OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare maternal outcomes and the home environment between non‑vulnerable families with children under 2 receiving universal home visiting services and vulnerable families receiving sustained home visiting services. METHODS: This study was conducted in Seoul, Korea, where the country’s first nurse‑led early childhood home visiting program was introduced. A total of 551 mother‑child dyads participated in cross‑sectional surveys conducted at various child ages (6±2 weeks, 6±1 months, 12±1 months, and 24±1 months). Universal home visiting services were provided within six weeks postpartum to non‑vulnerable families, while vulnerable families received sustained services consisting of 25 visits over 24 months. Maternal knowledge of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and childcare, maternal distress, and the Korean Infant‑Toddler Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (K‑IT‑HOME) were assessed. RESULTS: Overall, the universal home visitation group demonstrated higher levels of maternal knowledge regarding SIDS and childcare compared to the sustained home visitation group (all p-values <0.05), while the sustained home visitation group reported higher levels of maternal distress (p<0.001). The total K‑IT‑HOME score was 1.47 points higher in the universal home visitation group than in the sustained home visitation group (p<0.001). No significant differences were observed in the acceptance, organization, or involvement subscales of the K‑IT‑HOME (all p-values >0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that disparities in maternal outcomes and home environments persisted in early childhood between the sustained and universal home visitation groups.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare maternal outcomes and the home environment between non‑vulnerable families with children under 2 receiving universal home visiting services and vulnerable families receiving sustained home visiting services. METHODS: This study was conducted in Seoul, Korea, where the country’s first nurse‑led early childhood home visiting program was introduced. A total of 551 mother‑child dyads participated in cross‑sectional surveys conducted at various child ages (6±2 weeks, 6±1 months, 12±1 months, and 24±1 months). Universal home visiting services were provided within six weeks postpartum to non‑vulnerable families, while vulnerable families received sustained services consisting of 25 visits over 24 months. Maternal knowledge of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and childcare, maternal distress, and the Korean Infant‑Toddler Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (K‑IT‑HOME) were assessed. RESULTS: Overall, the universal home visitation group demonstrated higher levels of maternal knowledge regarding SIDS and childcare compared to the sustained home visitation group (all p-values <0.05), while the sustained home visitation group reported higher levels of maternal distress (p<0.001). The total K‑IT‑HOME score was 1.47 points higher in the universal home visitation group than in the sustained home visitation group (p<0.001). No significant differences were observed in the acceptance, organization, or involvement subscales of the K‑IT‑HOME (all p-values >0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that disparities in maternal outcomes and home environments persisted in early childhood between the sustained and universal home visitation groups.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare maternal outcomes and the home environment between non‑vulnerable families with children under 2 receiving universal home visiting services and vulnerable families receiving sustained home visiting services. METHODS: This study was conducted in Seoul, Korea, where the country’s first nurse‑led early childhood home visiting program was introduced. A total of 551 mother‑child dyads participated in cross‑sectional surveys conducted at various child ages (6±2 weeks, 6±1 months, 12±1 months, and 24±1 months). Universal home visiting services were provided within six weeks postpartum to non‑vulnerable families, while vulnerable families received sustained services consisting of 25 visits over 24 months. Maternal knowledge of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and childcare, maternal distress, and the Korean Infant‑Toddler Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (K‑IT‑HOME) were assessed. RESULTS: Overall, the universal home visitation group demonstrated higher levels of maternal knowledge regarding SIDS and childcare compared to the sustained home visitation group (all p-values <0.05), while the sustained home visitation group reported higher levels of maternal distress (p<0.001). The total K‑IT‑HOME score was 1.47 points higher in the universal home visitation group than in the sustained home visitation group (p<0.001). No significant differences were observed in the acceptance, organization, or involvement subscales of the K‑IT‑HOME (all p-values >0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that disparities in maternal outcomes and home environments persisted in early childhood between the sustained and universal home visitation groups.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to compare maternal outcomes and the home environment between non‑vulnerable families with children under 2 receiving universal home visiting services and vulnerable families receiving sustained home visiting services. METHODS: This study was conducted in Seoul, Korea, where the country’s first nurse‑led early childhood home visiting program was introduced. A total of 551 mother‑child dyads participated in cross‑sectional surveys conducted at various child ages (6±2 weeks, 6±1 months, 12±1 months, and 24±1 months). Universal home visiting services were provided within six weeks postpartum to non‑vulnerable families, while vulnerable families received sustained services consisting of 25 visits over 24 months. Maternal knowledge of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and childcare, maternal distress, and the Korean Infant‑Toddler Home Observation for Measurement of Environment (K‑IT‑HOME) were assessed. RESULTS: Overall, the universal home visitation group demonstrated higher levels of maternal knowledge regarding SIDS and childcare compared to the sustained home visitation group (all p-values <0.05), while the sustained home visitation group reported higher levels of maternal distress (p<0.001). The total K‑IT‑HOME score was 1.47 points higher in the universal home visitation group than in the sustained home visitation group (p<0.001). No significant differences were observed in the acceptance, organization, or involvement subscales of the K‑IT‑HOME (all p-values >0.05). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrated that disparities in maternal outcomes and home environments persisted in early childhood between the sustained and universal home visitation groups.

