Purpose: This study was conducted to update the practice guidelines for intravenous infusion therapy published in 2017, focusing on the most recent evidence for peripheral intravenous infusion therapy. Methods: The guideline update was conducted using the 22-step methodology. Results: The updated guidelines consist of 17 domains and 235 recommendations (including 284 sub-recommendations). The domains are as follows: general instructions (5 items), peripheral catheter selection (7), catheter insertion site selection (11), management during peripheral catheter insertion (10), post-insertion management (30), perfusion and locking (17), blood sampling via peripheral catheters(6), exchange and removal of peripheral catheters (6), infusion set management (14), add-on devices (32), complications (25), chemotherapy infusions (10), PCA infusions (7), parenteral nutrition (20), transfusion therapy (23), education (5), and documentation and reporting (7). The evidence levels for these recommendations are as follows: 27(9.5%) at level I, 3 (1.1%) at level I A/P, 118 (41.5%) at level II, and 136 (47.9%) at level III.Recommendation grades are categorized as follows: 30 (10.6%) at level A, 118 (41.5%) at level B, and 136(47.9%) at level C. Of these, 73 (25.7%) recommendations were newly developed, 49 (17.3%) underwent major revisions, and 147 (51.7%) underwent minor revisions. Conclusion The updated practice guideline, based on the latest evidence, is anticipated to enhance nursing practice related to peripheral intravenous infusion therapy.

Background: and Purpose: Plasma biomarkers, including phosphorylated tau (ptau217), glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), and neurofilament light chain (NfL), are promising tools for detecting Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. However, cross-laboratory reproducibility remains a challenge, even when using identical analytical platforms such as single-molecule array (Simoa). This study aimed to compare plasma biomarker measurements (ptau217, GFAP, and NfL) between 2 laboratories, the University of Gothenburg (UGOT) and DNAlink, and evaluate their associations with amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) imaging. Methods: Plasma biomarkers were measured using Simoa platforms at both laboratories:the UGOT and DNAlink Incorporation. Diagnostic performance for predicting amyloid PET positivity, cross-laboratory agreement, and the impact of normalization techniques were assessed. Bland-Altman plots and correlation analyses were employed to evaluate agreement and variability. Results: Plasma ptau217 concentrations exhibited strong correlations with amyloid PET global centiloid values, with comparable diagnostic performance between laboratories (area under the curve=0.94 for UGOT and 0.95 for DNAlink). Cross-laboratory agreement for ptau217 was excellent (r=0.96), improving further after natural log transformation. GFAP and NfL also demonstrated moderate to strong correlations (r=0.86 for GFAP and r=0.99 for NfL), with normalization reducing variability. Conclusions Plasma biomarker measurements were consistent across laboratories using identical Simoa platforms, with strong diagnostic performance and improved agreement after normalization. These findings support the scalability of plasma biomarkers for multicenter studies and underscore their potential for standardized applications in AD research and clinical practice.

Background/Aims: Findings on the impact of Helicobacter pylori eradication on metabolic parameters are inconsistent. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of H. pylori eradication on metabolic parameters and body composition, including body fat mass and skeletal muscle mass. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the data of asymptomatic patients who underwent health screenings, including bioelectrical impedance analysis, before and after H. pylori eradication between 2005 and 2021. After matching individuals based on key factors, we compared lipid profiles, metabolic parameters, and body composition between 823 patients from the eradicated group and 823 patients from the non-eradicated groups. Results: Blood pressure, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and glycated hemoglobin values were significantly lower in the eradicated group than in the non-eradicated group. However, changes in body mass index (BMI), body fat mass, appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM), waist circumference, and lipid profiles were not significantly different between the two groups. In a subgroup analysis of individuals aged >45 years, blood pressure, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and glycated hemoglobin changes were significantly lower in the eradicated group than in the noneradicated group. BMI values were significantly higher in the eradicated group than in the noneradicated group; however, no significant differences were observed between the two groups regarding changes in body weight, body fat mass, ASM, or waist circumference. Total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were significantly lower in the eradicated group than in non-eradicated group. Conclusions H. pylori eradication significantly reduced blood pressure, glucose levels, and systemic inflammation and improved lipid profiles in patients aged >45 years. BMI, body fat mass, ASM, and waist circumference did not significantly differ between patients in the eradicated group and those in the non-eradicated group.

