A 74-year-old female patient was diagnosed with unilateral vocal fold paralysis without any brain lesions, but with a history of influenza infection 1 week ago. No significant manifestations were observed in the oral phase in the Video Fluoroscopic Swallowing Study (VFSS). However, during swallowing aspiration, 50% of the residue after swallowing was measured as semisolid, and aspiration was observed when swallowing in the liquid form. The Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS) score was 6 points, and the Functional Dysphagia Scale (FDS) was 46 points.Vocal-fold adduction was performed by injecting hyaluronic acid. Four days after the vocal fold injection, VFSS showed no aspiration during the swallowing of semisolids. Moreover, compared to the initial test, 10% of the residue measured after swallowing semisolids was decreased. No aspiration was observed when swallowing the liquid.Scores obtained for the Penetration Aspiration Scale (PAS) and the Functional Dysphagia Scale (FDS) were 4 and 26, respectively. Taken together, our results indicate that in a situation where upper respiratory infections are increasing due to the COVID-19 pandemic, hyaluronic acid injections have the potential to improve dysphagia in patients with unilateral vocal fold paralysis due to a viral infection.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and examine the effects of a prenatal program on environmental health behavior using cartoon comics among Korean pregnant women. Methods: This study used a non-equivalent control group pre-test/post-test design. The program used cartoon comics to explore environmental health behaviors during pregnancy. The program consisted of the following four components: environmental toxicants during pregnancy, avoiding particulate matter during pregnancy, environmental toxicants during baby care, and making a healthy environment for children. In total, 35 pregnant women participated in the study: 18 in the experimental group and 17 in the control group. Data collection and program adaptation were conducted between November 3, 2020 and January 19, 2021. The effect of the prenatal education program was evaluated by t-test and repeated measures ANOVA. Results: Learning experience (t = - 2.35, p = .025), feasibility (t = - 2.46, p = .019), satisfaction (t = - 2.23, p = .032) were higher in the experimental group than in the control group in the first post-test. Feasibility (t = - 2.40, p = .022) was higher in the experimental group than in the control group in the second post-test. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant interactions between time and group in environmental susceptibility (F = 9.31, p < .001), self-efficacy (F = 3.60, p = .033), and community behavior (F = 5.41, p = .007). Conclusion This study demonstrates the need for a prenatal education program to promote environmental health perceptions and behavior during pregnancy. We suggest a prenatal class adopting the creative cartoon comics to promote the maternal environmental health behaviors.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop and examine the effects of a prenatal program on environmental health behavior using cartoon comics among Korean pregnant women. Methods: This study used a non-equivalent control group pre-test/post-test design. The program used cartoon comics to explore environmental health behaviors during pregnancy. The program consisted of the following four components: environmental toxicants during pregnancy, avoiding particulate matter during pregnancy, environmental toxicants during baby care, and making a healthy environment for children. In total, 35 pregnant women participated in the study: 18 in the experimental group and 17 in the control group. Data collection and program adaptation were conducted between November 3, 2020 and January 19, 2021. The effect of the prenatal education program was evaluated by t-test and repeated measures ANOVA. Results: Learning experience (t = - 2.35, p = .025), feasibility (t = - 2.46, p = .019), satisfaction (t = - 2.23, p = .032) were higher in the experimental group than in the control group in the first post-test. Feasibility (t = - 2.40, p = .022) was higher in the experimental group than in the control group in the second post-test. Repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant interactions between time and group in environmental susceptibility (F = 9.31, p < .001), self-efficacy (F = 3.60, p = .033), and community behavior (F = 5.41, p = .007). Conclusion This study demonstrates the need for a prenatal education program to promote environmental health perceptions and behavior during pregnancy. We suggest a prenatal class adopting the creative cartoon comics to promote the maternal environmental health behaviors.

