OBJECTIVES: We estimated the population prevalence of antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), including unreported infections, through a Korea Seroprevalence Study of Monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Retention and Transmission (K-SEROSMART) in 258 communities throughout Korea. METHODS: In August 2022, a survey was conducted among 10,000 household members aged 5 years and older, in households selected through two stage probability random sampling. During face-to-face household interviews, participants self-reported their health status, COVID-19 diagnosis and vaccination history, and general characteristics. Subsequently, participants visited a community health center or medical clinic for blood sampling. Blood samples were analyzed for the presence of antibodies to spike proteins (anti-S) and antibodies to nucleocapsid proteins (anti-N) SARS-CoV-2 proteins using an electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. To estimate the population prevalence, the PROC SURVEYMEANS statistical procedure was employed, with weighting to reflect demographic data from July 2022. RESULTS: In total, 9,945 individuals from 5,041 households were surveyed across 258 communities, representing all basic local governments in Korea. The overall population-adjusted prevalence rates of anti-S and anti-N were 97.6% and 57.1%, respectively. Since the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency has reported a cumulative incidence of confirmed cases of 37.8% through July 31, 2022, the proportion of unreported infections among all COVID-19 infection was suggested to be 33.9%. CONCLUSIONS The K-SEROSMART represents the first nationwide, community-based seroepidemiologic survey of COVID-19, confirming that most individuals possess antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 and that a significant number of unreported cases existed. Furthermore, this study lays the foundation for a surveillance system to continuously monitor transmission at the community level and the response to COVID-19.

Background: The International Classification of Primary Care-2 (ICPC-2) is a classification method designed for primary care. Although previous studies have found that ICPC-2 is a useful tool for demonstrating the relationship between patients’ expectations and health providers’ diagnoses, its utility of ICPC-2 has yet to be fully studied in Korea. This study aimed to evaluate the practicality of ICPC-2 in Korean primary care. Methods: The study was conducted at primary care clinics in Seoul and Gyeonggi areas from October to November 2015. Third-year family medicine residents examined and analyzed the medical records of patients who visited primary care physicians using ICPC-2, and the results were compared with those obtained using the International Classification of Diseases-10 (ICD-10) (Korean version: Korean Standard Classification of Diseases-7). Results: A total of 26 primary care physicians from 23 primary care clinics participated in the study. Furthermore, 2,458 ICD-10 codes and 6,091 ICPC-2 codes were recorded from the data of 1,099 patients. The common disease codes were vasomotor and allergic rhinitis (J30), according to ICD-10, and acute upper respiratory infection (R74) in ICPC-2. Comparing disease status by body systems, the proportion of gastrointestinal disease with ICD-10 codes was significantly higher than that with ICPC-2 codes (P<0.001). Furthermore, patients with >4 diagnoses accounted for 36% of the ICD-10 classifications, whereas those with >4 diagnoses accounted for 4% of the ICPC-2 classifications. Conclusion Introducing ICPC as a complementary means for diagnosing common diseases could be a practical approach in Korean primary care.

Purpose: Demand for genetic counseling on cancer predisposition syndrome is increasing. We evaluated the psychological effect on counselees after genetic counseling at a clinic in a single center. Materials and Methods: We surveyed a total of 72 enrolled participants who visited a genetic counseling clinic at the Samsung Medical Center (SMC). The initial survey was conducted before the first genetic counseling session, and the second survey was conducted after the second genetic counseling session. A total of 43 participants completed both the initial and second surveys. Results: The initial survey of 72 participants indicated higher feelings of guilt in the group with religion, higher depression and anxiety in the group with a diagnosis of self, and higher anxiety in the group on self-referral to the genetic counseling clinic.In the completed survey of 43 participants, overall decreased depression was observed after the second genetic counseling session (P=0.013). Risk perception and anxiety decreased in the group diagnosed with benign variant/variant of uncertain significance (BV/VUS, 25/3) and increased in the group diagnosed with pathogenic variant (PV, 15). Risk perception and anxiety differed between the BV/VUS and PV groups (P<0.001 and P=0.03, respectively). Conclusion The genetic counseling clinic at the SMC was effective in ameliorating the depression score. Assessment of survey results revealed different depression scores, feelings of guilt and anxiety, and different effects of the genetic counseling clinic, depending on the subgroups. Understanding the needs and psychological characteristics of different groups is necessary for improving genetic counseling services.

