Lomentospora prolificans is a rare opportunistic mold with high intrinsic resistance to most antifungal agents. It causes disseminated infections in immunocompromised patients and localized infections in immunocompetent hosts, often involving the bones, joints, or skin. However, prosthetic joint infections (PJI) due to L. prolificans have not been previously reported.Here, we describe the first case of L. prolificans PJI in an immunocompetent 51-year-old male patients, who had no significant comorbidities other than hypertension. The patient presented with right knee pain and swelling one year after total knee arthroplasty. Cultures of the joint fluid and periprosthetic tissue yielded L. prolificans, as confirmed by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and rRNA gene sequencing. Susceptibility testing showed high minimum inhibitory concentrations for most currently available antifungal agents, including azoles, amphotericin B, echinocandins, and terbinafine. Despite prosthesis removal, multiple surgical debridements, and prolonged antifungal therapy, including voriconazole and terbinafine, the infection persisted over a five-year period.Amputation was discussed as a potential curative measure; however, no consensus has been reached due to its long-term impact. This case highlights the clinical challenges of managing L. prolificans PJI and underscores the need for novel antifungal therapies to treat rare drugresistant fungal infections.

Background: and Purpose: The SoUth Korea study to PrEvent cognitive impaiRment and protect BRAIN health through lifestyle intervention (SUPERBRAIN) proved the feasibility of multidomain intervention for elderly people. One-quarter of the Korean population over 65 years of age has mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Digital health interventions may be costeffective and have fewer spatial constraints. We aim to examine the efficacy of a multidomain intervention through both face-to-face interactions and video communication platforms using a tablet personal computer (PC) application in MCI. Methods: Three hundred participants aged 60–85 years, with MCI and at least one modifiable dementia risk factor, will be recruited from 17 centers and randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to the multidomain intervention and the waiting-list control groups. Participants will receive the 24-week intervention through the tablet PC SUPERBRAIN application, which encompasses the following five elements: managing metabolic and vascular risk factors, cognitive training,physical exercise, nutritional guidance, and boosting motivation. Participants will attend the interventions at a facility every 1–2 weeks. They will also engage in one or two self-administered cognitive training sessions utilizing the tablet PC application at home each week. They will participate in twice or thrice weekly online exercise sessions at home via the ZOOM platform. The primary outcome will be the change in the total scale index score of the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status from baseline to study end. Conclusions This study will inform the effectiveness of a comprehensive multidomain intervention utilizing digital technologies in MCI.

Background: Hand hygiene is considered the simplest and most cost-effective method of infection prevention. Regular observation and feedback on hand hygiene compliance are key strategies for its enhancement. This study evaluated the effectiveness of hand hygiene surveillance, including direct observation and feedback, by comprehensively analyzing the reported hand hygiene compliance within the Korean National Healthcare-Associated Infections Surveillance System from 2019 to 2022. Methods: Participating medical institutions included general hospitals and hospitals with infection control departments that consented to participate. Hand hygiene surveillance was conducted using direct observation. Collected data, including healthcare workers, clinical areas, hand hygiene moments, and hand hygiene compliance, were recorded to calculate hand hygiene compliance rates. Additionally, the volume of alcohol-based hand sanitizers used per patient per day was investigated as an indirect indicator of hand hygiene compliance. The study was conducted from July 2019 to December 2022. Results: Hand hygiene compliance increased from 87.2% in Q3 2019 to 89.9% in 2022. Nurses and medical technologists showed the highest compliance rates, whereas doctors showed the lowest compliance rates. Intensive care units excelled in compliance, whereas emergency de partments lagged. Compliance was highest after patient contact and lowest when the patient’s surroundings were touched. Larger hospitals consumed more alcohol-based hand sanitizers than smaller hospitals did. Conclusion This study confirmed an improvement in hand hygiene compliance through sustained surveillance, indicating its contribution not only to preventing infection transfer within healthcare facilities but also to fostering a culture of hand hygiene in the country.

