Purpose: The purpose of this study was to elucidate the relationship between readiness to quit smoking and smoking cessation, and identify factors associated with smoking cessation in smokers with ischemic heart disease post-coronary angiography (CAG). Methods: This descriptive study was conducted between December 1, 2020 and May 14, 2021 at a P hospital, Busan. A total of 164 subjects completed the questionnaire including general characteristics, coronary artery disease characteristics, readiness to quit smoking, and smoking cession behavior during hospitalization and 4 weeks after discharge. Results: The success rate of smoking cessation after coronary angiography in patients with ischemic heart disease was 49.4% (n = 81). In addition, 48.2% of smokers (n = 83) attempted smoking cessation after CAG, while 39.8% showed changes in smoking behavior. The readiness to quit smoking was significantly associated with smoking cessation (OR = 2.23, p < .005). Conclusion Readiness to quit smoking was identified as an important factor associated with smoking cessation in patients with cardiovascular disease in this study. In order to increase the smoking cessation rate, it is necessary to strengthen the readiness to quit smoking, followed by a tailored program for smoking cessation in patients with ischemic heart disease.

OBJECTIVES: Secondhand smoke is an issue that cannot be ignored due to its various negative effects. Especially, secondhand smoke inside the household is an area where health policy must pay attention as it can affect all age groups. This study aims to identify the factors associated with smoking inside the household focusing on socioeconomic status in Korea. METHODS: We used data from the Community Health Survey of 2017 and a total of 33,462 participated in the study. Data were analyzed through IBM SPSS version 25.0 to conduct binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Results indicated that indoor smoking had a significant association with socioeconomic status. This association was more marked in those participants who had low household income or those with elementary school education level or less. Furthermore, the study indicates that when the smoker is a woman, older, has higher stress, and is a heavier smoker, the probability of her smoking inside the house is higher. CONCLUSIONS Based on the results, it is meaningful that this study has found the factors of smoking inside household. The result identify the factors associated with indoor smoking at home, and it can be used as baseline data for developing new smoking cessation policies.

OBJECTIVES: Secondhand smoke is an issue that cannot be ignored due to its various negative effects. Especially, secondhand smoke inside the household is an area where health policy must pay attention as it can affect all age groups. This study aims to identify the factors associated with smoking inside the household focusing on socioeconomic status in Korea. METHODS: We used data from the Community Health Survey of 2017 and a total of 33,462 participated in the study. Data were analyzed through IBM SPSS version 25.0 to conduct binary logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Results indicated that indoor smoking had a significant association with socioeconomic status. This association was more marked in those participants who had low household income or those with elementary school education level or less. Furthermore, the study indicates that when the smoker is a woman, older, has higher stress, and is a heavier smoker, the probability of her smoking inside the house is higher. CONCLUSIONS Based on the results, it is meaningful that this study has found the factors of smoking inside household. The result identify the factors associated with indoor smoking at home, and it can be used as baseline data for developing new smoking cessation policies.

no abstract available.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Body shape misperception (BSM) is the disagreement between the subjectively perceived body size and body mass index. This study investigated the association between BSM and unhealthy eating behaviors (UEB) among Korean adolescents. SUBJECTS/METHODS: This cross-sectional study used data from the 2019 Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey with 55,748 participants. UEB were measured according to the weekly consumption frequency of caffeinated energy drinks, fast food, carbonated beverages, and sugar-sweetened beverages. The covariates included demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and health-related factors. Multiple logistic regression analysis determined the association between BSM and UEB. RESULTS: Among the participants, 37,607 (67.5%) reported UEB. The gap between UEB among those with BSM was the largest between the underestimated and accurately estimated groups. Participants who underestimated their body shape were likelier to engage in UEB (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.18; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11–1.25). Both sexes with underestimation of body size showed an association with UEB compared to those with accurate estimations (girls: AOR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.09–1.30; boys: AOR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.08–1.26). CONCLUSIONS Underestimating body shape can provoke UEB among Korean adolescents.The need for appropriate school health interventional programs to prevent underestimating body shape is emphasized to avoid UEB.

p53 is a well-known multi-functional transcription regulator and is critical in the induction of apoptosis in response to various stresses. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection induced the accumulation of p53, which was partly relocalized in cytoplasm, but no apparent cell death in human fibroblasts. p53 in HCMV-infected cells was mainly mono-ubiquitinated, which might be resulted from the decreased expression of MDM2 in the course of HCMV infection. Ubiquitinated p53 was also phosphorylated at serine 20. CRM1 increased in the cytoplasm of HCMV-infected cells. It was found that p53 and its mutant in nuclear export sequences were localized in the cytoplasm of cells when co-expressed with CRM1. Collectively, our data suggest that HCMV infection modifies p53 into a stable and exportable form and accumulates it in the cytoplasm, but does not result in apoptotic death of cells.
Active Transport, Cell Nucleus ; Apoptosis ; Cell Death ; Cytomegalovirus Infections* ; Cytomegalovirus* ; Cytoplasm* ; Fibroblasts ; Humans* ; Serine ; Ubiquitin

