Purpose: : This study aimed to compare the validity and user evaluations of the Confusion Assessment Method for the Intensive Care Unit (CAM-ICU) and its 7-item version (CAM-ICU-7) for delirium assessment. Methods: : Thirty-six intensive care unit (ICU) nurses from four university hospitals participated in this simulation-based methodological study. Four standardized patients with normal cognition, subsyndromal delirium, hypoactive delirium, and hyperactive delirium were recruited. The participants assessed all four standardized patients using the CAM-ICU and CAM-ICU-7. We analyzed the validity, assessment time, and user evaluations of both tools. DeLong’s test and the paired t-test were used for comparisons. Results: : The CAM-ICU showed sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 80.6%, 94.4%, and 84.0%, respectively, with an Area Under Curve (AUC) of 87.5%. CAM-ICU-7 demonstrated a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 90.7%, 97.2%, and 92.4%, respectively, with an AUC of 94.0%. The CAM-ICU-7 showed a better AUC than the CAM-ICU for detecting subsyndromal delirium (p =.029). However, the CAM-ICU-7 required more time for assessment across all patient types (p＜ .001). ICU nurses reported that the CAM-ICU was faster to administer, whereas the CAM-ICU-7 was easier to use, better at detecting delirium, more effective at reflecting changes in delirium, and had a higher intention to use in clinical practice. Conclusion : The CAM-ICU-7 demonstrated superior validity compared to the CAM-ICU. Despite requiring more time, ICU nurses evaluated the CAM-ICU-7 as more useful. These findings support using the CAM-ICU-7 for delirium assessment in ICU settings.

Dengue viral infection has rapidly spread around the world in recent decades. In Korea, autochthonous cases of dengue fever have not been confirmed yet. However, imported dengue cases have been increased since 2001. The risk of developing severe dengue in Korean has been increased by the accumulation of past-infected persons with residual antibodies to dengue virus and the remarkable growth of traveling to endemic countries in Southeast Asia. Notably, most of imported dengue cases were identified from July to December, suggesting that traveling during rainy season of Southeast Asia is considered a risk factor for dengue infection. Analyzing national surveillance data from 2011 to 2015, males aged 20–29 years are considered as the highest risk group. But considering the age and gender distribution of travelers, age groups 10–49 except 20–29 years old males have similar risks for infection. To minimize a risk of dengue fever and severe dengue, travelers should consider regional and seasonal dengue situation. It is recommended to prevent from mosquito bites or to abstain from repetitive visit to endemic countries. In addition, more active surveillance system and monitoring the prevalence asymptomatic infection and virus serotypes are required to prevent severe dengue and indigenous dengue outbreak.
Antibodies ; Asia, Southeastern ; Asymptomatic Infections ; Culicidae ; Dengue Virus ; Dengue* ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors* ; Seasons ; Serogroup ; Severe Dengue

No abstract available.
Communicable Diseases* ; Korea*

Japanese encephalitis (JE) cases have been increasingly reported recently especially in Seoul and its vicinity. Pigs are known as amplifying host of JE virus (JEV), but do not play an important role in these recent events because pig-breeding is not common in Seoul. The distribution and the density of migratory birds are correlated with JE cases in cities and they might be highly potential hosts contributing to transmit JEV in metropolitan areas. JE genotype and sero-prevalence in birds should be determined for the verification of the transmission route of JEV in the recent sporadic occurrence of JE cases in Seoul.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Birds ; Encephalitis, Japanese ; Genotype ; Humans ; Korea ; Seoul ; Swine

Herein, we report a case of uncomplicated falciparum malaria with late parasitological failure in a 45-year-old businessman returning from Ghana. The patient visited the emergency department with high fever, headache, and dizziness. He traveled without antimalarial chemoprophylaxis. Laboratory tests led to the diagnosis of uncomplicated falciparum malaria with an initial density of 37,669 parasites per μL of blood (p/μL). The patient was treated with intravenous artesunate followed by atovaquone/proguanil. He was discharged with improved condition and decreased parasite density of 887 p/μL. However, at follow-up, parasite density increased to 7,630 p/μL despite the absence of any symptoms. Suspecting treatment failure, the patient was administered intravenous artesunate and doxycycline for seven days and then artemether/lumefantrine for three days. Blood smear was negative for asexual parasitemia after re-treatment but positive for gametocytemia until day 101 from the initial diagnosis. Overall, this case highlights the risk of late parasitological failure in patients with imported uncomplicated falciparum malaria.

The Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) causes severe acute respiratory disease and systemic dysfunction that may eventually lead to the death of the patients. After MERS-CoV was first diagnosed in the South Korea, in May 2015, it affected 186 individuals and claimed 37 lives in short span of time (case fatality rate = 19.9%). Compared to MERS-CoV in the Middle East, MERS-CoV in South Korea appeared to be more transmissible, and induced multiple human-to-human transmission. These knowledge gaps caused the failure of early prevention, and disseminated MERS-CoV brought out a great loss of lives and economy. The MERS-CoV outbreak revealed the potential weakness of public health system in South Korea, and promoted the reestablishment of preventive strategies for imported infectious diseases. In these regards, we analyzed the potential for additional import of re-emerged and emerging infectious diseases, such as dengue fever, malaria, chikungunya fever and hepatitis A, from Africa or South-East Asia. Then we suggest the investment expansion and the administration of global networks for effective research and control for newly or re-emerged infectious diseases. In conclusion, it is required to expect and prepare for the surveillance of the importation of foreign pathogens, and constitute the internal collaborative systems for rapid detection and risk communication. In addition, we should take an active part in the global networks to perform rapid preparedness and control for re-emerged or emerging infectious diseases.
Africa ; Asia ; Communicable Diseases ; Communicable Diseases, Emerging* ; Coronavirus* ; Dengue ; Fever ; Hepatitis A ; Humans ; Investments ; Korea* ; Malaria ; Middle East* ; Public Health

