room nurses, paramedics were more positive about the government's spending on job opportunities for people with PTSD. There were no significant differences in attitude regarding government strategies and people with PTSD between nurses and paramedics. Paramedics had higher scores on the effective treatment for PTSD, while emergency room nurses showed higher scores on effective psychotherapy. General knowledge of PTSD differed according to sex (t=-2.33, p=.021) and education level (F=3.21, p=.042). Resilience scores differed significantly according to sex (t=2.02, p=.045), education level (F=4.10, p=.018), self-reported economic state (F=10.34, p<.001), and self-reported health (F=11.57, p<.001). Conclusion: The findings support that emergency department nurses and paramedics are in need of self-care programs to support their mental health and indicate that intervention programs should be developed to enhance resilience in emergency department professionals.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.1050-1061
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• 2023

This study reported the case of a patient with quadriparesis due to cerebral aneurysm rupture, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) treated with Korean medicine. The patient was treated with acupuncture, herbal medicine (mainly Tonggyuhwalhyeol-tang-gagam), Western medicine, moxibustion, cupping, and rehabilitative therapy for 75 days, and improved after administration. After treatment, the Manual Muscle Test grade improved from 4/4-/3+/3 to 4+/4+/4+/4+, the Korean version of the modified Barthel Index score improved from 9 to 100, the National Institute of Health's Stroke Scale score improved from 2 to 0, the Global Deterioration Scale score improved from 3 to 2, and the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination score improved from 22 to 30. During administration, the patient did not show seizures, shock, or loss of consciousness, and the vital signs were stable in the normal range. We followed up the brain computed tomography findings for 2 times and found that there was no definite evidence of intracranial hemorrhage or IVH or re-rupture or rebleeding after Korean medicine treatment. This study suggests that Korean medicine treatment with blood-invigorating and stasis-removing herbs could be a safe and effective intervention option for improving quadriparesis due to cerebral aneurysm rupture and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

• Journal of East-West Nursing Research
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.51-59
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• 2024

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of preoperative guidance and operating room environment experience using virtual reality on increasing satisfaction with information and reducing anxiety in preoperative patients undergoing general anesthesia and local anesthesia. Methods: A non-equivalent control group quasi-experimental design was employed. The participants were 80 surgical patients from 4 wards (40 experimental group and 40 control group) of the general hospital located in Gyeonggi-do. Data collection was conducted from June to November 2023 after completing the control group survey in January 2023. Data were analyzed using Chi-square, t-test, and Mann-Whitney U test using SPSS 23.0 program. Results: Satisfaction with preoperative information was higher in the experimental group than that of the control group. Additionally, anxiety related to surgery in the experimental group was significantly lower than that of the control group. The preoperative state anxiety score in the experimental group was not significantly lower than that of the control group. Conclusions: These results suggest that providing patient education and information using virtual reality technology can not only alleviate patients' anxiety related to surgery, but also have the potential to be used as an effective intervention to improve positive patient experiences.