SummaryWe compared the dose-response relationships of cisatracurium, mivacurium, atracurium, vecuronium and rocuronium and examined the interactions of cisatracurium with mivacurium, atracurium, vecuronium and rocuronium in humans by isobolographic and fractional analyses. We studied 180 adult patients during nitrous oxide-fentanyl-propofol anaesthesia. Neuromuscular block was monitored using mechanomyography to detect the twitch response of the ulnar nerve at the wrist. The dose-response curves were determined by probit analysis. The calculated ED 50 values and their 95% confidence intervals were 40.9 (38.1-43.7), 49.8 (47.0-52.6), 187.2 (175.1-199.3), 36.6 (34.7-38.5) and 136.4 (129.2-143.6) mg.kg ¹1 for cisatracurium, mivacurium, atracurium, vecuronium and rocuronium, respectively. Corresponding ED 95 values were 57.6 (53.5-61.7), 91.8 (88.1-95.5), 253.1 (238.9-267.3), 52.9 (49.1-56.7) and 288.7 (276.2-301.2) mg.kg ¹1 , respectively. The interaction between cisatracurium and mivacurium, vecuronium or rocuronium was found to be synergistic, but the interaction between cisatracurium and atracurium was found to be additive. Synergy between cisatracurium and vecuronium or rocuronium was greater than between cisatracurium and mivacurium.

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to identify the effect of auricular acupressure on pruritus and fatigue in hemodialysis patients. Methods: The study design was a randomized control group pre-post test. Initially, forty-four patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups. There was a loss of three participants assigned to the treatment group. The period of data collection was from December 2014 to March 2015. Both groups completed a pre-test. The treatment group received auricular acupressure once a week for ten weeks. Data were collected from the treatment group at two time periods: five weeks and ten weeks following initiation of the treatment protocol. Data were collected from the control group at week 5 and week 10. Data analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics 21.0 program, specifically with the independent t-test and the Repeated Measures of ANOVA. Results: Auricular acupressure was effective in reducing pruritus (F=13.93, p<.001) and fatigue (F=18.33, p<.001). Conclusion: Auricular acupressure is a non-invasive simple method that can be used for the relief of symptoms reported by hemodialysis patients. This treatment modality could be used in several clinical areas. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by-nc/3.0), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was the comparative effects on fatigue and sleep of aroma hand massage vs. hand massage among hospice patients in a hospital. Methods: The design of this study was a nonequivalent comparison group pretest-posttest design. This study was performed from May to December 2012 in a hospice ward. A total of 30 hospice patients in a hospice ward participated in the study (17 in an aroma massage group and 13 in a massage group). The Piper Fatigue Scale was used to measure the fatigue level. The quantity of sleep was measured using sleep hours and the quality of sleep using the Verran & Snyder-Halpern sleep scale (1987). The aroma massage group used 1:1 lavender and bergamot diluted to 1% with 100 ml jojoba carrier oil. The massage group used carrier oil without an essential oil. Each treatment was performed for 10 minutes prior to the subject's sleeping time, once a day and for 5 days. Data were analyzed using t-test, x 2 -test, Fisher's exact test and the repeated measures ANOVA with the SPSS program. Results: The increase in the fatigue and decrease in the sleep quantity were lower in the aroma hand massage compared to the only hand massage but they were not statistically significant. Conclusion: The quality of sleeping improved in the aroma hand massage group compared to the control group even though it was not significant. For the further studies, assessing and respecting the patient's aroma preference were important considerations when providing aromatherapy and the appropriation of using 1% essential oil to dilute needs to be tested for the hospice patients in the further studies

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of knowledge and attitude on self efficacy of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the fifth and the sixth grade of elementary school students. Methods: The participants were 242 elementary school students from A city. Data were collected from August 26 to August 27, 2013 using a questionnaire. Data analysis was performed by SPSS/WIN 19.0 using ANOVA, t-test, Pearson correlation and stepwise multiple regression. Results: Factors affecting on self efficacy to CPR were attitude (β= .54), religion (β=-.16), recognition (β= .15) and knowledge (β= .13). These factors explain 47.0% of the variance in self efficacy. Conclusion: The results of this study show that attitude to CPR has the strongest influence on efficacy. Based on the results of this study, we suggest that customized programs and further research by using 2010 guideline are needed to develop for elementary school students.

The current pilot study examined the effects of the Patient-Centered Environment Program (PCEP) on agitation, cognition, stress, pain, sleep, and activities of daily living for home-dwelling patients with dementia. Nine individuals participated in the study. The PCEP included visual, auditory, olfactory, and tactile areas based on participants' preferences. PCEP sessions were held for 30 minutes twice per week and a total of 16 sessions were performed at participants' homes. Findings showed that agitation and pain improved with the PCEP (t = 2.91, p < 0.02; t = 4.51, p < 0.002, respectively). Findings suggested that a better study design, repeated with a reasonable sample size, must be considered for participants' health statuses to meet the PCEP contents.