Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and assess the experiences of cancer patients and their caregivers who had been admitted to comprehensive nursing care service wards. Methods: Data were collected from 10 patients and 10 caregivers by in-depth interviews. The data were analyzed using content analysis of Downe-Wamboldt. Results: Three categories and seven subcategories were extracted. 1) Realizing institutional limitations of comprehensive nursing care service: ‘Wishing for precise operating systems based on patient severity,’ ‘Anticipating active caregiver participation in treatment process,’ ‘Requiring a countermeasure for safety accidents,’ 2) Professional nursing service which provides relief: ‘Patient-centered professional nursing service,’ ‘Inpatient service that provides relief for patients and caregivers,’ 3) Anticipating continuous use of the service: ‘Inpatient service which users are willing to reuse,’ ‘Wishing for expansion and reinforcement of the service.’ Conclusion Cancer patients and their caregivers experienced institutional limitations while satisfied with professional nursing service and willing to reuse the service. To improve this situation, institutional support such as separate wards for severe patients, measures for active caregiver participation and prevention of safety accidents, and adequate staffing would be helpful for relatively severe level cancer patients and their caregivers.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and assess the experiences of cancer patients and their caregivers who had been admitted to comprehensive nursing care service wards. Methods: Data were collected from 10 patients and 10 caregivers by in-depth interviews. The data were analyzed using content analysis of Downe-Wamboldt. Results: Three categories and seven subcategories were extracted. 1) Realizing institutional limitations of comprehensive nursing care service: ‘Wishing for precise operating systems based on patient severity,’ ‘Anticipating active caregiver participation in treatment process,’ ‘Requiring a countermeasure for safety accidents,’ 2) Professional nursing service which provides relief: ‘Patient-centered professional nursing service,’ ‘Inpatient service that provides relief for patients and caregivers,’ 3) Anticipating continuous use of the service: ‘Inpatient service which users are willing to reuse,’ ‘Wishing for expansion and reinforcement of the service.’ Conclusion Cancer patients and their caregivers experienced institutional limitations while satisfied with professional nursing service and willing to reuse the service. To improve this situation, institutional support such as separate wards for severe patients, measures for active caregiver participation and prevention of safety accidents, and adequate staffing would be helpful for relatively severe level cancer patients and their caregivers.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore and assess the experiences of cancer patients and their caregivers who had been admitted to comprehensive nursing care service wards. Methods: Data were collected from 10 patients and 10 caregivers by in-depth interviews. The data were analyzed using content analysis of Downe-Wamboldt. Results: Three categories and seven subcategories were extracted. 1) Realizing institutional limitations of comprehensive nursing care service: ‘Wishing for precise operating systems based on patient severity,’ ‘Anticipating active caregiver participation in treatment process,’ ‘Requiring a countermeasure for safety accidents,’ 2) Professional nursing service which provides relief: ‘Patient-centered professional nursing service,’ ‘Inpatient service that provides relief for patients and caregivers,’ 3) Anticipating continuous use of the service: ‘Inpatient service which users are willing to reuse,’ ‘Wishing for expansion and reinforcement of the service.’ Conclusion Cancer patients and their caregivers experienced institutional limitations while satisfied with professional nursing service and willing to reuse the service. To improve this situation, institutional support such as separate wards for severe patients, measures for active caregiver participation and prevention of safety accidents, and adequate staffing would be helpful for relatively severe level cancer patients and their caregivers.

Background: We aim to validate the diagnostic performance of thyroid core needle biopsy (CNB) for diagnosing malignancy in clinical settings to align with the changes made in recently updated thyroid CNB guidelines. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 1,381 thyroid CNB and 2,223 fine needle aspiration (FNA) samples. The FNA and CNB slides were interpreted according to the Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology and updated practice guidelines for thyroid CNB, respectively. Results: Compared to FNA, CNB showed lower rates of inconclusive results: categories I (2.8% vs. 11.2%) and III (1.2% vs. 6.2%), and higher rates of categories II (60.9% vs. 50.4%) and IV (17.5% vs. 2.0%). The upper and lower bounds of the risk of malignancy (ROM) for category IV of CNB were 43.2% and 26.6%, respectively. The CNB subcategory IVb with nuclear atypia had a higher ROM than the subcategory without nuclear atypia (40%–62% vs. 23%–36%). In histologically confirmed cases, there was no significant difference in the diagnostic performance between CNB and FNA for malignancy. However, neoplastic diseases were more frequently detected by CNB than by FNA (88.8% vs. 77.6%, P=0.046). In category IV, there was no difference in unnecessary surgery rate between CNB and FNA (4.7% vs. 6.9%, P=0.6361). Conclusion Thyroid CNB decreased the rate of inconclusive results and showed a higher category IV diagnostic rate than FNA. The revised guidelines for thyroid CNB proved to be an excellent reporting system for assessing thyroid nodules.

This study aimed to characterize the seasonal abundance of hard ticks that transmit severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus from April to November 2019 and 2020 on Ganghwa-do, Incheon Metropolitan City, Korea. The ticks were collected at grassland, grave site, copse and mountain road using a collection trap method. The ixodid hard ticks comprising three species (Haemaphysalis longicornis, H. flava, and Ixodes nipponensis) collected were 6,622 in 2019 and 3,811 in 2020. H. longicornis was the most frequent (97.9% in 2019 and 96.0% in 2020), followed by H. flava (2.0% and 3.0% in 2019 and 2020, respectively) and I. nipponensis (less than 0.1%). Our study demonstrated that seasonal patterns of the tick populations examined for two years were totally unsimilar. The hard ticks tested using RT-qPCR were all negative for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus.

