Periodontal disease is one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases in the oral cavity, and this is the leading cause of loss of teeth. Studies on the association between diet and periodontal diseases are very limited. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between food and nutrient intakes and the prevalence of periodontitis. Subjects were 13,391 adults participating in the 2008-2010 Korea Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Periodontitis was diagnosed by dentists using the Community Periodontal Index. Nutrient intakes were estimated by the 24-hour dietary recall. Consumption frequencies of foods were from the food frequency questionnaire. Subjects were categorized into 'smoking' or 'non-smoking' groups. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to determine the association between diet and periodontitis. The proportions of subjects having periodontitis were 26% in the non-smoking group and 37.5% in the smoking group. In the non-smoking group, intakes of fruits, dairy products, green tea, energy and vitamin C were inversely associated with the prevalence of periodontitis, but fish and coffee intakes were positively associated with the prevalence of periodontitis after adjusting for covariates. In the smoking group, protein and retinol intakes were inversely associated with the prevalence of periodontitis after adjusting for covariates. These results suggest that certain food and nutrient intakes such as fruits, dairy products, green tea, vitamin C, protein, or retinol intakes may affect the prevalence of periodontitis among Korean adults. Further studies are required to confirm these findings in other research settings.
Adult* ; Ascorbic Acid ; Coffee ; Dairy Products ; Dentists ; Diet ; Fruit ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Mouth ; Periodontal Diseases ; Periodontal Index ; Periodontitis* ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Smoke* ; Smoking* ; Tea ; Tooth ; Vitamin A

Objective: Studies using simulation-based programs for empathy enhancement have been conducted mostly for health profession students and medical care providers in Western countries. No empirical research has been conducted for non-medical care providers of older adults in community settings in Asian countries. The purposes of this mixed-methods study were: to explore experiences and perceived usability of non-medical care providers of older adults in a simulation-based empathy enhancement program; and to examine if the program is effective in improving empathy and relevant outcomes. Methods: 104 non-medical care providers of older adults in South Korea participated in a simulation-based empathy enhancement program in 2018. Data were collected using self-reported questionnaires for effectiveness testing, a program evaluation questionnaire, and individual interviews and analyzed using statistical tests and thematic analysis. Results: Care providers showed higher levels of empathy and lower levels of stress and burnout after the program participation (p<0.05). Qualitative findings supported the improved attitude and care strategies, increased empathy towards older adults, preparing for their own aging, and restoration of emotional stability through the participation in the program. Conclusion This study suggests that the simulation-based program is useful in promoting empathic responses of non-medical care providers working with older adults.

Purpose: This descriptive study aimed to identify the contribution of nurses’ communication styles, nurse-mother partnerships, and mothers’ anxiety levels to the coping of mothers of hospitalized children, with the goal of establishing effective intervention strategies based on these factors. Methods: Data were collected using a structured questionnaire from July 12 to October 29, 2018. The study’s participants were 200 hospitalized children’s mothers in the pediatric ward of a university hospital. Results: The coping of hospitalized children’s mothers showed a significant relationship with nurses’ informative communication style (r=.26, p<.001), affective communication style (r=.28, p<.001), nurse-mother partnership (r=.50, p<.001), authoritative communication style (r=-.28, p<.001), and mothers’ anxiety (r=-.23, p=.001). A multiple regression analysis (adjusted R2=.32) indicated that the factors affecting the mothers’ coping included nurse-mother partnership (β=.47, p<.001), another caregiver (yes) (β=.17, p=.006), and mothers’ subjective health status (very healthy) (β=.15, p=.047). Conclusion Considering that the formation of cooperative partnerships between mothers and nurses found in this study had a positive effect on the mothers’ coping skills, it appears necessary to develop and implement programs for improving nurses’ communication skills and ability to form partnerships, beginning from undergraduate education.

