PURPOSE: Enterococcus faecalis is one of the most common pathogens linked to chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP). Owing to a limited number of previous studies addressing this topic, we aimed to determine the drug resistance patterns of E. faecalis strains isolated from CBP patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One thousand twenty-one patients visited a single hospital owing to chronic prostatitis for 5 years. Culture specimens were obtained by use of a modified Meares-Stamey method. The minimal inhibitory concentrations of the antimicrobials were assessed by use of the Vitek II microbial identification system as suggested by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. RESULTS: Forty-one samples from 41 patients who had significant E. faecalis loads for defining CBP were included in this study. The E. faecalis strains in our study were resistant to penicillin (9.7%), ampicillin (0%), ampicillin/sulbactam (0%), nitrofurantoin (0%), imipenem (0%), vancomycin (0%), teicoplanin (0%), quinupristin/dalfopristin (100%), ciprofloxacin (9.7%), levofloxacin (4.8%), norfloxacin (26.8%), erythromycin (95%), gentamicin (46.3%), tetracycline (97.5%), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (31.5%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Fluoroquinolones have been the preferred antibiotics for treating CBP. Because of their low rate of drug resistance, fluoroquinolones are suitable therapeutic agents for E. faecalis strains causing CBP in Korea. Even though tetracycline, erythromycin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole have been prescribed as an empirical antimicrobial therapy for chronic prostatitis, we cannot recommend these drugs for treatment of E. faecalis isolates because of the high rates of drug resistance.
Ampicillin ; Anti-Bacterial Agents ; Ciprofloxacin ; Drug Resistance ; Enterococcus ; Enterococcus faecalis ; Erythromycin ; Fluoroquinolones ; Gentamicins ; Humans ; Imipenem ; Korea ; Nitrofurantoin ; Norfloxacin ; Ofloxacin ; Penicillins ; Prostatitis ; Teicoplanin ; Tetracycline ; Vancomycin

BACKGROUND: The prostate is prone to infections. Hypothetically, bacteria can be inoculated into the prostate during a transrectal prostate biopsy (TRPB) and progress into chronic bacterial prostatitis. Therefore, we examined new bacterial infections in biopsied prostates after TRPB and whether they affect clinical characteristics in the biopsied patients. METHODS: Of men whose prostate cultures have been taken prior to TRPB, 105 men with bacteria-free benign prostate pathology underwent an additional repeated prostate culture within a year after TRPB. RESULTS: Twenty out of 105 men (19.05%) acquired new bacteria in their naïve prostates after TRPB. Except for one single case of Escherichia coli infection, 19 men had acquired gram-positive bacteria species. Between the culture-positive and negative groups, there were no significant differences in age, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, white blood cell (WBC) counts in expressed prostatic secretion (EPS), prostate volume, symptom severities in Korean version of the National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index (NIH-CPSI) questionnaire, and patient-specific risk factors for biopsy associated infectious complications. Additionally, the TRPB procedure increased the WBC counts in post-biopsy EPS (P = 0.031, McNemar test), but did not increase the serum PSA level and symptoms of NIH-CPSI in 20 men who acquired new bacteria after TRPB. CONCLUSION: The TRPB procedure was significantly associated with acquiring new bacterial infections in the biopsied prostate, but these localized bacteria did not affect patients' serum PSA level and symptoms after biopsy.
Academies and Institutes ; Bacteria ; Bacterial Infections* ; Biopsy* ; Escherichia coli Infections ; Gram-Positive Bacteria ; Humans ; Leukocytes ; Male ; Pathology ; Prostate* ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; Prostatitis ; Risk Factors

Health centers provided intensive health care services for local residents according to changes in the times and environment. Public health centers were given various roles such as medical treatment, administration, and service, and the demand for functional reorganization has emerged. We analyzed the literature on the functional restructuring of public health care institutions. In addition, the current status of medical services, which is the main function of institutions, will be analyzed through health insurance statistical data, and detailed contents will be analyzed according to regional types and income levels. As a result of the analysis of medical services at institutions, the total number of patients was 2,238,000, and the number of visits was 11,806 times. Total medical expenses were 169.6 billion won, of which 132 billion won was found to be benefit. When analyzing the number of patients per institution, public health centers had the largest number of 4,326, and the share of benefit was also the highest at public health centers. It should focus on the function of providing local health and medical services related to health promotion and disease prevention in the community. This functional reorganization of public health centers can contribute to forming cooperative relationships with private medical institutions in the local community. For this, first, to establish the role, essential functions for public health centers for preventive health management are established. Secondly, regular manpower expansion and flexible manpower management are required in the human resources sector. Finally, in the organizational sector, it is necessary to establish a step-by-step organizational system according to environmental changes.