Purpose: The effects of aerobic exercise training on soleus muscle morphology, mitochondria-mediated apoptotic signaling, and atrophy/hypertrophy signaling in ovariectomized rat skeletal muscle were investigated. Methods: Female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control (CON), ovariectomy (OVX), and ovariectomy plus exercise (OVX+EX) groups. After ovarian excision, exercise training was performed using a rat treadmill at 20 m/min, 50 min/day, 5 days/week for 12 weeks. Protein levels of mitochondria-mediated apoptotic signaling and atrophy/hypertrophy signaling in the skeletal muscle (soleus) were examined through western immunoblot analysis. Results: The number of myocytes and myocyte cross-sectional area (CSA) were increased and the extramyocyte space was decreased in the OVX group compared to those in the CON group. However, aerobic exercise training significantly increased myocyte CSA and decreased extramyocyte space in the OVX+EX group compared to those in the OVX group. The protein levels of proapoptotic signaling and muscle atrophy signaling were significantly increased, whereas the protein levels of muscle hypertrophy signaling were significantly decreased in the OVX group compared to that in the CON group. Aerobic exercise training significantly decreased the protein levels of proapoptotic signaling and increased the protein level of antiapoptotic protein in the OVX+EX group compared to that in the OVX group. Aerobic exercise training significantly increased the protein levels of hypertrophy signaling and decreased protein levels of atrophy signaling in the OVX+EX group compared to those in the OVX group. Conclusions Treadmill exercise improved estrogen deficiency-induced impairment in skeletal muscle remodeling, mitochondria-mediated apoptotic signaling, and atrophy/hypertrophy signaling in skeletal muscle.

BACKGROUND: Serum albumin and uric acid have been positively linked to metabolic syndrome (MetS). However, the association of MetS incidence with the combination of uric acid and albumin levels has not been investigated. We explored the association of albumin and uric acid with the risk of incident MetS in populations divided according to the levels of these two parameters. METHODS: In this retrospective longitudinal study, 11,613 non-MetS participants were enrolled among 24,185 individuals who had undergone at least four annual check-ups between 2006 and 2012. The risk of incident MetS was analyzed according to four groups categorized by the sex-specific medians of serum albumin and uric acid. RESULTS: During 55,407 person-years of follow-up, 2,439 cases of MetS developed. The risk of incident MetS increased as the uric acid category advanced in individuals with lower or higher serum albumin categories with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.386 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.236 to 1.554) or 1.314 (95% CI, 1.167 to 1.480). However, the incidence of MetS increased with higher albumin levels only in participants in the lower uric acid category with a HR of 1.143 (95% CI, 1.010 to 1.294). CONCLUSION: Higher levels of albumin were associated with an increased risk of incident MetS only in individuals with lower uric acid whereas higher levels of uric acid were positively linked to risk of incident MetS regardless of albumin level.
Albumins ; Follow-Up Studies ; Hyperuricemia* ; Incidence ; Longitudinal Studies ; Retrospective Studies ; Serum Albumin* ; Uric Acid

We conducted a prospective, mobile-based survey on the self-reported adverse reactions in healthcare workers (HCWs) who received both doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Of the 342 HCWs who completed the two-dose vaccination, 265 (77.5%) responded to the survey at least once. Overall, the rates of adverse reactions were higher after the second dose compared with the first dose (89.1% vs. 80.1%, P = 0.006). The most common systemic reactions were muscle ache (69.1%), fatigue (65.7%), headache (48.7%), chills (44.2%), and fever (32.1%), and were notably more common after the second dose vaccine as well. We also noted a sex difference in which the frequency of adverse reactions after the second dose of the vaccine was significantly higher in females, which was not observed after the first dose. The rates of adverse reactions were lower in older age groups, and the rates and severities of the adverse reactions decreased during the 3-day period following vaccination.

We conducted a prospective, mobile-based survey on the self-reported adverse reactions in healthcare workers (HCWs) who received both doses of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Of the 342 HCWs who completed the two-dose vaccination, 265 (77.5%) responded to the survey at least once. Overall, the rates of adverse reactions were higher after the second dose compared with the first dose (89.1% vs. 80.1%, P = 0.006). The most common systemic reactions were muscle ache (69.1%), fatigue (65.7%), headache (48.7%), chills (44.2%), and fever (32.1%), and were notably more common after the second dose vaccine as well. We also noted a sex difference in which the frequency of adverse reactions after the second dose of the vaccine was significantly higher in females, which was not observed after the first dose. The rates of adverse reactions were lower in older age groups, and the rates and severities of the adverse reactions decreased during the 3-day period following vaccination.