Sentinel Node Biopsy (SNB) is beneficial for reducing axillary functional impairment and lymphedema due to extended lymph node dissection. We used the Indigo Carmine dye instead of radioisotope, since it can simplify the complicated multistep identifying procedures and has economic benefit because it requires no radioisotope detection equipment. The operation for small breast cancer is continuously changing from a modified radical mastectomy to various type of breast conserving operations. Among these we performed a partial mastectomy with rotation flap using remnant breast tissue (RFB). This method needs small operation field, so we could reduce trauma to the patient, shorten the operation time, and use natural blood supplies and tissues without destructing other organ structures. The cosmetic effect is desirable to Korean women considering their relatively small breast size as to that of western people. In SNB, 5cc indigocarmine was injected intradermally just around main lesion. Sentinel node was able to be identified easily if a proper dose was used. Its approach was achieved in 15 to 20 minutes. Partial mastectomy (quadrantectomy) was done with cancer free margins. Rotation flap which is covering the defect included as much breast tissue as possible sparing the nipple areolar complex. Sentinel node biopsy and rotation flap brought out both satisfactory cosmetic result and cost effective outcome, so this breast conserving method is recommendable to small breast cancers.
Biopsy ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Equipment and Supplies ; Female ; Humans ; Indigo Carmine ; Lymph Node Excision ; Lymphedema ; Mastectomy, Modified Radical ; Mastectomy, Segmental ; Nipples

As the rapid growth of internet users, the implementation of e-commerce and e-community are becoming popular also in health fields. Especially, the marketing strategy through joint purchasing for health services such as lasik, plastic surgery, etc. has increasingly been an important issue in clinics and health portals. Therefore, this study purposes to investigate the current status of joint purchasing for health services and estimate the demand on them. Since the university students use an internet most frequently and tend to purchase the goods and services actively through it, the intention for health services were targeted to university students. Only 29% of respondents acknowledged the joint purchasing system for health services. And the purchasing intention was higher in the university students who experienced the joint purchasing for general goods than those who did not experience. Non-surgery items such as stress clinic, dental scaling showed higher intention. Meanwhile when respondents purchase the health services through an internet, they consider the reliability of quality for health services at most. Considering this, if the legal regulations and ethical standards for reliable health services are systematically prepared, positive attitudes and behavioral intention on joint purchasing for health services will be increased and the market of joint purchasing will be enlarged.
Surveys and Questionnaires ; Dental Clinics ; Group Purchasing* ; Health Services* ; Humans ; Intention ; Internet ; Joints* ; Keratomileusis, Laser In Situ ; Marketing ; Public Opinion* ; Social Control, Formal ; Surgery, Plastic

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a program for reinforcing the resilience of new nurses and relation-oriented organizational culture. Methods An Intervention Research (IR) model was used to develop a program. Literature review, focus group interviews with nurses and need surveys were conducted from August to December 2018. Based on the results of the investigation, the researcher developed the content of a program. The program was revised by nurse managers for the content validation. Results: According to the results of the need surveys, 58.8% of the participants thought relation-oriented culture was the most ideal, and 61.8% of the participants wanted to participate in a program for organizational culture improvement. In the focus group interview, not only new nurses but also wards and nursing organizations should be a target subject of the program. Reinforcement of resilience and relation (3R) program was developed as a one-year course, which includes a ‘mentor-mentee’ program and a ‘thanks’ program. Conclusion: It would contribute to improving the resilience of new nurses and creating a relation-oriented organizational culture by 3R program.The 3R program could play a role as expanded program from an existing pragmatic short-term training program for improving the competencies or communication skills of new nurses.

