PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between death anxiety, terminal care stress, and job satisfaction of new nurses, as well as to identify factors affecting job satisfaction using descriptive correlations.METHODS: This study included 143 new nurses who had 3 to 12 months of experience in terminal care. Data were collected from January to February 2018, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé́ test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and hierarchical regression analysis.RESULTS: There was a negative correlation between job satisfaction and terminal care stress (r=−.170, p=.043), while death anxiety and terminal care stress were positively correlated (r=.284, p=.001). The following findings demonstrated a significant effect on job satisfaction: lesser the clinical career experience, the lower the job load causing death anxiety and terminal care stress, and the higher the job satisfaction. Furthermore, the explanatory power of these factors was 15.1%.CONCLUSION: To assist new nurses within three months of joining in clinical adaptation, it is necessary to provide them with appropriate knowledge regarding terminal care through training, and with counseling opportunities for the psychological burdens they experience while caring for dying patients.
Anxiety ; Counseling ; Humans ; Job Satisfaction ; Terminal Care

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the correlation between death anxiety, terminal care stress, and job satisfaction of new nurses, as well as to identify factors affecting job satisfaction using descriptive correlations. METHODS: This study included 143 new nurses who had 3 to 12 months of experience in terminal care. Data were collected from January to February 2018, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffé́ test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and hierarchical regression analysis. RESULTS: There was a negative correlation between job satisfaction and terminal care stress (r=−.170, p=.043), while death anxiety and terminal care stress were positively correlated (r=.284, p=.001). The following findings demonstrated a significant effect on job satisfaction: lesser the clinical career experience, the lower the job load causing death anxiety and terminal care stress, and the higher the job satisfaction. Furthermore, the explanatory power of these factors was 15.1%. CONCLUSION To assist new nurses within three months of joining in clinical adaptation, it is necessary to provide them with appropriate knowledge regarding terminal care through training, and with counseling opportunities for the psychological burdens they experience while caring for dying patients.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate new nurses’ needs for intravenous infusion therapy training by analyzing the current training status. Methods: This study examined the needs for intravenous infusion therapy training with 159 new nurses. The measurement tool consisted of 93 items developed based on intravenous therapy-related studies, and was evaluated on a 4-point Likert scale. For data analysis, SPSS/WIN 25.0 was used, and frequency, percentage, average, standard deviation, paired t-test, were performed. Results: The demand for intravenous therapy education was analyzed using a questionnaire composed of 8 areas, 16 sub-areas, and 93 items. According to the findings, post-ward placement intravenous therapy education(83.7%) is conducted more often than in preliminary education (72.2%). The demand for intravenous infusion therapy education did not differ significantly in preliminary and post-ward placement education (t=-.89, p=.376). While therapy skills were preferred in preliminary education, there were high demands for education content related to blood transfusion, central venous catheter, and drug use in continuing education. As for preferred teaching methods, lecture (38.2%) and simulation (26.7%) were most answered for preliminary education, while a range of methods were preferred for continuing education including lecture (31.1%), clinical practice (20.6%), preceptor training (19.8%), simulation (16.8%), and self-study (11.6%). Conclusion For efficient training, it is required to provide different education contents and methods for each stage.

Purpose: To identify clinical factors associated with the early reduction of corneal sensitivity (CS) in patients with herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO). Methods: Total 30 subjects were divided into two groups according to the occurrence of an early reduction of CS (group 1, normal CS; group 2, decreased CS). The demographics, ocular manifestations of HZO, and the ocular surface parameters were compared between two groups. Then, the relative risks of variables were analyzed to expect the early decrease of CS by HZO using logistic regression analysis. Results: Among total 30 subjects, the CS decreased in 10 subjects (3.2 ± 1.4 cm, group 2) and the other 20 subjects revealed normal CS (6.0 ± 0.0 cm, group 1). The age was higher in the group 2 (67.0 ± 16.6 years) than in group 1 (48.0 ± 17.6 years, p = 0.013), but sex and the comorbidity of diabetes mellitus was not difference between groups. The presence of corneal punctate epithelial erosions was a single factor among the ocular manifestations of HZO, which discriminated group 1 (5%) and group 2 (60%, p = 0.002). The ocular surface staining scores (i.e., National Eye Institute scores and Sjögren’s International Collaborative Clinical Alliance ocular surface score) were higher in group 2 (p = 0.001 and p = 0.021, respectively) than in group 1. The existence of corneal punctate epithelial erosions revealed as a sole risk factor for the early reduction of CS (odds ratio = 33.085; p = 0.016). Conclusions It is necessary to pay attention to the possible occurrence of neurotrophic keratopathy especially in older patients with HZO showing an initial presence of corneal punctate epithelial erosions.

This study was conducted in order to investigate body awareness and dietary life according to gender. Subjects of the study were 120 men and 127 women aged 20 to 30 years, who exercise regularly at a fitness center in Seoul. The subjects were asked to fill out a questionnaire on body awareness, reason for regular exercise, dietary behaviors, and nutrition knowledge. The percentage of overweight and obesity was 69.2% in men, and 25.2% in women. The percentage of subjects who considered themselves as overweight was 38.3% in men and 59.8% in women. Intake of protein in men was higher than the recommended nutrient intake (RNI). Intake of energy in women was lower than the estimated energy requirement (EER). Men who considered themselves as overweight showed lower energy intake than men who considered their body weight as under and normal, whereas no difference in energy intake was observed between women who considered themselves as overweight and women who considered their body weight as under and normal.
Adult* ; Body Weight ; Energy Intake ; Female ; Fitness Centers ; Humans ; Male ; Obesity ; Overweight ; Surveys and Questionnaires

