Objective To explore the influence of self-concealment level on patients'quality of life and clinical curative effect for curing refractory chronic prostatitis(RCP)by high-intensity focused ultrasound(HIFU). Methods Patients of RCP who meet the diagnostic criteria were assessed with the Self-Concealment Scale(SCS), TDL's table of self-assessing quality of life and National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI).The patients whose SCS score were above the average score plus a standard deviation were taken as the high SCS group,and whose SCS Score were below the average score minus a standard deviation were taken as the low SCS group.The scores for CPSI and TDLs table of self-assessing quality of life and the clinical curative effect of the two groups were determined before and after the treatment by HIFU, respectively.Results The SCS score(35.75±10.34) of the RCP patients before HIFU treatment was significantly higher than the norm for male college students(29.20±8.73)(t=4.26,P<0.01).Two and six weeks after the HIFU application,the CPSI of both the high and the low SCS group decreased significantly(P<0.01),and the CPSI of the low SCS group de-creased more greatly than that of the high SCS group(P<0.01).The scores for TDL Life Quality Scale of low SCS group were significantly higher before and after two and six weeks'HIFU treatment than that of high self-concealment group(P<0.01).The TDL quality of life scale score of thelow SCS group increased respectively after two and six weeks'HIFU treatment (P<0.01),while for the high SCS group,this score increased only after six weeks' HIFU treatment(P<0.05).Six weeks after HIFU treatment,the clinical curative effect for the low SCS group was, observably better than that for high self-concealment(P<0.05).The SCS scores was significantly positive with CPSI scores(P<0.01),and significantly negative with the scores of TDL Life Quality Scale (P<0.01).Conclusion The symptom abatement,quality of life and clinical curative effect the RCP patients with a high self-concealment level were respectively worse after the HIFU treatment than that for whom with a low self-concealment level.

Objective To study the relationship of levels of circulating endothelial microparticles (EMP62E, EMP31) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) with severity of chronic left heart failure in elderly patients. Methods According to New York Heart Association (NYHA) class and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), the healthy subjects and the patients were divided into five groups: control group [LVEF: (63.97±4.65)%], classⅠ group [LVEF: (42.67±2.06)%], classⅡ group [LVEF: (34.26±3.17)%], class Ⅲ group [LVEF: (29.05±1.07)%] and class Ⅳ group[ LVEF:(25.17±1.42)%] . The levels of circulating EMP62E, EMP31 and hs-CRP of the patients and healthy subjects were measured by flow cytometry and nephelometry immunoassay, respectively. Results There were significantly differences in EMP62E, EMP31 and hs-CRP between class Ⅳ group and classⅠ group P＜0.01) EMP62E [(1092.7 ± 102.8) counts/μl vs. (291.0±21.9) counts/μl], EMP31 [(1596.1±46.3) counts/μl vs. (477.8±40.3) counts/μl] and hs-CRP [(14.74±0.07) mg/L vs. (4.86 ± 0.09) mg/L]. The levels of circulating EMP62E, EMP31 and hs-CRP were gradually elevated significantly along with the increased severity of chronic left heart failure in elderly. Conclusions The upregulation of circulating EMP31, EMP62E and hs-CRP may contribute to the development of chronic heart failure in elderly.

Objective To observe the effect of changes in CD34+ cell level on various degrees of chronic heart failure (CHF) in the elderly. Methods The enrolled patients were divided into four CHF groups according to the New York Heare Association(NYHA) functional class: NYHA class I (n=23), Ⅱ (n=27), Ⅲ (n = 20) and IV group (n= 16) , and there were 41 healthy controls over the same period. The levels of peripheral blood CD34+ cells were measured, and the tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). its soluble receptors (sTNFR-1 and sTNFR-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were also measured. Results The levels of CD34+ cells were elevated in the early CHF and depressed in the advanced CHF in elderly patients. The levels of CD34+ cells were (0. 6± 0.2) 109/L in control group, (2.4±0. 4) 109/L in NYHA class I group, (1.9±0.2)×109/L in NYHA class Ⅱ group, (1.3±0.1)×109/L in NYHA class Ⅲ group and (0.5±0.2)×109/L in NYHA class Ⅳ group, respectively (all P<0.01).And TNF-α, sTNFR-1, sTNFR-2 and VEGF were increased in severe chronic left ventricular failure CNYHA class IV vs. I group:TNF-α: (61.4± 15.7) ng/L vs. (28.4±10.8)ng/L; sTNFR-1: (2820.9±1282.8)ng/L vs. (690.8±62.7) ng/L; sTNFR-2: (4113.1±1102.2) ng/L vs. (740.8± 112.3)ng/L; VEGF: (996.3±487.1)ng/L vs. (423. 3±147. 9)ng/L, all P<0. 013. Conclusions The changes of CD34+ cell level may predict various degrees of chronic heart failure in elderly patients.

