BACKGROUND: Norwegian scabies is a highly infectious disease characterized by crust formation, different from ordinary scabies, and is caused by Sarcoptes scabiei. After the patient in our case was diagnosed with Norwegian scabies, active measures were taken to prevent its transmission within the hospital. Methods: A 66-year-old female patient was admitted to the general ward of a university hospital on January 23rd, 2008 and 6 days later, she was found to have been infected with Norwegian scabies all over the body. For epidemiological investigation, those who had been in contact with the patient were identified and interviewed. The patient was advised to follow the contact precaution, and linen the patient used was cleaned thoroughly. The surrounding environment was decontaminated by applying surface disinfectant. Preventive cream against the Norwegian scabies was distributed to staff members and patients who had been exposed to the patient, and appointed a dermatologist to educate them on how to use of medicine, what the mechanism of the disease is, what cautions must be taken, and how to write an ex post facto report. RESULTS: After the confirmation of the 1st case, no additional cases have been reported in the hospital during the ensuing 2 months. Therefore, prompt prevention and infection control activities against Norwegian scabies can be thought to have been successful. CONCLUSION: Whena patient with an uncertain skin disease is admitted, pertinent measures must be taken from the moment the patient is admitted and contact precaution should be applied both to the patients and the staff members. When a scabies patient is detected in an institution, the medical staff must enforce as much active preventive measures as possible, and by doing so, there will be a better chance to prevent the outbreak of scabies in the hospital.
Aged ; Bedding and Linens ; Communicable Diseases ; Cross Infection ; Female ; Humans ; Infection Control ; Medical Staff ; Patients' Rooms ; Sarcoptes scabiei ; Scabies ; Skin Diseases

PURPOSE: To compare the clinical characteristics and laboratory finding between adenoviral and group A streptococcal (GAS) pharyngitis. METHODS: A retrospective review of medical records was performed in the patients with adenovirus infection among those who were admitted for febrile respiratory disease from January 2011 to July 2013 and GAS pharyngitis among those who visited for symptoms of scarlet fever from August 2006 to July 2013. RESULTS: 179 patients (AV1 group) were diagnosed with adenoviral pharyngitis and 37 (AV2 group) of these patients had adenovirus single infection. 26 patients (GAS group) were diagnosed with scarlet fever. Adenoviral infection (AV2 group) developed in younger patients compared to GAS group (2.8+/-2.1 years vs. 5.4+/-1.8 years, P=0.000). Total durations of fever and admission were longer in AV2 (6.3+/-2.6 days vs. 3.3+/-1.9 days, P=0.000; 4.1+/-1.2 days vs. 1.9+/-1.8 days, P=0.000, respectively). WBC counts were higher in AV2 (11,449+/-5,680 cells/mm2 vs. 6,722+/-6,941 cells/mm2, P=0.000). CRP was not significantly different between AV2 and GAS group (3.8+/-3.2 mg/dL vs. 5.2+/-5.1 mg/dL, P=0.368). No difference was found between two groups in the percentage of antibiotics use (91.9% vs. 100%, P=0.261). CONCLUSION: Clinical characteristics and measures of inflammation in the laboratory findings were similar between adenoviral and GAS pharyngitis group. It is necessary to conduct the test for respiratory virus and bacteria in early stage to differentiate in the pharyngitis patients with leukocytosis and elevation of CRP level.
Adenoviridae ; Adenoviridae Infections ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Child* ; Fever ; Humans ; Inflammation ; Leukocytosis ; Medical Records ; Pharyngitis* ; Retrospective Studies ; Scarlet Fever