This study aimed to explore the participation experiences of patients with type 2 diabetes in an Automated Personalized Self-Care program, assess the changes in self-care behavior and glycemic control, and evaluate the stages of change and readiness to change using the transtheoretical model (TTM). Methods: We examined 16 patients with type 2 diabetes who participated in a diabetes self-care program using a mobile application. Purposive sampling continued until data saturation. Using a mixed method study, we analyzed the participants’ characteristics, self-care behavior, stage of change, and readiness to change quantitatively and analyzed the qualitative data using Elo and Kyngas’s content analysis method. Results: The compliance group (CG) showed improved self-care behavior and glycemic control. In the CG, the proportion of participants in the action stage was higher in the exercise and diet domains and lower in the blood glucose testing and medication domains than in the non-compliance group (NCG). Readiness to change, motivation for health behaviors, and social motivation were higher in the CG, whereas personal motivation was higher in the NCG. In this qualitative study, three categories and 11 subcategories were identified. The findings suggest the CG regarded their experience in the program more frequently as positive, whereas the NCG perceived greater barriers to using the mobile application in the program. Conclusion: Based on the differences identified between the CG and NCG, TTM-based strategies are needed to facilitate the progression of NCG to the action stage.

Purpose: Providing continuous self-care support to the growing diabetes population is challenging. Strategies are needed to enhance engagement in self-care, utilizing innovative technologies for personalized feedback. This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the Automated Personalized Self-Care program among type 2 diabetes patients and evaluate its preliminary effectiveness. Methods: A parallel randomized pilot trial with qualitative interviews occurred from May 3, 2022, to September 27, 2022. Participants aged 40e69 years with type 2 diabetes and HbA1c ! 7.0% were recruited. The three-month program involved automated personalized goal setting, education, monitoring, and feedback. Feasibility was measured by participants' engagement and intervention usability. Preliminary effectiveness was examined through self-care self-efficacy, self-care behaviors, and health outcomes. Qualitative interviews were conducted with the intervention group. Results: A total of 404 patients were screened. Out of the 61 eligible patients, 32 were enrolled, resulting in a recruitment rate of 52.5%. Retention rates at three months were 84.2% and 84.6% in the intervention and control groups, respectively. Among the intervention group, 81.3% satisfied adherence criteria.Mobile application's usability scored 66.25, and participants' satisfaction was 8.06. Intention-to-treat analysis showed improvements in self-measured blood glucose testing, grain intake, and HbA1c in the intervention group. Qualitative content analysis identified nine themes. Conclusion Feasibility of the program was verified. A larger randomized controlled trial is needed to determine its effectiveness in self-care self-efficacy, self-care behaviors, and health outcomes among type 2 diabetes patients. This study offers insights for optimizing future trials assessing clinical effectiveness.

Background: Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammation are reported to have a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, a leading cause of acute kidney injury. The present study investigated the role of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 4 (PDK4) in ROS production and inflammation following IR injury. Methods: We used a streptozotocin-induced diabetic C57BL6/J mouse model, which was subjected to IR by clamping both renal pedicles. Cellular apoptosis and inflammatory markers were evaluated in NRK-52E cells and mouse primary tubular cells after hypoxia and reoxygenation using a hypoxia work station. Results: Following IR injury in diabetic mice, the expression of PDK4, rather than the other PDK isoforms, was induced with a marked increase in pyruvate dehydrogenase E1α (PDHE1α) phosphorylation. This was accompanied by a pronounced ROS activation, as well as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) production. Notably, sodium dichloroacetate (DCA) attenuated renal IR injury-induced apoptosis which can be attributed to reducing PDK4 expression and PDHE1α phosphorylation levels. DCA or shPdk4 treatment reduced oxidative stress and decreased TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β, and MCP-1 production after IR or hypoxia-reoxygenation injury. Conclusion PDK4 inhibition alleviated renal injury with decreased ROS production and inflammation, supporting a critical role for PDK4 in IR mediated damage. This result indicates another potential target for reno-protection during IR injury; accordingly, the role of PDK4 inhibition needs to be comprehensively elucidated in terms of mitochondrial function during renal IR injury.

Purpose: This study is intended to examine the difficulties facing mothers of young children (early childhood) and to understand the associated factors.Method: We analyzed 1,003 data items of women with children under age 2 who participated in a prenatal and early-childhood home visitation program in Seoul from 2016 to 2019. For our research, we used self-administered registration and service monitoring data. The difficulties the women faced as mothers were measured using the “Being a Mother Scale” (BaM-13). This analysis considered covariates including maternal and infant ages, their number of children, economic conditions, presence of disabilities, single motherhood, multicultural migration background, employment status, unintended pregnancy, instrumental and emotional support, and depression scores. Results: The average score for being a mother was 14.45 (standard deviation=6.61), and higher scores were recorded for women with spouses, Korean women (as opposed to multicultural immigrant women), women whose pregnancies were unplanned, women without instrumental support, and severely depressed women. Conclusion Motherhood poses great difficulties to women with children under age two. To help women transition from motherhood, it is important to understand their situations in relation to their social and psychological characteristics, as well as the cultural, social, and contextual perspectives they bring to motherhood.

Background: The ratio of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) based on cystatin C and creatinine (eGFRcystatin C/eGFRcreatinine ratio) is related to accumulating atherosclerosis-promoting proteins and increased mortality in several cohorts. Methods: We assessed whether the eGFRcystatin C/eGFRcreatinine ratio is a predictor of arterial stiffness and sub-clinical atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients, who were followed up during 2008 to 2016. GFR was estimated using an equation based on cystatin C and creatinine. Results: A total of 860 patients were stratified according to their eGFRcystatin C/eGFRcreatinine ratio (i.e., <0.9, 0.9–1.1 [a reference group], and >1.1). Intima-media thickness was comparable among the groups; however, presence of carotid plaque was frequent in the <0.9 group (<0.9 group, 38.3%; 0.9–1.1 group, 21.6% vs. >1.1 group, 17.2%, P<0.001). Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was faster in the <0.9 group (<0.9 group, 1,656.3±333.0 cm/sec; 0.9–1.1 group, 1,550.5±294.8 cm/sec vs. >1.1 group, 1,494.0±252.2 cm/sec, P<0.001). On comparing the <0.9 group with the 0.9–1.1 group, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratios of prevalence of high baPWV and carotid plaque were 2.54 (P=0.007) and 1.95 (P=0.042), respectively. Cox regression analysis demonstrated near or over 3-fold higher risks of the prevalence of high baPWV and carotid plaque in the <0.9 group without chronic kidney disease (CKD). Conclusion We concluded that eGFRcystatin C/eGFRcreatinine ratio <0.9 was related to an increased risk of high baPWV and carotid plaque in T2DM patients, especially, those without CKD. Careful monitoring of cardiovascular disease is needed for T2DM patients with low eGFRcystatin C/eGFRcreatinine ratio.

Objectives: Intraoperative navigation reduces the risk of major complications and increases the likelihood of optimal surgical outcomes. This paper presents an augmented reality (AR)-based simulation technique for ventriculostomy that visualizes brain deformations caused by the movements of a surgical instrument in a three-dimensional brain model. This is achieved by utilizing a position-based dynamics (PBD) physical deformation method on a preoperative brain image. Methods: An infrared camera-based AR surgical environment aligns the real-world space with a virtual space and tracks the surgical instruments. For a realistic representation and reduced simulation computation load, a hybrid geometric model is employed, which combines a high-resolution mesh model and a multiresolution tetrahedron model. Collision handling is executed when a collision between the brain and surgical instrument is detected. Constraints are used to preserve the properties of the soft body and ensure stable deformation. Results: The experiment was conducted once in a phantom environment and once in an actual surgical environment. The tasks of inserting the surgical instrument into the ventricle using only the navigation information presented through the smart glasses and verifying the drainage of cerebrospinal fluid were evaluated. These tasks were successfully completed, as indicated by the drainage, and the deformation simulation speed averaged 18.78 fps. Conclusions This experiment confirmed that the AR-based method for external ventricular drain surgery was beneficial to clinicians.