Purpose: Asthma is characterized by chronic type 2/eosinophilic inflammation in the airway mucosa. This study aimed to explore the clinical value of 2 cutoffs of blood eosinophil counts (≥ 300/μL and ≥ 150/μL) in eosinophilic asthma, with relation to eosinophilderived neurotoxin (EDN), a surrogate marker of eosinophilic activity. Methods: To compare clinical features and eosinophil-related mediators according to 2 cutoffs of peripheral blood eosinophil counts (≥ 300/μL and ≥ 150/μL), 137 adult asthmatics who had maintained antiasthmatic medications, including inhaled corticosteroid and long-acting beta 2 agonist, without biologics, were enrolled. EDN levels in serum, urine and sputum were measured by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. Results: Patients with asthma and higher blood eosinophil counts ( ≥ 300/μL) had a higher prevalence of severe asthma, chronic rhinosinusitis, partly controlled/uncontrolled status, and higher levels of sputum eosinophils and EDN in serum/sputum than those with lower blood eosinophil counts (< 300/μL). When compared between patients with asthma having higher blood eosinophils ( ≥ 150/μL) and those with lower eosinophils ( < 150/μL), there were no differences in symptom severity, control status or lung function parameters. Conclusion These findings suggest that blood eosinophil count ≥ 300/μL may identify asthma patients at higher risk for severity and heightened eosinophil activity, supporting its utility as a biomarker in a real clinical setting.

This study aimed to establish infection control strategies for preventing the spread of scabies within a single institution by analyzing the epidemiological characteristics of patients diagnosed with scabies. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study. The electronic medical records of 430 patients diagnosed with scabies at the dermatology outpatient department of Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital from January 2020 to December 2022 were used to collect data on their characteristics. The subjects were divided into three groups: patients, family of confirmed patients, and healthcare workers. General and epidemiological characteristics were analyzed. Results: The average age was 60.89 ± 22.39 years. The number of days from symptom onset to diagnosis was unknown in many cases (65.3%), although the average was 63.42 ± 64.18 days. Repeated visits after treatment were observed in 193 patients (67.5%), 38 family members of confirmed patients (55.1%), and 35 healthcare workers (46.7%), showing a statistically significant difference (p = .002). The most common place of residence before the visit was home (56.2%), and the most common suspected origin of contagion was the home (38.3%), and the most common category of the suspected contagious person was family (49.6%). Conclusion: Cases of scabies were disproportionately common in women and older adults. The interval from symptom onset to diagnosis was long, and about half of the cases involved itching but no skin lesions. More than one-thirds of cases did not revisit for a follow-up after 2 weeks. In the overall results, unlike previous studies, factors related to home and family were frequently observed as epidemiological characteristics.

This study aimed to establish infection control strategies for preventing the spread of scabies within a single institution by analyzing the epidemiological characteristics of patients diagnosed with scabies. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study. The electronic medical records of 430 patients diagnosed with scabies at the dermatology outpatient department of Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital from January 2020 to December 2022 were used to collect data on their characteristics. The subjects were divided into three groups: patients, family of confirmed patients, and healthcare workers. General and epidemiological characteristics were analyzed. Results: The average age was 60.89 ± 22.39 years. The number of days from symptom onset to diagnosis was unknown in many cases (65.3%), although the average was 63.42 ± 64.18 days. Repeated visits after treatment were observed in 193 patients (67.5%), 38 family members of confirmed patients (55.1%), and 35 healthcare workers (46.7%), showing a statistically significant difference (p = .002). The most common place of residence before the visit was home (56.2%), and the most common suspected origin of contagion was the home (38.3%), and the most common category of the suspected contagious person was family (49.6%). Conclusion: Cases of scabies were disproportionately common in women and older adults. The interval from symptom onset to diagnosis was long, and about half of the cases involved itching but no skin lesions. More than one-thirds of cases did not revisit for a follow-up after 2 weeks. In the overall results, unlike previous studies, factors related to home and family were frequently observed as epidemiological characteristics.