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to investigate factors influencing college students' health promotion lifestyle. METHODS: The subject was 606 students. Statistical analysis with SPSS used descriptive statistics, t-test, one way ANOVA, Pearson correlation and Stepwise Multiple Regression. RESULTS: The average item score for health promotion lifestyle was 2.58. The subscale showing the highest score was interpersonal relationship (3.03), which was followed by spiritual growth (2.94), stress management (2.54), nutrition (2.52), physical activity (2.16) and health responsibility (2.15). There were significant differences according to age, gender, BMI, perceived health state, religion, economic state, live together, major and health promotion lifestyle. The most powerful predictors of health promotion lifestyle were the prior related behavior (51.8%) and self-efficacy (7.7%). The combination of prior related behavior, perceived self-efficacy, activity-related affect, social support, perceived stress, commitment to a plan of action accounted for 67.9% of the variance of health promotion lifestyle. CONCLUSION: Prior related behavior was the most powerful variable of health promotion lifestyle. Therefore, health promotion programs for changing and maintaining prior related behavior and increasing self-efficacy should be developed to promote a healthy lifestyle in college students.
Health Promotion* ; Humans ; Life Style* ; Motor Activity

BACKGROUND: Patients with prolonged empirical broad spectrum antibiotics for febrile neutropenia (FN) with cancer, inevitably have increased risk of invasive fungal infections owing to the altered endogenous microbial environment. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of empirical antifungal therapy on occurrence of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) during FN with cancer. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with FN after cytotoxic chemotherapy due to cancer from July, 2003 to June, 2007. RESULTS: We identified 91 patients with FN after cytotoxic chemotherapy. Most common underlying conditions were lymphoma (20/91, 22%) and leukemia (20/91, 22%). IFIs occurred in 10% (9/91). In a comparison of patients with empirical antifungal therapy with no antifungal therapy, the duration of neutropenia was significantly increased with IFIs (p=0.09). The mortality of IFIs was 55.5% (5/9). CONCLUSION: We found that the duration of FN than empirical antifungal therapy affected occurrence of IFIs.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Antifungal Agents ; Humans ; Leukemia ; Lymphoma ; Medical Records ; Neutropenia ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: Currently, the incidence of hepatitis A is on the increase in Korea. Although there is emphasis on contact precautions, the nosocomial outbreak of hepatitis A virus (HAV) in healthcare personnel has increased within endemic areas because these workers inevitably come in close contact with patients and work under suboptimal hygiene conditions. In this study, we evaluated the necessity of immunization against HAV for healthcare personnel. METHODS: We investigated the seropositivity of serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) anti-HAV antibody (Ab) in 672 healthcare personnel on the basis of their age-group, sex, and occupation in Soon Chun Hyang University Hospital and Soon Chun Hyang University Bucheon Hospital. RESULTS: The subjects were divided into 6 groups on the basis of their ages to identify differences among the various age groups in the number of cases with HAV Ab seropositivity. Significant intergroup differences were noted in this respect: 21-25 years, 2/152 (1.3%); 26-30 years, 33/245 (13.5%); 31-35 years, 70/148 (47.3%); 36-40 years, 52/79 (65.8%); >40 years, 44/48 (91.7%). CONCLUSION: The number of seropositive cases was low among young healthy personnel: low seropositivity is an emerging risk for vulnerable population. With the increase in the incidence of hepatitis A, healthcare personnel have become a risk population for hepatitis A, as are community residents. Therefore, for healthcare personnel working in hospitals, immunization against HAV should be recommended for personnel younger than 30 years, and serological testing for older personnel.
Delivery of Health Care ; Hepatitis ; Hepatitis A ; Hepatitis A Antibodies ; Hepatitis A Vaccines ; Hepatitis A virus ; Humans ; Hygiene ; Immunization ; Immunoglobulin G ; Incidence ; Korea ; Occupations ; Serologic Tests ; Vulnerable Populations

