Gyeongsangbuk-do), mercury contents from shark meat distributed in this region have not been assessed yet. Thus, this study aims to identify the hazard by evaluating the mercury contents of the shark meat sold in the traditional market of Gyeongsangbuk-do.METHODS: The shark meat in the form of muscle meat was obtained from 15 traditional markets of Gyeongsangbuk-do in the summer and winter of 2013. Out of 105 samples in total, 49 were collected in the summer and 56 in the winter. The total mercury concentration was measured by the combustion-gold amalgamation method using an automatic mercury analyzer (Milestone DMA-80, Milestone).RESULTS: The average mercury concentration of shark meat was 2.29 ± 1.77 µg/g, ranging between 0.06–8.93 µg/g with a geometric mean of 1.44 µg/g, which is higher than those reported in many countries. The mercury concentration in 77 of 105 shark meat samples exceeded 1 µg/g. Mercury concentration ranged between 0.09–8.93 µg/g (geometric mean: 1.45) in the summer and 0.06–6.73 µg/g (geometric mean: 1.48) in the winter.CONCLUSIONS: Shark meat sold in the market contained a substantial amount of mercury. This suggests that it is difficult to reduce mercury intake by simply strengthening the standard level of mercury concentration in shark meat. Therefore, it is need to communication and awareness programs with consumers about hazardous effects of mercury inherent in shark meat.]]>
Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Korea ; Meat ; Methods ; Sharks

Endobiliary radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a procedure performed widely to induce locoregional tumor control by the transfer of thermal energy to the lesion and subsequent tumor necrosis. A 72-year-old male with a prior history of acute calculous cholangitis and perforated cholecystitis was admitted to the Kyungpook National University Hospital complaining of fever and nausea. He had an indwelling percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage (PTGBD) catheter from the previous episode of perforated cholecystitis. An abdominal CT scan showed marked dilation of both the intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile ducts. Common bile duct cancer was confirmed histologically after an endobiliary biopsy. A surgical resection was considered to be the initial treatment option. During open surgery, multiple metastatic nodules were present in the small bowel mesentery and anterior abdominal wall. Resection of the tumor was not feasible, so endobiliary RFA was performed prior to biliary stenting. Cholecystectomy was required for the removal of the PTGBD catheter, but the surgical procedure could not be performed due to a cystic ductal invasion of the tumor. Instead, chemical ablation of the gallbladder (GB) with pure ethanol was performed to breakdown the GB mucosa. Palliative treatment for a biliary obstruction was achieved successfully using these procedures. In addition, a PTGBD catheter was removed successfully without significant side effects. As a result, an improvement in the patient's quality of life was accomplished.
Abdominal Wall ; Aged ; Bile Ducts, Extrahepatic ; Biopsy ; Catheter Ablation ; Catheters ; Cholangiocarcinoma ; Cholangiopancreatography, Endoscopic Retrograde ; Cholangitis ; Cholecystectomy ; Cholecystitis ; Common Bile Duct ; Cystic Duct ; Drainage ; Ethanol ; Fever ; Gallbladder ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Male ; Mesentery ; Mucous Membrane ; Nausea ; Necrosis ; Palliative Care ; Quality of Life ; Stents ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to analyze the effect that oral health literacy of adults has on perceived oral health state and to identify the factors that affect perceived oral health status. METHODS: A self-administered questionnaire survey was distributed to 554 adults who lived in the Daegu or Gyeongbuk areas and visited dental institutions located in the Daegu area. For adults who were 60 years old or older, direct interviews were conducted. Statistical analysis was performed with t-tests, analysis of variance, and multiple regression using SPSS RESULTS: Between oral health literacy and perceived oral health status, a significant positive correlation was revealed (r=0.142, P<0.01). A significant positive correlation was revealed between oral health literacy and knowledge (r=0.397, P<0.01). A significant but weakly positive correlation was revealed between oral health knowledge and perceived oral health status (r=0.086, P<0.05). To identify factors affecting perceived oral health status, multiple regression analysis was conducted, and the result showed that oral health literacy was a statistically significant factor (β=0.105, p<0.05). Among general characteristics, age was a statistically significant negatively affecting factor, as it showed a negative relationship with perceived oral health status (β=−0.140, P=0.001, adjusted R2=0.049). CONCLUSIONS: When these study results are taken into consideration, oral health literacy is a factor affecting perceived oral health status, and as such, oral health literacy of the research targets should be taken into consideration when implementing oral health education to promote oral health.
Adult ; Daegu ; Education ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Health Literacy ; Humans ; Literacy ; Oral Health

Wischnewski spots (WS) are multiple black spots observed in the gastric mucosa at autopsy that are considered a reliable and important feature of hypothermia. Nonetheless, the frequency of WS varies widely. WS were discovered in 20 cases out of 3,493 autopsies (0.57%) conducted between 2001 and 2017 in the Department of Forensic Medicine of the School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University in Korea. This study aimed to investigate the distribution and size of WS in these cases and analyze the respective causes of death. Nine cases that occurred in winter were the same as the nine cases with hypothermia as the cause of death or contributory cause. The post-mortem blood alcohol test was positive in eight cases, with acute or chronic alcoholism determined as the cause of death in two of these cases. There were two cases of acute poisoning by pesticides. Putrefaction was noted in six cases (30%). WS presented in various sizes ranging from pinpoint to more than 5 mm in diameter, and the number of WS varied from 5 to 100. WS distribution was diffuse in four cases (20%) and localized in 13 cases (65%). Microscopic examination showed brown to black pigmentation but no neutrophil infiltration or vital reactions in the WS. Thus, WS are associated with hypothermia and are considered post-mortem alterations with variable appearance, size, and distribution. Hypothermia is an exclusive diagnosis at autopsy that should result from a combined assessment of toxicological tests, circumstance of death, and autopsy findings.
Alcoholism ; Autopsy ; Cause of Death ; Diagnosis ; Forensic Medicine ; Gastric Mucosa ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Hypothermia ; Korea ; Neutrophil Infiltration ; Pesticides ; Pigmentation ; Poisoning

Hesitation wounds are tentative, superficial incised wounds around the fatal wound(s). This study aimed to investigate the frequency and characteristic features of hesitation wounds including ordinary incised wounds and knife tip injuries as hesitation marks from the autopsy cases of suicides using sharp force instruments. The subjects were 478 cases out of 3,131 suicide cases autopsied at the Department of Forensic Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University in Daegu, from August, 2001 to 2013. 48 cases (approximately 10%) were suicides using sharp force instruments. In 27 cases (56.3%), the sharp force was successfully applied causing suicide; 17 cases (35.4%) were so called complex suicide cases, in which two or more different methods including sharp force injury were used; and the 4 remaining cases were suicides caused by other reasons. Overall hesitation wounds had a high frequency of 33/48 cases (68.8%). The frequency of cases in which knife tip injuries were found was lower, appearing in 13/33 cases (39.3%). The most preferred sites of knife tip injuries were the abdomen (9 cases), neck (4 cases), chest (3 cases), and face (1 case) in these 13 cases, including several overlapped cases. The average number of knife tip injuries was 14.6. A total of 88.2% of knife tip injuries was found near the incised hesitation wounds or fatal wounds. In conclusion, knife tip injuries may be a significant factor in identifying hesitation wounds, and they should be precisely examined and evaluated during autopsies to determine the manner of death.
Abdomen ; Autopsy ; Daegu ; Forensic Medicine ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Neck ; Suicide ; Thorax ; Wounds and Injuries

PURPOSE: This study was designed to allow a student at School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University (KNUSOM) to self-assess how well they had achieved competency and to analyze the differences and trends of the scores by year. Furthermore, students are asked to evaluate the need for curriculum improvement by competency, the tendency of the score is analyzed by year, and the results are reflected in the improvement of the curriculum. METHODS: We conducted a questionnaire survey for fourth-year students of KNUSOM who took medical education classes from 2015 to 2018. Questionnaire items were evaluated on the basis of their current achievement of 30 subordinate competencies of competency and the degree of necessity with respect to revising the curriculum. One-way analysis of variance was performed for the yearly difference analysis. RESULTS: The students' scores on the graduation competency were 2.03 to 4.06. In the yearly difference analysis, there was no significant difference in the average of 30 total competencies, but 16 of the sub-competencies showed significant year-to-year differences. The scores for the 30 graduation competencies were different for each year, but the competencies showing high scores and low scores were found to be similar each year. CONCLUSION: We found that the achievement level of the students was approximately 60% to 70%. We were able to confirm the contents of the education that the students continuously demand. The curriculum trend graphs for each year showed that the students' scores improved when the curriculum was being revised. We found that it is necessary to accept the students' self-evaluation reliable as the students indicated that the contents of the curriculum should be added to the areas where the contents were lacking in the present curriculum.
Curriculum ; Diagnostic Self Evaluation ; Education ; Education, Medical ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Self-Assessment

From October 2015 to August 2018, tapeworm proglottids were obtained from 10 patients who were residents of Daegu and Gyeongbuk provinces and had a history of raw beef consumption. Most of them had no overseas travel experience. The gravid proglottids obtained from the 10 cases had 15–20 lateral uterine branches. A part of internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) DNA of the 10 cases, amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and digested with AleI restriction enzyme, produced the same band pattern of Taenia saginata, which differentiated from T. asiatica and T. solium. Sequences of ITS1 and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) showed higher homology to T. saginata than to T. asiatica and T. solium. Collectively, these 10 cases were identified as T. saginata human infections. As taeniasis is one of the important parasitic diseases in humans, it is necessary to maintain hygienic conditions during livestock farming to avoid public health concerns.
Agriculture ; Cestoda ; Daegu ; DNA ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Electron Transport Complex IV ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Livestock ; Parasitic Diseases ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Public Health ; Red Meat ; Republic of Korea ; Taenia saginata ; Taenia ; Taeniasis