Emerging infectious diseases have risen sharply due to population growth, urbanization, travel, trade, and environmental changes, with outbreaks like severe acute respiratory syndrome, Middle East respiratory syndrome, and coronavirus disease 2019 highlighting the global need for effective surveillance systems. Various infectious disease surveillance systems are applied depending on the surveillance objectives, target populations, and geographical scope. While Korea has a robust surveillance system, challenges remain in integrating data, enhancing coordination, and improving response efficiency. This article reviews the types and roles of infectious disease surveillance systems through a literature review and proposes strategies for improving Korea’s surveillance system by comparing it with those of other countries, including the World Health Organization (WHO). To strengthen Korea’s surveillance framework, a comprehensive strategy should be implemented to interconnect multiple surveillance mechanisms and enhance real-time data sharing. A centralized data platform must integrate these systems, leveraging artificial intelligence and big data analytics for faster outbreak analysis. International collaboration through data-sharing networks with the WHO, European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, and U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is essential, along with standardized reporting formats to improve interoperability.

Emerging infectious diseases have risen sharply due to population growth, urbanization, travel, trade, and environmental changes, with outbreaks like severe acute respiratory syndrome, Middle East respiratory syndrome, and coronavirus disease 2019 highlighting the global need for effective surveillance systems. Various infectious disease surveillance systems are applied depending on the surveillance objectives, target populations, and geographical scope. While Korea has a robust surveillance system, challenges remain in integrating data, enhancing coordination, and improving response efficiency. This article reviews the types and roles of infectious disease surveillance systems through a literature review and proposes strategies for improving Korea’s surveillance system by comparing it with those of other countries, including the World Health Organization (WHO). To strengthen Korea’s surveillance framework, a comprehensive strategy should be implemented to interconnect multiple surveillance mechanisms and enhance real-time data sharing. A centralized data platform must integrate these systems, leveraging artificial intelligence and big data analytics for faster outbreak analysis. International collaboration through data-sharing networks with the WHO, European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, and U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is essential, along with standardized reporting formats to improve interoperability.

Emerging infectious diseases have risen sharply due to population growth, urbanization, travel, trade, and environmental changes, with outbreaks like severe acute respiratory syndrome, Middle East respiratory syndrome, and coronavirus disease 2019 highlighting the global need for effective surveillance systems. Various infectious disease surveillance systems are applied depending on the surveillance objectives, target populations, and geographical scope. While Korea has a robust surveillance system, challenges remain in integrating data, enhancing coordination, and improving response efficiency. This article reviews the types and roles of infectious disease surveillance systems through a literature review and proposes strategies for improving Korea’s surveillance system by comparing it with those of other countries, including the World Health Organization (WHO). To strengthen Korea’s surveillance framework, a comprehensive strategy should be implemented to interconnect multiple surveillance mechanisms and enhance real-time data sharing. A centralized data platform must integrate these systems, leveraging artificial intelligence and big data analytics for faster outbreak analysis. International collaboration through data-sharing networks with the WHO, European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, and U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is essential, along with standardized reporting formats to improve interoperability.

Emerging infectious diseases have risen sharply due to population growth, urbanization, travel, trade, and environmental changes, with outbreaks like severe acute respiratory syndrome, Middle East respiratory syndrome, and coronavirus disease 2019 highlighting the global need for effective surveillance systems. Various infectious disease surveillance systems are applied depending on the surveillance objectives, target populations, and geographical scope. While Korea has a robust surveillance system, challenges remain in integrating data, enhancing coordination, and improving response efficiency. This article reviews the types and roles of infectious disease surveillance systems through a literature review and proposes strategies for improving Korea’s surveillance system by comparing it with those of other countries, including the World Health Organization (WHO). To strengthen Korea’s surveillance framework, a comprehensive strategy should be implemented to interconnect multiple surveillance mechanisms and enhance real-time data sharing. A centralized data platform must integrate these systems, leveraging artificial intelligence and big data analytics for faster outbreak analysis. International collaboration through data-sharing networks with the WHO, European Center for Disease Prevention and Control, and U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is essential, along with standardized reporting formats to improve interoperability.

