Purpose: This study investigated the practices of preventing infectious diseases by daycare center teachers. The focus was on the mediating effects of self-efficacy in the relationship between communication skills and practices of preventing infectious diseases. Methods: This study used a descriptive correlational design. The participants were 164 daycare center teachers. Hierarchical regression was used to test the mediating effect of self-efficacy in the relationship between communication skills and practices of preventing infectious diseases. Data were analyzed using the independent t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficients, and hierarchical regression. The mediation effect was analyzed using an SPSS Macro program, PROCESS. Results: Significant relationships were found between communication skills and practices of preventing infectious diseases (β=.19, p<.001), self-efficacy and practices of preventing infectious diseases (β=.59, p<.001), and communication skills and self-efficacy (β=.27, p<.001). Self-efficacy had a significant mediating effect (β=.17, 95% confidence interval=0.07~0.29) on practices of preventing infectious diseases. Conclusion In order to improve practices of preventing infectious diseases among daycare teachers, it is necessary to develop and apply interventions and methods that can increase effective communication skills and self-efficacy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationships between resilience, social support, and body image in patients in an acute stage following traffic accidents and to investigate factors affecting body image. Methods: Data were collected from 86 patients at local hospitals from January 2019 to February 2020. To measure the variables, the body image scale, Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were used. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, analysis of variance, Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple regression. Results: Mean age of participants was 43.40±14.75 and the proportion of men was 73.3%. The average score for resilience, social support, and body image were 65.16±16.89, 72.93±8.11, and 12.24±6.63, respectively. The highest item on the body image scale was “Are you dissatisfied with the appearance of your scar?”. There were differences in scores for body image according to gender, age, and living status. Resilience (r=-.68, p<.001) and social support (r=-.65, p<.001) were negatively correlated with body image. In the regression model, resilience (β=-.41), social support (β=-.30), and gender (β=.22) accounted for 57.6% of the variance in body image. Conclusion Resilience and social support were identified in this study as significant factors protecting body image of patients during the acute stage following a traffic accident. It is recommended that psychosocial nursing interventions be conducted throughout the course of treatment.

The study was conducted to evaluate the Antibiotic Stewardship Program (ASP) in Korean hospitals compared with the previous two surveys in 2006 and 2012. The information on ASPs was collected through an online-based survey sent by e-mail to 192 infectious diseases specialists in 101 Korean hospitals in September 2015. Fifty-four hospitals (53.5%, 54/101) responded to the online survey. One infectious diseases specialist was employed in 30 (55.6%) of the 54 hospitals, and they were in charge of ASPs in hospitals with the program. Fifty of the 54 hospitals (92.6%) had ASPs and the same number of hospitals was conducting a preauthorization-of-antibiotics-use program. Although most hospitals adopted preauthorization strategies for more antibiotics in 2015 than in 2012 (median 14 in 2015; 13 in 2012), a limited number of antibiotics were under control. The number of per oral and parenteral antibiotics available in hospitals in 2015 decreased compared to 2006 and 2012. The number of hospitals performing a retrospective or prospective qualitative drug use evaluation of antibiotic use increased from 2006 to 2015. Manpower in charge of antibiotic stewardship in most hospitals was still very limited and ASPs heavily depended on preauthorization-of-antibiotics-use programs in this survey. In conclusion, there leaves much to be desired in ASPs in Korea in 2015.
Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Communicable Diseases ; Electronic Mail ; Korea* ; Prospective Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Specialization ; Viperidae

