The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted adolescent health, highlighting the need for effective health promotion strategies. This qualitative study analyzed adolescent health concerns during the pandemic and explored management strategies through focus group interviews (FGIs).FGIs were conducted on November 23 and 25, 2023, with six secondary school nutrition teachers, six educational supervisors, and six adolescent students. Semi-structured questions were used to explore five key domains: health behaviors, factors contributing to health problems, social support, perceived health beliefs, and health education. The FGI recordings were transcribed, and Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis method was applied to classify and categorize the data. To ensure the reliability and validity of the study, all processes were meticulously documented, and member checking and triangulation were conducted. The analysis revealed that adolescents faced reduced physical activity, irregular eating habits, school lunch disruptions, social isolation, worsening obesity, mental health challenges, and decreased engagement in health-promoting behaviors. Nutrition teachers and educational supervisors emphasized the importance of the food environment in schools and policy support, whereas adolescent students. highlighted motivation and accessibility as the key factors for adopting healthy behaviors. Based on these findings, strengthening social support, expanding health education, and establishing a national support system are essential for improving adolescent health. This study has implications for policy and education to address adolescent health challenges during a pandemic and serves as a foundation for future health promotion strategies.

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted adolescent health, highlighting the need for effective health promotion strategies. This qualitative study analyzed adolescent health concerns during the pandemic and explored management strategies through focus group interviews (FGIs).FGIs were conducted on November 23 and 25, 2023, with six secondary school nutrition teachers, six educational supervisors, and six adolescent students. Semi-structured questions were used to explore five key domains: health behaviors, factors contributing to health problems, social support, perceived health beliefs, and health education. The FGI recordings were transcribed, and Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis method was applied to classify and categorize the data. To ensure the reliability and validity of the study, all processes were meticulously documented, and member checking and triangulation were conducted. The analysis revealed that adolescents faced reduced physical activity, irregular eating habits, school lunch disruptions, social isolation, worsening obesity, mental health challenges, and decreased engagement in health-promoting behaviors. Nutrition teachers and educational supervisors emphasized the importance of the food environment in schools and policy support, whereas adolescent students. highlighted motivation and accessibility as the key factors for adopting healthy behaviors. Based on these findings, strengthening social support, expanding health education, and establishing a national support system are essential for improving adolescent health. This study has implications for policy and education to address adolescent health challenges during a pandemic and serves as a foundation for future health promotion strategies.

The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted adolescent health, highlighting the need for effective health promotion strategies. This qualitative study analyzed adolescent health concerns during the pandemic and explored management strategies through focus group interviews (FGIs).FGIs were conducted on November 23 and 25, 2023, with six secondary school nutrition teachers, six educational supervisors, and six adolescent students. Semi-structured questions were used to explore five key domains: health behaviors, factors contributing to health problems, social support, perceived health beliefs, and health education. The FGI recordings were transcribed, and Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis method was applied to classify and categorize the data. To ensure the reliability and validity of the study, all processes were meticulously documented, and member checking and triangulation were conducted. The analysis revealed that adolescents faced reduced physical activity, irregular eating habits, school lunch disruptions, social isolation, worsening obesity, mental health challenges, and decreased engagement in health-promoting behaviors. Nutrition teachers and educational supervisors emphasized the importance of the food environment in schools and policy support, whereas adolescent students. highlighted motivation and accessibility as the key factors for adopting healthy behaviors. Based on these findings, strengthening social support, expanding health education, and establishing a national support system are essential for improving adolescent health. This study has implications for policy and education to address adolescent health challenges during a pandemic and serves as a foundation for future health promotion strategies.

Quantification of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-positive neurons is essential for the preclinical study of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, manual analysis of immunohistochemical (IHC) images is labor-intensive and has less reproducibility due to the lack of objectivity. Therefore, several automated methods of IHC image analysis have been proposed, although they have limitations of low accuracy and difficulties in practical use. Here, we developed a convolutional neural network-based machine learning algorithm for TH+ cell counting. The developed analytical tool showed higher accuracy than the conventional methods and could be used under diverse experimental conditions of image staining intensity, brightness, and contrast. Our automated cell detection algorithm is available for free and has an intelligible graphical user interface for cell counting to assist practical applications. Overall, we expect that the proposed TH+ cell counting tool will promote preclinical PD research by saving time and enabling objective analysis of IHC images.

