In recent years, next-generation sequencing (NGS)–based genetic testing has become crucial in cancer care. While its primary objective is to identify actionable genetic alterations to guide treatment decisions, its scope has broadened to encompass aiding in pathological diagnosis and exploring resistance mechanisms. With the ongoing expansion in NGS application and reliance, a compelling necessity arises for expert consensus on its application in solid cancers. To address this demand, the forthcoming recommendations not only provide pragmatic guidance for the clinical use of NGS but also systematically classify actionable genes based on specific cancer types. Additionally, these recommendations will incorporate expert perspectives on crucial biomarkers, ensuring informed decisions regarding circulating tumor DNA panel testing.

In recent years, next-generation sequencing (NGS)–based genetic testing has become crucial in cancer care. While its primary objective is to identify actionable genetic alterations to guide treatment decisions, its scope has broadened to encompass aiding in pathological diagnosis and exploring resistance mechanisms. With the ongoing expansion in NGS application and reliance, a compelling necessity arises for expert consensus on its application in solid cancers. To address this demand, the forthcoming recommendations not only provide pragmatic guidance for the clinical use of NGS but also systematically classify actionable genes based on specific cancer types. Additionally, these recommendations will incorporate expert perspectives on crucial biomarkers, ensuring informed decisions regarding circulating tumor DNA panel testing.

In May 2023, the Committee of Clinical Practice Guidelines of the Korean Diabetes Association published the revised clinical practice guidelines for Korean adults with diabetes and prediabetes. We incorporated the latest clinical research findings through a comprehensive systematic literature review and applied them in a manner suitable for the Korean population. These guidelines are designed for all healthcare providers nationwide, including physicians, diabetes experts, and certified diabetes educators who manage patients with diabetes or individuals at risk of developing diabetes. Based on recent changes in international guidelines and the results of a Korean epidemiological study, the recommended age for diabetes screening has been lowered. In collaboration with the relevant Korean medical societies, recently revised guidelines for managing hypertension and dyslipidemia in patients with diabetes have been incorporated into this guideline. An abridgment containing practical information on patient education and systematic management in the clinic was published separately.

Background: To solve the difficulty in determining the appropriate treatment regimen for patients infected with extensively drug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (XDRAB), it is necessary to develop various strategies to increase the therapeutic effect of antimicrobial agents. The purpose of this study was to select the treatment combination showing the greatest antimicrobial effect among seven candidate antimicrobial substances. Methods: Seven strains of XDRAB were used in this study. The composition of the treatment consisted of colistin as the base and one of the seven antimicrobial substances, doripenem, minocycline, tigecycline, linezolid, fusidic acid, vancomycin, or alyteserin E4K peptide. The interaction between the drugs in each combination was evaluated by measuring the synergy rates using time-kill analysis. Results: The synergy rates of the seven combinations tested in the time-kill assay in this study were as follows, in descending order from the combination with the highest synergy rate: colistin + minocycline (57.1%), colistin + alyteserin E4K (50.0%), colistin + tigecycline (42.9%), colistin + vancomycin (28.6%), colistin + doripenem (14.3%), colistin + fusidic acid (14.3%), and colistin + linzolid (0%). None of the combinations showed antagonism. The three combinations showing bactericidal activity and the rates of their bactericidal activity were colistin + alyteserin E4K combination (33.3%), colistin + minocycline (14.3%), and colistin + vancomycin (14.3%). Conclusion The colistin + minocycline and colistin + alyteserin E4K treatment combinations, which showed high synergy rates, can be considered as promising candidates for future in vivo experiments evaluating combination therapies.

Objective: The effectiveness of music therapy programs for the elderly with dementia has been verified through several studies, but there is a limitation in that most of them are compared with a single group, no treatment group or waiting group. In this study, to overcome this problem, the two groups that performed similar interventions were selected and compared retrospectively. Methods: For 37 people who participated in the treatment programs for the elderly with dementia at Dongdaemun Center for De-mentia and its branch center, we retrospectively analyzed the changes in Korean version of Geriatric Depression Scale and GeriatricQuality of Life Scale-Dementia scores measured before and after treatment. Results: Prior to treatment, there is no significant difference between the groups in the demographic variables and the depression and quality of life scores. The difference between pre- and post-scores was not significant in the group at the branch center without a music therapy, but depression was significantly reduced and quality of life had improved in the group at Dongdaemun center with the music therapy program. Conclusion It was confirmed that participation in the structured music therapy program had a positive effect on the improve-ment of depression and quality of life in the elderly with dementia compared to other similar interventions.