Background: Acute deterioration of patients in general wards often leads to major adverse events (MAEs), including unplanned intensive care unit transfers, cardiac arrest, or death. Traditional early warning scores (EWSs) have shown limited predictive accuracy, with frequent false positives. We conducted a prospective observational external validation study of an artificial intelligence (AI)-based EWS, the VitalCare - Major Adverse Event Score (VC-MAES), at a tertiary medical center in the Republic of Korea. Methods: Adult patients from general wards, including internal medicine (IM) and obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN)—the latter were rarely investigated in prior AI-based EWS studies—were included. The VC-MAES predictions were compared with National Early Warning Score (NEWS) and Modified Early Warning Score (MEWS) predictions using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC), and logistic regression for baseline EWS values. False-positives per true positive (FPpTP) were assessed based on the power threshold. Results: Of 6,039 encounters, 217 (3.6%) had MAEs (IM: 9.5%, OBGYN: 0.26%). Six hours prior to MAEs, the VC-MAES achieved an AUROC of 0.918 and an AUPRC of 0.352, including the OBGYN subgroup (AUROC, 0.964; AUPRC, 0.388), outperforming the NEWS (0.797 and 0.124) and MEWS (0.722 and 0.079). The FPpTP was reduced by up to 71%. Baseline VC-MAES was strongly associated with MAEs (P<0.001). Conclusions The VC-MAES significantly outperformed traditional EWSs in predicting adverse events in general ward patients. The robust performance and lower FPpTP suggest that broader adoption of the VC-MAES may improve clinical efficiency and resource allocation in general wards.

This study aimed to establish infection control strategies for preventing the spread of scabies within a single institution by analyzing the epidemiological characteristics of patients diagnosed with scabies. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study. The electronic medical records of 430 patients diagnosed with scabies at the dermatology outpatient department of Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital from January 2020 to December 2022 were used to collect data on their characteristics. The subjects were divided into three groups: patients, family of confirmed patients, and healthcare workers. General and epidemiological characteristics were analyzed. Results: The average age was 60.89 ± 22.39 years. The number of days from symptom onset to diagnosis was unknown in many cases (65.3%), although the average was 63.42 ± 64.18 days. Repeated visits after treatment were observed in 193 patients (67.5%), 38 family members of confirmed patients (55.1%), and 35 healthcare workers (46.7%), showing a statistically significant difference (p = .002). The most common place of residence before the visit was home (56.2%), and the most common suspected origin of contagion was the home (38.3%), and the most common category of the suspected contagious person was family (49.6%). Conclusion: Cases of scabies were disproportionately common in women and older adults. The interval from symptom onset to diagnosis was long, and about half of the cases involved itching but no skin lesions. More than one-thirds of cases did not revisit for a follow-up after 2 weeks. In the overall results, unlike previous studies, factors related to home and family were frequently observed as epidemiological characteristics.

This study aimed to establish infection control strategies for preventing the spread of scabies within a single institution by analyzing the epidemiological characteristics of patients diagnosed with scabies. Methods: This was a retrospective descriptive study. The electronic medical records of 430 patients diagnosed with scabies at the dermatology outpatient department of Uijeongbu St. Mary’s Hospital from January 2020 to December 2022 were used to collect data on their characteristics. The subjects were divided into three groups: patients, family of confirmed patients, and healthcare workers. General and epidemiological characteristics were analyzed. Results: The average age was 60.89 ± 22.39 years. The number of days from symptom onset to diagnosis was unknown in many cases (65.3%), although the average was 63.42 ± 64.18 days. Repeated visits after treatment were observed in 193 patients (67.5%), 38 family members of confirmed patients (55.1%), and 35 healthcare workers (46.7%), showing a statistically significant difference (p = .002). The most common place of residence before the visit was home (56.2%), and the most common suspected origin of contagion was the home (38.3%), and the most common category of the suspected contagious person was family (49.6%). Conclusion: Cases of scabies were disproportionately common in women and older adults. The interval from symptom onset to diagnosis was long, and about half of the cases involved itching but no skin lesions. More than one-thirds of cases did not revisit for a follow-up after 2 weeks. In the overall results, unlike previous studies, factors related to home and family were frequently observed as epidemiological characteristics.

