OBJECTIVES: This study examined variations in the perceptions of dioxin risk among social groups defined by geographical living location, environmental education, and occupation. Dioxin risk perceptions were analyzed according to values, risk awareness, knowledge, and behavioral preferences. METHODS: A quasi-experimental survey was designed and conducted on individuals from seven experimental groups in Jeonju city, South Korea, including: people living near incineration facilities; people living far from incineration facilities; governmental experts; nongovernmental organization members; office workers in developmental institutes or banks; students who were enrolled in environmental-related classes; and students who were enrolled in business-related classes. RESULTS: The results show variations among groups in values, awareness and behavioral preferences. Particular attention should be given to the result that groups with higher connectedness- to-nature values show higher willingness-to-act (WTA) for risk reduction. Result s can be summarized as follows. First, awareness is associated with one's geographical setting. Second, values and WTA behaviors are related to one's environmental-related education and occupation. Third, values are significantly related to WTA behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Different cultures, in terms of values or worldview, among groups influence their perceptions of dioxin risk and choices of risk reduction behaviors. It is important to consider values in communicating complicated long-term risk management involving public participation. Further research should be continuously conducted on the effects of multiple dimensions of values on one's WTA for risk reduction behaviors.
Academies and Institutes ; Consumer Participation ; Education ; Humans ; Incineration ; Jeollabuk-do ; Korea ; Occupations ; Risk Management ; Risk Reduction Behavior

A 6-month-old mature intact female Siamese cat presented with exertional dyspnea. Diagnostic studies revealed pleural effusion, grade 4/6 left basal systolic murmur, deep S-wave in electrocardiograph leads I, II, and III, cardiomegaly with pleural effusion on radiography, pulmonic systolic (~5.8 m/sec) and tricuspid (3.6 m/sec) regurgitant jets, atrial septal defect, and a hypoplastic right outflow tract. Based on these results, the case was diagnosed as pulmonic stenosis with atrial septal defect. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case report describing pulmonic stenosis with atrial septal defect in a cat in Korea.
Animals ; Cardiomegaly ; Cats* ; Dyspnea ; Electrocardiography ; Female ; Heart Defects, Congenital ; Heart Septal Defects, Atrial* ; Humans ; Infant ; Korea ; Pleural Effusion ; Pulmonary Valve Stenosis* ; Radiography ; Systolic Murmurs

The purpose of this study is to evaluate validity, reliability and reproducibility of tooth width (TW), arch length (AL) and arch length discrepancy (ALD) measured on a digital model taken via 3-dimensional model scanner and intraoral scanner compared to a plaster model.
A total of 30 patients aged 12 to 18 were eligible for the study. 3 types of models were acquired from each patient: a conventional plaster model (P), a model scanned digital model (MSD) taken via Freedom UHD® and an intraoral scanned digital model (ISD) taken via CS3600® in-vivo. The reliability of TW and AL in each group was evaluated using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, while the reproducibility was evaluated with intraclass correlation coefficient. The validity of space analysis was assessed by paired t-test.
As a result, all measurements of P, MSD and ISD groups showed favorable reliability and reproducibility. Most of measurements for space analysis in MSD group and TW in ISD group also presented high validity. AL and ALD presented statistically significant difference between P and ISD group. The validity of measurements of space analysis in ISD group was short in doubt to valid, but clinically acceptable. Both MSD and ISD are clinically acceptable to use for space analysis but clinician should be aware that errors can be found using a digital model.

