Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a narrative therapy training program using MetaverseZEP on attitudes toward severe mental illness, counselor self-efficacy, and emotional exhaustion in psychiatric mental health nurses. Methods: A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. Participants included 47 psychiatric mental health nurses. The program consisted of 14 sessions, each lasting 60 minutes, conducted over four weeks (three to four sessions per week). Its effectiveness was assessed using pre-test, post-test, and follow-up test with the Attitudes to Severe Mental Illness Scale, Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale, and Emotional Exhaustion Scale. Data were analyzed using x2 tests, Fisher’s exact probability test, t-tests, and repeated measures ANOVA in IBM SPSS Statistics 25. Results: Participants in the experimental group showed significant improvements in attitudes toward severe mental illness (F=3.29, p=.047) and counseling self-efficacy (F=7.14, p=.002) compared to the control group. Conclusion The narrative therapy training program using MetaverseZEP effectively enhances counselor self-efficacy and attitudes toward severe mental illness in psychiatric mental health nurses. These findings suggest its potential as a valuable nurse training program.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a narrative therapy training program using MetaverseZEP on attitudes toward severe mental illness, counselor self-efficacy, and emotional exhaustion in psychiatric mental health nurses. Methods: A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. Participants included 47 psychiatric mental health nurses. The program consisted of 14 sessions, each lasting 60 minutes, conducted over four weeks (three to four sessions per week). Its effectiveness was assessed using pre-test, post-test, and follow-up test with the Attitudes to Severe Mental Illness Scale, Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale, and Emotional Exhaustion Scale. Data were analyzed using x2 tests, Fisher’s exact probability test, t-tests, and repeated measures ANOVA in IBM SPSS Statistics 25. Results: Participants in the experimental group showed significant improvements in attitudes toward severe mental illness (F=3.29, p=.047) and counseling self-efficacy (F=7.14, p=.002) compared to the control group. Conclusion The narrative therapy training program using MetaverseZEP effectively enhances counselor self-efficacy and attitudes toward severe mental illness in psychiatric mental health nurses. These findings suggest its potential as a valuable nurse training program.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a narrative therapy training program using MetaverseZEP on attitudes toward severe mental illness, counselor self-efficacy, and emotional exhaustion in psychiatric mental health nurses. Methods: A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. Participants included 47 psychiatric mental health nurses. The program consisted of 14 sessions, each lasting 60 minutes, conducted over four weeks (three to four sessions per week). Its effectiveness was assessed using pre-test, post-test, and follow-up test with the Attitudes to Severe Mental Illness Scale, Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale, and Emotional Exhaustion Scale. Data were analyzed using x2 tests, Fisher’s exact probability test, t-tests, and repeated measures ANOVA in IBM SPSS Statistics 25. Results: Participants in the experimental group showed significant improvements in attitudes toward severe mental illness (F=3.29, p=.047) and counseling self-efficacy (F=7.14, p=.002) compared to the control group. Conclusion The narrative therapy training program using MetaverseZEP effectively enhances counselor self-efficacy and attitudes toward severe mental illness in psychiatric mental health nurses. These findings suggest its potential as a valuable nurse training program.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a narrative therapy training program using MetaverseZEP on attitudes toward severe mental illness, counselor self-efficacy, and emotional exhaustion in psychiatric mental health nurses. Methods: A non-equivalent control group pretest-posttest design was used. Participants included 47 psychiatric mental health nurses. The program consisted of 14 sessions, each lasting 60 minutes, conducted over four weeks (three to four sessions per week). Its effectiveness was assessed using pre-test, post-test, and follow-up test with the Attitudes to Severe Mental Illness Scale, Counselor Self-Efficacy Scale, and Emotional Exhaustion Scale. Data were analyzed using x2 tests, Fisher’s exact probability test, t-tests, and repeated measures ANOVA in IBM SPSS Statistics 25. Results: Participants in the experimental group showed significant improvements in attitudes toward severe mental illness (F=3.29, p=.047) and counseling self-efficacy (F=7.14, p=.002) compared to the control group. Conclusion The narrative therapy training program using MetaverseZEP effectively enhances counselor self-efficacy and attitudes toward severe mental illness in psychiatric mental health nurses. These findings suggest its potential as a valuable nurse training program.