Nipple size varies from person to person, but having a large nipple, or macrothelia, can be a concern for some women; therefore, some surgical methods have been developed for the reduction of nipple size. Conventional surgical methods for nipple reduction are classified into two types according to their purpose: reduction of length and reduction of diameter. For reduction of length, soft tissue is resected (except the central supplying vessel) and shortened by circumferential repair. The disadvantage of this method is possible necrosis of the nipple and impairment of the lactiferous duct. For reduction of diameter, a wedge-shaped resection is done from side to center and the defect is covered by a local advancement flap. The disadvantage of this method is the locally focused tension line, which is associated with unfavorable aesthetic outcomes. In this article, we present a case involving a novel method of nipple reduction surgery, referred to as the tripod wedge resection technique, which has three benefits compared to conventional nipple reduction surgery: simultaneous reduction of both length and diameter, relative safety for the vasculature and lactiferous duct, and an evenly tensioned incision line.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean Bereavement Care Confidence Scale (K-BCCS). Methods: The Perinatal Bereavement Care Confidence Scale (PBCCS) was translated into Korean according to an algorithm of cultural adaptation process and excluded six items which were specific to perinatal bereavement. A total of 229 clinical nurses participated in the study. Construct validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and group comparison validity were evaluated, and Cronbach’s α was calculated to estimate the reliability of the K-BCCS. Results: The K-BCCS consisted of 31 items in 7 factors, including knowledge and skills for bereavement care (12 items), organizational support (6 items), awareness of the needs (3 items), interpersonal skills (3 items), workload influence (2 items), continuous education (2 items), and understanding the grief process (3 items). The factor loading of 31 items within the 7 factors ranged from .60 to .86. For the convergent validity, the construct reliability (CR) ranged from .74 to .94, and the average variance extracted (AVE) ranged from .49 to .73, which is considered acceptable. The discriminant validity showed that the AVEs of the subscales were greater than the square of the correlation coefficient r. The nurses who had experience providing bereavement care (t=4.94, p<.001) or had received bereavement education (t=6.64, p<.001) showed higher K-BCCS values those without experience. The Cronbach’s α of 31 items was .93 and ranged from .60 to .94 per subscale. Conclusion The K-BCCS is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating nurses' confidence in bereavement care.

Nipple size varies from person to person, but having a large nipple, or macrothelia, can be a concern for some women; therefore, some surgical methods have been developed for the reduction of nipple size. Conventional surgical methods for nipple reduction are classified into two types according to their purpose: reduction of length and reduction of diameter. For reduction of length, soft tissue is resected (except the central supplying vessel) and shortened by circumferential repair. The disadvantage of this method is possible necrosis of the nipple and impairment of the lactiferous duct. For reduction of diameter, a wedge-shaped resection is done from side to center and the defect is covered by a local advancement flap. The disadvantage of this method is the locally focused tension line, which is associated with unfavorable aesthetic outcomes. In this article, we present a case involving a novel method of nipple reduction surgery, referred to as the tripod wedge resection technique, which has three benefits compared to conventional nipple reduction surgery: simultaneous reduction of both length and diameter, relative safety for the vasculature and lactiferous duct, and an evenly tensioned incision line.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Korean Bereavement Care Confidence Scale (K-BCCS). Methods: The Perinatal Bereavement Care Confidence Scale (PBCCS) was translated into Korean according to an algorithm of cultural adaptation process and excluded six items which were specific to perinatal bereavement. A total of 229 clinical nurses participated in the study. Construct validity, convergent validity, discriminant validity, and group comparison validity were evaluated, and Cronbach’s α was calculated to estimate the reliability of the K-BCCS. Results: The K-BCCS consisted of 31 items in 7 factors, including knowledge and skills for bereavement care (12 items), organizational support (6 items), awareness of the needs (3 items), interpersonal skills (3 items), workload influence (2 items), continuous education (2 items), and understanding the grief process (3 items). The factor loading of 31 items within the 7 factors ranged from .60 to .86. For the convergent validity, the construct reliability (CR) ranged from .74 to .94, and the average variance extracted (AVE) ranged from .49 to .73, which is considered acceptable. The discriminant validity showed that the AVEs of the subscales were greater than the square of the correlation coefficient r. The nurses who had experience providing bereavement care (t=4.94, p<.001) or had received bereavement education (t=6.64, p<.001) showed higher K-BCCS values those without experience. The Cronbach’s α of 31 items was .93 and ranged from .60 to .94 per subscale. Conclusion The K-BCCS is a valid and reliable tool for evaluating nurses' confidence in bereavement care.

