Nutritional assessment of patients before gastrointestinal surgery and nurses' approach to this issue.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional status of patients before gastrointestinal surgery and to reveal nurses' opinions about this issue. BACKGROUND: Although there is increasing awareness that malnutrition constitutes an important problem, especially when it accompanies diseases, malnutrition in hospitalized patients is not being diagnosed or treated. DESIGN: This study was descriptive. METHODS: Subjective global assessment and anthropometric/biochemical measurements were used to evaluate the nutritional status of 57 patients hospitalized for gastrointestinal surgery. Related opinions of eight nurses were obtained via semi-structured interviews. RESULTS: The malnutrition rate was high in patients before gastrointestinal surgery, and the nurses were not able to evaluate nutritional status properly. Furthermore, the nurses lacked knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicates the importance of evaluating the nutritional status of patients before surgery and the necessity of developing nutritional support plans. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Our study showed that subjective global assessment is an easy and useful scale for evaluating the nutritional status of patients. Nurses are suitable team members for continuous nutritional care and therefore must not delegate this role.

Effects of the diabetic patients' perceived social support on their quality-of-life.

AIM: The aim of this descriptive study was to determine effects of the diabetic patients' perceived social support on theirs life qualities. BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes and its treatment effects patients' quality of life. Quality-of-life is important for people with diabetes and their health care providers. Social support for diabetic adults has been shown to benefit disease management and adjustment. RESEARCH DESIGN: This research was conducted with 66 type 2 diabetic patients who came for control to the diabetes policlinic between May and June 2003 at diabetes polyclinic in Kocaeli State Hospital of Marmara Region in Turkey. Informed consent was obtained from patients. Data were collected by using the quality-of-life scale (SF-36), perceptional social support scale and the questionnaire prepared by the researchers. METHOD: For the analysis of data, Mann-Whitney U-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis have been employed. RESULTS: Perceived social support and quality-of-life were increased together. Male patients' and retired patients' quality life score and perceived social support were high. Meanwhile when educational level was increased, perceived social support and quality-of-life were increased. The quality life scores and perceived social support scores were high in patients who living alone and used oral antidiabetic drugs. CONCLUSIONS: If perceived social support and quality-of-life were increased together, it means social support increases quality-of-life. That is why nurses must try to plan some strategies for increase social support of patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Assessment of social support of type 2 diabetic patients may assist in determining individualized goals and strategies. Enhanced social support in diabetes self-management may subsequently improve metabolic control, self-management and psychosocial adjustment to diabetes.

Effect of chronic fluorosis on lipid peroxidation and histology of lung tissues in first and second generation rats.

This experiment was designed to investigate the lipid peroxidation and histological effects of chronic fluorosis on first and second generation rat lung tissues. Sixteen, virgin, female Wistar rats were mated with eight males (2:1) for approximately 12 h to obtain first-generation rats. Pregnant rats were divided into two experimental groups (control and fluoride supplemented). The pregnant rats in the fluoride-supplemented group were exposed to 30 mg/L sodium fluoride (NaF) in commercial drinking water containing 0.07 mg/L NaF throughout the gestation and lactation periods. After the lactation period, young animals (first generation; F1) were exposed to the same amount of NaF in drinking water for four months. At the end of the four-month experimental period, nine randomly-chosen male rats (F1) were sacrificed and lung tissues were removed for histopathological and enzymatic lipid peroxidation examination. The second generation rats were obtained from the remaining rats by the same method. They were also treated similarly. At the end of the four-month experimental period, nine randomly-chosen male rats (F2) were sacrificed, and the lungs were removed for histological and lipid peroxidation examination. The rats in the control groups underwent the same procedure without NaF supplementation. It was found that the plasma fluoride and the lung TBARS levels of fluoride supplemented F1 and F2 rats were higher than controls. There were marked histological changes in the lung tissues of fluoride supplemented F1 and F2 rats, as follows: in F1 rats; loss of alveolar architecture, emphysematous areas, descuamation of alveolar epithelium and alveolar congestion were observed. There were thickened interalveolar septae and congestion of alveolar septal vessels. Intraparenchymal thick-walled vessels were also observed. There were markedly perivascular and intraparenchymal focal mononuclear cell infiltrations. In F2 rats, in addition to these changes, there were lipid cell hyperplasia and increased connective tissue mass in the parenchymal areas. It is concluded that chronic fluorosis causes a marked destruction in lung tissues of F1 and F2 rats by causing lipid peroxidation.

