Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationships between the characteristics of nurses’ work schedules, health outcomes, and work–life balance. Methods: This was a secondary data analysis that included 422 nurses in Korean hospitals. Descriptive analysis, independent sample t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression analysis were used to identify the associated factors. Results: Multiple linear regression analysis showed that work–life balance was lower when atypical work was performed (β = -.14, p = .010). Nurses who did not work overtime showed a higher level of work–life balance than those who worked overtime infrequently (β = -.11, p = .002) or frequently (β = -.28, p < .001). The work–life balance level increased when nurses had better subjective health status (β = .16, p < .001) or higher sleep quality (β = .29, p < .001). It was verified that the work–life balance level was higher for single-person households than for households with two (β = -.18, p = .003), three to four (β = -.16, p = .022), or five or more (β = -.21, p < .001) persons. Conclusion This study suggests that government and hospital organizations should provide high-quality care and consideration to nurses who do atypical or overtime work as well as their subjective health status and sleep quality. Further research should focus on the development of a policy that improves the work–life balance of nurses, especially for those who work during atypical hours.

Tumoral calcinosis (TC) is a condition resulting from extensive calcium phosphate precipitation, primarily in the periarticular tissues around major joints. Calciphylaxis is a fatal ischemic vasculopathy mainly affecting dermal blood vessels and subcutaneous fat. This syndrome is rare and predominantly occurs in patients with end-stage renal disease. Here, we report on a rare case involving a patient with TC complicated with calciphylaxis. Our patient was a 31-year-old man undergoing hemodialysis who presented with masses on both shoulders and necrotic cutaneous ulcers, which were associated with secondary hyperparathyroidism, on his lower legs. He underwent subtotal parathyroidectomy, and sodium thiosulfate (STS) was administered for 27 weeks. Twenty months after beginning the STS treatment course, he experienced dramatic relief of his TC and calciphylaxis.
Adult ; Blood Vessels ; Calcinosis* ; Calciphylaxis* ; Calcium ; Humans ; Hyperparathyroidism, Secondary ; Joints ; Kidney Failure, Chronic ; Leg ; Parathyroidectomy* ; Renal Dialysis ; Shoulder ; Sodium* ; Subcutaneous Fat ; Ulcer

The rare cause of lower gastrointestinal bleeding is angiodysplasia. Angiolysplasia is most common in the right colon, but it can be found throughout the whole gastrointestinal tract. The main lesion of angiodysplasia is located at the submucosal layer. So, it is sometimes very difficult to search for the focus of bleeding via laparotomy or colonoscopy. We recently experienced a case of rectal arteriovenous malformation that was misdiagnosed as intussusception. A 57-year-old man visited the emergency room because of abrupt anal bleeding and low abdominal pain, and this was the third episode he'd experienced during the past 20 years. Sigmoidoscopy and abdominal CT revealed that his rectum was obstructed with a dark black colotuberant mass, which was suggestive of ischemic intussusception. We performed emergency laparotomy and we found an extremely swollen rectum with surrounding hematoma instead of intussusception. We performed low anterior resection and colo-anal anastomosis with ileostomy. The final pathologic diagnosis showed that the protuberant mass was a hematoma in the submucosal layer, and this developed by bleeding from an arteriovenous malformation in the rectum.
Abdominal Pain ; Angiodysplasia ; Arteriovenous Malformations ; Colon ; Colonoscopy ; Emergencies ; Gastrointestinal Tract ; Hematoma ; Hemorrhage ; Humans ; Ileostomy ; Intussusception ; Laparotomy ; Middle Aged ; Rectum ; Sigmoidoscopy