BACKGROUND: Infections are the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality in hemodialysis patients. Vascular access is a major risk factor for infection-related hospitalization and mortality. This study aimed to characterize the presenting features and outcome of vascular access infection in hemodialysis patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between May 2003 and March 2010, 224 patients admitted to a 750 bed tertiary care hospital for treatment of vascular access infection were retrospectively analyzed. Vascular access infections were defined by local infection signs (pus or redness) at the vascular access site or by a positive blood culture with no known source other than the vascular access. RESULTS: Of the 224 patients, 179 (79.7%) had an arteriovenous (AV) graft, 28 (12.5%) had a tunneled cuffed catheter, 12 (5.4%) had AV fistulas, and five (2.2%) had a temporary central catheter. The mean+/-SD time between the creation of each type of vascular access and onset of infection were as follows: temporary central catheter 46.6+/-36.9 days, tunneled cuffed catheter 180.3+/-168.8 days, AV fistulas 928.6+/-1,299.7 days, and AV graft 1,066.3+/-1321.1 days (P value=0.006). The most common causative organism was Staphylococcus aureus (62.5%; methicillin-susceptible 35.2%, methicillin-resistant 27.3%) followed by coagulase negative staphylococci (17.0%) and gram negative bacilli (15.9%). The involved vascular accesses in infected cases were: temporary central catheter (4/5, 80%), tunneled cuffed catheter (13/27, 48%), AV graft (68/179, 38%) and AV fistulas (4/12, 33%). The complications of vascular access infection included septic pulmonary embolism (n=9, 4%), pneumonia (n=9, 4%), endocarditis (n=6, 2.7%), osteomyelitis (n=3, 1.3%) and abdominal abscess (n=2, 0.9%). A multivariable analysis showed that Staphylococcus aureus was a risk factor of septic pulmonary embolism and osteomyelitis. The all-cause mortality was 8.4%, 30-day mortality was 2.2% and infection-related mortality was 5.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Staphylococcus was responsible for 79.5% of infections, with methicillin-susceptible S. aureus being the most commonly implicated strain. Temporary accesses have the potential to become infected earlier. Septic pulmonary embolism and pneumonia were common complications. Efforts should be focused on prevention and early detection of VA infection with pulmonary complications.
Abdominal Abscess ; Catheter-Related Infections ; Catheters ; Coagulase ; Endocarditis ; Fistula ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Methicillin Resistance ; Osteomyelitis ; Pneumonia ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Renal Dialysis ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Factors ; Sprains and Strains ; Staphylococcus ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Tertiary Healthcare ; Transplants

Objectives: . Sound field (SF) audiometry tests are usually conducted in audiometric booths measuring greater than 2×2 m in size. However, most private ENT clinics carry about 1×1-m-sized audiometric booths, making SF audiometry testing difficult to perform. The aims of this study were to develop an SF audiometry system for use in smaller audiometric booths and compare its performance with traditional system. Methods: . The newly developed SF audiometry system can yield an SF signal at a distance of about 30 cm from the subject’s ears. Its height can be adjusted according to the subject’s head height. We compared SF hearing results between the new SF system and the traditional SF audiometry system in 20 adults with normal hearing (40 ears) and 24 adults with impaired hearing levels (38 ears) who wore hearing aids. Comparative parameters included warble tone audiometry threshold, a speech reception threshold (SRT), and a speech discrimination score (SDS). For statistical analysis, paired t-test was used. The equivalence of both SF systems was tested using two one-sided test (TOST) with a margin of 5 dB (normal hearing participants) and 10 dB (hearing aids wearing participants). Results: . Among participants with normal hearing, warble tone hearing thresholds of 0.5, 1, 2, and 4 kHz, average values of these four frequencies, and SRT were similar between the two systems (all P>0.05). Participants with hearing aids showed similar warble tone threshold and SRT (P>0.05) in both systems except for threshold of 4 kHz (P=0.033). SDS was significantly higher in the newly developed system (P<0.05). TOST results showed equivalent SF audiometry results using either system. Conclusion . Audiometric results of the newly developed SF audiometry system were equivalent to those of a traditional system. Therefore, the small SF audiometry system can be used at small audiometric booths present in most private ENT clinics.