PURPOSE: Strabismus can occur after retinal reattachment surgery with scleral buckling (SB). We performed surgical treatment of a large-angle esotropia after SB without buckle removal and achieved good surgical outcome. CASE SUMMARY: A 21-year-male revisited our clinic for surgical treatment of esotropia. He had cicatricial retinopathy of prematurity in the right eye, and retinal detachment developed when he was 4 years old. Retinal reattachment surgery was performed with a 360-degree encircling band, a radial buckle at the 8 o'clock position, and a circumferential buckle ranging from the 7 to 11 o'clock position. He was not available for follow-up 2 years after surgery due to a change of residence, but exhibited a 5 prism diopters (PD) esotropia at the last visit. He demonstrated 55 PD esotropia of the right eye in the primary position with limited abduction. Surgery was performed without buckle removal, as recommended by a retinal specialist. Under general anesthesia, a forced duction test revealed a restriction of the medial rectus of the right eye. Exploration showed extensive adhesions around both the medial and lateral rectus with the buckle. Careful adhesiolysis and dissection were performed. A 8-mm resection of the lateral rectus and a 6-mm recession of the medial rectus were performed. The patient demonstrated favorable ocular alignment, and the limited abduction of the right eye improved after surgery. CONCLUSIONS: We report a case of surgical treatment of a large-angle esotropia after SB without buckle removal. This case can be helpful for surgeons planning the treatment of strabismus in patients who had undergone SB.
Anesthesia, General ; Esotropia* ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Retinal Detachment ; Retinaldehyde ; Retinopathy of Prematurity ; Scleral Buckling* ; Specialization ; Strabismus ; Surgeons

OBJECTIVE: Dysphagia is a major complication of stroke and causes serious problems, such as lung aspiration. Previous reviews of dysphagia treatments for stroke were limited due to a dearth of available studies. More trials have been published recently warranting a re-examination of the evidence. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the effectiveness of interventions for dysphagia in adults following stroke. METHODS: The PRISMA Statement with a 27-item checklist was used as a general guide to conduct and report a quality systematic review. Five electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials published in English between 2008 and 2017 examining the effectiveness of dysphagia interventions following stroke. The search terms were entered by combining the keywords related to dysphagia, stroke, interventions, and randomized controlled trials. RESULTS: Fifteen articles were included; the most commonly used interventions were Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (4 articles), Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation (4 articles), and Pharyngeal electrical stimulation (4 articles). CONCLUSION: This review provides evidence of the effectiveness of interventions for people with dysphagia following stroke, but there were some mixed results. The heterogeneity of the outcome measures as well as the mixed results highlight the need for further research.
Adult ; Checklist ; Deglutition Disorders* ; Electric Stimulation ; Humans ; Lung ; Outcome Assessment (Health Care) ; Population Characteristics ; Stroke* ; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

PURPOSE: We investigated the long-term longitudinal changes in axial length (AL), mean ocular perfusion pressure (MOPP), and choroidal thickness (CT) according to the reduction of intraocular pressure (IOP) after glaucoma surgery. The potential variables associated with CT changes were also evaluated.METHODS: This was a prospective study for 1 year after glaucoma surgery, which included 71 eyes of 71 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma. The subfoveal CT (SFCT) and peripapillary CT (PPCT) were measured using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography preoperatively and 1 week, 1 month, 2 months, 6 months, and 1 year postoperatively. MOPP was calculated from the IOP and blood pressure. The AL was measured using partial coherence interferometry. Regression analysis was conducted to assess the possible association of variables.RESULTS: The AL decreased and the MOPP, SFCT, and PPCT increased significantly with IOP reduction at 1 year post-operatively (all, p < 0.001). The changes in SFCT and PPCT were significantly associated with IOP reduction at 1 year postoperatively (r = −0.519 and r = −0.528, respectively). Importantly, greater increases in SFCT and PPCT were found in patients with IOP reduction more than 30% from baseline, when compared with those with less than 30% reduction (p = 0.001 and p = 0.002, respectively). The SFCT increased more significantly in patients with AL ≤ 24 mm, compared with patients with AL > 24 mm (p = 0.044).CONCLUSIONS: Reduction in the IOP, increase in the MOPP, decrease in the AL, and increase in the CT after glaucoma surgery persisted for 1 year during a long-term follow-up. These results suggested that glaucoma surgery reduced mechanical compression on the optic nerve fiber and increased intraocular blood flow.
Blood Pressure ; Choroid ; Follow-Up Studies ; Glaucoma ; Glaucoma, Open-Angle ; Humans ; Interferometry ; Intraocular Pressure ; Optic Nerve ; Perfusion ; Prospective Studies ; Tomography, Optical Coherence

