BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to develop and apply a prevention program for needle-stick injuries among health care workers who have a high occupational risk of such injuries, and to analyze the effect of the program on the subjects' knowledge regarding such injuries and compliance with protocols, as well as the incidence of needle-stick injuries among subjects. METHODS: The subjects of this study were nurses (RNs) and nurse's aides (NAs) working at a university hospital in Daegu. The data were collected by conducting surveys and determining the incidence of needle-stick injuries during a 1-year period before the application of the program. The program consisted of preventive education on needle-stick injury, the use of standardized boxes to measure blood sugar test, and the use of intravenous catheters with safety needles. Six months after the intervention, surveys were conducted to analyze the incidence of needle-stick injuries. The data on knowledge and compliance related to needle-stick injuries before and after program application were analyzed using the paired t-test, and data on the incidence of injuries were analyzed using the chi-square test. RESULTS: The scores on knowledge (RN, P<0.001; NA, P=0.007) and compliance (RN, P<0.001; NA, P=0.038) were significantly higher after the intervention than before. However, the number of reports on the incidence of needle-stick injuries before and after the intervention were not significantly different (RN, P=0.691; NA, P=0.079). CONCLUSION: The prevention program for needle-stick injuries was effective in improving the knowledge and compliance related to needle-stick injuries among RNs and NAs, but the number of reports on the incidence of injuries showed no difference. Therefore, the prevention program must be reevaluated and further developed after continuously monitoring and analyzing it in a hospital setting in order to decrease the incidence of needle-stick injuries.
Blood Glucose ; Catheters ; Compliance ; Delivery of Health Care ; Humans ; Incidence ; Needles ; Needlestick Injuries ; Nurses' Aides ; Plant Extracts

CT scans of 21 patients(intrathoracic goiter=7. Castleman disease=6, pulmonary carcinoid tumor=3, parathyroid adenoma=1, thyroid carcinoma=1, paraganglioma=1, benign pleural mesothelioma=1, sclerosing hemangioma=1) with mediastinal tumors that are known to be enhanced with intravenous injection of contrast media, were studied retrospectively to investigate the enhancing capabilities f those tumors and to describe their CT findings. The degree of enhancement was estimated by visual inspection with a grading system. All but one case of cystic parathyroid adenoma showed enhancement on post-contrast scan. The degree of enhancement was not helpful in differentiating these tumors. Characteristic location and pattern of tumor extension were found in cases of intrathoracic goiter, parathyroid adenoma, thyroid carcinoma and paraganglioma. Calcifications were found in intrathoracic goiter(5/7). Castleman disease(2/6). Pulmonary carcinoid(1/3), thyroid carcinoma. Necrotic low-attenuation areas were in intrathoracic goiter(7/7), parathyroid adenoma, thyroid carcinoma and paraganglioma. In conclusion, mediastinal tumors that are known to be enhanced in the literature were enhanced with rare exception, and if we consider the predilection site of those tumors, the scope of differential diagnosis can reasonably be narrowed.
Carcinoid Tumor ; Contrast Media ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Goiter, Substernal ; Injections, Intravenous ; Paraganglioma ; Parathyroid Neoplasms ; Retrospective Studies ; Thyroid Gland ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

