Family Stigma: A Concept Analysis

SummaryPurposeStigma negatively affects individuals as well as entire families; therefore, it is necessary to understand “family stigma” in order to reduce the social and emotional distress of families suffering from stigma and prevent the resulting avoidance of social support and treatment. Thus, this study clarifies the concept of “family stigma” by using concept analysis method.MethodsIn order to analyze the concept, we reviewed the relevant literatures. Characteristics that appeared repeatedly throughout the literature were noted and categorized.ResultsThree key defining attributes were identified: (a) others' negative perceptions, attitudes, emotions, and avoidant behaviors toward a family, because of the unusualness of the family, including the negative situations, events, behaviors, problems or diseases associated with that family, or because of the unordinary characteristics or structures of that family; (b) others' belief that the unusualness of the family is somehow harmful, dangerous, unhealthy, capable of affecting them negatively, or different from general social norms; and (c) others' belief that the family members are directly or indirectly contaminated by the problematic family member, so that every family member is also considered as harmful, dangerous, unhealthy, capable of having a negative effect on others, or different from general social norms.ConclusionThe results of this study are expected not only to guide future research but also to enhance family care in nursing practice

READING IN ENGLISH BY CHILDREN IN KOREA: FREQUENCY, EFFECTIVENESS, AND BARRIERS

A study of the English non-textbook reading of fourth graders in Korea revealed that about 80% had done at least some reading, confirming that there is enthusiasm for English reading. About half, however, had read only five books or fewer. Non-readers said that the reason they did not read in English was the difficulty of English texts. Those who read more did better on a test of English spelling and vocabulary. Keywords: English non-textbook reading; Enthusiasm for English reading; English texts; English spelling and vocabulary

Relationships among Physical Activity Level, Health-promoting Behavior, and Physiological Variables in Korean University Students

Purpose: Many Korean college students suffer from physical inactivity and mental health problems. However, it has not been sufficiently reported how this lack of exercise and health-related behavior affect their health. The present study was performed to identify the relationships among physical activity level, health-promoting behavior, and physiological variables in Korean undergraduate and graduate students. Methods: Participants were 115 undergraduate and graduate students from one university in Seoul. The Pearsons correlation analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows. Results: Physical activity level had significant positive correlations with health-promoting behavior (r=.32, p=.001) and exercise self-efficacy (r=.25, p=.008), and health-promoting behavior had a significant correlation with depression (r=-.33, p<.001) and exercise self-efficacy (r=.44, p<.001). Additionally, physical activity level had significant correlations with triglyceride (r=-.20, p=.034) and vitamin D (r=.20, p=.029) levels. The high density cholesterol level had significant negative correlations with systolic blood pressure (r=-.33, p<.001), diastolic blood pressure (r=-.29, p=.002), and vitamin D (r=-.20, p=.035) levels. Conclusion: Physical activity level or health-promoting behavior had significant relationships with the health status of college students. Strategies need to be developed to improve health-promoting behaviors among college students

Downregulation of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Expression Contributes to α\alpha-TEA's Proapoptotic Effects in Human Ovarian Cancer Cell Lines

RRR-$\alpha$-tocopherol derivative $\alpha$-TEA (RRR-$\alpha$-tocopherol ether-linked acetic acid analog) has been shown to be a potent antitumor agent both in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we investigated the effects of $\alpha$-TEA on the expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family members, ErbB1, 2 and 3, and the role of ErbB 2 and 3 in $\alpha$-TEA-induced apoptosis and suppression of Akt, FLIP and survivin in the cisplatin-sensitive (A2780S) and -resistant (A2780/CP70R) human ovarian cancer cell lines. Data show that $\alpha$-TEA's ability to induced apoptosis was associated with reduced expression of ErbB1 (cisplatin-resistant cells), 2 and 3 (both cell types) and reduced levels of the phosphorylated (active) form of Akt; as well as, reduced levels of FLIP and survivin proteins in both cell types. Ectopic overexpression and siRNA knockdown studies showed that ErbB2, ErbB3, Akt, FLIP and survivin are involved in $\alpha$-TEA-induce apoptosis and that $\alpha$-TEA downregulates FLIP and survivin via suppression of pAkt, which is mediated by ErbB2 and ErB3. Thus, $\alpha$-TEA is a potent pro-apoptotic agent for both cisplatin-sensitive and -resistant ovarian cancer cell lines in cell culture and it produces cell death, at least in part, by downregulation of members of the EGFR family

Distribution and antimicrobial resistance profiles of bacterial species in stray cats, hospital-admitted cats, and veterinary staff in South Korea

