Publication lag is a determinant to journal efficiency that was not yet studied concerning Korean medical journals. To measure publication lag, we investigated the publication timestamps of 4,762 articles published by 10 Korean medical journals indexed in Scopus database, randomly selected from the KoreaMed Synapse since 2013. The total publication lag was 246.5 (Q1, Q3; 178.0, 347.0) days. The overall acceptance lag was 102.0 (65.0, 149.0) days. The overall lead lag was 123.0 (63.0, 236.0) days. The year of publication did not significantly affect the acceptance lag (P = 0.640), supposedly shortening it by about 1.4 (97.5% confidence interval [CI], −5.2 to 8.0) days/year, while the date affected the lead lag (P = 0.028), shortening it by about 12.9 (1.3 to 24.5) days/year. The Korean medical journals have reduced the total publication delay entirely by means of reducing the lead lag, not by reducing the acceptance lag.
Bibliometrics ; Peer Review ; Publications* ; Synapses

Objectives: Currently, more than 80% of Korean police officers are assigned to a 24-hour rotating shift system. Shift workers’ sleep patterns change frequently, which may result in circadian rhythm desynchrony and sleep disturbance. The goal of this study was to compare sleep and cognitive functioning in different shift types. In addition, we analyzed the difference in cognitive functioning depending on whether shift workers took a night nap prior to their night shift. Methods: A total of 278 police officers working in Seoul (mean age 45.27±9.00 years, 88.5% male) participated, providing demographic information and completing selfreport questionnaires [Insomnia Severity Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Munich ChronoType Questionnaire (Shift-work type), Patient Health Questionnaire-9]. Participants also performed the Psychomotor Vigilance Task, Trail Making Test A & B, and Stroop Test. Results: Participants included 57 (20.5%) day workers and 221 (79.5%) shift workers. The average Insomnia Severity Index score of shift workers was significantly higher than day workers (t=-2.861, p=0.005). Shift workers also slept about 0.78 hours less than day workers (t=4.730, p<0.001). Among shift workers, 66.3% (n=128) reported they took night naps prior to their night shift, sleeping on average 1.78 hours. Shift workers who took night naps had faster reaction times on the Trail Making Test A task [F(1, 136)=5.741, p=0.018], and significantly fewer Stroop C errors [F(1, 137)=5.638, p=0.019] than those who did not. Conclusions Shift working police officers reported significantly worse insomnia symptoms and slept less compared to their non-shift-working counterparts. Taking a night nap improved focused and selective attention.

Objectives: Currently, more than 80% of Korean police officers are assigned to a 24-hour rotating shift system. Shift workers’ sleep patterns change frequently, which may result in circadian rhythm desynchrony and sleep disturbance. The goal of this study was to compare sleep and cognitive functioning in different shift types. In addition, we analyzed the difference in cognitive functioning depending on whether shift workers took a night nap prior to their night shift. Methods: A total of 278 police officers working in Seoul (mean age 45.27±9.00 years, 88.5% male) participated, providing demographic information and completing selfreport questionnaires [Insomnia Severity Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Munich ChronoType Questionnaire (Shift-work type), Patient Health Questionnaire-9]. Participants also performed the Psychomotor Vigilance Task, Trail Making Test A & B, and Stroop Test. Results: Participants included 57 (20.5%) day workers and 221 (79.5%) shift workers. The average Insomnia Severity Index score of shift workers was significantly higher than day workers (t=-2.861, p=0.005). Shift workers also slept about 0.78 hours less than day workers (t=4.730, p<0.001). Among shift workers, 66.3% (n=128) reported they took night naps prior to their night shift, sleeping on average 1.78 hours. Shift workers who took night naps had faster reaction times on the Trail Making Test A task [F(1, 136)=5.741, p=0.018], and significantly fewer Stroop C errors [F(1, 137)=5.638, p=0.019] than those who did not. Conclusions Shift working police officers reported significantly worse insomnia symptoms and slept less compared to their non-shift-working counterparts. Taking a night nap improved focused and selective attention.

alpha-Curcumene is one of the physiologically active components of Curcuma zedoaria, which is believed to perform anti-tumor activities, the mechanisms of which are poorly understood. In the present study, we investigated the mechanism of the apoptotic effect of alpha-curcumene on the growth of human overian cancer, SiHa cells. Upon treatment with alpha-curcumene, cell viability of SiHa cells was inhibited > 73% for 48 h incubation. alpha-Curcumene treatment showed a characteristic nucleosomal DNA fragmentation pattern and the percentage of sub-diploid cells was increased in a concentration-dependent manner, hallmark features of apoptosis. Mitochondrial cytochrome c activation and an in vitro caspase-3 activity assay demonstrated that the activation of caspases accompanies the apoptotic effect of alpha-curcumene, which mediates cell death. These results suggest that the apoptotic effect of alpha-curcumene on SiHa cells may converge caspase-3 activation through the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c.
Apoptosis ; Caspase 3 ; Caspases ; Cell Death ; Cell Survival ; Curcuma* ; Cytochromes c ; DNA Fragmentation ; Humans ; Ovarian Neoplasms*

