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.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of treatment in patients with non-bothering nocturia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this prospective multicenter study, patients who visited hospitals for treatment of voiding symptoms were enrolled. Inclusion criteria were: 1) men >45 years, and 2) nocturia ≥2 confirmed by a three-day voiding diary. Subjects were divided into non-bothering and bothering groups based on International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire Nocturia (ICIQ-N) question 2b. Changes in voiding symptoms, frequency of nocturia, and bothersomeness were evaluated with international prostate symptom score (IPSS), ICIQ-N, and three-day voiding diary at 4 and 12 weeks after treatment. RESULTS: A total of 48 patients in the non-bothering nocturia group and 50 patients in the bothering nocturia group who completed the 12-week treatment were analyzed. The total IPSS was decreased by 5.8 in the non-bothering group and 5.2 in the bothering group. There was no significant difference in decrease of IPSS between the two groups. Both groups showed significant reduction in discomfort of nocturia. The ICIQ-N 2b score decreased from 3.9 to 2.7 (p=0.01) in the non-bothering group and from 6.9 to 4.6 (p=0.02) in the bothering group. The number of nocturia episodes was significantly decreased in both groups. CONCLUSIONS: Regardless of discomfort associated with nocturia, both groups showed significant improvement in nocturia-related discomfort and voiding symptoms. These results suggest that patients with nocturia who were unaware of its discomfort benefited from treatment.
Humans ; Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms ; Male ; Nocturia* ; Observational Study* ; Prospective Studies* ; Prostate ; Prostatic Hyperplasia

The "nasal swell body" (NSB) or septal turbinate is a distinct structure of the anterior nasal septum that is observed on endoscopic and radiographic examination. It is primarily a glandular rather than a venous formation that is comprised of septal cartilage, bone, and thick mucosal lining. It is commonly found in patients with symptoms of chronic sinusitis and allergic rhinitis, and is linked to septal deviation. Space occupying lesions of the septum such as tumors, mucoceles, and pneumatization of the septum can lead to anatomical and functional disorders such as nasal obstruction and sinusitis, while more serious clinical conditions can develop when these lesions are combined with the NSB. Recently, there has been emphasis on the functional aspects of the NSB. It is especially being emphasized for clinicians to pay attention to the NSB and its connection with the stuffy nose. We report an interesting case of the NSB combined with pneumatization of the perpendicular plate of the ethmoid bone causing severe nasal obstruction and repetitive sinusitis along with a literature review.
Cartilage ; Ethmoid Bone* ; Humans ; Mucocele ; Nasal Obstruction ; Nasal Septum ; Nose ; Rhinitis, Allergic ; Sinusitis ; Turbinates

Cholesterol granulomas are inflammatory deposits commonly found in the mastoid antrum and air cells of temporal bone. They rarely occur in the nose. Here, we report an extremely rare case of cholesterol granuloma in the nasal septum, and include a short literature review. The clinical characteristics, pathology, and surgical treatment are also discussed.
Cholesterol* ; Granuloma* ; Mastoid ; Nasal Septum* ; Nose ; Pathology ; Temporal Bone

PURPOSE: In spite of many reports about Helicobacter pylori infection in children with functional gastrointestinal disorders, there are few reports about the influence of H. pylori infection to functional dyspepsia and gastric motility. Therefore, we studied the influence of H. pylori infection on gastric myoelectrical activity in children with functional dyspepsia. METHODS: Between August 2006 and December 2008 upper gastrointestinal endoscopies with biopsies, the rapid urease test and/or 13C urea breath test, and electrogastrography (EGG) were performed on 63 patients with histologic chronic gastritis; patients with chronic disorders were excluded. Comparisons about gastric myoelectrical activities were made between H. pylori-positive children (n=25) and H. pylori- negative children (n=38). RESULTS: The percentage of pre- and post-prandial normogastria was relatively lower in H. pylori-positive children than H. pylori-negative children (80% vs. 65%, and 80% vs. 68%, respectively). Compared to H. pylori-negative children, H. pylori-positive children had lower postprandial predominant power (8.18+/-22.36 dB and 32.20+/-24.18 dB, respectively; p<0.01) and a lower power ratio (deltaP; delta1.28+/-6.18 vs. +.62+/-5.93, respectively; p<0.01). CONCLUSION: It was suggested that the gastric myoelectrical activity in children with chronic gastritis can be influenced by H. pylori infection. Thus, this study indicates that H. pylori infection may be predictable in children with functional dyspepsia through analyzing the EGG parameters, and treatment may be considered in H. pylori-positive children with impaired gastric activity, especially in the lower prevalence area.
Adolescent ; Biopsy ; Breath Tests ; Child ; Dyspepsia ; Endoscopy, Gastrointestinal ; Gastritis ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; Helicobacter ; Helicobacter pylori ; Humans ; Ovum ; Prevalence ; Urea ; Urease

