Purpose: This study aimed to identify the effects of new nurses’ critical thinking disposition and safety climate on medication safety competence. Methods: The subjects of this study were 141 new nurses working in a tertiary general hospital in Seoul, Korea. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires from May 23 to June 30, 2024 and were analyzed using SPSS Statistics/WIN 28.0, including descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Medication safety competence was significantly related to critical thinking disposition (r=.53, p<.001) and safety climate (r=.46, p<.001). Critical thinking disposition (β=.38, p<.001), safety climate (β=.29, p<.001), and clinical experience (β=.28, p<.001) were factors influencing medication safety competence among new nurses and the explanatory power of the model was explained 37.0%. Conclusion Critical thinking disposition, safety climate, and clinical experience affected new nurses’ medication safety competence. Therefore, enhancing critical thinking disposition and fostering a safety-oriented organizational culture can be essential for improving the medication safety competence of new nurses.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the effects of new nurses’ critical thinking disposition and safety climate on medication safety competence. Methods: The subjects of this study were 141 new nurses working in a tertiary general hospital in Seoul, Korea. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires from May 23 to June 30, 2024 and were analyzed using SPSS Statistics/WIN 28.0, including descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Medication safety competence was significantly related to critical thinking disposition (r=.53, p<.001) and safety climate (r=.46, p<.001). Critical thinking disposition (β=.38, p<.001), safety climate (β=.29, p<.001), and clinical experience (β=.28, p<.001) were factors influencing medication safety competence among new nurses and the explanatory power of the model was explained 37.0%. Conclusion Critical thinking disposition, safety climate, and clinical experience affected new nurses’ medication safety competence. Therefore, enhancing critical thinking disposition and fostering a safety-oriented organizational culture can be essential for improving the medication safety competence of new nurses.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the effects of new nurses’ critical thinking disposition and safety climate on medication safety competence. Methods: The subjects of this study were 141 new nurses working in a tertiary general hospital in Seoul, Korea. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires from May 23 to June 30, 2024 and were analyzed using SPSS Statistics/WIN 28.0, including descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Medication safety competence was significantly related to critical thinking disposition (r=.53, p<.001) and safety climate (r=.46, p<.001). Critical thinking disposition (β=.38, p<.001), safety climate (β=.29, p<.001), and clinical experience (β=.28, p<.001) were factors influencing medication safety competence among new nurses and the explanatory power of the model was explained 37.0%. Conclusion Critical thinking disposition, safety climate, and clinical experience affected new nurses’ medication safety competence. Therefore, enhancing critical thinking disposition and fostering a safety-oriented organizational culture can be essential for improving the medication safety competence of new nurses.

Purpose: This study aimed to identify the effects of new nurses’ critical thinking disposition and safety climate on medication safety competence. Methods: The subjects of this study were 141 new nurses working in a tertiary general hospital in Seoul, Korea. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires from May 23 to June 30, 2024 and were analyzed using SPSS Statistics/WIN 28.0, including descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Scheffé test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression analysis. Results: Medication safety competence was significantly related to critical thinking disposition (r=.53, p<.001) and safety climate (r=.46, p<.001). Critical thinking disposition (β=.38, p<.001), safety climate (β=.29, p<.001), and clinical experience (β=.28, p<.001) were factors influencing medication safety competence among new nurses and the explanatory power of the model was explained 37.0%. Conclusion Critical thinking disposition, safety climate, and clinical experience affected new nurses’ medication safety competence. Therefore, enhancing critical thinking disposition and fostering a safety-oriented organizational culture can be essential for improving the medication safety competence of new nurses.

Purpose: The Korean Association of Pediatric Surgeons (KAPS) conducts annual nationwide surveys on various aspects of pediatric surgical diseases, with the results being discussed during KAPS’s annual spring meetings. Methods: KAPS conducted two national surveys, in 1995 and 2016, to investigate esophageal atresia (EA) with or without tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF). The authors analyzed data from these surveys to identify differences or changes in the annual occurrence, demographic characteristics, clinical presentation, preoperative diagnostic methods, anatomical type, associated anomalies, surgical treatment, and postoperative outcomes among patients with EA/TEF treated by KAPS members. Results: The first and second national surveys included 148 and 211 patients with EA/TEF, respectively. Excessive salivation was the most prevalent clinical symptom in both surveys. Type C was the most common form of EA/TEF in both surveys. The first survey included 126 patients, all of whom underwent open surgery. In the second survey, 152 (78.4%) of 194 patients underwent open surgery, while 34 (17.5%) underwent thoracoscopic surgery. Primary esophageal repair was performed on 96 (76.2%) of 126 patients in the first survey and on 160 (82.5%) of 194 patients in the second survey. Anastomotic strictures developed in 21.4% and 32.5% of patients, anastomotic leakage in 22.2% and 10.3%, recurrent fistula in 2.4% and 4.2% during the first and second surveys, respectively. The respective survival rates for group A were 90.2% and 98.3% in the first and second surveys. For group B, the rates were 73.9% and 98.1%, and for group C, they were 34.5% and 68.1%, respectively, according to the Waterston classifications. Conclusion These nationwide surveys provide comprehensive information on the status, detailed treatment, and outcomes for Korean pediatric patients with EA/TEF. They are anticipated to be an invaluable resource and guide for pediatric surgeons seeking to expand their knowledge on EA/TEF and its treatment options.

