Background: Propofol-based total intravenous anesthesia (TIVA) improves long-term outcomes after cancer surgery compared with inhalation anesthesia. However, its effect on patients undergoing non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) surgery remains unclear. We aimed to compare the oncological outcomes of TIVA and inhalation anesthesia after curative resection of early-stage NSCLC. Methods: We analyzed the medical records of patients diagnosed with stage I or II NSCLC who underwent curative resection at a tertiary university hospital between January 2010 and December 2017. The primary outcomes were recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) according to anesthesia type. Results: We included 1,508 patients with stage I/II NSCLC. The patients were divided into the TIVA (n = 980) and Inhalation (n = 528) groups. The two groups were well-balanced in terms of baseline clinical characteristics. The TIVA group demonstrated significantly improved RFS (7.7 years, 95% CI [7.37, 8.02]) compared with the Inhalation group (6.8 years, 95% CI [6.30, 7.22], P = 0.003). Similarly, TIVA was superior to inhalation agents with respect to OS (median OS; 8.4 years, 95% CI [8.08, 8.69] vs. 7.3 years, 95% CI [6.81, 7.71]; P < 0.001). Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that TIVA was an independent prognostic factor related to recurrence (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.24, 95% CI [1.04, 1.47], P = 0.014) and OS (HR: 1.39, 95% CI [1.12, 1.72], P = 0.002). Conclusions Propofol-based TIVA was associated with better RFS and OS than inhalation anesthesia in patients with stage I/II NSCLC who underwent curative resection.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the impact of baseline values and temporal changes in body composition parameters, including skeletal muscle index (SMI) and visceral adipose tissue area (VAT), measured using serial computed tomography (CT) imaging on the prognosis of operable breast cancers in Asian patients. Materials and Methods: This study retrospectively included 627 Asian female (mean age ± standard deviation [SD], 53.6 ± 8.3 years) who underwent surgery for stage I–III breast cancer between January 2011 and September 2012. Body composition parameters, including SMI and VAT, were semi-automatically calculated on baseline abdominal CT at the time of diagnosis and follow-up CT for post-treatment surveillance. Serial changes in SMI and VAT were calculated as the delta values. Multivariable Cox regression analysis was used to evaluate the association of baseline and delta SMI and VAT values with disease-free survival. Results: Among 627 patients, 56 patients (9.2%) had breast cancer recurrence after a median of 40.5 months. The mean value ± SD of the baseline SMI and baseline VAT were 43.7 ± 5.8 cm2 /m2 and 72.0 ± 46.0 cm2 , respectively. The mean value of the delta SMI was -0.9 cm2 /m2 and the delta VAT was 0.5 cm2 . The baseline SMI and VAT were not significantly associated with disease-free survival (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.983; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.937–1.031; p = 0.475 and adjusted HR, 1.001; 95% CI, 0.995–1.006; p = 0.751, respectively). The delta SMI and VAT were also not significantly associated with disease-free survival (adjusted HR, 0.894; 95% CI, 0.766–1.043; p = 0.155 and adjusted HR, 1.001; 95% CI, 0.989–1.014; p = 0.848, respectively). Conclusion Our study revealed that baseline and early temporal changes in SMI and VAT were not independent prognostic factors regarding disease-free survival in Asian patients undergoing surgery for breast cancer.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate factors related to long-term length of stay (LOS) of patients with chronic diseases in Korean veterans hospitals. Methods: The subjects were 196 elderly patients with chronic disease staying in the hospital for more than 10 days, Data were collected by the survey of patients with structured questionnaires and medical records review by nurses from July 15 to August 10, 2019. Collected data were analyzed using t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression. Results: The present and desired LOS were 37.78±32.66 days and 60.87±45.95 days, respectively. Factors affecting hospital LOS were found to be main disease (genitourinary) (p<.001), assistance in activities of daily living (p<.001), area of hospital (p<.001), payment of medical fees (p=.026), hospital satisfaction (p=.036) and the explanatory power of these variables was 26.4%. The most common health problems that need to be solved after discharge were symptom alleviation and health promotion.These problems can be solved using community-based facility services or visiting medical-welfare services (especially home care nursing). Conclusion In order to reduce hospital LOS, the following measures are required: personalized self-management education, provision of transportation services for dialysis therapy of inactive patients, linking patients with visiting medical-welfare services including home care nursing and mobile healthcare services, operation of the case management system including the notice of the discharge date at admission, interim check of patient status, and connecting the patient with community resources or transferring the patient to long-term care facilities at discharge.