Antimicrobial resistance is becoming increasingly important in both human and veterinary medicine. According to the One Health concept, an important step is to monitor the resistance patterns of pathogenic bacteria. In this study, the antimicrobial susceptibility patterns and trends of bacteria isolated from stray cats, hospital-admitted cats, and veterinary staff in South Korea between 2017 and 2018 were investigated. The minimum inhibitory concentrations of different antibiotics for Staphylococcus spp., Enterobacteriaceae, and Enterococcus spp. were determined to establish representatives of different antibiotic classes relevant for treatment or surveillance. For Coagulase-positive and Coagulase-negative Staphylococci, resistance to fluoroquinolones was below 13%, but resistance to ampicillin and penicillin was high (20–88%). A total of 9.5, 12.1, and 40.3% of staphylococcal isolates from stray cats, hospital-admitted cats, and veterinary staff, respectively, were confirmed to be mecA positive. For Enterobacteriaceae, resistance to carbapenems, fluoroquinolones, and 3rd generation cephalosporins was low (0–11.1%). The Enterococcus spp. isolates showed no resistance to vancomycin. The antimicrobial resistance rates of the Staphylococcus spp. and Enterobacteriaceae isolates from stray cats were usually lower than those of isolates from hospital-admitted cats and veterinary staff, but the Enterococcus spp. isolates revealed the opposite. Thus, the antimicrobial resistance varied across bacterial species according to the source from which they were isolated. Resistance to critically important compounds were low. However, the presence of antimicrobial resistance in cat isolates is of both public health and animal health concern.This work was supported by a grant from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (Z-1543081-2017-18-03) and the Cooperative Research Program of Center for Companion Animal Research Jung et al. BMC Veterinary Research (2020) 16:109 Page 12 of 14 (Project No. PJ013985022019) of Rural Development Administration, South Korea. The funding bodies played no role in the design of the study, the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript

Quality of Life Differences between Younger and Older Breast Cancer Patients

Purpose: This study was designed to investigate quality of life (QOL) differences between younger (&lt;50 years) and older (≥50 years) breast cancer survivors and to determine the unique effect of age on QOL after adjusting age-correlated variables. Methods: One thousand two hundred fifty patients were enrolled. Clinicopatholgical and social parameters were reviewed and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast cancer instrument (FACT-B) and the Ladder of Life scale were used to measure the QOL. Among 1,250 eligible patients, 1,094 patients completed the questionnaire and were used for analysis. Chi-square test, t-test and a series of multiple regression analyses were conducted to verify age-related differences in QOL between two groups and to evaluate the unique contribution of age variable on QOL of breast cancer patients. Results: Significant socio-demographic and clinical differences existed based on age categories, includin

Radiomics signature on 3T dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging for estrogen receptor-positive invasive breast cancers: Preliminary results for correlation with Oncotype DX recurrence scores

To evaluate the ability of a radiomics signature based on 3T dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to distinguish between low and non-low Oncotype DX (OD) risk groups in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive invasive breast cancers.Between May 2011 and March 2016, 67 women with ER-positive invasive breast cancer who performed preoperative 3T MRI and OD assay were included. We divided the patients into low (OD recurrence score [RS] <18) and non-low risk (RS ≥18) groups. Extracted radiomics features included 8 morphological, 76 histogram-based, and 72 higher-order texture features. A radiomics signature (Rad-score) was generated using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to investigate the association between clinicopathologic factors, MRI findings, and the Rad-score with OD risk groups, and the areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUC) were used to assess classification performance of the Rad-score.The Rad-score was constructed for each tumor by extracting 10 (6.3%) from 158 radiomics features. A higher Rad-score (odds ratio [OR], 65.209; P <.001), Ki-67 expression (OR, 17.462; P = .007), and high p53 (OR = 8.449; P = .077) were associated with non-low OD risk. The Rad-score classified low and non-low OD risk with an AUC of 0.759.The Rad-score showed the potential for discrimination between low and non-low OD risk groups in patients with ER-positive invasive breast cancers. Copyright © 2019 the Author(s)

Synaptic connectivity of the TRPV1-positive trigeminal afferents in the rat lateral parabrachial nucleus

Recent studies have shown a direct projection of nociceptive trigeminal afferents into the lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN). Information about the synaptic connectivity of these afferents may help understand how orofacial nociception is processed in the LPBN, which is known to be involved primarily in the affective aspect of pain. To address this issue, we investigated the synapses of the transient receptor potential vanilloid 1-positive (TRPV1+) trigeminal afferent terminals in the LPBN by immunostaining and serial section electron microscopy. TRPV1 + afferents arising from the ascending trigeminal tract issued axons and terminals (boutons) in the LPBN. TRPV1+ boutons formed synapses of asymmetric type with dendritic shafts and spines. Almost all (98.3%) TRPV1+ boutons formed synapses with one (82.6%) or two postsynaptic dendrites, suggesting that, at a single bouton level, the orofacial nociceptive information is predominantly transmitted to a single postsynaptic neuron with a small degree of synaptic divergence. A small fraction (14.9%) of the TRPV1+ boutons formed synapses with dendritic spines. None of the TRPV1+ boutons were involved in axoaxonic synapses. Conversely, in the trigeminal caudal nucleus (Vc), TRPV1+ boutons often formed synapses with multiple postsynaptic dendrites and were involved in axoaxonic synapses. Number of dendritic spine and total number of postsynaptic dendrites per TRPV1+ bouton were significantly fewer in the LPBN than Vc. Thus, the synaptic connectivity of the TRPV1+ boutons in the LPBN differed significantly from that in the Vc, suggesting that the TRPV1-mediated orofacial nociception is relayed to the LPBN in a distinctively different manner than in the Vc