• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
• /
• v.20 no.10
• /
• pp.385-394
• /
• 2020

This study was carried out to investigate the post stroke depression (PSD) occurrence in acute stroke patients and to identify the factors that influence PSD. The study subjects were 104 adults in their 20s or older who were scheduled to be discharged due to inpatient treatment for ischemic stroke in two hospitals. Data were collected using Post Stroke Depression Scale for PSD, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support for social support, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale for stroke severity, and Modified Rankin Scale for disability. The average length of stay after stroke onset of the study subjects was 5.9±2.1 days, and 79.8% were within 7 days. Stroke severity score was an average of 2.4±2.5 out of 42 points, and disability score was an average of 1.6±1.1 out of 6 points. Among the subjects, 32.7% had mild or more severe depression after stroke. The subjects with no religion, severe disability, high stroke severity, and less family support had a higher likelihood of experiencing PSD. These results show that depression can appear in the early stages of stroke onset. Therefore, it is necessary to develop nursing guidelines for depression intervention after acute stroke, including continuous early assessment of depression from the acute phase of stroke and religion or family support.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.380-386
• /
• 2021

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has become a public health emergency of global concern. In China, traditional Chinese medicine has been widely administered to COVID-19 patients without sufficient evidence. To evaluate the efficacy of Shenhuang Granule (SHG) for treating critically ill patients with COVID-19, we included in this study 118 patients who were admitted to the ICU of Tongji Hospital between January 28, 2020 and March 28, 2020. Among these patients, 33 (27.9%) received standard care plus SHG (treatment group) and 85 (72.1%) received standard care alone (control group). Enrolled patients had a median (IQR) age of 68 (57-75) years, and most (79 [67.1%]) were men. At end point of this study, 83 (70.3%) had died in ICU, 29 (24.5%) had been discharged from ICU, and 6 patients (5.2%) were still in ICU. Compared with control group, mortality was significantly lower in treatment group (45.4% vs. 80%, p < .001). Patients in treatment group were less likely to develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) (12 [36.3%] vs. 54 [63.5%], p = 0.012) and cardiac injury (5 [15.1%] vs. 32 [37.6%], p = 0.026), and less likely to receive mechanical ventilation (22 [66.7%] vs. 72 [84.7%], p = 0.028) than those in control group. The median time from ICU admission to discharge was shorter in treatment group (32 [20-73] days vs. 76 [63-79] days, p = 0.0074). These findings suggest that SHG treatment as a complementary therapy might be effective for critically ill adults with COVID-19 and warrant further clinical trials.