Purpose: High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) is primarily synthesized in the liver upon stimulation of infectious disease cytokines, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), and is used as a biological marker of systemic inflammation. Previous studies reported that hs-CRP is closely related to diet and abdominal obesity. Furthermore, a dietary score favoring the consumption of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains over meat and saturated fat reduced inflammation and decreased the prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity. Nevertheless, no studies have examined whether hs-CRP mediates the relationship between dietary scores and abdominal obesity, and research on the Korean Healthy Eating Index (KHEI) is lacking. Therefore, the present study examined the association between the KHEI and abdominal obesity and the mediating effect of hs-CRP. Methods: In total, 17,770 adults aged ≥19 years were included in the study using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2015–2018. KHEI was developed to assess the overall diet quality of Korean adults. Multivariable linear and logistic regression analyses assessed the relationship between KHEI, hs-CRP, and abdominal obesity. The mediation analysis with the bootstrapping method was performed using SAS MACRO. Results: Among women, the odds ratio (OR) of abdominal obesity prevalence was lower in the highest KHEI compared to the lowest KHEI after adjusting for age, body mass index, educational level, income level, occupational status, marital status, household type, region type, alcohol consumption, smoking status, physical activity, total energy intake, and hsCRP (OR 0.744, 95% confidence interval 0.598–0.926). The association between KHEI and abdominal obesity was partially mediated via hs-CRP, and the mediated proportion was 68.7% in men and 38.1% in women. Conclusion A substantial relationship was observed between the KHEI and abdominal obesity among females. Moreover, according to the KHEI, abdominal obesity may be mediated partially by hs-CRP.

We aimed to develop evidence-based recommendations for treating axial spondylarthritis (axSpA) in Korea. The development committee was constructed, key clinical questions were determined, and the evidence was searched through online databases including MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane, KoreaMed, and Kmbase. Systematic literature reviews were conducted, quality of evidence was determined, and draft recommendations were formulated according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluations methodology. Recommendations that reached 80% consensus among a voting panel were finalized. Three principles and 21 recommendations were determined. Recommendations 1 and 2 pertain to treatment strategies, regular disease status assessment, and rheumatologist-steered multidisciplinary management. Recommendations 3 and 4 strongly recommend patient education, exercise, and smoking cessation. Recommendations 5–12 address pharmacological treatment of active disease using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, glucocorticoids, sulfasalazine, biologics, and Janus kinase inhibitors. Recommendations 13–16 address treatment in stable disease. We suggest against spa and acupuncture as therapies (Recommendation 17). Recommendations 18 and 19 pertain to total hip arthroplasty and spinal surgery. Monitoring of comorbidities and drug toxicities are recommended (Recommendations 20 and 21). Recommendations for axSpA treatment in a Korean context were developed based on comprehensive clinical questions and evidence. These are intended to guide best practice in the treatment of axSpA.

Background/Aims: Daratumumab has shown an encouraging antitumor effect in patients with multiple myeloma (MM), and was known to alter the immune properties by off-targeting immunosuppressive cells. Here, we aimed to evaluate the change in absolute lymphocyte count (ALC) as a surrogate marker for predicting survival outcomes of patients treated with daratumumab. Methods: Between 2018 and 2021, the medical records of patients with relapsed/refractory MM (RRMM) treated with daratumumab monotherapy at 10 centers in South Korea were reviewed. We collected the ALC data at pre-infusion (D0), day 2 after the first infusion (D2), and prior to the third cycle of daratumumab therapy (D56). Results: Fifty patients who were administered at least two cycles of daratumumab were included. Overall response rate was 54.0% after two cycles of daratumumab treatment. On D2, almost all patients experienced a marked reduction in ALC. However, an increase in ALC on D56 (ALCD56) was observed in patients with non-progressive disease, whereas failure of ALC recovery was noted in those with progressive disease. Patients with ALCD56 > 700/μL (n = 39, 78.0%) had prolonged progression- free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) than those with ALCD56 ≤ 700/μL (median PFS: 5.8 months vs. 2.6 months, p = 0.025; median OS: 24.1 months vs. 6.1 months, p = 0.004). In addition, ALCD56 >700/μL was a significant favorable prognostic factor for PFS (hazard ratio [HR], 0.22; p = 0.003) and OS (HR, 0.23; p = 0.012). Conclusions Increase in ALC during daratumumab treatment was significantly associated with prolonged survival outcomes in patients with RRMM. The ALC value can predict clinical outcomes in patients treated with daratumumab.