Infection risks of handling specimens associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by public health laboratory services teams were assessed to scrutinize the potential hazards arising from the work procedures. Through risk assessments of all work sequences, laboratory equipment, and workplace environments, no aerosol-generating procedures could be identified except the procedures (mixing and transfer steps) inside biological safety cabinets. Appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) such as surgical masks, protective gowns, face shields/safety goggles, and disposable gloves, together with pertinent safety training, was provided for laboratory work. Proper disinfection and good hand hygiene practices could minimize the probability of SARS-CoV-2 infection at work. All residual risk levels of the potential hazards identified were within the acceptable level. Contamination by gloved hands was considered as a major exposure route for SARS-CoV-2 when compared with eye protection equipment. Competence in proper donning and doffing of PPE accompanied by hand washing techniques was of utmost importance for infection control.

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate the efficacy of the balance control trainer (BCT), developed for training patients with balance problems, as a balance assessment tool in subacute stroke patients. METHODS: A prospective cross-sectional study was carried out on 38 subacute stroke patients in their first episode of a stroke, and having the ability to maintain a standing position without aid for at least 5 minutes. Patients were assessed using the BCT (BalPro) 43.7±35.7 days after stroke. The balance was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), a 10-meter walking test (10mWT), a 6-minute walking test (6MWT), and the Korean version of the Modified Barthel Index. The correlation and validity between the BCT and various balance assessments were analyzed. RESULTS: Statistically significant linear correlations were observed between the BCT score and the BBS (r=0.698, p<0.001). A moderate to excellent correlation was seen between the BCT score and 11 of the 14 BBS items. The BCT scores and other secondary outcome parameters (6MWT r=0.392, p=0.048; TUG r=–0.471, p=0.006; 10mWT r=–0.437, p=0.012) had a moderate correlation. CONCLUSION: Balance control training using the BCT (BalPro) showed significant statistical correlation with the BBS, and could therefore be a useful additional balance assessment tool in subacute stroke patients.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Humans ; Postural Balance ; Posture ; Prospective Studies ; Stroke* ; Walking

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety of nasogastric tube (NGT) removal and change to oral feeding with a food thickener for acute stroke patients in whom a videofluoroscopic swallow study (VFSS) confirmed thin liquid aspiration. METHODS: We retrospectively examined data of 199 patients with first stroke who were diagnosed with dysphagia from 2011 to 2015. Swallowing function was evaluated using VFSS. Patients included in this study were monitored for 4 weeks to identify the occurrence of aspiration pneumonia. The penetration-aspiration scale (PAS) was used to assess VFSS findings. The patients were divided into thin-liquid aspiration group (group 1, n=104) and no thin-liquid aspiration group (group 2, n=95). RESULTS: The feeding method was changed from NGT feeding to oral feeding with food thickener (group 1) and without food thickener (group 2). The PAS scores of thin and thick liquids were 6.46±0.65 and 1.92±0.73, respectively, in group 1 and 2.65±0.74 and 1.53±0.58, respectively, in group 2. Aspiration pneumonia developed in 1.9% of group 1 and 3.2% of group 2 (p=0.578), with no significant difference between the groups. CONCLUSION: We concluded that removing the NGT and changing to oral feeding with a food thickener is a safe food modification for acute stroke patients with thin liquid aspiration. Therefore, we recommend that VFSS should be conducted promptly in acute stroke patients to avoid unnecessary prolonged NGT feeding.
Deglutition ; Deglutition Disorders ; Feeding Methods ; Humans ; Pneumonia, Aspiration ; Retrospective Studies ; Stroke*

OBJECTIVE: To understand the injury pattern of contact burns from therapeutic physical modalities. METHOD: A retrospective study was done in 864 patients with contact burns who discharged from our hospital from January 2005 to December 2008. The following parameters were compared between patients with contact burns from therapeutic modalities and from other causes: general characteristics, burn extent, cause of burn injury, place of occurrence, burn injury site, treatment methods, prevalence of underlying disease, and length of hospital stay were compared between patients with contact burns. RESULTS: Of the 864 subjects, 94 patients were injured from therapeutic modalities. A hot pack (n=51) was the most common type of therapeutic modality causing contact burn followed by moxibustion (n=21), electric heating pad (n=16), and radiant heat (n=4). The lower leg (n=31) was the most common injury site followed by the foot & ankle (n=24), buttock & coccyx (n=9), knee (n=8), trunk (n=8), back (n=6), shoulder (n=4), and arm (n=4). Diabetes mellitus was associated with contact burns from therapeutic modalities; the odds ratio was 3.99. Injuries took place most commonly at home (n=56), followed by the hospital (n=33), and in other places (n=5). CONCLUSION: A hot pack was the most common cause of contact burns from therapeutic modalities, and the lower leg was the most common injury site. Injuries took place most commonly at home. The patients with contact burns from therapeutic modalities showed high correlation to presence of diabetes mellitus. These results would be helpful for the prevention of contact burns due to therapeutic modalities.
Animals ; Ankle ; Arm ; Burns ; Buttocks ; Coccyx ; Diabetes Mellitus ; Foot ; Heating ; Hot Temperature ; Humans ; Hypogonadism ; Knee ; Leg ; Length of Stay ; Mitochondrial Diseases ; Moxibustion ; Odds Ratio ; Ophthalmoplegia ; Physical Therapy Modalities ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies ; Shoulder

This study was initiated in order to investigate the anticancer and immunomodulating activities of crude polysaccharides extracted in methanol, neutral saline, and hot water (hereinafter referred to as Fr. MeOH, Fr. NaCl, and Fr. HW, respectively) from the fruiting bodies of Panellus serotinus. Content of beta-glucan and protein in Fr. MeOH, Fr. NaCl, and Fr. HW extracts of P. serotinus ranged from 22.92~28.52 g/100 g and 3.24~3.68 g/100 g, respectively. In vitro cytotoxicity tests, none of the various fractions of crude polysaccharides were cytotoxic against sarcoma 180, HT-29, NIH3T3, and RAW 264.7 cell lines at the tested concentration. Intraperitoneal injection with crude polysaccharides resulted in a life prolongation effect of 23.53~44.71% in mice previously inoculated with sarcoma 180. Treatment with Fr. HW resulted in an increase in the numbers of spleen cells by 1.3 fold at the concentration of 50 microg/mL compared with control. Treatment with Fr. NaCl resulted in improvement of the immuno-potentiating activity of B lymphocytes by increasing the alkaline phosphatase activity by 1.4 fold, compared with control, at the concentration of 200 microg/mL. Among the three fractions, maximum nitric oxide (13.48 microM) was recorded at 500 microg/mL in Fr. HW. Production of tumor necrosis factor alpha, interleukin-1beta, and interleukin-6 was significantly higher, compared to the positive control, concanavalin A, at the tested concentration. Therefore, treatment with crude polysaccharides extracted from the fruiting body of P. serotinus could result in improvement of antitumor activity.
Alkaline Phosphatase ; Animals ; B-Lymphocytes ; Cell Line ; Concanavalin A ; Fruit ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Interleukin-1beta ; Interleukin-6 ; Life Support Care ; Methanol ; Mice ; Nitric Oxide ; Polysaccharides ; Sarcoma 180 ; Spleen ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Water