Currently, antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a major threat to global public health. The antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) has been proposed as an important approach to overcome this crisis. ASP supports the optimal use of antimicrobials, including appropriate dosing decisions, administration duration, and administration routes. In Korea, efforts are being made to overcome AMR using ASPs as a national policy. The current study aimed to develop core elements of ASP that could be introduced in domestic medical facilities. A Delphi survey was conducted twice to select the core elements through expert consensus.The core elements for implementing the ASP included (1) leadership commitment, (2) operating system, (3) action, (4) tracking, (5) reporting, and (6) education. To ensure these core elements are present at medical facilities, multiple departments must collaborate as teams for ASP operations. Establishing a reimbursement system and a workforce for ASPs are prerequisites for implementing ASPs. To ensure that ASP core elements are actively implemented in medical facilities, it is necessary to provide financial support for ASPs in medical facilities, nurture the healthcare workforce in performing ASPs, apply the core elements to healthcare accreditation, and provide incentives to medical facilities by quality evaluation criteria.

Objective: This study was to evaluate the effectiveness of an individually tailored program based on self-measurement of blood glucose on health behavior and HbA1c in diabetes and pre-diabetes patients. Methods: The program consisted of seven sessions for 12 weeks which were carried out every two weeks. Almost all sessions were progressed on untact method except for the first and last session. The 71 subjects were assessed for their knowledge of diabetes, health behavior, the experience of self-measurement of blood glucose, body mass Index (BMI) and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) at before and after the program. They were also evaluated on their degree of utilization of blood glucose measurements after the program. Results: Each mean score on their knowledge of diabetes, health behavior and the experience of self-measurement of blood glucose was significantly increased from 14.77, 25.50, and 2.70 to 15.41, 28.40, and 4.81, respectively. Each mean score on both BMI and HbA1c (n=53) was significantly decreased from 24.47kg/m2 and 7.27% to 24.01kg/m2 and 6.67%, respectively. The post-HbA1c had a significant negative correlation(r=-0.415) with the degree of utilization of blood glucose measurements. The degree of utilization of blood glucose measurements had a significant positive correlation(r=0.581) with post-health behavior. Conclusions The program shows effectiveness in improving HbA1c in Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes patients. The post-HbA1c might be related to the degree of utilization of blood glucose measurements which might be related to the health behavior.

Purpose: This study aimed to develop a Core Competency Scale for clinical nursing student educators. Methods: In this study, we constructed a conceptual framework, selected initial items, verified the content validity, conducted two rounds of Delphi expert consultation, selected secondary and tertiary items, and extracted the final items. The study included 242 clinical educators for nursing students. Item analysis, factor analysis, criterion validity, and internal consistency were used for the data analyses. Results: For the final scale, 35 items were selected and 5 factors were categorized, which together explain 61.7% of the total variance. The factors were education and evaluation, research and cooperation, ethical/legal principles, presenting leadership, and clinical practice. The scores for the scale significantly correlated with the teaching efficacy scale for clinical nursing instructors. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the 35 items was .96. Conclusion The findings of this study demonstrated that the core competency scale has good validity and reliability. This scale can be used to assess the competency of clinical educators for nursing students; hence, it will help in evaluating the relationship between the skills of clinical educators for nursing students and the self-efficacy of those students.