This paper reviews the global effect of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the mental health of children and adolescents in South Korea, the U.S., Japan, and China. We reviewed research on deteriorated mental health, including increased suicide, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm. Various studies have shown that students’ mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, have worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the number of students who committed suicide has significantly increased in the U.S. and Japan. Factors such as prior mental health status, change in daily routine, reduced physical activity, excessive screen time, overuse of electronic devices, and reduced social support have been reported to have a significant effect. The chain of deteriorating mental health among the youth began at the onset of COVID-19, social distancing, and school closure. As youths began to stay at home instead of going to school, they lost opportunities to connect with their friends or teachers, who could provide support outside of their homes. Young people spent less time on physical activity and more time online, which damaged their sleeping schedule and daily routine. In preparing for the post-pandemic phase, we should thoroughly analyze the long-term effects of the pandemic on youth mental health, while simultaneously tackling current imminent issues.

Background: and Purpose This study aimed to describe the clinical, electrophysiological, and ultrasonographic findings of patients with nerve injury after vessel puncture. Methods: Data on ten patients (three males and seven females) with nerve injury after vessel puncture were reviewed. Demographic and clinical data were analyzed retrospectively. Bilateral electrophysiological studies were performed based on clinical findings. Ultrasonographic examinations were performed on both the affected and unaffected sides of the injured nerve. Results: The nerves of nine patients were injured following vein puncture, and injury occurred following arterial sampling in one patient. Seven patients had superficial radial sensory nerve injury: five medial, one lateral, and one at both branches. One patient had injury to the dorsal ulnar cutaneous nerve, one to the lateral antebrachial cutaneous nerve, and one to the median nerve. Nerve conduction studies produced abnormal findings in 80% of patients, whereas ultrasonographic examinations produced abnormal findings in all of the patients. Spearman’s coefficient for the correlation between the amplitude ratio and nerve cross-sectional area ratio was not significant, at -0.127 (95% confidence interval=-0.701 to 0.546, p=0.721). Conclusions Ultrasonography supported by electrodiagnosis was found to be a useful method for identifying the lesion location and structural abnormalities of vessel-puncture-related neuropathy.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the natural growth of subepithelial tumors of the small bowel detected on CT. Materials and Methods: Consecutive patients who were suspected of having subepithelial tumors of the small bowel between January 2005 and December 2020 were reviewed. Eligible patients with suspected small (< 30 mm) subepithelial tumors on at least two CT evaluations were included in the analysis. The patients’ data on demographic characteristics, tumoral characteristics, and tumoral size changes during the follow-up were collected. Results: This study included 64 patients with suspected small subepithelial tumors (n = 64) of the small bowel. After a median follow-up of 15.8 months, the diameter and volume growth rates were 0.02 mm/month and 1.5 mm3/month, respectively. A significant correlation was observed between the initial size and the growth rate of the small bowel subepithelial tumors. The group of large-sized tumors (initial diameter ≥ 10 mm) tended to show lobulated contours, heterogeneous enhancement, and necrotic changes more frequently than the group of small-sized tumors (initial diameter < 10 mm). Conclusion Small bowel subepithelial tumors measuring less than 10 mm grew more slowly than those measuring 10–30 mm.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine health disparities between prisoners and the general population in Korea. METHODS: We sought to estimate the prevalence of 17 physical and mental diseases using the nationwide medication prescription dataset among the total population of prisoners (n=57,541) in Korea. Age- and sex- standardized prevalence ratios (SPRs) were estimated to compare the disease prevalence between the prisoners and the general population. The disease prevalence for the general population was calculated from the prescription dataset for a representative of the Korean population (n=926,246) from the 2013 Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort. Furthermore, the prevalence of these diseases was compared between prisoners and a low-income segment of the general population (n=159,781). RESULTS: Compared to the general population, prisoners had higher prevalence of almost all physical and mental diseases, including hyperlipidemia (SPR, 20.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 19.43 to 20.94), pulmonary tuberculosis (SPR, 9.58; 95% CI, 7.91 to 11.50), diabetes (SPR, 6.13; 95% CI, 5.96 to 6.31), cancer (SPR, 2.36; 95% CI, 2.07 to 2.68), and depression (SPR, 46.73; 95% CI, 44.14 to 49.43). When compared with the low-income population segment, higher prevalence were still found among prisoners for most diseases, including pulmonary tuberculosis (SPR, 6.39; 95% CI, 5.27 to 7.67) and depression (SPR, 34.71; 95% CI, 32.79 to 36.72). CONCLUSIONS We found that prisoners were more likely to be unhealthy than the general population, even in comparison with a low-income segment of the general population in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine health disparities between prisoners and the general population in Korea. METHODS: We sought to estimate the prevalence of 17 physical and mental diseases using the nationwide medication prescription dataset among the total population of prisoners (n=57,541) in Korea. Age- and sex- standardized prevalence ratios (SPRs) were estimated to compare the disease prevalence between the prisoners and the general population. The disease prevalence for the general population was calculated from the prescription dataset for a representative of the Korean population (n=926,246) from the 2013 Korean National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort. Furthermore, the prevalence of these diseases was compared between prisoners and a low-income segment of the general population (n=159,781). RESULTS: Compared to the general population, prisoners had higher prevalence of almost all physical and mental diseases, including hyperlipidemia (SPR, 20.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 19.43 to 20.94), pulmonary tuberculosis (SPR, 9.58; 95% CI, 7.91 to 11.50), diabetes (SPR, 6.13; 95% CI, 5.96 to 6.31), cancer (SPR, 2.36; 95% CI, 2.07 to 2.68), and depression (SPR, 46.73; 95% CI, 44.14 to 49.43). When compared with the low-income population segment, higher prevalence were still found among prisoners for most diseases, including pulmonary tuberculosis (SPR, 6.39; 95% CI, 5.27 to 7.67) and depression (SPR, 34.71; 95% CI, 32.79 to 36.72). CONCLUSIONS We found that prisoners were more likely to be unhealthy than the general population, even in comparison with a low-income segment of the general population in Korea.