OBJECTIVES: The extract of Hizikia fusiformis is known to exhibit anticancer, antiatopic and antioxidant activities. We aimed to investigate the extract of H. fusiformis on allergic rhinitis inflammation in a mouse model. METHODS: The 4-week-old BALB/c mice were randomly assigned into four groups: group A, control group (n=9); group B, allergic rhinitis group (n=10); group C (n=10) received 300 mg/kg of H. fusiformis during nasal challenging period; group D (n=10) received 600 mg/kg of H. fusiformis during general sensitization period and 300 mg/kg of H. fusiformis during nasal challenging period. Allergic inflammation was made with ovalbumin (OVA) and alum then challenged intranasally with OVA. H. fusiformis was intraperitoneally administered 3 hours before the OVA administration. Allergic symptom score and the levels of immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1), IgG2a, OVA-specific IgE antibodies, levels of cytokines in the nasal mucosa and in spleen cell culture supernatant, such as tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 4 (IL-4), IL-5, IL-13, and IL-10 were assessed. The percentage of regulatory T cell was analyzed by flow cytometry. Eosinophilic infiltration and goblet cell hyperplasia were also evaluated. RESULTS: H. fusiformis administered groups C and D showed significant inhibitory effects on nasal symptoms, IL-13 mRNA expression and eosinophil infiltration/goblet cell hyperplasia in the nasal tissue; OVA-specific IgE production in serum (P<0.05). In group D, H. fusiformis treatment downregulated IL-4, IL-5, IL-13, TNF-α, and IL-10 cytokine expression in splenocyte culture as well as significantly decreased IgG2a, IgG1 levels in serum compared with group B (P<0.05). However, the expressions of IL-5, interferon-γ and forkhead box P3 mRNA did not change in groups C and D. CONCLUSION: H. fusiformis could induce antiallergic inflammation by suppressing the T-helper type 2 cytokine production (IL-13) locally and systemically, OVA-specific IgE formation, goblet cell hyperplasia, and eosinophilic infiltration in a mouse model of allergic rhinitis. Thus, H. fusiformis could be considered as a potential therapeutic agent in treating allergic rhinitis.
Animals ; Antibodies ; Cell Culture Techniques ; Cytokines ; Eosinophils ; Flow Cytometry ; Goblet Cells ; Hyperplasia ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulins ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-10 ; Interleukin-13 ; Interleukin-4 ; Interleukin-5 ; Mice ; Nasal Mucosa ; Ovalbumin ; Ovum ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; RNA, Messenger ; Spleen ; Th2 Cells ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to provide a database for making better decisions of the treatment of the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patient, and for improving the recognition of IBS in the Korean society. METHODS: The survey was conducted on 174 female college students in Korea from January 2017 to January 2018. Out of the total students surveyed, 160 questionnaires were analyzed after excluding 14 uncompleted questionnaires. RESULTS: Based on the survey, the prevalence of IBS among female college students in Korea was found to be 13.8%. Statistically, the results proved that there were significant differences in the stress levels between the students with IBS and non-IBS diagnosed by ROME IV criteria. Students with IBS had higher stress levels than students without the ailment. CONCLUSIONS: Based on this study, stress management related treatment should be actively considered. Furthermore, it is necessary to develop more efficient and updated guidelines for the treatment of IBS and new patient care programs.
Female ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; Korea ; Patient Care ; Prevalence

Chronotype is an important moderator of psychiatric illnesses, which seems to be controlled in some part by genetic factors. Clock genes are the most relevant genes for chronotype. In addition to the roles of individual genes, gene-gene interactions of clock genes substantially contribute to chronotype. We investigated genetic associations and gene-gene interactions of the clock genes BHLHB2, CLOCK, CSNK1E, NR1D1, PER1, PER2, PER3, and TIMELESS for chronotype in 1293 healthy Korean individuals. Regression analysis was conducted to find associations between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and chronotype. For gene-gene interaction analyses, the quantitative multifactor dimensionality reduction (QMDR) method, a nonparametric model-free method for quantitative phenotypes, were performed. No individual SNP or haplotype showed a significant association with chronotype by both regression analysis and single-locus model of QMDR. QMDR analysis identified NR1D1 rs2314339 and TIMELESS rs4630333 as the best SNP pairs among two-locus interaction models associated with chronotype (cross-validation consistency [CVC] = 8/10, p = 0.041). For the three-locus interaction model, the SNP combination of NR1D1 rs2314339, TIMELESS rs4630333, and PER3 rs228669 showed the best results (CVC = 4/10, p < 0.001). However, because the mean differences between genotype combinations were minor, the clinical roles of clock gene interactions are unlikely to be critical.