Pleurotus nebrodensis is an edible and commercially available mushroom in Korea. This study was conducted in order to evaluate the anticancer and immunopotentiating activities of crude polysaccharides, extracted in methanol, neutral saline, and hot water (hereafter referred to as Fr. MeOH, Fr. NaCl, and Fr. HW, respectively) from the fruiting bodies of P. nebrodensis. beta-Glucan and protein contents in Fr. MeOH, Fr. NaCl, and Fr. HW extracts of P. nebrodensis ranged from 23.79~36.63 g/100 g and 4.45~6.12 g/100 g, respectively. Crude polysaccharides were not cytotoxic against sarcoma 180, HT-29, NIH3T3, and RAW 264.7 cell lines at a range of 10~2,000 microg/mL. Intraperitoneal injection with crude polysaccharides resulted in a life prolongation effect of 11.76~27.06% in mice previously inoculated with sarcoma 180. Treatment with Fr. NaCl resulted in an increase in the numbers of spleen cells by 1.49 fold at the concentration of 50 microg/mL, compared with control. Fr. HW improved the immuno-potentiating activity of B lymphocytes through an increase in alkaline phosphatase activity by 1.65 fold, compared with control at 200 microg/mL. Maximum production of nitric oxide (14.3 microM) was recorded in the Fr. NaCl fraction at 200 microg/mL. Production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was significantly higher, compared to control, and IL-6 production was highest, in contrast to TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, and positive control, concanavalin at the tested concentration of the various fractions. Results of the current study suggest that polysaccharides extracted from P. nebrodensis have a strong anticancer effect and may be useful as an ingredient of biopharmaceutical products for treatment of cancer.
Agaricales ; Alkaline Phosphatase ; Animals ; B-Lymphocytes ; Cell Line ; Fruit ; Immunomodulation ; Injections, Intraperitoneal ; Interleukin-1beta ; Interleukin-6 ; Korea ; Life Support Care ; Methanol ; Mice ; Nitric Oxide ; Pleurotus ; Polysaccharides ; Sarcoma ; Sarcoma 180 ; Spleen ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; Water

PURPOSE: Flexible bronchoscopy is effectively used in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases in children. This report attempted to analyze the indication, effectiveness, and complications of bronchoscopy in children who visited a single tertiary care, university-based hospital in Korea. METHODS: A retrospective review was conducted of the medical records of a total of 100 cases of flexible bronchoscopy that were performed at the Department of Pediatrics of the Catholic University of Korea Seoul St. Mary's Hospital from April 8, 2007 to June 16, 2010. RESULTS: A total of 85 patients (48 males and 37 females) were involved in the study. The range in age was 5 days old to 18 years old. Eighty cases were for diagnosis, 7 cases for treatment, and 13 cases for both. The purpose of flexible bronchoscopy was accomplished in 67 of 100 cases. In 60 cases where bronchoalveolar lavage was provided, microbial organisms were identified in 38 cases. Minor complications were observed in 12 cases. CONCLUSION: Pediatric flexible bronchoscopy is shown to be an effective and safe diagnostic and interventional tool, even in young or immunocompromised hosts. This study also found that children under one year of age were more frequently treated with bronchoscopy and that the detection rate in microbiological diagnosis was improved due to the introduction of the virus polymerase chain reaction method.
Bronchoalveolar Lavage ; Bronchoscopy ; Child ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Korea ; Male ; Medical Records ; Pediatrics ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Retrospective Studies ; Tertiary Healthcare ; Viruses

PURPOSE: The surgical treatment of burn patient is associated with substantial blood loss. Therefore, multiple hemostatic techniques have been proposed for this problem. Unfortunately, a clear conclusion as to the best hemostatic agent cannot be made. Then, we present our experience of using Fibrin sealant (TISSEEL(TM)) in extremity operation. METHODS: We reviewed the medical records of 10 patients treated in our burn center who conducted the extremity operation using Fibrin sealant from January 2010 to December 2010. RESULTS: The mean tourniquet time is within 60 minutes and no need of transfusion during the operation in all patients. The average take rate for skin graft is over the 98%. No one has nerve injury and other problems. CONCLUSION: Fibrin sealant is a human derived factors that are designed to reproduce the final step of the physiologic coagulation cascade of a stable fibrin clot. In addition, Fibrin sealant has the advantage of being biocompatible and biodegradable, without inducing inflammation, foreign body reaction, and tissue necrosis. Fibrin sealant is shown to be effective methods to achieve hemostasis for the extremity burn surgery.
Burn Units ; Burns ; Extremities ; Fibrin ; Fibrin Tissue Adhesive ; Foreign-Body Reaction ; Hemostasis ; Hemostatic Techniques ; Humans ; Imidazoles ; Inflammation ; Medical Records ; Necrosis ; Nitro Compounds ; Skin ; Tourniquets ; Transplants