Turkish nursing students' perception of caring.

Although caring is a difficult entity to explain or define, many authors consider that caring is the central and unifying domain of nursing. It is important that nursing students understand what care is in order to be clear about what good nursing care is. This qualitative study was conducted to clarify Turkish nursing students' perception of caring. The sample was 19 last year undergraduate nursing students who volunteered to be involved in this study. Nursing students were asked to write incidents in which they observed nursing behaviours conducted in caring and noncaring ways. Then the students were interviewed to clarify why nursing behaviours that were addressed in their written incidents were considered as caring or noncaring. Data which obtain from students' reports and interviews were analyzed and themes of caring were formed into two groups: professional/helping relationship and technical competency.

Effect of chronic fluorosis on lipid peroxidation and histology of kidney tissues in first- and second-generation rats.

This experiment was designed to investigate the lipid peroxidation and histological effects of chronic fluorosis on first- and second-generation rat kidney tissues. Sixteen virgin female Wistar rats were mated with eight males (2: 1) for approx 12 h to obtain first-generation rats. Mating was confirmed by the presence of sperm in vaginal smears. Sperm in vaginal smears was observed in 10 of 16 rats (d 0). These rats were identified as pregnant and included in this experiment. Pregnant rats were divided into two experimental groups (control and fluoride-supplemented), each containing five rats. The pregnant rats in the fluoride-supplemented group were exposed to 30 mg/L sodium fluoride (NaF) in commercial drinking water containing 0.07 mg/L NaF throughout the gestation and the lactation periods. After the lactation period, young animals (first generation [F1]) were exposed to the same amount of NaF in drinking water for 4 mo. At the end of the 4-mo experimental period, nine randomly chosen male rats (F1) were sacrificed, and the kidneys were removed for the histological and lipid peroxidation examinations. The remaining eight female rats were mated with four males (2: 1) for approx 12 h to obtain second-generation rats. Six female were identified as pregnant, and treated similarly throughout the gestation and the lactation periods. After the lactation period, the young male rats (second-generation male rats [F2]) were also treated similarly for 4 mo. At the end of the 4-mo experimental period, nine randomly chosen male rats (F2) were sacrificed, and the kidneys were removed for the histological and lipid peroxidation examinations. The rats in the control groups underwent the same procedure without NaF supplementation. It was found that the plasma fluoride and kidney TBARS levels of fluoride-supplemented F1 and F2 rats were higher than controls. Hydropic epithelial cell degenerations and moderate tubular dilatation were observed in some proximal and distal tubules. There were markedly focal mononuclear cell infiltrations and hemorrhage at some areas of the interstitium, especially at the corticomedullar junction. Mononuclear cell infiltrations were also evident in some peritubular and perivascular areas. Most of the vascular structures were congestive. Many Bowman capsules were narrowed. The severe degenerative changes in most of the shrunken glomerules and vascular congestion were also observed.

Change in nursing students' perceptions of nursing during their education: the role of the Introduction to Nursing course in this change.

This study was performed to investigate the changes in students' perceptions of nursing during their education and to evaluate the role of an Introduction to Nursing course in this change. This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 39 nursing students at their first educational season. Within the first hour of the Introduction to Nursing course (which was conducted by the researcher), the students were asked to define nursing according to their own ideas and they were requested to give written answers. Then, the objectives, contents, education methods and mutual expectations related to the course were discussed. During this course interactive learning strategies were used. At the end of the term, the students were provided with their first nursing definitions. They were asked to examine these definitions and write a new one in line with their criticisms, along with their opinions about the education methods used and the instructor of the course. The definitions written by the students before and after the course were analysed one by one. The expressions within these definitions were extracted, classified and then compared. The opinions of the students about the education methods used and the instructor of the course were also classified and evaluated by the researcher. Percentages were used in the evaluation of data. According to the results of this study the Introduction to Nursing course had a positive effect on students' understanding of nursing as a profession. In addition, they expressed positive opinions about the education methods used and the instructor.