This study was conducted to measure the difference in levels of cerebral metabolites in the right and left hemispheres, gray (GM) and white matter (WM), imaging planes, and anatomical regions of healthy dogs to establish normal variations. Eight male Beagle dogs (1 to 4 years of age; mean age, 2 years) with no evidence of neurologic disease were studied. Using the multi-voxel technique on a 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging scanner, metabolite values (N-acetyl aspartate [NAA], choline [Cho], creatine [Cr]) were obtained from the frontoparietal WM, parietal GM, temporal GM, occipital GM, thalamus, cerebellum, mid-brain, and pons. There was no significant difference in levels of these metabolites between the right and left in any locations or between the GM and WM in the cerebral hemispheres. However, there were significant differences in metabolite ratios within imaging planes. The NAA/Cr was lower in the cerebellum than other regions and the thalamus had a higher Cho/Cr and lower NAA/Cho ratio than in other regions. The spectral and metabolic values will provide a useful internal reference for clinical practice and research involving multi-voxel magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Measurement of metabolite values in the transverse plane is recommended for comparing levels of regional metabolites.
Animals ; Aspartic Acid ; Cerebellum ; Cerebrum ; Choline ; Creatine ; Dogs* ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy* ; Male ; Pons ; Rabeprazole ; Thalamus ; White Matter

OBJECTIVES: This study investigated changes in hepatitis B seroprevalence from 1998 to 2013, and to identify differences in epidemiologic characteristics between hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive and HBsAg-negative people. METHODS: HBsAg seropositive rates were compared by year, sex, and age using the blood test data from the periods I to VI (1998-2013) of the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Interviews and self-administered surveys were conducted to collect data on health behavior, quality of life, comorbidities, and health care utilization. RESULTS: HBsAg seropositive rates in the Republic of Korea decreased from 4.6% in 1998 to 2.9% in 2008, and then remained the same for the next five years. While seropositive rates by age were the highest at 35 to 39 years of age in 1998, it peaked at 50 to 54 years of age in 2013. HBsAg-positive people showed high values from two liver function tests, including glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase and glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, and the prevalence rates of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer were also significantly high. Indices for health behavior and quality of life showed no significant differences between HBsAg-positive and HBsAg-negative people. CONCLUSIONS: While HBsAg seropositive rates tended to decline after 1998, there have been no significant changes over the most recent five years. We should focus on treatment of existing hepatitis B patients along with immunization programmes to prevent new hepatitis B infections. In addition, it may be necessary to encourage HBsAg-positive people to follow healthier life-styles in order to prevent further progression of hepatitis B to liver cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Alanine Transaminase ; Aspartate Aminotransferases ; Comorbidity ; Delivery of Health Care ; Health Behavior ; Hematologic Tests ; Hepatitis B Surface Antigens* ; Hepatitis B* ; Hepatitis* ; Humans ; Immunization ; Korea ; Liver Cirrhosis ; Liver Function Tests ; Liver Neoplasms ; Nutrition Surveys ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life ; Republic of Korea* ; Seroepidemiologic Studies*

Objective: Effective suicide prevention for at-risk adolescents requires increased access to medical treatment. Investigating the unique characteristics of suicide in this vulnerable at-risk non-referred sample can contribute to establishing effective suicide prevention policies. This study aimed to (a) examine at-risk non-referred adolescents’ suicide attempt rate, (b) investigate influential multilevel factors in predicting these adolescents’ suicide attempts, and (c) compare the results of (a) and (b) by gender. Methods: A total of 401 samples (216 boys and 185 girls) were recruited through a school-based mental health project for at-risk adolescents. Multivariate hierarchical logistic regression analyses were performed at the individual-, contextual-, and protective levels to evaluate three multilevel models as well as to investigate predictabilities for the overall group and by gender. Results: The suicide attempt rate of the overall sample was 29.4% (boys: 18.1%, girls: 42.7%), which was significantly higher than that of community samples. For boys, individual-level predictors (depression and conduct problems) had the most significant contribution in predicting suicide attempts. In contrast, for girls, protective-level predictors (family satisfaction) contributed the most to the prediction of suicide attempts, followed by contextual-level predictors (academic grades). Conclusion This study is an important step in understanding the unique characteristics of at-risk non-referred adolescents who have not yet been considered in mental health policies. Improving medical accessibility will be the first step in establishing effective suicide prevention policies for these vulnerable samples.