Objective: The effectiveness of music therapy programs for the elderly with dementia has been verified through several studies, but there is a limitation in that most of them are compared with a single group, no treatment group or waiting group. In this study, to overcome this problem, the two groups that performed similar interventions were selected and compared retrospectively. Methods: For 37 people who participated in the treatment programs for the elderly with dementia at Dongdaemun Center for De-mentia and its branch center, we retrospectively analyzed the changes in Korean version of Geriatric Depression Scale and GeriatricQuality of Life Scale-Dementia scores measured before and after treatment. Results: Prior to treatment, there is no significant difference between the groups in the demographic variables and the depression and quality of life scores. The difference between pre- and post-scores was not significant in the group at the branch center without a music therapy, but depression was significantly reduced and quality of life had improved in the group at Dongdaemun center with the music therapy program. Conclusion It was confirmed that participation in the structured music therapy program had a positive effect on the improve-ment of depression and quality of life in the elderly with dementia compared to other similar interventions.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the actual utilization of clinical practice guidelines developed by Hospital Nurses Association. Methods: The subjects were 70 nurses who were in charge of guideline distributions in 70 advanced general hospital and general hospitals with 500 beds or more nationwide.Data were collected between June and August, 2020 by mail (return rate: 88.6%). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, and ANOVA with SPSS/WIN 24.0. Results: Among the clinical practice guidelines developed by Hospital Nurses Association, 72.9~90.1% were placed with book and electronic file in nursing department and 24.3~35.8% were placed with book and electronic file in each nursing unit at hospital. The average number of utilized clinical practice guidelines were 3.96±3.88, and average score of guideline utilization was score 2.85±0.79 which means ‘use sometimes’. Conclusion To improve the distribution and utilization of the clinical practice guidelines, it is necessary to enhance the recognition of values of evidence based nursing practice targeting head of nursing department and to stimulate the distribution and utilization of the clinical practice guidelines using diverse education programs for staff nurses.

BACKGROUND: The emergence of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii as a nosocomial pathogen is one of the major public health problems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of an efflux pump gene adeJ for the multidrug resistance of A. baumannii clinical isolates. METHODS: Two groups (MDRAB and SAB) of A. baumannii clinical isolates were studied. The SAB group consisted of strains that did not meet the criteria of MDRAB and were susceptible to more categories of antibiotics than MDRAB. Antimicrobial susceptibility results obtained by VITEKII system were used in data analysis and bacterial group allocation. We performed real-time reverse transcription PCR to determine relative expression of adeJ. We compared relative expression of adeJ in comparison groups by considering two viewpoints: i) MDRAB and SAB groups and ii) susceptible and non-susceptible groups for each antibiotic used in this study. RESULTS: The mean value of relative expression of adeJ of MDRAB and SAB groups was 1.4 and 0.92, respectively, and showed significant difference (P=0.002). The mean values of relative expression of adeJ of susceptible and non-susceptible groups to the antibiotics cefepime, ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, imipenem, meropenem, tigecycline, piperacillin/tazobactam, ticarcillin/clavulanic acid, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, piperacillin, and gentamicin showed statistically significant differences. CONCLUSION The overexpression of adeIJK might contribute to the multi-drug resistance in A. baumannii clinical isolates. Further, the overexpression of adeIJK might be one of the factors contributing to the resistance to numerous antibiotics.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to update the previously developed nursing practice guideline for enteral nutrition (EN). Methods: The guideline update was done in 22 steps using standardized methodology for nursing practice guidelines. Results: The updated EN guideline consisted of 16 domains and 228 recommendations. The domains and number of recommendations in each domain were for IDSA (Infectious Diseases Society of America): 8 on general instruction, 9 on general instruction for special nutrition, 9 on general instruction for EN, 3 on assessment of EN, 10 on access to EN, 18 on EN device insertion, 16 on selection and preparation of nutritional supplements, 46 on administration and stopping EN, 22 on maintenance and management of EN, 9 on monitoring EN, 16 on prevention and management of complications of EN, 18 on medication administration, 20 on EN in various situations, 20 on prevention of errors, 1 on nursing education, and 3 on nursing documentation. For the levels of evidence, there were 9.7% for level I, 13.1% for level II, 62.5% for level III and 1.1% for GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation): 3.3% for low, 0.8% for moderate, 9.3% for very low. A total of 133 recommendations were newly developed and 10 previous recommendations were modified. Conclusion This updated EN nursing practice guideline can be used to enhance evidence-based practice in fundamentals of nursing practice and it should be disseminated to nurses nationwide in order to improve the efficiency of EN practice.