BACKGROUND: To investigate the impact of national health screening on all-cause mortality risk, aged over 45.METHODS: Data from Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging 2006–2014 were assessed. A total of 10,254 participants were included at baseline, and survival rate was assessed biennially. Using cox proportional hazards model, the effect of health screening on mortality risk was investigated. Covariates were gender, depression, education, marital status, co-habitants, house income, social engagement, economic satisfaction, private health insurance, residence location, chronic diseases, and health behaviors (smoking, alcohol intake, regular exercise).RESULTS: At baseline 2006, 54.4% of participants didn't undergo health screening. A hazard ratio (HR) for mortality risk of non-participants were 1.36 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.21–1.53) after adjusting age and gender. Adding marital status and co-habitants to model 1 as covariates, HR was 1.34 (95% CI, 1.18–1.50) (model 2). Adding depression scores and socioeconomic vulnerabilities to model 2, HR was 1.29 s (95% CI, 1.14–1.45) (model 3). Adding chronic diseases to model 3, HR was 1.26 (95% CI, 1.14–1.48) (model 4). Finally, health behaviors have been added to model 4, HR was 1.24 (95% CI, 1.10–1.40) (model 5). In addition, the mortality risk increased as the cumulative number of missing health screenig increased accordingly.CONCLUSION: Health screening was an independent factor to reduce mortality risk. Therefore, active encouragement to participate the health screening should be implemented to reduce all-cause mortality.
Aging ; Chronic Disease ; Depression ; Education ; Health Behavior ; Insurance, Health ; Korea ; Longitudinal Studies ; Marital Status ; Mass Screening ; Mortality ; Proportional Hazards Models ; Survival Rate

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The aim of this study was to address the role of the elasticity index as a possible predictive marker for detecting papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and quantitatively assess shear wave elastography (SWE) as a tool for differentiating PTC from benign thyroid nodules. METHODS: One hundred and nineteen patients with thyroid nodules undergoing SWE before ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration and core needle biopsy were analyzed. The mean (E(Mean)), minimum (E(Min)), maximum (E(Max)), and standard deviation (E(SD)) of SWE elasticity indices were measured. RESULTS: Among 105 nodules, 14 were PTC and 91 were benign. The E(Mean), E(Min), and E(Max) values were significantly higher in PTCs than benign nodules (E(Mean) 37.4 in PTC vs. 23.7 in benign nodules, p = 0.005; E(Min) 27.9 vs. 17.8, p = 0.034; E(Max) 46.7 vs. 31.5, p < 0.001). The E(Mean), E(Min), and E(Max) were significantly associated with PTC with diagnostic odds ratios varying from 6.74 to 9.91, high specificities (86.4%, 86.4%, and 88.1%, respectively), and positive likelihood ratios (4.21, 3.69, and 4.82, respectively). The E(SD) values were significantly higher in PTC than in benign nodules (6.3 vs. 2.6, p < 0.001). E(SD) had the highest specificity (96.6%) when applied with a cut-off value of 6.5 kPa. It had a positive likelihood ratio of 14.75 and a diagnostic odds ratio of 28.50. CONCLUSIONS The shear elasticity index of E(SD), with higher likelihood ratios for PTC, will probably identify nodules that have a high potential for malignancy. It may help to identify and select malignant nodules, while reducing unnecessary fine needle aspiration and core needle biopsies of benign nodules.