BACKGROUND: Clonorchiasis is a trematodiasis caused by chronic infestation of liver flukes, Clonorchis sinensis(CS). We usually diagnosed clonorchiasis with stool examination. Intradermal(ID) test and radiologic findings have been also used for diagnosis. However, studies associated with ID test were very rare. So, we evaluated the stool examination and ID tests for CS detection associated with radiologic findings. METHODS: We analyzed 69 cases of patients requested stool parasite examination and ID test concurrently. For stool parasite examination, formalin ether precipitation method was used. Abdominal US and/or CT were also reviewed. Eosinophil counts and liver function test(LFT) were evaluated. Clinical diagnosis were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: Sensitivity and specificity of ID CS test were 63% and 71.4% respectively. Positive and negative predictive values were 58.6% and 75.0% respectively. US/CT findings showed 10% sensitivity and 52.9% specificity. Positive and negative predictive values of US/CT were 11.1% and 50% respectively. Paragonimiasis westermani ID test showed 17.2% positivity in CS ID test positive cases. No statistical differences were observed among groups in eosinophil and LFT results. Hepatobiliary diseases were the main clinical impression in CS ID test positive groups. CONCLUSION: For the diagnosis of clonorchiasis, stool examination was the most effective method. ID test and radiologic examination still have some limitations in diagnosis because of cured past infestation, small number of parasitic infestation or irreversible anatomical changes etc. However, ID test could have a better supplementary role for diagnosis of clonorchiasis rather than US/CT.
Clonorchiasis* ; Clonorchis sinensis ; Diagnosis ; Eosinophils ; Ether ; Fasciola hepatica ; Formaldehyde ; Humans ; Intradermal Tests* ; Liver ; Liver Function Tests ; Paragonimiasis ; Parasites ; Retrospective Studies ; Sensitivity and Specificity

No abstract available.
Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Depression* ; Humans

Much has been learned of the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of the toxic shock syndrome (TSS) since the initial description in 1978 by Dr. James K, Todd. The clinical illness is defined by the criteria listed in the case definition formulated for epidemiologic studies. With the advent of widespread recognition of TSS, there have been numerous published reports describing the clinical and laboratory findings, primarily in menstruating females. And there have been also reported about six cases in Korea. Moreover, TSS is uncommon in the prepubertal age group and no case report in infant in Korea. We experienced two cases of TSS in infants aged 11/2 yrs and 9 months associated with respiratory infection-pneumonia, pyopneumothorax and localized skin abscess that were confused with Kawasaki disease (KD). The diagnosis was made on the basis of clinical features and laboratory findings, and the cases met the Centers of Disease Control case definition of TSS. And thus we report these cases and review related literatures.
Abscess ; Diagnosis ; Female ; Humans ; Infant* ; Korea ; Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome ; Shock, Septic* ; Skin

PURPOSE: This study was to investigate the relationships between spiritual well-being, attitude towards death and perception of hospice, and the factors influencing hospice perception of high school students. METHODS: A survey was conducted with 229 students in four high schools in B city from May 1, 2015 through May 31, 2015. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients, stepwise multiple regression using the SPSS 18.0 program. This study was approved by the internal review board. RESULTS: The factors influencing hospice perception of the high school students were previous recognition of hospice (β=0.412, P<0.001), attitude towards death preparation among sub-variables of attitude towards death (β=-0.244, P<0.001), subjective school life satisfaction (β=-0.215, P<0.001), and sex (β=0.191, P<0.001). The more positive the attitude towards my body after death and that towards death preparation was, the more positive recognition for hospice was. The total explanatory power of these factors was 34.5%. CONCLUSION: To improve high school students' perception of hospice, it is necessary to provide them with a hospice education program to help them with their attitudes towards death preparation and their understanding of hospice.
Adolescent ; Attitude to Death ; Education ; Hospice Care ; Hospices* ; Humans ; Korea* ; Palliative Care* ; Spirituality

PURPOSE: To investigate the subjective health and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in Haenyo. METHODS: Subjects were 100 elderly Haenyo in Jeju island who belonged to a fishing-village society. Main variables were activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental ADL (IADL), the HRQoL, subjective health, and depression. Subjective health and differences of HRQoL by variables were analyzed by t-test or ANOVA using IBM SPSS Statistics 23. Hierarchical multiple regression was executed to examine the effects of the major factors on the quality of life. RESULTS: The mean age was 69.9 years, the mean period for diving career was 51.5 years, and work hours per month were 37.8. Comorbidity of diseases was 2.74, and the common health problems were osteoporosis and headache/dizziness. HRQoL was significantly different by age (F=4.52, p=.013), education (F=6.10, p=.003), muljil work years (F=3.93, p=.050), depression (t=-3.04, p=.030), subjective health state (F=30.62, p < .01), and degenerative arthritis (F=-2.38, p=.019). In the final model by hierarchical multiple regression, ADL/IADL (β=.41, p < .001), depression (β=-.29, p < .001), and subjective health (β=.43~.51, p < .001) were significant and explained 63.5% of the total variance of HRQoL. CONCLUSION: Haenyo have specific health problems different from those of elderly women in general. ADL/IADL, depression and subjective health affected their HRQoL. It is clear that Haenyos' health problems need further study to improve their health.
Activities of Daily Living ; Aged* ; Comorbidity ; Depression ; Diagnostic Self Evaluation* ; Diving ; Education ; Female ; Humans ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteoporosis ; Quality of Life*