Staphylococcus aureus is an important cause of human infections, and it is also a commensal that colonizes the nose, axillae, vagina, throat, or skin surfaces. S. aureus has increasingly been recognized as a cause of severe invasive illness, and individuals colonized with this pathogen are subsequently at increased risk of its infections. S. aureus infection is a major cause of skin, soft tissue, respiratory, bone, joint, and endovascular disorders, and staphylococcal bacteremia may cause abscess, endocarditis, pneumonia, metastatic infection, foreign body infection, or sepsis. The authors describe a case of a fisherman who died of sepsis on a fishing boat during sailing out for fish. The autopsy shows paravertebral abscess, pus in the pericardial sac, infective endocarditis with vegetation on the aortic valve cusp, myocarditis, pneumonia and nephritis with bacterial colonization, and also liver cirrhosis and multiple gastric ulcerations.
Abscess ; Aortic Valve ; Autopsy ; Axilla ; Bacteremia ; Colon ; Endocarditis ; Foreign Bodies ; Humans ; Joints ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Myocarditis ; Nephritis ; Nose ; Pharynx ; Pneumonia ; Sepsis ; Ships ; Skin ; Staphylococcus aureus ; Staphylococcus ; Stomach Ulcer ; Suppuration ; Vagina

Staphylococcus aureus is an important cause of human infections, and it is also a commensal that colonizes the nose, axillae, vagina, throat, or skin surfaces. S. aureus has increasingly been recognized as a cause of severe invasive illness, and individuals colonized with this pathogen are subsequently at increased risk of its infections. S. aureus infection is a major cause of skin, soft tissue, respiratory, bone, joint, and endovascular disorders, and staphylococcal bacteremia may cause abscess, endocarditis, pneumonia, metastatic infection, foreign body infection, or sepsis. The authors describe a case of a fisherman who died of sepsis on a fishing boat during sailing out for fish. The autopsy shows paravertebral abscess, pus in the pericardial sac, infective endocarditis with vegetation on the aortic valve cusp, myocarditis, pneumonia and nephritis with bacterial colonization, and also liver cirrhosis and multiple gastric ulcerations.