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to review the clinical outcome and prognosis of patients with sporadic and hereditary medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) who were treated at a single tertiary hospital in Korea. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the case files of 85 patients treated from August 1982 to February 2012. RESULTS: In all, 65 patients (76.5%) had sporadic MTC and 20 patients (23.5%) had hereditary MTC. Patients in the sporadic group were older than in the hereditary group (P < 0.001). However, the hereditary group had more tumor multiplicity (P < 0.001) and bilaterality (P < 0.001). Neither survival rate was significantly different between the sporadic and hereditary groups (P = 0.775 and P = 0.866). By multivariate analysis, distant metastasis was a significant prognostic factor for overall and progression-free survival. CONCLUSION: In general, patients with MTC have favorable outcomes. Distant metastasis appears to be the strongest predictor of overall and progression-free survival.
Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Korea* ; Multivariate Analysis ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies ; Survival Rate ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Thyroid Gland* ; Thyroid Neoplasms*

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated the relationship of occupational class and educational background with proportional mortality ratios in Korea. METHODS: Mortality was investigated using the entire registered death data from 1993 to 2004, obtained from the Korean National Statistics Office. Proportional mortality ratios (PMRs) for specific diseases were calculated according to the occupational class and educational background of men aged 20-64. RESULTS: Manual workers were found to have higher PMRs for liver disease and traffic accidents, as did the lower educated group. Especially, this study showed trends of an increasing of the wide gap between lower and higher socioeconomic stati for liver disease, traffic accidents, diabetes mellitus and cerebral vascular disease. The mortality for cerebrovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, heart disease, traffic accident and liver disease showed increasing trends according to the calendar year for the lower than the higher social class. CONCLUSIONS: The specific conditions that had higher PMRs in the Korean lower social class were liver disease and traffic accidents. Especially, there was an increasing trend for a widening of the gap between manual and nonmanual groups in relation to mortality from liver disease, diabetes mellitus and traffic accidents.
Socioeconomic Factors ; Odds Ratio ; Occupations/*classification/statistics & numerical data ; Middle Aged ; Male ; Liver Diseases/mortality ; Korea/epidemiology ; Humans ; *Educational Status ; Diabetes Mellitus/mortality ; Cerebrovascular Disorders/mortality ; Cause of Death/*trends ; Adult ; Accidents, Traffic/mortality

Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an ongoing global public health threat and different variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have been identified. This study aimed to analyse the factors associated with negative conversion of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and prognosis in critically ill patients according to the SARS-CoV-2 variant. Methods: This study retrospectively analysed 259 critically ill patients with COVID-19 who were admitted to the intensive care unit of a tertiary medical center between January 2020 and May 2022. The Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) was used to evaluate comorbidity, and a negative PCR test result within 2 weeks was used to define negative PCR conversion. The cases were divided into the following three variant groups, according to the documented variant of SARS-CoV-2 at the time of diagnosis: non-Delta (January 20, 2020–July 6, 2021), Delta (July 7, 2021– January 1, 2022), and Omicron (January 30, 2022–April 24, 2022). Results: The mean age of the 259 patients was 67.1 years and 93 (35.9%) patients were female. Fifty (19.3%) patients were smokers, and 50 (19.3%) patients were vaccinated. The CCI (hazard ratio [HR], 1.555; p<0.001), vaccination (HR, 0.492; p=0.033), and Delta variant (HR, 2.469; p=0.002) were significant factors for in-hospital mortality. The Delta variant (odds ratio, 0.288; p=0.003) was associated with fewer negative PCR conversion; however, vaccination (p=0.163) and remdesivir (p=0.124) treatments did not. Conclusion The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 is associated with lower survival and negative PCR conversion. Contrary to expectations, vaccination and remdesivir may not affect negative PCR conversion in critically ill patients with COVID-19.

Mass vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine (BNT162b2) in Korea has resulted in many reported adverse effects. These side effects are the object of much scrutiny in the medical community. We report the case of a 29-year-old male who was diagnosed with myopericarditis after his second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. This patient is the second recognized case of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine induced myopericarditis in Korea and the first to have recovered from it. He originally presented with chest discomfort and exertional chest pain. Lab tests revealed elevated cardiac marker levels and echocardiographic findings displayed minimal pericardial effusion, prompting diagnosis as myopericarditis. We decided on two weeks of outpatient treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) due to the patient's mild symptoms and his occupation in the military. When this proved insufficient, we shifted to combination therapy with low dose corticosteroids and NSAIDs. After two weeks of treatment, the patient's symptoms and pericardial effusion had improved, and he was recovered completely 37 days after the onset.

Purpose: Acute kidney injury (AKI) in cancer patients is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. The incidence of AKI in lung cancer seems to be relatively higher compared with other solid organ malignancies, although its impact on patient outcomes remains unclear. Materials and Methods: The patients newly diagnosed with lung cancer from 2004 to 2013 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study. The patients were categorized according to the presence and severity of AKI. We compared all-cause mortality and long-term renal outcome according to AKI stage. Results: A total of 3,202 patients were included in the final analysis. AKI occurred in 1,783 (55.7%) patients during the follow-up period, with the majority having mild AKI stage 1 (75.8%). During the follow-up of 2.6±2.2 years, total 1,251 patients (53.7%) were died and 5-year survival rate was 46.9%. We found that both AKI development and severity were independent risk factors for all-cause mortality in lung cancer patients, even after adjustment for lung cancer-specific variables including the stage or pathological type. In addition, patients suffered from more severe AKI tend to encounter de novo chronic kidney disease development, worsening kidney function, and end-stage kidney disease progression. Conclusion In this study, more than half of the lung cancer patients experienced AKI during their diagnosis and treatment period. Moreover, AKI occurrence and more advanced AKI were associated with a higher mortality risk and adverse kidney outcomes.

Mass vaccination with the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine (BNT162b2) in Korea has resulted in many reported adverse effects. These side effects are the object of much scrutiny in the medical community. We report the case of a 29-year-old male who was diagnosed with myopericarditis after his second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. This patient is the second recognized case of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine induced myopericarditis in Korea and the first to have recovered from it. He originally presented with chest discomfort and exertional chest pain. Lab tests revealed elevated cardiac marker levels and echocardiographic findings displayed minimal pericardial effusion, prompting diagnosis as myopericarditis. We decided on two weeks of outpatient treatment with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) due to the patient's mild symptoms and his occupation in the military. When this proved insufficient, we shifted to combination therapy with low dose corticosteroids and NSAIDs. After two weeks of treatment, the patient's symptoms and pericardial effusion had improved, and he was recovered completely 37 days after the onset.

We attempted to define the sources of sodium intake for the Korean population at prepared dish level to provide a basis for developing sustainable nutrition policies and feasible programs for sodium intake reduction. Dietary intake data from 2008 and 2009 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey was used in the analysis for sodium intake sources. Sodium intake from individual dish consumed by each subject was calculated and used in delineating major sodium sources at dish and dish group level for sub-populations of different sex and age. Also, sodium intake was compared between eaters and non-eaters of some specific dish groups with considerable contribution to total sodium intake. The number of subjects included in the analysis was 18,022 and mean sodium intake was 4,600 mg/capita/day. Major sources of sodium intake at dish group level were in the following order: kimchi (1125 mg, 24.5%), noodles (572 mg, 12.4%), soups (488 mg, 10.6%), stews (399 mg, 8.7%), and cooked rice (284 mg, 6.2%). The magnitude of contribution to total sodium intake by soups and stews was different by age group. Sodium intake difference between eaters and non-eaters was much larger for kimchi group (2,343 mg for male, 1,452 mg for female) than for soups or stews. Interaction between consumption of aforementioned specific dish groups and age was highly significant (p < 0.0005) for both sexes. This study revealed an importance of having not only the control over sodium content of foods/dishes, but also the customized approach for different groups of population to accomplish an appreciable reduction in sodium intake.
Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Nutrition Policy ; Nutrition Surveys ; Sodium