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine daytime sleepiness-related factors, including sleeping patterns and daytime activities, in shift and non-shift workers. METHODS: One hundred and twenty two shift workers, and two hundred and fifty four non-shift workers, were selected and identified in terms of their general characteristics, such as age, tenure, educational level, marital status and religion. Screening questionnaires were composed of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) for evaluation of daytime sleepiness, the Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (MFS) for fatigue, and the Korean version of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) for sleeping patterns. RESULTS: The shift worker group reported significantly higher rates of sleep disturbance and higher fatigue scores compared with the non-shift workers (all p<0.01). The prevalence of daytime sleepiness was higher in the shift workers (19.7%) than the non-shift workers (10.6%) (p<0.05). The significant daytime sleepiness-related factors were found to be shift work, tenure and difficulties in falling back to sleep once woken (p<0.05). Shift work was proved to be an important factor in workers aged less than 40 years (p<0.05). However, this association was not evident in workers aged 40 years and over. CONCLUSIONS: The shift workers showed a significantly higher prevalence of daytime sleepiness compared with the non-shift workers. The present study suggests a need for the implementation of sleeping and fatigue management programs for shift workers in order to improve working efficiency and control safety accidents during shift work.
Adult* ; Fatigue* ; Humans ; Male* ; Marital Status ; Mass Screening ; National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (U.S.) ; Prevalence ; Questionnaires

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Korean version of the King's Health Questionnaire(KHQ) in patients with stress urinary incontinence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Multicenter prospective study was undertaken in 106 patients with stress urinary incontince. Psychometric properties including discriminant validity, convergent validity were evaluated and the Cronbach's alpha coefficients were calculated. Test-retest analysis was performed and the sensitivity to clinical change before and after treatment was also evaluated. RESULTS: The psychometric properties and clinical validity of the KHQ Korean version were confirmed in 106 study population. The KHQ's good reliability was evidenced by Cronbach's alpha coefficients of>0.60, indicating to change in patients' perception of bladder condition in all domains. CONCLUSION: Our analyses confirm excellent psychometric properties for the Korean version of KHQ, which appears to provide a valid and reliable instrument for clinical usages in Korea.
Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Prospective Studies ; Psychometrics* ; Surveys and Questionnaires* ; Translations ; Urinary Bladder ; Urinary Incontinence* ; Urination

Passive smoking is a major cause of respiratory morbidity, and is associated with increased bronchial responsiveness in children. To evaluate the effect of smoking by a parent on asthma symptoms, atopy, and airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), we conducted a cross-sectional survey of 503 schoolchildren that involved questionnaires, spirometry, allergy testing, and a bronchial challenge test. If the PC20 methacholine was less than 16 mg/mL, the subject was considered to have AHR. The prevalence of a parent who smoked was 68.7%. The prevalence of AHR was 45.0%. The sensitization rate to common inhalant allergens was 32.6%. Nasal symptoms such as rhinorrhea, sneezing, nasal itching, and nasal obstruction were present in 42.7%. Asthma symptoms such as cough and wheezing were present in 55.4%. The asthma symptoms were significantly more prevalent in children who had a parent who smoked than in those whose parents did not. The nasal symptoms, atopy, and AHR did not differ according to whether a parent smoked. In a multiple logistic regression model, the asthma symptoms and atopy were independently associated with AHR, when adjusted for confounding variables. Passive smoking contributed to asthma symptoms in schoolchildren and was not an independent risk factor of airway hyperresponsiveness in an epidemiological survey.
Adult ; Asthma/*epidemiology/physiopathology ; Bronchial Hyperreactivity/*epidemiology/physiopathology ; Child ; Data Collection ; Female ; Human ; Hypersensitivity/*epidemiology/physiopathology ; Male ; Parents ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Tobacco Smoke Pollution/*adverse effects/*statistics & numerical data

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that the association between blood pressure and cognitive impairment could be modified by factors such as gender, education, and Apo E genotypes. This study was aimed to investigate whether `age' could also be a modifier of the association. METHODS: The study group consisted of 489 participants aged 65 years or over who lived in Namwon, Korea. The presence of hypertension was ascertained by the measurement of their resting blood pressure. A cognitive impairment was considered to be present when a Korean Mini-Mental State Examination score was less than 19 (30th percentile). RESULTS: A higher systolic blood pressure was significantly associated with cognitive impairment, after an adjustment for age, gender, education, and occupation. However, the significance was lost in subjects aged 71 or over. CONCLUSIONS: High systolic blood pressure is a factor strongly associated with cognitive impairment in an aged population. However, in the subjects with far advanced age, the association is not significant. Further studies are required to elucidate whether blood pressure lowering strategies should be differentiated according to age in order to reduce cognitive impairment.
Adult* ; Aged* ; Apolipoproteins E ; Blood Pressure* ; Education ; Genotype ; Humans ; Hypertension ; Jeollabuk-do ; Korea ; Occupations

Extraskeletal Ewing's sarcomas (EES) are rare. Recently, Ewing's sarcoma of the bone, primitive neuroectodermal tumor (PNET), Askin tumor and EES have been included into the family of Ewing's tumors, due to the overlapping features relating to their clinico-pathological and cytogenetic appearance. We experienced a case of an EES arising from the duodenum in a 14-year-old girl who presented with hematemesis and epigastric discomfort. A duodenal biopsy specimen revealed the infiltration of small round cells and rich vasculatures, with immunohistochemical finding of MIC-2 (CD99) (+), vimentin (+), CD56 (NCAM) (+), LCA (-), T-cell (-), B-cell (-), CD43 (-) and CD68 (-). She was treated with several cycles of multiagent chemotherapy, and achieved an initial partial response, but rapid progression of tumor followed, so she was treated with surgical excision. This is the first case report of an EES arising from the duodenum in the literature.
Adolescent ; B-Lymphocytes ; Biopsy ; Cytogenetics ; Drug Therapy ; Duodenum* ; Female ; Hematemesis ; Humans ; Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive ; Sarcoma ; Sarcoma, Ewing* ; T-Lymphocytes ; Vimentin