BACKGROUND: In the Korean Red Cross Blood Center, ABO blood typing are routinely performed only via red cell grouping at blood donations sites. However, when an error occurs in this process, it is impossible to issue a blood product contrary to the result of the blood type of the Blood Laboratory Center, thereby resulting in delayed supply. Therefore, efforts are needed to reduce typing errors at blood donation sites. METHODS: We analyzed 656,786 donor screenings between January 1, 2016 and December 31, 2016;we also analyzed the statistical data of donor ABO typing between 2013 and 2015. To reduce ABO typing error, we notified and trained nurses at Busan, Gyeongnam, Ulsan, and Daegu-Gyeongbuk Blood centers in June, 2016. We tried to confirm the improvement of ABO typing error at blood donation sites by comparing ABO typing before and after training. For data comparison, chi-square test was conducted (95% confidence interval, 0.05 significant level). RESULTS: The blood typing error rate was significantly lower (P=0.003) four months after training (0.005%) than before training (0.015%), and the blood typing error rate was significantly higher for the first blood donor (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: Educational training for nurses at blood donation sites may be effective in reducing ABO typing error. Continuous and regular training seems to be needed in future to reduce ABO typing error.
Blood Donors* ; Blood Grouping and Crossmatching* ; Busan ; Donor Selection ; Humans ; Red Cross ; Tissue Donors ; Ulsan

Objectives: This study investigated the effectiveness of the intervention program for elementary school students with reading disorders. Methods: The intervention program focused on phonological awareness, phonics, and decoding training applied individually to 25 children with a reading disorder by the teachers in charge for four months. To measure the efficacy, this study evaluated the word reading accuracy, fluency, and the related cognitive functions, including phonemic awareness, phonics, and rapid automatized naming using the Computerized Comprehensive Learning Test-Reading before and after the program. Results: After the intervention, improvements were observed in the following: the reading fluency score and fluency percentile in the word attack test; reading accuracy rate, fluency score, and fluency percentile in the nonword decoding test; fluency score and fluency percentile in the rapid automatized naming tests; accuracy rate in the letter-sound matching test; accuracy rate in the nonword repetition test. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the paragraph reading fluency test. According to the subtypes of reading disabilities, children with dyslexic or mixed types improved after the intervention. Conclusion Reading accuracy and fluency of school-aged children with reading disorders improved through the intervention program by the schoolteachers.

Objectives: This study investigated the effectiveness of the intervention program for elementary school students with reading disorders. Methods: The intervention program focused on phonological awareness, phonics, and decoding training applied individually to 25 children with a reading disorder by the teachers in charge for four months. To measure the efficacy, this study evaluated the word reading accuracy, fluency, and the related cognitive functions, including phonemic awareness, phonics, and rapid automatized naming using the Computerized Comprehensive Learning Test-Reading before and after the program. Results: After the intervention, improvements were observed in the following: the reading fluency score and fluency percentile in the word attack test; reading accuracy rate, fluency score, and fluency percentile in the nonword decoding test; fluency score and fluency percentile in the rapid automatized naming tests; accuracy rate in the letter-sound matching test; accuracy rate in the nonword repetition test. On the other hand, there was no significant difference in the paragraph reading fluency test. According to the subtypes of reading disabilities, children with dyslexic or mixed types improved after the intervention. Conclusion Reading accuracy and fluency of school-aged children with reading disorders improved through the intervention program by the schoolteachers.

PURPOSE: Prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) is a standard treatment for limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) showing a response to initial treatment, but many patients do not receive PCI due to comorbidities or refusal. This study aims to define the patient group for whom PCI can be omitted with minimal risk. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Patients with LS-SCLC who underwent radiotherapy with curative aim at our institution between January 2004 and December 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who did not receive PCI were evaluated for brain metastasis-free survival (BMFS), progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and prognostic factors for survival, and treatment outcomes were compared with a patient cohort who received PCI. RESULTS: A total of 350 patients achieved a response following thoracic radiotherapy, and 190 of these patients did not receive PCI. Stage I–II and a complete response (CR) to initial therapy were good prognostic factors for BMFS and OS on univariate analysis. Patients with both stage I–II and a CR who declined PCI showed comparable 2-year BMFS to those who received PCI (92% vs. 89%). In patients who achieved CR, PCI did not significantly improve OS or PFS. CONCLUSION: There should be less concern about omitting PCI in patients with comorbidities if they have stage I–II or a CR, with brain metastasis control being comparable to those patients who receive PCI.
Brain ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Cranial Irradiation ; Disease-Free Survival ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Radiotherapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Small Cell Lung Carcinoma

PURPOSE: To investigate the patterns of recurrence in patients with neuroblastoma treated with radiation therapy to the primary tumor site. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed patients with high-risk neuroblastoma managed with definitive treatment with radiation therapy to the primary tumor site between January 2003 and June 2017. These patients underwent three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy or intensity-modulated radiation therapy. A total of 14–36 Gy was delivered to the planning target volume, which included the primary tumor bed and the selected metastatic site. The disease stage was determined according to the International Neuroblastoma Staging System (INSS). We evaluated the recurrence pattern (i.e., local or systemic), progression-free survival, and overall survival. RESULTS: A total of 40 patients with high-risk neuroblastoma were included in this study. The median patient age was 4 years (range, 1 to 11 years). Thirty patients (75%) had INSS stage 4 neuroblastoma. At the median follow-up of 58 months, there were 6 cases of local recurrence and 10 cases of systemic recurrence. Among the 6 local failure cases, 4 relapsed adjacent to the radiation field. The other 2 relapsed in the radiation field (i.e., para-aortic and retroperitoneal areas). The main sites of distant metastasis were the bone, lymph nodes, and bone marrow. The 5-year progression-free survival was 70.9% and the 5-year overall survival was 74.3%. CONCLUSION: Radiation therapy directed at the primary tumor site provides good local control. It seems to be adequate for disease control in patients with high-risk neuroblastoma after chemotherapy and surgical resection.
Bone Marrow ; Disease-Free Survival ; Drug Therapy ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lymph Nodes ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neuroblastoma ; Radiotherapy ; Recurrence ; Retrospective Studies