Mitochondrial NADP+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) produces NADPH, which is known to inhibit mitochondrial oxidative stress. Ureteral obstruction induces kidney inflammation and fibrosis via oxidative stress. Here, we investigated the role and underlying mechanism of IDH2 in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced kidney inflammation using IDH2 gene deleted mice (IDH2–/–). Eight- to 10-week-old female IDH2–/– mice and wild type (IDH2+/+) littermates were subjected to UUO and kidneys were harvested 5 days after UUO. IDH2 was not detected in the kidneys of IDH2–/– mice, while UUO decreased IDH2 in IDH2+/+ mice. UUO increased the expressions of markers of oxidative stress in both IDH2+/+ and IDH2–/– mice, and these changes were greater in IDH2–/– mice compared to IDH2+/+ mice. Bone marrow-derived macrophages of IDH2–/– mice showed a more migrating phenotype with greater ruffle formation and Rac1 distribution than that of IDH2+/+ mice. Correspondently, UUO-induced infiltration of monocytes/macrophages was greater in IDH2–/– mice compared to IDH2+/+ mice. Taken together, these data demonstrate that IDH2 plays a protective role against UUO-induced inflammation through inhibition of oxidative stress and macrophage infiltration.

Mitochondrial NADP+-dependent isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) produces NADPH, which is known to inhibit mitochondrial oxidative stress. Ureteral obstruction induces kidney inflammation and fibrosis via oxidative stress. Here, we investigated the role and underlying mechanism of IDH2 in unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO)-induced kidney inflammation using IDH2 gene deleted mice (IDH2–/–). Eight- to 10-week-old female IDH2–/– mice and wild type (IDH2+/+) littermates were subjected to UUO and kidneys were harvested 5 days after UUO. IDH2 was not detected in the kidneys of IDH2–/– mice, while UUO decreased IDH2 in IDH2+/+ mice. UUO increased the expressions of markers of oxidative stress in both IDH2+/+ and IDH2–/– mice, and these changes were greater in IDH2–/– mice compared to IDH2+/+ mice. Bone marrow-derived macrophages of IDH2–/– mice showed a more migrating phenotype with greater ruffle formation and Rac1 distribution than that of IDH2+/+ mice. Correspondently, UUO-induced infiltration of monocytes/macrophages was greater in IDH2–/– mice compared to IDH2+/+ mice. Taken together, these data demonstrate that IDH2 plays a protective role against UUO-induced inflammation through inhibition of oxidative stress and macrophage infiltration.

Purpose: Demand for genetic counseling on cancer predisposition syndrome is increasing. We evaluated the psychological effect on counselees after genetic counseling at a clinic in a single center. Materials and Methods: We surveyed a total of 72 enrolled participants who visited a genetic counseling clinic at the Samsung Medical Center (SMC). The initial survey was conducted before the first genetic counseling session, and the second survey was conducted after the second genetic counseling session. A total of 43 participants completed both the initial and second surveys. Results: The initial survey of 72 participants indicated higher feelings of guilt in the group with religion, higher depression and anxiety in the group with a diagnosis of self, and higher anxiety in the group on self-referral to the genetic counseling clinic.In the completed survey of 43 participants, overall decreased depression was observed after the second genetic counseling session (P=0.013). Risk perception and anxiety decreased in the group diagnosed with benign variant/variant of uncertain significance (BV/VUS, 25/3) and increased in the group diagnosed with pathogenic variant (PV, 15). Risk perception and anxiety differed between the BV/VUS and PV groups (P<0.001 and P=0.03, respectively). Conclusion The genetic counseling clinic at the SMC was effective in ameliorating the depression score. Assessment of survey results revealed different depression scores, feelings of guilt and anxiety, and different effects of the genetic counseling clinic, depending on the subgroups. Understanding the needs and psychological characteristics of different groups is necessary for improving genetic counseling services.