This study aimed to investigate changes in candidemia incidence, species distribution, antifungal susceptibility, initial antifungal use, and mortality trends in Korea before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. A retrospective analysis was conducted on candidemia cases from two tertiary care hospitals in Korea between 2017 and 2022. Data were compared between the pre-pandemic (2017-2019) and pandemic (2020-2022) periods. Statistical methods included incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and multivariate Cox regression to assess 30-day mortality risk factors. A total of 470 candidemia cases were identified, with 48.7% occurring pre-pandemic and 51.3% during the pandemic. While the overall incidence of candidemia remained similar across the two periods (IRR 1.15;p=0.13), the incidence in intensive care units (ICUs) significantly increased during the pandemic (IRR 1.50; p<0.01). The distribution of Candida species did not differ significantly between the two periods. Fluconazole non-susceptibility in C. albicans markedly decreased (10.0% vs. 0.9%, p<0.01), whereas C. glabrata exhibited a significant rise in caspofungin non-susceptibility during the pandemic (0% vs. 22.4%, p<0.01).Echinocandin use increased (21.8% vs. 34.4%; p<0.01), while fluconazole use declined (48.0% vs. 32.8%; p<0.01). Although the 30-day mortality rate was higher during the pandemic (60.2% vs. 57.2%), the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.57).The findings highlight the need for region-specific surveillance and tailored management strategies to improve candidemia outcomes, especially during healthcare disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: This study was conducted to update the practice guidelines for intravenous infusion therapy published in 2017, focusing on the most recent evidence for peripheral intravenous infusion therapy. Methods: The guideline update was conducted using the 22-step methodology. Results: The updated guidelines consist of 17 domains and 235 recommendations (including 284 sub-recommendations). The domains are as follows: general instructions (5 items), peripheral catheter selection (7), catheter insertion site selection (11), management during peripheral catheter insertion (10), post-insertion management (30), perfusion and locking (17), blood sampling via peripheral catheters(6), exchange and removal of peripheral catheters (6), infusion set management (14), add-on devices (32), complications (25), chemotherapy infusions (10), PCA infusions (7), parenteral nutrition (20), transfusion therapy (23), education (5), and documentation and reporting (7). The evidence levels for these recommendations are as follows: 27(9.5%) at level I, 3 (1.1%) at level I A/P, 118 (41.5%) at level II, and 136 (47.9%) at level III.Recommendation grades are categorized as follows: 30 (10.6%) at level A, 118 (41.5%) at level B, and 136(47.9%) at level C. Of these, 73 (25.7%) recommendations were newly developed, 49 (17.3%) underwent major revisions, and 147 (51.7%) underwent minor revisions. Conclusion The updated practice guideline, based on the latest evidence, is anticipated to enhance nursing practice related to peripheral intravenous infusion therapy.

Soil microorganisms have been reported to interact with plants, playing key roles such as providingnutrients essential for plant growth and protecting them from plant pathogens. Additionally, various bioactive molecules from soil significantly contribute to controlling diseases threatening human such as cancer and infectious diseases. Considering the crucial roles and potential of these soil microorganisms, the Natural Products Drug Discovery research group (NPDD) at Duksung Women’s University collected soil samples from various environments, isolated fungi from the soil, and aimed to discover bioactive compounds. In this process, 96 fungal strains were cultured on small scale to generate their ethyl acetate extracts, which were subsequently screened for cell viability using MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells. Among them, a subset of 17 with over 60% inhibitory activity were selected as top-performing strains, and other 13 strains with below 60% were chosen for large-scale fermentation candidates by HR-ESI-MS dereplication process to discover new bioactive molecules.Chemical investigation of a part of these large-scale fermentation candidates led to the isolation of 13 major metabolites (1–13), and all isolates were evaluated for their cytotoxicity against MDA-MB-231 cells. As a result, strigaibol C (1), trichoguizaibol J (2), beauvericin (3), and sclerotioramine (13) showed strong inhibitory activities with IC50 values of 0.99, 0.68, 4.25, and 21.8 μM, respectively.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Isoflavones are estrogen-like compounds found in plants and their health effects remain equivocal. We investigated dietary isoflavone intake and its associated factors in Korean breast cancer survivors, with a comparison to cancer-free women. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The usual dietary intake of breast cancer survivors (n = 981, mean age 52 yrs) in 9 hospitals between 2012 and 2019 was assessed using 3-day food records or food frequency questionnaires (FFQs). They were age-matched to 2,943 cancer-free women who completed FFQs as part of a nationwide study conducted between 2012 and 2016. We used the flavonoid database of common Korean foods and the Phenol-Explorer database to estimate isoflavone intake. The contribution of each food or food group to the total isoflavone intake was calculated. The adjusted least-squares means of dietary isoflavone intake according to lifestyle and clinical factors were calculated using generalized linear models. RESULTS: Breast cancer survivors had a higher mean dietary isoflavone intake (23.59 mg/day) than cancer-free women (17.81 mg/day). Major food sources, including tofu, soybeans, and doenjang, contributed to over 70% of the isoflavone intake in both groups. When we estimated dietary isoflavone intake according to lifestyle characteristics, isoflavone intake increased with higher scores of adherence to the American Cancer Society dietary guidelines but decreased with increasing body mass index in both groups. Among cancer-free women, dietary isoflavone intake was higher among those who had never smoked and among dietary supplement users. Among breast cancer survivors, dietary isoflavone intakes did not vary with clinical characteristics, including time since surgery and estrogen receptor status. CONCLUSION Breast cancer survivors were more likely to consume isoflavones than agematched cancer-free women. Dietary isoflavone intake was associated with healthy lifestyle characteristics in women both with and without breast cancer. Further research is needed to understand the role of the higher isoflavone intake among breast cancer survivors compared to cancer-free women on their prognosis.

