This study examines how acquired capability for suicide, negative urgency, and social support effectuate a suicide attempt. Sixty-three adults having visited an emergency room due to a suicide attempt were studied. The results can be summarized as follows. First, there were no significant sex differences in acquired capability for suicide, negative urgency, and social support. Second, the correlation among suicidal ideation, acquired capability for suicide, negative urgency, social support, and suicide attempts was examined. Results showed that suicide attempts were significantly and positively correlated with suicide ideation, acquired capability for suicide, and negative urgency. However, social support and suicide attempts did not significantly correlate. Third, results of hierarchical regression analysis indicated that acquired capability for suicide and negative urgency significantly predicted suicide attempts even when suicide ideation was controlled, but social support did not significantly explain attempts. In other words, study results imply that suicide attempts increase when acquired capability for suicide and negative urgency are high. Study results offer empirical data for understanding the intrinsic characteristics of individuals attempting suicide.

The adequacy of the urologist work force in Korea has never been investigated. This study investigated the geographic distribution of urologists in Korea. County level data from the National Health Insurance Service and National Statistical Office was analyzed in this ecological study. Urologist density was defined by the number of urologists per 100,000 individuals. National patterns of urologist density were mapped graphically at the county level using GIS software. To control the time sequence, regression analysis with fitted line plot was conducted. The difference of distribution of urologist density was analyzed by ANCOVA. Urologists density showed an uneven distribution according to county characteristics (metropolitan cities vs. nonmetropolitan cities vs. rural areas; mean square=102.329, P<0.001) and also according to year (mean square=9.747, P=0.048). Regression analysis between metropolitan and non-metropolitan cities showed significant difference in the change of urologists per year (P=0.019). Metropolitan cities vs. rural areas and non-metropolitan cities vs. rural areas showed no differences. Among the factors, the presence of training hospitals was the affecting factor for the uneven distribution of urologist density (P<0.001).Uneven distribution of urologists in Korea likely originated from the relatively low urologist density in rural areas. However, considering the time sequencing data from 2007 to 2012, there was a difference between the increase of urologist density in metropolitan and non-metropolitan cities.
Cities/statistics & numerical data ; Health Services Accessibility/*statistics & numerical data/trends ; Korea/epidemiology ; Physicians/*supply & distribution/trends ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Rural Health Services/*manpower/statistics & numerical data/trends ; Rural Population/statistics & numerical data/trends ; Urban Health Services/*manpower/statistics & numerical data/trends ; Urology/*manpower/*statistics & numerical data/trends

Tuberculosis (TB) patients are normally treated with a combination of antibiotics. However, with improper or incomplete treatment of antibiotics, the disease may progress to multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). The treatment of MDR-TB is very costly and inefficient. Therefore, there is a great demand of new therapeutic approaches for MDR-TB such as photodynamic therapy. In this study, we tried to optimize the conditions for photodynamic inactivation of TB using methylene blue as a photosensitizer. Different combinations of methylene blue concentrations and light doses were tested for their photodynamic effects to A549 cells or Mycobacterium smegmatis (M. smegmatis). We also tested the effect of photodynamic therapy on ciprofloxacin-resistant M. smegmatis. Methylene blue treatment alone did not affect the survival rates of A549 cells or bacteria up to 5 µg/ml. When the A549 and M. smegmatis cells treated with methylene blue were irradiated with laser light (wavelength, 630 nm), photodynamic inactivation of cells was increased in methylene blue concentration- and light dose-dependent manners. Interestingly, the ciprofloxacin-resistant M. smegmatis exhibited higher level of susceptibility to methylene blue-mediated photodynamic inactivation. This study suggests that photodynamic therapy at 3.6 J/cm2 in the presence of 5 µg/ml methylene blue may be an appropriate range for therapy due to the high bactericidal activity against high level of ciprofloxacin-resistant M. smegmatis and the low damaging effect to mammalian cells. This study demonstrates that photodynamic therapy could be a potential alternative for MDR-TB treatment.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Bacteria ; Ciprofloxacin ; Humans ; Methylene Blue ; Mycobacterium smegmatis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Photochemotherapy* ; Survival Rate ; Tuberculosis