OBJECTIVE: Mechanical thrombectomies with balloon-guide catheters (BGC) are thought to improve successful recanalization rates and to decrease the incidence of distal emboli compared to thrombectomies without BGC. We aimed to assess the effects of BGC on the outcomes of mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic strokes.METHODS: Studies from PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane library database from January 2010 to February 2018 were reviewed. Random effect model for meta-analysis was used. Analyses such as meta-regression and the “trim-and-fill” method were additionally carried out.RESULTS: A total of seven articles involving 2223 patients were analyzed. Mechanical thrombectomy with BGC was associated with higher rates of successful recanalization (odds ratio [OR], 1.632; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.293–2.059). BGC did not significantly decrease distal emboli, both before (OR, 0.404; 95% CI, 0.108–1.505) and after correcting for bias (adjusted OR, 1.165; 95% CI, 0.310–4.382). Good outcomes were observed more frequently in the BGC group (OR, 1.886; 95% CI, 1.564–2.273). Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and mortality did not differ significantly with BGC use.CONCLUSION: Our meta-analysis demonstrates that BGC enhance recanalization rates. However, BGC use did not decrease distal emboli after mechanical thrombectomies. This should be interpreted with caution due to possible publication bias and heterogeneity. Additional meta-analyses based on individual patient data are needed to clarify the role of BGC in mechanical thrombectomies.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Catheters ; Humans ; Incidence ; Intracranial Hemorrhages ; Methods ; Mortality ; Population Characteristics ; Publication Bias ; Stroke ; Thrombectomy

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers (HCWs) have a high risk of tuberculosis (TB) infection. Since August 2017, Korea has mandated the testing of latent TB infection (LTBI) and recommended treatment from HCWs at medical institutions. However, the acceptance/completion rate and adverse events of LTBI treatment have not been analyzed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From February to August 2017, we conducted a retrospective study at a referral university hospital in Korea, to screen the interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) tests conducted for all HCWs for detecting and treating LTBI. HCWs diagnosed with LTBI were offered a 9-month isoniazid (9H), 3-month isoniazid/rifampin (3HR), or 4-month rifampin regimen. We investigated the acceptance/completion rate, adverse events, and causes of discontinuation or change in LTBI medication. A major adverse event was one wherein a patient had any adverse event ≥grade 3 causing LTBI treatment interruption. RESULTS: Of the 1,538 HCWs, 1,379 underwent IGRA testing for LTBI. Among them, 13.6% (187/1,379) tested positive and 73.3% (137/187) received treatment. The overall completion rate was 97.8% (134/137). HCWs were significantly more likely to complete first-line therapy with 3HR than with 9H (91.4% vs. 76.7%, P = 0.02). The most common major adverse event was hepatotoxicity (n = 7), followed by thrombocytopenia (n = 1) and anaphylactic shock (n = 1). Hepatotoxicity and hepatotoxicity (≥ grade 2) were more frequent in 9H than in 3HR (39.5% vs. 17.2%, P = 0.006 and 18.6% vs. 3.7%, P = 0.005, respectively). The median time to hepatotoxicity was 96 days (interquartile range, 20 – 103 days). CONCLUSION Completion of first-line therapy for LTBI is more likely with 3HR than with 9H. This might be related to the development of hepatotoxicity after around 3 months of treatment. Anaphylactic shock and platelet count should be carefully monitored in those receiving rifampin-containing regimens.

Background: Infectious disease (ID) specialists are skilled facilitators of medical consultation who promote better outcomes in patient survival, antibiotic stewardship as well as healthcare safety in pandemic response. This study aimed to assess the working status of ID specialists and identify problems faced by ID professionals in Korea. Methods: This was a nationwide cross-sectional study in Korea. An online-based survey was conducted over 11 days (from December 17–27, 2020), targeting all active adult (n = 281) and pediatric (n = 71) ID specialists in Korea (N = 352). Questions regarding the practice areas of the specialists were divided into five categories: 1) clinical practices of outpatient care, inpatient care, and consultations; 2) infection control; 3) antibiotic stewardship; 4) research; and 5) education and training. We investigated the weekly time-use patterns for these areas of practice. Results: Of the 352 ID specialists, 195 (55.4%; 51.2% [144/281] adult and 71.8% [51/71] pediatric ID specialists) responded in the survey. Moreover, 144 (73.8%) of the total respondents were involved in all practice categories investigated. The most common practice area was outpatient service (93.8%), followed by consultation (91.3%) and inpatient service (87.7%). Specialists worked a median of 61 (interquartile range: 54–71) hours weekly: patient care, 29 (14–37) hours; research 11 (5–19) hours; infection control 4 (2–10) hours; antibiotic stewardship, 3 (1–5) hours; and education/training, 2 (2–6) hours. Conclusion ID specialists in Korea simultaneously undertake multiple tasks and work long hours, highlighting the need for training and employing more ID specialists.