This study aimed to characterize the seasonal abundance of hard ticks that transmit severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus from April to November 2019 and 2020 on Ganghwa-do, Incheon Metropolitan City, Korea. The ticks were collected at grassland, grave site, copse and mountain road using a collection trap method. The ixodid hard ticks comprising three species (Haemaphysalis longicornis, H. flava, and Ixodes nipponensis) collected were 6,622 in 2019 and 3,811 in 2020. H. longicornis was the most frequent (97.9% in 2019 and 96.0% in 2020), followed by H. flava (2.0% and 3.0% in 2019 and 2020, respectively) and I. nipponensis (less than 0.1%). Our study demonstrated that seasonal patterns of the tick populations examined for two years were totally unsimilar. The hard ticks tested using RT-qPCR were all negative for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus.

Blood Pressure ; Body Mass Index ; Cervix Uteri ; Elasticity ; Elasticity Imaging Techniques ; Female ; Hardness ; Heart Rate ; Humans ; Jupiter ; Labor Presentation ; Pregnancy ; Pregnant Women ; Premature Birth ; Reproducibility of Results ; Uterine Artery

PURPOSE: Data are lacking on the association between the allergic rhinitis (AR) phenotype and sensitization to specific allergens or bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) in children. We here investigated risk factors and comorbidities, including sensitization to specific allergens and BHR, for the AR phenotype by AR and its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) classification in a general population-based birth cohort study. METHODS: We enrolled 606 children aged 7 years from the Panel Study of Korean Children. The AR phenotype was assigned in accordance with the ARIA classification in children. Skin prick tests and Provocholine provocation test were performed. Risk factors and comorbidities for AR phenotypes were then analyzed. RESULTS: The prevalence of mild and moderate to severe AR in our study cohort was 37.2% and 8.8%, respectively. Recent use of analgesics or antipyretics and current cat ownership were associated with the risk of mild persistent AR. Sensitizations to Dermatophagoides Pteronyssinus (Der p), Japanese hop and cat were associated with moderate to severe persistent AR. Children with moderate to severe AR had a higher risk of current asthma and BHR compared to mild AR cases (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 5.26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.77–15.62). Moderate to severe AR with allergic sensitization was associated with the highest risk of BHR (aOR, 11.77; 95% CI, 3.40–40.74). CONCLUSIONS: Moderate to severe-persistent AR is more closely related to respiratory comorbidities and sensitizations than mild AR. Stratifying the AR phenotype by ARIA classification may assist in disease management.
Allergens ; Analgesics ; Animals ; Antipyretics ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Asthma ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity ; Cats ; Child ; Classification ; Cohort Studies ; Comorbidity ; Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ; Disease Management ; Humans ; Methacholine Chloride ; Odds Ratio ; Ownership ; Parturition ; Phenotype ; Prevalence ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Risk Factors ; Skin

Background: and PurposeThis study was designed to determine the prevalence, pattern, lesion location, and etiology of dissociation in the results of the bithermal caloric test and the horizontal video head impulse test (vHIT) in dizzy patients with various etiologies and disease durations. Methods: We analyzed the results of bithermal caloric tests and vHITs performed over 26 months in 893 consecutive patients who underwent both tests within a 10-day period. Results: Dissociation in the results of the two tests was found in 162 (18.1%) patients. Among them, 123 (75.9%) had abnormal caloric tests (unilateral paresis in 118 and bilateral paresis in 5) but normal vHITs. Peripheral lesions were identified in 105 (85.4%) of these patients, with the main underlying diseases being Meniere's disease (62/105, 59%) and vestibular neuritis/labyrinthitis (29/105, 27.6%). In contrast, central pathologies of diverse etiologies were found only in 18 (14.6%) patients. Abnormal vHIT (bilaterally positive in 18, unilaterally positive in 19, and hyperactive in 2) and normal caloric responses were found in 39 patients, with an equal prevalence of central (n=19) and peripheral (n=20) lesions. The peripheral lesions included vestibular neuritis/labyrinthitis in seven patients and Meniere's disease in another seven. The central lesions had diverse etiologies. Conclusions Dissociation in the results between caloric tests and horizontal vHITs is not uncommon. The present patients with abnormal caloric tests and normal vHITs mostly had peripheral lesions, while central lesions were likely to underlie those with abnormal vHITs and normal caloric tests.

Background: The presence of telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter mutations have been associated with a poor prognosis in patients with papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC). The frequency of TERT promoter mutations varies widely depending on the population and the nature of the study. Methods: Data were prospectively collected in 724 consecutive patients who underwent thyroidectomy for PTC from 2018 to 2019. Molecular testing for BRAF V600E and TERT promoter mutations was performed in all cases. Results: TERT promoter alterations in two hotspots (C228T and C250T) and C216T were found in 16 (2.2%) and 4 (0.6%) of all PTCs, respectively. The hotspot mutations were significantly associated with older age at diagnosis, larger tumor size, extrathyroidal extension, higher pathologic T category, lateral lymph node metastasis, and higher American Thyroid Association recurrence risk. The patients with C216T variant were younger and had a lower American Thyroid Association recurrence risk than those with hotspot mutations. Concurrent BRAF V600E was found in 19 of 20 cases with TERT promoter mutations. Of 518 microcarcinomas measuring ≤1.0 cm in size, hotspot mutations and C216T variants were detected in five (1.0%) and three (0.6%) cases, respectively. Conclusions Our study indicates a low frequency of TERT promoter mutations in Korean patients with PTC and supports previous findings that TERT promoter mutations are more common in older patients with unfavorable clinicopathologic features and BRAF V600E. TERT promoter mutations in patients with microcarcinoma are uncommon and may have a limited role in risk stratification. The C216T variant seems to have no clinicopathologic effect on PTC.