Heart failure (HF) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in South Korea, imposing substantial physical, emotional, and financial burdens on patients and society. Despite the high burden of symptom and complex care needs of HF patients, palliative care and hospice services remain underutilized in South Korea due to cultural, institutional, and knowledge-related barriers. This position statement from the Korean Society of Heart Failure emphasizes the need for integrating palliative and hospice care into HF management to improve quality of life and support holistic care for patients and their families. By clarifying the role of palliative care in HF and proposing practical referral criteria, this position statement aims to bridge the gap between HF and palliative care services in South Korea, ultimately improving patient-centered outcomes and aligning treatment with the goals and values of HF patients.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the risk indicators contributing to implant failure, and analyze the relationship between riskindicators and marginal bone loss (MBL) through long-term follow-up over 3 years. Materials and Methods: From 2003 to 2017, patients’ medical charts with a history of dental implant surgery at Chonnam National University Dental Hospital were reviewed retro-spectively. The patient’s demographic variables, and clinical variables were recorded. Periapical radiographs were used to evaluated the changes in MBL around implants. And we analyzed implant survival rates. Multiple regression analysis with backward elimina-tion was conducted to correlate the patient’s clinical variables and implant failure and Pearson correlation analysis was performed to the correlated between implant long-term survival rates and MBL and initial stability. Results: In multiple regression analysis, there was a statistically significant negative correlation between abutment connection type ( β = -.189, P < .05), with or without SPT ( β = -.163, P < .05), diabetes ( β = -.164, P < .05), osteoporosis ( β = -.211, P < .05) and MBL. Anticoagulant medication influenced the long-term success rate of implants. PTV values at the second implant surgery showed a statistically significant negative correlation with long-term implant survival (P < .05). Conclusion For the long-term success of the implant, the appropriate abutment connection type must be selected and the periodic SPT is recommended. Systemic diseases such as diabetes and osteoporosis and antico-agulant medication should be considered. Furthermore, since high PTV at the second implant surgery correlated with the long-term survival rates of the implant, initial stability should be carefully considered before undergoing the prosthetic procedure.

BACKGROUND: Few studies of high dose dexamethasone (HD-DXM) therapy in children with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) have been reported. The purpose of this study is to investigate efficacy and safety of repeated HD-DXM therapy as second-line treatment of ITP in childhood. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients < 18 years of age with primary ITP who received more than 2 cycles of HD-DXM therapy from May 2004 to January 2018. HD-DXM was given orally in 4-day pulses every 28 days as a 20–40 mg/1.73 m² daily dose. RESULTS: A total of 26 patients (male, 19; female, 7) were enrolled and their median age was 6 years (range, 1–15). All patients had received previous treatment for ITP. A median 6 cycles (range, 2–19) of HD-DXM was given. On the beginning of HD-DXM therapy, three patients satisfied the criteria for newly diagnosed ITP, 16 for persistent ITP and 7 for chronic ITP. Relapse-free survival (RFS) of responders (n=9) after the last HD-DXM cycle was estimated to be 38.1±17.2%, lasting for a median 9.1 months (range, 5.6–46.2). According to response after the 2nd cycle, RFS of responders (n=13) was significantly higher than non-responders (23.1±11.7% vs. 7.7%±7.4%, P=0.001). The most common adverse event was irritability (30.8%), followed by fatigue (19.2%). CONCLUSION: HD-DXM therapy in children was relatively tolerated and response after therapy was acceptable. More courses of HD-DXM may be feasible in responders after two cycles of HD-DXM.
Child* ; Dexamethasone* ; Fatigue ; Female ; Humans ; Medical Records ; Purpura, Thrombocytopenic, Idiopathic* ; Retrospective Studies

In order to discover lifespan-extending compounds made from natural resources, activity-guided fractionation of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae) ethanol extract was performed using the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) model system. The compound 6-gingerol was isolated from the most active ethyl acetate soluble fraction, and showed potent longevity-promoting activity. It also elevated the survival rate of worms against stressful environment including thermal, osmotic, and oxidative conditions. Additionally, 6-gingerol elevated the antioxidant enzyme activities of C. elegans, and showed a dose-depend reduction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation in worms. Further studies demonstrated that the increased stress tolerance of 6-gingerol-mediated worms could result from the promotion of stress resistance proteins such as heat shock protein (HSP-16.2) and superoxide dismutase (SOD-3). The lipofuscin levels in 6-gingerol treated intestinal worms were decreased in comparison to the control group. No significant 6-gingerol-related changes, including growth, food intake, reproduction, and movement were noted. These results suggest that 6-gingerol exerted longevity-promoting activities independently of these factors and could extend the human lifespan.
Caenorhabditis elegans* ; Caenorhabditis* ; Eating ; Ethanol ; Ginger* ; Heat-Shock Proteins ; Humans ; Lipofuscin ; Longevity* ; Natural Resources ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Reproduction ; Superoxide Dismutase ; Survival Rate

We present a case of a 65-year-old man with psoriasis who developed autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) without receiving immunosuppressive therapy with either anti-tumor necrosis factor-α or methotrexate. The AIH had completely resolved at 2 months after prednisolone and azathioprine therapy. This case confirms the need to consider AIH in psoriasis patients who experience new elevations in liver enzymes. To our knowledge, this is first description of the development of AIH in an immunosuppressant-naïve patient with psoriasis.
Aged ; Azathioprine ; Hepatitis, Autoimmune* ; Humans ; Liver ; Methotrexate ; Necrosis ; Prednisolone ; Psoriasis*