Background: and Purpose: Neural stem cells (NSCs) have the ability to regenerate, proliferate, and differentiate, enabling them to play important roles in the recovery of the damaged nervous system. However, in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), the NSCs are damaged as well. Glia-like cells from human mesenchymal stem cells (ghMSCs) are functionally enhanced adult stem cells. In the present study, we investigated whether ghMSCs could protect NSCs from amyloid beta (Aβ)-mediated toxicity. Methods: Rat NSCs were obtained from E13–14 fetal rat cortices. NSCs were seeded in pre-coated plates, and the next day, cells were simultaneously treated with 20 μM Aβ and 0.4 μm pore insert well-seeded ghMSCs. After 48 hours of co-treatment, cell viability and proliferation were evaluated. After 2 hours of co-treatment, western blotting was performed to measure inflammasome-related factors, such as NOD-like receptor family pyrin domain containing 3, caspase-1, and interleukin-1β. Results: The results showed that ghMSCs increased viability and proliferation and reduced the toxicity of NSCs injured by Aβ by reducing the NRLP3 inflammasome activation of NSCs induced by Aβ. Conclusions In this study, we confirmed that ghMSCs could protect NSCs in an in vitro model of AD through the regulation of inflammatory response.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical practice patterns of Korean obstetricians and gynecologists the diagnosis and management of hypertensive disease in pregnant women. Methods: From April 2015 to October 2015, questionnaire was distributed via email to obstetricians who were members of the Society for Maternal and Fetal Medicine. The survey consisted of 37 questions in 6 categories. Responses to the questions on the management of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, from diagnosis to treatment, were evaluated. Results: A total of 93 obstetricians and gynecologists responded to the survey. High blood pressure was allocated the highest priority as an index mainly used when deciding to hospitalize patients with hypertensive disease during pregnancy, followed by pregnancy symptoms, proteinuria, and blood test results. Calcium channel blocker (CCB) for oral administration and hydralazine for injection were preferred as antihypertensive drugs mainly used to control severe hypertension. Regarding the delivery method for hypertensive disease during pregnancy, in cases of preeclampsia, 63% of the respondents chose the delivery method according to the cervical status, and in cases of hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes and low platelets (HELLP) syndrome and eclampsia, which increased in severity, 52% and 31% responded that the delivery method was determined according to the cervical status, respectively. In cases of mild preeclampsia, the 70% of respondents preferred 37–38 weeks of gestation for the delivery time. Regarding the use of aspirin in patient with hypertension during pregnancy, 52% of the respondents occasionally administered aspirin, and in patients with a history of hypertensive disease during pregnancy, only 43% were administered prophylactic aspirin. Conclusion Domestic obstetricians regarded blood pressure as the most meaningful factor when treating women with hypertension during pregnancy and considered blood pressure control as important. The preferred antihypertensive agents were oral CCB and hydralazine injections, and the choice of delivery method was determined according to the condition of the cervix and severity of the disease. Even in women with high risk factors for preeclampsia, prophylactic aspirin was administered in as low as 50%, of patients, possibly may due to the absence of domestic guidelines for aspirin use during pregnancy. Korean guidelines for prophylactic aspirin administration during pregnancy is needed based on additional research on the efficacy of aspirin for domestic women in the future.

Purpose: This study aimed to conduct a job analysis of nurse carecoordinators and to identify the frequency, importance and difficulty of each task of their job. Methods: A committee for developing a curriculum (DACUM) was formed and members of the committee defined nurse care coordinators’ jobs and enumerated the duties, tasks and task elements by applying the DACUM technique. Then nurse care coordinators enrolled in the pilot project evaluated the frequency, importance and difficulty of each task. Results: From the job descriptions of nurse care coordinators, we identified 12 duties and 42 tasks. Each task comprised 1~5 task elements. Among tasks, ‘assess the patient’s general health status’ was carried out most frequently. Nurse care coordinators perceived that ‘check vital signs’ and ‘strengthen patient competence to promote health behaviors’ were more important than all other tasks. The most difficult task was ‘develop professionalism as a nurse care coordinator’. Conclusion The nurse care coordinators' roles developed in this study will serve as the key guidelines for human resource management of care coordinators. Further, job specifications for nurse care coordinators need to be developed, which is necessary for designing education and training programs. We also need to integrate primary health care as an essential component in nursing education.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the association between e-cigarette (EC) use and development of acute severe pneumonia in the Korean population using a national database. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis using linkage of data between the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) and the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) administrative claims database. The primary endpoint of this study was development of severe pneumonia requiring hospital admission according to EC use during the study period. The secondary endpoints were in-hospital mortality, intensive care unit (ICU) admission, ventilator care, and days of hospital stay. Results: The final analysis included 28,950 individuals, of which 578 (2.0%) were EC users.EC users were younger and more often male than non-EC users. The EC users showed higher level of education and household income and had fewer comorbidities. Severe pneumonia was noted in 37 of 28,372 non-EC users (0.13%), but there were no occurrences of severe pneumonia in EC users. The incidence of pneumonia occurrence was not different between the two groups (P = 1.000). Conclusions Since e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury (EVALI) is most likely included in acute severe pneumonia occurring within 3 months of EC use, it is considered that there might be no EVALI patients in Korea during the investigation period. A large-scale, prospective study is necessary to evaluate the association between EC use and acute lung injury.