The infection status of Clinostomum complanatum metacercariae (CcMc) was broadly surveyed in fishes from water systems of Nakdong-gang (River) in the Republic of Korea (Korea) for 5 years. All 4,468 fishes collected were individually examined by the artificial digestion methods. No CcMc were detected in fishes from Naeseongcheon in Yecheon-gun, Gigyecheon in Gyeongju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do, and Hamancheon in Haman-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do. In fishes from Wicheon in Gunwi-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, CcMc were detected in 180 (15.4%) out of 1,168 fishes and their intensity was 5.8 per fish infected. The prevalences with CcMc in positive fish species from 3 other surveyed areas, i.e., Banbyeoncheon in Yeongyang-gun, Nakdong-gang in Sangju-si and Hoecheon in Goryeong-gun, in Gyeongsangbuk-do were 19.3%, 33.3%, and 19.0% and their intensities were 1.5, 17.6, and 2.6 per fish infected respectively. In fishes from Yangcheon in Sancheong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, CcMc were detected in 811 (45.6%) out of 1,779 fishes examined and their intensity was 9.8 per fish infected. The prevalence was most high in Squalidus spp. (97.7%) and followed by acheilognathinid fish (66.8%), Pungtungia herzi (52.0%), rasborinid fish (39.6%) and Hemibarbus spp. (25.9%) from Yangcheon. The intensity was also most high in Squalidus spp. (27.0). The endemicity with CcMc was very low in fishes from water systems of Nakdong-gang in the east coast of Korea. Conclusively, it is confirmed that various fish species act as the second intermediate hosts of C. complanatum, and the endemicities of CcMc are more or less different by the fish species and group from Yangcheon, in Sancheong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, Korea.
Digestion ; Fishes ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Gyeongsangnam-do ; Korea ; Metacercariae ; Prevalence ; Republic of Korea ; Water

OBJECTIVE: The mismatch in the demand and supply of emergency medical resources has been a constant issue in Korean emergency departments (EDs). This study analyzed the characteristics and actual utilization of medical bed resources in these EDs. METHODS: The emergency department utilization (EDU) rate was calculated using the Emergency Medical Resource Information System (EMRIS) on the available beds in EDs from April 2014 to January 2015. The EDU rate was analyzed according to the season, day of the week, time of day, and ED type. Furthermore, the ratio between the maximum and minimum EDU rates was also compared between the regions. RESULTS: A total of 14,889,750 data points were included. The EDU rate was relatively high during winter and on Sundays, and was highest between 20:00 and 22:00. The ratio between the maximum and minimum EDU rates according to the time of day was highest in Gyeongbuk (5.4) and lowest in Daegu (1.4). Moreover, the EDU rate according to the ED type was highest in the regional emergency medical center (66.7%). CONCLUSION: Significant differences were observed in the EDU rates according to the season, day of the week, time of the day, region, and ED type. Therefore, EMRIS should allocate resources based on the data on both the hospital and regional characteristics.
Daegu ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Information Systems ; Seasons

In 2016 and 2017, there were earthquakes greater than 5.0 in magnitude on the Korean Peninsula, which has previously been considered an earthquake-free zone. Patients with chronic kidney disease are particularly vulnerable to earthquakes, as the term “renal disaster” suggests. In the event of a major earthquake, patients on hemodialysis face the risk of losing maintenance dialysis due to infrastructure disruption. In this review, we share the experience of an earthquake in Pohang that posed a serious risk to patients on hemodialysis. We review the disaster response system in Japan and propose a disaster preparedness plan with respect to hemodialysis. Korean nephrologists and staff in dialysis facilities should be trained in emergency response to mitigate risk from natural disasters. Dialysis staff should be familiar with the action plan for natural disaster events that disrupt hemodialysis, such as outages and water treatment system failures caused by earthquakes. Patients on hemodialysis also need to be educated about disaster preparedness. In the event of a disaster situation that results in dialysis failure, patients need to know what to do. At the local and national government level, long-term preparations should be made to handle renal disaster and patient safety logistics. Moreover, Korean nephrologists should also be prepared to manage cardiovascular disease and diabetes in disaster situations. Further evaluation and management of social and national disaster preparedness of hemodialysis units to earthquakes in Korea are needed.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Dialysis ; Disasters ; Earthquakes ; Emergencies ; Federal Government ; Gyeongsangbuk-do ; Humans ; Japan ; Korea ; Organization and Administration ; Patient Safety ; Renal Dialysis ; Renal Insufficiency, Chronic ; Water Purification