PURPOSE: This study aims to develop a Korean version of a tool to measure uncivil behavior in clinical training to examine the experiences of nursing students. METHODS: The “Uncivil Behavior in Clinical Nursing Education Scale” was developed by Anthony and Yastik in 2011. This study procedure was based on DeVellis' instrument development guidelines. Data were collected from 220 senior-year nursing students from four different universities in four different locations. Two hundreds surveys were analyzed using SPSS software and AMOS. RESULTS: Out of 20 questions, 13 were selected after reviewing the content validity, face validity, construct validity, and reliability. The factors of the Korean version scale were specified as “exclusion”, “contempt”, and “refusal.” The general characteristics of the subjects that showed significant differences in the occurrence of incivility were gender, age, transfer student status, level of satisfaction with clinical training, and level of satisfaction with the clinical training environment. CONCLUSION: The “Korean-Uncivil Behavior in Clinical Nursing Education Scale” was partially modified to account for differences in language and culture, but its validity and reliability were verified. We suggest that nurse educators and supervisors will be able to better understand the relationship between nurses and nursing students in clinical training.
Education, Nursing* ; Humans ; Nursing* ; Reproducibility of Results* ; Students, Nursing

This study was performed to measure early changes in the serotype distribution of pneumococci isolated from children with invasive disease during the 3-year period following the introduction of 10- and 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) in Korea. From January 2011 to December 2013 at 25 hospitals located throughout Korea, pneumococci were isolated among children who had invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD). Serotypes were determined using the Quellung reaction, and the change in serotype distribution was analyzed. Seventy-five cases of IPD were included. Eighty percent of patients were aged 3-59 months, and 32% had a comorbidity that increased the risk of pneumococcal infection. The most common serotypes were 19A (32.0%), 10A (8.0%), and 15C (6.7%). The PCV7 serotypes (4, 6B, 9V, 14, 18C, 19F, 23F, and 6A) accounted for 14.7% of the total isolates and the PCV13 minus PCV7 types (1, 3, 5, 7F and 19A) accounted for 32.0% of the total isolates. Serotype 19A was the only serotype in the PCV13 minus PCV7 group. The proportion of serotype 19A showed decreasing tendency from 37.5% in 2011 to 22.2% in 2013 (P = 0.309), while the proportion of non-PCV13 types showed increasing tendency from 45.8% in 2011 to 72.2% in 2013 (P = 0.108). Shortly after the introduction of extended-valent PCVs in Korea, serotype 19A continued to be the most common serotype causing IPD in children. Subsequently, the proportion of 19A decreased, and non-vaccine serotypes emerged as an important cause of IPD. The impact of extended-valent vaccines must be continuously monitored.
Adolescent ; Bacteremia/complications/diagnosis ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Hospitals ; Humans ; Infant ; Male ; Pneumococcal Infections/microbiology/*prevention & control ; Pneumococcal Vaccines/*immunology ; Republic of Korea ; Serotyping ; Streptococcus pneumoniae/*classification/isolation & purification ; Vaccines, Conjugate/*immunology

This study was carried out to examine the proportion of fatty acids and contents of trans fatty acid in commercial processed foods in Jeon-Buk area. Contents of trans fatty acid in bakery products ranged from 0.2% to 1.0% per 100 g food. Especially garlic bread and pastry contained the highest amount. Popcorns contained trans fatty acid from 0.0% to 13.4%. Among them, instant popcorns for microwave contained the highest amount, while trans fatty acid was hardly detected in popcorns for theater. And trans fatty acid detected in popcorns was mostly in the form of 18 : 1 trans. The content of trans fatty acid in pizza was nearly 0.2%. Amounts of saturated fatty acid and unsaturated fatty acid were similar between each type of pizza and frozen pizza. Fritters such as fried chickens and vegetables contained trans fatty acid less than 0.2% per 100 g food.
Bread ; Chickens ; Fatty Acids ; Garlic ; Microwaves ; Vegetables

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to survey the nation wide susceptibilities of Esherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae against cefotaxime and to determine the prevalence of CTX-M-type extended-spectrum beta- lactamases(ESBLs). METHODS: During the period of April to June, 2002, E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates were collected from 13 hospitals. Antimicrobial susceptibilities to cefotaxime were tested by the disk diffusion method. ESBL production was determined by double disk synergy test. Cefotaxime-resistance of the ESBL-producers was transferred to azide-resistant E. coli J53 by conjugation. MICs of beta- lactam antibiotics were determined by agar dilution method. Searches for blaCTX-M genes were performed by PCR amplication. pIs of beta-lactamases were determined by isoelectric focusing. RESULTS: Ten percents of E. coli and 35 percents of K. pneumoniae isolates among 260 strains of each were intermediate or resistant to cefotaxime. Twenty-three isolates of E. coli and 78 K. pneumoniae isolates showed positive results in the double disk synergy test. One isolate of E. coli and 2 K. pneumoniae isolates harbored blaCTX-M-3 gene, 2 E. coli isolates harbored blaCTX-M-15 gene, and 2 E. coli and 2 K. pneumoniae isolates harbored blaCTX-M-14 gene. CONCLUSION: E. coli and K. pneumoniae isolates producing CTX-M-type ESBLs are not uncommon in Korean hospitals. The spread of CTX-M-type ESBL genes could compromise the future usefulness of 3rd generation cephalosporins and aztreonam for the treatment of E. coli and K. pneumoniae infections.
Agar ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Aztreonam ; beta-Lactamases ; Cefotaxime ; Cephalosporins ; Diffusion ; Isoelectric Focusing ; Klebsiella pneumoniae* ; Klebsiella* ; Korea* ; Pneumonia ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Prevalence*

No abstract available.
Humans* ; Interleukin-12* ; Mycobacterium tuberculosis* ; Mycobacterium* ; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary* ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha*