Objectives: In May 2025, clusters of salmonellosis were identified in 7 cities in the Republic of Korea, all associated with consumption of identical bakery products. This investigation aimed to characterize the outbreak, identify potential contributing factors, and inform strategies for preventing similar multi-facility foodborne outbreaks. Methods: A case series study was conducted among individuals who consumed Manufacturer H’s Product I and Product II on May 15–16, 2025 at 7 facilities (n = 1,235). Clinical specimens from symptomatic individuals, retained food samples, and environmental samples were collected and tested. Food-exposure histories were assessed, and active case finding was implemented across all supplied facilities. Traceback investigations were conducted at the manufacturer, distributor, and egg farms. Human and food isolates underwent pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Results: A total of 323 cases met the outbreak case definition (attack rate, 26.2%), of which 48 were laboratory-confirmed. Salmonella Enteritidis was isolated from both clinical specimens and retained bakery products. PFGE patterns were indistinguishable between human and food isolates, and WGS demonstrated high genetic relatedness. These findings confirmed a common-source outbreak linked to the implicated bakery products. Conclusion This outbreak underscores the value of integrating epidemiological investigation, active case finding, and molecular typing to identify common food vehicles in outbreaks involving widely distributed manufactured foods. Coordinated collaboration between public health and food safety authorities is essential for the effective detection, response, and prevention of multi-facility foodborne outbreaks.

Transferrin saturation (TSAT) has been used as an indicator of iron deficiency. However, there is no consensus regarding its optimal range for patient with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We aimed to analyze the effect of TSAT on the prognosis of patients with non-dialysis CKD (NDCKD). Methods: From 2011 to 2016, 2157 NDCKD patients with baseline TSAT measurements were followed for 10 years. Patients were divided into three groups based on baseline TSAT values: <25%, ≥25% and <45%, and ≥45%. All-cause mortality and 4-point major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were analyzed using multivariable Cox regression analysis. Other iron biomarkers and mortality were also analyzed. Results: During a mean follow-up of 7.1 ± 2.9 years, 182 of a total of 2,157 patients (8.4%) died. Compared with the TSAT ≥25% and <45% group, the TSAT <25% group showed significantly increased all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.44; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02–2.03; p = 0.04). The occurrence of 4-point MACE was significantly increased in univariable analysis in the TSAT <25% group (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.02–2.15; p = 0.04), but it was not significant in the multivariable analysis (HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 0.89–2.15; p = 0.15). Tertile comparisons of the iron-to-log-ferritin ratio showed increased mortality in the first tertile group. Conclusion: TSAT <25% is an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in patients with NDCKD and care should be taken to prevent TSAT values of <25%. Other indicators, such as serum iron and iron-to-log-ferritin ratio, may also be used to assess iron deficiency.

Transferrin saturation (TSAT) has been used as an indicator of iron deficiency. However, there is no consensus regarding its optimal range for patient with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We aimed to analyze the effect of TSAT on the prognosis of patients with non-dialysis CKD (NDCKD). Methods: From 2011 to 2016, 2157 NDCKD patients with baseline TSAT measurements were followed for 10 years. Patients were divided into three groups based on baseline TSAT values: <25%, ≥25% and <45%, and ≥45%. All-cause mortality and 4-point major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were analyzed using multivariable Cox regression analysis. Other iron biomarkers and mortality were also analyzed. Results: During a mean follow-up of 7.1 ± 2.9 years, 182 of a total of 2,157 patients (8.4%) died. Compared with the TSAT ≥25% and <45% group, the TSAT <25% group showed significantly increased all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.44; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02–2.03; p = 0.04). The occurrence of 4-point MACE was significantly increased in univariable analysis in the TSAT <25% group (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.02–2.15; p = 0.04), but it was not significant in the multivariable analysis (HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 0.89–2.15; p = 0.15). Tertile comparisons of the iron-to-log-ferritin ratio showed increased mortality in the first tertile group. Conclusion: TSAT <25% is an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in patients with NDCKD and care should be taken to prevent TSAT values of <25%. Other indicators, such as serum iron and iron-to-log-ferritin ratio, may also be used to assess iron deficiency.

Transferrin saturation (TSAT) has been used as an indicator of iron deficiency. However, there is no consensus regarding its optimal range for patient with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We aimed to analyze the effect of TSAT on the prognosis of patients with non-dialysis CKD (NDCKD). Methods: From 2011 to 2016, 2157 NDCKD patients with baseline TSAT measurements were followed for 10 years. Patients were divided into three groups based on baseline TSAT values: <25%, ≥25% and <45%, and ≥45%. All-cause mortality and 4-point major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were analyzed using multivariable Cox regression analysis. Other iron biomarkers and mortality were also analyzed. Results: During a mean follow-up of 7.1 ± 2.9 years, 182 of a total of 2,157 patients (8.4%) died. Compared with the TSAT ≥25% and <45% group, the TSAT <25% group showed significantly increased all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.44; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02–2.03; p = 0.04). The occurrence of 4-point MACE was significantly increased in univariable analysis in the TSAT <25% group (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.02–2.15; p = 0.04), but it was not significant in the multivariable analysis (HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 0.89–2.15; p = 0.15). Tertile comparisons of the iron-to-log-ferritin ratio showed increased mortality in the first tertile group. Conclusion: TSAT <25% is an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in patients with NDCKD and care should be taken to prevent TSAT values of <25%. Other indicators, such as serum iron and iron-to-log-ferritin ratio, may also be used to assess iron deficiency.

Purpose: Patients’ perception of fall risk is a promising new indicator for fall prevention. Therefore, a fall risk perception questionnaire that can be used rapidly and repeatedly in acute care settings is required. This study aimed to develop a short version of the fall risk perception questionnaire (Short-FRPQ) for inpatients. Methods: For the psychometric measurements, 246 inpatients were recruited from an acute care hospital. The construct (using confirmatory factor analysis and discriminant validity of each item), convergent, and known-group validities were tested to determine the validity of the Short-FRPQ. McDonald’s omega coefficient was used to examine the internal consistency of reliability. Results: In the confirmatory factor analysis, the fit indices of the Short-FRPQ, comprising 14 items and three factors, appeared to be satisfactory. The Short-FRPQ had a significantly positive correlation with the original scale, the Korean Falls Efficacy Scale-International, and the Morse Fall Scale. The risk of falls group, assessed using the Morse Fall Scale, had a higher score on the Short-FRPQ. McDonald’s omega coefficient was .90. Conclusion The Short-FRPQ presents good reliability and validity. As patient participation is essential in fall interventions, evaluating the fall risk perception of inpatients quickly and repeatedly using scales of acceptable validity and reliability is necessary.

Purpose: To identify the epidemiological characteristics and risk factors of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) outbreaks depending on the type of educational facility by analyzing the COVID-19 cluster associated with educational facilities. Methods: This study is based on epidemiological investigation of COVID-19 cluster in Gangwon-do, Korea from December 10, 2020 to September 23, 2021 reported to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency’s Integrated Disease and Health Management System. Four hundred seven patients in 19 facilities, classified as cluster related to educational facilities, were the study population. The result of preliminary epidemiology survey report, in-depth epidemiological survey by phone and the result of risk assessment derived from the field epidemiology investigation were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate infectivity and the characteristics of the risk factors. Results: There were total of 407 confirmed patients related to 19 educational facilities, with 204 students under the age of 19 (50.1%). One hundred fifty-five preceding spreaders were from families (38.1%) and 125 were the teachers (30.7%). The place exposed to confirmed patients was the highest with 139 people (34.2%) at home. Conclusions It was confirmed that the cause of the occurrence of clusters related to educational facilities was higher due to family transmission than the risk of facilities in schools. Nevertheless, continuous efforts should be made to control infection in educational facilities, and that teachers’ implementation of principles for prevention of COVID-19 personal hygiene in their daily lives should be strengthened.

Background: The lack of headforms that accurately reflect the head characteristics of Koreans and the demographic composition of the Korean population can lead to inadequate FFR testing and reduced effectiveness of FFRs.MethodDirect measurements of 5,110 individuals and 3D measurements of 2,044 individuals, aged between 9 and 69 years, were sampled from the data pool of Size Korea surveys based on the age and gender ratios of the Korean resident demographics. Seven head dimensions were selected based on the ISO 16976-2, availability of Size Korea measurements, and their relevance to the fit performance of FFRs. A principal component analysis (PCA) was performed using the direct measurements to extract the main factors explaining the head characteristics and then the main factors were standardized and remapped to 3D measurements, creating five size categories representing Korean head shapes. Lastly, representative 3D headforms were constructed by averaging five head shapes for each size category. Results: The study identified two main factors explaining Korean head characteristics by the PCA procedure specified in ISO 16976-2 and developed five representative headforms reflecting the anthropometric features of Korean heads: medium, small, large, short & wide, and long & narrow. Conclusion This study developed representative headforms tailored to the Korean population for conducting total inward leakage (TIL) tests on filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs). The representative headforms can be used for TIL testing by employing robotic headforms to enhance the performance of FFRs for the Korean target population.

Transferrin saturation (TSAT) has been used as an indicator of iron deficiency. However, there is no consensus regarding its optimal range for patient with chronic kidney disease (CKD). We aimed to analyze the effect of TSAT on the prognosis of patients with non-dialysis CKD (NDCKD). Methods: From 2011 to 2016, 2157 NDCKD patients with baseline TSAT measurements were followed for 10 years. Patients were divided into three groups based on baseline TSAT values: <25%, ≥25% and <45%, and ≥45%. All-cause mortality and 4-point major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) were analyzed using multivariable Cox regression analysis. Other iron biomarkers and mortality were also analyzed. Results: During a mean follow-up of 7.1 ± 2.9 years, 182 of a total of 2,157 patients (8.4%) died. Compared with the TSAT ≥25% and <45% group, the TSAT <25% group showed significantly increased all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.44; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.02–2.03; p = 0.04). The occurrence of 4-point MACE was significantly increased in univariable analysis in the TSAT <25% group (HR, 1.48; 95% CI, 1.02–2.15; p = 0.04), but it was not significant in the multivariable analysis (HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 0.89–2.15; p = 0.15). Tertile comparisons of the iron-to-log-ferritin ratio showed increased mortality in the first tertile group. Conclusion: TSAT <25% is an independent risk factor for all-cause mortality in patients with NDCKD and care should be taken to prevent TSAT values of <25%. Other indicators, such as serum iron and iron-to-log-ferritin ratio, may also be used to assess iron deficiency.

Deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) raises ethical and social questions about liver transplantation for patients who are not expected to live. Patients with post-hepatectomy liver failure must have DDLT as soon as possible. Here, we detail a particular dilemma that the transplant team had while deciding whether to harvest liver from a deceased donor in the face of the recipient’s non-reactive, fully dilated pupils while they awaited a liver transplant in the intensive care unit. Despite having fixed dilated pupils during the neurologic evaluation, the patient eventually had effective DDLT, indicating that DDLT should not be done unless there is obvious brain death.