Synthetic data, generated using advanced artificial intelligence (AI) techniques, replicates the statistical properties of real-world datasets while excluding identifiable information.Although synthetic data does not consist of actual data points, it is derived from original datasets, thereby enabling analyses that yield results comparable to those obtained with real data. Synthetic datasets are evaluated based on their utility—a measure of how effectively they mirror real data for analytical purposes. This paper presents the generation of synthetic datasets through the Healthcare Big Data Showcase Project (2019–2023). The original dataset comprises comprehensive multi-omics data from 400 individuals, including cancer survivors, chronic disease patients, and healthy participants. Synthetic data facilitates efficient access and robust analyses, serving as a practical tool for research and education. It addresses privacy concerns, supports AI research, and provides a foundation for innovative applications across diverse fields, such as public health and precision medicine.

Purpose: The associated factors for hypertensive retinopathy (HTR) are rarely investigated. This study aimed to identify the associated factors for HTR using a systematic review. Methods: The review included cross-sectional, case-controlled, and cohort studies on HTR risk factors published in Korean and English with full texts available from PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and Korean databases. Methodological quality was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) checklist. Results: Eleven studies were finally selected, and three studies including patients with hypertension without diabetes mellitus, older age, male sex, alcohol consumption, the duration of hypertension, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, microalbuminuria, high creatinine levels, chronic kidney disease, and cardiovascular changes were identified as factors associated with HTR. Conversely, in the remaining eight studies, younger age, non-smoking status, and renal function indicators (albuminuria, high creatinine levels, chronic kidney disease, and uric acid) were identified as associated factors. Conclusions Regardless of the inclusion of patients with diabetes mellitus, impaired kidney functions were determined as significant factors associated with retinopathy in patients with HTR. However, considering a limited number of evidence and lack of evidence to confirm causality, we recommend further research on renal function and HTR.

This review examines the challenges associated with occupational disease surveillance in Korea, particularly emphasizing the limitations of current data sources such as the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance (IACI) statistics and special health examinations. The IACI system undercounts cases due to its emphasis on severe diseases and restrictions on approvals. Special health examinations, although they cover a broad workforce, are constrained by their annual scheduling, which leads to missed acute illnesses and subclinical conditions. The paper also explores the history of occupational disease surveillance in Korea, highlighting the fragmented and disease-specific approach of earlier systems. The authors introduce the newly established Korea Occupational Disease Surveillance Center (KODSC), a comprehensive nationwide system designed to gather, analyze, and interpret data on occupational diseases through a network of regional centers. By incorporating hospital-based surveillance and focusing on acute poisonings and other sentinel events, the KODSC aims to overcome the limitations of previous systems and promote collaboration with various agencies. Although it is still in the early stages of implementation, the KODSC demonstrates potential for improving data accuracy and contributing valuable insights for public health policy.