Stem rot was found for the first time on the Asiatic dayflower plant (Commelina communis L.) in Korea. A detailed description of this Korean specimen is given, along with its rDNA internal transcribed spacer sequence. The fungus was identified as Sclerotium rolfsii Saccardo based on mycological characteristics and molecular data.
Commelina ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Fungi ; Korea ; Plants

The tulip tree (Liriodendron chinense) has been widely cultivated in Korea as a street or garden tree for its large flowers, which have a superficial resemblance to tulips. Occurrence of anthracnose disease on the leaves of tulip trees growing on the campus of Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Korea, has been observed. Based on mycological characteristics, pathogenicity, and internal transcribed spacer sequence, the causal fungus was identified as Colletotrichum gloeosporioides. This is the first report on anthracnose disease caused by C. gloeosporioides on tulip trees in Korea.
Colletotrichum ; Flowers ; Fungi ; Korea ; Liriodendron ; Trees ; Tulipa

OBJECTIVES: Although ambulance-based telemedicine has been reported to be safe and feasible, its clinical usefulness has not been well documented, and different prehospital management systems would yield different results. The authors evaluated the feasibility and usefulness of telemedicine-assisted direct medical control in the Korean emergency medical service system. METHODS: Twenty ambulances in the Busan area were equipped with a telemedicine system. Three-lead electrocardiogram, blood pressure, and pulse oximetry data from the patient and audiovisual input from the scene were transferred to a server. Consulting physicians used desktop computers and the internet to connect to the server. Both requesting emergency medical service (EMS) providers and consulting physicians were asked to fill out report forms and submit them for analysis. RESULTS: In the 41 cases in which telemedicine equipment was used, cellular phones were concomitantly used in 28 cases (68.35%) to compensate for the poor audio quality provided by the equipment. The EMS providers rated the video transmission quality with a 4-point average score (interquartile range [IQR] 2-5) on a 5-point scale, and they rated the biosignal transmission quality as 4 (IQR 3-5). The consulting physicians rated the video quality as 4 (IQR 2.5-4) and the biosignal quality as 4 (IQR 3-4). The physicians' ratings for usefulness for making diagnosis or treatment decisions did not differ significantly in relation to the method of communication used. CONCLUSIONS: Our study did not find any significant advantage of implementing telemedicine over the use of voice calls in delivering on-line medical control. More user-friendly, smaller devices with clear advantages over voice communication would be required before telemedicine can be successfully implemented in prehospital patient care.
Ambulances ; Blood Pressure ; Busan ; Cellular Phone ; Diagnosis ; Electrocardiography ; Emergency Medical Services ; Humans ; Internet ; Oximetry ; Patient Care ; Remote Consultation ; Telemedicine* ; Telemetry ; Voice

Soft rot in apple caused by Rhizopus oryzae was found for the first time in Korea. A detailed description of the specimen is given along with its internal transcribed spacer rDNA sequence. The fungus was identified as Rhizopus oryzae based on the mycological characteristics, molecular data, and pathogenicity testing.
DNA, Ribosomal ; Fungi ; Korea ; Oryza ; Rhizopus

Objective: Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) scars are common in individuals with NSSI experiences. However, little is known about NSSI scars because related tools are limited. This study aimed to develop and validate the Korean version of the multidimensional Non-Suicidal Self-Injury Scar Scale (K-NSSI-ScarS), consisting of three components: NSSI scar measurement, NSSI scar cognition, and NSSI scar concealment. Methods: A total of 333 Korean adults with at least one NSSI scar and history of NSSI within the last 5 years (age: 18 to 39 years) completed the online survey. We conducted exploratory (n=133) and confirmatory (n=200) factor analyses of NSSI scar cognition. To measure the internal consistency of each subfactor of the scar cognition and scar concealment components, we used Cronbach’s α. Kappa and intraclass correlation coefficients were used to measure the test-retest reliability of the entire scale. We also assessed the convergent and construct validity of the K-NSSI-ScarS. Results: Factor analyses showed a 5-factor structure consisting of 23 items. Internal consistencies and test-retest reliability were excellent. The moderate correlation between the five subfactors of NSSI scar cognition and related concepts (e.g., acquired capability of suicide) confirmed the convergent validity. Lastly, moderate correlations were found between NSSI scar concealment, self-concealment, NSSI scar measurement information, and the five subfactors of NSSI scar cognition. Conclusion The results verify the psychometric properties and support the necessity of a multidimensional NSSI scar scale.