Purpose: Renal tumors account for approximately 7% of all childhood cancers. These include Wilms tumor (WT), clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK), malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney (MRTK), renal cell carcinoma (RCC), congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) and other rare tumors. We investigated the epidemiology of pediatric renal tumors in Korea. Materials and Methods: From January 2001 to December 2015, data of pediatric patients (0–18 years) newly-diagnosed with renal tumors at 26 hospitals were retrospectively analyzed. Results: Among 439 patients (male, 240), the most common tumor was WT (n=342, 77.9%), followed by RCC (n=36, 8.2%), CCSK (n=24, 5.5%), MRTK (n=16, 3.6%), CMN (n=12, 2.7%), and others (n=9, 2.1%). Median age at diagnosis was 27.1 months (range 0-225.5) and median follow-up duration was 88.5 months (range 0-211.6). Overall, 32 patients died, of whom 17, 11, 1, and 3 died of relapse, progressive disease, second malignant neoplasm, and treatment-related mortality. Five-year overall survival and event free survival were 97.2% and 84.8% in WT, 90.6% and 82.1% in RCC, 81.1% and 63.6% in CCSK, 60.3% and 56.2% in MRTK, and 100% and 91.7% in CMN, respectively (p < 0.001). Conclusion The pediatric renal tumor types in Korea are similar to those previously reported in other countries. WT accounted for a large proportion and survival was excellent. Non-Wilms renal tumors included a variety of tumors and showed inferior outcome, especially MRTK. Further efforts are necessary to optimize the treatment and analyze the genetic characteristics of pediatric renal tumors in Korea.

Objectives: Early detection of developmental issues in infants and necessary intervention are important. To identify the comorbid conditions, a comprehensive evaluation is required. The study’s objectives were to 1) generate scale items by identifying and eliciting concepts relevant to young children (12–71 months) with developmental delays, 2) develop a comprehensive screening tool for developmental delay and comorbid conditions, and 3) assess the tool’s validity and cut-off. Methods: Multidisciplinary experts devised the “Infant Comprehensive Evaluation for Neurodevelopmental Delay (ICEND),” an assessment method that comes in two versions depending on the age of the child: 12–36 months and 37–71 months, through monthly seminars and focused group interviews. The ICEND is composed of three parts: risk factors, resilience factors, and clinical scales. In parts 1 and 2, there were 41 caretakers responded to the questionnaires. Part 3 involved clinicians evaluating ten subscales using 98 and 114 questionnaires for younger and older versions, respectively. The Child Behavior Checklist, Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Infant-Toddler Social Emotional Assessment, and Korean Developmental Screening Test for Infants and Children were employed to analyze concurrent validity with the ICEND. The analyses were performed on both typical and high-risk infants to identify concurrent validity, reliability, and cut-off scores. Results: A total of 296 people participated in the study, with 57 of them being high-risk (19.2%). The Cronbach’s alpha was positive (0.533–0.928). In the majority of domains, the ICEND demonstrated a fair discriminatory ability, with a sensitivity of 0.5–0.7 and specificity 0.7–0.9. Conclusion The ICEND is reliable and valid, indicating its potential as an auxiliary tool for assessing neurodevelopmental delay and comorbid conditions in children aged 12–36 months and 37–71 months.

Background/Aims: Although pediatric ulcerative colitis (UC) has a different phenotype and clinical course than adult UC, its clinical features and outcomes are poorly defined, especially in Asian populations. This study investigated the clinical features and long-term outcomes of pediatric UC in a Korean population. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 208 patients aged <18 years diagnosed with UC between 1987 and 2013. The patient characteristics at diagnosis according to the Paris classification and the clinical course were analyzed. Results: The male-to-female ratio was 1.3:1, and the median patient age was 15.5 years. At diagnosis, 28.8% of patients had proctitis (E1), 27.8%, left-sided colitis (E2); 5.2%, extensive colitis (E3); and 38.2%, pancolitis (E4). The cumulative probabilities of extension after 5, 10, 15, and 20 years were 32.7%, 40.4%, 52.5%, and 65.8%, respectively. Eighteen patients underwent colectomy, and three patients had colorectal cancer. The cumulative probabilities of colectomy after 5, 10, 15, and 20 years were 7.1%, 8.9%, 12.6%, and 15.6%, and those of colorectal cancer after 10, 15, and 20 years were 0%, 2.1%, and 12.0%, respectively. The disease extent, Pediatric Ulcerative Colitis Activity Index severity, and systemic corticosteroid therapy were significant risk factors for colectomy. The development of primary sclerosing cholangitis was significantly associated with colorectal cancer. Conclusions This study provides detailed information on the disease phenotype and long-term clinical outcomes in a large cohort of Korean children with UC. They have extensive disease at diagnosis, a high rate of disease extension, and a low rate of cumulative colectomy.

Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the development of neuronal disorders including brain ischemic injury. Thioredoxin 1 (Trx1), a 12 kDa oxidoreductase, has anti-oxidant and anti-apoptotic functions in various cells. It has been highly implicated in brain ischemic injury. However, the protective mechanism of Trx1 against hippocampal neuronal cell death is not identified yet. Using a cell permeable Tat-Trx1 protein, protective mechanism of Trx1 against hydrogen peroxide-induced cell death was examined using HT-22 cells and an ischemic animal model. Transduced Tat-Trx1 markedly inhibited intracellular ROS levels, DNA fragmentation, and cell death in H 2O 2-treatment HT-22 cells. Tat-Trx1 also significantly inhibited phosphorylation of ASK1 and MAPKs in signaling pathways of HT-22 cells. In addition, Tat-Trx1 regulated expression levels of Akt, NF-κB, and apoptosis related proteins. In an ischemia animal model, Tat-Trx1 markedly protected hippocampal neuronal cell death and reduced astrocytes and microglia activation. These findings indicate that transduced Tat-Trx1 might be a potential therapeutic agent for treating ischemic injury.