The pediatric population with comorbidities is a high-risk group for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As of January 2023, the COVID-19 vaccination rate for at least two doses among Korean children 5–11 years is low at 1.1%. We summarized the COVID-19 vaccination status for the pediatric population (5–17 years) with comorbidities through July 2022 using the National Health Insurance Service database. Pediatric patients with comorbidities had higher vaccination rates than the general pediatric population (2.4% vs. 1.1% in 5–11-year-olds [P < 0.001], 76.5% vs. 66.1% in 12–17-year-olds [P < 0.001]). However, there were substantial differences according to comorbidity category, and the 2-dose vaccination rate was lowest among children with immunodeficiency in all age groups (1.1% in 5–11-year-olds, 51.2% in 12–17-year-olds). The COVID-19 vaccination rate among Korean children has remained stagnant at a low proportion despite ongoing outreach. Thus, more proactive strategies are needed alongside continuous surveillance.

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the factors associated with suicidal ideation in the elderly. METHODS: A total of 136 subjects over 60 years old who visited the public offices in Bucheon-si, Gyeonggi Province in South Korea participated in the study. Subjects completed a series of questionnaires including the following : demographic information ; physical illness ; psychological illness ; suicidal ideation. In addition, Center for Epidemiologic Studies-Depression Scale and Attitudes Towards Suicide-20 were used to assess the severity of depression and the attitude towards suicide, respectively. RESULTS: Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the factors that affect suicidal ideation in the elderly. As a result, living alone, depression, having any physical illness, and permissive attitude towards suicide were risk factors for suicidal ideation in the elderly. CONCLUSION: ConclusionZZIn addition to previously identified risks factors (living alone, physical illness, and depression), the study found that permissive attitude towards suicide also serves as a risk factor for suicide in elderly people. Therefore, permissive attitude towards suicide should be addressed and evaluated in order to prevent suicide in the elderly.
Aged* ; Depression ; Gyeonggi-do ; Humans ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Risk Factors* ; Suicidal Ideation* ; Suicide

Objective: This study compared the treatment results of emergency department (ED) patients presenting with gingival bleeding, who were given dental consultations with those who were not. Also, the study compared patients presenting with gingival bleeding based on the period of availability of the dental consultation in the ED. Methods: This was a retrospective study of patients with gingival bleeding visiting the ED from January 2011 to April 2020. The demographic data of patients, past medical history, etiology of bleeding, vital signs, lab findings, treatment methods, and disposition were analyzed. Results: The mean level of hemoglobin was 13.3 g/dL in the group to whom dental consultation was made available, and 11.7 g/dL in the group not given dental consultation, which was a significant difference (P=0.010). Vitamin K injections were given to 1.9% of the former group and 6.2% of the latter group (P=0.049). Suturing was done in 14% of the former group and 1.2% of the latter (P<0.001). There were no significant differences between the two groups regarding admission to the ward or revisits to the ED. Conclusion Emergency physicians carried out conservative treatments for patients with gingival bleeding when dental consultation was unavailable. No differences in the treatment results were observed based on the length of time the dental consultation was made available.

PURPOSE: To compare the sedation outcome according to the dose of per os chloral hydrate in children who underwent laceration repair in the emergency department (ED). METHODS: This retrospective study was performed to the children who underwent sedation using chloral hydrate for laceration repair in the ED from January 2015 through November 2015. A total of 370 children aged younger than 6 years underwent the sedation. We compared the induction time, duration of sedation, and ED length of stay (EDLOS) between the single dose (50 mg/kg) and additional dose (plus 25 mg/kg) groups. RESULTS: Of 370 children, 335 (90.5%) were sedated successfully, 284 (76.8%) were sedated with initial dose (the single dose group), and 51 (13.8%) were sedated with additional dose (the additional dose group). The induction time and EDLOS were longer in the additional dose group (induction time: 31.0 ± 17.2 minutes vs. 96.2 ± 25.4 minutes, P < 0.001; EDLOS: 137.2 ± 35.5 minutes vs. 193.0 ± 36.0 minutes, P < 0.001). The duration of sedation showed no difference between the 2 groups (44.4 ± 24.0 minutes vs. 42.0 ± 20.8 minutes; P = 0.500). No one had serious adverse reactions. CONCLUSION: Additional dose of chloral hydrate can increase the induction time and EDLOS without increasing the duration of sedation and causing serious adverse reactions. This information may improve the efficiency of ED workflow when shared with parents of the children.
Child* ; Chloral Hydrate* ; Conscious Sedation ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Humans ; Lacerations* ; Length of Stay ; Parents ; Retrospective Studies