OBJECTIVES: Heart rate variability (HRV) has gained recognition as a noninvasive marker of autonomic activity. HRV is considered a promising tool in various clinical scenarios. The optimal electrocardiogram (ECG) sampling frequency required to ensure sufficient precision of R–R intervals for HRV analysis has not yet been determined. Here, we aimed to determine the acceptable ECG sampling frequency range by analyzing ECG signals from patients who visited an emergency department with the chief complaint of acute intoxication or overdose. METHODS: The study included 83 adult patients who visited an emergency department with the chief complaint of acute poisoning. The original 1,000-Hz ECG signals were down-sampled to 500-, 250-, 100-, and 50-Hz sampling frequencies with linear interpolation. R–R interval data were analyzed for time-domain, frequency-domain, and nonlinear HRV parameters. Parameters derived from the data on down-sampled frequencies were compared with those derived from the data on 1,000-Hz signals, and Lin's concordance correlation coefficients were calculated. RESULTS: Down-sampling to 500 or 250 Hz resulted in excellent concordance. Signals down-sampled to 100 Hz produced acceptable results for time-domain analysis and Poincaré plots, but not for frequency-domain analysis. Down-sampling to 50 Hz proved to be unacceptable for both time- and frequency-domain analyses. At 50 Hz, the root-mean-squared successive differences and the power of high frequency tended to have high values and random errors. CONCLUSIONS: A 250-Hz sampling frequency would be acceptable for HRV analysis. When frequency-domain analysis is not required, a 100-Hz sampling frequency would also be acceptable.
Adult ; Electrocardiography* ; Emergencies ; Emergency Service, Hospital ; Heart Rate* ; Heart* ; Humans ; Poisoning ; Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted

OBJECTIVES: This study analyzed the incidence and characteristics of in-hospital cardiac arrest (IHCA) in Korea based on a sample group of patients that is representative of the population. METHODS: The incidence of IHCA in adults was extracted from HIRA-NIS-2009, a sample of all patients using medical services in Korea. IHCA patients were analyzed according to gender, age, type of medical institute, and classification under the 6th revision of the Korean Standard Classification of Diseases (KCD-6). In addition, to assess the differences arising from the size of medical institutes, the IHCA incidence was analyzed in relation to the number of inpatient beds. RESULTS: Based on the sample data, the total incidence of IHCA in Korea was found to be 2.46 per 1,000 admissions (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.37–2.55). A higher incidence was found among men at 3.18 (95% CI, 3.03–3.33), compared to women at 1.84 (95% CI, 1.74–1.94). The incidence of IHCA was also higher in hospitals that had more than 600 inpatients beds at 5.40 (95% CI, 5.16–5.66) in comparison to those that had less than 600 inpatients beds at 4.09 (95% CI, 3.76–4.36) (p < 0.001). By primary disease, the incidence was the highest for infectious diseases. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrated that the IHCA incidence based on gender, age, diagnostic group, and number of beds could be analyzed using the insurance claim data from a national representative sample.
Academies and Institutes ; Adult* ; Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation ; Classification ; Communicable Diseases ; Epidemiology ; Female ; Heart Arrest* ; Humans ; Incidence* ; Inpatients ; Insurance ; Korea* ; Male ; National Health Programs

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) is a demyelinating syndrome of the central nervous system. This case report describes a 31-year-old woman whose electromyography revealed radiculopathy in the left L5-S1 spinal segment without anatomical abnormalities on lumbosacral magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). She was diagnosed with NMOSD based on gadolinium contrast whole spine and brain MRI and anti-aquaporin-4 antibody findings. Her peripheral nervous system might have been damaged during the early course of NMOSD. Therefore, it is necessary to consider NMOSD for patients who have radiculopathy in electromyography if lumbosacral MRI shows no abnormalities.
Adult ; Brain ; Central Nervous System ; Electromyography ; Female ; Gadolinium ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Neuromyelitis Optica* ; Peripheral Nervous System ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases ; Radiculopathy* ; Spine

No abstract available.
Membranes* ; Polytetrafluoroethylene*

Gray mold of blueberry caused by Botrytis sp. is reported for the first time in Korea. A detailed description of the fungus is given, along with its rDNA internal transcribed spacer sequence. The fungus was identified as Botrytis cinerea based on mycological characteristics and molecular data.
Blueberry Plant ; Botrytis ; DNA, Ribosomal ; Fungi ; Korea