Asthma is a well-known inflammatory lung disease; however, the specific underlying mechanism is largely unknown. We previously demonstrated that alloferon effectively downregulates pulmonary inflammation. In this study, we examined whether alloferon has a therapeutic effect on asthma. Alloferon remarkably decreased the number of eosinophils, macrophages, and neutrophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) from ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthma mice. It was synergistically decreased with 2.5 mg/kg prednisolone (PDA). Inflammatory cell infiltration around the bronchioles and in the alveolus of OVA-induced asthma mice was effectively prevented by alloferon alone and combined treatment with alloferon and PDS. The production of IL-5 and IL-17 was decreased by alloferon alone and combined treatment with alloferon and PDS. There was no change the level of total immunoglobulin (Ig) following alloferon administration; however, total Ig was decreased by PDS. IgG2a levels were not changed by either alloferon alone or alloferon in combination with PDS. However, the levels of OVA-specific IgG1 and IgE were decreased by alloferon and PDS. In conclusion, our results suggest that a combination of alloferon and prednisolone is effective for the treatment of asthma, as it prevents inflammatory cell infiltration via the down-regulation of IL-5 and IL-17 production and decreases IgG1 and IgE production via the suppression of T helper type 2 immune response.
Animals ; Asthma* ; Bronchioles ; Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid ; Down-Regulation ; Eosinophils ; Immunoglobulin E ; Immunoglobulin G ; Immunoglobulins ; Interleukin-17 ; Interleukin-5 ; Lung Diseases ; Macrophages ; Mice ; Neutrophils ; Ovalbumin ; Pneumonia ; Prednisolone

BACKGROUND: Multiple studies have been reported regarding preeclampsia as a possible risk factor of cerebrovascular disease (CVD). However, the correlation of preeclampsia and CVD, whether it is a cause-effect relationship or they are sharing common predisposing condition, is not well understood. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between the preeclampsia during pregnancy and development of postpartum CVD. METHODS: A total of 1,384,550 Korean women who had a delivery between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2012, were enrolled. Women with the risk of CVD within 1 year prior to pregnancy were excluded based on the Charlson comorbidity index. Primary endpoint was the event of CVD within a year from delivery. After exclusion, 1,075,061 women were analyzed. RESULTS: During the follow-up of 1 year postpartum, there were 25,577 preeclampsia out of 1,072,041 women without postpartum CVD (2.39%), and 121 of 3,020 women with postpartum CVD had preeclampsia before delivery (4.01%). In multivariate logistic regression analysis, women who had preeclampsia during pregnancy showed a higher risk for postpartum CVD (odds ratio, 1.64; 95% confidence interval, 1.37–1.98). CONCLUSION: The incidence of CVD after delivery was higher in women who had preeclampsia during pregnancy.
Cerebrovascular Disorders ; Comorbidity ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Incidence ; Insurance Claim Reporting ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Postpartum Period ; Pre-Eclampsia ; Pregnancy ; Risk Factors

Purpose: In Korea, since the Act on Hospice and Palliative Care and Decisions on LifeSustaining Treatment for Patients at the End of Life was implemented in February 2018, advance directives (ADs) have become legally effective and should be documented after sufficient explanation by a registered counselor. However, little is known regarding the adequacy of current AD counseling. This qualitative study aimed to explore the barriers to AD counseling based on counselors’ experiences. Methods: We conducted focus group interviews using purposive sampling. Seven counselors working at hospitals, community health institutions, and non-profit organizations participated in this study. They were asked about the challenges and problems they encountered during AD counseling. Results: Three themes emerged from this study; 1) issues regarding consistency in AD counseling, 2) issues regarding AD counselors’ competency and work environment, and 3) issues regarding the adequacy of the service system. The interviewees stated that the lack of a manual for standardized service made AD counseling inconsistent. The limited competency and poor work environment of counselors were pointed out as major barriers. The interviewees also stated that a proper service system considering individual circumstances is absent. Conclusion The goals of AD counseling should be clarified and guidance should be implemented for providing standardized services. Further efforts to enhance the competency of AD counselors and to improve their working conditions are needed. Establishing an integrated framework for an adequate service system is also essential to overcome systematic barriers to AD counseling.

Background: The treatment of pediatric patients with latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) is a crucial TB control strategy. LTBI is not a reportable communicable disease, and data regarding LTBI treatment in pediatric patients in Korea are scarce. This study aimed to investigate the prescription patterns and treatment completion rates among pediatric patients with LTBI in Korea by analyzing National Health reimbursement claims data. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed outpatient prescription records for pediatric patients aged 18 or younger with LTBI-related diagnostic codes from 2016 to 2020. We compared the frequency of prescriptions for the standard treatment regimen (9 months of isoniazid [9H]) and an alternative treatment regimen (3 months of isoniazid plus rifampicin [3HR]). We also assessed the treatment incompletion rates by age group, treatment regimen, treatment duration, the level of medical facility, physician’s specialty, and hospital location. We performed multivariable analysis to identify factors influencing treatment incompletion. Results: Among the 11,362 patients who received LTBI treatment, 6,463 (56.9%) were prescribed the 9H regimen, while 4,899 (43.1%) received the 3HR regimen. Patients in the 3HR group were generally older than those in the 9H group. The proportion of 3HR regimen prescriptions significantly greater in the later period (2018–2020), in primary hospitals, under the management of non-pediatric specialists, and in metropolitan regions. The overall treatment incompletion rate was 39.7% (9H group: 46.9%, 3HR group: 30.3%). In the multivariable analysis, 9H regimen prescription was the strongest factor associated with treatment incompletion (adjusted odds ratio, 2.42; 95% confidence interval, 2.20–2.66; P < 0.001). Additionally, management in a primary hospital, a hospital’s location in a nonmetropolitan region, and management by a non-pediatric specialist were also significant risk factors for treatment incompletion. Conclusion Our study results suggest that promoting the use of 3HR regimen prescriptions could be an effective strategy to enhance treatment completion. Physicians in primary hospitals, hospitals located in non-metropolitan regions, and physicians without a pediatric specialty require increased attention when administering LTBI treatment to pediatric patients to ensure treatment completion.