PURPOSE: This study was to identify the relationship between personality type, college admission SAT scores and GPA scores of student nurses. METHOD: The data was collected from 270 student nurses enrolled in a baccaleaureate program in Seoul. MBTI was used to identify students' personality and SAT score and GPA score were collected over 4 years. The collected data was analyzed by using SPSS Win. package. RESULT: 1. There were slightly more extrovert (E) type (54.4%) students than the introvert (I) type; more sensing (S) type (71.1%) than the intuitive (N) type. 2. The introvert type students had significantly higher SAT scores than those of the extrovert type (p=.002). 3. The judging type students had significantly higher GPA scores throughout their college years than the perceiving type. 4. There was no statistically significant relationship between SAT and GPA scores. SAT scores did not accurately predict students' academic achievement in college in this sample. CONCLUSION: The distribution of the personality types in the sample was different from the general population which may suggest that college admission criteria is biased toward certain personality type. Since different personality types process information and cope with the outside world differently, effective teaching strategies need to be considered for each class.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Humans ; Seoul

No abstract available.
Adult* ; Humans ; Molecular Epidemiology* ; Oxalobacter formigenes* ; Seoul*

BACKGROUND: Glucometer is a most widely-used point-of-care testing (POCT) analyzer and plays an important role in diabetes management. We evaluated the performance of the recently developed glucometer, COSMOsensor (Cosmogenome Inc., Seoul, Korea), comparing it with three foreign-made glucometers. METHODS: COSMOsensor was evaluated for linearity, precision, comparison of method and analysing time as well as the effect of operator. Other glucometers, Accu-Chek inform (Roche Diagnostics LTD., Mannheim, Germany), Precision(TM)PCx (Abbott Laboratories, Bedford, MA, USA), and Sure- Step.Flexx (LifeScan Inc., Milpitas, CA, USA) were evaluated for the same categories according to NCCLS guidelines. RESULTS: All four glucometers showed a good linearity (r> or =0.9814) and the within-run and total-run coefficients of variation (CVs) were within 3.5%. A high correlation (r> or =0.9659) was also found between the glucometers and Hitachi 7600 (Hitachi Co., Tokyo, Japan) in the central laboratory. Although differences with the reference method were within an allowable range, all glucometers showed variable bias compared with the reference method. CONCLUSIONS: The COSMOsensor showed a good analytical performance in linearity, precision, and correlation with the reference method, when compared with other foreign-made glucometers. Its rapid turnaround time and easy operation are appropriate for diabetes management and a rapid POCT analyzer. All glucometers showed variable biases, which might be due to different calibration status.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Blood Glucose ; Calibration ; Glucose* ; Seoul

PURPOSE: This study aimed to analyze the epidemic period of RSV infection and evaluate the appropriate time of palivizumab immunoprophylaxis. METHODS: From January 1991 to July 2012, nasopharyngeal (NP) aspirates were obtained from patients who visited Seoul National University Children's Hospital for respiratory symptoms. NP samples were used to detect respiratory viruses. Among them, we analyzed the positive number and detection rate of RSV infection in two-week interval. The beginning of RSV season was defined when RSV positive number was more than 4 and RSV detection rate was over 10%. From January 2007 to March 2014, we analyzed the starting time of palivizumab immunoprophylaxis for the infants at high risk. RESULTS: The RSV detection rate was 2,013/21,698 (9.69%) over 22 years. The median RSV season was from 2nd-3rd week of October to 1st- 2nd week of February. The earliest starting week was the 3rd week of July in year 2001, and the latest end week was the 3rd week of May in year 1990. Palivizumab immunoprophylaxis was initiated most frequently at the 3rd week of October (18.7%). However, the percentage of starting palivizumab on the 1st week of September has increased from 3.8% in the year 2007 to 14.1% in 2013. CONCLUSIONS: The year to year variability of RSV season exists. The starting time of palivizumab immunoprophylaxis should be adjusted based on the season of RSV epidemic.
Epidemiology ; Humans ; Infant ; Respiratory Syncytial Viruses* ; Seasons ; Seoul ; Palivizumab