Objectives: Suicide is the major public mental health concerns all over the world. The comparison of suicide attempters and suicide completers could be the fundamental evidence for the suicide prevention. The aim of this study is to explore the differences between suicide attempters and suicide completers in terms of the stressors, suicide methods, and psychiatric diagnosis. Methods: Two types of secondary data were collected for the analyses. Data of the suicide attempters (n = 680) were gathered by intensive reviewing the medical records of Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Data of suicide completers (n = 11,722) were collected by the psychological autopsy data which were gathered by Korean Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Suicidal methods, psychiatric disorders and stressors before suicidal attempt were compared between suicide attempter and completers. Results: Suicide completers were older and male predominant compared to suicidal attempt. Hanging or gas intoxication were more commonly used in the suicide completion, while wrist cutting or drug intoxication were more common in suicide attempters. All types of stressors were found to be high in suicide completers than suicide attempters. However, the proportion of economic and physical stress were greater in suicide completers, while the proportion of family stress were greater in suicide attempters. According to the recorded diagnoses, the rates of depressive disorders, sleep-wake disorders, substance-related disorders were higher in suicide completers, while the rates of anxiety disorders and trauma- and stressor-related disorders, bipolar and related disorders and somatic symptom disorders were higher in suicide attempters. However, after controlling the gender and age, there were no significant differences in diagnosis between suicide attempters and suicide completers. Conclusion These findings implicate that suicide attempters and completers differed in suicide methods and type of stress. The results suggests that economic stressors, physical illness might raise the risk of suicide completion.

Background: Several T-cell response assays for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are available; however, their comparability and correlations with antibody responses remain unclear. We compared four SARS-CoV-2 T-cell response assays and two anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody assays. Methods: We enrolled 89 participants who had received a booster dose of the BNT162b2 vaccine after two doses of the ChAdOx1 or BNT162b2 vaccine. Fifty-six participants without breakthrough infection (BI) (ChAdOx1/BNT162b2 group: N=27; BNT162b2 group: N=29) and 33 with BI were included. We evaluated two whole-blood interferon-gamma release assays (IGRAs) (QuantiFERON and Euroimmun), T-SPOT.COVID, an in-house enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) assay (targeting the spike and nucleocapsid peptides of wild-type and Omicron SARS-CoV-2), Abbott IgG II Quant, and Elecsys Anti-S, using Mann–Whitney U, Wilcoxon signed-rank, and Spearman’s correlation tests. Results: The correlations between the IGRAs and between the ELISPOT assays (ρ=0.60–0.70) were stronger than those between the IGRAs and ELISPOT assays (ρ=0.33–0.57). T-SPOT.COVID showed a strong correlation with Omicron ELISPOT (ρ=0.70). The anti-spike antibody assays showed moderate correlations with T-SPOT.COVID, Euroimmun IGRA, and ELISPOT (ρ=0.43–0.62). Correlations tended to be higher in the BI than in the noninfected group, indicating that infection induces a stronger immune response. Conclusions T-cell response assays show moderate to strong correlations, particularly when using the same platform. T-SPOT.COVID exhibits potential for estimating immune responses to the Omicron variant. To accurately define SARS-CoV-2 immune status, both T-cell and B-cell response measurements are necessary.

Purpose: We report two cases of sudden intraocular pressure (IOP) elevation in children after steroid treatment.Case summary: (Case 1) An 8-year-old boy visited the hospital with vomiting and headache that had begun 3 days after application of dexamethasone eyedrops. IOPs were 55 and 62 mmHg in the right and left eyes, respectively; both anterior chambers were normal. The eyedrops were stopped and timolol/dorzolamide was applied twice daily. After intravenous mannitol injection, the IOPs of both eyes decreased to 18 mmHg within 24 hours. (Case 2) A 10-year-old boy diagnosed with coronavirus disease 2019 three days prior had been prescribed methylprednisolone 4 mg twice daily; he visited the hospital with headache, eye pain, and decreased vision that began 1 day after medication. IOPs were 41 and 54 mmHg in the right and left eyes, respectively; both anterior chambers were normal. After drug discontinuation, timolol/dorzolamide, brimonidine, and latanoprost eyedrops were applied. Subsequently, after intravenous mannitol injection, the IOPs decreased within 24 hours to 7 and 16 mmHg in the right and left eyes, respectively; they remained stable. However, thinning was observed in the retinal nerve fiber and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer. Conclusions Children can develop rapid IOP elevation after even 1 day of steroid use; residual structural damage may be present, despite prompt treatment. Clinicians must closely monitor such patients for atypical IOP elevation.

Objective: This study investigated whether sleep and stress mutually interact to induce changes in white matter integrity. Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was conducted on 36 participants (male=22, female=14; mean age=38.33±12.78 years). Participants were divided into three groups depending on their sleep quality and stress levels: poor sleepers with stress, poor sleepers without stress, and good sleepers. Sleep quality and stress level were evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Life Experiences Survey, respectively. Fractional anisotropy (FA) values were calculated employing DTI tractography. Results: After controlling for age and sex, poor sleepers with stress exhibited a lower FA of the left inferior cerebellar peduncle (ICP) than did poor sleepers without stress (t=2.81, p=0.02). Poor sleepers without stress showed a higher FA of the right middle longitudinal fasciculus (MdLF) than did good sleepers (t=3.35, p=0.006). Conclusion The current study reports the effects of sleep, stress, and their interaction on the white matter integrities of the ICP and MdLF. ICP change seems to be associated with sleep disturbances related to stress, while MdLF change would be associated with sleep disturbances unrelated to stress.