Purpose: To report a nationwide survey on neuroblastoma conducted by the Korean Association of Pediatric Surgeons (KAPS) in 2020. Methods: The clinical data of pediatric patients diagnosed with and treated for neuroblastoma from 2005 to 2019 in 19 hospitals of KAPS members were collected. Survival and prognostic factor analyses were performed using the log rank test and Cox proportional hazard analysis. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Results: A total of 669 patients with neuroblastoma were registered for the study. The results were presented and discussed at the 36th annual meeting of the KAPS, which was held in Seoul on August 21, 2020. Conclusion This study provides information on patient demographics, prognostic outcomes, and comprehensive treatment outcomes for neuroblastoma. The study is expected to be an important reference for improving pediatric surgeons’ understanding and treatment of neuroblastoma.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate and compare the incidence, demographic characteristics, clinical manifestations, preoperative diagnostic methods, anatomical classifications, associated anomalies, operative treatments, and postoperative outcomes of patients with intestinal atresia treated by the members of the Korean Association of Pediatric Surgeons (KAPS) through three nationwide surveys. Methods: KAPS conducted 3 national surveys in 1998, 2010, and 2024 to examine the patients diagnosed with intestinal atresia. In preparation for the survey, we developed a customized case registration form to obtain data on patient sex, birth weight, gestational age, clinical manifestations, preoperative diagnostic methods, anatomical types, associated anomalies, operative treatments, and postoperative outcomes. Authorized KAPS members completed the case registration form. Results: The first, second, and third national surveys included 218, 222, and 236 individuals diagnosed with intestinal atresia, respectively. The male-to-female ratios were 1.5:1, 1.1:1, and 1.1:1, respectively. The first, second, and third national surveys revealed that 34.3%, 43.3%, and 53.4% of patients were born before 37 weeks of gestation, respectively. Additionally, 28.7%, 32.0%, and 40.7% of patients had a birth weight under 2,500 g. In the third national survey, duodenoduodenostomy was the most common procedure, performed in 70 out of 82 patients diagnosed with duodenal atresia. Resection and anastomosis were the main surgical procedures conducted in 47 out of 54 cases of jejunal atresia and 74 out of 92 cases of ileal atresia. The mortality rates in the first, second, and third national surveys were 13.8%, 3.6%, and 1.3% respectively, with the lowest rate observed in the third national survey. Conclusion These national surveys offer valuable insights into the current state of intestinal atresia, including specific surgical interventions and postoperative outcomes in South Korea. For pediatric surgeons aiming to enhance their understanding of intestinal atresia and its treatment options, these surveys could be an indispensable resource and guide.

Background: Despite the increasing use of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems, limited data exist on their perceived benefits and challenges among patients and healthcare providers. This study explored CGM-related experiences in South Korea. Methods: An anonymous online survey was conducted between January and December 2021 at four university hospitals. Respondents included patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), physicians, and DM education nurses. The survey assessed the use of CGM, its benefits, and barriers. Most devices were first-generation CGMs: FreeStyle Libre 1 (Abbott Diabetes Care), Dexcom G6 (Dexcom Inc.), and Medtronic Guardian 3 (Medtronic MiniMed). Results: Among 1,010 patients (33.4% with type 1 DM [T1DM], 63.6% with type 2 DM [T2DM], and 3.1% others; mean age, 51.4±14.6 years), 92.7% found CGM helpful. Although 59.6% reported discomfort, 81.9% intended to continue using CGM, indicating that perceived benefits outweighed barriers. The key advantages were glucose monitoring without finger pricks (T1DM, 57.9%; T2DM, 56.2%) and maintenance of target glucose levels. Discomfort was related to discomfort during activities (53.8%), skin problems (45.0%), and pain (43.0%). Healthcare provider recommendations were associated with reduced discomfort (adjusted odds ratio, 0.36; 95% confidence interval, 0.21–0.60). Physicians (n=29) cited high costs as the main barrier (T1DM, 58.9%; T2DM, 64.8%); only 51.9% and 14.5% prescribed CGM for T1DM and T2DM, respectively. Insulin adjustment and glucose control were the main reasons for prescription, while cost (89.3%) and limited consultation time (67.9%) were barriers. DM educators (n=9) reported heavy workloads, with training and follow-up times averaging 31.7±7.5 minutes and 21.7±9.7 minutes, respectively; 77.8% of DM educators identified frequent patient inquiries as their greatest burden. Conclusion CGM provides significant clinical benefits but is limited by discomfort, costs, and educational burden. Sustained adoption requires device improvements, insurance support, and workforce expansion.

Background: This study examined adolescent sleep satisfaction and its association with oral health. Methods: This study analyzed data from the 20th Youth Health Behavior Online Survey (2024), ultimately including 54,653adolescents. Subjective oral symptoms were defined as tooth pain when consuming hot or cold foods or beverages, aching or throbbing tooth pain, and gum pain or bleeding within the past 12 months. Sleep-based fatigue recovery was assessed based on self-reported responses regarding the extent to which sleep during the past 7 days was sufficient to recover from fatigue. A complex sample design with weights, stratification, and clustering variables was used for analysis. Results: Female students, high school students, adolescents with lower parental education, and those reporting lower subjectiveeconomic status and academic performance were more likely to report insufficient sleep-related recovery and to experience oral symptoms (p＜0.05). Insufficient sleep-related recovery was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of experiencing oral symptoms (odds ratio=1.538; 95% confidence interval: 1.471∼1.608). Conclusion Insufficient sleep is significantly associated with oral symptoms in adolescents. To improve oral health, interventionsshould address sleep-related breathing disorders and strengthen tobacco control strategies, while implementing programs to promote healthy sleep habits alongside existing oral health education.