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of nurses' pain experience on the inference of their patients' suffering. METHOD: Study subjects were sampled from 184 nurses who worked in general wards in one S university hospital located at Seoul. Nurses' pain experience consists of personal pain experience and professional pain experience. The Standard Measure of Inference of Suffering (Davitz and Davitz, 1981) was used for suffering inference measure, and patients' suffering which consists of physical pain and psychological distress. RESULT: Suffering inference scores of nurses without personal pain experience revealed a higher value than that of nurses with personal pain experience. But these differences were not statistically significant. The higher intense pain was experienced, the higher were suffering inference scores. This physical pain inference score was statistically significant(p=.044). Of the nurses who had personal pain experience, suffering inference scores of nurses with unrelieved pain experience revealed a higher value than that of nurses with relieved pain experience. Physical pain and psychological distress inference scores were statistically significant(p=.010, p=.006). Suffering inference scores of nurses without professional pain experience(internal medicine, general surgery, orthopedic surgery) revealed a higher value than that of nurses with professional pain experience. Professional pain experience of internal medical illness was statistically significant in psychological distress of internal medical illness (p=.044), and professional pain experience of orthopedic surgical illness was statistically significant in physical pain of orthopedic surgical illness(p=.027). CONCLUSION: Nurses who have experienced low pain intensity or good pain relief are inclined n to underestimate patient' pain. Although nurses who care for the same patient over a long time deal skillfully with that patient, nurses are inclined to underestimate that patients' pain. Nurses need to be aware of possible biases related to pain assessment as a result of pain experience.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Humans ; Orthopedics ; Pain Measurement ; Patients' Rooms ; Seoul

BACKGROUND: To interpret the serotyping data from group A streptococcal infections and their complications, serotyping data from healthy children are essential. In this study, we determined the serotypes of the strains isolated from the elementary school children located in Seoul and Chinju. METHOD: Eighty-two strains of group A streptococci isolated from Seoul and 76 strains from Chinju were serotyped with T typing, serum opacity reaction (SOR), opacity factor (OF) and M typing. T typing was undertaken by slide agglutination after trypsinization of bacteria, SOR and OF typing by microwell technique and M typing by Ouchterlony double immunodiffusion after Lancefield's extraction method. RESULTS: In Seoul T 12 (52.4%), T 3 (9.8%), T 5 (8.5%) and T 27 (8.5%) were frequently encountered. In Chinju T 12 (44.7%), T 28 (13.2%) and T 6 (7.9%) were commonly identified. While M 12 (48.8%) and M 5 (14.6%) were most common in Seoul, M 12 (26.3%), M 22 (14.5%) and M 28 (10.5%) were widely distributed in Chinju. SOR positivity was 15.9% in Seoul and 54.0% in Chinju respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The distributions of serotypes of group A streptococci between the two areas were more or less different. Serotyping of strains from healthy children may be considered as the basic data to understand the epidemiology of bona fide group A streptococcal infections and disease association of virulent strains.
Agglutination ; Bacteria ; Child ; Epidemiology ; Gyeongsangnam-do* ; Humans ; Immunodiffusion ; Seoul* ; Serotyping ; Streptococcal Infections ; Trypsin

PURPOSE: Group A streptococci have a cell wall which consists of M protein and T protein. T protein is known to be helpful in the understanding of the epidemiology of group A streptococci. To study the epidemiologic characteristics, we serotyped T protein of group A streptococci obtained from patients admitted to hospitals, or who visited OPD in five districts of Seoul the during last three years. METHODS: Group A streptococci were obtained in five districts in north, northeast, central, northwest and south Seoul from 1998 through 2000. All isolated group A streptococci were serotyped with T protein antisera(Institute of Sera and Vaccine, Prague, Czech Republic). RESULTS: In 1998, analysis of obtained total number of 92 strains revealed that T12, T4, and NT acounted for 72.2%. Among seven cases of scarlet fever, T12 was isolated in four cases and T4 was found in three cases. Two cases of tonsilar abscess produced T8 and NT. One case of cervical lymphadenitis showed T12. In 1999, 41 cases were studied showing that T12, T4, and T1 contributed 68%. Among five cases of scarlet fever, T12 and T4 make up three case. There were two cases of pneumonia(T4 and T1) and one case of cervical lymphadenitis(T8/25). In 2000, the study was performed in four districts except the central area. Among 83 isolates, T12, T4 and T1 accounted for 63.9%. There were three cases of scarlet fever(T12, T4, T5), one case of tonsillar abscess(T12), one case of pneumonia(NT) and one case of sepsis(T1). CONCLUSION: Serological analysis of T protein of group A streptococci shows no endemic specificity. The yearly pattern reveals that T12 had been decreasing but T1 had shown the opposite trend.
Abscess ; Cell Wall ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Lymphadenitis ; Scarlet Fever ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Seoul

BACKGROUND: In comparison to the decreasing smoking rate of adults, the smoking rate in adolescents and women is still increasing worldwide including Korea. Previous studies on the smoking rate of adolescents were done by questionnaires allowing bias in their response because of smoking ban among adolescents in Korea. In order to know the actual smoking rate of Korean adolescents, we performed an objective study using urine nicotine detection. METHODS: From April to July 2002, 306 boy's high school students and 325 girl's high school students in Seoul were included for this study. We obtained self-reported questionnaire from them and assessed urine nicotine level by NicCheck I Test Strip to check their actual smoking status. RESULTS: The current smoking rate of male students by self-reported questionnaire was 14.9%, 20.4%, 22.5%, respectively and that by detection of urine nicotine was 26.6%, 38.0%, 29.6%, respectively, in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade. The current smoking rate of female students by self-reported questionnaire was 22.6%, 23.9%, respectively and that by detection of urine nicotine was 46.6%, 35.4%, respectively in the 2nd and 3rd grade. The Kappa index of the questionnaire results was 0.27, 0.46, 0.75, respectively in the 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade male students and 0.33, 0.44, respectively in the 2nd and 3rd grade female students respectively. CONCLUSION: The smoking rate of students by detection of urine nicotine was higher than that of the self-reported questionnaire results. The validity of the questionnaire results was more accurate in males than females, and higher grade than lower grade. The self-reported questionnaire was an insufficient tool for evaluation of adolescents' smoking status, especially in female students and lower grade students.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Nicotine* ; Seoul ; Smoke* ; Smoking* ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: To evaluate serological typing of T(epidemiologic marker) and M protein(major virulence antigen) is important to understand pathogenesis and epidemiology of streptococcal infection. The purpose of this study is to find out whether there were major difference in distribution of serotypes isolated from healthy school children and patients with pharyngotonsillitis, and to characterize the geographical differences in distribution of the serotypes. METHOD: Twenty-three strains of group A streptococci were isolated from healthy school children in two different areas(Dongdaemun-Ku and Kangsuh-Ku) in Seoul in April and July 1996. 23 strains came from patients living in Dongjak-Ku with pharyngotonsillitis in April 1996. All isolated were serotyped by T agglutination, M precipitation and opacity factor at the WHO Collaborative Center for Reference and Research on Streptococci, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. RESULTS: 89.1% of the strains were typable by T agglutination, 56.5% by M precipitation, and 52.2% were positive in opacity factor. T types 1, 25, 4, and 12 accounted for 65.2% of patients with pharyngotonsillitis, T types 12, and 25 accounted for 71.5% of healthy children in Dongdaemun-Ku, and T types 28, 6, and 3 accounted for 62.6% of healthy children in Kangsuh-Ku. T types 1, 25, 28, 12, 4 and M types 1, 75, 28, 4, 12 were typed in decreasing order. CONCLUSION: We characterized the differences in serotypes of group A streptocpcci between healthy children and patients. The periodic and seasonal serotyping analysis is important in monitoring and understanding of the epidemiologic patterns of group A streptococci.
Agglutination ; Child* ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Minnesota ; Seasons ; Seoul ; Serotyping* ; Streptococcal Infections ; Virulence

PURPOSE: We investigated libido and sexual life satisfaction of middle-aged couples in Seoul. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 2,034 couples ranging from 40 to 79 years old living in the Seoul metropolitan area were selected by stepwise random sampling. The questionnaires asking about erectile function, sexual performance, sexual life satisfaction, and libido were administered by trained interviewers. RESULTS: Interviews were completed for 1,356 couples(66.7%). The prevalence of severe and moderate loss of libido in the men was 29%. Decrease of libido correlated with increasing age. Higher scores on the erection scale of the O'Leary sexual function questionnaire were closely correlated with greater libido. In sexual function self-assessment, most male subjects did not complain of libido(53.8%), erection(61.7%), or ejaculation(63.8%) difficulties. Most couples(50.3% of the male and 53% of the female subjects) expressed satisfied with their sexual lives. Higher scores on the erection scale correlated with an increase in sexual satisfaction of both men and women. Fewer than half of the female subjects(40.4%) answered that they had 'no' or 'low' sexual interest. Younger age and more education were correlated with greater sexual interest. CONCLUSIONS: With increasing age, middle-aged couples living in Seoul showed a decrease in libido, sexual function, and sexual interest. However, satisfaction with their sexual life was high in general.
Aged ; Education ; Epidemiology ; Family Characteristics* ; Female ; Humans ; Libido ; Male ; Prevalence ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Self-Assessment ; Seoul*