OBJECTIVES: Effects of multiple trauma are complex and extend beyond core PTSD symptoms. However, few psychological instruments for trauma assessment address this issue of symptom complexity. The Trauma Symptom Checklist-40 (TSC-40) is a self-report scale that assesses wide range of symptoms associated with childhood or adult traumatic experience. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the validity of the Korean Version of the TSC-40 in a sample of psychiatric outpatients. METHODS: Data of 367 treatment-seeking patients with DSM-IV diagnoses were obtained from an outpatient department of psychiatric unit at a university hospital. The diagnoses were anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, depressive disorder, adjustment disorder and others. Included in the psychometric data were the TSC-40, the Life events checklist, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the Zung's Self-report Depression Scale, and the Zung's Self-report Anxiety Scale. Cronbach's α for internal consistency were calculated. Convergent and concurrent validity was approached with correlation between the TSC-40 and other scales (PTSD, anxiety and depression). RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis of the Korean Version of TSC-40 extracted seven-factor structure accounted for 59.55% of total variance that was contextually similar to a six-factor structure and five-factor structure of the original English version. The Korean Version of TSC-40 demonstrated a high level of internal consistency. (Cronbach's α=0.94) and good concurrent and convergent validity with another PTSD scale and anxiety and depression scales. CONCLUSIONS: Excellent construct validity of The Korean Version of TSC-40 was proved in this study. And subtle difference in the factor structure may reflect the cultural issues and the sample characteristics such as heterogeneous clinical population (including non-trauma related disorders) and outpatient status. Overall, this study TSCdemonstrated that the Korean version of TSC-40 is psychometrically sound and can be used for Korean clinical population.
Adjustment Disorders ; Adult ; Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders ; Checklist ; Depression ; Depressive Disorder ; Diagnosis ; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ; Humans ; Multiple Trauma ; Outpatients ; Psychometrics ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ; Weights and Measures

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the factors that affect nursing students' perception of pediatric safety nursing activities for children during hospitalization. METHODS: The study sample included 304 nursing students who had participated in pediatric nursing practice. Data were analyzed using SAS 9.3 program. RESULTS: Regression analysis showed that the model's explanatory power was 37%. Safety policy and procedure, safety priority, disaster experience, and knowing a place of refuge were factors affecting the perception of safety nursing activities for children during hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Findings show that safety policy and procedures and safety priority are major factors that affect the perception of safety nursing activities and indicate that effective education programs on safety policy and procedure and safety priority are necessary to improve the perception of safety nursing activities.
Child ; Child, Hospitalized ; Disasters ; Education ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Nursing* ; Patient Safety* ; Pediatric Nursing ; Safety Management ; Students, Nursing

OBJECTIVE: To determine the safety of ingestion of breast milk-associated bacteria for premature infants, we investigated the rate of breast milk contamination and incidence of the infection in premature infants on breastfeeding. METHODS: Medical records were retrospectively reviewed for premature infants 28 weeks of gestation or more, who breast milk-fed and admitted at Ulsan University Hospital during 2004~2005. The results of bacterial culture in expressed breast milk, presence of infection (sepsis, urinary tract infection and necrotizing enterocolitis), and potential compounding variables were abstracted from medical records. The clinical characteristics of premature infants who ingested breast milk-associated bacteria were compared with the controls. RESULTS: Among 125 samples of breast milk for bacterial culture, 85 (68%) revealed the growth of bacteria Staphylococcus epidermidis (56%), Bacillus spp. (3.2%), Klebsiella spp. (3.2%), Acinetobacter spp. (2.4%), Enterobacter cloaca (1.6%), etc. Among 64 infants breast milk-fed, 36 were revealed to have ingested breast milk-associated bacteria, and 28 were fed with clean breast milk. There were no differences in incidence of sepsis, urinary tract infection and necrotizing enterocolitis between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that breast milk feeding might be safe for premature infants even if it is contaminated with some of bacteria. A Larger scale of investigation is required in order to study further for this important topic.
Acinetobacter ; Bacillus ; Bacteria ; Breast Feeding ; Breast* ; Cloaca ; Colon* ; Eating ; Enterobacter ; Enterocolitis, Necrotizing ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infant, Premature* ; Klebsiella ; Medical Records ; Milk, Human* ; Pregnancy ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis ; Staphylococcus epidermidis ; Ulsan ; Urinary Tract Infections

Depression is a neuropsychiatric disorder associated with persistent stress and disruption of neuronal function. Persistent stress causes neuronal atrophy, including loss of synapses and reduced size of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. These alterations are associated with neural dysfunction, including mood disturbances, cognitive impairment, and behavioral changes. Synaptic plasticity is the fundamental function of neural networks in response to various stimuli and acts by reorganizing neuronal structure, function, and connections from the molecular to the behavioral level. In this review, we describe the alterations in synaptic plasticity as underlying pathological mechanisms for depression in animal models and humans. We further elaborate on the significance of phytochemicals as bioactive agents that can positively modulate stress-induced, aberrant synaptic activity. Bioactive agents, including flavonoids, terpenes, saponins, and lignans, have been reported to upregulate brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression and release, suppress neuronal loss, and activate the relevant signaling pathways, including TrkB, ERK, Akt, and mTOR pathways, resulting in increased spine maturation and synaptic numbers in the neuronal cells and in the brains of stressed animals. In clinical trials, phytochemical usage is regarded as safe and well-tolerated for suppressing stress-related parameters in patients with depression. Thus, intake of phytochemicals with safe and active effects on synaptic plasticity may be a strategy for preventing neuronal damage and alleviating depression in a stressful life.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the validity of the Korean version of the Nurses’ Involvement in Dying Patients and Family Care (NIDPFC) instrument. Methods: Data were collected from 410 registered nurses at a university hospital, general hospitals, and a convalescent hospital. Data were collected from June 23 to July 17, 2020. Internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and criterion validity were examined using the SPSS and AMOS software. Results: Of the 35 preliminary items of the instrument, 24 items were finally selected after evaluating the content validity, analyzing the items, and assessing construct validity. The following four factors were derived: “burden” (seven items), “deep involvement” (eight items), “resilience” (five items), and “empathy” (four items), with a cumulative explanatory variance of 55.2%. For criterion validity, a significant positive relationship was found between the NIDPFC and attitudes toward caring for the dying. For internal consistency reliability, the Cronbach’s α was 0.82. Conclusion The validity and reliability of the NIDPFC were verified. Therefore, the NIDPFC is an effective instrument to use in further studies.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to test the validity of the Korean version of the Nurses’ Involvement in Dying Patients and Family Care (NIDPFC) instrument. Methods: Data were collected from 410 registered nurses at a university hospital, general hospitals, and a convalescent hospital. Data were collected from June 23 to July 17, 2020. Internal consistency reliability, construct validity, and criterion validity were examined using the SPSS and AMOS software. Results: Of the 35 preliminary items of the instrument, 24 items were finally selected after evaluating the content validity, analyzing the items, and assessing construct validity. The following four factors were derived: “burden” (seven items), “deep involvement” (eight items), “resilience” (five items), and “empathy” (four items), with a cumulative explanatory variance of 55.2%. For criterion validity, a significant positive relationship was found between the NIDPFC and attitudes toward caring for the dying. For internal consistency reliability, the Cronbach’s α was 0.82. Conclusion The validity and reliability of the NIDPFC were verified. Therefore, the NIDPFC is an effective instrument to use in further studies.

OBJECTIVES: The Illness Intrusiveness Rating Scale (IIRS) is a well-validated self-report instrument for assessing negative impact of chronic illness and/or adverse effects of its treatment on everyday life domains. Although extensive literature probed its psychometric properties in medical illness, little attention was paid for its validity for psychiatric population. This study aimed to test factorial structure of the Korean Version of the IIRS (IIRS-K) in a consecutive sample of psychiatric outpatients. METHODS: Data set of 307 first-visit patients of psychiatric clinic at Guri Hanyang univ. Hospital were used. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency were tested in IIRS-K. We also checked Spearman's correlation analysis between IIRS-K, Zung's self-report anxiety scale and Zung's self-report depression scale. RESULTS: 76.9% of the patients were with anxiety disorder and depressive disorder. The principal component factor analysis of the IIRS-K extracted three-factor structure accounted for 63.2% of total variance that was contextually similar to the original English version. This three-factor solution showed the best fit when tested confirmatory factor analysis compared to the original IIRS, two-factor model of IIRS-K suggested from medical outpatients, and one-factor solution. The IIRS-K also showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.90) and good convergent validity with anxiety and depression scales. CONCLUSIONS The IIRS-K showed the three-factor structure that was similar but not identical to original version. Overall, this study proved factorial validity of the IIRS-K and it can be used for Korean clinical population.