Considerable evidence has been published since the 2020 Korean Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Guidelines were reported. The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (ILCOR) also publishes the Consensus on CPR and Emergency Cardiovascular Care Science with Treatment Recommendations (CoSTR) summary annually. This review provides expert opinions by reviewing the recent evidence on CPR and ILCOR treatment recommendations. The authors reviewed the CoSTR summary published by ILCOR in 2021 and 2022. PICO (population, intervention, comparator, outcome) questions for each topic were reviewed using a systemic or scoping review methodology. Two experts were appointed for each question and reviewed the topic independently. Topics suggested by the reviewers for revision or additional description of the guidelines were discussed at a consensus conference. Forty-three questions were reviewed, including 15 on basic life support, seven on advanced life support, two on pediatric life support, 11 on neonatal life support, six on education and teams, one on first aid, and one related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Finally, the current Korean CPR Guideline was maintained for 28 questions, and expert opinions were suggested for 15 questions.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to achieve expert consensus for the evaluation of Emergency medical system operation fund (EMSOF) support projects using the Delphi method in Korea. METHODS: The Delphi study was performed in June 2018. Experts who are members of the policy committee of the Korean Society of Emergency Medicine (KSEM) participated in the study. Respondents were asked to express their level of agreement of appropriateness for the following 6 categories for 21 projects: project contents, amount of support, indicators, performance, overall evaluation, and need to maintain. With a possible score of 9 points, the project categories were classified into 3 groups, inappropriate, moderate and appropriate, based on the median score of the respondents' ratings in each question. RESULTS: Sixteen of the 18 policy committee members participated in the survey. Their average professional work years were 8.2 years. All 21 projects were evaluated as appropriate for content. Amount of support and indicators were evaluated as moderate. Only 5 out of the 21 projects were evaluated as having appropriate indicators. No projects were evaluated as ineffective. Comprehensive evaluation of the projects was evaluated as moderate, and no project was evaluated as inappropriate in fund support. CONCLUSION: Overall, the contents of the EMSOF assistance project were rated high; however, there was a disagreement on the amount of support and evaluation indicators for each project. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data to improve the use of EMSOF.
Committee Membership ; Consensus ; Delphi Technique ; Emergencies ; Emergency Medicine ; Financial Management ; Korea ; Methods ; Resource Allocation ; Surveys and Questionnaires

ObjectiveTo investigate a cluster epidemic of coronavirus disease 2019 （COVID-19） infections in a school in Longchuan County， Yunnan Province， and further guide the prevention and control of COVID-19 in the border area. MethodsAccording to the Protocol on Prevention and Control of Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia （8th Edition）， an epidemiological investigation was performed on all COVID-19 cases to collect the information on demographics， onset， diagnosis and treatment， prognosis， and epidemiological history. Close contacts were also tracked to determine the transmission chains. ResultsIn this cluster epidemic， a total of 37 COVID-19 cases were identified， including 32 females and 5 males aged from 13 to 25 years， who were 35 students and 2 teachers. The student cases were found in four classes of two grades. Furthermore， gene sequencing showed that all cases had been infected with delta variants， belonging to the same transmission chain that was not related to the previous epidemics in Dehong Prefecture. In additionally， a total of 2 127 close contacts were found. After 21 days of centralized quarantine for medical observation， all close contacts tested negative for SARS-CoV-2. In the COVID-19 cases， only one case remained positive for SARS-CoV-2， while the other 36 cases were successfully treated and became negative. ConclusionThis school cluster is caused by the border villagers who contacted the water polluted with SARS-CoV-2. It warrants more strict management of students from border villages and their belongings to prevent similar epidemics in school settings.