BACKGROUND: We applied the pediatric risk of mortality (PRISM) III score to study patients in a pediatric intensivecare unit (PICU), where children with various kinds of diseases were hospitalized. We analyzed whether this scoring system was useful to predict patient mortality in the PICU. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of patients hospitalized in a 5-bed PICU at a tertiary general hospital. Children who were transferred to other hospitals and remained under pediatric intensive care were excluded from this study. RESULTS: We studied a total of 105 children, which included 63 boys (60%) and 42 girls (40%). The mean age was 4.2 years (range 0-17 years). The children were admitted to the PICU for various conditions, including respiratory disease (31 children), neurological disease (30 children), congenital anomaly or neonatal disease (11 children), hemato-oncological disease (10 children), accident or poisoning (7 children), cardiovascular disease (5 children), sepsis (2 children), and the other miscellaneous diseases (9 children). The mean period of PICU stay was 9 days (range 2-66 days). Out of the 105 patients, 94 survived and 11 died. Thus, the mortality rate was calculated as 10.5%. PRISM III scores of the patients were between 0 and 38, with a mean +/- SD of 5.0 +/- 6.7. In comparison with previous studies on PICU patients with similar PRISM scores, the patients included in our study exhibited a higher mortality. The area under the curve for the prediction of mortality by PRISM III was 0.107. Among the variables included in PRISM III, Glasgow coma scale, pupillary light reflex, and platelet counts were associated with patient mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In a PICU with a wide spectrum of diseases, PRISM III was not a useful predictor of patient mortality.
Cardiovascular Diseases ; Child ; Glasgow Coma Scale ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Critical Care ; Intensive Care Units ; Light ; Medical Records ; Platelet Count ; Reflex ; Retrospective Studies ; Sepsis

Cellular damage caused by reactive oxygen species has been implicated in several diseases, thus establishing a significant role for antioxidants in maintaining human health. Acetone, methanol, and hot water extracts of Pleurotus citrinopileatus were evaluated for their antioxidant activities against beta-carotene-linoleic acid and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radicals, reducing power, ferrous ion-chelating abilities, and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activities. In addition, the tyrosinase inhibitory effects and phenolic compound contents of the extracts were also analyzed. Methanol and acetone extracts of P. citrinopileatus showed stronger inhibition of beta-carotene-linoleic acid compared to the hot water extract. Methanol extract (8 mg/mL) showed a significantly high reducing power of 2.92 compared to the other extracts. The hot water extract was more effective than the acetone and methanole extracts for scavenging DPPH radicals. The strongest chelating effect (92.72%) was obtained with 1.0 mg/mL of acetone extract. High performance liquid chromatography analysis detected eight phenolic compounds, including gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, chlorogenic acid, ferulic acid, naringenin, hesperetin, formononetin, and biochanin-A, in an acetonitrile and hydrochloric acid (5 : 1) solvent extract. Xanthine oxidase and tyrosinase inhibitory activities of the acetone, methanol, and hot water extracts increased with increasing concentration. This study suggests that fruiting bodies of P. citrinopileatus can potentially be used as a readily accessible source of natural antioxidants.
Acetone ; Acetonitriles ; Antioxidants ; Biphenyl Compounds ; Chlorogenic Acid ; Chromatography, Liquid ; Coumaric Acids ; Flavanones ; Fruit ; Gallic Acid ; Hesperidin ; Humans ; Hydrochloric Acid ; Hydroxybenzoates ; Isoflavones ; Methanol ; Monophenol Monooxygenase ; Phenol ; Picrates ; Pleurotus ; Reactive Oxygen Species ; Water ; Xanthine ; Xanthine Oxidase