Background/Aims: To compare the effects of abatacept and conventional synthetic disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) on the progression and development of rheumatoid arthritis-associated interstitial lung disease (RA-ILD). Methods: This multi-center retrospective study included RA patients receiving abatacept or csDMARDs who underwent at least two pulmonary function tests and/or chest high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT). We compared the following outcomes between the groups: progression of RA-ILD, development of new ILD in RA patients without ILD at baseline, 28-joint Disease Activity Score with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (DAS28-ESR), and safety. Longitudinal changes were compared between the groups by using a generalized estimating equation. Results: The study included 123 patients who were treated with abatacept (n = 59) or csDMARDs (n = 64). Nineteen (32.2%) and 38 (59.4%) patients treated with abatacept and csDMARDs, respectively, presented with RA-ILD at baseline. Newly developed ILD occurred in one patient receiving triple csDMARDs for 32 months. Among patients with RA-ILD at baseline, ILD progressed in 21.1% of cases treated with abatacept and 34.2% of cases treated with csDMARDs during a median 21-month follow-up. Longitudinal changes in forced vital capacity and diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide were comparable between the two groups. However, the abatacept group showed a more significant decrease in DAS28-ESR and glucocorticoid doses than csDMARDs group during the follow-up. The safety of both regimens was comparable. Conclusions Abatacept and csDMARDs showed comparable effects on the development and stabilization of RA-ILD. Nevertheless, compared to csDMARDs, abatacept demonstrated a significant improvement in disease activity and led to reduced glucocorticoid use.

The decision to discontinue intensive care unit (ICU) treatment during the end-oflife stage has recently become a significant concern in Korea, with an observed increase in life-sustaining treatment (LST) withdrawal. There is a growing demand for evidence-based support for patients, families, and clinicians in making LST decisions. This study aimed to identify factors influencing LST decisions in ICU inpatients and to analyze their impact on healthcare utilization. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of ICU patients with neurological disorders, infectious disorders, or cancer who were treated at a single university hospital between January 1, 2019 and July 7, 2021. Factors influencing the decision to withdraw LST were compared between those who withdrew LST and those who did not. Results: Among 54,699 hospital admissions, LST was withdrawn in 550 cases (1%). Cancer was the most common diagnosis, followed by pneumonia and cerebral infarction. Among ICU inpatients, LST was withdrawn from 215 (withdrawal group). The withdrawal group was older (78 vs. 75 years, P=0.002), had longer total hospital stays (16 vs. 11 days, P<0.001), and higher ICU readmission rates than the control group. There were no significant differences in the healthcare costs of ICU stay between the two groups. Most LST decisions (86%) were made by family. Conclusions: The decisions to withdraw LST of ICU inpatients were influenced by age, readmission, and disease category. ICU costs were similar between the withdrawal and control groups. Further research is needed to tailor LST decisions in the ICU.

The decision to discontinue intensive care unit (ICU) treatment during the end-oflife stage has recently become a significant concern in Korea, with an observed increase in life-sustaining treatment (LST) withdrawal. There is a growing demand for evidence-based support for patients, families, and clinicians in making LST decisions. This study aimed to identify factors influencing LST decisions in ICU inpatients and to analyze their impact on healthcare utilization. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of ICU patients with neurological disorders, infectious disorders, or cancer who were treated at a single university hospital between January 1, 2019 and July 7, 2021. Factors influencing the decision to withdraw LST were compared between those who withdrew LST and those who did not. Results: Among 54,699 hospital admissions, LST was withdrawn in 550 cases (1%). Cancer was the most common diagnosis, followed by pneumonia and cerebral infarction. Among ICU inpatients, LST was withdrawn from 215 (withdrawal group). The withdrawal group was older (78 vs. 75 years, P=0.002), had longer total hospital stays (16 vs. 11 days, P<0.001), and higher ICU readmission rates than the control group. There were no significant differences in the healthcare costs of ICU stay between the two groups. Most LST decisions (86%) were made by family. Conclusions: The decisions to withdraw LST of ICU inpatients were influenced by age, readmission, and disease category. ICU costs were similar between the withdrawal and control groups. Further research is needed to tailor LST decisions in the ICU.

The decision to discontinue intensive care unit (ICU) treatment during the end-oflife stage has recently become a significant concern in Korea, with an observed increase in life-sustaining treatment (LST) withdrawal. There is a growing demand for evidence-based support for patients, families, and clinicians in making LST decisions. This study aimed to identify factors influencing LST decisions in ICU inpatients and to analyze their impact on healthcare utilization. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of ICU patients with neurological disorders, infectious disorders, or cancer who were treated at a single university hospital between January 1, 2019 and July 7, 2021. Factors influencing the decision to withdraw LST were compared between those who withdrew LST and those who did not. Results: Among 54,699 hospital admissions, LST was withdrawn in 550 cases (1%). Cancer was the most common diagnosis, followed by pneumonia and cerebral infarction. Among ICU inpatients, LST was withdrawn from 215 (withdrawal group). The withdrawal group was older (78 vs. 75 years, P=0.002), had longer total hospital stays (16 vs. 11 days, P<0.001), and higher ICU readmission rates than the control group. There were no significant differences in the healthcare costs of ICU stay between the two groups. Most LST decisions (86%) were made by family. Conclusions: The decisions to withdraw LST of ICU inpatients were influenced by age, readmission, and disease category. ICU costs were similar between the withdrawal and control groups. Further research is needed to tailor LST decisions in the ICU.