Chronotype is an important moderator of psychiatric illnesses, which seems to be controlled in some part by genetic factors. Clock genes are the most relevant genes for chronotype. In addition to the roles of individual genes, gene-gene interactions of clock genes substantially contribute to chronotype. We investigated genetic associations and gene-gene interactions of the clock genes BHLHB2, CLOCK, CSNK1E, NR1D1, PER1, PER2, PER3, and TIMELESS for chronotype in 1293 healthy Korean individuals. Regression analysis was conducted to find associations between single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and chronotype. For gene-gene interaction analyses, the quantitative multifactor dimensionality reduction (QMDR) method, a nonparametric model-free method for quantitative phenotypes, were performed. No individual SNP or haplotype showed a significant association with chronotype by both regression analysis and single-locus model of QMDR. QMDR analysis identified NR1D1 rs2314339 and TIMELESS rs4630333 as the best SNP pairs among two-locus interaction models associated with chronotype (cross-validation consistency [CVC] = 8/10, p = 0.041). For the three-locus interaction model, the SNP combination of NR1D1 rs2314339, TIMELESS rs4630333, and PER3 rs228669 showed the best results (CVC = 4/10, p < 0.001). However, because the mean differences between genotype combinations were minor, the clinical roles of clock gene interactions are unlikely to be critical.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission levels and undergoing glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) test and complication screenings among patients with diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: We included a total of 3601 diabetes patients’ data from the 2020 Korean Community Health Survey to analyze the extent of the HbA1c testing and fundus examination, and 3592 diabetes patients’ data to analyze kidney disease screening. COVID-19 transmission levels were classified into low transmission (Busan, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan, and Sejong) and high transmission (Daegu, where the first large outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in Korea). Multiple logistic regression was used to obtain adjusted odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to determine the association of COVID-19 transmission levels with undergoing HbA1c testing and diabetes complication screening. Results: The proportion of subjects who underwent complication screening of diabetes was lower in the high transmission region (low transmission vs. high transmission: 42.3% vs. 38.0% for fundus examination; 48.9% vs. 45.7% for kidney disease screening). A high COVID-19 transmission level was associated with decreased odds of undergoing fundus examination (OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.69–0.98) and kidney disease screening (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.63–0.91). However, COVID-19 transmission levels were not significantly associated with undergoing HbA1c testing. Conclusion A high level of COVID-19 transmission was associated with a decrease in undergoing fundus examination and kidney disease screening. To fully realize the potential benefit of diabetes complication screenings, further effort is required to identify and address challenges to obtaining these screenings, especially in outbreak regions.

OBJECTIVES: Patients with kidney disease have been prioritized for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination due to their susceptibility to COVID-19 infection. However, little evidence exists regarding these patients’ vulnerability to COVID-19 post-vaccination. Thus, we evaluated the risk of COVID-19 in patients with kidney disease compared to individuals without kidney disease according to vaccination status. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Korean nationwide COVID-19 registry linked with National Health Insurance Service claims data (2018-2021). Among individuals aged 12 years or older, 2 separate cohorts were constructed: a COVID-19-vaccinated cohort and an unvaccinated cohort. Within each cohort, the risk of COVID-19 infection and all-cause mortality, hospitalization, and emergency room visits within 30 days of COVID-19 infection were compared between patients with and without kidney disease. To adjust for potential confounding, we used propensity score matching. Hazard ratios (HRs) for each outcome were estimated using a Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: We identified 785,390 and 836,490 individuals in the vaccinated and unvaccinated cohorts, respectively. Compared to patients without kidney disease, patients with kidney disease were at a higher risk of COVID-19 infection in both the vaccinated cohort (HR, 1.08; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.02 to 1.16) and the unvaccinated cohort (HR, 1.09; 95% CI, 0.99 to 1.20). Likewise, patients with kidney disease generally were at higher risk for severe clinical outcomes within 30 days of COVID-19 infection. Subgroup and sensitivity analyses showed generally consistent results. CONCLUSIONS Our study observed excess risk of COVID-19 in patients with kidney disease, highlighting the importance of ongoing attention to these patients even post-vaccination.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) transmission levels and undergoing glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) test and complication screenings among patients with diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: We included a total of 3601 diabetes patients’ data from the 2020 Korean Community Health Survey to analyze the extent of the HbA1c testing and fundus examination, and 3592 diabetes patients’ data to analyze kidney disease screening. COVID-19 transmission levels were classified into low transmission (Busan, Gwangju, Daejeon, Ulsan, and Sejong) and high transmission (Daegu, where the first large outbreak of COVID-19 occurred in Korea). Multiple logistic regression was used to obtain adjusted odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence interval (CI) to determine the association of COVID-19 transmission levels with undergoing HbA1c testing and diabetes complication screening. Results: The proportion of subjects who underwent complication screening of diabetes was lower in the high transmission region (low transmission vs. high transmission: 42.3% vs. 38.0% for fundus examination; 48.9% vs. 45.7% for kidney disease screening). A high COVID-19 transmission level was associated with decreased odds of undergoing fundus examination (OR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.69–0.98) and kidney disease screening (OR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.63–0.91). However, COVID-19 transmission levels were not significantly associated with undergoing HbA1c testing. Conclusion A high level of COVID-19 transmission was associated with a decrease in undergoing fundus examination and kidney disease screening. To fully realize the potential benefit of diabetes complication screenings, further effort is required to identify and address challenges to obtaining these screenings, especially in outbreak regions.