Bone scan using 99m Tc-MDP is the most accurate and reliable method for the early detection of fracture, andgive the most accurate in formation about the healing process of fractured bone. Recent days, the medicolegalproblem about the injured time is frequently provoked in vertebral fracture patient by trauma. The authorsanalyzed the bone scan of vertebral fracture patients from March to Dec. 1983. The authors obtained results asfollows: 1. The minimum time for a fracture to return to normal on a bone scan was 4 month in cervical spine. 2.It was 12 month in thoracic spine. 3. It was 6 month in lumbar spine. 4. Surrounding soft tissue injury was healedwithin 10 days after trauma in our cases. 5. Focal hot uptake is persisted in case of callus deposition on plainfilm, although very small in amount. 6. Healing time is delayed in case of severely compressed vertebral body,belowed the half than normal height. 7. With bone scan it is possible to differentiate the fresh fracture from oldhealed, impossible by plain film. 8. Healing time is delayed in old age.
Bony Callus ; Humans ; Methods ; Soft Tissue Injuries ; Spine

In this study, the antioxidant, anti-xanthine oxidase, anti-melanogenic and anti-wrinkle effects of methanol (ME) and hot water (HE) extracts from the fruiting bodies of Phellinus vaninii were investigated. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl free radical scavenging activity of 2.0 mg/mL HE (95.38%) was comparable to that of butylated hydroxytoluene (96.97%), the reference standard. The hydroxyl radical scavenging activities of ME (98.19%) and HE (97.55%) were higher than that of butylated hydroxytoluene (92.66%) at 2.0 mg/mL. Neither ME nor HE was cytotoxic to murine melanoma B16-F10 cells at 25–750 µg/mL. Although the xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitory effects of ME and HE were significantly lower than that of allopurinol, the values were higher than 84 percent. The in vitro tyrosinase inhibitory activities of ME and HE were comparable to kojic acid at 2.0 mg/mL. The cellular tyrosinase and melanin synthetic activities of ME and HE on B16-F10 melanoma cells at 500 µg/mL were higher than arbutin, indicating that the inhibitory effects of arbutin on the tyrosinase and melanin synthesis were higher than those of ME and HE. The collagenase inhibitory activity of HE was comparable to EGCG at 2.0 mg/mL, however, the elastase inhibitory activity of ME and HE was lower than EGCG at the concentration tested. The study results demonstrated that the fruiting bodies of Ph. vaninii possessed good antioxidant, anti-xanthine oxidase, cell-free anti-tyrosinase, cellular anti-tyrosinase, anti-collagenase, and moderate anti-elastase activities, which might be used for the development of novel anti-gout, skin-whitening, and skin anti-wrinkle agents.

Purpose: This integrative review aims to identify changes in people with schizophrenia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An integrative literature review method of Whittemore and Knafl was applied to integrate the studies. The literature search was conducted in six electronic databases using English and Korean search terms. Three researchers independently reviewed the extracted papers and rated their quality based on predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of fifteen relevant studies were included. Results: The selected articles were all international papers, and most of them were quantitative studies. The changes observed in people with schizophrenia were summarized as follows: (1) changes in health outcomes: psychosocial (increased levels of depression, stress, anxiety, sleep disturbance, and psychotic-like experience) and physical (reduction in food intake, weight loss, changes in immunerelated clinical values, etc.); (2) changes in treatment and health management: increased hospitalization, decreased ICU hospitalization, and a decrease in outpatient visits and prescription rate. Conclusion This study confirmed the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with schizophrenia. It is necessary to develop mental health policies and appropriate nursing interventions to help people in preparing for possible future crises.