Purpose: This study was conducted to demonstrate objective stability of postoperative pain management status managed by nurse-based, anesthesiologist-supervised Acute Pain Service (APS). Methods: A retrospective descriptive review was conducted with 5,748 patients who had used intravenous Patient Controlled Analgesia (PCA) from January to December 2017. Data were analyzed using descriptive statics, Frequency analysis, ANOVA, Cross tabulation with X2 test, and Correlation coefficient. Results: As the APS nurse's education date increased, the period of using PCA was statistically significantly longer, and the period of stopping PCA while using it became shorter (p<.001). Statistically significant, the most painful operations were extremities, spine, upper abdomen, and thorax, while the least painful surgery was lower abdomen (p<.001). Lower abdominal surgery used the highest amount of PCA (p<.001), and extremities and spinal surgery, the lowest amount of PCA and frequently stop using it (p<.001). The most common side effects were nausea and vomiting after surgery, with an incidence of 16.0% within 24 hours and 9.8% within 48 hours. The overall error caused by PCA was 1.5%, with 84.3% being caused by human errors. Conclusion With the pain management effect of APS nurses, patients used PCA more effectively. There were also fewer side effects and error rates compared to prior studies.Therefore, it is suggested that this system is safe and effective for pain management.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the relationship between organizational health (OH), safety climate (SC), the nursing working environment (NWE), and engagement in patient safety management activities (PSMA) among operating room nurses and identify the factors that predict engagement in PSMA.METHODS: From August 10th to 25th, 2018, 176 operating room nurses who were working in tertiary and general hospitals responded to a structured questionnaire. Using SPSS/WIN 25.0, the collected data were subjected to independent-samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Scheffé test, and Pearson's correlational and multiple stepwise regression analyses.RESULTS: OH and SC were significantly correlated with engagement in PSMA. The factors that predicted engagement in PSMA were OH, NWE, participation in accreditation, years of work experience, and hospital size; together, they explained 17% of the variance in engagement in PSMA.CONCLUSION: This study revealed that OH has a significant influence on engagement in PSMA among operating room nurses. Therefore, hospitals should aim to create healthy working environments to promote engagement in PSMA among operating room nurses, actively delegate responsibilities to increase their level of participation in accreditation, and implement strategies that maintain high levels of nurse retention.
Accreditation ; Climate ; Health Facility Size ; Hospitals, General ; Humans ; Nursing ; Operating Rooms ; Patient Safety ; Safety Management

PURPOSE: This study aimed to examine the relationship between organizational health (OH), safety climate (SC), the nursing working environment (NWE), and engagement in patient safety management activities (PSMA) among operating room nurses and identify the factors that predict engagement in PSMA. METHODS: From August 10th to 25th, 2018, 176 operating room nurses who were working in tertiary and general hospitals responded to a structured questionnaire. Using SPSS/WIN 25.0, the collected data were subjected to independent-samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Scheffé test, and Pearson's correlational and multiple stepwise regression analyses. RESULTS: OH and SC were significantly correlated with engagement in PSMA. The factors that predicted engagement in PSMA were OH, NWE, participation in accreditation, years of work experience, and hospital size; together, they explained 17% of the variance in engagement in PSMA. CONCLUSION This study revealed that OH has a significant influence on engagement in PSMA among operating room nurses. Therefore, hospitals should aim to create healthy working environments to promote engagement in PSMA among operating room nurses, actively delegate responsibilities to increase their level of participation in accreditation, and implement strategies that maintain high levels of nurse retention.

OBJECTIVE: To develop the Korean version of the Cognitive Assessment Scale for Stroke Patients (K-CASP) and to evaluate the test reliability and validity of the K-CASP in stroke patients. METHODS: The original CASP was translated into Korean, back-translated into English, then reviewed and compared with the original version. Thirty-three stroke patients were assessed independently by two examiners using the K-CASP twice, with a one-day interval, for a total of four test results. To evaluate the reliability of the K-CASP, intra-class correlation coefficients were used. Pearson correlations were calculated and simple regression analyses performed with the Korean version of Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE) and the aphasia quotient (AQ) to assess the validity. RESULTS: The mean score was 24.42±9.47 (total score 36) for the K-CASP and 21.50±7.01 (total score 30) for the K-MMSE. The inter-rater correlation coefficients of the K-CASP were 0.992 on the first day and 0.995 on the second day. The intra-rater correlation coefficients of the K-CASP were 0.997 for examiner 1 and 0.996 for examiner 2. In the Pearson correlation analysis, the K-CASP score significantly correlated with the K-MMSE score (r=0.825, p<0.001). The coefficients of determination (r²) of the AQ were 0.586 for the K-MMSE and 0.513 for the K-CASP in the simple regression analysis. CONCLUSION: The K-CASP is a reliable and valid instrument for cognitive dysfunction screening in post-stroke patients. It is more applicable than other cognitive assessment tools in stroke patients with aphasia.
Aphasia ; Cognition Disorders ; Humans ; Mass Screening ; Neuropsychological Tests ; Reproducibility of Results* ; Stroke*