The decision to discontinue intensive care unit (ICU) treatment during the end-oflife stage has recently become a significant concern in Korea, with an observed increase in life-sustaining treatment (LST) withdrawal. There is a growing demand for evidence-based support for patients, families, and clinicians in making LST decisions. This study aimed to identify factors influencing LST decisions in ICU inpatients and to analyze their impact on healthcare utilization. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed medical records of ICU patients with neurological disorders, infectious disorders, or cancer who were treated at a single university hospital between January 1, 2019 and July 7, 2021. Factors influencing the decision to withdraw LST were compared between those who withdrew LST and those who did not. Results: Among 54,699 hospital admissions, LST was withdrawn in 550 cases (1%). Cancer was the most common diagnosis, followed by pneumonia and cerebral infarction. Among ICU inpatients, LST was withdrawn from 215 (withdrawal group). The withdrawal group was older (78 vs. 75 years, P=0.002), had longer total hospital stays (16 vs. 11 days, P<0.001), and higher ICU readmission rates than the control group. There were no significant differences in the healthcare costs of ICU stay between the two groups. Most LST decisions (86%) were made by family. Conclusions: The decisions to withdraw LST of ICU inpatients were influenced by age, readmission, and disease category. ICU costs were similar between the withdrawal and control groups. Further research is needed to tailor LST decisions in the ICU.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the knowledge, opinions, competence, and barriers of nurses providing trauma-informed care (TIC) to children in hospitals. Methods: Data were collected from 198 nurses nationwide using the TIC Provider Survey developed by the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress in July, 2024. Descriptive statistics, t tests, and one-way ANOVA were conducted using the IBM SPSS Statistics software (ver. 23.0, IBM Corp.). Results: Of the 13 items assessing knowledge of TIC, seven had a correct response rate of over 90%. However, the correct response rate for these three items were less than 30%. Regarding opinions on the TIC, more than 90% of participants agreed with five of the seven items. In self-rated competence in providing TIC, they were not competent in responding to a child’s (or parent’s) questions about whether the child is going to die or understanding how traumatic stress may present differently according to developmental stages. The major barriers to providing TIC were time constraints, lack of training, and organizational support. Items with relatively low performance rates were ‘teach parents what to say to their child after a difficult/sick/scary experience, and teach child or parents the specific ways to cope with unpleasant experiences’. Conclusion This study suggests that it can contribute to the development of specific guidelines for nurses to effectively apply TIC in pediatric and family nursing practice, emphasizing the need for educational programs to support this implementation.

BACKGROUND: Human endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) were first identified in the peripheral blood and later in the cord blood and bone marrow (BM) with different vascularization capacity and different surface marker profiles. However, their identity and functional roles in neovascularization have not been clearly demonstrated in vivo and in vitro. METHODS: Characterization of BM-EPC like cells were performed by fluorescence-activated cell sorting, immunofluorescence staining, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, Matrigel tube formation assay, and western blot analysis. RESULTS: BM-EPC like cells were identified by selective adhesion to fibronectin and collagen from BM mononuclear cells, which generate fast-growing colonies with spindle morphology, express surface markers of CD105, vWF, UEA-I lectin binding, secrete HGF, VEGF, TGF-beta1 but can be distinguished from circulating EPC and endothelial cells by no expression of surface markers such as CD31, CD309, CD45, and CD34. These BM-EPC like cells shared many cell surface markers of BM-mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) but also can be distinguished by their vasculogenic property and other unique surface markers. Furthermore, the vasculogenic capacity of BM-EPC like cells were enhanced by co-culture of BMMSC or PDGF-BB priming. PDGF-BB stimulated cell migration, proliferation, and secretion of laminin b-1, which was proposed as one of the mechanisms involved in the better vascularization of BM-EPC like cells. CONCLUSION PDGF-BB priming may be applied to improve the potency and function of BM-EPC like cells as vasculogenic cell therapy for the ischemic vascular repair.