The objective of this research was to explore the influences of 'having a meal with someone' on individuals' eating pattern. Eating is not a simple matter of energy intake but also serves to anchor daily routines being cultivated by people and society. This study was conducted using a cross-sectional eating behavior survey of university students (N = 893, 380 men, 513 women) aged 20 to 24 years. Results were analyzed and presented as frequencies, means and chi2-test with SPSS 14.0. Differences in dietary habits by commensality and solo-eating were observed; Students who ate alone, spent 15 min for a meal and ate convenience food items when they didn't feel hungry. Compared to students who ate alone, those who ate together with someone spent 30 min for a meal and ate more amount of food. Eighty percent of respondents ate more various menus in commensality than solo-eating. They felt lonely when they ate alone and preferred to eat together. In conclusion, university students start to decide and select their own meals by themselves after junior and high school food services which are fixed with regard to menu and the amount. Dietary habits of Koreans rapidly changed concomitant with social changes over the past half century. Governments and health experts recognize that unbalanced meals cause lifestyle-related diseases, in particular obesity. Our research findings will contribute to more comprehensive efficient nutrition education programs in order to prevent obesity and other lifestyle-related diseases in early stages of adulthood.
Aged ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Eating ; Energy Intake ; Fast Foods ; Feeding Behavior ; Food Habits ; Food Services ; Humans ; Male ; Meals ; Obesity ; Social Change

Purpose: This study aimed to understand the meaning of the nurses’experiences of patients’ safety accident. Methods: This study is qualitative research using Giorgi’s phenomenological methodology to identify themes of the nurses’experiences of patients’safety accident. The research question was “What is the essential meaning of the nurses’experiences of patients’self-extubating?” Data were collected from the individual in-depth interview from November to December 2017. Seven clinical nurses working in intensive care units were purposely selected. Results: The results showed that 6 essential themes and 13 theme clusters were derived. The essential themes of nurses’ experiences were as follows: ‘Fear of unexpected situations’, ‘Guilt for having a safety accident’, ‘Regret about the cause of the accident’, ‘The conflict between patient human rights and adherence to patient safety principles’, ‘Daunted by the blame of others and feelings of guilt’, ‘Attention is paid to accident prevention practices’. Conclusion It is necessary to manage post-processing management of incidents and nurses’trauma.

We present an unexpected fatal case of pulmonary embolism due to venous thrombosis after vaccination for coronavirus disease 2019 (ChAdOx1 nCov-19). The deceased was a 64-year-old woman with Alzheimer disease. The deceased had fever shortly after vaccination, and presented sudden dyspnea and died 8 days after vaccination. On postmortem examination, pulmonary embolism and venous thrombosis were noted in deep veins of both lower legs. Even though the psychomotor function of the deceased became fragile due to Alzheimer disease, the deceased was not bed-ridden, and major known risk factors related to venous thrombosis were not explicit in this case. Because there are not enough data related to vaccination and thrombosis, we hope that this case would be helpful in unraveling pathogenesis of venous thrombosis after vaccination and in determining whether there is any association between thrombosis and vaccination.

Cases of foreign body ingestion are frequently seen in gastroenterology. However, it is not common for the foreign body to be located in the submucosa, which obscures it from view, even during endoscopy. A 74-year-old woman visited the emergency room 10 days after swallowing an implant screw during an implant procedure at a dental clinic. Abdominal CT revealed a 14-mm-long radio-opaque screw in the posterior wall of the proximal body of the stomach. On endoscopy, the screw was not observed in the stomach; however, fluoroscopic examination revealed that it was located under the mucosa of the posterior wall of the proximal body of the stomach. The screw was grasped using alligator forceps and retrieved. There was no evidence of perforation on chest radiography. Herein, we present a case wherein a foreign body embedded under the mucosa was removed.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to assess cognitive functions and their relationship with sleep symptoms in young narcoleptic patients. METHODS: Eighteen young narcolepsy patients and 18 normal controls (age: 17-35 years old) were recruited. All narcolepsy patients had HLA DQB1 *0602 allele and cataplexy. Several important areas of cognition were assessed by a battery of neuropsychological tests consisting of 13 tests: executive functions (e.g. cognitive set shifting, inhibition, and selective attention) through Wisconsin card sorting test, Trail Making A/B, Stroop test, Ruff test, Digit Symbol, Controlled Oral Word Association and Boston Naming Test; alertness and sustained attention through paced auditory serial addition test; verbal/nonverbal short-term memory and working memory through Digit Span and Spatial Span; visuospatial memory through Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test; verbal learning and memory through California verbal learning test; and fine motor activity through grooved pegboard test. Sleep symptoms in narcolepsy patients were assessed with Epworth sleepiness scale, Ullanlinna narcolepsy scale, multiple sleep latency test, and nocturnal polysomnography. Relationship between cognitive functions and sleep symptoms in narcolepsy patients was also explored. RESULTS: Compared with normal controls, narcolepsy patients showed poor performance in paced auditory serial addition (2.0 s and 2.4 s), digit symbol tests, and spatial span (forward) (t=3.86, p< 0.01; t=-2.47, p=0.02; t=-3.95, p< 0.01; t=-2.22, p=0.03, respectively). There were no significant between-group differences in other neuropsychological tests. In addition, results of neuropsychological test in narcolepsy patients were not correlated with Epworth sleepiness scale score, Ullanlinna narcolepsy scale score and sleep variables in multiple sleep latency test or nocturnal polysomnography. CONCLUSION: The current findings suggest that young narcolepsy patients have impaired attention. In addition, impairment of attention in narcolepsy might not be solely due to sleep symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness.
Alleles ; California ; Cataplexy ; Cognition ; Executive Function ; Humans ; Memory ; Memory, Short-Term ; Motor Activity ; Narcolepsy* ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Polysomnography ; Stroop Test ; Trail Making Test ; Verbal Learning ; Wisconsin