Background: Automated hematology analyzers report various research parameters. Certain parameters may have clinical implications, whereas others are used to set flags in automated hematology analyzers. In this study, we established sex-specific reference intervals for one reticulocyte parameter and two platelet clump parameters in Korean adults and examined the necessity of separate reference intervals for each sex. Methods: A total of 264 healthy adults (157 men and 107 women) aged between 18 and 65 years who underwent regular health check-ups were enrolled. Complete blood cell count was measured using Advia2120i (Siemens, Germany) within 4 hours of phlebotomy. Reference intervals were established according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute EP28-A3 guideline, and the necessity of separate sex-specific reference intervals was examined according to the method outlined by Harris and Boyd. Results: The reference intervals for each parameter were as follows:reticulocyte hemoglobin (g/L), 132.8–172.0 (men), 96.7–162.8 (women); the number of platelet clumps (# platelet clumps), 10.8–61.0 (men), －22.5–64.4 (women); and %platelet clumps, 0.20–1.49 (men), －0.57–1.53 (women).Reticulocyte hemoglobin showed a significant difference between men and women, whereas # platelet clumps and %platelet clumps did not; however, all three parameters needed separate sex-specific reference intervals. Conclusions We established sex-specific reference intervals for a reticulocyte parameter and platelet clumps parameters in Korean adults for the first time.The results could provide helpful information in clinical decision-making and instrument setting.

BACKGROUND: Different age groups may have different reference intervals. However, the currently used reference interval for complete blood count (CBC) in clinical laboratories is based on results from healthy adults between 20 and 50 years of age. In this study, we aimed to establish reference intervals for 16 CBC parameters in Korean healthy elderly individuals. METHODS: A total of 3,359 healthy adults were selected from 4,253 adults (aged ≥20 years) who underwent regular health check-ups, based on a medical examination by interview. The reference intervals for CBC in two groups (aged <60 and ≥60 years), and the partitioning of reference intervals between the two age groups were established. RESULTS: Most CBC parameters showed no significant differences in reference intervals between the two age groups. Among the men, platelet distribution width (PDW) was the only parameter that required a separate reference interval between the two age groups. Among the women, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), red cell distribution width (RDW), and eosinophil % required separate reference intervals between the two age groups. CONCLUSIONS: The reference intervals for most CBC parameters were not significantly different between the two age groups. Except for PDW in men and MCV, MCHC, RDW, and eosinophil % in women, reference intervals for CBC parameters in individuals younger than 60 years of age could also be applied to those that are 60 years of age or older.
Adult ; Aged* ; Blood Cell Count* ; Blood Cells* ; Blood Platelets ; Eosinophils ; Erythrocyte Indices ; Female ; Humans ; Male

No abstract available.
Blood Platelets ; Blood Transfusion

Background: Two methods of counting cells in body fluids were compared;manual counting using a Neubauer chamber, and automated cell countingusing an XN-350 hematology analyzer. Methods: Cells from 32 body fluid samples were counted by manualexamination and by an automated analyzer. Total cells (TC), white bloodcells (WBC), red blood cells (RBC), polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN),mononuclear leukocytes (MN), neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, andeosinophils were each counted by both methods. The results were comparedusing the Pearson correlation test, Bland-Altman regression analysis, andPassing-Bablok regression analysis. Results: The two methods showed very strong correlation in TC, WBC,RBC, PMN, and MN counts, strong correlation in % neutrophils, and %lymphocytes, and weak correlation in % monocytes and % eosinophils.Using Bland-Altman regression analysis, the mean biases for TC, WBC, andRBC were -270, -257.4, and -1,256.09, respectively, and 0.15 for PMN andMN. Research parameters were compared as well: mean biases were -1.31,-2.46, -5.16, and -3.58 for % neutrophils, % monocytes, % lymphocytes,and % eosinophils, respectively. Passing-Bablok regression equationswere y=1.039x+20, y=1.037x+19, y=1.259x+0.0, y=0.983x+1.541, andy=0.983x+0.125 for TC, WBC, RBC, PMN, and MN, respectively. The equationswere y=0.955x+2.194 for % neutrophils, y=0.965x+1.184 for % monocytes,y=1.003x+0.161 for % lymphocytes, and y=x+0.75 for % eosinophils. Conclusions WBC differential count results performed by an automatedhematology analyzer generally show good correlation with our referencemethod, Neubauer chamber counting.

Background: In this study, we aim to examine the effects of pre-analytical factors such as specimen type (serum or plasma), collection and storage conditions, and time, on the results of chemiluminescence immunoassay. Methods: Blood samples were collected from 10 individuals and aliquoted into two sets of K3-ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and serumseparating tubes (SST) each, for plasma and serum collection, respectively.For all the samples, one set of tubes was centrifuged within 1 hour and other set was centrifuged after 4 hours, followed by cell separation.Chemiluminescence assay was performed for adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), parathyroid hormone (PTH), osteocalcin, C-telopeptide, and insulin at 0, 6, 24, and 48 hours after centrifugation; all the samples were assayed in duplicate. The samples were stored at 4℃ before the assay. Results: The results obtained showed that the levels detected in plasmas were more consistent and stable as compared to serum. After a 6-hour storage at 4℃, a significant decrease was observed in the levels of ACTH and osteocalcin in plasma and serum; whereas, PTH and C-telopeptide levels were stable in plasma but decreased significantly in serum. Insulin levels in serum showed a decrease after a 6-hour storage while the levels in plasma were found to be stable until 24-hour storage. Serum samples separated after 4 hours showed a significant decrease in all hormone levels, while C-telopeptide and insulin levels were stable in plasma samples separated after 4 hours. Conclusions The results were found to be more stable in plasma samples from K3-EDTA tubes as compared to serum samples from SST in the measurement of unstable biological analytes. These results suggest that K3-EDTA tubes are preferable in the specimen collection for assaying biological analytes.

Since 1993, vivax malaria has been recognized as a public health burden in Korea. Despite of pan-governmental malaria-control efforts and the dramatic reduction in the burden of this disease over the last 10 years, vivax malaria has not been well controlled and has remained continuously endemic. We focused interviewed and examined the charts of 28 confirmed vivax malaria patients given malarial therapy for whom daily records were kept from Gimpo-si, Gyeonggido of Korea. Various epidemiological characteristics of vivax malaria, including the incubation period, medication used, and recurrence, and an evaluation of the parasitic characteristics from the focused interviews of patients from this region are described here. Most of the participants indicated the 3 most common symptoms of malaria (headache, chills and fever). Of the 28 cases, 2 experienced a second attack and there were 17 and 11 cases with short- and long-term incubation periods, respectively, yielding a short-term to long-term ratio of 1.5. Based on the parasitemia stages, most of the participants were tested at 5 to 7 days (11 cases) and 7 to 15 days (11 cases) after initial wave of asexual parasites. In conclusion, public health authorities should consider developing management measures to decrease the time lag for diagnosis and drafting unified and robust guidelines for drug use for malaria and drawing up unified and robust guidelines on the use of medication for malaria. It also suggests that routine monitoring, surveillance, and precise medical surveys in high-risk vivax malaria endemic areas are pivotal to controlling this persistent public disease and finally eliminating it from Korea.

Background: Mpox is a viral illness with a characteristic skin rash caused by the monkeypox virus. In 2022, Mpox spread throughout the world, and an epidemic through domestic transmission started in South Korea in early 2023. This study aimed to summarize the clinical features of Mpox patients in South Korea. Methods: This is a multicenter retrospective study conducted at four hospitals in South Korea. All adult patients diagnosed with Mpox who were admitted to the study hospitals between June 1, 2022 and May 26, 2023 and were discharged by June 30, 2023 were reviewed. Results: Sixty patients were included, accounting for 65.9% of Mpox cases reported in South Korea during the study period. Median age was 32 years and 97% (58/60) of patients were male. In total, 85% (51/60) of patients reported their sexual orientation as homosexual or bisexual. The most common route of transmission was sexual or close contact (55/60). Every patient had a skin rash and 88% (53/60) had constitutional symptoms. In total, 42% (25/60) of patients had human immunodeficiency virus and 25% (15/60) had concomitant sexually transmitted infections. Severe manifestations of Mpox were identified in only two patients. Conclusion Mpox patients in South Korea were mainly young adult males and were infected through sexual contact. The clinical outcomes were favorable.